OK how is watching the Tour de France 2008? I love watching this I know it's 100 percent different that Lance isn't in it anymore. However it is fun to watch..

OK Training for today was teach spinning and an hour and a half bike it was awesome, hot, Hummed, and rain I love working out in this weather.

Ran 45 min. nice and easy!

I hurt my foot so bad and it's holding me back from running, not fun. However I can still ride and Swim...

Things to think about!

Your big opportunity may be right where you are now.

Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you ready or not,
to put this plan into action.

Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.

A goal is a dream with a deadline.

No one is ready for a thing until he believes he can acquire it.

Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich Any ideas, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.

There are no Failures in Competitive Swimming, Just Different Levels of Achievement.

More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has been taken from the earth.

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.

"Do not be too timid or squeamish about your actions.
All life is an experiment."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

BRICE PRAIRIE TIME TRIALS

This was fun. 26 miles of all out sprint with yourseft or with a team. I teamed up with Todd we did this race together last year. Our goal was to beat our time from last year and we did by two min. it was fast, windy, rained and man it was fun.

I have to say great job to
My sister Bethanne
To Lisa R.
and to the Great Uncle Todd!
THIS WAS THERE FIRST TIME TRIAL!

You all did awesome!

Got Energy Race is tomorrow!
http://www.laxymca.org/triathlon.html

I'm doing the sprint with two other girls. My Team is Kellen she is my swimmer, I will be doing the bike and Andrea will be doing the run. It's going to be awesome.

My work out for today- a swim with my Great Uncle Todd http://spandexking.blogspot.com/ and a Fast bike ride with Garry. Just a warm up for tomorrow.

There is over 350 people in this event, it's going to be so fun doing something new - which is doing a sprint with a team.

This is a great articale

Real Thought for Food for Long Workouts

By GINA KOLATA

DR. MARK TARNOPOLSKY, a muscle physiology researcher at McMaster University in Canada and a physician, knows all about the exhortations by supplement makers and many nutritionists on what to eat and when to eat it for optimal performance.

The idea is that you are supposed to consume carbohydrates and proteins in a magical four-to-one ratio during endurance events like a long run or bike ride, and right after. The belief is that such nutritional diligence will improve your performance and speed your recovery.

Dr. Tarnopolsky, a 45-year-old trail runner and adventure racer, might be expected to seize upon the nutritional advice. (He won the Ontario trail running series in 2004, 2005 and 2006.)

So might his colleague, Stuart Phillips, a 41-year-old associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster who played rugby for Canada’s national team and now plays it for fun. He also runs, lifts weights and studies nutrition and performance.

In fact, neither researcher regularly uses energy drinks or energy bars. They just drink water, and eat real food. Dr. Tarnopolsky drinks fruit juice; Dr. Phillips eats fruit. And neither one feels a need to ingest a special combination of protein and carbohydrates within a short window of time, a few hours after exercising.

There are grains of truth to the nutrition advice, they and other experts say. But, as so often happens in sports, those grains of truth have been expanded into dictums and have formed the basis for an entire industry in “recovery” products.

They line the shelves of specialty sports stores and supermarkets with names like Accelerade drink, Endurox R4 powder, PowerBar Recovery bar.

“It does seem to me that as a group, athletes are particularly gullible,” said Michael Rennie, a physiologist at the University of Nottingham in England who studies muscle metabolism.

The idea that what you eat and when you eat it will make a big difference in your performance and recovery “is wishful thinking,” said Dr. Rennie, a 61-year-old who was a competitive swimmer and also used to play water polo and rugby.

Here is what is known about proteins, carbohydrates and performance.

During exercise, muscles stop the biochemical reactions used to maintain themselves such as replacing and resynthesizing the proteins needed for day to day activities. It’s not that exercise is damaging your muscles; it’s that they halt the maintenance process until exercise is over.

To do this maintenance, muscles must make protein, and to do so they need to absorb amino acids, the constituent parts of proteins, from the blood. Just after exercise, perhaps for a period no longer than a couple of hours, the protein-building processes of muscle cells are especially receptive to amino acids. That means that if you consume protein, your muscles will use it to quickly replenish proteins that were not made during exercise.

But muscles don’t need much protein, researchers say. Twenty grams is as much as a 176-pound man’s muscles can take. Women, who are smaller and have smaller muscles even compared to their body sizes, need less.

Dr. Rennie said that 10 to 15 grams of protein is probably adequate for any adult. And you don’t need a special drink or energy bar to get it. One egg has 6 grams of protein. Two ounces of chicken has more than 12 grams.

Muscles also need to replenish glycogen, their fuel supply, after a long exercise session — two hours of running, for example. For that they need carbohydrates. Muscle cells are especially efficient in absorbing carbohydrates from the blood just after exercise.

Once again, muscles don’t need much; about one gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight is plenty, Dr. Tarnopolsky said. He weighs 70 kilograms, or 154 pounds, which means he would need 70 grams of carbohydrates, or say, 27 ounces of fruit juice, he said.

Asker Jeukendrup, a 38-year-old 14-time Ironman-distance finisher who is an exercise physiologist and nutritionist at the University of Birmingham in England said the fastest glycogen replacement takes place in the four hours after exercise. Even so, most athletes need not worry.

“Most athletes will have at least 24 hours to recover,” Dr. Jeukendrup said. “We really are talking about a group of extremely elite sports people who train twice a day.” For them, he said, it can be necessary to rapidly replenish muscle glycogen.

The American College of Sports Medicine, in a position paper written by leading experts, reported that athletes who take a day or two to rest or do less-intense workouts between vigorous sessions can pretty much ignore the carbohydrate-timing advice.

