Tag: triathlon

his dying wish

“Comments sections being the fountains of bootless insight that they are, the majority of commenters stated that they would grant a man his dying wish but since the 12-steps of Recovery tend to get well-battered by onlookers who don’t understand addiction and compulsion, I’m inclined to disagree with the majority.”

I recently happened upon some writing about William Griffith Wilson, often known as Bill W. who is credited as one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (12 step) and was the author of ‘The Big Book‘ which detailed how to successfully recover from alcoholism. Bill W.’s lifestyle leaves a little to be desired, as the lifestyles of many men in the first few decades of the 20th century might. I’m addressing it because there’s potential for some know-it-all to try and devalue my point by muddying it up by with irrelevant facts, but I won’t dwell on it because it’s not important to my statement.

The story that got me digging was the documented four (4) requests for a bottle of whiskey to be brought to him in his hospital bed as emphysema gradually dismantled him. Each request was made roughly a week after the previous one, and he was denied every time. When he passed, he was 36 years sober.

Comments sections being the fountains of bootless insight that they are, the majority of commenters stated that they would grant a man his dying wish but since the 12-steps of Recovery tend to get well-battered by onlookers who don’t understand addiction and compulsion, I’m inclined to disagree with the majority. What limited knowledge I have of the 12 steps indicates to me more that it’s a guide toward spiritual enlightenment more so than it is a fleeting attempt to prevent early death or lobbing a metaphorical grenade into all your personal relationships – but that is a discussion for another day, I reckon.

Anyway: The reason I; too, would have denied him has nothing to do with the power of addiction and everything to do with the power of legacy, and the fact that even the slightest rumors of that simple slip-up in the twilight hours of his life would have completely deflated the AA movement and may have shaken the ground on which many recovered addicts stood, and continue to stand now. It may be a documented 20% effective, but that’s still millions upon millions of people.

There are things we are part of that are important, and that are so much bigger than ourselves that deserve our respect even at our weakest points. The 12 steps of Recovery are steeped in this idea. We are artists and creators, and by association to our communities are contributors and groundbreakers, creating a legacy that will one day overshadow our small contributions. In my purview Bill W. is no different in this situation and I’m glad he was able to rely on the people around him at his weakest moments.

Maybe I’m wrong. Lemme know what you think!

Training this week was good. I adhered to my program without wavering and pushed myself as planned.

Monday we swam 750m, and spent a little over half an hour doing it. Neither of us had been in a pool since May so we figured that was a good place to start – and ultimately I don’t think either of us lost much in the way of speed, though we’ll see what happens when the distances increase.

Tuesday I rode 45 minutes on the stationary bike before spending another 40 minutes weightlifting, focusing on my chest and biceps (the ‘pushing’ muscles)

Wednesday was a rest day, and Thursday was a 30 minute jog with my heartrate sitting around 136 beats per minute, hovering consistently between 8.5 and 9 km/hour. Zone 2, babies. I didn’t get my 10 minutes on the stair climber due to running out of time, but I pushed hard on Friday to make up for it.

Friday I rode another 45 minutes – this time paying closer attention to my rpms and watts as I rode in a gear I haven’t been comfortable in since starting back up a few weeks ago… but I’m there now. So I’m pretty consistently pushing 150 watts at 60 rpms. After that I spent another 45 minutes primarily working my back & triceps (the ‘pulling’ muscles) and digging in hard on those muscle groups.

Today is Saturday, and I’ll be biking another 45 minutes and running 15 minutes – I’m possibly doing that as you read this, really. These numbers start to increase next week though.

All in all, I’m good with how this went and I’m looking forward to the increases in effort over the next week when I add time to a couple of those bike sessions.

the seasonal shift

“With the advent of Halloween being earlier this week, I don’t mind saying that I’ve been on borrowed time for a while, and as of earlier this week I moved my fitness efforts completely indoors for at least the next 5 or 6 months and I’m really pushing to keep my attitude positive about the impending weather – but know that I struggle.”

When I first started running in 2017, I set out to complete a couch-to-5k program that started on July 4th and stretched into August. The running bug got me real good, and I ran outdoors into the dark & cold months as late as I possibly could. The calendar date escapes me, but I’d surpassed Remembrance Day of that year, and I’d continued outdoors until the temperature reached -14 degrees Celsius (or about 6 degrees Fahrenheit).

I had a lot more “natural insulation” (as I’d gotten DOWN to about 265 lbs) back then, and these days I’m much more inclined to cop to being a wimp when it comes to the weather.

