LAS VEGAS MARATHON 2012

LAS VEGAS MARATHON BABY!

Hey everyone,

It started as a suggestion early one morning at conditioning camp and it sounds like it has exploded into a group goal.

We were chatting about a group event that would be cool to do together and I brought up the Las Vegas Marathon. I have had a few clients do the event and said it was awesome. It was supposedly such a cool event that they wanted to return every year after.

Now most events start @ 7am and you are done by 9 or 11am (Depending on if you are doing a half or full marathon and your speed). This event starts @ 4pm for the full marathon and 5:30 for the half marathoners. You run down the fully lit strip with thousands of spectators cheering you on (are you in yet)?

This years race is December 4th and the early bird cost for the half is $130 and $140 for the full. Can you believe it? For only an extra $10 you can run a full marathon ;-)

This is a long term goal (14 months away from today actually) but a great way to get started and think about what you need to do to get there. The more people that we could get out the better it would be. Plant the seed and recruit friends and family.

I will be planning some weekly group runs to pump up the team. We dont want anyone waiting until 16 weeks out to start training (or 3-4 weeks like some people I know). Think about the results, gains, and fitness you can achieve by then.

Write it down and pin it up where you can see it "I WILL DO THE LAS VEGAS MARATHON (OR HALF) IN 2012"

The more you run it into that head and plan it the better the chance you will stick to your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Start small and go from there.

http://runrocknroll.competitor.com/las-vegas

Are you in?

Paul

Back At It

Hey Everyone,

I am starting to feel better after Ironman Wisconsin. I was doing some fun workouts and races afterwards but have just been feeling flat. I felt like I didnt have that extra gear but now that I have a rough idea of what next year is going to look like I have started putting some plans and training into action.

I have put together a weekly routine that I will be following and changing my schedule accordingly.

I Have planned 3 Runs a week (Sunday long, Tuesday some speed work, and Thursday a medium distance run at a faster pace with some strides to remind the legs what it's like to run faster).

I found that running longer for me = running slower. To not have this happen again I must keep to my focused workouts and not slack on them.

I will be swimming 3 x a week 2 times with Triathlon Manitoba on Monday's and Wednesday's and 1 other session on my own or with Masters. Getting faster in the water is my goal for this year and know I will need to bump up my pool times to do so.

3 strength/Metabolic training workouts a week is also on the schedule. Monday, Wednesday & Friday along with some time for Yoga.

I am still out biking but not as much as over the summer. I am down to 2-3 bike sessions a week and the volume is a lot less too. I try to commute and take the long way or ride to training appointments but sometimes that doesnt always work out with my schedule.

Now is a good time to sit down and look at what you have going on and what you can fit in where...

Here is a cool video I found on YouTube... There is always good stuff on there.

Keep moving

Paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_2eU1ykV3k&feature=topvideos_sports

Get Motivated

(Me at the end of "Menocross" started 60th place, finished 1st. Not bad for a second time racing this sport. There was no drinking and dancing at the finish line).

What are you doing this fall to spice things up... I am not talking about candles and satin sheets. I mean with your workout routine.

Now is a great transitional time to try something new, set some goals, and step out of that box.

I have decided to try cyclocross racing and it has been awesome. Lots of suffering on the bike in a zone that you aren't normally used to and a lot of fun to boot!

I have decided to set some goals for next year as I am not going long for Triathlon. I know I can finish an Ironman. I have four under my belt and I know where my weaknesses are.

The goal next year is to go shorter and faster. What are my specific goals?

5k under 20 min

10k under 40 min

13.1 miles (half marathon) under 1:30

How will I get there? I will be doing some lactate testing on my bike and run to see what optimal zones I need to train in. Finding you proper zones is critical to training otherwise you could be doing too much and not getting a lot out of it. Once these are determined you can start planning your program (Base, Build, and recovery cycles). I will still be doing triathlon so the workouts will be very speed specific and always keeping in mind that I will have another session tomorrow and not to burn myself out.

I have been training long for 3 years now. When you are doing long distance and putting in high mileage its harder to do the speed work. Sometimes when you have the time and you do the body says "what the hell are you doing to me?" If you train faster to begin with and get the body used to it it wont be such a shock come race day. The goal is to not train slow because you will race slow.

Now I am just having fun with training and doing a bit of everything... Its nice to be free from a strict schedule (which actually wasn't very strict).

What are your goals?

Happy training

Paul

Tuesday September 20th Trail Run Canceled

Hey Everyone,

Due to today's constant rain (and an injury I sustained) there will be no run this evening at Birds Hill Park.

Normally I would still go and see if there were any brave souls that have chosen to come out and enjoy the trails but having finished an ironman just one week ago I am better off not pushing through a run and hurting my calf further.

Sorry for the late notice but I was waivering on having the run and chasing people on bike. The past few runs in the rain were solo runs for me anyways...