The group wrote that for these athletes, “when sufficient carbohydrate is provided over a 24-hour period, the timing of intake does not appear to affect the amount of glycogen stored.”

For protein, it is not clear what the window is. Some studies concluded it was less than two hours, others said three hours, and some failed to find a window at all.

Dr. Rennie and his colleagues, writing in Annual Reviews of Physiology, concluded that “a possible ‘golden period’ ” for getting amino acids into muscles “remains a speculative, no matter how attractive, the concept.”

Although studies by Dr. Jeukendrup and several others have shown that consuming protein after exercise speeds up muscle protein synthesis, no one has shown that that translates into improved performance. The reason, Dr. Jeukendrup said, is that effects on performance, if they occur, won’t happen immediately. They can take 6 to 10 weeks of training. That makes it very hard to design and carry out studies to see if athletes really do improve if they consume protein after they exercise.

“You’d have to control everything, what they do, how they train, and also their carbohydrate and protein intake,” Dr. Jeukendrup said. “Those studies become almost impossible to do.”

As for the special four-to-one ratio of carbohydrates to protein, that, too, is not well established, researchers said. The idea was that you need both carbohydrates and protein consumed together because carbohydrates not only help muscles restore their glycogen but they also elicit the release of insulin. Insulin, the theory goes, helps muscles absorb amino acids.

Insulin may stimulate muscle protein synthesis in young rodents and in human cells grown in petri dishes, Dr. Rennie said. But studies in people have shown convincingly that insulin is not required for protein synthesis in adult human beings; it is amino acids that drive protein synthesis. As yet no convincing evidence exists that a special carbohydrate-to-protein ratio makes a noticeable difference in muscle protein maintenance after exercise. “There is no magic ratio,” Dr. Jeukendrup said.

The American College of Sports Medicine is equally skeptical. “Adding protein does not appreciably enhance glycogen repletion,” its paper states.

“Some studies suggested that adding proteins to carbohydrates during exercise can enhance performance,” Dr. Tarnopolsky said. “Many other studies suggested it didn’t do any good.”

Even if there are effects of protein and carbohydrates, they are not important to most exercisers, these researchers say. Serious triathletes and elite runners, who work out in the morning and at night, need to eat between training sessions. But people who are running a few miles a few days a week don’t need to worry about replenishing their muscles, Dr. Phillips said.

Dr. Rennie agreed. “If you are a superathlete, hundredths of a second matter,” he said. “But most Joes and Janes are just kidding themselves,” he said.

Some, like Dr. Jeukendrup, say they use a commercial protein-energy drink after training hard, for convenience.

Other researchers take their own nutritional advice. Dr. Tarnopolsky has a huge glass of juice, a bagel and a small piece of meat after a two- or three-hour run. Or he might have two large pieces of toast with butter and jam and a couple of scrambled eggs. But no energy bars, no energy drinks.

Dr. Phillips might have an energy bar during a long workout. But ordinarily he does not worry about getting a special carbohydrate-to-protein mix or timing his nutrition when he exercises. Instead, Dr. Phillips said, he simply eats real food at regular meals.

How to Tell When You're Over-reaching or Over-training

At some point during your athletic career you will experience fatigue—either for a few days or, possibly, for several months. Fatigue in otherwise healthy triathletes is typically the result of emotional, psychological or physical overload—or a combination of all three—and, ultimately, it takes a toll on your ability to perform.

Endurance athletes are particularly vulnerable to physical overload. Too much progressive training combined with incomplete recovery can create an over-reached athlete and an over-trained body.

The term over-reaching was adopted by exercise scientists to describe the short-term overload that can be managed within a few days. However, over-reaching can develop into over-training (from which it can be more difficult to recover) if the athlete does not mitigate the factors that caused the over-reaching or fails to allocate proper recovery time.

First, it's important to recognize that an athlete who repeatedly overloads his or her body without allowing adequate recovery time will eventually reach a state that requires rest. The length of the required rest period is one difference between over-reaching and over-training.

Secondly, over-reaching symptoms can sometimes be masked by an overzealous, type-A athlete. An athlete and/or a coach must objectively recognize the patterns and fluctuations in a training year to prevent the compromised results that accompany chronic over-training.

To begin, let's take a look at the characteristics that produce over-reaching. It is important to remember that individuals may demonstrate a broad range of causes. However, over-reaching is most commonly caused by:

1. Too much too soon, such as a 10 to 20 percent increase in training volume over a three- to four-week period

2. Frequently combining two harder variables in one training session (i.e. combining a long run with challenging hills or a tempo session with speed work)

3. Two or three high-intensity (i.e. near or above lactic threshold) workouts in one week on either the bike or run

4. Not allowing two days of easier sessions between the challenging workouts described in 2 and 3 above

5. Overload in psychological or emotional stress in other facets of your life

6. Lack of sleep

7. Poor nutritional habits before, during or immediately after workouts

8. Loading up your racing season with too many events

If only one of these statements matched your training style, then you might be able to get through the year. However, if you nodded your head to two or more then you are likely destined to experience over-reaching and possibly slide into over-training.

Walking a Fine Line

The three training parameters that dictate success for an endurance athlete are progression, overload and recovery. Without repeated days, weeks and months of workloads that break down and rebuild you, physiological progress would come to a standstill.

And, indeed, there are times throughout the year during which you need to train in a fatigued state. Your muscles may, at times, feel sore and heavy, but there is a fine line between preserving your body's ability to repair and rebound and pushing yourself into a spiral. In fact, rebound is the key word that differentiates a tired athlete from one who has gone too far and has crossed the line separating over-reaching from over-training.

