I’m no scientist, but I can tell the difference between “easy to breathe” and “hard to breathe”. I live and train in Draper, Utah. The altitude is about 4,500 feet, probably 4,600 feet where I live. My parents live in Arcadia, CA, which is at 479 feet. I started doing triathlons in 2007, and this [...]
Author Archive for admin
Multiple friends have told me I needed to read this book, but I resisted for a year or two. But they were right, I did need to read this book. This is not a training book, it’s an amazing story. It reads in a very similar fashion to The Omnivore’s Dilemma. I’m not sure exactly [...]
14
Nov
Evil to the Core
I’m not talking about what happens when you eat too much Ben & Jerry’s, nor am I making reference to that rotten apple I bit into last summer. I’m talking about what a pain it is to maintain a strong core, and yet…it seems to be something everyone says is important. “But,” you say, “I’m [...]
I’ve written previously about how to make green smoothies taste better. Green smoothies are bad enough in that they’re called “green smoothies”. It doesn’t help that you pack them full of a ton of spinach, kale, or other leafy greens. But if the green smoothie tastes horrible to boot, or it tastes fine on day [...]
Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, is one of my new heros, along with one of the subjects of the book, Joel Salatin, owner of Polyface Farms. One of the great blessings that has come into my life as a result of getting into triathlons in 2007 is that I did not just become [...]
In April of 2010 I ran my first marathon. It seemed like a big deal at the time. Then a guy moved into my neighborhood who was training for a 100 mile run. He would go out and do 30, 40, and 60 mile “training” runs. Somehow doing a marathon doesn’t seem like such a [...]
The Stansbury triathlon, held near Tooele, Utah, marked the last event of the 2011 season for me, as well as the end of an experiment to see how fast I could get. Since getting into triathlon in 2007, I’ve focused exclusively on endurance, but this year I decided to focus on speed. I signed up [...]
I don’t know how the pros handle life. Imagine you’re training all year for Kona, and then two days before it you stub your toe or hit your knee on a table leg and you think “Oh great, is this going to take a minute or two off my race time and put me in [...]
Today I competed in my second of three triathlons that I will do this year. This one was held at Scofield, Utah, in the Scofield Reservoir. Scofield is an actual town of about 30 people, located just south of the reservoir itself. We saw it, but not very well. But based on what we saw [...]
I’ve had problems finding the right earbuds/headphones for running, primarily because they kept falling out. Apple’s default iPod earbuds were ok, if I didn’t mind readjusting them every 3-4 minutes and putting them back in when they fell out every 5-6 minutes. I then purchased some Skullcandy earbuds per the recommendations of my Facebook so-called [...]
On Saturday I competed in my first triathlon of 2011, and my first event in exactly one year, the last having been the Boise half-Ironman in 2010. It’s amazing how a year can go by. After the Boise 70.3, I was planning on doing the full Ironman in Florida, but time commitments, an inconvenient oil-spill, [...]
Last year was the first time I heard about the book Run Less, Run Faster. As much as I enjoy triathlons and running, I have to admit the title had already sold me at “run less”. I was told by a neighbor that the book could take me from running 9-minute miles in my events [...]
This post, in a way, undermines the entire purpose of this blog. You see, I started out on the Ironman journey (which I have yet to complete) with the expectation that training for an Ironman would result in me losing my excess, unhealthful weight. I have lost weight. More importantly, I’m much healthier today than [...]
Let’s face it, if you’re into training for half-Ironman or full Ironman events, then triathlon is a major part of your life. Not to say that if you only do springs or olympics that it’s not, but there’s no way around spending 10-20 hours per week training for a half or full Ironman, and anything [...]
I really wish I had one of these, or two, when I was growing up as a skateboarder. Shoes being what they are, they generally leave the ankle or the leg just above the ankle exposed, and anyone who has been a skater knows that in any given hour you’ll get hit with the board [...]
I still remember my first triathlon like it was yesterday, although it has now been over three years. I had only seen one triathlon before, and that was before I got involved in triathlon so I wasn’t paying attention to the details. Luckily I had a good friend who was coaching me through getting started [...]
17
Nov
Counting Calories
I always knew it would come to this. When I started triathlons, I knew next to nothing about health, nutrition, physical fitness, or basic human biology. I didn’t know the differences between carbs and protein, what you should eat when, or much of anything else related to food and exercise. I was next to completely [...]
CEP was kind enough to send me a pair of their compression running socks to review. The tough thing about doing product reviews of something like a running sock is that you need a basis for comparison. Luckily I’ve used 2xu compression socks as well as socks from Zoot, so now you know what my [...]
Just got a bicycle stand from EZ Bike Products to review. Here’s the quick and dirty on it–if you’ve taken to leaning your bike against the wall of your garage, your car, boxes, strollers, piles of junk, having your kid hold it, etc., and you keep thinking “Man, I just need somewhere to put this [...]
04
Oct
Getting Back
More injuries. I haven’t worked out in a full month. Nada. Not a thing. A month ago I did a 2.5 hr ride on my tri-bike, and when I got off my lower, right back felt a little sore, like something was wrong with a muscle down there. More above the hip than in the [...]
