The KodaFit Blog

Just a quick one…

The eating plan has been going OK, but with the approach of Christmas, there has been entirely too much eating out.  And thus, a little more me than there was at the end of November.

I’m recommitting to my goal at weight-loss and increased fitness in January though, and to help motivation along…

I have received permission from the Mrs to participate in Vineman in 2012.  It’s a fairly long way off still, but…

I AM WAAAAY EXCITED!!!!

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Well, week 1 is done.

It started well.  Eggs for breakfast, vegan stew/soup for lunch, sensible dinner and then protein shakes when I get hungry - up to 3 a day.

I lost about a pound a day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Thursday was looking good too, but it was Thanksgiving as well.

I lost some ground - the excessive eating, good desserts, and then minimal sleep from Thursday to Friday proved to be my undoing.  I’m also a little dehydrated.

On the plus side though, I am currently down 2 pounds from last Monday, and this should be a good week.

In addition to the nutrition changes, I’ve also come up with my own winter training program, which I’m launching today as well.

I’ll talk about it more later in the week, but if you’re interested, check out the link to Buckeye Outdoors on the left. I’ve got my workouts posted for this week.

I’ve included weight training, swimming, running and biking, and then in each area (Except weights) divided it between endurance, power and speed, and then given myself 3 weeks of building, and 1 week of recovery in each of those areas. Like I said… I’ll explain it more later in the week, but it did make for a rather stunning grid of exertion - if I do say so myself!

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Yesterday went fairly well.  My two eggs for breakfast were pretty good, but I realized that I don’t need two egg, and I could probably just get away with one.

I skipped the mid-morning protein shake, due to the fact that I was still a little full from the eggs and probably because I’m just not used to eating in the morning.

The lunch of my special vegan soup was excellent.  The beans were still a wee bit firm, and it retrospect, my serving was a little big as well, but all in all, I liked it.

Whether a result of my skipping the lunch time workout - I need some time to ease into winter running! - or because the soup was really filling, I skipped the afternoon protein shake as well.

I arrived home to freshly baked Papa Murphy’s pizza and breadsticks.  It smelled really good, and I did limit myself more than I have in the past, but I still consumed far too much.

Drinking wise…  I probably got about 50oz in at work, and then had a little more Mountain  Dew and another drink during the course of the evening.

I think we’ll call this day half successful.  Portions need to be smaller, I need to watch my intake, and I need to drink more.

I finished the day by giving in to peer-pressure and deciding to race a 5k this Thursday.  Temps will be in the low teens, if not lower.  For my foreign readers, that is waaaay below zero!

It’ll be my only stand-alone 5k this year, and my shortest race as well.  I think my legs are about recovered from the beating they’ve gotten this season, and I think I can probably PR, but I also expect it to hurt - alot!

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So I blogged yesterday about nutritional changes I making to my lifestyle.  I made a vegan soup yesterday and thought I’d blog the recipe - more so I have a record of it than anything else.

I started with:

• 1 cup pinto beans
• 1/2 cup black-eyed peas
• 1/2 cup of red kidney beans

All those were dry, so I soaked them over night.

After washing the beans the next morning, I added the following:

• 5 cups of water
• 3/4 cup of lentils
• 1/2 cup of split peas
• 2 large potatoes, diced
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 3 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
• sprinkling of black pepper
• sprinkling of red pepper flakes
• sprinkling of Italian Herb mix
• sprinkling of salt

I place that all in a large crock pot and put it on low for 8 hours.

My plan was that the beans would produces a broth of sorts, to make up for the absence of chicken or beef stock.

My one worry was that the beans, lentils and peas would expand to the point that the crock pot would over flow.

My hope was a tasty and healthy soup, which would provide 10-12 good servings of soup for me and the Mrs in the coming week.

Right off, there are a couple of things I need to change…

• It made too much.  It’s supposed to provide a healthy lunch for me and the Mrs for 5 days.  We may well have this around for the next two weeks.
• The beans need more cooking time.  I stopped cooking when the potatoes and carrots were done.  The beans were still a little too firm though.
• It needs more liquid, together with less ingredients.  We have a large crockpot, but it was just a hair too much for it to handle.

So, after about 12 hours of slow cooking, we had a small taste.

•  It’s a little on the spicy side - apparently I underestimated the zing of the crushed red pepper.  Nothing we can’t handle, but a little less spice might be nice.

Other than that though, and the beans it turned out quite well.

I have my first batch ready for lunch today, hopefully the flavors will have matured even more and I will enjoy the rich vegan meal, following a couple of stair runs.  No outside workouts today…  TO FREAKIN’ COLD!

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With the off-season now upon me, and the time to reflect on the past season and prepare for the next, I’ve been thinking about trying to drop the rest of my excess weight.

