Grace's First Run

I took my daughter, and the dogs for a run a few weekends ago when the temps were in the 70s. We only went about 4 miles because I wasn't sure how she would react. At first, she was entertained because she could reach out and grab the dogs, and liked the scenery. At about mile 2.5, she was getting a little bored and started to fuss a little bit, and at mile 3 she took a nap. My wife works nights and weekends so sometimes it's hard for me to get my workouts in - this is a great solution for now. The carrier has got a bunch of toys on it so it keeps her entertained for a while - now I just need to keep a constant supply of food for her and she could probably go for hours :)

Bike Safety

As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer it's the time of season to hop off the trainer and get onto the open road. With outdoor riding there are many safety concerns to consider to make sure you are safe.
- ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET
- don't listen to music while riding
- bring a spare tube and repair kit with you
- obey all traffic laws, we share the road w/ vehicles
- tell someone where you are going
- bring a cell phone in the event of an emergency
- make yourself aware of the weather forecast before heading out
- if possible, ride with a group or a friend
- bring the necessary hydration/food with you
- make sure your tires are properly inflated and bike is tuned up
- always be aware of your surroundings (cars, people, pets)

Anything I'm forgetting?

Spinning Music

The cold weather is still upon us, so we are continuing to have spin class in place of biking outside. Hopefully the warm weather will be here soon. In the meantime, I try and make new playlists every few weeks to keep it interesting. Below is my newest playlist - what do you think?
Recently - Dave Matthews Band
Rockstar - Nickelback
Country Grammar - Nelly
Jumpin Jack Flash - Rolling Stones
Wake up Call - Maroon 5
Goldigger - Kanye West
American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty
Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band
Viva La Vida - Coldplay

I can always think of songs as I'm driving, but when I sit down to download songs in iTunes, I draw a blank. Any good songs you can think of?

Self Negotiation

I'm entering my 8th week of training and, even though spring is right around the corner, I find it tougher and tougher to finish my spinning workouts. Afterall, I can only listen to Coach Troy from Spinervals or stare at the wall for so long. After about 1/2 hour I begin to enter a phase of self-negotiation - "well Matt, you've had a real good half-hour, let's cut this one short" or "we'll really up our time when the weather gets nicer, let's call it a workout". As soon as I get into this phase I try and block it out and forge ahead - most of the time it works. I do use a few tactics to get me through these times of self-negotiation:
1) Think of how good I'll feel when it's done knowing that I worked through the mental and physical challenge2) Block it out - just forge ahead and get it done3) What is your competition doing - they're going to finish the workout, you better too4) Its a means to an end - whatever your goal may be - a race, overall fitness, vanity5) Join a class or get a training partner - hold each other accountableNext time you're thinking about cutting a workout short or not going to the gym today, use these methods and get it done.
What methods do you use to keep going?

Grace's 1st B-Day

This post is not triathlon related, but my daughter's 1st birthday is today. It's been an amazing year, watching her grow - from her first smile, her first laugh, her first crawl, and lately her first steps. Being a father has been wonderful. I can't begin to describe how much my wife and I have enjoyed Grace's first year. There have been many challenges, many sacrifices, and many long nights - but I'd do it again 10 times over. We are so fortunate to have her in our life, and it has made me want to be a better person, and make better choices. There is nothing more wonderful than walking in her room in the morning and see her look at you and smile, and rock her to sleep at night. Happy Birthday pumpkin.

Training Update

I'm in week 8 of my Ironman training and it's coming along pretty well - I've spent more time on the bike trainer than I ever have in the past thanks to Spinerval videos, and I can definetely tell the fitness, and overall strength and power is improving. I'm excited to get outside to really see if the training translates on the open road. My swimming has really improved this year as I've put a lot of focus on technique and drills, and am using the Swimming Immersion technique - my times have improved, and I'm not near as tired at the end of the sets as I would have been at the same time last year. I spent a lot of time on the off-season working on my running - doing hill work, 400 and 800 intervals, and general speed work. Running is the area I need the most work in improving, I feel the off-season training is starting to pay off. I'm up to about 10 hours a week, plus 1.5 hours of weight training/core work.

ACSM Certification class

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to an American College of Sports Medicine class to review information for the ACSM Certified Personal Trainer exam. It was a 3 day class that focused on physiology, fitness tests, and program prescriptions for resistance, flexibility, and cardiovascular training. I really enjoyed the class and got a lot out of it. Being in the fitness industry for the past few months I could easily relate to the majority of the information, and how it applied to training my triathlon athletes. The big difference is the ACSM training is pretty conservative and is geared toward people who are starting with a small level of fitness, whereas my triathlon training is geared toward people with a much higher level of fitness, and looking to improve in both speed and fitness so the training programs are much more aggressive and intense. I now have to schedule the test and start studying. Anyone ever taken the ACSM test? Any helpful hints would be appreciated.