I run an SEO firm, and we just launched a little side project creating niche business directories. We just launched two at TriathlonShopDirectory.com and TriathlonStoreDirectory.com. These are national directories where any triathlon shop can go and create a listing for free. So if you own a triathlon shop or store, or if you’re a bike [...]
I started doing triathlons in late 2007. I think I weighed between 220-225 lbs at that time, and I’m now under 200 lbs. Less than a year before I started triathlons I was as heavy as 236 lbs, and that was absolutely no muscle. While losing almost 40 lbs has been a blessing in many [...]
Starting with the Boise 70.3 I tried out EFS energy drink (yes, I do mean the first time I used it was on a race day–I know, I know, bad idea). I had some gastrointestinal issues that day, but nothing too big. Just some knots in my stomach, and I felt like if I drank [...]
The Lifetime Fitness in Sandy, Utah has been doing some minor renovations in the locker rooms lately. Specifically they’re replacing the carpet that exists in certain areas with tile (don’t ask me whose idea it was to put carpet in a locker room in the first place). Now, to fully appreciate how the events I’m [...]
This is not the pet peeves that race management has, but rather pet peeves I have about race management. 1. Not listing the price of the event anywhere on the website. I’m not going to name names at the moment, but I’m trying to find out how much a certain triathlon here in Utah costs, [...]
I live in Utah, which means I get to train through the winter. And since I’m not a huge fan of the bike trainer or the treadmill, that means running and biking outside in the cold, and that means winter clothing. And as anyone with any sense knows, the best time to buy your winter [...]
It’s not Christmas yet, and Father’s Day and Mother’s Day are long gone. But maybe you know a special triathlete who has a birthday coming up, or maybe you’re one of the seven people in the United States who plan out their Christmas presents this far in advance. Whatever the case, if you want to [...]
I’ve decided to not do my first Ironman event this year, so now what? Should I just workout for the sake of it, or should I plan to race some other events locally? Should I focus on some sprint distance triathlons and improving my speed? Should I just work on personal goals, like riding my [...]
That’s right, I’m scrapping the plan I put in place almost a year ago to do the Florida Ironman this year. The Florida Ironman 2010 in Panama City would have been my first Ironman ever, and I’ve been pretty excited about it, since this was the goal I set when I started doing triathlons back [...]
16
Jun
Bento Box
The Bento Box is one of those things you wish you would have invented. It’s simple, and it gets a job done that just about every biker needs done–making it easy to carry and access your food on your bike. It’s nothing more than a lightweight nylon box, with a net on the top that [...]
This year is “the big year” for me. It started off with my first marathon in April and will end with my first full Ironman in November (assuming the oil spill doesn’t prompt a cancellation). I’ve already completed a half-Ironman in Oceanside, California, but that was back when I didn’t know what I was doing, [...]
Note: See updates at bottom of post. I could just post a link to the review for the Profile Design Aerodrink that’s up at BeginnerTriathlete.com, but I actually have something to add to the hell Dominic went through. My only consolation is that my hell wasn’t as bad as his, because I gave up after [...]
Shipping a bicycle that’s worth $5-10K can be a bit nerve-wracking. While companies like TriBike Transport can ship your bike for you to many events, that only works when you’re going to an event that TriBike ships to. If you’re going to an event that isn’t covered, or you’re not going to an event–just traveling, [...]
Right now I’m wearing a 2009 De Soto Liftfoil Triathlon Speedsuit. I mean that literally, I am literally wearing it right now, as I type this, because I’m about to go do my last brick before the Boise half-Ironman this Saturday and I am checking out all my equipment, doing a dress-rehearsal, as it were. [...]
A triathlon wetsuit is thick neoprene material primarily designed to keep you warm, although buoyancy and hydrodynamics are huge added benefits. A tri suit or triathlon suit is an outfit made of thin polyester-like material (I’m actually wearing one right now, coincidentally, as I’m writing this just before going to do a workout). While a [...]
09
Jun
The Pre-Race Injury
The week or two leading up to a race can cause anxiety, not just because you wonder if you’ve trained enough, or trained correctly enough, but because little things that go wrong can ruin it all. Things like your car being diagnosed as being unsafe to drive from Salt Lake City to Boise, meaning you [...]
Boise half-Ironman, this Saturday. There’s only a 20% chance of rain–I kind of wish it was just slightly higher. I don’t want it to rain, but I wouldn’t mind some good cloud cover. If only it were on Friday, when the high is forecast to be 65 degrees (Saturday the high is going to be [...]
08
Jun
Polar Sports Bottle
Yesterday I went on a two-hour bike ride. I left two sports bottles of Heed overnight in the freezer, and I was biking in the early morning so that I didn’t have to deal with the heat, and yet within one hour both bottles were completely melted and most of the way towards being warm. [...]
Man oh man, what a difference having the right equipment makes. Last week I went for my first ride on my new tri-bike and it was horrible. I thought it was the bike, and in part it was, because the front derailleur wasn’t tuned right and the seat wasn’t adjusted correctly, but the other part [...]
One of the most important tips for race day is to not try out new equipment on race day. This doesn’t just mean you shouldn’t try something out that you’ve never tried before. It also means you shouldn’t use new equipment even if you’ve used the same type of equipment before (i.e. a new pair [...]