PLease post if you have any questions, concerns and coments. I hope to see you out next tuesday @ 6pm Birds Hill Park Stables.

If you decided to go and run anyways please let me know by sending me a pansy text or e mail :-)

Sleep it off

Hey Everyone,

Its amazing what some extra sleep can do for the mind and body. after bailing on my 2 workouts and getting a solid 7 straight hrs of sleep last night I feel great today!

After feeling terrible, sick, or run down its always a good idea to ease back into your workouts slowly. The faster and harder you come back the better the chance you are going to get injured or sick.

Keep in mind that fitness is a lifetime journey for a lot of us. Its not about how quick you can get there then fall off the wagon again. Take you time follow the plan and you will be there in no time... After being sedentary for 3, 5, 10, or 20 years is 2 years of hard work all that bad? Yes and no. Sometimes you feel like you are getting nowhere (thats when its time to change it up) or ask yourself if you are really doing all that you can do the meet your goals.

I hear people saying all the time that they have tried everything to get fit but it must be their body that just cant lose the weight... NOT TRUE!

1. Are you making a 100% honest effort to your goal/goals? Look in the mirror and ask yourself that. See what the answer is. Some times it changes when you look at yourself rather than just asking yourself.

2. Are you getting in your workouts? 2 a week isnt going to cut it... 3 a week is not going to cut it. If you want to get FIT you need to put in the work. That for most people is 6 days a week with one rest day.

3. Are you eating too much? How about enough? I always tell people "you can work out 7 days a week for 3hrs a day and not lose weight if you are still eating too much. Remember you need to create that defecit to drop the pounds. Sometimes you just need to tweak your eating habits other times you need a complete overhaul. Either way this is boing to be a big part of your success rate. You cant just start exercising and continue to eat crap. If you do you may still make some positive gains but just think about how much faster you can progress when you make the changes you need to now instead of 6 months after you start exercising. Sit down with a nutritionist or dietician and see what you need.

On the other hand if you are not taking in enough calories to support yourself (exercising or not) your body can go into starvation mode and keep what it has (fat/mass) or start to break down precious muscle tissue to supply itself with energy. You dont want to go this route.

With my Ironman training I am eating 8-9 times a day and am maintaining 165lbs @ 6'0" and a body fat percentage of 5% My eating habits stay close to the same all year around as I keep active all year around. The amount of food changes when my training volume decreases. You cant do less and still eat more and stay the same!

Yes you do tend to eat more when you are training more but you cant restrict yourself from taking in some extra calories to support yourself. If you deny yourself thos extra calories you are not fueling your body for the recovery it needs to take after your workout and before the next one.

4. Are you getting enough rest? Sleep is just as important as training. If you dont let yourself recover you are just letting yourself break down. The more you do that the more you are prone to injury and burn out. Rest can be sleeping, just laying down, sitting reading a book or relaxing in the hot tub. You need time to relax and recover.

Personally when I am done a long or tough training session (2.5hr Run, 5+hr Bike, Longer brick workout) I will take in some recovery food (mix of carbs and protein to start the rebuilding and regenerating process), take a shower, and the best part lay down for a nap 30-60min Once I get up from that maybe a light stretch and I feel like a million bucks.

Everyone recovers differently so find what works for you and plan it in to your day.

Keep Training

Paul

Check out this video 48hrs in the life of Tim Don a top level Triathlete. This guy is insane. Who ever said it would be great to train as an athlete full time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BaDYnpTA2Y

Alive.... Just barely

Well its been a long time since I have posted anything. I am 25 days out from Ironman Wisconsin (Sept 11th 2011) . This has been a busy time for me as I have had a lot on my plate and blogging has obviously not been one of them.

Training has been going well but has its ups and downs just like everything. I have had a lot of other things going on like looking at buildings for a training studio, pricing out equipment for the building, making a business plan, working on a proposal for the building I like, working more than full time hours and training for Ironman.

I must admit that I thought training was going to go differently for this event. Sometimes we always see things clearly in our minds but they dont aslway come out like that when you live it out loud.

I have already been thinkking about goals for next year and weeknesses that I need to focus on. There are always things here and there that can be changed but I need to make them a priority!

I have already told Lorrie that next year will not have any full distance IM's because the training takes up so much time and energy. Now I should be swimming but felt run down all day and had trouble keeping my eyes open. Even on yesterday's group ride with the Wellness crew I closed my eyes a few time while pedaling down a straight away. You know when you come to a red light and just close your eues for a few seconds... Yes well I was doing that on a bike @ 30+ km/hr. NOT GOOD. This is my body trying to tell me something. When you body says "stop you are running me into the ground". You had better listen, especially when you are 3 weeks out form a big race.

