It's been a loooong time....

It's been months and months since I have entered a update on this blog...primarily because it's been months and months since I've been exercising in any consistent way. And I'm still NOT, but I am restarting.

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." - Carl Bard

We will see how far I get, but I am NOT going to rush anything. Starting with walking and swimming...slowly. I will build from there. Yoga/biking and then running...and eventually core/muscles. But one day at a time!

(Walked approx 7km yesterday and swam 250meters...it's a beginning. Weight is stable around 200-205lbs.)

OMG...tempus fugits and muscles wither! But Paelo wins the day!!

It's been over 5-weeks since I published a posting. OY! It's also been 5+weeks that I have NOT been consistently exercising. DOUBLE OY!

I have been continuing to combat low-back pain and it's attendent depression and laziness. Bad habits are so much easier to develop and foster. I have been blaming my so-called 'burn-out' and 'injury' -- both real but the self-victimization is the culprit I am alluding to in the aforementioned reference -- to my lack of motivation and action.

NO MORE!

I have been doing GYROTONICS with a bevy of smart trainers. And I also started swimming again. And doing yoga. Also, this last week I and a friend have jointly resumed a PALEO diet and I am feeling better for it. And although "paleo" or "hunter-gatherer" conjures images in my mind of slaying animals and gorging on meat and fat (although there is some of that), my experience of it has been a massive increase of in-season healthy fruits and vegetables. YUMMMY VEGETABLES. I am eating so much better. It's unbelievable. I am also still buying my foods from mostly big box grocery stores...but that was just for convenience and to get started. Over the next few weeks as I get a handle on the diet and eating and planning...I want to increasingly supplement and/or displace those purchases by shopping at farmer's markets and maybe even local area farms.

SOUNDS EXCITING....

As so too does getting back on my feeting and building lean muscle, strength and endurance. And, oh yeah, losing that extra 20lbs I've picked up along the way.

ARRRRGGGGHHHH....

Starting to feel GOOD

It's still very 'early days' in my recovery and rebuild phase, but I am starting to feel better and stronger and motivated...again!

THANK GOD!

I just talked to a neighbour whose also recovering -- but from cancer :( -- and he's in the rebuilding phase. A "physical fitness" friend of his said that the body's "muscle memory" has a 3-month shelf-life -- after which it's like starting over from ZERO!

Maybe that explains why this has been such an uphill battle...but I am starting to see/feel the LIGHT!

Today (so far) I have done:

- my core morning routine: 3 sets of 15-reps each 1) push-ups; 2) sit-ups and 3) squats
- 30 minutes of run/walk (also getting better/stronger)
- 5 minutes of post-run stretching

I have a swim class tonight that I have not gone to since mid-February...and I am 'thinking' of going. Now that's a change!!!!

:)

Slow running...

Didn't workout this weekend...but I did this morning!

Ran 30-minutes outside (actually ran...walked...ran...walked). But I am going further, faster, harder...slowly!

Did my core workout: push-ups/sit-ups/squats - 3 sets of 10 each.

And later I'm going to the pool to do my 2km....

SO...no big breakthroughs...but I'm staying the course (except for the wknd) and keeping on keeping on!

Building a daily routine...

Building a "good" daily routine or habit seems to be tougher than letting one slide or developing bad ones...or really fun but not so good for you (or your goals) one!

I am having a better time of it lately. This week has been fairly successful!!! I have run almost every day. And I have added some "core" workouts -- push-ups/sit-ups/squats -- really basic stuff. But it has been a slow climb. And today I crested a new plateau: I ran 30-minutes and 10+ more blocks than Wednesday (I didn't run yesterday). And I've added a 3rd set to my "daily core routine" too.

Progress...not perfection!

Out of shape but not out of the running...

OMG...it is sooooo easy to get out of shape and sooooo hard to get in! What's up with that???

Well, not to bemoan the situation, I am determined to do something about it. So I went running again today. Same 20-minutes of run/walk and I am happy to report that, although I was oddly more winded today, the second half of the "run" went a lot easier. I am happy and proud of myself. I am also planning to run daily until I am running the full 7-10km without walking that I was doing in the middle of the winter. I do not want to turn into an Arnie-"after" photo. (What happened to him anyway? Steroids? Old age? Sex scandals?)

:)

PS: I am also adding a daily increasing dose of push-ups/sit-ups/squats (which are also oddly way more difficult than 6-months ago when I could do 10x what I did today! Argh!)

Running sucks!

It's been a while since I've run outside...and I haven't run much at all lately. OMG...running sucks! It is hard and it hurts and it's sweaty! :p

BUT...I did 20-minutes of run/walk and then I stretched. And that is at least a START!

This is tougher than I remember...

I didn't have a very good week last week EXCEPT for making it back to the 2km mark on my swim. The rest of the week sucked -- mostly because of work and partially because of tiredness and inertia (aka: laziness)! ARGH!

Late last year and into Feb of this year I was doing great! Upwards of 15+ hours a week doing most of my training and a lot harder/longer...but NOW I cannot seem to get back in the swing of it! Two weeks ago I was SURE I had it back...and then last week happened and I blew it!

ARGH!

Today...I did 1100 meters until someone started bleeding in the pool and they closed it for disinfection for two hours:

4 x 100 w/ 30 second rests
2 x 200 w/ 60 second rests
1 x 300 and then they closed the pool!

:(

Truth be told...I was tired already by the 1100 meter mark and unsure if I could complete...so I was secretly elated about the pool...but disappointed in myself and that jerk with the nose bleed!