01
Jun
Fast Wetsuit Removal
You come out of the water moving fast and see the boat ramp that you have to climb up to the transition area. You start running, and as you do you unzip your wetsuit and pull the top down to your waist. You get to your spot, and start trying to get the wetsuit off, [...]
On the topic of staying motivated, it helps to measure your progress. If I weren’t measuring my progress, I don’t think I would realize how far I’ve come. Here are a few bits of data that have made me feel like “Hey! You’re not doing all that bad!” 1. Three years ago, I had never [...]
Perhaps it’s not fair for me to review a bike that I’ve only ridden once, especially when it’s my first tri-bike. If I weren’t aware that there is some adjustment that needs to happen, I’d be saying this thing is a piece of junk and I don’t know how anyone can ride one, because man, [...]
I got my tri-bike last week, a Quintana Roo Seduza. The same as on that page except that mine is a 2009…wait, no, it must be a 2010 because I paid the same price as what’s on that webpage…either that, or they were charging the same price for a 2009 as a 2010, or they [...]
I’m a big fan of the iPod shuffle. I would go so far as to say that if it weren’t for the iPod shuffle, I might not be doing triathlons at all. The only way I’ve found to endure 1-hour swims, 2-hour runs, and 3-hour bike rides (which are about to get longer as I [...]
The official name of the product is the H2O Audio Interval 3G Waterproof Headphone System for iPod shuffle (3rd Gen), but that’s the only bad thing about it. I reviewed the waterproof iPod case for the 2nd generation iPod that H2O Audio makes several months ago, but they don’t make that product any more (although [...]
When I was a little kid I was on the local swim team. It was something of a family tradition. I don’t remember sharing lanes during practice, but we must have, because there were a lot of kids, many more than there were lanes. But I quit when I was about 10, and my swim [...]
20
May
Warming Up
A few months ago, in preparation for my first marathon, I strained my soleus muscle. Amongst other things, I started out running when my body was completely cold. Normally I walk a bit because I’m waiting for my Garmin to sync up with the satellites (do you realize how amazing that would be to someone [...]
I need recommendations. I had a pair of Scott glasses I bought for about $200 when I first started triathlons three years ago, and I like them a lot, especially the interchangeable lenses, but I sold them to buy milkshakes. I’ve heard people rave about Rudy Project, but I’ve never tried any on and I [...]
17
May
Chamois Butt’r
I remember when my parents bought our first VCR. Before we had one, I never missed it. Once we got it, I couldn’t imagine living without it. The same goes for the microwave, air conditioning in the car, audiobooks while training, and now…Chamois Butt’r. I defer to experts in most things, but my friend, the [...]
Is the 2010 Panama City Florida Ironman going to be canceled due to the oil spill in the gulf? That’s the big question on my mind, since I’m signed up for it, it’s my first full Ironman event, and if they cancel it what do I do about an Ironman this year, when all my [...]
It didn’t take me long after getting into triathlon to realize I had chosen an expensive hobby. I was amazed when I first looked at triathlon wetsuits and saw them going for well over $600. I mean, it’s just a bunch of foam rubber glued together, right? Plus they weren’t exactly flattering to my body [...]
Normally I review products I’ve tried out, but in this case I’m asking for your help, because when it comes to triathlon wetsuits I don’t have much experience. I’ve always rented in the past, and it seems like when I rent a triathlon wetsuit it’s always a Zoot wetsuit for some reason, and most places [...]
Ah, the joy of injuries. And of course they’re always running injuries. Well, except for that time I pulled a muscle in my arm swimming. Have I had a biking injury? I don’t think so…although I have almost been killed once or twice by cars, perhaps. The latest running injury is to the outside of [...]
I guess you know a bike company is doing something right when they’re all sold out of the bike you want by April. The snow has just melted, and the Scott tri-bike I had my eyes on (a 56″ Plasma 20) is all sold out. Not just at PowerTri, through whom I was going to [...]
PowerTri, an online triathlon retailer (with a physical store in Utah) is just about to launch their new blog at PowerTri-Blog.com. A little bit of content is up there, but they’ll be adding about 50 new posts today or tomorrow, and many more in the days to come. Check it out.
You would think it would be a piece of cake to connect this WordPress blog to Facebook so that posts from it would show up on my personal profile, but it’s not. My latest attempt is to use the Simple Facebook Connect plugin for WordPress, which requires setting up a Facebook Application. Here’s an idea [...]
27
Apr
The End of Coaching
Since August of 2009 I’ve been under the tutelage of a world-famous triathlon coach. But I have a limited budget for all my triathlon needs, and I need a tri-bike, so earlier this month I started thinking about talking to my coach about bumping down to one of his lower-priced plans. Coincidentally, my coach had [...]
I wonder how many hits this page is going to get from people looking to go from nothing to a half-Ironman in seven weeks. Let me end the suspense early on–you’re not going to find a training plan on this page, which is unfortunate for you if you’re really looking for a 7-week half-Ironman training [...]
I have three events this year; 1) my first marathon, 2) my second half-Ironman (Oceanside being the first), and 3) my first full Ironman (Panama City, Florida). My first marathon took place just over a week ago, so that’s checked off. I now have just under seven weeks to prepare for the Boise half-Ironman. First [...]
