Back to Being Me - Cycle 6

I was pretty sick at the start of this cycle, or I should probably say I was in the beginning stages of getting over being pretty sick.  I was forced to take a few days completely off towards the end of the last cycle.  The down side of it all was that the days I had to take off were on my off days which are reserved for longer workouts.  My long workout are the key workouts for each cycle.  They are the heart and soul to my training.  The up side is that its still very early in my training.  The workouts I missed were minor relative to the time I will need to put in come June, July, and August.  But, still I hate missing any time, no matter how minor.  I started this cycle by changing up my routine with a lighter, easier strength session on day 1.  This was actually what I had scheduled for the day since I had a full day of training from 0700-1500 and then had to work 3rd shift that night from 2200-0600.  I was still aching all over and my chest was still very congested.  The next morning I had a swim and bike brick workout scheduled.  There was no way I was going to be able to get that workout in with how hard it was to breath, let alone breath at a higher rate.  I did an easy ride in the basement on my spin bike that morning.  The next day I was back to being on schedule, though.  I managed to get through a full 5 mile run (indoors of course) with only moderate amounts of coughing.

So ultimately, I either had to make changes to my training plan or completely miss a workout due to being sick 5 days.  I only took 2 days of completely no training and 3 days with tweaked workouts.  Really, that's not too bad looking back on it, but man, did it suck when I was going through it.  I was still able to complete 2 key running workouts and an indoor triathlon this past cycle.

My diet has been spot on this past 9 days.  I began keeping a journal to hold myself accountable to what I put into my body.  I also began keeping the journal to help my get into a routine and better learn how to fuel my body working the odd shift that 3rd shift forces me to work.  I want to find out how to get my body thriving and running like a finely tuned machine with the stresses of living a 3rd shift lifestyle.  I track everything I put in my body, when I put it in, and how I feel before and after.  I also track my sleep duration and quality based on a personal rate of sleep quality.  So far - So good!


This cycle I haven't eaten any processed foods - no breads, crackers, chips, really anything that comes in a box.  I didn't have any refined sugars or treats.  The only alcohol I had was a few glassed on wine with dinner the night before the indoor triathlon.  I really keyed on fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and fish/seafood.  If I found myself craving extra food later at night or between main meals, I would have an orange, carrots, or an apple.  When I craved a dessert after dinner and I knew I had eaten well throughout the day, I would treat myself to a banana with peanut butter.  Some foods that I tried this past cycle that will quickly become staples in my diet are sauteed sweet potatoes topped with coconut flakes and tuna mashed up with an avocado.

I am determined to keep up with my resolutions that I put into action on January 1st.  Sarah and I went on an official date on Saturday night.  We lined up a babysitter (thank you Auntie Lisa and Uncle JD) and we went out for our very favorite dinner - Sushi!  We went to TJ's Japanese Steakhouse and ordered some of the best sushi I've had in a while.  I even ordered some tradition Sashimi.  It was the first time I had sashimi and there was something simplistic to it that made it better than all the fancy sushi we ordered.  We ordered a tuna and smoked salmon sashimi.  The smoked salmon was some of the best tasting salmon I have ever had. It was such a clean and savory flavor.  After our dinner we went over to Buffalo Wild Wings for a beer.  It was the first beer I had since New Years Eve.  I ordered a Sam Adams Lager, it was just as good as I remembered!  We ended then night by sharing a small bowl of Cold Stone Ice Cream.  It was really a great way to end a great week of training!

Brief Recap

Like I said, my training took a hit at the beginning of this cycle, but I was back into the thick of my plan by day 3.  I had a couple key running workouts this cycle.  The first was 800 repeats.  800 meters is approximately a half mile.  I do a workout consisting of 800 repeats every other cycle building up to 10x800.  I did 4 repeats in the middle of a 7 mile run this cycle.  It went surprisingly well considering that I was still kind of congested.  The second key workout was my long run.  I am trying to work in more race specific pacing in my long runs this year.  This was the first time this season I had a race pace long run workout.  The workout I had scheduled was a 12 mile run with 4 miles done at goal race pace.  I structured it to be 7 miles at an easy pace, followed by 4 miles done at my goal race pace of 6:49/mile, and ended with 1 mile done at an easy pace to cool down.  I ended this cycle with my first "race" of 2013.  I participated in the Oshkosh YMCA Winter Indoor Triathlon.  I won't delve into how the race went here, but you can read my race report HERE.  Let's just say it was a flawed race and I wasn't too pleased at the end, but at least got a decent workout out of it.