Back at it tomorrow!!!!

Follow your bliss...

I am really, really enjoying swimming. I have been most passionate and excited about getting in the pool (and hopefully soon, a lake). Much more than running and biking. So I am thinking about focusing a little more on this and not worrying about getting my runs/bikes up to the same level. I want to LIKE...nay, LOVE, what I am doing and from that passion I am hoping to expand it into those other 2 sports.

Today was a breakthrough...I pushed through (with relative ease) to the 2km mark...as follows:

4 x 100 m + 30 second rests
3 x 200 m + 60 second rests
3 x 300 m + 90 second rests
2 x 200 m + 60 second rests

My coach wants to me do more 'technique' but I am just focusing on endurance. Once I am swimming for 1km at a stretch (which equals 1000 meters / 25 meter lengths = 40 lengths)...I am going to re-focus on technique. But until then...I just want to SWIM!

:)

Consistency pays...

Well I have had a pretty good week so far...I have made all my training sessions 100% or better.

Yesterday was a "rest" day and I took advantage, because even though I am NOT training at the level I was 3+ months ago, it is more than I was a week ago and it takes a toll. I was tired yesterday AND I had the beginnings of a bit of an injury. I think I either over stretched on Wednesday or I understretched all week. My right leg was feeling "pulled" and hurt like a bitch.

Thursday was a new breathrough for my swim. I hit 1400 meters as follows:

4 x 100 meters w/ 30 second rests
3 x 200 meters w/ 1 minute rests
1 x 300 meters w/ 2 minute rest
1 x 400 cool down

I was feeling so proud! I could have swum more and/or I could have swum longer sets. That's my big goal....swim uninterrupted longer sets. And I feel like I am on my way. I am also really loving swimming. WHO KNEW.

So today I was supposed to go outside and bike for an hour. Well it is pissing rain here again and I am not that strong-willed or dedicated. SO...I am going to head to the gym soon and squeeze in an hour on a stationary bike (maybe I will jump in the pool too).

BUT...my big lesson is to be/stay consistent and do something everyday (except, of course, on rest day).

I'm back on track...

Although I know that it is very premature to declare this, BUT I feel like I am back-on-track with my training. All of that being based on merely four days of consecutive training...lol...but it's more than the mere physical. It is the mental/spiritual. I am "feeling" it again. I am enjoying it again. I want more...again!

In fact yesterday, I glanced at but didn't yet book some tri-events for the next few weeks. I think I might do that today!!!

Yesterday was a stretch/strength/core day and I through in some biking on a stationary bike for 20-minutes...just to keep warm. Today I have 1400 meter swim and Friday is a "day-off". But Saturday I am looking forward (weather permitting -- scaredy cat) to a big outdoor bike. My first this season. I am going to join my colleagues/cohorts for a BIKE RALLY training ride. It's already up to 85-km...so I am a bit anxious...but it's not a race!

Cardio-licious

I'm on-track with my training so far this week and I'm thrilled! WOOHOO!

Especially since yesterday was tough for me. 1-hour of non-stop CARDIO. My set was:

- 10 minute run
- 20 minute eliptical (10 min @ Zone 2, 10 min @ Zone 3)
- 10 minute rowing
- 20 minute running

Add in some warm-up/cool-down, I logged in at 1:10 minutes total...and I am still standing.

I did NOT do any stretching afterward, because it was a long time in the gym and my buddy had to go. But suprisingly today I am neither stiff nor exhausted/in-pain. All of which I fully expected. SO...I am thrilled!

(PS: Still weighing in at 212lbs...argh...but this too shall shift!)

1200 meters and counting...

I hit the pool yesterday after another 3-4 day hiatus from training and I did it! I pushed through and over the 1km mark all the way to 1200 meters...and I felt like I could have kept going! :)

I did a really basic set:

4 x 100 meters warm-up
3 x 200 meters main set
2 x 100 meters cool-down

What was great was the feeling of ease. I am really loving swimming. I am also day-dreaming about pushing to 1400, 1600, 1800 and all the way back to 2km within the next week.

Of course, about a couple of hours later, it hit me! Boom...and I was tired...but good tired. I forget, probably because it is so low impact, how much effort/work swimming is. But I so thrilled that I am now doing 200 meter sets and want to up it to 300 meter and 400 meter and 500 metere UNTIL I am swimming non-stop for 2km....then I will know I am ready for a race!

Today's training set is all cardio:

running
eliptical
rowing
more running

OY!!!!

Slow and steady...

Well my training continues with slow improvements. And therein lies the challenge!

After my personal rushed ramp-up to "serious" tri-athlete training in the fall/early winter, the pace I'm on now feels like I am treading water/not moving at all...and this is a mental challenge. I am feeling like I should be pushing harder/further/faster...but I am heeding all the advise I'm getting from my coach and my support team (chiropractor, massage therapist and naturopath) who are all encouraging me to take it slowly. The last thing I want to do is re-injure myself and miss the whole summer tri-season here! Argh...

BUT I just wished I was further ahead!

:(

That said, my swim is now up to/over 1,000 meters and my biking is up to 30-minutes (a long way from the 3+ hours I was at before) and the same with running -- a measly 20-minutes! But the difference is, I am not burning out, I can fit it into my life without dramatic or drastic changes to schedule or lifestyle...and I am not in PAIN!

So slow and steady is definitely going to win me the race...and next year I can ramp up to 1/2 IronMan status...and by 2013...FULL IRONMAN.

Triumphant day of training...