I wish I didn’t like these shoes so much, because I think they’re ugly as sin. Since August of last year, I have been training and racing in Zoot’s Ultra Race 2.0 running shoes. I have done sprint and olympic distance triathlons in my first pair, and I just completed my first-ever marathon wearing my [...]
On Saturday the 17th of April, 2010, I completed my first marathon. The full story is below, but let’s start out by quickly reviewing how I got here. Before the Beginning The first time I remember having any sort of desire to run a marathon was circa 2005-2006. I remember talking with Bruce Miller, my [...]
Chafing is such an ugly word, isn’t it? This Saturday I’ll run my first marathon, and I could use some advice on clothing. The temperature is going to be around 50 degrees at the start of the race, and probably around 70 degrees by the time I finish. I’ve been training through the winter, so [...]
In four days I’ll be running my first marathon. I’m not 100% I’ll finish due to a soleus strain which unfortunately cannot be healed or overcome strictly by willpower, exercise, stretching, or physical therapy. Not that those things don’t help, but they only provide ideal conditions in which the strain can heal itself. The good [...]
My marathon training has been going well. On Saturday I had a run-bike brick, and it felt absolutely wonderful. I’ve been studying up on nutrition/diet and at what point to eat what things before, during, and after workouts, and I think it’s making a difference. But of course just when things start going really well, [...]
I just read this article, which led me to ask the question; Why are triathlons full of middle-aged people? I was going to ask why triathlons are full of middle-aged, fat people, but I haven’t seen that many fat people in triathlons. Not to say I haven’t seen any–I’ve seen some really fat people in [...]
This November (2010) I’ll do my first full Ironman event in Panama City, Florida. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. That means it’s more than a short drive with my bike on top of the car, so the question is what’s the best way to get my bike to Panama City, and to the [...]
Mommy, I hurt my arm. So the other day I was swimming, freestyle, and everything felt fine. I had swam about 1,000 meters, not as hard as I could, but at a decent clip, perhaps 5-10% harder than normal, and all of a sudden my left arm, on the front, in between my shoulder and [...]
Back around August I started drinking green smoothies. I held up for a little over a month, and then I couldn’t take it anymore. The taste of raw spinach got to me, and I couldn’t look at a green smoothie without feeling a desire to do the technicolor yawn. It wasn’t that the taste of [...]
Since August I’ve been swimming in a pair of Zoot jammers. Who started calling these things “jammers”? Didn’t they used to be called swim trunks? And when I was a kid, I just called it my “swimsuit”. Actually I called it a bathing suit, but that doesn’t make much sense either since I don’t bathe [...]
Several weeks ago I asked for a recommendation on which earbuds were best for running, since my iPod earbuds had completely worn out. I got multiple recommendations for Skullcandy earbuds, which I got, and which I liked…at first. But after using them for the past month or two I’ve run (no pun intended) into some [...]
09
Nov
2010 “A” Events Plan
I got into triathlons during the summer of 2007 and it changed my life. 2010 will be, in part, the culmination of why I started. I say “in part” because I plan on doing a lot more after 2010 and hope to have many more culminating events, but 2010 will be the first of what [...]
“2010 Ford Ironman Florida General Entry is SOLD OUT.” So reads the headline on the entry page over on the Ironman Florida website. I guess it’s a good thing I got on there within an hour of the registration link being posted and got signed up. We know that most full Ironman events sell out [...]
So I’m trying to figure out my race schedule for 2010. I’m doing the Florida Ironman, and want to get a half and a marathon in before. I was thinking Salt Lake Marathon in April, Boise Half Ironman in June, and then the full in November. But after doing the half marathon in SLC this [...]
Ok, I’m trying to plan out 2010 by working backwards. I’ll do the full Ironman in Panama City, Florida in November. In June, I’ll do the half-Ironman in Boise. But before that, I want to get a marathon in, because I’ve never done one and feel like I need to have that under my belt. [...]
This morning I went to the gym. Maybe it’s that I just did an Olympic distance triathlon on Saturday. Maybe I’m just feeling lazy. Maybe I’m burned out. I just could not get the motivation to swim for more than 10 minutes. I was going to lift weight too but…meh, I just didn’t feel like [...]
Most of this text is taken from the write-up I did for TriHive Magazine, although I’ve included more detail here, since I didn’t want to make the TriHive version too personal. I won’t say it went off without a hitch. There were a few things that went wrong, and some things that could have been [...]
Well over a year ago I canceled my membership with 24-Hour Fitness, had a nightmare of a time getting the cancellation processed (you would think it would be a fairly straight-forward process), and ended up swearing I’d never sign up with them again, nor refer anyone I knew to them. Between yesterday and today, I [...]
A week ago I got sick. The more I think about it, the more I think it was my body telling me I wasn’t getting enough rest, nor was I getting very good rest. I’ve known for over a decade now what constitutes a “good night’s rest” for me, but it was based on anecdotal [...]
I’m amazed how I can go from not knowing something exists to knowing I can’t exist without that something within a few weeks. Such is the case as I’ve talked with friends and read articles surrounding the concept of barefoot running. Actually, the first time I heard of this was a few years ago, before [...]
It’s only Tuesday, and I just got my 47th marketing phone call from Lifetime Fitness this week. Ok, slight exaggeration, but seriously, I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls from them this week trying to sell me on signing up at their gym and telling me all about how they’ll give me $100 spending [...]