Favorite Workout

My favorite workout would have to be my race pace long run.  I had to make some minor tweaks to my schedule due to the indoor triathlon I did on day 9 of this cycle.  Normally I do my long runs on one of my off days which I do not work the night before.  I do this so I can get a good NIGHTS sleep.  With my work schedule I only get 2 opportunities to get a FULL NIGHT's rest.  The other nights I am either working, or adjusting my sleep pattern to allow my body to sleep the next night, or get back into the routine of sleeping during the day.  But this cycle I scheduled my long run on my first day off, which means I had to work the night leading up the morning when I did the run.  So I was getting myself worked up over the fact that I would be tired going into the workout ever before I even left work.  The weather was pretty bad too that morning.  It was the first full day without snow since our latest snow storm and the temperatures dropped dramatically low to near zero.  I learned my lesson from running in the freezing temps from last cycle when I was knocked out with my sickness.  So I did the workout inside at the Heart of the Valley YMCA.  I planned on breaking up the monotony by splitting the run to half on the indoor track and the other half on the treadmill.  I ran the first 6 miles at an easy pace on the indoor track and averaged about a 7:40/mile pace.  I then went right downstairs and jumped on a treadmill and started the second half.  I ran 1 mile at 7:30/mile pace, followed directly by 4 miles done at 6:49/mile pace.  It actually worked out nicely doing this portion on a treadmill, because it allowed my to dial in my pace perfectly.  The 4 miles went by quickly and I felt relaxed and comfortable throughout the entire duration.  I then dialed it back down to a 7:40/mile pace for the final mile.  I felt great throughout the entire run.  I had no residual chest congestion issues from being sick and I never even got tired from working the night before.  

Moving Forward

The next cycle is my first "recovery" cycle.  I get to cut my volume down from my previous training cycles.  I have no two-a-day workouts and every day is relatively easy.  The only exception is a 10k run test I had pushed into this cycle which was originally scheduled into the previous cycle.  I pushed it ahead one week due to being sick.  Also coming up this next cycle is my monthly "free day."  I decided that as long as I strictly eat properly and avoid refined sugars, gluten, processed foods, and over-doing the alcohol I will allow myself to have one "free day" each month.  I conveniently scheduled my first "free day" on Super Bowl Sunday.  It's a day that I don't track ANYTHING in my journal and can eat anything without guilt or reservations.  Needless to say, I am looking forward to having a few beers and a couple sweets!  But come Monday, its back to the grind and I will need to refocus on the task at hand!

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!

Winter Indoor Triathlon - Race Report

I went in to the Oshkosh YMCA Winter Indoor Triathlon not knowing exactly what to think.  I have always raced triathlon with a set distance for each event and the fastest time wins. Simple as that.  This race was set to be completed over the span of 1 hour.  The format was quite simple actually.  You start with a 10 minute swim followed by a 10 minute "transition" period.  The second event was a 20 minute bike followed by a 5 minute "transition."  The final event was a 15 minute run.  Each event had a volunteer counting laps or monitoring the bike computers.  I was very surprised that there was no standard for the resistance you have on the bikes.  The spin bikes at the Downtown Oshkosh YMCA are very nice.  They are Le Monde Revmaster Spin Bikes, which are very smooth and comfortable spin bikes.  They each come with an individual bike computer which monitors your cadence (rpm's), theoretical speed, theoretical distance, estimated calories, and time.  The computers fail to take in consideration power/effort when determining speed/distance.  Therefore, the more revolutions the fly wheel makes, the further/faster you go.  The fact that there was no set standard for resistance on the bikes, you can have zero resistance and spin the pedals effortlessly with no resistance and rack up the miles.  As you'll read below this was a fact that I overlooked and didn't really care for.  The run portion was completed on an indoor track the size of a basketball court.  It was tiny.  In order to complete 1 mile, you needed to run 18 laps!  That's a tight circle.  None-the-less, I went into this race with the idea of possibly winning the race overall or at least really excelling.  I had high expectations going in and I really wanted this to "set the table" for my 2013 race season.  I also really wasn't considering this the "official" start to my race season, but it was still a race.

