Dave and Heather's Blog

So I completed the Moraga Treeline Triathlon. My first ever tri I completed.  The race went quite well for my first. I know what I need to work on which include transitioning from the swim to bike and aspects of my swim and running. Although I was a swimmer in my younger years and have the technique down, my water endurance just isn’t like it used to be so I burned out too quickly this time which made it much harder for the rest of the race. I’m not sure how I placed. I had planned on using my Ironman watch to time myself and take the split times but forgot to start it, I was just a bit to nervous to remember and pay attention to anything other than focusing on what I was planning on doing during the swim and transition.  

I kept telling myself “This is a learning experience…just finish it”. I came out of the cycling piece 6^th which isn’t bad but the running piece killed me. The guy who was seeded first came through the finish line first with a time that was about 14 minutes faster than me.  But since we were all seeded going 10 seconds apart, the position I came through the finish line doesn’t correspond to what I placed. I won’t know that until later I presume. Heather, Kami (my uncle) and I left soon afterwards…I was starving.  The tri began at 7 AM and we arrived at around 6:15 AM on Saturday.  
 

I have to thank Heather for supporting me through this process and snapping the photos. Ken Papai took some of the photos and made a collage. There is a photo of me prior to the swim (the guy in the pink cap crossed the finish line first). Photo of me prior to the ride, coming in from the 14.5 mile ride, getting ready for the run, after the run and crossing the finish line.

Again I learned a lot and hope to take what I learned and apply that for the next one!   

(click on the photo for a larger shot) 

Posted by Dave at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a subscription to Men's Health magazine. I like it. It's great for the little factoids of information that I get by knowing where to look in each issue. But a few things I thought I'd comment on.  First, each issue's cover makes the issue seem like 'this' issue is the definitive issue that will change your physique in X weeks! Example, “Rock hard abs in 6 weeks!”  Excuse me?  No. That just doesn’t happen to everyone.  Sure, I’ve had some dramatic results but I don’t have 6 pack abs yet and I certainly didn’t implore one particular issue’s article to get to where I am today.

Generally each article subtly points to the same general things for good diet and techniques for exercise. Each month, there are new articles that generally explain the same thing in a multitude of ways. How to works your biceps, what to eat more of and what to avoid because of blah blah…

So let me lay it out for you, 12 months worth of Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, whatever fitness magazine out there that claims has the answers to that rock hard thin sexy body…

1. Avoid starch. Supplement low blood sugar after long drawn out cardio from fruits and protein.
2. Avoid anything that uses processed sugars.
3. Intake Protein. You’re not trying to bulk up but you will always need protein for muscle repair and it’s shown that protein digests slower than other foods therefore you feel satisfied longer.
4. Find a form of exercise you enjoy. I found that I really enjoyed cycling. 
5. When doing resistance training, don’t get caught up reading about the 8 ways to work one muscle group. Find one exercise that works a muscle group and just stick to that. You don’t need to have six ways to work your biceps.
6. Always remember, if you’re trying to loose weight, this is a lifestyle change that requires work.  But it will get easier as long as you find activities that you enjoy and keep you active for at least an hour a day. This is vital.
7. Each small meals of the day consisting of vegetables, fruits, and protein (meats and whey). 

Hope this helps.   

Posted by Dave at 08:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)