About The Off-Season
On October 19, 2011,
in Blogs,
by Mauricio
from Mauricio's Triathlon, Running, Fitness, Motivation & Inspiration Blog
As triathletes and runners, do we have such a thing as an “off-season”? We may look forward to less training, in volume and intensity, but can we afford to take “any” time off?
For me the answer is no. Not that I can’t afford to take the time off because I sure I could, but I don’t really want to sit around and do nothing. After I finished Ironman Louisville I took what seemed to be just a few days off. Mostly to rest my mind and refuel my spirit, to ponder and enjoy the immensity of what I had just gone through. Yes, they were tired.
When the time came to get back to training I asked my coach to train me to run a sub 2 hour half marathon. For those of you wondering what the big deal is… well, for me it’s huge in two ways. One, I have never trained or raced for time. It has always been to “finish” doing the very best I could. And second I ran a 1:57:something three years ago and have not come close since.
I have three half marathons on my schedule already, but I have given up the idea of a sub 2 hr for a couple of reasons. One… my heels are killing me. This is the first time ever I have to deal with pain, not discomfort but pure, intense pain. Self diagnosis: Plantar Fascitis. I have a doctors appointment but… Read the rest
Two weeks from today, on April 17th,, I will be racing the Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. Preparation for this event started in earnest on January 17th. Two days after finishing my winter project: P90X.
Since that day, I have logged in 1015 combined miles, and according to my coach’s plan, tomorrow I start tapering, so taper I will!
Only thing left now is to trust the training. Trust that I have given everything possible each time out. That with each lap in the pool, each mile on the bike or on the pavement, I have had a purpose behind it.
About this point in the training process a curious thing begins to happen. Yeah, I begin to wonder if I’ve done enough, if I could have done anything different, but I believe that this happens to most everyone out there. But this is not what I’m talking about.
What I’m referring to is the fact that right about a week ago, I started noticing and feeling aches and pains I hadn’t felt before, as I do prior to any other event. Every little thing seems to be magnified a thousand times.
I come home and I take inventory. Yeah, the knee feels a bit more sore, the ankle aches just a tad more. My back is tighter than usual. The shoulder is not as mobile as I’d like to be. I stretch extra, I roll… Read the rest
As I got deeper and deeper into the black hole of triathlon training and racing, I began to understand, really quick, that an endurance triathlete has special nutrition needs. It’s not just about pasta, pasta and more pasta.
Some of the unscientific research I did allowed me to change my eating habits, what I thought, were for the best. And I think for the most part, I was successful.
I experimented with carb-loading the week of the event, two nights before, the night before. I knew (at the beginning) nothing about recovery food, what you’re supposed to eat/drink immediately after a long and/or intense workout. I thought a large bottle, or two, of Gatorade would do the trick. After all, I was just thirsty and hot!
But, as I read more and more, I began to find out and realize there are foods that I need to eat, some I need to avoid, what times I need to eat and how much I need to eat. This is where the confusion began.
So, just like I realized the need to have a tri coach; someone who could put in writing what I need to do, when, at what pace, heart rate, etc., I was soon wishing and hoping that I could find someone that could tell me what and when to eat. BUT, a reputable sports nutritionist, I have learned, will not do that for you. They will… Read the rest
I am, once again, honored to be mentioned (at length) on a post by EverymanTri.com regarding my adventures with P90X.
And before you ask… NO, the picture next to the portion of the article about yours truly, is NOT me!
To view this post, click here.
Over the past two of weeks, I have logged 167 swim, spin-trainer, run miles. 80 two weeks ago, 87 last week. I guess that makes training for Ironman 70.3 New Orleans, en-route to Ironman Louisville, officially on!
It has now been 6 days since I “finished” P90X ~ “Finished” because as I have found out, P90X has now become a lifestyle for me. I’ll explain.
But first I must dispense with a bit of business. I am eternally grateful to one particular friend who provided the last bit of motivation needed to get the program started and finished. I first refereed to this source on a previous post: “Motivation Comes From the Most Unlikely Sources”. Thank you from the bottom of my now stronger heart for that push you gave me. You know who you are!
As I went into the program I had defined my goals to be simple but specific: I wanted to have a stronger upper body, I wanted a stronger, tighter core and wanted to loose some “fat”. I did NOT want to have bigger, bulkier muscle mass. As a triathlete this is not what you’re after.
I have been bombarded with requests for “before” and “after” pictures. Apparently, as it appears to me, the success of P90X is mostly measured by a drastic change in physique. Well, mine did not. My shoulders, arms, biceps, triceps and back have a tad bit more definition but nothing that will land me in the cover of any magazine.