As with the above causes of over-reaching, the symptoms of the condition demonstrated by each athlete may vary. Still, many commonalities exist:

1. Physiologists, coaches and athletes have looked at morning pulse rate as an indicator of over-reaching, and studies have confirmed that a pulse rate of four to six beats above your baseline normal can be an initial indication that you are fatigued but not necessarily over-reached. An easy day or a day off will usually bring your resting pulse back to normal. A more accurate indication of over-reaching is an inability to elevate your pulse rate and sustain it at a sub-threshold level. The body seemingly has a set governor that acts as a protective mechanism. When you are over-reached your muscles cannot and will not allow you to drive up the workload.

2. This inability to increase the pulse goes hand-in-hand with a muscular heaviness or overloaded feeling. Quite often there is a simultaneous tightness and stiffness in the joints. Regardless of the length of your warm-up, the muscles remain lethargic and heavy.

3. After a hard session the muscles can experience millions of micro-tears that can cause tenderness and soreness. The delayed onset of muscle soreness is a common symptom post-exercise (24 to 60 hours). However, if the muscles are sore for an extended period, even with light exercise, this can be a sign of over-reaching. In an effort to repair and rebuild the muscle damage, the muscle fills with water to flush out the by-products of exercise. This swelling can add to the heaviness described above.

4. A lack of sharpness during workouts as heart rate falls off for more than two days.

5. Eating habits are disrupted or compromised.

6. There is a decrease in your body weight.

If you have identified several of the above symptoms, and they last for three to five days or more, and if you ignore these symptoms, then you can push your body into a more severe state of fatigue called over-training.

Scheduling R & R to Avoid Over-training

Recognize that if over-reaching crops up several times during the year this is OK. However, if you experience a bout of over-reaching and the symptoms reoccur fewer than two weeks later (or linger, as described above), you need to modify your training workload.

Recovering from over-reaching requires four steps:

1. Identify the symptoms.
2. Take two full days of rest with no exercise.
3. Take the following three days easy. No more than 50 minutes of exercise in one session. Do not attempt more than two of these easy sessions in one day.
4. After this five-day period you can resume your normal training program.

However, note that the symptoms of over-reaching should dramatically reduce during the three easy days. If they do not, then you may be on the verge of over-training. If your sleep pattern, exercise load, or frequency of racing all dramatically increase and the ability to rebound diminishes, look out for over-training.

The symptoms of over-training can closely parallel over-reaching; however, without adequate recovery an over-trained athlete will quite often advance to a much deeper valley of fatigue. Over-trained athletes quite often have signs of improper hormone function, such as persistent colds, lack of sleep and muscular aches for several weeks.

In addition, repeated hard sessions with little or no rest can lead to chronic low levels of amino acids in the blood. As intensity increases amino acids are released to control muscle breakdown. Additionally, if the intake of carbohydrates and protein is low, particularly after exercise, then the rate of repair and protein synthesis can be delayed. This delay can, in turn, prevent the body from rebounding. Quite simply, the body never catches up to the ongoing demands placed upon it.

Over-training requires an extended recovery period of six to 12 weeks, and, in some cases, it may take several months to regain your prior fitness level. Here are the four key steps to help you recover from a bout of over-training:

1. See a sports-medicine specialist. The protocol for evaluation will be determined by the specialist and should include a complete blood panel, muscle enzyme and hormone review.
2. Rest. This may be total rest for several weeks or light activity as determined by your specialist, coach and yourself.
3. Sleep. Increase the amount of sleep you get each night to ensure you rest for between seven and nine hours.
4. Plot out a logical step-by-step increase in your training routine after a second evaluation. This gradual increase in your desired fitness level may take anywhere from six weeks to six months.

Over-reaching and over-training can be controlled by recognizing the early symptoms and required patterns of recovery. During a recovery day or week, you need to ensure your body is given enough time to rebuild. Never compromise proper recovery for another hard training session.

The key to improving is progression, overload and recovery. Use all three forms of training to maximize your training and racing potential. Recovery is not an excuse; it is a necessity.

Thanks,
By Dave Scott

Triathlete magazine

Training for today was picking up my sick son from school, poor little buddy!



"Suffering is the sole origin of consciousness."

Training Goodies!

Swimming was great on Friday and Saturday! I felt great in the lake if I can just stop thinking of all those fish. YUCK!

Sunday road bike for 95 miles, I was feeling awesome a little slow but I finished what I wanted to do.

My running I have to say really none, ok maybe 3 miles however, I do work with some of my friends in Hixton Forest most of the day we're not running but we are sure doing some fast walking.

This weekend is the Got Energy Triathlon, I have trained 13 people for it I can't wait to see them finish their goals...

"The human body can do so much. Then the heart and spirit must take over."

Ok so very much has gone on!

Short and Sweet!!
1. WOW WHERE DO I START!

2. My oldest son turning 18!

3. Doing so much training with clients outside.

4. My tummy is getting better "thank gosh" however, my arm isn't (where they put the IV in) so
I have to go back into the doctor they just love me..

5. Ironman training "wowza" thank gosh I have an ok base or I would be in a pile of trouble..... I've only done 1 -62 mile bike ride, Swimming not!, and Running I think only 5 miles.

My goal!
6. Get back on Track not only with my training but with my blog!


Something to think about!

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

First you have to try this!

Awesome Granola

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup wheat-bran cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup blanched whole or slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup buckwheat honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup seedless raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine oats, bran, wheat germ, almonds, and cinnamon in a bowl. Heat the honey and oil in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. Pour over dry mixture and toss until well combined.

Spread evenly in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes. Add raisins and cranberries. Cool and store in an air-tight container. Makes about five cups.

"Swim hard, Bike hard, Run hard, be strong, think BIG!"

