Dirty Dog Series: #3 of 8

Some of you may know that I have been racing the Dirty Dog Series, which is a series of cross country running races that are very HARD! Although, they are very hard I have had a lot of fun. X-country are unique in that the race is on different terrain and has many undulating hills. The first two races were very hard, and I learned a lot from them. I have not run a true x-country race since high school and I forgot how much they can hurt.

Today's race was no different. My time was a 19:15 for a 5k. That is 6:12/mile splits. The profile of the race included a downhill first mile. I knew better than to go out to fast, and that is what I did, a 5:45/mile. To fast. The next mile, uphill, was naturally slower. In the end I averaged 6:12/mile. Not bad considering that I went out way too fast. Oh well, I need to learn how to go slower at beginning which is harder done than said...

Summary

I have had a great time reading Michael Pollan's book "The Omnivore's Dilemma". The book goes into depth about how the foods we eat today are not really food. The book is a good read and eye opening. Through out the book he try's to forage enough food to have a meal with a few other people who helped him forage. It's very interesting and shocking to learn how hard it is. Also, he sets a few rules as to how to eat real food in the real world. If you try to follow these rules it is extremely difficult, unless you know how to make it yourself. Here are the rules:

Avoid food products containing ingredients that are:

A) Unfamiliar
B) Unpronounceable
C) More than five in number
or that contain:
D) High-fructose corn syrup

I guarantee that if you try to eat following these simple rules, your regular food list will dwindle. Let me know what you think and if you plan on following these rules at least to a 80% - 20% rule, 80% of the time you follow the rules.

10k Update

So, i survived! I finally made it to the finish line and had a great time. The race was fun, lots of people (~2000 I think) which made navigating fun. I still do not like the early morning starts, the cool weather, those damn cheery people! Anyway, once the race started everything seemed normal and fun. Although, halfway through my body felt numb from pushing the pace. In the end, I did not set a PR or break 40', but alas I now have a new goal for the season. Until, next time...

St. Pats Day 10k: Race #117 (but whos counting?)

It's that time of year again. Celebration (Race) time! I will be celebrating (racing) tomorrow at the St. Patrick's Day 10k. Everyone has been asking me if I am ready to "race". Well, the truth in the matter is mentally I am not ready, even though I have been training quite a bit. This will be my 14th year of racing competively, triathlon, duathlons, running, swimming, aquathlons and cycling totalling over 115 races. Lately, I have been content with training every day and most of the time it's hard training. I can see that I am getting in shape, but the word and act of "racing" still seems dull to me. I'm not sure if it's the "hardcore racers", the snappy uniforms and sleek shoes or the pain, but it just does not excite me the way it used to. Maybe I have the Brett Favre syndrome, "I'm just not ready mentally!" My point is tommorrow will not be a race for me, but something more of a celebration that I have been competing for 14 years and that I can still do it! Yes, I can still do it!

Product of the Month:

The Body Bugg

It was developed by Bodymedia, Inc. This product involves collecting a range of body data using multiple physiological sensors, which is what makes this device a reliable accurate device for calorie expenditure.

Here is a list found on their site of what these physiological sensors are and what they do.

Accelerometer: The micro-electro-mechanical sensor (MEMS) measure body motion. Essentially, g-force exerted on the body.

Heat Flux: A proprietary heat flux sensor that measures the amount of heat being dissapated by the body.

Galvanic Skin Response: They are two stainless steel rods located on the back of the sensor that measure the skins conductivity. Skin conductivity is how much an electrical current can pass between two points on the skin.

Skin Temperature: This thermistor looks at continuous mearsurement of skin temperature, and with the other data collected can reveal the body's core temperature trends which are affected by the person's physical exertion or lack thereof.

As far as I'm conscerned the upside is its simplicity and ease of use. The downside its not cheap as it costs $299, convenience at a price. Next time, (upside) I will explain how you can do the same thing for free, but (downside) it involves some effort.

You can learn more by visiting their website at:
www.bodybugg.com

Power Climbing Formula

Alright you formula nerds! If you have a power meter here is your chance to use it in training.

Dr. Lim's Power Climbing Formula

bike + rider weight (kg) x 9.8 x elevation gain (meters)/time (seconds) = power (Watts). Add 10% for rolling and air resistance.

This formula could also be used to figure out how long it would take you to climb a certain hill in a race at a certain power output by simply rearranging the formula components. you could also figure out how much faster you could climb a hill if you reduced your total system weight by a given amount but kept power the same.

Read more here:
http://legrimpeur.net/blog/archives/15
http://oncycling.blogspot.com/2008/01/climbing-calculator.html (created a calculator)

Joe Friel

This weekend I attended an endurance meeting at B & L. This meeting was sort of on the basic side and the audience was well rounded. Joe Friel, in my opinion, is a very well rounded business man /coach. He was the first coach in the U.S. to go public with endurance coaching. He has written many books, has online newsletters, has coaches that coach his philosophy under him.

At this lecture he basically taught us what Tudor Bompa learned in the 60's and has incorporated it into his own. His lecture this weekend was on the "training triad". This is where an athlete, whether you are competitive or not, should start planning their yearly plan. An athletes training triad consists of Endurance, Speed Skill and Force. Inbetween these are muscular endurance, anaerobic endurance and power. This triad consists of The Performance Abilities.

I will describe more about this next:
Have a healthy day!