Well hot dang, it’s 32 degrees outside right now. At this same time a few days ago it was above 60 degrees. Perhaps we’ll see another few days of warmth before the full winter sets in, but based on the 10-day forecast I’m not counting on it. Between the cold and the darker mornings, I [...]
28
Sep
Skullcandy Earbuds
I asked you which earbuds were best for running, and you answered. Well, at least four of you did, and three of you suggested Skull Candy’s earbuds, so that’s what I got. I found the cheapest pair I could (shown at right) and ran for the first time with them today. I’m not sure where [...]
Did anybody else read The Three Investigators book series when they were a kid? Anyway, my right knee has been clicking when I ride my bike. Or maybe it’s popping. Whatever you want to call it, it makes a noise and feels weird, but it doesn’t hurt. Just the same, it’s the type of thing [...]
Has anyone ever bought this triathlon training package and used it? The website seems a bit goofy and low quality to me, like a lot of scam websites, but just because it looks like a scam and smells like a scam doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a scam. Maybe the proprietor Ben Greenfield designed it all [...]
I posted a review of the Finis SwiMP3 v2 Waterproof MP3 player a few weeks ago, along with my comments that while I could see it working for some people, it didn’t work for me because the volume I needed just wasn’t there. I listen to audiobooks, and I could only pick up every other [...]
The other day when I woke up sick I weighed in at 203 lbs. Today, after eating, I was around 205. It appears I may have moved from hovering in the 205-207 range to the 203-205 range. But that’s not what’s strange, what’s strange is the tale I will now tell you. You see, my [...]
Man, as if everything I’ve gone through in the last week wasn’t enough. Last night, as I was going to bed, I could feel a little tickle in the back of my throat and some minor pain when I swallowed. I also felt a bit “thick-headed” (my friends say I’ve always been that way), and [...]
The last week has been full of instances in which reality misbehaves. First, I lost the keys to my roof rack for my bike–I think I left them on the roof of the car after unlocking my bike, forgot to lock it, and then drove off leaving the keys somewhere on the road in the [...]
It’s hard to believe that this was only my fourth triathlon, and my first since March of 2008. Thanks to some great coaching and support it was a glorious comeback. Here’s how it all went down: The day before I decided it would be a good idea to eat lunch with Blake Snow at Marley’s [...]
Well, bummer. In short, they can’t test the lake in time for the event, and since they don’t know if it’s contaminated with the parasite or not, the event has to be canceled. I understand there’s nothing they can do, but it’s still a bummer cause I’ve actually been training for this! What about all [...]
Well, don’t this beat all. Couldn’t they have discovered this the day after the triathlon? I mean, what’s a little roundworm infection between friends? Below is the email I received from US Trisports. Hopefully the tests come back negative (meaning no roundworm, of course), and then US Trisports can at least give us the choice [...]
I just created a Facebook group for the Lake Powell Triathlon, as well as a Facebook event for the 2009 Lake Powell Triathlon. I have no affiliation with the race organizers, but since they aren’t doing anything on Facebook I figured I would and then I’ll turn it all over to them if they want [...]
The earbuds that came with my iPod died yesterday. The plastic covering over the copper wire had broken several months ago, and I’ve always had issues with the earbuds falling out of my ears from the jolting of running, but it wasn’t enough for me to take the trouble of looking around for new ones. [...]
16
Sep
Progress is Possible
Like me, you may have struggled with a certain weight barrier. For me it has been 215 lbs. I peaked at 236 lbs. but that was temporary and it took work to maintain my weight that high. By “work” I mean a lot of ice cream and Swedish Fish. I’ve hung around 220 lbs. for [...]
Ok, ok, there is no dark side to Mr. Smooth, that I know of. I just made the title sound controversial to get you to click on the link. My friend sent me to SwimSmooth.com the other day which, as a triathlete, I found interesting since I’m always trying to figure out how to swim [...]
Man, this guy makes me feel lazy. I can never hope to accomplish what he has, because I’ve never weighed 340 lbs. But throw out the weight, and we share the same story of fat men becoming Ironmen, except I’m still working on mine while Kerry has already arrived. I just got this story in [...]
I’ve already written about the Zoot compression socks. Having tried both socks, the Zoot as well as the 2XU compression socks, I think I like the Zoot socks better, as does my coach, David Warden. For me, it’s because the Zoot compression socks are tighter, which makes them a lot harder to put on, but [...]
Men in tights? Oh yeah, 2XU compression tights are so comfy you’ll be wanting to wear them all day, every day. But seriously, they are comfy, and although I’m no expert on recovery and compression material and all this stuff, my coach is, and he swears by these things. He told me to wear them [...]
If you’re new to triathlon, or anything other than casual athletic activity as I was, then you may not understand the importance of recovery when it comes to workouts, and so something like the Zoot compression socks might strike you as a bit odd. Wait, I wear these when I’m not working out? You might [...]
01
Sep
Stay on Your Toes
As I was starting my training with my coach, he sent me this message: Cadence and rpm are used throughout your training plan. How many right (or left) foot strikes are there in 60 seconds? The goal for a triathlete is 90 per minute per foot (or ~22 in 15 seconds = ~90 per minute) [...]