In the last 12 years I’ve put on an addition 45 pounds.  When it gets added slowly, it doesn’t seem like much, but grab a 45 pound weight plate at the gym and try and run a lap with it, and you’ll notice a slight difference!

When I started this journey 4 years ago, I went 6 months before I really dropped any weight.  I lost inches during that time, but I stayed pretty much consistent as far as total body weight went.

When I did finally loose it, it all came off in a month or two.  I went on a protein shake diet.  Had one for breakfast, one for lunch, and then had a normal dinner.  I also began running at lunch with someone who pushed me out of my comfort zone.

The result was a drop of about 20 pounds of weight, and then the fact that even now, I have trouble stomaching a protein shake.

Something else I’ve noticed is that food intake affects my weight more than exercise.  And when I eat less, I don’t feel as good, and I seem to gain a couple of extra pounds.  I have a range of about 5 or 6 pounds that I’ve been fluctuating around for the past couple of years, and I’m at the top end of that range now.

My eating hasn’t been the best.  Sometimes I’ll grab lunch, but most times I don’t.  I snack here and there during the day, and generally arrive home at 5 in the evening, simply ravenous.

I’ve been trying to eat oatmeal in the mornings, but I feel like I need more.

So…  Starting this week, I’m going to try something for a month.

• Breakfast - 2 poached eggs, 2 pieces of sprouted wheat toast.
• Mid morning snack - Protein shake, with milk to make it less unpalatable.
• Lunch - Healthy Vegan Soup (More on that later!)
• Mid Afternoon snake - Protein shake, again with milk so I can get it down.
• Dinner - something healthy with the family
• Post gym snake - Maybe another protein shake, or fruit or perhaps simply some herbal tea

I’m also going to try and get at least 64 oz of water down each day, and limit my consumption of soda and other drinks.

I also have a workout plan starting in December which will be more focused and intense than what I’ve done in the past.

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Without a doubt, I think my hardest race ever was that first 5k back in 2007.  Just 1 mile into it I wanted to stop.  My nipples got chaffed, my thighs got chaffed, and as I look at the photo of my finish, it’s a wonder I survived.

But I did it, and from there is was simply jumping from distance to distance and sport to sport.  I did my first super sprint triathlon about a month later, and then a month after that, I tried my first sprint tri and ended up beating my previous 5k time by almost 3 minutes.

Then I tried a half marathon and survived, and then an Olympic Distance Triathlon, and then…  The marathon!

From there is was onto a half ironman triathlon, and then the big daddy of them all…  IRONMAN!!

In the past 12 months, I’ve done several sprint distance tris, several olympic distance tris, a couple of half iron distance and the Ironman!  I also did the Bad Ass up at BAM, which is kind of sandwiched in there somehow.

I’ve done a half marathon, a full marathon, a 50k trail race and I was part of an ultra team down at the Red Rock Relay.

I’ve been getting pretty psyched for next year…  I was going to try the 50 miler out on Antelope Island, and then look at doing the Wahsatch Steeple Chase as well.  Exciting times, and the continuing quest for a bigger thrill and greater endurance.

It’s been a week since Silverman, and a friend invited me to go trail running on Saturday, so I did.  It was an easy out and back route, and just under 12 miles.  Nothing I can’t handle on a normal training day.

We started fairly fast, and I recall this time last year, freaking out that my first mile was at an 8:30 pace.

This year I’m faster and fitter, and the 8:40 for the first mile didn’t seem so bad.

We hit 8:30 on the second mile, and then continued to accelerate to sub 8 minute pace for the 3rd mile.

I enjoyed it immensely, but that was when the wheels came off.  Part mental, part physical, I just didn’t want to run any more, and yet, the preceding 3 miles had been a blast.

I made it through the whole run, but I walked a fair amount, and plodded along for the rest of it.

I got to thinking though about going long….

I still like pushing myself, but there is going to come a point where I’m going to hit the maximum distance for local races.  There aren’t many 100 mile races, and after that, I think you have to make them up yourself.

I don’t want to race towards the 100 mile distance and get there hating life, because to be completely honest…  I’m starting to not enjoy the pain as much.  I’m also feeling like I’m leaving unfinished business in my wake.  I’ve dropped my half marathon time by 15 minutes in the past 2 years, and I think I could probably go lower.  And then at the shorter distances, I know I can go faster.

I’m thinking about doing a short distance year.

Whereas once I was pushing myself to go longer and longer, perhaps now I can push myself to go faster and faster, and then, when the time comes, I’ll tackle Ironman St. George again, I’ll dominate the Silverman Full distance course and really do the Wasatch 100 well.

To be honest I’m actually pretty excited about it.

Shorter, more intense training sessions.

Shorter and faster races.