Percy Cerutty

Training is going so very slow- I was riding bike yesterday for 2 hours I was done my tummy hurt so very bad. I can't run yet, but I can walk fast so I've been on the track as much as I can, then I've been doing Stairs at UWL almost everyother day! No abs yet! I can't wait until I don't feel any pain... "man oh man"




INSPIRATION

"You're gonna miss this. You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days, hadn't gone by so fast. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now, but you're gonna miss this." - Song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first and the lesson afterwards." - Vernon Sanders Law

want them back. Don't forget to enjoy them now. (And know that you are so ready for May 18. Congratulations.)

Extra Air and Fast Turns in Distance Swimming

To see a video of this breathing technique, click on the link at the bottom of the article.

By Terry Laughlin
Total Immersion

I've been racing the 1,650-yard freestyle (the "metric mile" in a 25-yard pool) for almost 40 years. It's never been easy, but in middle age it's gotten considerably tougher. The problem isn't the distance; it's all those flip turns!

If you turn the way coaches say you should, it means going without air for a significant portion of the race. You usually stroke one or more times without breathing just before the turn—the better to maximize your momentum going in—then try to hold your pushoff after it because you're faster while streamlined under than stroking on top. This can interrupt your breathing for four to five seconds every length.

Even in my teens, the cumulative effect of such interruptions in a 65-turn race meant that in the final lengths I felt I needed the whole length to get my breath back; and just as I did, there was the wall again. You can imagine how much more taxing that feels at 57.

One little trick I've learned in mid-life is to sneak in one more breath immediately before my somersault in the middle and latter stages of a long race in a short pool. If my last stroke is on the left, I take a right breath immediately followed by a left breath going into the turn.

The slight delay in the onset of oxygen deprivation and bit of extra O2 to hold me through the pushoff makes a world of difference: I'm more comfortable and the extra oxygen going to my brain even seems to aid the concentration it takes to hold my stroke efficiency as fatigue mounts.

It does take practice, though; when else do we practice breathing on consecutive armstrokes? And then you have the wall in your face as you complete the second breath while trying to whip smartly through a somersault. For the uninitiated it can turn a smooth maneuver into a funhouse tumble.

One way to practice is in mid-pool. Swim several strokes, breathing on the last two and then immediately somersault. Practice both a right-left and left-right breathing sequence since you won't always come to the wall on the same armstroke.

When you can do breath-breath-somersault without feeling discombobulated in mid-pool, move your practice—cautiously—to the wall. After that, there's no substitute for doing it regularly in training. During virtually every long swim or set in practice, I begin with regular pre-turn breathing, then progress to consecutive-breathing as I need more air.

Hello, Hello everyone!
Here's a little of everything!

"Ok" Surgery was tough! If you think Ironman in tough "man oh man" it's not compared to this surgery! I say that because Ironman is training and a lot of it is determination and mind set....This is just on the couch in bed yada, yada, yada

Monday Morning got up went to the hospital at 5:30 am and was done and in bed by 1:00 pm. The surgery took a tole on me I was in bed Monday- Friday and let me tell you that was really, really fun "yeah right"! My mom came and stayed with me to help out. I had so many of my friends and and family stop by everyday that was great! I thank all of you! However, they seen the Awesome side of Danni the bed head, pj's, me being hunched over and me trying to be as Positive as I could with the situation.

Saturday was my first full day out and about.

Sunday,
I went to the Midwest Security 5K race to cheer my family "The Dales", friends and clients on it was so cool to see everyone cross the finish line. Awesome Job!

Sunday was so very nice out for the runners, I couldn't even get a run or ride bike ride in man did that Stunk! But I did get out and shop but that gets old after a while!

Monday was my first day back to work it was hard, I was working with one of my clients and lifted a little weight then I was lucky to get very dizzy and yuckie so I had to come home and jump into bed, then back to work. It's just amazing how your mind says "You can do it" and your body is saying "No your not"!
But Later
Monday at around 6:30 Landen got his bike out and I got my Rollerblades out I couldn't handle doing nothing any more, I had to find something to do so we went for about a hour. It was so much fun but I did get to bed early I was wiped.

Tuesday - Trying to get back to Ironman training but no running, or swimming yet! But I can do band work for Swimming. Today was a 2 hour spinning class, 1 mile walk around the track and 10 set of UWL stairs and I was done.

I also had my doctors apt. and that went really great! My tummy looks great, no weights, and no ab workout for four weeks! I was also told take your time getting back into your workouts and that's what I'm going to do!
HEHEHE Maybe!

Have a wonderful Day Sunshine's!

Always remember to stay positive everything comes around!

Yesterday's race...

The first Half Marathon of the year- Oshkosh "man oh man" it was a whopping 32 degrees out, rain, snow and a ton of wind... I must add in our face. We had 3 shirts on, wind jacket, hat, 1 pair of socks and one pair of paints I should have wore 2 my legs were so cold.

The first 3 miles we were at an 8 min mile pace and holding I was feeling great . My tummy wasn't to bad, We saw my mom and step dad at mile 6-7 what an awesome sight that was Jen and I stopped gave them a hug and was on our way! But then at about mile 9 My IT band started to act up I was trying hard not to think about it as much as I did. I had to do that mind over matter and think positive press on 1 mile at a time; by mile 10 I was ready to puke my tummy as acting up and I was in pain. I couldn't lift my leg up or bend my knee at all I was trying to make my left leg pick up all the slack. I thought this sucks keep it up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I knew if I stopped at one more water stop I would be done, I pushed it in to the finish line I didn't have a kick or anything thank gosh I finished!
I wanted Jenn to have a great Half Marathon this was her first.