Sweet, looks like I just got into the Lake Powell triathlon on October 17th. I’ll be writing an article for TriHive about it, so Joe at Gold Medal Racing was kind enough to give me a “press pass”, by which I mean he comped the entry fee for me. Now I just have to take [...]
I’ll be doing my first triathlon in over a year on September 19th at Daybreak in Utah. This is the first Daybreak Triathlon and is the final event of the Salt Lake Triathlon Series. I’ll be doing the sprint distance (750 meter swim, aprox. 15 mile bike, and 5K run), which is the shortest distance. [...]
28
Aug
What’s a brick?
Nobody is born doing triathlons, and so most of us remember hearing someone say “I’m going to do a brick tomorrow” and thinking “Wha…?” But of course we’re too embarrassed to ask “What’s a brick?” and so we go on the Internets and use the Google to try and figure it out. Well, here you [...]
I have, or had, a problem. I swim at the Lifetime Fitness gym in Sandy, Utah, and I like swimming in the outdoor pool as much as I can because there is part of the pool where you can swim lengths that go beyond the 25 meters of the lap pool area. But today I [...]
I just got a Finis SwiMP3 waterproof mp3 player so I could listen to audiobooks while I’m swimming. This is a very nice device. The “earphones” don’t go in your ears, they sit against the sides of your face right in front of your ears, and the sound is transmitted through your skull, as it [...]
21
Aug
Bike Ride Comeback
Well, I just got back from my first real bike ride in a year. The new bike is really, really nice. It’s a road bike, not a tri bike (I’ll be getting that next year). It’s a carbon frame, and really solid and quiet. Quite the nice ride. Due to this mornings shenanigans with getting [...]
Sounds controversial, doesn’t it? But it’s nothing of the sort, really. It’s just that generally speaking, Mormons don’t do Ironman races on Sundays, and I would guess that hardcore Orthodox Jews don’t do Ironman races on Saturdays. Some people might be surprised to find out Mormons do Ironman races at all, especially the people who [...]
21
Aug
Xlab Tire Bag
Why all the bike gear reviews all of a sudden? Because I just got my bike the other day and I’m putting all the accessories on it. I’ll post a photo of it all once I’m done, but right now I’m trying to get out on a bike ride! One of the accessories I just [...]
21
Aug
Xlab Mini Top Bag
There’s not much to say about the Xlab Mini Top Bag, I mean, it’s a little nylon bag with a zipper, right? But I think I did find out a little trick about getting it secure on your bike. Ok, maybe it’s not a trick, I mean, I think this is the way it’s supposed [...]
Note: Read the comments, because there is an important update in there about the missing nuts. I’m sure I’m going to love my Xlab Carbon Wing, once I get it all installed, but the installation is a bit of a pain. Seriously, Xlab guys, you need to improve the instructions a bit. They suffer from [...]
20
Aug
Triathlon Goggles
Two years ago I got Lasik, and an entirely new world was suddenly available to me. Today, I tried out Aqua Sphere Vista Swim Goggles and had a similar experience. They are really that good. I’ve been using Barracuda swim goggles for the past two years, and I liked them. They were better than the [...]
Yeah, what is the difference between a triathlon and an Ironman anyway? The question doesn’t really make sense, because an Ironman is a triathlon, the same way a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not necessarily a square, you know? There are four standard distances when it comes to triathlons, and an Ironman [...]
19
Aug
Weight Training
I started doing focused weight training today. Up until today, I was just doing “stuff”. Now I’m actually doing stuff according to my coach’s instructions and the Triathlete’s Training Bible. Here’s the workout I’m currently doing: 1. Leg press – “This is the #1 strength training exercise. 3 sets of 20-30 reps, embarrassing low weights [...]
I just barely started reading The Triathlete’s Training Bible, so maybe it’s premature to be doing a review but it’s already the best triathlon training book I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen two! But seriously, it’s awesome. I mean, it’s got just about everything you would need to know about triathlon in it, along with [...]
My coach has given me workouts that specified swimming first, then running. This resulted in the following steps once I reach the gym: 1. Change into swim gear 2. Shower/rinse 3. Swim 4. Shower/rinse off chlorine 5. Change into running gear 6. Run 7. Change into swim gear 8. Shower/rinse 9. Stretch in hot tub [...]
My coach’s green smoothie recipe includes 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil. But when I went to pick some up, the ground flaxseed was so much cheaper than the oil that I got the ground, thinking it might be as good as the oil. Turns out there is a bit of healthy debate on this matter [...]
Morning workouts are best for my schedule, and I used to rarely eat in the morning before working out. If I did, it was half a Clif bar or maybe a banana and a glass of milk. I always felt just fine working out without much in my stomach, or without anything at all. But [...]
Up until David started coaching me on Monday, I was waking up, having a smoothie made of non-fat milk, a banana, some almonds, and maybe some other fruit thrown in. I would then go work out, come home, and have a bowl of oatmeal with two cups of milk or or a bowl of cereal. [...]
My wife and I have had debates regarding how much choice influences eating habits. Her opinion, if I understand it correctly, is that everyone is the same, but some people lack self-control and therefore have poor eating habits, while other people have more self-control and therefore eat better. My opinion is that certain people are [...]