OK...I slacked off for two days in a row and finally made it into the gym today and WOW...for me at this low point in my recommencement of training, it was TRIUMPHANT!

Now by triumphant, I mean...I made it in! And I worked out!

35-minutes of walk/run on the treadmill (omg...I am so out of condition for running)
20 minutes of core workout (see coach...I actually did it)
10 minutes of stretchying (omg...I know it is important, but I just never want to do it)
40 minutes and 1,000 meters in the pooooooool!

YES...consecutively...and I felt thinner, fitter, better, awesome afterward!

SO...I know that tomorrow I can going to feel like SHIT. Stiff and in pain...but who cares, because today I am TRIUMPHANT!

(Tomorrow I have to get my ass on my $6,000 tri bike that's been sitting at my TriGym for 3+months gathering dust.....argh!!!)

Patience patience patience...

Day Two of my grand return to training and I am happy to report:

- I made it to 900 meters with my swim yesterday
- I did 40 minutes on the bike today

WOOOOHOOO!

Of course these #s are much decreased from 3-months ago when I was up to nearly 3-hours on the bike and 2km swims! Oh well!!!!

I will get there again...but until then...I am practicing patience!

Starting over is hard to do....

Okay...it's been nearly 3-months since I crashed and burned...first with a case of "burn-out" and then with a extremely painful lower back! OMG...I thought I'd become a very old man. But now I seem to have emerged on the other side and I am slowly returning to training. SLOWLY.

To-date I have seen my chiropractor, massage therapist and naturopath a million times and they've all given my the go-ahead to START OVER slowly. This past week I've seen/spoken with my coach, and she too has said, I can start again. BUT we are revising downward all of my goals. SO...today was the big 1/2 IronMan in Florida and I am NOT there! :(

However, this past week I have also gone back to the gym and Friday I did almost an hour of mixed cardio (eliptical @ 10mins, stationary bike @ 15mins and walking/running on a treadmill for 20mins) and yesterday I did 800 meters in the pool (8 sets of 4 x 25m's w/ 1-1.5min rests).

AND I FEEL GOOD! I FEEL ALIVE! I FEEL LIKE GETTING GOING!!!!

Next steps: To follow my "new" Training Peaks schedule. To stretch lots. To include a bit of yoga. To have massage/chiro sessions often and as needed. To see my naturpath for some treatments to deal with toxins and rebuilding. And to register for Sprints and Olympic Triathlons locally (ie southern Ontario) throughout "our" season AND maybe look at another 1/2 IronMan in the late Fall or early next year!

I am back and I am going to make it!

Mmmmmmassage

My favourite massage therapist has been away travelling in India for six weeks! And he just got back! So of course I rushed to see him. His approach is basic Swedish with Ayurvedic and Yogic elements combined. Meaning...he kneads and stretches the living hell out of me. And although at times it can be uncomfortable even painful, the overall experience is soothing, relaxing and elongating. Ooooohhhhh!

Day after I am feeling like a new man. And although my back is still not at 100% it is getting closer and closer!

I DID NOT GET TO THE POOL YESTERDAY! :(

I am having to reinvent my schedule to re-introduce working out/training. I have been out of the habit for so long that I am not used to putting time into my calendar to make these things happen.

In just a little while, I am having my first session with a Performance Coach. Someone who does counselling/coaching with athletes. I am very excited. I am eager to get back into training and also avoid overtraining and hurting myself...physically and emotionally/mentally. There have been impacts of this time-off on my psyche and self-confidence. I don't want those to limit me anymore than they have to AND anymore than I am already challenged by the physical demands of tri-sport/ironman training...given my age and years of being overweight/out-of-shape and sedentary.

SO...onwards and upwards...I will report in later/tomorrow on my first session!!!!

I lost 10-lbs in one week!

OK...I am a happy, thinner boy. I am started to shed the winter weight (aka: depression weight) I had put on over the last 3-months. CRAP...it is way harder and less fun to lose weight than it is to gain weight.

It seems the way I was eating - although perhaps okay when training 10-13 times a week (which I was doing at one point before burning-out and hurting myself) - does not work when you suddenly return to a sedentary (aka: convalescent) state.

SO...ten pounds down (as of yesterday I was at 211 lbs down from the ghastly 221 lbs I had unofficially hit at the beginning of last week) in just five (5) days!!! YES...I know it's lots and rash...but a) I lose weight just as fast as I gain it and b) I am in a hurry -- I have no patience (yes...I am add/ocd/you-name-it...but I already know that).

And, my back injury is now about 80-90% improved. My chiropractor has gone from seriously concerned to thrilled at my miraculous turn-around. She is now saying its okay to start slowly training and working out again. SO...I am going to go swim NOW. This has the least impact and/or strain on my lower back. I am going to recover and rebuild and be even better than before!

YES!

New day...

OK...it's Monday 28th March 2011. My back is much better. Perhaps 90%. I have had a full weekend. I played. I rested. I had fun. I had moments of solemn reflection. I worked. I partied. All is good. SO...not it's time to get back to the gym: get on the bike, treadmill and into the pool. I think I will start with the pool for it's ease of movement and low impact. I do not want to push things...but I do want to get re-started.

Other good news: I am on my diet and other than drinking a lot of vodka Friday night (but either straight or with soda water - paleo style), I have behaved. In just few days I had lost 13-lbs. Severe, I know, but I had gained a lot. But then I was eating away my misery. WINTER WAS A DIFFICULT SEASON. And I hope it is over!

I declare this a new dawn!

A legend dies and life goes on...