Training Plan

I considered this to be a "C" race on the traditional hierarchy of races.  "A" races are the races that you set up a training program for, they involve very intricate thought and planning, they take precedence over everything.  You should only have 1-2 "A" races a year.  "B" races are races that you can intermix into your training to prepare you for your "A" races, they can still involve a taper and other minor tweaks to your training plan, but they shouldn't really impact your overall goals of your "A" race.  Finally "C" races are just sprinkled into your training plan as a stimulating form of training.  They replace the daily mundane lonely workouts and give you a race feel, while not impacting your training plan whatsoever.  This was definitely a "C" race.  I ran a 12 mile long run on Thursday with a short bout of 4 miles done at race pace (6:49/mile).  Friday I did a brick workout, consisting of an hour bike followed immediately by a 3 mile run.  And then this race was on Saturday.  So, really there was no "taper," or other training plan tweaks or time off in preparations for this race.  I used it as a replacement for a normal training day.  In fact, I'll be right back in the pool tomorrow swimming 2,500 meters and in the weight room for a strength session.

Day/Night Before the Race

The night before we had my parents over for a game night.  I had a few glasses of wine starting at dinner and into our game of dominoes.  I stopped after 4 or 5 and transitioned to water to maintain some level of hydration.  For dinner I had a baked salmon filet with a sauteed sweet potato in coconut oil and topped with coconut flakes (YUM! - a new favorite).  I also got my deer back from the meat market yesterday so I had to try our old fashioned jerky and venison sticks - but probably didn't need to try as many as I did.  I know I at too much, volume wise, but at least my splurging was done on fruits, vegetables and fresh local lean meat. I didn't eat any refined sugars or processed foods.

Getting to the Start Line  

The day off the race I woke up around 7:00am and had a few glasses of coffee.  At 9:00am I made a bowl of steel cut oats in milk, with a banana, peanut butter, honey, flax seeds, chia seeds, and cinnamon, topped with a bit of coconut flakes.  I left around 11:15am and ate a baked sweet potato with some peanut butter spread inside along with a water bottle of Skratch Labs.  I was scheduled to start at 12:30pm and was in the pool warming up at 12:15pm.  I only swam about 200-250 yards with a few short sprint bursts leading up the start.

10:00 Swim

I had a rough idea of 500-700 yards for a 10 minute swim.  I went out hoping to pace myself equally with as even 100 yard spits as I could manage.  When I was done, the volunteer that was counting my laps said, "your a really good swimmer - nice job!"  That was motivating.  I swam 13 laps or 650 yards.

20:00 Bike

I began the bike with the idea of just "zoning out" for 20 minutes and hammering at what ever resistance they set.  But, as I found out minutes before starting, there was no minimum resistance and the computers did not take effort/power into consideration.  It simply came down to whoever could spin the pedals as effortlessly and as fast as they could.  I set a east to moderate resistance and just shut my eyes and got into an aero position as I would on my tri bike and shut my eyes and focus on riding as smoothly and comfortably as I could for 20 minutes.  After about 5 minutes I looked up to see what everyone else was doing.  I immediately noticed a guy across the way who was spinning at a cadence of at least 130 rpm's.  There is no way he had any resistance on the bike.  I then took note and took off some of my resistance.  The thing with spin bikes is there is no "free wheeling" or stopping your pedals like on normal outdoor bikes.  I have never rode a spin bike with no resistance and had no intentions of starting today.  As I stated earlier, I wanted to utilize today's race as a workout, not a contest of who can withstand the fewest resistance the longest, the fastest - not my cup of tea.  I accumulated a total of 9.0 miles in the 20 minutes.

15:00 Run

The run was completed on an "indoor track."  I put it in quotations due to the fact that the track area was the size of a small basketball gym.  It was 18 laps to complete 1 mile.  The corners were tight and you were literally running in circles.  I started with a group of 5-6.  I was first behind a guy who I should have passed in the first lap or 2, but I got stuck behind him and struggled to find room to pass on such a narrow space.  I eventually passed him after 4-6 laps and then I was in clear space and it was smooth sailing from there on out.  It was tough to maintain a high end speed on such a short track, but I did what I could with what I had and completed 45 laps or approx 2.5 miles.

Post Race

After the race I relaxed for a while in the steam room, which actually felt really good with my congested chest.  I showered up right at the Y and then went to the common area for the indoor triathlon, had some fruit and hung out until the results/awards presentation.  I offically took 2nd in my age group and didn't even place overall.  Frankly, I wasn't even really that close to placing overall.  My total distance covered was something like 11.755 miles.