And perhaps the fastest season of the last 3.

I think I’m 95% sold on the idea.

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We got back from Las Vegas late last night.  It involved 9 or 10 hours of driving through wind and rain, and a couple of hairy hours of me death gripping the wheel as we negotiated blizzard like conditions on a couple of the mountains between Cedar City and Fillmore.

After getting some pretty good sun on Sunday at Silverman - and thus cementing into my skin the marks of being a triathlete for the winter, it was crazy to experience a winter storm.

I’ll do a full report on Silverman later this week, but some quick highlights…

My weekend involved a great deal of puking and other unmentionable bodily functions.  Within hours of arriving in Las Vegas on Friday, a stomach bug started it’s rounds amongst the kids, and all by my Lily did the rounds with it.  Fortunately me and the Mrs escaped it as well, but it did take it’s toll with late nights and early mornings.

Silverman was on a slightly different course this year, and as I mentioned before I did not train as much for this race as I should have.  I know a lot of athletes say this, but I’ve only been on my bike once since the Utah Half back in August…  And that was for less than 5 miles on my trainer.  I also put in about 20 miles last week on a spin bike at the gym, but that’s hardly enough to be considered training.

Silverman is a course which demands respect.   I didn’t pay as much as I should this year, and I paid for it.

The swim went well.  I actually felt stronger than I have in any Oly or Half Iron swim in the past, and I attribute that to a new pre-race nutrition strategy.  Of course, that said, I was a little disappointed when I hopped out and saw that I was actually down 3 minutes from last year.  I think I swam too wide for most of it though.

T1 and T2 were waaaay slow for me.  I hustled more than I did last year I think, but T1 had long runs before and after the changing tent, and the second run included a long steep hill.  T2 required a bathroom break, and I came off the bike with nothing left in my legs.

The bike went well considering…  At about 7 miles in, I saw Macca coming the other way.  HUGE smile on his face as he powered up a hill on his way to another win.   I tried to prepare myself for the hill after the 3 sisters, but nothing can prepare you for that, and we had a head wind to boot.

I came off the bike 3 minutes faster than last year, which given my lack of training, I was more than happy to take.  I actually hit the 3 sisters with an average over 17 mph, and that was down below 15mph by the time I finished.  The main problem wasn’t so much my butt (Which I though I would have), but more the pressure from the cleats on my feet, and my legs themselves were just hashed.

The run went well too.  Last year, I ran the first 4 miles at a good pace, struggled through the next 4, and then the final 5 were miserable, as I dealt with a rebellious gut.  This year I started easy, and was walking the hills after the first mile.  It was more mental than physical.

My rule was nothing solid, so it was all gatorade and water with the occasional gel.  It worked well…  My gut didn’t rebel, but I was craving solid food midway through.

I finished my run 3 minutes faster than last year as well, which helped my final time a little, but the longer transitions killed me, and I ended up about 1:15 slower than last year.

This was also the first race I’ve done without Ibuprofen or significant amounts of caffeine…  I did it all on my own, and I think it paid off.

I’m thinking the sub 6 goal may be a bit of a pipe dream, but at the same time, with some decent training, I still think I could do it.  Just need to train more on the hills for biking and running, and with an 18 mph average on the bike and a 2 hour run, I can definitely pull it off…

I’m excited for next season, but I’m ready for a break right now.

A couple of weeks to recovery, gather my thoughts, and then plan out how to attack next season by training hard and more importantly…  Smart!

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I need to put the finishing touches on my plan for tomorrow’s race…  I guess I could some up some of it as pure hope!

853

Those numbers are still burned into my arm.  That was my number back in May when I did Ironman.  I remember thinking at the time that the IMSG Bike course was easier than the course for Silverman, and by Silverman, I mean the Silverman Half Iron Distance race…  I had a great biking base built up for that race.  I’m hoping that like the numbers on my arm, the base is still there to some extent.

My biking has been a little off…  Actually it’s been non-existent.  The last time I took my bike out for a good solid road ride was at the Utah Half, and that was back at the end of August.  I’ve been on it a couple of times since, but it was mounted on the trainer, and I don’t think I ever broke 10 miles.

So that’s the plan for the bike…  I HOPE I STILL HAVE SOME KIND OF A BASE!!

As for the rest of the race…

My swimming has gotten a little faster since last year, and I’ve learned how to zip my wetsuit so I don’t rub my neck raw.  That was one factor which impacted last years race.

If I can beat last years time of 39 minutes I’ll score that a win!!

Then onto the bike.  I tried to go all organic and fancy schmancy on the bike last year.  I ignored the Gatorade at the aid stations and stuck with the stuff I brought with me.  Except it didn’t work out so well, and I think by the time I hit the 3 sisters, I was pretty dehydrated.  I got up those three bitches pretty well, but then the wheels came off…  Not good memories of the remaining 10 miles or so.