It is a sad day. Elizabeth Taylor died. But then she'd had a long and interesting (and often privelleged) life. Lots of terrible things are happening all over the world (Japan, Libya, Soudan, etc.) and yet life goes on...

Like my back injury/pain. I am still hobbled like an old man. Walking stooped over and hesitantly. Pain is a constant reminder of my/our fragility. My chiro has no clue what I've done to myself or how. Nor do I.

At first I thought this would be over and done with by now...a couple of days and all better. But that has not been the case.

Then I started to panic that this was more serious. That I had really "f--ked" myself up...which maybe I have. But then I realized, LIFE IS SHORT. LIFE IS FRAGILE. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. In all of its manifestations. Good/Bad/Ugly. And I am not going to worry about that which I cannot do anything about. Nor am I going to live to my limitations. But rather to my limits!

I want to DARE to go / do / be / have what I want...what I can...what I dream...and I will live with the consequences. SO for now, I am committed to losing weight, healing my back and getting back in the saddle and training!!!

Pain in the back...

OMG...a few days ago I "threw" my back out. My lower back muscles suddenly seized up and I have been in utter agony ever since. I tried letting time heal it for a couple of days. NO GO. I have been to a massage therapist and my chiro twice. I am taking muscle relaxants. I am alternating hot/cold pads. I am stretching as much as I can given the limits of my muscles and tolerance for pain. And I am completely f--ked!

I am supposed to go to this training camp in just 2-weeks. I can barely walk. And I have to work. And I haven't trained in 5+ weeks!

OMG...this is more drama than I expected...

:(

218 lbs...shit!

OK...weighed in and I'm up...mind you I ate breakfast (2ce) and dranks tons of water...so there is NO consistency to my weigh-ins. But I do NOT look like this guy! I assure you.

I did 10 sit-ups at home...nothing else so far.

My coach is trying (finally) to encourage me...to get back on the horse (or bike in this case). I am still having lower back pains, so I'm going to see my chiro today. And I want to go see a sports massage therapist. Maybe all of that will help.

I am also really interested in STRENGTHBOX and I tried calling this morning. I want to go for a tour and to start their morning classes.

I am hoping to build some momentum to get out of this rut soon!!!!!

I am getting fatter by the day...

I did NOT make it to the gym yesterday!

I did weigh in this morning and I am now 217.8 lbs.

OMG...I can't seem to get off this downward spiral. I have no motivation and my lower back hurts. And I just want to eat...argh!

HELP!

One Foot Forward...One Foot Back!

Weighed-in this morning at 216 lbs...down 2 lbs from yesterday, but on a) a different scale and b) at a different time. I didn't make it to gym YET...and should be doing a bike session...but just not looking like I will. Trying for another swim...

Baby steps back to recovery and return to training...

OK...I finally made it back to the gym this morning for a quick swim!

YEAH!!!!

Now my progress was minimal -- 400 meters -- as compared to where I'd been when I QUIT or burned-out...2km on my own!!! YIKES...but it's all little steps toward recovery and regrouping!

I also weighed in today at the gym and it was horrible: 218 lbs!

YUCK...I'm busting out of my clothes and feeling horrible. Problem is it's a double-edged sword, cause I feel horrible, I don't want to eat right or exercise. I've been here before. SO...I am thrilled for any little progress. And I am not going to push myself too hard...yet!!!

FOR NOW I AM CELEBRATING GETTING BACK ON THE HORSE!!!!

I think I'm depressed...

Ok...I've lost track...I think it's now fully 2-weeks since I've done ANY workout/training of ANY kind. And I have gained most if not all my weight back. ARGH! I am so overwhelmed with work and I'm also feeling mostly like shit. My lower back hurts. My right arm hurts to raise. I have no energy. And I am feeling guiltier and guiltier by the day for not doing anything.

TWO WHOLE FRIGGING WEEKS!

Just got a text message from my personal trainer saying he's back and wondering when we are starting our workouts again.

I haven't heard anything from my tri-coach at all...perhaps she's just given up on me. She's still cashing my cheques.

I have no energy and I don't know if its...

- pain
- winter
- boredom
- depression
- stress/work
- all of the above

All I know is that I am gaining weight and losing ground and muscle...and I've got to turn this around soon....

Soo lazy...part two

OK...I have NOT worked out in over a week and a half and I feel absolutely no motivation to do so. I have also fallen completely off my diet and these two factors have pushed me back to almost my beginning weight. I weighed in yesterday at 215.6lbs. I am going to go weigh myself again now.

213.6 lbs

Miraculously it is down...but it's also super early in the morning and I haven't eaten. I don't remember when I weighed in yesterday. So it may not be a real comparison. BUT at least it is DOWN.

I am hoping I can motivate myself to go to the pool today. I kind of miss swimming most. I am also supposed to be running a half marathon this Sunday...but I haven't trained sufficiently and I haven't even run in 2 weeks.

YIKES...

What's it going to take for me to get over this slump? My 1/2 Ironman is quickly approaching.

Sooooo lazy....

OMG...it's been a week since I've worked out at all...nothing, nadda, zip, zilch!

I have been tired and depressed and achey and just plain unmotivated. Tonight is my swim class...so I am planning to go. I enjoy that the most...although the last class almost killed me.

Stay tuned!

My coach speaks...

My coach's comments after my successful 2km swim on Monday:

"Excellent.

You need to get on top of the runs and bikes or you won't be ready for the quickly approaching races - including 1/2 marathon, around the bay, and Arizona. If not started ASAP, it won't be safe to do the running races.