Place 10 out of 64 my number 489

Nichals, Danniela Onalaska, WI. Age 35 , Mile per hour 08:31 ending time 01:51:40.0
01:51:25.1

READ MORE ON IT BAND!
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/sportsmedicine/a/itbs.htm

If you want to start basic training this will help

Body-Weight Training Program

Remember when you were in high school and your physical education (PE) teachers made you do push-ups, chin-ups and sit-ups? What about those long-forgotten Presidential Physical Fitness Tests, which required you to run different distances for time? Whatever happened to those “old-fashioned” exercises?

While free weights and machines can certainly make your clients stronger, they often target muscles rather than movement. In addition, many free-weight and machine exercises, such as lat pull-downs and biceps curls, are open-chain exercises, which use only one joint as the resistance is moved away from or toward the body using freely movable limbs.

In contrast, most body-weight exercises are closed-chain exercises, which use multiple joints as the resistance is moved away from or toward an anchored body part. Closed-chain exercises, which are more functional, result in greater motor unit activation and synchronization and better strength performance compared with open-chain exercises (Augustsson et al. 1998; Brindle et al. 2002).

9-Week Body-Weight Program Training is the same for the first 2 weeks of each 3-week cycle, with the third week used for recovery and adaptation. Do these workouts 2-3 times per week. As you progress, initially increase volume (# of reps with body weight), then decrease volume and increase intensity (by adding additional weight) and recovery period.

Weeks 1 and 2
chin-ups: 2 x 10 reps with body weight (or weight-assisted machine), with 1-minute rest
squats: 2 x 10 reps, with 1-minute rest
push-ups: 2 x 8–10 reps, with 1-minute rest
Choose two exercises each workout from traditional crunches, V-sits, stability ball crunches, reverse crunches, twist crunches and medicine ball crunches: 2 x 20 reps for each, with 1-minute rest.

Week 3 (Recovery)
Same as above, using 66% of # of reps from weeks 1 and 2 for each exercise.

Weeks 4 and 5
chin-ups: 2 x 15 reps with body weight (or weight-assisted machine), with 1-minute rest
squats: 2 x 15 reps, with 1-minute rest
push-ups: 2 x 12–15 reps, with 1-minute rest

Choose two exercises each workout from traditional crunches, V-sits, stability ball crunches, reverse crunches, twist crunches and medicine ball crunches: 2 x 30 reps for each, with 1-minute rest.

Week 6 (Recovery)
Same as above, using 66% of # of reps from weeks 4 and 5 for each exercise.

Weeks 7 and 8
chin-ups: 2 x 10 reps with 105%–110% of body weight (or of weight lifted using weight-assisted machine), with 90-second rest
squats: 2 x 10 reps with 105%–110% of body weight, with 90-second rest
push-ups: 2 x 10 reps with 105%–110% of body weight, with 90-second rest

Choose two exercises each workout from traditional crunches, V-sits, stability ball crunches, reverse crunches, twist crunches and medicine ball crunches: 2 x 20 reps with 105%–110% of body weight for each, with 90-second rest.

Week 9 (Recovery)
Same as above, using 66% of # of reps from weeks 7 and 8 for each exercise.

SURGERY ON MONDAY!

I'm so very lucky to go into Surgery again!

Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery

The Laparascopic Gallbladder Surgery Procedure
The gallbladder is a small organ whose function is to store and release bile, which is a digestive fluid secreted by the liver. Bile performs the critical function of breaking down fats so they can be absorbed by the digestive tract. Gallbladder removal surgery is called for when gallstones have formed, blocking the flow of bile and leading to attacks that can cause severe pain and discomfort.

I'm not getting this one done thank gosh .... I would hate to take 4-6 weeks off....

Traditional Gallbladder Surgery Gallbladder surgery used to involve a large, open incision, 3-4 days in the hospital, and a slow and painful recovery period of about 4-6 weeks. In traditional surgery, known as “open cholecystectomy”, an incision is made just below the ribs on the right side of the abdomen. The liver is moved to expose the gallbladder. The vessels and ducts to and from the gallbladder are cut and tied off, and the gallbladder is removed. The patient is under general anesthesia for the procedure. Open or traditional gallbladder surgery provides a better view of the anatomy than laparoscopic surgery.

Thank gosh I'm doing this one!
Laparoscopic Gallbladder SurgeryWith the invention of the laparoscopic procedure in 1989, the surgery can now be performed through several small openings, can be completed in one to three hours, and has a much shorter recovery time.
During a laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, a tube carrying a video camera is inserted through an incision in the navel. The surgery is then performed under the guidance of this camera. Tiny instruments are used to cut and clip the ducts and arteries attached to the gallbladder and to remove the gallbladder from the body.
The challenge in performing the surgery correctly is for the surgeon to properly identify each duct on the television camera and be sure he or she is cutting and clipping the proper one. Mistakenly cutting, clipping or nicking the common bile duct rather than the cystic duct can lead to dire consequences, as can nicking or cutting adjacent organs.

In a normal procedure, the steps in the process include:
• Administration of general anesthesia to the patient.

• After the patient is anesthetized, the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide to create enough

space that the surgeon can both see and maneuver inside the abdominal cavity.

• Next, four tiny incisions are made, including one in the naval.

• A laparoscope is then inserted, which is attached to a camera, allowing the doctor to see inside

the abdomen and identify the ducts and organs.

• Using the camera and screen as a guide, other instruments are inserted through the other

incisions. These instruments are used to close off the ducts and blood vessels with small metal

clips.

• The gallbladder is then separated from the liver and from the ducts and arteries running to it.

• The gallbladder is drained of all fluid through the naval opening and is then removed through

that incision.