With the advent of Halloween being earlier this week, I don’t mind saying that I’ve been on borrowed time for a while, and as of earlier this week I moved my fitness efforts completely indoors for at least the next 5 or 6 months and I’m really pushing to keep my attitude positive about the impending weather – but know that I struggle.

Zone 2 heartrate training is the primary focus this winter as we gear up to do the Canadian Death Race with our relay team of Rad Moms & Dads. Kristian, the man behind Rad Dads is about to hit round 2 of fatherhood and is on our team. Naomi; my friend from way back, has been through the ringer with injuries upon accidents and is still running and still smiling through it all. Then there’s Lu and I – the 2 vegans on the team and the two who had the furthest to come; physically speaking over the past few years, to rise to this challenge.

The race is in August, which is both really far away and right around the corner. We aim to have a fruitful winter full of discipline and focus, and to grow as the spiritual being we are amid our human experience.

The only thing that could hang this up for me would be if Confusionaires secured a festival date for that weekend, in which case I’d have to sweet talk the team into relaying another ultramarathon… or, As Lu has suggested, just go do the course (or part of it) unassisted – which is kind of our M.O.

A side note about Zone 2 – this is a scientifically determined heart rate zone in which an athlete can increase their capacity for performance by spending time with their pulse between 60% and 70% of their max capacity. It’s determined by lactic testing of the blood, but for my purposes (read: budget) I’m defaulting to a range that I’ve determined using a number of different calculators including this one and have determined a common range using them. Eventually I’ll get tested but for my purposes, this will have to do.

With that, training this week has been pretty solid. In lieu of posting an active training schedule, perhaps more of a week-by-week approach is more ideal. That will allow me to stay more immersed in what’s happening and prevent me from the daunting number of weeks there’ll be snow on the ground.

Tuesday: 45 minute stationary bike ride (+20km) followed by back/tricep weight training
Thursday: 30 minute treadmill run (+4 km), 10 minute stair-climber
Friday: 45 minute stationary bike ride (+20km) followed by chest/bicep weight training
Saturday: 45minute stationary bike ride (+20km) followed by 15 minute treadmill run (+ 2km)

The distances indicated are not something I’d consider special, but as indicated in the side note about Zone 2, the important part is that I’m keeping my heart rate around 133-136 bpm for the entire duration (or close to it).

… Rest days are typically Wednesdays and Sundays and this week will start with a Monday swim, followed by roughly the same program, with slight changes to follow in subsequent weeks.

The acceleration of efforts and time spent will be gradual, primarily because I have all winter to work through and although I know I can handle more than I’m doing at the present moment, efforts will be pretty lofty in the spring and I want to take my time getting there… progressively.

Every day is a gift.

enough protein

“A couple weeks back I recently posted a blog about protein sources in relation to joint inflammation and capped it off with a statement about getting enough protein, and what that means…”

A couple weeks back I recently posted a blog about protein sources in relation to joint inflammation and capped it off with a statement about getting enough protein, and what that means. What you don’t know about me is that I’m good (enough) with math, especially if that math is going to make my workouts more effective and my life more comfortable. Consider this an entry-level guide, and feel free to reach out through the website for clarification, questions, or anything I’ve missed. Hey! you can straight up correct me if you like…

What protein does: The body uses it to repair muscle and bone, and to make enzymes & hormones. Important stuff.

The Bare Minimum:
Let’s start here. A sedentary person (no discernable physical activity) is still going to need the minimal healthy amount of protein, and it’s not an impossible target. As a general rule, 0.35g for every pound your body weighs.
(body weight) x 0.35g = protein intake

Body Builders & Power Lifters:
These folks reside on the other end of the spectrum from sedentary people. Quite often you’ll see recommendations for 1.0g per pound of bodyweight in your google searches – this advice is often specific to people looking to build a lot of muscle.
(body weight) x 1.0g = protein intake

The Rest Of Us:
Then there’s; what I assume, is you & me. Personally, I shoot for 0.55g per pound of body weight, which puts me just under 100g of protein per day. The reason you might think that is a low number is because I have a total calorie threshold, and because I need to prioritize simple carbohydrates because carbohydrates are the body’s preferred fuel source and I burn a lot of fuel on long runs.
(body weight) x 0.65g = protein intake
You might be aiming to build muscle, but not bodybuilder muscle. Try 0.75b/lb or 0.70b/lb. Your body is going to take a bit of time to adjust to increases, so a gradual build is ideal.