Other Notes

This will be my rant/rave/complain section.  So there, you've been formally warned.  This "race" was not at all indicative of any ones' endurance athletic ability.  Being able to spin pedals really really fast with no resistance requires no physical ability.  Even the guy who won the event overall said, "there's no way I should even technically win this event."  So it's really not even me realizing this fact.  This is also evident by the physical condition of those who placed high.  I kept some level of resistance on my bike to get some form of physical exercise out of the event.  My swim distance was 2nd best overall (missed first by 25 yards (one length)) and had the overall best run by over a quarter mile.  But my bike was near the lower half - just doesn't seem right.  There needs to by a more standard way of totally the distances to make this event more comparable to an actually outdoor triathlon.  Here are my suggestions...

1.  Have a set resistance which is equal on all bikes and no one can adjust.

2.  Use a spin bike that has power meters installed to take inconsideration the effort exerted onto the pedals, which would more accurately depict speed and distance.

3.  Leave it as is, but use a point system where the person who has the furthest distance covered gets 1 point for 1st, and 2 points for 2nd and so on and the person with the fewest points wins. 

There, I will be stepping off my soap box now and hopefully that will accurately explain why on the surface I did so poorly.

Lessons for Future Events

Well, I guess the one thing I learned is to either not do these indoor triathlons with such high expectations, or skip them and just do high intensity training sessions on my own.

What's Next

Like I said, I'm jumping right back into the pool tomorrow morning for a 2,500 yard swim followed by a strength training session.  This indoor triathlon was a good change of pace workout, but a poor decision for a race.  Live and learn I guess.  At least, I hadn't put all my eggs into one basket with this race and I at least got a decent workout out of it.

Bulletproof Coffee

Today is my first full day off, which means I finished work at 6am.  I workout every morning whether I work the night before or not.  This morning, I had my long run scheduled this morning and ran 12 miles at the YMCA.  In order to be able to turn my schedule around and sleep at night, I aim to sleep somewhere between 1.3-3 hours.  I got to bed around 9:30 and was back up at 11:30am.  Turn around days are a drag.   I am usually dragging ass after a couple hours of being up.  I usually turn to coffee for a pick me up after I wake up.  I decided to try something called Bulletproof Coffee this morning.  Bulletproof Coffee is something I learned about on a nutrition podcast I listen to regularly.  It's a high fat coffee that you'll find in many Paleo Diets.  I've never had it before and figured today would be the day.

It's rather easy to make, you first start with a high quality coffee, preferably organic Arabica.  After it's done brewing you add a cupful to a blender and add some (roughly 1 Tbsp) butter, preferably grass fed.  That's the bare minimum.  You can also add coconut butter, cinnamon, vanilla, or stevia.  I added about 1-2 tsp of butter, about 1 tbsp of coconut oil, cinnamon, and a splash of vanilla.  You blend it up to thoroughly mix the ingredients and enjoy!

It was a lot heavier than I expected.  One cup of coffee became very filling actually.  Drinking a cup of Bulletproof Coffee for breakfast as opposed to a high carbohydrate breakfast can help keep you filling fuller longer and leave you energized throughout the morning.  Below are some benefits to drinking Bulletproof Coffee.

1. Cinnamon: helps stabilize blood sugar and prevent high blood sugar spikes.
2. Coconut Oil:  contains medium chain triglycerides which is an excellent source of long term energy and increases your body's ability to burn fat.
3. High Fat Content:  eating (or drinking) foods with high amounts of healthy fats can keep you feeling fuller longer preventing those hunger pangs that usually come 2-3 hours after eating a high carbohydrate meal.  Healthy fats also keep your brain alert and when coupled along with the effects of caffeine can keep you alert and energized longer.

So next time your looking for a new way to start your day, try a cup of Bulletproof Coffee to energize your mornings and keep you full and focused all day long!
 