13
Aug
Green Smoothies
On Sunday my dad asked me if I had ever heard of a “green smoothie”. On Monday my coach asked me the same question. I have been known to make smoothies from avocados (one avocado, three tablespoons sugar, some ice, some milk, blend, delicious) which are quite green in color, but that’s not what they [...]
Well folks, if you read this previous post you’re going wonder how in the world I was able to hire David Warden, host of the Tri-Talk Podcast, to be my triathlon coach. Let’s just say that no, I’m not getting anything for free, and that where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you follow [...]
Guilt can be powerful motivation. That’s what happens when you first put a “before” photo of yourself on the mirror in the bathroom so that you’ll see it every morning when you get up. You see yourself in your fat, bloated, lazy condition and think “Do I really look like that?” And then you go [...]
Some of my most valuable lessons about biking safety have been learned as a driver, not at a biker. Here are two lessons learned: The first happened on 123rd South in Draper, Utah before I got into triathlon. Draper is a very biker-friendly city in that there are wide shoulders and painted bike lanes all [...]
In a triathlon you’ve got two choices for getting into your biking shoes after you finish your swim; 1) put them on in the transition area, or 2) already have them clipped onto your pedals, and when you jump on your bike and start pedaling then you can work your feet into them and make [...]
If you’re a woman, yes. If you’re a man…I don’t know. My friend who got me into triathlon shaves his legs all the time. Maybe he can chime in here with some tips. But after listening to one of the Tri-Talk podcasts wherein host David Warden says he got a staph infection from shaving (and [...]
When I go skateboarding I listen to fast-paced, action-packed music, and it truly helps me skate better and try things I wouldn’t otherwise try. When I got into triathlon, I figured I’d do the same thing. I had already tried running without music and found it to be incredibly boring, not to mention all I [...]
I’m not sure if this is an injury or a “condition” because there seems to be no incident or external source I can point to that has caused me the pain I’m currently going through. I think it might just be something that is happening independent of anything I have done. My main question is [...]
30
Jun
Finis Lap Counter
Swimming in a pool is tough mentally. Not because you need to concentrate, but because it’s repetitive and boring if you’re doing a long distance swim. You can break it up with drills, you can get a waterproof set of earphones and a waterproof case for your iPod (I really, really need one of those), [...]
Your gear is ready to go the night before. You get to bed early. You wake up on time, early in the morning, while it’s still dark, and you can’t wait to get out running, on your bike, or to the gym. You’re just about to walk out the door when you think “I’ll just [...]
24
Jun
Learning the Lingo
If you’re like me, getting started with triathlons is incredibly overwhelming to the point where you say “How about if I just swim some laps, ride my bike around, run a little, and then go run a race?” I have friends who, when they start something new, go out and buy all the books, read [...]
What would the perfect triathlon training center look like? I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Not because I have the $30 million laying around that it would probably take to build the place, but just because it’s fun to think about, plus I like to think of myself as an entrepeneur and I’m [...]
If you’re into triathlon stuff in Utah then you’ve probably already heard about PowerTri in Lehi. They started out a few years ago as an online-only triathlon store, but just opened a retail location at 400 S Mill Pond Drive Lehi, Utah 84043. It’s just a hop and a skip south of the Lehi Roller [...]
I just found out about TriTalk, a podcast about triathlons and made for triathletes, and it’s great stuff. It’s the #1 podcast about triathlon stuff, and is hosted by David Warden, a free-lance journalist, with articles appearing in Triathlete and Inside Triathlon magazines. He is on the Regional Board of Directors for USAT and the [...]
The “about” page on TriHive’s own website says it all, but I just want to give my own plug for the magazine, which only appears to be growing in popularity and which is a great resources for all things related to triathlons, triathletes, and Ironman events in Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. Established in the Fall [...]
You can now follow my triathlon and Ironman exploits on twitter @ironmandiet.
Ok, I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m liking it. Maybe I like it because it’s so similar to my own story which, like the book, is also unfinished. It’s the story of a fat, out of shape business man named John Callos and how he changed his life by training for an Ironman. Hey, [...]
16
Jun
Wait, not so fast.
Well, sometimes getting started again can be a challenge. I visited my physical therapist today because my lower-right back has been hurting as well as my left hamstring, and they seem to be connected. If I try to stretch my left hamstring even a tiny bit it just kills my lower right back. I mean [...]
It has been two years since I started doing triathlons. At the same time I’m both impressed and dissappointed in what I’ve accomplished. I went from having never run over a mile in my life, having never ridden a road bike, and having not swam much since age 10, to completing the Oceanside Ironman 70.3–all [...]
Today was the Salt Lake City Marathon, which also included half-marathon and 5K events. As you can see from the above photo, I did pretty well, finishing just a few steps behind the 1st place finisher of the marathon. He came up so fast I didn’t notice him, otherwise I could have sprinted and perhaps [...]
Either my body is falling apart or I bought shoes that don’t fit right. Last Saturday I ran 12 miles. In a blizzard. It felt great, and I was feeling great until about 8 hours later, when my left foot started to hurt on the bottom-middle. Not so much in the arch, but right in [...]
I’ll be doing a half-marathon April 18th, 2009 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The next event for me will be a full marathon, but which one? The next feasible marathon would be the Utah Valley marathon, June 13th, but that gives me less than two months of training to get from 13.1 miles to 26.2. [...]
