Where do all the triathletes go in the winter?

Well, I think I can speak for a bunch of us when I say we stay inside a little more and work on our insulating properties. We all do that in different ways, for me it's enjoying a few beers or some wine while eating some delicious, hearty foods. No matter what time of year though, a good portion of the food I consume is grown by the amazing people at Madrona Farm. Today's purchase was a bit smaller than usual since I will be heading east for a family visit soon, and fresh veggies aren't the easiest thing to carry during air travel. . . . . Funny though, I pretty much always bring some fresh veggies during travel, so I can consume them just prior to proceeding through the gates. .. . .. gotta get my greens.

This morning on our bike ride we sure could have used a bit of extra insulation. When you see a field covered in ice as you are starting your ride it's time to toughen up and find other parts of the riding to enjoy besides the cold wind. Today it was the sun we enjoyed, the sun and good conversation. . . . . mostly about next season, ha! First up in 2010 - New Orleans 70.3 (again), that's the plan at this point anyway. It is an awesome point to point course with a flat bike which we can prepare here for on our trainers.

Other than staying inside, triathletes are busy staying warm, filling our bellies, finding ourselves in the gym a bit more and out on the hiking trails with a pair of boots and poles instead of wheels and sunglasses. Looking forward to the possibility of a nice hike this weekend if the weather cooperates (just no downpour please).

As for tonight, time to test the serious chili that is waiting on the stove and write some emails.

Cheers,
Adam

Conserving Madrona Farm

How many of you have driven along Blenkinsop Road? Ever noticed Madrona Farm? If not, you are missing out, big time. This is an incredible farm that produces the highest quality vegetables (organic. . .. .but once you have gone there it is plain to see the quality and you need not stress it is organic, you just know it is by how it looks and tastes.. .). They sell their produce roadside from 11am - 6pm (approx. depending on day light), Wed-Sat. Please check out their website - http://madronafarm.com/

So, now on to the urgent matter at hand. This farm is in danger of becoming victim to urban sprawl in the future. To prevent this Dave and Nathalie, along with the FoMF (Friends of Madrona Farm) are trying to raise a large sum of money to purchase the land and therefore put the land in the hands of the The Land Conservancy. Once this is done, the land will be protected forever and continue to be used to provide beautiful vegetables - the most important family of foods for humans to consume.How can you help? Here is how.
1) Go to the website, look on the bottom right side of the main page, click to cast a vote for the AVIVA Community Fund Grant in favor of Madrona Farm. DO THIS DAILY, please.
2) Go and purchase your fresh vegetables there, there is no comparison on the quality you get there. . .. . it is superior in every aspect to what you will get shipped up from "Cal-Organics" for instance.
3) Donate directly online at their website - http://madronafarm.com/site.php?action=howtodonate
4) Donate a bit at the road side location after you purchase your stuff.
5) Tell everyone you know to do the same.

The North American society is based on consumption, this is wrong. Food is necessary for all life on the planet and humans need healthy food to best sustain themselves. And if you like food I encourage you to stop for a minute and think about where all the food you ate for your last meal came from . . . . .. .. then consider going to Madrona Farm to get your next load of vegetables. Talk to Dave, the main man and tell him the healthy, heavy on the greens, red goateed, triathlete sent you! hahah

Please, take a minute to cast a vote - DAILY.

It's the right thing to do.

Adam

IM Arizona '09 recap

My trip south was successful. A PB by 15min is satisfactory, it is the way I needed to end the season. I wouldn't have really been learning and progressing all year long if I didn't show improvement, and since the time on the clock is the official measuring stick for our sport I can safely say that the year was a success.

Main Goal for the Day - Race Smart. . . . . and when it was all over that is just what I had done.

The day started with a PB swim time of 54:10. It was a big pro field and we were spread out only 1 or 2 people deep across the start line. When the gun went off I went out strong and in control, and soon enough I was in a good group that was moving along nicely. After a while I did a check behind our group and saw there was another big group a ways back, I then looked forward to see the lead pack in the distance, so I knew I was in a group that was likely going to come out in sub 55min. I was stoked to see 54min on the clock as I exited the water. That is exactly how I needed to start the day.