And, Arizona - we are biking on average 4-7 hours per day, you getting the bike volume in at this point is also imperative.

Deal?"

And I listen...

So many things...

OK...I've had a few days off blogging and several days on training.

So here's an update:

- Monday I swam, on my own, 2km per my training schedule!!!
- Tuesday I biked for 2hrs 20mins and then ran for 30 minutes!!!
- today I weighed in at 208lbs -- back down to where I was pre-"binge" day (Sunday)

Today I have a 50-minute run to do either inside or out...and since it's frigging cold out...I think it will be inside. :)

I got a warning the other day from my coach saying basically that I have to get back ontrack SERIOUSLY and train every day to the full extent of her training program or I won't be ready for my 1/2 marathon in 2-weeks and my 30km run at the end of March NOR for the 5-day intensive training camp in Arizona in April. She reminded me that they bike on average of 5-6hrs per day....plus....swim and run! In the desert!

OY...so off to run I go!!!

I'm pooped...

OK...Tuesday I got up at 3:30am and was on my bike training by 5:30am. I am so proud of myself. And then, to top it off, Cindy - my coach - pushed me from 2-hours to 2hrs 15mins on the bike at Zone Two followed by 30-minutes on the treadmill running at Zone Two...and I did it!!!

Only problem is/was, my butt hurt like never before AND all of yesterday and even somewhat today, my back/butt/legs hurt and I could barely walk!

ARGH...does this ever gett any easier.

So I missed yesterday's run training and tonight I have swim class. What to do???

Blahhhhhh

Ok...the winter BLAHS have really hit me and it's taking all of my creative skills to stay out of the blues. Last week I made 70% of my training BUT I still can't fit all my biking and running in my schedule. By Thursday night's swim class, which is getting better and better, I am totally pooped. So getting up and doing more bike/run and run training is just too much.

I have hit a wall and I am hardly anywhere in my training AND i have 3.5 months before I go to FLORIDA 70.3!

YIKES....

OK...I am at work and thinking this through. I have to go swim today and I am completely freezing. The weather reports are calling for massive snow falls starting tonight and potentially lasting for 2-days.

OMG...what am I doing in this country.

Also, all week I have been reading texts from my friend Howard and eblasts from various sources all from Sundance 2011...and all tell me how absolutely amazing it is/was. I didn't go because of a) training and b) work. WELL...neither one has been particularly positive or rewarding...and now I truly regret now going! At least I would have had some fun!

ALL TRAINING (aka: work) MAKES ME A DULL AND DEPRESSED BOY.

Here's hoping for a shift in business/weather and training results!

It is indeed, all about the BIKE!

OK...I had a spectacular swim class last night. I the one hour in the pool at Glendon, I and the other "beginner" did our training and I finished THE WHOLE 1600 metres in the 1-hour allotted. I feel so proud. I also felt exhausted and exhillarated simultaneously. WOW!

BUT...the big fall-back for me with this great class and even all the progress is: I CAN'T GET UP AND OUT THE DOOR IN THE MORNING TO DO MY BIKE TRAINING ON FRIDAYS!!!!

I am pooped...physically and physiologically. I am just tired and sore. And I don't don't don't have it in me yet to crawl out of bed at 5am and get my ass to a class for 6:30am. ARGH!

This is my next big breakthrough. Keep all the other elements going and do ALL OF MY TRAINING...especially my bike.

Notwithstanding my own emphasis on swimming, my coaches are all stressing biking as the key because that will be the longest and most gruelling of the three sports (although running a half marathon after swimming 2k and biking 90k sounds pretty insane to me too).

And now it's too late in the day with the rest of my schedule 10000% booked up to get out there today. SO...perhaps I just consider today my rest day and do it Saturday or Sunday with the other training I have due!

Hmmmmm....

Losing weight and making progress...

SO...I was at the gym yesterday (like I am almost every single day of my whole and entire life...argh) AND I decided to weigh myself. The professional 'doctor's style' scale says I was 208 lbs! That's down another 4lbs from when last reported and a total of 8lbs since commencing the FOUR HOUR BODY approach to weightloss -- which was ten days ago yesterday. 8lbs in 10-days! NICE!!!!

NOW...I had also promised myself to:

a) take pictures daily
b) take measurements daily
c) take weight readings daily

And frankly none of those things are happening...yet...consistently. Nevertheless, I am clearly making super fast progress on this front.

I am also happy to say that I am getting incrementally closer to doing all of my workouts as they are designed and when they are planned. NOT 100%. For instance, I did do 25-minute easy run on treadmill yesterday instead of 30-minutes (not enough time allowed). And I did 400m instead of the 1000m of swimming from Monday on Wednesday after running. BUT it is progress...

I have swim class tonight - which I am on target for - and I am truly HOPEFUL that I will get up on time and go spin for 90-minutes and then run for 20-minutes after @ 7am Friday!

Stay tuned....

Another day another 2km...

OMG...it's been days since I posted and so much has happened.

Biggest news: Thursday of last week I was feeling guilty for not doing my regularly scheduled swim on the previous Monday. So I had a little spare time in the mid-day and thought: "I will go in for a few minutes and swim...just to get ready for the class tonight."

WELL...famous last words. lol

Needless to say, I went in and swam...but for over 1km...but what's even more exciting was that I did it consecutively and almost without rest or at most, short 10-second rests. 40 lengths almost non-stop and with relative ease!

THIS WAS A TOTAL BREAKTHROUGH for me and my swimming!!!