An Unexpected Twist - Cycle 5

Everything was going just fine, great actually.  I was getting into a routine and really focusing in on what I needed to accomplish within each individual workout.  My nutrition/diet were starting to become a habit.  I hadn't touched a drop of alcohol or a ounce of refined sugar.  That was, until Monday, January 21st.  I was scheduled to do my second Critical Swim Speed (CSS) test followed up by a strength session.  I was in the middle/end of my work week.  I was starting to get sick.  Normally, I don't get sick.  Every once and a while I'll get a sore throat or a runny nose, but nothing like what I had coming my way.  I completed my CSS test with times slightly faster (relatively) than my first CSS test.  But, I just wasn't feeling right.  I was congested, but it was a head congestion, it was more into my chest.  I had a difficult time taking breaths during my swim. Every now and again, I would find myself holding back a cough under water or just flat out coming up out of the water to cough.  I didn't think anything of it and sucked it up to finish both my CSS test and my strength session.  I took some Cold-Eeze along with some cold medicine with hopes of knocking this thing out before it gets the best of me.

Then Monday night came, my last day of my work week and I felt like garbage.  My body was more sore than usual from my swim and strength workouts and I could not take a full breath with out hacking up my lung.  I was planning on getting in an hour bike ride in on Tuesday morning after work.  However, when I got home from work, there was no way I was going to do anything besides rest.  I went directly to bed.  I woke up around 10:30 as I usually do on my first full day off from work in order to be able to go to bed at night.  I was a mess, my chest hurt, my body hurt and I had a 102* fever.  I had the chills one minute and the next minute I felt like I was sitting in a sauna.  My chest was congested, which is a illness I have never experienced.  As someone who strives on a low respiratory rate and relies on my efficient breathing, being congested in my air ways left me feeling like a fish out of water.  It hurt to breath and I honestly struggled just to get a full breath of air in.  I laid on the couch with hopes of feeling better the next day.  I took a hot and steamy bath with some Vick's rubbed on my chest.  I then went to bed in sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt with hopes of producing a self induced fever to help kill off what ever was keeping me down.

I woke up on Wednesday feeling better, but still in no shape to train.  I got several things done around the house that I have been meaning to get done, but have just been putting off.  At the end of the day I did the same procedure of a hot bath with Vick's and over dressing to go to sleep with hopes of burning off this illness.  I woke up almost feeling worse than I did on Wednesday but better than Tuesday.  I decided to try and workout.  I was scheduled to run 12 miles on Wednesday and it was my highest priority workout.  The hour long bike ride I missed wasn't that critical and my relatively short brick workout I had scheduled for Thursday also didn't carry the weight that my 12 mile run did.  There was no way I was going to do my run outside as I normally would have, so I went to the Heart of the Valley YMCA which has an indoor track.  My plan was to not count laps, but just run comfortably for 96 minutes.  When I started, I knew it was going to be a LONG run.  I couldn't run a full lap with out a raspy cough.  I could only imagine what the other runners were thinking.  I was fatigued just 30 minutes in and I needed a short breather.  I walked a lap and started running again.  I made it another 15 minutes before I conceded.  I should have never even attempted a workout.

I guess I should confess and explain what probably, if not most likely, led to my sickness.  On Sunday we had some of our coldest temperatures of the year.  I thought I would be tough, suck it up and get outside to  complete my 5 mile run with 2, 1 mile sprints built in.  The air temp was 7*, which really isn't THAT cold, but the wind chills were at -12*.  I dressed warm, went out, and ran.  I ran a 1 mile warm up, did a 1 mile sprint followed by an easy mile, then another 1 mile sprint, finished with a 1 mile cool down.  I totaled just over 5 miles in just over 35 minutes.  As much as I want to deny the fact that running in the extreme cold had nothing to do with me getting sick, it just seems too ironic that the very next day my immune system fell apart leaving me the sickest I have been in years.

The worst part about being sick, is my diet completely fell apart.  I ate like crap the last couple days.  I'm not sure if it ultimately was due to being depressed about missing workouts and being sick, or if it just made me feel "better" eating "cheat foods."  I was over eating and eating foods that I vowed to not touch.  I had a ice cream parfait with cookie dough chunks on Wednesday night, along with chocolate, and other snack foods we had around out house.  My weight continues to be my most difficult goal to get a firm grasp on.  I have gotten myself into a routine/habit of unhealthy eating habits, such as unnecessary eating late at night, constant snacking, and eating when I'm bored.  It will continue to be at the forefront of my goals moving forward as I try to get back to full strength and rid myself of this virus/flu/bug/infection/whatever it may be.