Onto the bike I just got comfortable in my saddle and started pedaling. The head wind made me re-evaluate the game plan a little bit, I knew I had to stay aero and waste as little energy as possible on anything except for pedaling. First lap was right on target, just under 1:40:00. I proceeded to push strong through the second loop and I got the same reward for it - another lap in under 1:40:00. My energy levels were good and I had kept on top of my fueling pretty well so I pushed through the 3rd loop and got off the bike feeling ready to run after a bike time of 4:55:28.

The first 4 or so miles were right on target 6:30-6:45/mile. Then I had to check myself since I was getting a little lightheaded, I knew this wasn't a good sign and I slowed down and walked a few aid stations in order to make sure I got as much fuel in as my stomach would hold. The second half of the first loop was pretty rough, mentally I stayed tough and believed that I would come around. By the second loop I was feeling better (relatively speaking of course), and picked it up a bit. I was really monitoring myself and that was how it would be for the rest of the marathon. By the third loop my energy levels were back (again, relatively speaking) but my leg muscles were at their max effort. As soon as I would try to pick up the pace my legs simply wouldn't respond without threatening to cramp. 3:20:10 is not a run split that I go into a race aiming for, but like I said it was my best effort on the day.

So, I feel good in that I stuck to my game plan and raced smart. And once again I learned a great deal during the race. Coach Noa and I know that it is now just a game of patience for me, I will continue to improve and will be back on the Big Island of Hawaii soon.

The race course, race organization, spectators and level of competition make this an amazing race, I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to race in a beautiful location late in the season.

Thanks to all the volunteers for making it happen.

Adam

2 sleeps

Two sleeps until IM Arizona, oh yeah. We went down to the race site in Tempe today to pick up our race packages. It is a really great layout down there, you can already begin to see why this is such a sought after race. The pro meeting was quick but had a bit of extra discussion on drafting and how on a multi-loop course it can get a bit hairy. But, I am sure if everyone follows the rules we will all be fine. Either way we are all going to get in the water then proceed to swim, bike, and run our fastest to the finish line.

I have no idea where that picture (above) was taken but I am going to assume the bike route will look at least a tiny bit like that (we are in the middle of the desert here). I haven't seen the course yet so it will all be new on race day. That's okay, it will make it that much more exciting and stimulating. I raced Kona without seeing much of the course and that was great.

Well, my mind seems to be a bit preoccupied so that's all the typing I can handle for now.

Till next time,

Adam

Well, that's it.

The last long (relatively speaking for a taper) swim and runs are done. As I sit here and eat my big breakfast bowl of fruit (berries, banana, and coconut) and nuts & goodies (raw - pumpkin, sunflower, macadamia, almond, chia seeds, maca powder, cacao powder) I can't help but just smile in anticipation. I saw my friend Jairus as I was leaving Crystal Pool, he asked me if I was pumped about racing IM Arizona next weekend? My answer started with a huge, involuntary smile. I am stoked for this race. I am looking forward so much to the mental aspect of the race that will go on inside my head - when you win those battles the effort is ultimately satisfying.

I will be heading down to Phoenix early this week to get settled and comfortable. I'm excited to see the course so I can start to phase those pictures into my mental race preparation. I go to sleep each night going over the various aspects of the race that I have control over. And that is basically my plan for this race, execute all the things I have control over to the very best of my current ability.

Time to clean the bike and start to wash some clothes for the trip south.

Cheers,
Adam

Season Finale, coming up!

What a great way to fully jump into the winter/off season - head to Tempe, Arizona and do an Ironman race. It is going to be a really nice trip south that includes a good, hard days work mixed in on Sunday Nov.22nd.

For those of you who don't know the course, it is a "simple" layout in terms of the course profiles - 3 loops each on the bike and run. The bike course has a gradual ~18mile incline and decline each loop that rises and drops by about 400ft. The run course has a few bridges you cross each loop and they provide the only real elevation change (barely 100ft).