So this year, I’m using the course nutrition.  Gatorade at every stop, and drinking whenever I can - at least 3 big gulps every 15 minutes.

The first 5-10 miles should have a good group of downhill.  I’m hoping to use that to loosen up, and fuel back up after the swim.  Sharkies and Milky ways, just like I used at Ironman, although I’m skipping the Fig Newtons this time around.

The rest of the bike is just going to be about managing my energy.  I want to push it, and hopefully knowing what I have coming will make that easier.

The run went OK last year, except I had stomach issues and IT band problems.

I think I may have the stomach issues solved.

I”m doing this race without Ibuprofen and without caffeine shots.  I’m also going to try and avoid everything except water, Gatorade and gels on the run.  It gets pretty old by the end of the run, but not having your gut launch a blitzkrieg on you abs makes it well worth it.

Hopefully when I hit the district at mile 11, I can use the energy of the crowd to spur me through the last 2 miles.  I strugggled last year, and I’m sure it’ll be a struggle this year, but running is where my focus has been lately and I think I can pull it off.

Last year my finish time was 7:17, and my run time was 2:30.  Neither of which I was really impressed with.

I’d like to be under 2:15 on the run this year, and I’d like to break 7.

One of these years, I want to go under 6 - like I did at the Utah Half…

And when that happens, it’s time to attempt the full Silverman the following year!!!

The organizers have tracking enabled this year as well, so if you want to see me either blowing my race, or hopefully hitting my goals, you can sign up for text alerts at http://silverman.mychiptime.com/bibCheck.php

I’m wearing bib #478 for the day!

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I noticed a couple of relatively minor things today…

•  I did a pretty heavy lower body work-out last night.  One thing I’ve noticed since doing leg presses a year or 2 ago, is that my ability to lift heavy weights with my legs has diminished a little.  I wonder if this is muscle catabolism from all the long distance running.
• I wasn’t feeling too bad after that workout, so I joined a couple of friends for a lunch time run.  We did 5 miles, nice and easy.  It was a beautiful day out, and perfect running weather.  I returned feeling invigorated and sat at my desk for a couple of hours.  Upon standing though…  Owwwwwww!  There’s the pain from the workout last night!
• I’ve been inspired to be better at ascending when running.  I witnessed a murderous hill on the 6th leg of a fellow triathlete on our Red Rock Team.  My legs hurt just driving the hill and imagining it.  Minutes later our other support vehicle pulled up and exclaimed… “Karie just ran the whole hill”.   I asked her how she did it, and she said the whole way up she kept saying to herself…  “Fast feet, Fast feet, Fast feet!”   I tried that on the Layton Marathon last week, and it seemed to work.  Short strides, quicker cadence and the hill seems to be a little easier.
• Finally I noticed my foot strike is changing.  I used to be a heel striker, and I still am when I get tired.  I think I may heel strike on downhills too.  But today I noticed I was running up on my toes for some of the run.  I don’t know if I could have kept it up for more than a couple of miles, but I found it fun.  Wonder now if it will make me a little faster, if I can work on it.

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So you’re sitting there with a whole ton of extra money, and you’re asking yourself…

What can I do with it?

Might I offer a wee suggestion?

I hear Ironman St. George is still open, and having done it this past year, I think I can understand why.  It’s a tough course, and training through the winter is pretty rough, but…

How would you like your company name to be associated with it?  And I’m not talking about putting it on the bike of some pro-triathlete, who wizzes by everyone so fast, no-one can read it…

You could sponsor me!!  Pay for my entry, and I’ll wear your brand all over my body and my bike, and I’ll make sure people see it too.  None of this done in 8 hours garbage either…  With me, you’ll get at least 14 hours of product exposure, and…  I may even throw in an extra hour or two at the end, just coz I like you!!

And/Or…

I could really use both a new mountain bike and a new time trial bike, but I’m not real picky about either, or both.

I borrowed a mountain bike from a friend for an off-road duathlon this year, and it actually turned out to be my best event, out of several that weekend.  I think with some training and a dedicated bike, I could actually do quite well.

A time trial bike would really help too…  From what I’ve read, it will seriously increase my speed on the bike, and allow my legs to be a little fresher when I hit my second transition and head out on to the run.

So far this year, I’ve scored a AG win at the Shark Attack and a second place finish in my AG at the Layton Triathlon.   I think with more speed I could definitely place more.

Basically what it comes down to is shameless begging, and an offer to whore my somewhat athletic body out to the highest bidder.  I would say I have standards, but in reality, I’d probably promote almost anything.  Except the wholesale murder of baby kittens and stuff like that.

I could be your next highly successful marketing campaign!!

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