New Year, New Goals, New Cycle, New Me

One week ago we said good bye to 2012 and welcomed in 2013.  Now, normally, I am not one who creates New Year's Resolutions.  I have always been of the state of mind that there is no real difference between December 31st and January 1st and you shouldn't rely on a change of date to change who you are, or set new goals.  In the past, I have always set goals based on my racing season and started new training plans when my "A" races dictated.  That all kind of changed this week.  I have found myself looking to take a HUGE step in my endurance career (for lack of better word).  There is the obvious race I am schedule to compete in on September 8th, Ironman Wisconsin, which is the biggest reason I started this blog in the first place.  But, there are several other "things" that seem to be happening around me and they all seem to be taking full form in 2013.

If the Ironman is number 1, number 2 would have to be getting my first sponsorship with The Tri Shop (www.thetrishop.com).  My sponsorship is a full year commitment with the company which officially began on January 1st.  Having a sponsorship has brought my motivation up to a whole new level.  It's as though I feel obligated to do everything possible to have my best season ever to not only impress The Tri Shop, but also to uphold the stigma of being a sponsored athlete.  Number 3 is my family.  Simply put, I am not getting any younger and neither our my kids.  It seems like just months ago Sarah and I were getting married, but then along came Maya, almost three and half years ago!  Now, we have 2 girls and are looking to add a third!  Time is precious and I want to be there for my wife and my kids.  I don't want to look back on my daughters wedding day and think, "man, I wish I would have spent more time with them while they were younger."  Number 4 is our family financials.  I won't get into specifics here, but Sarah and I are really trying to hone in our savings to not only set ourselves up for success down the road, but also be able to help our daughters out as they get older.  We set up a very strict budget for our family and kicked it off on January 1st.

With all of these changes in my life, it only felt right to take advantage of the new calendar year to put a couple of resolutions into place.  As I explained earlier, I have never been one to make New Year's Resolutions and have always encouraged others to set goals for change when they are ready and committed to make those changes.  Honestly, the more I have thought about it, I feel that if something such as a new year can offer up the additional motivation to make a lifestyle change or a personal goal, then take advantage of that motivation.  But the truth of the matter is, if you truly are not ready to make a change and simply make a lofty goal because "this is the year I make that change," you are more then likely setting yourself up for failure.  

So with the new year upon us, I put my resolutions into writing to not only be a better endurance athlete, but also be a better friend, father, and husband.  Here are my resolutions for 2013.

1. Be a better husband and father 

     A. Take a deep breath before saying something you may regret

     B. Do not get frustrated when the girls are acting up

     C. Tell them each that you love them and kiss them daily

2. Spend more quality time with Sarah and girls

     A. Take the girls to the YMCA at least 2-3 days a month - outside of class

     B. Have a date night with just Sarah at least once every other month

3. Reduce debt and increase savings

     A. Stick to planned budget

     B. Limit or no longer use credit cards

     C. Plan ahead and save to spend

4. Stay better connected with friends

     A. Call friends at least once a month

     B. Continue to plan monthly dinners with nearby friends

5. Stabilize weight between 155-165

     A. Have self control to avoid overrating

     B. Avoid binge drinking

     C. Treat your body like a machine rather than a garbage disposal 

     D. Train consistently and fuel yourself at every meal
     E. Stick to your planned diet when possible

6. Stretch every day, no matter how long or short of duration

In reality, they are all relatively easy to achieve.  The key is simply not to forget about them.  I honestly think that is the number one reason we so often fail in relationships and other attainable goals.  All too often we get caught up in our jobs, lives, and outside factors that, realistically, won't matter even a week from now, and we then lose sight of what's really important in life - Family, friends, and time spent together.  So, if you have made one or many resolutions, stay focused and the best of luck with achieving your desired outcomes.  Just remember, anything worth achieving is working hard for and will require hard work.  Don't get discouraged along the way and expect there to be rough times and know it may take longer than expected, but with a little perseverance you will achieve your goals and do not be afraid to adjust your goals along the way.  

Now that I discussed my personal resolutions, I'll jump right into my update on my training.

Brief Recap

As I expected going into my 3rd cycle, I was met with the challenges of finding time to get my workouts in along with the poor nutritional choices I would be faced with.  I was able to fit in all my workouts, even with all of our holiday commitments we have had scheduled for quite a while prior to my training schedule began.  Not that it mattered, as it's not like I was going to NOT spend time with my family to get in a short bike workout or other training session.  The area I lacked, as I am sure many of us do this time of year, was in my diet.  I wont spend any more time discussing my diet choices as I have discussed several times already.  Needless to say, I am glad the holidays are past, although I am glad they came, because truthfully, I love the candies, cookies, and chocolates, that come with them.  But, now its time to buckle down and really start getting focused on the task at hand.