Training has gone well leading up to this race. And the taper has been going really smoothly. Coach Noa and I have been closely monitoring my body throughout the taper to see how it is responding this time of year. I'm feeling good, and can't wait to see how I feel in another 12 days. . . I'm pretty sure it will be similar to a jack-in-the-box with some electrical currents attached to the metal wind up crank (that is maxed out). Ha!

The big trainer rides are done, with the help of a training partner and some good DVDs (Deluxe Extended Edition King Kong is hugely entertaining, I can't believe what computer graphics can do now). And I know these trainer rides have provided great cycling training for this race, both mentally and physically.

The weather outside hasn't been the best for running some days, but with the right gear you can be comfortable. Or in my case, overheating yourself purposely for race specific training. But on the fall days when the sun comes out and the leaves are falling around you it can be pretty special running out there, even during sub-race pace efforts.

Check out this link that a friends sent me - www.youtube.com/watch?v=9itkEkcQ8WM&feature=related . See what you think, and try to figure out why it doesn't make sense. . . . . you can't really, because it does make sense. Get into some Newtons this off season if you are thinking of going for a more natural less injury prone running technique, those shoes are one of a few companies who are truly gearing their product towards encouraging the human body's natural running stride.

I might be a bit biased with the Newtons, but you don't come across many people who don't like them.

That's enough out of me, time to clean up after the coconut curried chicken dinner.

Adam

Something I feel strongly about. . . . . .

That's what I'm talking about!

Hi guys, my posts are almost always cheery and fun to read, so this one might come across a little different. But I do feel that it important to state my feeling about this. What I am talking about is the H1N1 flu bug. The first thing I want to say is that this is my point of view and by no means do I think I am completely right about it. I don't have cable, unfortunately I don't even really have enough extra time to sit down and read the newspaper, so perhaps I am not completely up on the latest in national and international current events. Some may say this could make me a bit ignorant but like I said above, I am not trying to state fact, I am stating my opinion.

So, what is my view on the current state and effects of the swine flu? This is a cut and paste form an email I wrote to someone recently, after I felt that their worrying over the swine flu was having a lot of negative effects on their health (mainly raised levels of stress which wreaks havoc on the body). Here is the cut out.

- the Pharmaceutical Industry (PI) is the one of the biggest, most profitable industries in the world, and as the younger generations become more wise with how to take care of themselves and the truths about better health the PI must find ways to get our generation to believe in drugs again.

- a lot of the people I know of who have had the swine flu (friends and family of people I know) seem to be parents and younger kids (as opposed to what has been said about my generation being the most susceptible).
- the amount of stress caused on people by worry about this is horrible for humans, especially if they don't know how to reverse the effects of the stress inducing chemical cortisol that our body releases when stressed (some things that help control the effects of stress on the body are: proper diet, exercise, meditation, things that make you laugh)
- they don't explain to people how important good overall health is to raising the immune system (don't you think if they took a media opportunity like this to talk about the best ways to improve health that people would take to them because they now have a "reason"?)

Lastly, I feel that the problem here is that people are not getting to the root of our current health woes, the developed world is doing what it does best in trying to fix a symptom and not find a solution to the problem. Whatever requires the least amount of effort and thought from the general, media-stimulated population always seems to be promoted and advertised as the best method. Why are people overweight? Because it is easier to go to McDonald's than it is to prepare food. Why are people lazy? Because it is easier to move your thumb on the remote than it is to move your feet on the trail. Why do people make excuses in general? Justifying something in your mind (oh, I will do it tomorrow) is easier than justifying it through setting a goal and achieving it through physical and/or mental effort.

That's it, a short little blurb on how I feel about the current situation.

One of my fellow employees was saying how they can't remember me ever being sick in the 2 years they've known me. That was a huge compliment to me, as I do strive to be healthy. . . here is one of the dictionary's definitions of healthy

1. possessing or enjoying good health or a sound and vigorous mentality: a healthy body; a healthy mind.

I think I fall into that definition, so I guess I am healthy! Awesome, and I plan on staying that way and I know the $35 I spent at Madrona Farms today on fresh fresh fresh fresh fresh kale, chard, spinach, arugula, carrots, beets, garlic, and broccoli will help me with that.

- Adam