I dont think I will make the time I had originally thought and will have to seriously re think doing another IM event in the future. I know there will be more but when? I will not be happy just doing them. I know I can finish it. I know I can qualify. All I need to do is give it my all. I have not been doing that to date.

Sometimes to get better at something you need to take a step back and analize what you are doing and where you are. As we age our training needs to change too. We have to be smarter with our workouts and training schedules, volume, and intensity.

Treat yourself well!

Paul

P.S. This is not me giving up. I am still goin to get out there and give it everything I have just like I have at any other event :-)

100 Days to go

Hey Everyone,

Im back. I have been away from the blog for a while as I have been fighting... Well I dont know what it is. I know that I recwovered well from Ironman St George. I think the problem I had was how tired I was when I came home. I was so beat and run down with all the later bed times, early mornings and it took its toll on me. Im glad I caught it when I did as it could have been worse than it is now.

I was getting in workouts on and off depending on how I was feeling. I know it wasnt burn out as I still had the desire to workout but I had so much trouble staying awake after getting off work. Some early nights and lots of food and I was good to go!

The next big event coming up is the Morden Half Ironman in July and another big one Ironman Wisconsin which is only 100 days away. Its time to get to work. I feel great and am looking forward to being back out there in Wisconsin.

I hope you are all doing well and training hard. You will be hearing more from me from now on.

Take care and train hard.

Paul

IM St. George Video

Here is a great video of the IM St. George race. See if you recognize someone around the 7:50 mark!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-cp9OcBD6g

Just seeing the video makes me want to go back and do it again... Maybe not tomorrow but soon!

Paul

Friday The 13Th

Hey everyone,

Damn its cold here. We had gotten used to +30 in St. George and Vegas. It was quite the surprise getting off the plane to -5 with the windchill.

Sorry I didn't get the workout posted for this morning. I have been trying to log in to Blogger for the past couple days and it has been down for logging in and a read only site until now.

Here is the workout I came up with in the airport. Use it over the weekend if you like.

Friday The 13^th!

Here’s your final workout before Im back! I am sitting in The Las Vegas airport thinking what can I get you to do so here it is…

1 Mile run for warm up

Follow it up with a

.5 mile run @ threshold (very uncomfortable pace), Heavy breathing, panting, maybe even a bit of drool!

Show me the bunny! Bunny hops 50 in total Non stop.

Right after

Jump into lateral bounding pushing off 50 times per leg

Follow it up with lunges 100 in total

Follow it up with 50 pushups. I don’t care how long it takes you just do them and make sure you start on your toes and hands (NOT KNEES).

Follow it up with

30 self assisted pull ups (use a smith machine, use a squat rack, use a bar, use a swing). Just pull yourself up over and over…

Follow it up with

15 burpees

Follow it up with

Plank with alternate reach 20 reps total followed by a 1 minute plank.

On to

Side bridge with oblique crunch 30reps per side

On to

Sit ups 20 total

onto

a .5 mile run At or above threshold… Just make sure you beat that 1^st .5mile time that you stared with. Now that you have read this make sure not to wimp out on that 1^st .5 mile sufferfest just so you can beat your time the second time around! I know how some of you think ;-)

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

Enjoy and see you soon.

Paul

Photo above was rest day #2 post Ironman hiking into the mountains into waterfalls. The water was much colder than the swim @ Sand Hollow. Taken in Zion National Park. It was beautiful there and reminded me of Jurassic Park with the bus shuttles and surroundings.

Wednesday Morning's Workout

THE 600 WORKOUT!

1 mile run to warm up (or 1 lap of the park)

Walking lunges (Right after run) 100 total

25 Push Ups

25 Squat Jumps

25 Dips

Lateral Bounding 30 reps

Burpees 15 reps

Sit -Ups 20 reps

Plank with alternate arm leg raise for 20 reps

Modified mountain climber (alternate knee to elbow for 20 reps)

T Push Up with leg abduction (leg raise) 20 reps

Now that you are done do it all over... Once more (except for the 1 mile run). You can thank me later.

Enjoy

Paul

Being Beaten by Iron!

Watch the video because I cant type! Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes and support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjG7PNoS-Us

Paul & Lorrie

Ironman St. George, TOMORROW!

Today was the last day to get ready. The temperature here was 91 degrees. The same as its supposed to be tomorrow for the race. Everywhere you went you could see the heat radiating from the pavement. I even stepped out of the car to dead to the grocery store and my shoe got stuck to some tar in the parking lot. When I pulled it away it had a perfect imprint of the tread on the bottom of my shoe. NOT GOOD.

We got our bikes and run gear in today and made sure we had all of our last minute things together for tomorrow.

We got to see where we will be finishing tomorrow and I hope there are more people cheering us on than tonight...

