I had a superb day of training which included a 3.5 hour indoor trainer session on my bike and then a 30-minute run with some speed work.
It shattered me - in a very good way.
As I noted elsewhere, I had a solid few 'recovery' moments on our new couch.
And as a result, I'm looking to nominate Ikea for a Nobel Couch Prize.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Blackcomb day
It wasn't on my program but I just had to ski today. (My K-oach approved though as long as I carved a few turns on his behalf - being the former pro snowboarder that he is.)
Here's why I had to ski: 35cm in the last 24 hours, 64cm in the last 48 hours, 142cm in the last seven days!
Friday, March 20, 2009
Every decision
I had this quote on my Facebook note page and it appears to have struck a chord with a lot of friends so I thought I would post it here too.
"Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do."
Neale Donald Walsch
Author of Conversations With God
"Every decision you make - every decision - is not a decision about what to do. It's a decision about Who You Are. When you see this, when you understand it, everything changes. You begin to see life in a new way. All events, occurrences, and situations turn into opportunities to do what you came here to do."
Neale Donald Walsch
Author of Conversations With God
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Back
It's good to be cleared to train again and a good reminder to be taking my vitamins again. And I've started taking a new one this week - Centrum Protegra.
Why?
Well, I've taken Centrum vitamins for years at the suggestion of my dad, a pharmacist and a firm believer in the power of vitamins. He has taken a range of vitamins every day for as long as I can remember.
In the past decade I've taken a range of vitamins from the normal multi ones to magnesium ahead of races and extra vitamin E and now extra vitamin D.
I've an avid reader of health posts at the New York Times and Washington Post and elsewhere if I happen to surf upon a story. All the rage at the moment is the benefit of antioxidants. I'm no expert and as with all health issues there are a lot of opinions on what's good and how good.
I do think though that as an athlete I can be tough on my body and some vitamin supplement is a good thing - though simply eating healthy remains the most important decision that I can make day in and day out.
Why?
Well, I've taken Centrum vitamins for years at the suggestion of my dad, a pharmacist and a firm believer in the power of vitamins. He has taken a range of vitamins every day for as long as I can remember.
In the past decade I've taken a range of vitamins from the normal multi ones to magnesium ahead of races and extra vitamin E and now extra vitamin D.
I've an avid reader of health posts at the New York Times and Washington Post and elsewhere if I happen to surf upon a story. All the rage at the moment is the benefit of antioxidants. I'm no expert and as with all health issues there are a lot of opinions on what's good and how good.
I do think though that as an athlete I can be tough on my body and some vitamin supplement is a good thing - though simply eating healthy remains the most important decision that I can make day in and day out.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St Patrick's Day
Yes! A day to be green!!
And for an indoor ride while waiting for the electrician.
And for an indoor ride while waiting for the electrician.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Daylight
It is fitting that Coldplay is singing in the background as I type looking out the back window with the sun shining through the bows of the evergreens that tower over our house.
It's 6pm and yet it is as bright outside now as at almost any time through the day. Thanks to daylight savings, of course.
There's still a chill in the air, and a drift of snow on the ground but the tips of the grass are starting to turn green. It's hard not to be enthusiastic about what lies ahead - spring.
It's 6pm and yet it is as bright outside now as at almost any time through the day. Thanks to daylight savings, of course.
There's still a chill in the air, and a drift of snow on the ground but the tips of the grass are starting to turn green. It's hard not to be enthusiastic about what lies ahead - spring.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Smashed
Well, I have had to delay the start to my tri season as I hit the wall last week. On Tuesday, I just didn't have the zip in the pool that I expected and by midday on Wednesday I was starting to fade.
The potent mix of training hard, racing full out and then crossing the country took its inevitable toll.
I could barely move on either Thursday and Friday as I fought off a fever and a developing head/chest virus. Everything was a bit hazy on Saturday and I knew there was no sense in racing on Sunday - losing an hour of sleep didn't help.
This isn't the first time that I've smashed myself this hard. I seem to have a knack for doing so about once a year. I know I will recover. My body is simply telling me to take a rest.
On a positive note, I was able to watch most of NZ and saw Charlotte run her way into a very respectable third place. My very good mate, Pete, secured his first sub 10 finish, Juan got a ticket to Kona and Robbie put in another top notch performance. Great motivation for the weeks ahead as I get myself back on track.
The potent mix of training hard, racing full out and then crossing the country took its inevitable toll.
I could barely move on either Thursday and Friday as I fought off a fever and a developing head/chest virus. Everything was a bit hazy on Saturday and I knew there was no sense in racing on Sunday - losing an hour of sleep didn't help.
This isn't the first time that I've smashed myself this hard. I seem to have a knack for doing so about once a year. I know I will recover. My body is simply telling me to take a rest.
On a positive note, I was able to watch most of NZ and saw Charlotte run her way into a very respectable third place. My very good mate, Pete, secured his first sub 10 finish, Juan got a ticket to Kona and Robbie put in another top notch performance. Great motivation for the weeks ahead as I get myself back on track.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Koach says `Sleep'
"SLEEP ... is probably the most under-exploited form of recovery."
Here are Kristian's "simple rules":
• Aim to get as many pre midnight sleep hours as possible (these are considered more important then post midnight sleep hours)
• Get 7-9 hours sleep every night
• Maintain the same to-bed and awake time pattern – when these are inconsistent it can be the cause of great fatigue.
Remember we only have a limited amount of training time and we want to get the greatest rate of return and use the effects of compound interest to our advantage."
http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5407&CAT=3&xref=xx
Here are Kristian's "simple rules":
• Aim to get as many pre midnight sleep hours as possible (these are considered more important then post midnight sleep hours)
• Get 7-9 hours sleep every night
• Maintain the same to-bed and awake time pattern – when these are inconsistent it can be the cause of great fatigue.
Remember we only have a limited amount of training time and we want to get the greatest rate of return and use the effects of compound interest to our advantage."
http://www.xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=5407&CAT=3&xref=xx
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Intangibles
I came across the following story titled The No-Stats All-Star in the NYT Magazine about a NBA player named Shane Battier who plays for the Houston Rockets.
“He can’t dribble, he’s slow and hasn’t got much body control.”
And yet
When he is on the court, his teammates get better, often a lot better, and his opponents get worse — often a lot worse.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html?scp=1&sq=battier&st=cse
“He can’t dribble, he’s slow and hasn’t got much body control.”
And yet
When he is on the court, his teammates get better, often a lot better, and his opponents get worse — often a lot worse.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html?scp=1&sq=battier&st=cse
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