• Finally, the carbon dioxide is removed from the abdomen and a few quick stitches close the

incisions.

• The procedure usually lasts about an hour to an hour and half.
Performed properly by a skilled and experienced surgeon, this procedure is safe, effective and

cuts hospital time and recovery time significantly.

Back to running on Wednesday!

Ok maybe!!

Hit the Hills!

Going Up

Boost bike power and speed

Hills. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re always there and can be a factor on race day. Sometimes they’re massive and intimidating, like the Beast at St. Croix. Other times they’re small and more gradual, like the rollers at Ironman Wisconsin. Or, occasionally, they’re invisible and get lost in the wind gusts, as in the lava fields of Kona. But regardless, with specific emphasis in your training program you can learn how to tackle hills and turn what may be a weakness into a strength.Hills are most often used to increase specific power and strength, but they also help improve pedaling technique and efficiency and challenge our mental focus and confidence. When integrated properly into a training program, hill training can be the key to stepping up to a new level, but it’s not as easy as finding a steep climb and trying to invoke the spirit of Lance. Here are a few key training sesions to help you break through and get you climbing like a mountain goat. Adaptation and endurance phase: early/mid-season or three-plus months prior to an A-priority raceIn order to prevent injury and prepare for the big days to come, it is useful to schedule three to four sessions (one per week) of adaptive hill training. One of the best ways to do this is to ride hill-cruise intervals. Hill-cruise intervals strengthen muscle and connective tissue in preparation for higher-resistance sessions. Find a fairly gradual hill that’s five to 30 minutes in length. You will ride this hill comfortably hard, staying seated and spinning at 80 to 90 rpm. This effort should be just below your lactate threshold—you should be able to talk but would prefer not to. Your first workout is short, only 20 to 30 total minutes of climbing divided into several work intervals of five to 10 minutes apiece, each followed by five minutes of easy spin recovery. Add to the total work-interval time by about 25 percent for each of your subsequent two hill sessions, either by increasing the number or duration of intervals. Be sure to include 30 minutes of warm-up and cool-down to this workout.This workout is also effective later in the season to develop muscular endurance and strength. The basic execution is the same; however, you will be fitter and able to handle a bit more work. Therefore, a later-season version of this workout will incorporate hill-climbing efforts of 15 to 30 minutes in length, each followed by a 10-minute recovery. The focus of this workout will be a sustained lactate-threshold effort. As in the early season, perform this workout over three consecutive weeks, beginning approximately 12 weeks out from an A-priority race.Strength development: Late early season, approximately two months before a key raceAfter you have laid your foundation through hill-cruise intervals you are ready to focus on specific strength development through muscle-tension intervals. Specific strength will boost your cycling power but will also benefit your running through injury prevention and improved joint stability. Muscle-tension intervals are performed by climbing in a much higher gear than you would normally select and at a cadence much lower than you would want to (or should) use in any situation other than this specific workout. This is a very hard effort and should only be done once a week at most, but preferably every other week. Always remember to include a 30- to 60-minute warm-up and cool-down before and after muscle-tension intervals.After a warm-up find a moderately steep hill (10-percent grade; something you would normally ride in the small ring). You will ride three to eight efforts of five minutes each with a five- to 10-minute easy-spin recovery after each work interval. Each hard effort is done using the big ring and a middle cog. You should only be able to spin at 50 to 60 rpm (don’t let your cadence drop below 40 rpm). This will be a very slow turnover, and you should stay seated. This should feel almost frustrating. You will want to stand and shift to a lower gear, and you will probably wonder if you read this workout correctly. But trust me, this stuff really works. Don’t underestimate this workout; start conservatively and build by only one or two intervals per session. Sharpening: Mid- to late seasonAs the season progresses and your fitness develops, you will want to add a bit of sharpness. Again, hills are excellent for this. This time, find a fairly steep, short hill (10-plus percent) and perform a series of 10 one-minute intervals. Spin into the climb, slowly building your pace over the first 30 seconds. Then, for the last 30 seconds of each one-minute work interval, shift up two to three gears and push as hard as you can while trying to maintain a 90-plus rpm. Try to stay seated, but stand if you really have to. Stay smooth, keep spinning circles and keep your upper body quiet. This workout is excellent when done as 10 x 1-minute intervals with two to three minutes rest. The session will help you to stay smooth as you transition from the flats into the hills and helps you handle the inevitable pace changes on race day. Hills will likely be a factor in at least a few of your key races this season, but with these workouts—and a little respect you will find them to be a weapon rather than a weakness.

My story in the Coulee Region Women!

This is so cool..

http://www.crwmagazine.com/pdf/crw-current.pdf

"Opportunity is sometimes hard to recognize if you're only looking for a lucky break."
- Monte Crane

"Fear is a great motivator. "

Ironman Training today is

100 abs
1 hour bike ride moderate pace

with a 20 min cool down!

Have a wonderful day

Something to think about!
"To be sure, there have been perfect days and great miles, as well as horrible days and awful miles. There have been times when I couldn't wait to run and times when I couldn't believe I had to run. And there have been runs I wished would never end and runs that seemed they would never end. But even the longest runs end. Even the wost races are over eventually. The days and the miles and the races keep adding up. And before you know it, you are someone you never expected to be. You are a runner." - John "The Penguin" Bingham

IRONMAN TRAINING HAS STARTED!

Today was a 2100 swim it included

400 warm up

12x25 drills

7x100 I did mix these up a bit so it goes by a little faster

12x 25 kick

400 cool down

that was so very fun!

Sometthing to think about!
Sooner or later, you start taking yourself seriously. You know when you need a break. You know when you need a rest. You know what to get worked up about and what to get rid of. And you know when it's time to take care of yourself, for yourself. To do something that makes you stronger, faster, more complete. Because you know it's never too late to have a life. And never too late to change one.