Well all is done and we even watched the Ironman St George video from 2010 and it helped us to see what we are in for a little more... We felt like we should have been in our basement riding our stationary trainers instead of watching a video in the desert... We had our favorite pre race away from home meal. A 12" Roast Chicken Sub from Subway... It was good stuff. Now all we need to do is set our alarm clocks for 4am so we can make the hotel shuttle for 4:35... Im sure 4 alarms will wake us up and if it doesn't wake us it will for sure put us in a bad mood!

I had a headache most of the day and know that I am suffering from a bit of sunstroke. I just need to lay down... Its time for a cold shower and off to bed. 4am comes early...

Sleep in from us and I hope to have a post for you tomorrow...

Train hard (and get some extra sleep for us)

Paul & Lorrie

2 Days to go

Yesterday we were busy… We made it out to Sand Hollow Resevoir for a swim and after 20 min of standing in the shallow waters Lorrie decided to come in (it took her less time to decide to sign up for the freakin race).

The water was a cool 62 degrees but after swimming for 5 min your face, hands and toes got a little more used to it. There were a lot of other triathletes out swimming, biking, and running. All short workouts to get the last few kinks out and make sure the bodies are doing what they are supposed to do.

We got in a good 1500m swim and got used to the water. I noticed the more I was kicking the more my calves wanted to cramp up. I find that happens in cooler water when I kick too much so I laid off a bit and felt good ( I wasn’t sure if there were any 10 year old boys around to save me if I sank).

After the swim we got a few last minute things for our kits and started putting out transition bags together and getting our bikes ready.

The heat is already getting to me and I believe I have mild heat stroke. Im sure the next few days will complete it.

Train hard and stay cool

Paul

Friday's Workout (May 6)

Here is fridays workout... Enjoy as I'm sure you will ;-)

Keep in mind the spirit of Sufferfest...

IWBMATTKYT

(I Will Beat My Ass Today To Kick Yours Tomorrow) Gotta love it!

Workout 3

.5 mile warm up followed by a shot of water. Make sure you are good and warm for the 1 mile TT (Time Trial). 10 laps building speed as you run and push it closer to the end. 10 laps outside lane! Mark your time Minutes and seconds…

Pick up DB’s to use for DB step ups on Bleachers. Recommended weight 25+ Alternate legs for 2 min.

Alternate with

Have a mat ready for DB chest press laying on the floor 1 minute as many reps as possible (aprox 20+ with weight that you chose).

3 Sets

DB Row form plank position with weight chosen. Aprox 15-20reps/side depending on weight you have.

Followed By

Dips 20-30 reps depending on if you have strong or WEAK triceps… Remember to use all 3 of your triceps (that’s a joke)

Followed by

Bench jumps (I don’t care if Shelley’s legs aren’t breathing she has to do them anyways… and do them perfectly!)

15-20 reps Jump up and step down alternating legs each time.

3 sets

DB Lunges to the end of the gym floor and back x2 (this is counted as one set. You may need to chose a lighter weight for this Minimum 15lbs.

Followed by

Burpees up onto the bleachers 15 reps

Followed by

DB squat press for 15reps

3 sets

Put those weights away and finish off with that 1 mile Time trial again ;-)

Core work

Plank With alt arm + leg reach 20 total

Side bridge with oblique crunch 30 reps/side

Plank 30 sec

Side bridge-starfish with abduction (8reps/side)

And rest… Try to do this all with out dropping then rest for 45 sec and do it again…

3 times!

You are done after this! Thanks for the heads op on the “Short workout” Wednesday Laurie. I hope this make up for it.

Paul

These workouts are being posted for those who can answer NO to all questions in the Canadian Par-Q Physical Activity Questionnaire. If you have answered YES to any of those questions please consult your doctor before beginning any strenuous activities. If you are not sure how to perform any of these exercises please consult a fitness professional.

3 Days to go

Well we have 3 days to go and things are heating up out here. Today I went to the athlete check in to register and pick up all my tags, bibs, bags and of course cool swag.

At this point Lorrie decided to register for the event as well. Yes she did. Now I am not a supporter of weekend warriors (Even though Pat Z. loves the sound of it) Lorrie thought she would be bored sitting around all day watching people go by so she thought "Why not register?" She will do great as long as she paces herself and makes sure to drink a lot... Im not worried as she is a tough cookie! Now there will be 2 gimps walking around on saturday night!

We have spent the rest of the day getting all of our race gear together into all the transition bags, and special needs bags. We have been checking over our bikes making sure they are mechanically sound.

Making last minute lists of things we need to pick up and add and double checking all our stuff...

I found a cool saying on the back of my watch today...

"When your heart beats at 180, every muscle in your body nears its breaking point, and you've pushed yourself to new possibilities, within the chaos of stamina there's an overwhelming sense of calm. Your mind clears, the world around you slows down and the seconds on your wrist tick like minutes.

Thanks Timex!

Here is a video and some pics of the day...

http://www.fordironmanvideos.com/wvideo.php?view_key=23897927885

Take care and Train Hard...