Brief Recap

 All things considered it was a decent week.  I missed 3 full workouts and only 2 days of no training.  I fit in all my scheduled workouts prior to getting sick.  It may not sound all that impressive, but considering how the weather has been lately here in Wisconsin, it's definitely not something to look past.  Each of my runs were done in cruddy weather.  One morning was cold along with heavy snow fall and the other morning was just bone chilling cold (see above).  Skipping run workouts or forcing myself to do them indoors rarely happens.  Oddly enough, my run in the sub zero wind chills is actually not even my coldest run.  Back in January of 2010 I ran with normal temperatures at -3* and wind chills near -21*.  So running in 7* and -12* wind chills wasn't THAT crazy.  But hindsight is always 20-20 and I honestly really regret forcing that run that morning.  I also still managed to complete a successful CSS test right at the start of my sickness.  My first CSS test was completed in a yard pool and this one was done in a meter pool, so naturally my times were slower.  I did the 400m test in 6:35 (6:00 in yard pool) and the 200m test in 3:07 (2:47 in yard pool).  These times result with a calculated CSS time of 1:44/100m (1:36/100y) which is the exact same calculated CSS time when you convert meter times to yard times.  So, all things considered I am happy with my test results and ultimately feel that I have improving considering I was sick during that test.

Favorite Workout

Tough to pick out a favorite workout from this past week.  I guess if I were to pick one workout from this cycle as my favorite, it would be day 3's run and strength workout.  I drove to the YMCA and ran outside in a heavy snow fall which was peaceful.  I ran a total of 5 miles on the CE Rec Trail.  After my run I had a good strength training session in the weight room.  It was a great workout.  I liked getting outside in the snow fall and hearing the snow crunch under my feet.  There was something about it that made it feel relaxing and made me not even think about the cold air.  

Moving Foward

I'm not 100% sure when I am going to get back on the horse and start following my plan as scheduled.  I plan on doing a light strength workout in the morning on Friday before I leave for training.  It won't be anything exhausting and won't put a lot of stress on my respiratory system.  After that, I will be playing it by ear.  Ultimately, I am hoping I am back to feeling normal no later than 2-3 days into this cycle at the latest.  I have my first race of 2013 coming on in a little over a week.  I registered to do my first indoor triathlon this year.  It's relatively easy and short in duration.  It starts with a 10 minute swim for distance with a 10 minute transition period.  You then go to a 20 minute bike on a preset spin bike with a speedometer measuring distance covered.  After the bike you get a 5 minute transition before finishing with a 15 minute run on an indoor track for distance.  The athlete that covers the furthest total distance wins.  Pretty simple really. It only takes a full hour which isn't bad at all.  It's the complete opposite of what I am used to for the standard triathlon where the distances are set and you race for time.  This time I will be going all out for a set time trying to cover the furthest distance.  With the triathlon being a small local race, I am going in with the lofty goal of placing overall.  I have never finished in the top 3 overall in a triathlon, so we'll see what I can manage to do in this race.

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!

Diet Frustrations

In one of my prior posts I laid out my new diet that I wanted to strictly follow and in my last post I stated that throughout the entire 4th cycle, I followed my diet nearly to perfection. I began following my preplanned diet on January 1st. The first week or two of following the diet were shaky at best. I followed it well, with a few days of binge eating and drinking. However, the previous 9-11 days I followed it nearly to a T. I had no beer, no sweets, treats, unhealthy fats, or processed desserts. I was feeling very good about myself. That was, until, I stepped on the scale this past Thursday morning. It came up with a weight of 177.4 pounds. YIKES.

2 years ago I ran two of my fastest marathons to date. I ran both the Green Bay marathon in May of 2010 and then the Fox Cities Marathon in September of that year. I ran a 3:04 at the Fox Cities Marathon. Both marathons were Boston qualifying times of under 3:10. That same year I raced the High Cliff Half Iron Triathlon in June in 4:40. I had the best race season of my life. Yes, I trained my ass of that summer, no doubt. I was also in the best physical shape of my life. On top of training hard and being in great shape, my weight and body composition were at an optimum level. My body weight would fluctuate between 155 and 160 and my body composition was in the area of 4-5% body fat. In very simple terms I was at the peak of my game. I now want to get back to that more than ever.