I did NOT do the P90X Diet. That’s a topic for another discussion.
My change came in the form of… Read the rest
Over the past few days I have been asked often, through my different social media sites, DailyMile, Facebook and Twitter how I was able to complete (although as of this writing I still have 8 days to go) the P90X program. (I’m proud to have friends that have faith that I will finish this!) I have been asked to write a review of the results achieved. This will come as soon as the program is completed.
What I wish to address today is the matter of “How”.
On an earlier post, “Motivation Comes From the Most Unlikely Sources” I outlined the intentions I had for tackling this program. In a nut shell, I wanted to take the off season to work on my strength and core conditioning, it was/is as simple as that.
However, the question has been asked often, more than I could have ever imagined: “How have you been able to stick to this?” followed by “I know someone that started and never finished”, or “I bought the program and its collecting dust on the shelf.”
The commitment to tackle an undertaking of such magnitude is no different than any other goal you set for yourself. On my other blog I recently discussed How To Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions. This is no different.
I can add to the advise provided on that post one more insight. “You must know why you want to do this.” Wanting to do it is… Read the rest
After 80 days of P90X, Plyometrics has become one of my favorite routines.
But having a specific goal in mind, I set out to do a little informal research on the benefits of Plyo for the triathlete. Here’s what I’ve learned.
First off, what exactly, is Plyometrics? Plyo refers to exercise that enables the muscle to reach maximum force in the shortest period of time. The muscle is loaded with a lengthening action followed immediately by a shortening action.
Muscles and tendons have an elastic type nature to them. Body moments involved in activities such as running, and to some extent in cycling, use the elastic nature of muscles and tendons to store energy and then release it like much like a rubber band to propel the body forward. This is known as the stretch shortening cycle.
This cycle is evident primarily in the cycling and running portion of the triathlon.
Run cadence and cycling cadence are key factors when determining efficiency in triathletes, along with distance per stroke. On the bike we try to maintain a cadence of 85-95 rpm in order to keep our legs turning over quickly. Run cadence actually closely matches cycling cadence, as the most efficient athletes try to maintain that 90 rpm cadence.
There are a host of Plyo exercises that help you improve your running and cycling cadence. Work these into your regular schedule or training program and the results you see will substantial.
I have personally found that the P90X Plyometrics routine… Read the rest
Okay, it’s not what you think! Let me explain…
A few weeks back, during a routine visit to our office, I ran into a friend who has been following my adventures and misadventures. Every time I see him, he has a question to ask; “How’s P90X going?”, “How’s your running?”, “How’s your back?”, he shows genuine interest in what I’m up to so I usually take some time to go over my latest with him.
During this particular visit we talked about my future plans. I told him that I had registered for Ironman Louisville. After he told me I was nuts, he proceeded to ask about my training and what it would entail. Again, he told me I was nuts.
At that time I was about half way through P90X. He told me he had purchased the program, but like most people who do, it was sitting on the shelf waiting for someone to make use of it.
He asked what I did to stick with the program. I told him that it was part my Ironman Louisville training plan. When I told him that on top of doing the daily P90X workouts, I still had to do some swimming, cycling and running to keep my base, that’s when he said: “You’re a Junkie”!
“No, I’m not” was my instant reply.
“Yes, you are” he said. “Think about it, what defines a junkie?” he continued. “Someone who is hooked or can’t get enough of something.” he added. “A fitness… Read the rest
The end of this week brings me to 27 days left in the program, with 63 behind me.
May not seem like a bid deal. But for me this is huge.
Not only has this been a test of physical endurance, but more important for me, a test and exercise in discipline.
Discipline because in order to accomplish this, I’ve had to make some serious adjustments to my schedule. In order to fulfil my goal of completing the program, I’ve had to do the workouts early in the morning, everyday.
This has been huge for me because I am NOT a morning person. I have always opted for afternoon workouts. That alarm going off at 4, 4:30 even 5 am has not been a welcome sight for me. Never has.
But now I find myself anxious and excited to get up and get moving. Never thinking twice about getting up to complete the daily workout. This new found discipline brings new opportunities for me.
In the next few weeks, I will have to start early morning swim practice, 5:10 am in the water which means 4:15 alarm time. In previous seasons, I’ve struggled to make these. It is my new found hope is that now I will have the strength to make it.
So I’m looking forward to the next 27 days for several reason mainly to complete a task of monumental proportions. Completing the P90X program, by any account, is not an easy thing to do.