This cycle was my last Anatomical Adaption phase.  The purpose of the Anatomical Adaption phase is simply to prepare the body for what lays ahead.  Along with being the last cycle of this phase, it was also had the lowest volume thus far in my training.  There were no real difficult workouts, physically or mentally as all workouts were low in intensity and low in duration.  My family joined the local YMCA on January 1st as part of their New Year's Day special in which they waive their $75 joiner fee.  I have been looking forward to joining the YMCA as a family not only to train at a much nicer facility then I have in the past, but also for our kids.  We now have a place to take our kids for something fun and different to do.  So all of my swim, some of my running workouts, and all of my strength workouts are now done at the local YMCA.

Favorite Workout

This is easy this cycle.  With the holidays come and gone, I got just about everything on my wish list from my family for Christmas.  Majority of these items were triathlon equipment.  I got an entire new cycling outfit for cold weather.  With majority of the main roads around our house clear from snow and ice, I was able to dress warm and get out on my road bike.  The weather was cold, but it was SO nice to get back outside on my bike.  It was 26* with a strong South wind.  In the past, I wouldn't even think about taking my bike out unless it was over 35*.  I was warm and actually sweat quite a bit.  My toes got cold and that was it.  I went for an out and back ride for just an hour and covered just over 20 miles.  It was so nice to finally get out of my basement and get back outside into the fresh air.  I have never taken my bike out in January before, so there was something kind of neat about being out on the bike in the dead of winter.  It was actually kind of peaceful with all the snow around.  Another great workout, wasn't even a planned workout.  Shortly after showering from my run on Sunday (8.26 miles) Sarah and I brought the girls sledding for their first time.  I was personally in a funk since I woke up, for whatever reason and my run gave me a small boost, but for whatever reason was still down.  We brought the girls to a nearby sledding hill and I had a blast.  I ended up pulling our oldest daughter up to the top of the hill for over an hour straight!  Her and I did not stop once.  My legs were shot after all that hill climbing, but it was so worth it.  Just listening to her laugh and say, "thank you daddy" and "Can we go down one more time" brought me right out of my funk and put me in a great mood for the remainder of the day.  I hadn't had that much sledding probably since I did the same thing with my dad.

Moving Forward

With the Anatomical Adaptation phase now behind me, I move into the Base phase.  Along with more specific workouts, I will have longer sessions and more total cycle volume.  I also start to introduce two-a-day workouts.  I start with just one two-a-day this upcoming cycle and will really test my time management.  I will need to avoid wasting time that day and try to streamline my productivity to manage my training to not interfere with my family responsibilities.  Along with the addition to two-a-day workouts, I will start introducing brick workouts.  Brick workouts are single session workouts consisting back to back sports.  This style of workout is a staple for triathlon training.  Traditionally you do two workouts in the order you would do them in a race.  For example, you would swim followed immediately by a bike workout, or a bike workout followed by a run workout.  I have done swim to run bricks and bike to swim bricks, but ultimately as you get closer to race season, the more specific the better.

Along with the new phase and an increase in volume, I am implementing a very thorough pre-planned diet.  I have attached a copy of this diet.  By now means do I claim to be a dietitian or nutritionalist and it probably isn't a perfect, by any means, diet.  But, I do know, it is very high in nutrient dense foods and will supply all the necessary nutrients to aid in recovery and fueling high volumes of training.  As a guy who has a very addictive personality and is extremely determined and goal oriented.  Having a strict diet in writing will prevent me from overeating and mindless snacking when I get board.  I realize that sounds strange, but it just seems to work for me.  I would compare it to a strict training plan.  If I have nothing in writing, I am like a lost puppy, I end up taking time off and struggle with figuring out exactly what to do on a day-to-day basis.  But with a training plan, I know exactly what to do and how to do it, and treat it like holy scripture.  I rarely miss workouts and often just find a way to squeeze workouts into where ever I can to get them in when I am overly busy.  Similar to a planned diet, with it all written out, I will know exactly what to eat and how much to eat.  I am really hoping this gets me back on track and refocused on proper eating habits.  

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY DIET

Happy New Year and the best of luck with all your endeavors in 2013!

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!