In 2010 I was a vegetarian, unless the meat was locally raised. I would only eat hunted deer or fish caught by my family. Other than that I would not even touch meat. My choice not to eat meat had nothing to do with animal rights or PETA, but strictly a quality of food choice. I watched Food Inc, which still to this day influenced nearly all my choices in food and diet. Food shouldn't be a massed produced product, but a source of fuel and locally produced holistically. Another thing had a huge impact on my nutritional choices during this time. Sarah and I had our first child and I wanted to give her the best. So, food quality took on a extremely high priority for not only my daughter, but me as well. After about a full year of eating a vegetarian diet, I quit and went back to eating meat. I did this for a few reasons. One of them being time. It became very labor intensive prepping meals on a nightly basis. In order to eat a healthy vegetarian diet, in which your eating a wide variety of foods to get the most nutrients as possible, it took significant amount of effort to plan out meals and purchase the right foods. Yes, a very simple vegetarian diet can consist of potatoes, oatmeal, rice and other stereotypical vegetarian food. But, I didn't want to eat a bland diet. So, with spending the extra time cooking rather elaborate meals with obscure foods, comes a financial commitment. Our grocery bills increased following an all natural vegetarian diet. So, I went back to eating a stereotypical Wisconsin diet of a meat, starch, and another side. A typical dinner became a steak, potatoes, with a side of vegetables.

After qualifying for the Boston marathon in May and September of 2010 and letting go of a strict diet, my weight increased significantly. I ran the Boston Marathon in 2011 at a weight similar to were I am currently at, in the range of 165-175. This could be due to several reasons. I am not here to make excuses because it ultimately falls onto me and the decisions I made over time. But, my weight gain came right at the time I changed careers and began working 3rd shift. I think the concept of meeting the goal of qualifying and ultimately running in the Boston Marathon, which lead to the feeling of "now what." I'll fully admit that after I ran Boston, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do. I had reached my ultimate running goal and honestly kind of let myself go. Ultimately I feel the combination of a significant career change, including the start of working 3rd shift, coupled with mentally falling into a rut, led to all my weight gain.

Now, here I am, 177 pounds wanted to get back to my lean racing weight of 155. I am fully aware that my weight could have been higher due to a high level of hydration and/or a larger amount of solid foods still in my system. But no matter what the scale still read 177 pounds. The diet I put together is based mainly on whole foods, but also has flour tortillas, breads, and other carbohydrates worked in. Carbohydrates cause our bodies to store water, which inevitably will cause a weight increase, there's no way around it. Starchy foods, such as baking potatoes, rice, and bananas have this same effect and can also cause a large spike in blood sugar. It doesn't end there either, a protein found in wheat products, called gluten can have a largely negative impact on our health. Gluten is a high inflammatory food, which can reek havoc on our digestive system. I will also fully admit to also having a binge eating habit. I have a huge sweet tooth, baked goods, ice cream, anything with sugar. Once I started eating these items I literally wouldn't stop until they were either gone or I simply could not eat another one. I know this had a huge impact on my weight gain, no doubt. But, on the whole, I eat pretty healthy.

So what do I do now? I am a huge fan of podcasts. I have been listening to podcasts now for at least 2 years. I listen to sport shows and endurance sports podcasts. The type of diet that nearly all endurance podcasts recommend are high fat - low carb diets. This type of diet is similar to a Paleo diet or a Warrior Diet. Eating this type of diet turns your body into a so-called "fat burning machine." A fat burning machine is ideally what you want as an endurance athlete. Eating a high fat diet forces your body to burn majority fat for fuel and controls blood sugar levels. It is a much healthier diet to follow, especially if you are an endurance athlete. I have also read about the highly negative effects of wheat and breads, namely gluten. As I stated before, even if you don't specifically have a gluten intolerance, gluten can still be considerably harmful to your system. Taking all of this into consideration, I have ultimately decided to give up on my diet, and simply start eating more naturally. I am no longer going to follow a "diet" per se and just eat real foods. I am going to work in some days of intermittent fasting and really cut back the sheer number of carbohydrate I eat on a daily basis. I do not plan on following a carb free diet but cut any processed carbohydrates from my diet. I will focus on healthy fats, such as coconut oil, olive oils, olives, fish, and avocados. I will continue to get moderate amounts of protein from lean meats, nuts and nut butters, and various forms of dairy. But, i do still plan on getting a low to moderate amount of carbohydrates from whole grains, such as quinoa, amaranth, rice, and oats. I am and need to change the way I think of food. Food needs to be a fuel, not a comfort item, not a reward, not a mood lifter, but strictly a fuel.

From here on out I need to eat to fuel.

Be fast, be strong, and carry on!