Paul

4 Days to go

Damn... 4 days to go. Its getting hot out here. We went and drove the run course today and all I can say is that there are no flat parts on it. We were told that there were so many people passing out last year from exhaustion and the heat that they thought the course would be changed for this year. Well it stayed the same and there is not one tree, canopy, or bit of shade to be found at all.

The course is beautiful but over 3000ft of climbing on the run + over 6000ft on the bike + 32c temperatures on the day... This will be an interesting test for all.

Lorrie is still undecided on her registration. We did go to the local pool here today which was nice with the heat of 30c outside. The place was beautiful. Its called Sand Hollow Aquatic center and looks like our golf dome from outside.

We had a good 40 min swim and are headed out for a 30 min run once the sun goes down a bit more.

I also saw several athletes headed into this building. I wonder if its legal???

Off for a short fun run... All the training is done and now its time to enjoy...

Happy training...

Paul

P.S. Wednesdays workout should be posted below.

Wednesday's Workout

Here is Wednesdays workout. I hear that most will be staying indoors still so here is another indoor workout.

Enjoy!

Warm up with a 10 min jog building speed and intensity near the end of the 10 min

Lateral bounding down the straightaway of the track. Right leg then left leg. Walk around the corners. 2 sets follow each set up with 1 lap of running. After doing both legs and don’t forget the squat between each push off!

Bunny Hops down the straightaway of the track.

SHOW ME THE BUNNY! 2 sets. Run 1 lap between each set.

Run the loop! Both sets of stairs and 1 straightaway of the track. You will be doing this between each exercise I have you doing on the bleachers/gym floor.

1 Loop, 10 Burpees

1 Loop, 30 Jump Squats

1 Loop, 15-20 Plyo push ups on the bleachers… Add a clap for as many as you can and wear a helmet if needed ;-)

1 Loop, 30 Dips

Done like breakfast. Have a great day.

These workouts are being posted for those who can answer NO to all questions in the Canadian Par-Q Physical Activity Questionnaire. If you have answered YES to any of those questions please consult your doctor before beginning any strenuous activities. If you are not sure how to perform any of these exercises please consult a fitness professional.

5 Days to go

Im not sure why Lorrie Wanted a picture of

me here but I stopped to make her happy.

5 Days left! Today was the best day weather wise so far. We had lots of some sun and very little wind. We got out on our bikes for 40k and had a great time riding the hills. I hit 70 going downhill today with the brakes on slightly...

The biggest hill is kind of intense looking but once we started climbing it it was easier than expected. The hill was about an 8% grade over 2k. We got to the top and Lorrie says "I want to sign up". I shook my head and said its your call. She is not one for sitting around and watching events. Even if she didnt know what the hell she was doing she would try it out anyways... I love her for it but dont want her to get injured. Tomorrow we will hit the pool and see how her shoulder does in the water.

I have been icing my calf all day as I couldn't walk last night and had a lot of pain in the origin of my left gastrocnemius. I dodnt do anything stupid and have been taking it easy so I hope this goes away soon. It didnt bother me on the bike at all so I dont know what to think. Stretch, Ice, and Massage and pray to the Ironman gods that they can have me ready for Saturday.

Other than that its been a nice day in the sun.

Happy Training!

Lorrie Climbing the beast

Why do we live in Winnipeg?

6 days to go

Today was a great day here in Utah. Today we went to check out where the swim will be. Sand Hollow Reservoir is a beautiful body of water. The water is crystal clear with a tint of blue and some sparkling green in some areas. The rock formations around the swim are amazing to look at and climb. Check it out! The beauty of the water almost made me forget about the sign we saw going towards the reservoir.

We drove the Ironman St. George Bike course. Biking it now is not a good idea as its too close to race day. The main goal is to keep some consistent workouts but not to make them too draining so I am fresh for the weekend.

The course is intense and the wind blew the car form side to

side as we drove the hills.... Sorry I mean mountains. The course is beautiful and i believe I said to Lorrie "This course will kick the shit out of a lot of people". I hope i'm not one of them.

We also got in a good run around the town and hit the weight room for some core and light strength work.

Well Its off to hit the hot tub and get another good nights sleep like last night.

Workout 1

Well its been a long day. I got some great pics to post but I will post your workout first. I hear that the workout will be done @ Wellness instead of at the park (PANSY'S).

Here you go!

1 mile run on the track! No treadmills here. OUTSIDE LANE THE WHOLE TIME. Cutting corners will give you a faster time. We don't want that. Time it! 10 laps = 1 mile

1 lap of lunges

10 sets of stars in the stairwell 10 sets every second step

Bench jumps (on bleachers) 20 reps man makers (pyramid) on gym floor (basketball courts)

2 sets

Burpees 10

Dips 15

Pushups 10 (5 second hold at the top 5 second hold at the bottom) This should take you 1:40 to do if your are doing it properly.