However, what I didn't think about was that I had a one hour swim class that night with my coach pushing me to do crazy drills and super sets. When I told her that I had swum earlier in the day for 1km...she said "that's great...that means you will have swam for 2km's today..." like it was no big thing. Needless to say, it was a BIG thing and I almost collapsed by the end. lol BUT I MADE IT.

Next day, though, I was pooped. And my arms/shoulders were hurting. I ended up sleeping in and missing my 7am bike spinning class! :(

Then the weekend was a total write-off because of full-day course on Saturday and a cold on Sunday. The cold is still persisting, so I decided against trying to swim yesterday. BUT I am happy to report that I made it in this morning for my 2-hour spin on the computrainer. (My coach also told me that the computrainer is more intense than biking outdoors, so 2-hours is more like 3-hours...that might explain why my butt is still sore!)

:)

Ouch...my butt hurts!

OK...I did it. I did my LONG bike ride this morning. And OMG my butt is killing me. It's been awhile since I've been on a bike for 2-hours...not since last summer when I was doing the Toronto-Montreal bike rally and I would be on the bike (with a couple of breaks) for upwards of six hours! THAT WAS PAINFUL...but this was painful too!!!

BUT...lol...I did it and that's what counts. My lower back is also hurting now...which means I probably have to bump-up my core work to strengthen my back. I need to have all these things (back, butt, thighs, legs, etc.) all functional and free of pain or at least tolerant of it. Thank goodness I still have almost four months to go!

YIKES.

On other notes, I have decided to start logging my food again and to log my measurements (including seven body measurements - chest, mid bicep for left/right arms, waist, thigh and mid thigh for both left/right legs; weight and body fat...the latter two requiring me to go buy a new hi-tech scale). I know the value and importance of tracking statistics and I'm doing that with my workouts...so I need/want to start doing that with my body.

I also just read a huge chunk of Tim Ferriss's new book THE FOUR HOUR BODY with focus on the "losing weight/fat" sections. And he STRESSES the absolute necessity of measurements and tracking. I am sure he does NOT advocate daily measuring...but I want to see and plot out what's going on with my body/weight/fat/measurements/etc. He also advocates (and I agree) that BEFORE and AFTER pictures are a very good idea and motivator...so those are coming up soon. I may post all of this -- if I can face the embarrassment. Stay tuned!

Close but no cigar!

OK...its another day and I don't have any more excuses. I had the day-off yesterday as per my coaching schedule. But I didn't 100% fulfill last week's plan. Close but no cigar!

I got more shit from my coaches too. Reminding me that I am now three (3) months to my training camp and four (4) months to my 1/2 IronMan event in Florida! YIKES.

Okay already. A boy's gotta live too. And I have made some great progress. I would rate my success last week at 85%. I made some kind of exercise/practice every single day allotted. Including an hour's training on Saturday in the endless pool with a hangover! That's gotta count for something.

SO...time to buckle down even more and get to work. Today is swimming for an hour and supposedly muscle/strength training...but I am putting that component on hold for another week at least. I also revisited STRENGTHBOX's website and really like the idea of their morning base classes. I also revisited the MOVNAT website and they have their 2011 course schedule up. And, dammit, they were featured in some big US sports magazine at the end of December, which means they will be more popular than ever...meaning those classes will fill-up soon. SO I've got to sign-up soon and its $1700 + travel! AND...Mr. Robb Wolf is coming to town with a one-day Paleo workshop! Argh...so much to do and so little time/money!

When did getting fit get so expensive?

Progress...not perfection!

OK...I didn't do my full workout yesterday which was 90-minutes on the bike and 20-minutes run! BUT...instead of not doing anything at all...I did squeek in 30-minutes on the bike and 10-run/walk. And...instead of getting all pissed at myself and making myself wrong, I am celebrating the continuity.

The big lesson I am learning as I train for my IronMan career (and specifically FLORIDA 70.3) is that consistency trumps talent...or put another way: persistence pays off. AND suprisingly, that seems to be true in most of the rest of my life too. And the area that I have the most difficulty.

NOW...that said, there is also something to be said about making the right choices. And last night I definitely did not. And this is part of the training that I am learning more often than not by experience the immediate consequences of bad choices. I went out on a date last night. Which in and of itself is fine. I had a lovely time. A great meal. Someone really nice. Had fun. BUT...I drank half a bottle of red wine AND I was up to almost midnight. OMG...that does not work when I have to get up the next day and do a full day's work PLUS run for 50-minutes and take a one hour swim lesson!

So far I am on track with the work portion of my day. And I did make it to my swim coach/training session...which nearly killed me. BUT I do not see how I am going to get in the run both from the perspective of the hang-over/exhaustion I am feeling and how much more work I have to do today.

CRAP...but again, it's live/learn/adjust. Persistence (or said another way PROGRESS) not PERFECTION!!!

Swimming in the winter sucks...

OK...yesterday I was scheduled to go to my 'swim class' with others from the Tri-gym. All day I had been thinking about and worrying about and dreading going. It was cold outside! I am a bad swimmer! I'm not in shape! I was really feeling embarrassed. And not liking any of it. AND to top it all off, the class was way the heck out at some college campus in a rural setting and it was late at night! From 8:30-9:30. Which meant I wouldn't even get home til 10-ish. And lately I've been in bed, asleep by 10pm or earlier! Argh.....

Well...I got my sorry ass there with all my fears, worries, concerns and excuses in tow. And at first it was a total DRAG! But then something strange and wonderful happened.