Warning Hot Pocket!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFFTwnYXI20&feature=related

"Training is a case of stress management. Stress and rest, stress and rest. "

INSPIRATION

"I've had my moments. Days in the sun. Moments. I was second to none. Moments. When I knew I did what I thought I couldn't do." - Song "Moments" by Emerson Drive

Throughout your training, you are going to have moments where you do something you never thought you could do. Whether that be run a certain distance, run a certain pace, or just run at all. Enjoy those moments. Too often we get so caught up in our training plan and focusing on race day, that we miss the moments along the way. As we have said, we want you to enjoy your first marathon or half-marathon. That includes training for the event itself. Relish these moments. You only get to do a "first" once, so enjoy it. If this is the first time you will ever have run 10 miles, for example, enjoy it because the next time you do it, it will not be the first time you have ever done it."Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.

When you start to get tired, watch your running form. One of the habits we fall into when we are fatigued is hunching over. Our head drops down. Our shoulders sag forward. We look at the ground right in front of our feet. What happens when we do these things is we start leaning over our hips and that puts even more strain on already tired muscles. Try to remember to "run tall." (This is actually a great thing for spectators to say.) Keep your head up and look about 20 yards ahead of you. Even better, take in the scenery around you. Don't forget to take in the sights. Remember your mom always nagging you about not slouching and standing up tall? Turns out mom knew what she was talking about.

Photo's of the plunge!

Air Temperature - 28 F
Ice Temperature - 23 F
Water Temperature - 32 F
Roads & Parking - Plowed
Surface - calm
Water Quality - Excellent with good visibility and wowza FREEZING

So
I had forgot my shoes so I'm standing on my scarf thank gosh I had it. Landen is right behind me.

Think about this!

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take;But by the moments that take our breath away"…..

Watch the Plunge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miNQR3Js0Jk

I'm in the black shorts, tank top, red swim cap and a TCI hat on in the front, I was racing John again. However watch Landen come out of the water like a rocket!

Change of plans!

We made some plans to go to the Olive Garden this Sunday at 6:00 for mine and my sisters B-day's, but we're going to have to change it to Saturday AT 7:30 so if you would like to join us at WE ARE NOW GOING TO THE TIMBER ON HIGH WAY 35 IN Onalaska you are more then welcome to come! I'm going to be the BIG 21.. HEHEHEHEHE

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired. When you were younger the mind could make you dance all night, and the body was never tired. You have always got to make the mind take over and kepp going" - George S. Patton, U.S. Army General and 1912 Olympian

"A lot people run a race to see who's the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts." - Steve Prefontaine

Little things that bring up Huge memories!

Almost 20 years ago, I had lost 2 people in my life one of them who made me the Athlete I am today! His name is Arne. Arne and I were so very close he had taken me under his wing and taught me to be a faster runner, a hurdler and a better high jumper. My Birthday is coming up and way, way, way, back when I was in High School I remember being in the gym on my B-day with Arne; we were practicing High Jumping. Arne was pushing me to Jump 5'2 I was so scared, he would stand on the side of the mat and tell me to run in a half moon and jump in the middle of the bar. Arne would jump this height for practice jumps and he would show me over and over how to do it and Findley I did it! I jump 5'2!!! We practice this all the time, he would tell me your going to get the record for this keep it up. Track season came and I jumped 5'2 I did it I win that event and the School record. Arne was there with me after my jump, I jumped up gave him a huge hug. I can see that whole race over and over in my head and him smiling at me, telling me "great job, I knew you could do it". When Arne died I stopped track, I didn't want to High Jump, do Hurdles, Run in track races any more I gave up on those events. He wasn't there to push me to watch me and kick butt. The metal I won at that race I had put it in his coffin. The year Arne died he had also won the High Jump event and received a metal for it. I was there for that race - I'm so lucky to have that metal to make sure he is with me I put it on my bike where I can see it- Arne will always be with me when I race and practice not only in spirit. I thank god for those moments in my life just like so many other ones. I'm so grateful for everything I have.

Remember you only have one life live it!

I heard this song on TV and it just makes you think of those special people in your life that you have lost.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=2e7690242ad3b556e626&gclid=CIDR-vO23pECFQKzPAod2S2FeQ

"You have to imagine that training is like a bow that you pull back as far as possible to shoot the arrow at an exact point in time. This can be dangerous. Sometimes you can't hold the bowstring back any longer. Or you can overpull it. "