Plank 2 min 1 set

Side bridge with oblique crunch 20r/side 2 sets back to back

Mountain climber SLOOOOOOOW 20 reps on your hands and toes 1 set

Crunches with feet on bleachers 20 reps

Hit the showers!

Let me know if you used it and how much fun it was.

Enjoy! Oh yeah and suffer ;-)

Paul

These workouts are being posted for those who can answer NO to all questions in the Canadian Par-Q Physical Activity Questionnaire. If you have answered YES to any of those questions please consult your doctor before beginning any strenuous activities. If you are not sure how to perform any of these exercises please consult a fitness professional.

7 Days to go

Damn... 7 Days to go.

I cant believe it. I remember looking at the countdown when I had 130 days to go. Now we are here and getting it together.

Lorrie and I arrived in Las Vegas friday afternoon and after getting our rental car (a Ford Explorer to fit all our gear) we drove around looking for food. We were so hungry after being told at the beginning of our flight not to pull out any nuts (the ones you eat) on the plane because someone on there had a severe allergy and would probably die if they came into contact with nuts. Everything we brought had nuts... Oh well we survived and found some mexican food to fill us up.

As the sun was going down we drove through the desert to St George with sand blowing and tumble weeds rolling across the road we marveled at the mountains and red rock as the sun set over the mountains.

When we got to our hotel we pulled our gear in and got some shut eye. We could barley keep them open at this point.

Today we put our bikes together and got out for a 1hr ride. Did some hills and checked out the area... Why do we live in Winnipeg? This place is amazing. I will post some pics when I get a cable for the camera tomorrow. the main goal was to test the bikes out and make sure all bugs get worked out before saturday. There are a few shifting concerns that I need to iron out.

The hills here are insane. The grade is so steep that going uphill in the easiest gear seems like pedaling with a car attached to you. I loved it!

After the ride we went grocery shopping for our GOOD food instead of eating out with junk all the time... It is worth having what you want when you want and you know what you are getting when you pick it out yourself.

We paid a visit to snow canyon and did a little trail run where I tripped and ripped my foot open on lava rock THROUGH MY SHOE! That was not a good feeling. Seems to be ok now.

The temp here has been cold 7c ish and the wind is around 50k/hr. Not like we were expecting but what can you do. Race day is supposed to be +33c Oh what fun. We haven't seen the Iron Invaders yet but im sure there are some around...

Hope to have some new pics up tomorrow for all of my followers (Thanks Cheryl and welcome DONNA!)

Tomorrow 45min run Bike test and relax. ;-)

Hope all is well in Winnipeg I hear it sucks!

Paul

Get up and out there

I loved this article. Here are some great tips for you people out there having trouble getting out the door in the morning for a killer workout. Check out the link for the full article.

See you in the morning.

Paul

Morning Workouts Made Easier

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By Marty Munson
For Active.com

There's good evidence that morning workouts can help you stick to an exercise habit. Not sold? See the top five reasons to work out in the morning. But how do you actually get out of bed to do them? Here's how to make wakeup-to-workout automatic:

1. Have your stuff ready. Every moment you waste looking for your watch, your cap or your workout shoes is another moment you have to make excuses or do something else. Make it easy for yourself to get out the door. I put everything, including my watch and shoes, on the floor by my bed and put them on before I even get past the bedroom door.

2. Eat something! Your body needs something to burn after fasting all night. So give it a couple bites of something if you're headed for a moderate workout. That might be a whole or half of a banana, a Fig Newton, half of an energy bar; how much you need depends on how long and tough of a workout you're doing. Whatever you eat, it should contain some carbs. I chase mine down with a few sips of iced coffee, just so I can actually find the gym.

3. Don't count the first 5 minutes. Triathlete Sara Reinthaler holds that "the first 5 minutes of anything suck." That includes getting out of bed. Don't judge how you feel until you've been out the door for 5 minutes. Let's face it—wouldn't you be saying "oh, I'm sooo tired" even if the alarm were going off an hour later? Skip the drama and just get out there!

4. Give it time. The first day or three of your new schedule, you may have an afternoon energy dip. Don't stop exercising because of it. You may be running out of fuel too soon; morning exercisers often need to eat more in the morning and less in the evening to optimize their performance all day. Give your body a week—preferably two—to adjust. Only then can you evaluate whether morning workouts are for you or not.

5. Go to bed earlier! Yes, it's a no-brainer. So why not do it? Dr. Roizen of the YOU Docs recommends inching up your bedtime by 10 minutes a night. Not only will it be easier to get out of bed for morning workouts, but getting more sleep might help you live longer and stay thinner, too.

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/Mornings-Workouts-Made-Easier.htm?cmp=306&memberid=82944211&lyrisid=21733506

Wake up!