Now that my back has healed, or is at least healing, I’m in full training mode for the half-marathon April 18th, 2009, in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was supposed to be my first full marathon, but my disc injury took away 1-2 months of my training and made it impossible. I’m actually lucky to [...]
27
Mar
Back Pain No More
After a few hundred dollars and a few weeks going to the physical therapist my sciatica is 99% gone, which apparently means my discs have just about healed up. Every now and then I’ll get a small twinge, but for the most part I can now go days without feeling a thing. Considering I have [...]
Yep, so of course the big news in Utah lately is that we’re finally getting an official Ironman triathlon in St. George. WTC race official Paul Huddle says the run “is definitely the hardest of any [Ironman] North American run course.” The first one will be May 1st, 2010. Think I can be ready by [...]
Today I went to the physical therapist for the first time since my left leg started hurting. Just to recap, I had to stop running on December 5th because of what felt like a hamstring injury on the left side. The muscle pain went away, but I was left with lightening bolts of pain through [...]
Whatever my injury started out as, it definitely appears to be irritation of the sciatic nerve at the moment. It seems to be recovering quickly now that I’m back from Christmas vacation, which involved a lot of driving which seemed to irritate it a lot more, so I don’t think I’ve got a disc injury, [...]
I still haven’t started training for my marathon, and I’m now a week and a half behind schedule and the clock is ticking. My problem is that I’m experiencing quite a bit of pain in my left leg, but I’m not sure if it’s a pulled or strained hamstring muscle, or a pinched or irritated [...]
17
Dec
I’m not running
I was supposed to start my marathon training on Monday, but I didn’t. My hamstring has still been hurting quite a bit. Sharp, shooting pain from the top of my left buttock down to my knee. Yesterday I did a lot of stretching and I must admit it hurt a lot less today. I’ll do [...]
If you were getting on your teenager’s case about how he needs to do better with his homework and he said “Yeah, I know, but rest is important too, so I’m taking a week off” you’d haul his lazy behind out in the street and whoop on him until you had more neighbors around spectatin’ [...]
The guy who got me into triathlons in the first place, Te Koi Smith, is doing his first full Ironman today in Arizona. I’m Mormon and don’t usually pay attention to sports on Sunday, but I’m checking his progress online. As of this post he has finished the swim, the first leg of the bike [...]
1. Rest – Tell your wife you’ve got to lay on the couch and watch TV for the next two weeks. 2. Ice Cream – Get several pints of Ben & Jerry’s. Apply one pint for 15 minutes to the affected area. Once the ice cream has softened up a bit, eat it. Repeat this [...]
Ten years ago Mr. Morgan wasn’t even sure if he’d ever walk again. A plane crash left him with two broken vertebrae in his neck and 30 percent of his body covered in burns. “I had a 50-50 shot at life,” Mr. Morgan recalls. “I had to learn everything all over again — how to [...]
I’ve never been much for following a plan. In training for my half-Ironman I just went out and biked longer than I had biked before, ran farther than I had run before, and swam farther than I had swam before. I just kept increasing the distances, and tried to go at a reasonable pace–not too [...]
Assuming the country still exists (I’m not too keen on either of our Presidential candidates), I’ll be running the Salt Lake Marathon on Saturday April 18th, 2009. So much for my other plan. My friend who got me into all this stuff in the first place just did his first marathon a few days ago, [...]
When I first started getting into triathlons my trainer referred me to a physical therapist. I didn’t have a problem that needed to be fixed, but he told me to go anyway. I went to a therapist who had experience with running and biking. He tested me for flexibility, making me do all sorts of [...]
13
Sep
My Next Event
So you may be noticing that the last event I did was a half-Ironman back in March, and it’s now September. Did I quit after that and actually skip the entire summer? Well, yes and no. I haven’t done any events since March, and I won’t be doing any more this year. But I have [...]
Even if you’re just getting started in triathlons you’re probably aware that there are triathlons, and there are Ironman triathlons. Ironman is nothing more than a brand name that manages various products and licenses its brand for certain triathlon events. Events sanctioned by the Ironman brand sell out fast and cost a lot more than [...]
A friend of mine Don Morehouse recently died in a triathlon during the swimming event. He was healthy, had run marathons, and was in great shape. The autopsy revealed nothing but the obvious, which is that he had drowned. It was quite a shock and my condolences go out to his family. My wife and [...]
If you’re just getting started and know nothing about bikes then buying one can be a frightening proposition. How much should I pay? Should I buy new or used? Do I really need to worry about aerodynamics when I’m just starting? What are those handlebars people have that allow them to lean forward and rest [...]
Since I’m posting this you know I’m still alive. Not only alive, but I actually feel pretty good. So here’s how it all went down. Friday night it was just one thing after another as I packed and repacked my backpack for the event and by the time we got to bed it was around [...]
On Saturday, October 13th I competed in my second triathlon ever at Lake Powell. It was held at Wahweap Bay, a few miles from Page, Arizona. My wife and I drove down the night before to register and get a hotel room in Page. They promoted hotels right by the event, but Page is plenty [...]
This photo was taken last night before the race. I should have taken a photo before I ever started training, but I didn’t. But I think this is fairly close to what I looked like a month or two ago anyway. Not exactly easy on the eyes. If you’re just getting started I’d recommend taking [...]
