Its coming

Hirbirnation is coming. I am actually slighly looking forward to it.

That is one of the things about Winnipeg, there may not be 4 seasons but there are definitly 2. Summer and Winter.

In summer you spend time out side, go to the cabin, you spend money (quite a bit of it actually), visit with friends, its great. By labour day long weekend I find I am usually ready for a change of pace. Since the winters in Winnipeg are absolutly horrendis. It makes it easy to stay in sleep a lot and save money, to spend on the next summer of course. Its a nice little cycle. You cant really get any quality riding done outside, but a good indoor trainer will do the trick if your tough enough. In fact last winter was the worst winter in 126 years, and I set new bike split PR's all summer.

This winter I have lots to keep me busy in my new pad, and could use the hibernation to save some cash. This summer has been jam packed with activity and tons of fun. But its time to step back and reflect moving into the winter hibernation that is coming, to be sure I get the most out of it.

D 

The Biggest Challange Yet

Despite what I might think it has been an incredibaly productive summer. I started a new full time job, bought a house and began renovations, took two professional development courses, maintained a training regimined and was still able to perfrom in triathlon. On paper it was intimidateing, but do able. I was fuelled up I had the energy.

My days looked something like this

4:30AM wake up

5am coffee, fueling, breif streching

5:30  AM out the door to first training session

6-7 (7:30) Training

7:30- 8: Commute to work, Shower, change

8:30-4:30: Work

2 walks
1 streching session or stride work

5-9: Dinner, renos/school work, sleep

Rinse wash repeat for 6 months.

Sure enough I made it through. But my never quit attitude is now finally catching up. I am exhasusted to say the least. I started to feel it in July and began to rest. But did not fully commit. I also did not account for the other life stressors coming from school work etc. To summerize it is now the end of August, I sleep 9-10 hours a night dont train and I can barely get out of bed.

There is work to do.

Its time to rest and recover HARD. I have never been this fatiged before EVER. Now there are two choices. Continue in denial and again half recover and good deeper into the hole. Or commit fully this means no working out, clean eating and sleep. Lots of sleep. coming from a schedule where I didnt have a spare second this is going to be difficult but nessecary. I have a plan and now it is time to stick to it until I am well. Not for one month or two months, but until I am healthy and well. I will post more specifics about the plan as I progress. But for now it the problem has been identified and I a have made a commitment to recovery.

Until next time

30 Day Writing Challenge

Well here it is the last post was on Jan 20,2014. So much has happened, I honestly do not know where the time has gone. I was able to get most of it out on some paper but its time to actually put some effort into writing. So as always you need to set a BHAG aka a big hairy ass goal. So the goal is to write everyday. No word limit no topic no structure. Just write everyday. On anything, and it doesnt matter if it sucks. In fact I expect the first couple to suck, and I expect you to comment on them.

Change ultimeatly comes from taking action. Consistantly. One of the biggest mental battles going on in my mind right now is " I am not where I want to be but I am happy and enjoy the actions I currently consistantly take. I am not where I want with these action so they must be changed. How much are you willing to commit to get where you want? Do you really have to commit that much? Maybe theres another way that you cant see? Maybe not?" I have been on and off testing different patterns to try and achieve different results. Maybe I am just not sticking to them long enough? But at what point to you have to look hard and say this is just not working? 

All of this thought has come down to the belief that there is a disconnect between my body and my mind. My mind wants one thing my body signals another. So it would seem the focus would need to be on matching the signals of the body with the goals of the mind. Too deep? Well to bad for you :).

I have spent a lot of the past year accumulating knowledge, and gaining motivation. This needs to be a year of action, and BELIEF. I know what I need to do, so stop making it more complicated. Take action and BELIEVE IN IT. Why is it humans feel there is awalys a better way or you need more or things need to be more complex. Maybe the answers are extremely simple and you just need the discipline to take consistant action, and the results will come. Or maybe not. Lets see if we notice a change though the writing over the next 30 days. What change do you want to see? What are you willing to do to get it? How consistantly are you willing to do it? Are you willing to let go of who you are to become who you want to be? 

Time To Test

Well, its time. Time for another blog post. Time for some testing. Sorry the posts are so few and far between but I only get inspired to write when I feel I have something that is going to help you out. Writing about my own training is pretty monotonous, the work gets done everyday, some days are good some are bad, that's the way it is. But if I can help you, now we are on to something!

So it January now, you have probably set some goals race season is coming and you want to nail it. Well to start off you need to know where your at. By finding out where your at you can set up strategic plans to get where you want to be. Here are some of the tests I find useful.

Swim:
500 warm up
1000 TT
Cool down

Get you your base line pace for 100m interevals

Bike:
-->

	Duration	% of FTP	% of Heart Rate
Warm up:	20 minutes – endurance pace 3 x 1 minute (1min R) – fast pedaling 100 rpm 5 minutes easy Riding	65       65	AET           AET

-->

Main Set:	5 minutes All out effort 10 minutes easy riding 20 minutes Time Trial	MAX       65       100	MAX           AET           AET+max
Cool down	15 minutes easy spinning	Sub 65	Sub AET

Run:

20 minwarm up
5k TT
Cool down

Get average HR and thats your aerobic max.

Go out hit these tests up. Smash yourself, have fun and see where your at.

Keep on keeping on,

D

DROP THE HAMMER!!