*** Note that increases in protein; even incremental small ones, can cause gas. There’s an adjustment period and no, you won’t always smell like that.

Calorie Deficit:
That calorie threshold I just mentioned is a slight deficit, because I am aiming to burn a bit more belly fat as I progress, here. Calories (kCal) are a unit of measurement for energy in food. My body requires a certain amount of calories in order to function the way I expect it to, and I intentionally eat a little bit less than that so that I can use up some of the stored energy I’ve got – fat cells are that storage.

If you’re new to this idea, there’s a method of determining what a suitable deficit is in order to burn fat. I’ve found the Macro Calculator at HealthyEater.com very helpful over the past few years – I recommend reading the calculation breakdown at the bottom of the page. I also recommend cronometer.com as they’ve developed a great database and user friendly app that takes a lot of the guess work out – it works both on a smart phone and a traditional computer. The free version does plenty!

Solving the puzzle:
There’s a couple important pieces of info to remember here.
#1: The only way to be sure of what you’re eating is to measure it. People will tell you that you’re nuts (trust me) but if you’re going to track macronutrients, and say that you ate 50g of walnuts or half cup of blueberries, you’re going to need to make sure that’s true. Get a kitchen scale and some measuring cups, and don’t worry about the people who question it. ‘Plateauing’ is when you stop seeing results, but 9 times out of 10, it’s happening because of food that’s being eaten without being accounted for.
#2: If you’re trying to burn fat and keep the muscle you currently have, you’re going to need to so some thorough (but not super-intense) resistance training (weight lifting). You need to tell you muscles “I still need you” because when your body starts utilizing the reserves, it’s going to burn anything not being used – including muscle.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sure to touch on fats & carbohydrates as well as some essential vitamins and minerals. Don’t worry though, there’s still bound to be some of the psychological self-reflection you’ve come to know & love as we work through!

Training this week has been intense. We’re now 3 weeks out from race day, and at the height of our training program here in the next week or so. It’s at this point that I start wanting to build the program that will see us through to the fall. My low & slow runs are essentially twice a week now, on Sunday & Thursday… which means Thursday morning I’ll be jogging all the way to work and expecting to be able to navigate the work day after that. Wish me luck!

A while back I posted about post-event fatigue and although I do aim to take a couple rest days after the Edmonton half-marathon, I don’t aim to stay in the ‘funk’ that often sets in after that. That means having a plan and a goal, so I’m sure I’ll be posting about that as it comes together.

We have a long term goal that will take our focus – it’s happening 12 months from now though, so we’re going to need a few things to carry us through and hold our pattern of progression through till then, because although I haven’t posted what that long term goal is, I assure you it’s a lofty one. What I will say is that we’re building a team, and trying to hand-pick those folks based on a few common traits.

Complaint Recovery

“By design, I’ve regained control of my attention, and thereby my attitude under the belief that mood follows action.”

Since reclaiming my mental acuity and attention from the grip of social media and international news (as talked about in last week’s blog post); a valiant effort and an ongoing temptation still a struggle to renege on, I’ve become keenly aware of how my conduct has changed on the day-to-day.

I’m sure nobody has noticed besides me, but slowing the flow of stress-educing knowledge has ultimately resulted in talking less about such knowledge. I still engage in conversations about current events, but my contributions are lesser in quantity and more in quality. This might be as a result of the slower flow of info, or possibly because I have more time to develop opinions and put them in my own words, but there’s something else that I am doing less:

Complaining.

It’s intentional, and again, it’s likely that people don’t notice, but I feel that my brain has reclaimed my thought process, and is having an easier time organizing my responses in advance of my mouth spitting them out. By design, I’ve regained control of my attention, and thereby my attitude under the belief that ‘mood follows action.’ I’ve limited my exposure to online media, and thereby limited my choices of news sources. The result of fewer choices is more intentional decisions and less option paralysis.

Of course this is all pretty vague, but it is that way by design. If any of this resonates with you, then it probably brings about a specific element in your life you’d like to have a better handle on. For me; in this case, it’s social media (though that’s just the example, this approach has permeated varying aspects of my thinking), but for you it could be anything.

Training this week has been good. These sessions are getting long, and the recent dump of snow has certainly made the commute to & from the gym a little slower despite the use of 4-wheel drive. Alas, it won’t be long until we’re running & biking outdoors, and back in Edmonton’s river valley as frequently as possible. I’m working on the next video, collecting some b-roll footage (though we got in a lil’ trouble for filming at the gym recently). It should be out later in the month.