I was NOT the fattest person in the pool...and nobody gave a shit anyway!
I was NOT the worst swimmer there at all...and again, nobody gave a shit!
One of the women in my "beginners" group (everyone that didn't make it last week...oops) said, "You should be over there in the fast lane." NOT! But it felt good to hear that.

And suddenly I was having FUN! A lot of fun! And yes, I still sucked. Yes, I still am a beginner (in my world, BAD) swimmer. Yes, I am still struggling to just breath and get my rhythm down. BUT I HAD A LOT OF FUN! Whenever our "coach" gave us another exercise or stroke or drill or challenge...I leaped to be first to do it.

When I finally got out of the pool, changed and on my way home...I was SO pumped up with energy that I couldn't sleep when I got home at 10:15pm. I ended up staying up watching the JOAN RIVERS documentary (which was/is amazing...talk about driven and never giving up) til after midnight. Of course, I slept in this morning and missed my 2-hours of biking/running...which I have to go now and make up...but it was FUN and I loved it and I can't wait to get back in the pool....which will be tomorrow with my swim coach for my next stroke analysis/lesson.

WHAT WINTER????


PS: I forgot to take my measurements on Wednesday for my weekly follow-up. I did weigh myself at the gym earlier yesterday and I am still 215lbs. Oh yeah, mid-day yesterday, I was passing the gym I use for swimming (Central Y) and I popped in for 15-minutes of swimming before last night's class...just to brush-up to reduce embarrassment. lol

Run...run...run...

Okay...I'm still on track. In fact, today I ran for forty-minutes on treadmill with the main set being hills. I HATE HILLS. Thank God the Florida 70.3 run portion is flat! :)

It snowed tons last night this morning so I went indoors. I really want to run outdoors as much as possible, but although I am good with winter running...fresh snow is hazardous. Also, finding hills here is not all that easy.

I'm proud and tired! Yesterday I also added an unscheduled swim to my day's plan. I am starting to feel more hopeful again that I can do this.

It is now almost four months til Floriday -- 15th May -- and I cannot goof off any more! Down to business...

Statistics and starting over...

OK...well I had a great swim lesson on Saturday and even I saw/felt like I made some improvement. :) Then Saturday night I had a birthday party to attend and let's just say that I didn't behave. In fact, I kind of blew my whole NYE resolution to stop partying! ARGH. Well I certainly paid for it on Sunday!

By Monday I was mostly recovered and went into my Tri Coaching gym for my 'run lactate test' with one of my coaches. Well the good news is that after 40-minutes of running/testing, my coach determined that I am built for endurance running. And, that my body obviously has some memory and experience with long-distance running. My statistcial line for where/when I produce and clear lactic acid is mostly horizontal. I have to improve my numbers, but it's the right shape/look and gives me some advantage. (An advantage that I don't have with biking.)

He also gave me a friendly lecture about it being time to buckle down and get serious about my training because Florida 70.3 is now ONLY four months away.

YIKES!

So....here I am at 5am in the morning typing my blog and getting ready to go off to a 90-minute computrainer class. Its pitch-dark out and -6 degrees celcius...just when I or anybody else would prefer to be snuggled up under the covers...but then again, the prospect of having to perform a half-Ironman in just four months in incentive enuff to get out of bed and out the door....

Neither sleet nor snow nor...laziness!

OK...well I did make it out yesterday, but only for a 30 minute bike ride on the stationary bike and then a 7 minute run on the treadmill. About 1/3rd of what I was supposed to do according to my coach and training plan. OMG...my leg muscles were so stiff...it hurt just to walk. BUT as always, even though there was muscle and joint pains after, I felt better. One for having done something/anything and two for pushing myself...even if only a third of where I was supposed to be.

Having had that experience yesterday, I would have thought that today I would have a better attitude. But when I woke up and saw the snow falling down in heavier and heavier loads...I secretly prayed that my 12-noon swim coaching session would get cancelled. BUT IT DIDN'T. So I hauled my fat (post holiday) ass up to the training centre and got in the endless pool and for an hour, I ground it out.

Interestingly, in the first third, I kept thinking: "I hate this. I am quitting. I don't like swimming. I am no good. It hurts. I'm lousy...etc." I know...I know...not great self-talk, but I was already in the pool and trying. So I was indulging these self-defeating/self-deprecating inner thoughts. But by the 2nd third and especially by the final third, I started to feel better about myself and my swimming. My breathing -- the one thing I am having the hardest time with -- started (just started) to get better. I started developing a rhythm and cadence to my breathing and eventually my strokes even started to improve. In fact, the more comfortable I got, and the slower/easier I took it and the less I thought about it: the better I got.

And, by the end, I was actually starting to enjoy it and I wasn't even tired! :)

My coach had lots of tips/corrections/suggestions for me...and also several compliments. He felt like I had made amazing progress over the course of our five sessions so far...in particular with my breathing. And I am JUST starting to believe that I might be able to do this.

It's funny...I had been carrying on an inner-self-coaching dialogue since I had started this whole undertaking. I have been telling myself to be patient. That I will improve over time. To not be so self-critical...but it is one thing to think it abstractly and while not working out. But to actually fulfill on it "in the moment" and really carry it through is an altogether different experience and skill. Nonetheless...I am making progress however little and/or slowly.

PROGRESS....NOT PERFECTION!

(Side note: I was also supposed to run at least 50-minutes today and I do not see that happening. Tomorrow is supposed to be my Day Off...but we will see.)

Another day, another snow fall...