Some days you get up... Have nothing... Feel run down, beat, tired and you force yourself to get up, get out of bed and its so worth it!

As I was eating breakfast I was checking my e mail and got this video. After watching it it made me want to do more! Find a video out there that makes you gant to GO!

What do you think?

Have a great day and go push yourself.... Maybe not exactly like this ;-)

Paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fouvwilGWc

24 days to go

Well there are 24 days left until race day. I have several workouts coming up that I have to get mentally prepared for and focused on. I have been a little run down the past bit with training, work, renovations (which are coming along well) and lack of sleep.

We all know better and need to plan our days so that we get in what we need, workouts, chores, proper eating habits, time with loved ones and sleep. I find that last one to be the make or break me. If I don't get enough sleep when it counts then the rest of the day can fall apart.

Plan ahead today so you can succeed tomorrow.

I'm going to bed!

Train smart

Paul

What Kind of bike should YOU buy?

I dont need any more bikes. Lorrie would kill me if I bought more bikes so this is for those of you who arent sure what kind of ride to get. Summer is almost here. Do you have your self powered road machine? What kind of bike should I buy is a seminar to answer all your questions about what kind of bike you may want. There are so many different bikes out there you may not know where to start. Register in advance for Tuesday April 5th @ 6pm and come see the experts form Bikes & Beyond at the Wellness Institute. $5.00 Its a great way to check out some of the new gear and learn a bit about whats out there in the way of bikes! Hope to see some of you out there. Paul

SUPER HUMAN

I am feeling SUPER HUMAN... Training is going well. I have not yet been outside on my bike so this weekend I will not be sitting in the basement for 6hrs on the trainer. I will be out at Birds Hill park on MY BIKE! I will take to Madone out to see the road.

I was out yesterday doing my long run. Lorrie is injured and has to BIKE ONLY says the doctor and physio so she wanted to get on her cyclo cross bike and burn up the pavement while I was pounding it.

My run started from home as I left the house I said to Lorrie "when you are done getting ready give me a call and pick me up and we can go to the park together. I got further than I thought by the time she called and made my way down main st, over redwood, down Henderson/Assinaboine Dr. down Old Prichard Farm Rd, and that's where she got me. Once we entered the park I was dropped off at the gates to continue my run. I got to the east side of the park and ran the hills 4 times each. I was feeling great so I started running back towards the car (parked at chickadee) I passed the car and saw Lorrie heading back to it. I asked her if she was done and leaving and if so to pick me up on the way out of the park I had a mile to go! She said sure. Well I said a mile and she heard a while! So as I ran to the park exit the miles passed and so did time. I made it over the 59 overpass and started running down 59 and back to town. I thought wow this has been a while so I called her... No answer. 1 mile later I called again... No answer. By this time I was getting cold. The sun was almost down and I had no head lamp. Finlay Lorrie called and said "where are you" I said "at Garvin rd." I asked what happened to her and she said "You said you still wanted to run a while so I went to the stables to use the washroom and stretch". Total distance was 20.5 miles. I only wanted to do 15 yesterday...

Today I felt great. Not sore, not too tired but all I had to do was my swim tonight. 45 min in both hamstrings cramped up and I couldn't move. If you have had cramps before you know that you can be paralyzed by this. Well I sank to the bottom of the pool and two 10 year old boys saved me. I was happy to see them until one of them said "you know you really shouldn't be swimming in the deep end alone if you aren't experienced" I thought you little bastard... I said it was a cramp in both legs and I couldn't move. I dint think they believed me.

After that the lifeguard asked me if I was OK. I said yes just a cramp so I tried to continue the swim... The left leg went and I grabbed on to the lane rope so I didn't have to have the 10 year old's rescue me again. After that I got out of the pool and said that's it.... Home to drink loads of water and get to bed.

38 days left... What more fun can be ahead of me?

I hope your training is going well and has no cramps involved.

Paul

Quote #1

Well there have been days that you feel on top of the world and your workouts are AMAZING. They come to and end and you feel like you can keep going, and going, and going... Other days you feel like there is nothing in the tank. Sometimes you cant even keep your eyes open and you think that sitting on the couch will make you feel better. Once you are sitting you still feel out of it, you still feel tired, and that little voice says "you should have done something; I'm sure you would have felt better by now".

Nine times out of ten I find this happens. After 10-12 hrs of training others its hard to force yourself to get on a bike or hammer out a tempo run but when you get changed, have that pre-workout snack, and throw on that Ironman video or your latest ipod playlist something kicks in. Once you get going most times you think "Wow this feels great " or "I'm glad I did this".

You will always feel better after getting up and being active and if for some reason it feels terrible then at least you tried and that couch is still there.

I am always thinking about quotes and things to keep me motivated so I have decided to post some on here in hopes of having you remember one of them when you are having one of those days that make you want to sit on the bench.

Today's workout was a 1hr bike (tempo) and 20 min on the TRX full body with a focus on core.

Have a great day and happy training.

"Some times the hardest part about getting your run in is lacing up your shoes".

Paul Dyck

Photo from: CP stationary bike race @ The Wellness (The Warriors of Wellness came in 1st place and beat the second and third place teams by over 80km's) Motivational writings for me from the Jekat's placed on my aerobars to "inspire me". Thank You

54 Days to race day

Holey S#!% only 54 days left until race day. I have one month of long training days left and 3 weeks of taper following that. the final week before race day will be spent out in St George Utah checking out the course, getting in a few workouts, checking over all my gear, and making sure I am relaxed and ready to go. I tend to stay relaxed before events so I hope I can maintain this ability this time around. Lorrie and I will be driving out the end of April and taking 2-3 days to get out there. We plan on bringing out our mountain bikes for after the race. I hear there is AWESOME mountain biking out there.


Is training on track? Well if I said it was 100% on track I would be ling to myself. Am I OK with that... Of course I am. I have to be. Is it the end of the world? NO! I took 3 days off last week with hopes of recovering and feeling like I had more energy. After the 3 days off I felt like I wanted to get back to working out. I didn't pick up where I left off otherwise I would be back to being burnt out, run down, and tired.

I got back into my workouts by doing some shorter rides and runs and a good swim. Yes I was still beat afterwards but felt good overall and still wanted more at the end of the workout (except for the Tribalistic workout on Sunday).

For my workouts back I started with...

Thursday 45 min on the bike with 5 min tempo 2 min recovery x6 followed by a 15 min transition run on the treadmill.

Friday was another bike 1 hr of Tempo, Threshold, and some Vo2 sets (felt good and strong) followed that up with a 45 min full body strength training session

Saturday morning was a 3km swim at North End Centennial pool (1st time in a 50m pool since... Not sure) Followed by a 1.5hr ride @ home on the trainer followed by 25 min of pain in the CP bike race (Avg HR was 178 Max 192) This was it and I was cooked at the end of the day.

Sunday was Tribalistic's indoor Brick workout without the brick! 2hrs on the bike with some tempo, Vo2, Standing, and sprints... Oh what fun! I was ready to quit 25 min before the end of the workout. I felt run down and beat again so i just finished off at the back of the pack.

I feel rested and like I could do something today but Monday is a scheduled rest day and I am going to leave it like that!

Keep Training

Paul

Motivation

Its always good to see a video that makes you want more from yourself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5Kn77T54GI&feature=player_embedded

Feeling Like Aluminum

Well sometimes you feel like you are on top of the world. Training is on track, recovery is great, you feel like you can just keep going, and going, and going... This week is not one of those weeks.

I have noticed for the past week and a bit workouts are forced and even though some of them turn out great others turn out less than good. Now I knew that training for an Ironman on May 7th would be hard to do indoors. I didn't realize that it would be this hard. I have not been out on my bike (outdoors) since October 2010, my long runs have been outside in -30 - -40c all of my swims have been in a 25m pool, and all of my rides have been on an indoor trainer (up to 6hrs).

All of this is beginning to take its toll on the mind and the body and we are only 62days out from race day! the last 3 weeks of the plan are a taper so I have 5 weeks of hard training left to go before I can back off and regenerate.

This sport awards consistency. If you are consistent and you stay focused you will succeed. For those that are all over the place with their training or are what I call "weekend warriors". Im sure you know a few. Those are the people who train hard and all out on the weekend or enter a race on NO training and have to recover for a week (and thats only for the ones who dont hurt themselves in the event). THEY WILL HURT!

I train consistently and focus on recovery as much as possible. Some techniques include

1. Eating before and after a workout so I am not running on empty

2. Taking a full rest day once a week

3. Backing off when I feel run down or breaking up the workout into 2 manageable workouts

4. Backing off training volume every 3 weeks to allow the body to recover (you get stronger and faster when you recover as long as you stress you body enough during training)

5. Mixing up workouts so you don't run yourself into the ground. Less pounding on the body means quicker recovery.

6. Getting in naps or the sleep I need... Well this one suffers the most. I know I should be getting to bed earlier especially since I am up @ 5am 5 days a week. Going to bed @ 11 is not good for recovery. This is my one downfall.

Am I worried about a loss of fitness with the 3-5 days I am taking off? NO! The body doesnt turn to goo when you take a few rest days. You may feel lazy because you are used to working out almost every day. This is my second day off and I am already starting to miss it so thats a good thing. Its a good thing I have an unfinished bathroom to work on (two of them if you must know).

Speaking of bathrooms I will go work on the basement now. Im sure that will make Lorrie happy.

Recovery day 2 almost over... Still feeling tired but looking forward to a good rest tonight!

Paul