I have still not kicked the Holiday routine...er rut. Although I did finally sleep last night and got up at 5am this morning...that's an improvement. Since I am like most people, I imagine that I can do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING...and instantaly and/or all at once. But I can't. I am human. And when it's time for the "rubber to hit the road" or rather my feet to hit the bike pedals or pool water or road (or treadmill)...I often balk...especially at 5am in the morning on a cold and wintery morning.

Last night I was supposed to go swimming. But it had started to snow heavily and I had the feeling of an encroaching cold. All sufficient excuses to make me stay home, watch a stupid movie (with lots of hot bodied swimmers) and go to bed. The only good news is as mentioned above, I slept. My first night all week.

Now, this morning, having successfully gotten up at 5am (although my routine and goal is 4 or 4:30am), I am just not motivated to leave the warmth of my cozy house; slip on biking gear and go join my group of fellow crazy triathletes for 90-minutes of computraining. Since that class starts in five minutes and it's 20+ minutes away...I guess I am not going! :(

SO...now I have to make-up today's biking and yesterday's swim! And my legs are still stiff/sore from my measly 3km run two days ago. ARGH...time for some motivation!

“If we want to do it, we can. The only failure is not to try, because putting forth the effort is success in itself.” - Sister Madonna Buder

Muscle aches and pains...

Ok...I made it out yesterday for my little 3km run and today I am paying for all that time off over the holidays!

OMG....2 weeks ago I was running 7km effortlessly and yesterday I could barely do 3km. In fact, I had to walk for about 500m about 2/3rds into it. YIKES. I cannot afford any more time off training...and with all the weight I am carrying...I have to get back on the diet.

I had been religiously following the PALEO DIET. This has so much to it that makes sense to me. And I am prone towards a more high protein/low carb approach -- although my read on Paleo is that it allows for fruits/veggies -- which some other diets don't as much. Last time on it, I did over indulge in nuts/seeds.

So...onward and downward with the weight....and no more booze. OY. Alcohol is so easy to consume and has so many calories...yet so much of a social life involves food and booze...and I have been very social lately.

TODAY: I have a swim session with a group tonight at 8:30pm -- for one hour. Other than the fact that I'm feeling fat and am a bad swimmer, I am looking forward to it. Also today, Cindy - my coach - has given me a new "core" routine...if I can figure it out.

Another day another km...

So far my journey has been spotty this year...and that's not going to fly for a Florida 70.3 in just 4+ months!

One of the things I am having to deal with is 'inertia' and/or bad habits. It seems I picked-up some bad habits over the holidays. Like sleeping in and skipping workout and, oh yeah, over-eating. How come 'bad' habits are so much easier to acquire than good ones?

The last 2 nights I haven't been able to sleep...and that never happens to me. Not sure why. My friend Gio thinks because I have abruptly stopped partying and returned to a "healthy" lifestyle and my body is fighting back...not used to the lack of toxic activity. :) I love this idea, but I hate insomnia.

SO...having missed yesterday's biking on the computrainer, I am forging ahead and going for a short warm-up 3km run in over an hour. I don't want to overtly punish my too too relaxed muscles. I have learned that when I over do things, I pay for it: muscles stiffen and hurt and/or injuries occur or worse, I miss my next day's routine. Since I am now working out 6-days a week (one day of rest) and some of those days two or even three times...I cannot afford to screw around.

SO...3km warm-up run today...swimming and core exercises tomorrow...biking/running Friday and more running & swimming on Saturday - the latter with my swim coach.

NB: Vital information...I am going to start tracking my stats on a weekly basis:

Today: Wednesday 5th January 2011:

Weight: a hefty 215 lbs (yuck...gained 5lbs over the 2-week holiday)

Chest: 42 inches
Waist: 39 inches (omg)
Buttocks: 43 inches (beat that JLo)
Thighs: 25 inches (left and right)
Calves: 17 inches right / 16.75 inches left
Body fat: haven't checked this lately, but last analysis was approx 20%

Kona 2013

It all started a few months ago. August 2010 to be exact.

I had run a marathon in April that same year in Paris. Then completed a 600km bike rally in July from Toronto to Montreal. And by early August, searching for another athletic accomplishment, I completed my first "tri-tri" -- a mini-triathlon designed to introduce newbies, such as myself, to the world of 'multi-sport' or triathlon.

It took place on one of Toronto's islands in the wee hours of the morning and consisted of a 400m swim followed by a 10km bike ride and ending with a 2.5km run. A far cry from a full triathlon or an Ironman, but nonetheless, it both tired me out and hooked me in...

Shortly after I began randomly searching for more tri-tris, sprints and triathlons in my geographic area. I was fascinated. But it was already fairly late in the season and the opportunities were slim and my skills and abilities were not sufficient to extend too much further. But my research did open up a whole new world to me. A world of extreme sports and endurance. Of crazy people pitting themselves against grueling odds and conditions. And something in me was inspired and instantly addicted. Something clicked inside. I felt like I had found my tribe.

Within weeks I had signed-up with a triathlon coach and gym; registered for my first major event: Florida's Half Ironman (http://floridahalfironman.com) on 15th May 2011; started biking, swimming, running every week; bought my first triathlon bike (worth $6,000); hired a swimming coach and generally jumped into an insane and exciting world of obsessive, type A athletes of all shapes, ages and sizes committed to pushing themselves to their personal max.

This blog is a record of my crazy journey to Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona in 2013 -- "the" ultimate IRON MAN event in the world...and all of my trials and tribulations, failures and successes as well as some of the great people I've met and hope to meet in the days, weeks and years to come.