Improve Your Aero Positioning With These Five Stretches

Lance Armstrong competes in the individual time trial during Stage 20 of the 2005 Tour de France.AP Photo/Peter Dejong
By Edmund R. Burke, Ph.D. Active.com
Over the past decade it has become increasingly apparent that an efficient aerodynamic riding position when time trialing is crucial to performance, whether you are a road cyclist or a triathlete.
The advent of various types of aero handlebars has been one of the most significant developments in this area, and riders and equipment manufacturers have been flocking to wind tunnel facilities in order to discover the best ways to use this new equipment.
I have observed some of these tests, and it has become obvious that riders using clip-on or other types of aero bars can achieve a much more aerodynamic position by moving their arms closer together, thereby cutting airflow to the chest.
But although such a position is easy to adopt in the static conditions of a wind tunnel test, incorporating it into the real world of competition is another story.
Wind tunnel air-drag data have also shown the need to flatten the back so as not to ride with a mid-back "hump." Jeff Broker, biomechanist at the Olympic Training Center, states that a cyclist can achieve this flat-back position by training to ride with the pelvis rotated more forward, or horizontally, until the hump is eliminated. This technique should also help alleviate any shoulder strain when trying to accomplish a narrow-arm position.
As noted, it can take time to adapt one's body so that it performs well while riding in an efficient aerodynamic position. We know that when time-trialists try to stretch their backs while riding or suffer shoulder tension during time trialing, they lose aerodynamic and pedaling efficiency, and power output goes down.
I am often asked if there are any exercises that can help one achieve an aero riding position more quickly and which will also alleviate the post-ride residual soreness riders often experience while they are trying to adapt to the new position.
The answer is yes. A few years ago while working at the Olympic Training Center I had a chance to work with Lance Armstrong on trying to improve his aero bike position. I invited my riding partner, Bob Anderson, who is also the author of the book Stretching, to give Lance some suggestions on stretches that would help him achieve his new aero position more quickly and also allow him to maintain the correct position longer while time trialing.
Anderson agreed to help, and we developed this series of stretches for Lance. By incorporating this routine into your own training program, you should be able to alleviate most muscle soreness and obtain a more comfortable position while riding with clip-on or aero bars.
It should take about eight to 10 minutes to complete the set of six stretches. I recommend that you complete one set before and after working out on the days you will be spending a lot of time in the aero position.

1. Cat stretch
Kneeling on your knees with your arms stretched out ahead of you and your legs bent under you, let your lower back sink toward the floor, creating a concave arch in the lower back. Next, reverse the curve in your back (think angry cat) while in the same kneeling position.
Also, in order to stretch each side of your lower back, reach forward with one arm and grab the end of the mat and pull back with your arm straight while pressing down slightly with your hand. Do likewise with the other arm. Hold stretch for 20 seconds. Stretch each side. Don't strain. You should feel the stretch in your shoulders, arms, sides, upper back, or even in your lower back.

2. Standing back extension
Standing with knees slightly bent, place your palms against your lower back just above the hips, fingers pointing downward. Gently push your palms forward to create an extension in the lower back. Hold comfortable pressure for 10 to 12 seconds. Repeat twice. Use this stretch after sitting for an extended period of time.
3. Double "Reach for the Sky" stretch
In a standing or sitting position, interlace your fingers above your head. Now, with your palms facing upward, push your arms slightly back and up. Feel the stretch in arms, shoulders and upper back. Hold stretch for 15 seconds. Do not hold your breath. This stretch is good to do anywhere, anytime. Excellent for slumping shoulders.

4. Upper-body stretch
A stretch for the arms, shoulders, and back. Place your arms against a wall, shoulder-width apart, directly in front of you. Slowly begin to move your chest downward while keeping your feet remaining directly under your hips and your knees slightly bent. Hold this stretch 30 seconds. This is a good stretch to do anywhere, at anytime. Remember to always keep your knees bent when coming out of this stretch.

5. Sitting hamstring stretch
Sit on the floor and straighten your right leg. The sole of your left foot will be resting next to the inside of your straightened leg. Lean slightly forward from the hips and stretch the hamstrings of your right leg.
If you can't touch your toes comfortably, use a towel to help you stretch. Hold for 50 seconds. Do not lock your knee. Your right quadriceps should be soft and relaxed during the stretch. Keep your right foot upright with the ankle and toes relaxed. Repeat for the left leg.

My Favorite Word! Can You Guess Why?

Perseverance
What is perseverance?
Perseverance is commitment, hard work, patience, endurance.
Perseverance is being able to bear difficulties calmly and without complaint.
Perseverance is trying again and again.

You show perseverance when you ...
Give up your tv time to spend hours studying
Try a new sport that is very difficult but you don't give up
Have a learning disability but keep studying even when discouraged
Come from a home where there is fighting and unhappiness but you still try your best
Have missed a week of school but you work hard to catch up
Are at the end of a difficult race but you cross the finish line
Save money and make sacrifices to buy something
Spend hours practicing on your music
Study and work hard to raise your grade
Try out for something you weren't successful at the first time

Proverbs and maxims
Failure is the path of least persistence.
All things will come round to him who will but wait. (Longfellow)
Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.

Work hard and give it your best shot; never be a quitter. (Charley Taylor)

Effects of dehydration on performance

We all need water. In fact, the human body can only live about one week without water. Our bodies are compromised of 55-75% water, and there is water in all the foods we eat. With such an abundant substance around us, it’s amazing to think that anyone could become dehydrated, but it does happen frequently, and especially during exercise. So why exactly is water so important? What does it do for us and why do we need more of it when we increase our physical activity?When exercising, you may believe that you have more energy to do the given workload when you drink water throughout your workout. This may cause you to wonder if it was just your psyche tricking yourself into thinking that you could do more, or if your body really could do more physiologically. The truth is water is more physiologically beneficial than most people think. One of water’s primary functions is hydrolysis, which is to break a chemical bond with water. During exercise, this is extremely important because water allows your body to break down adenosine triphosphate (ATP) into adenosine diphosphate (ADP), inorganic phosphate, and energy. This energy produced is the energy that is required not only for muscle contraction, but also for digestion, nerve transmission, circulation, building new tissue and gland secretion. Without water, ATP could not be broken down, and these reactions could not take place. Water is also needed for thermoregulation, or the maintenance of body temperature. Your body is warm-blooded, meaning it regulates itself to stay at a specific internal temperature despite the external conditions. This means that when it’s cold, your body reacts in certain ways to stay warm inside, and when it’s hot, it reacts in other ways to stay cool internally. When your body is in a hot environment, the brain initiates the sweating response. The pores on your skin open and release sweat, which is composed of water and sodium chloride. When your sweat evaporates, your body is cooled. It is important to note that without evaporation, your body cannot cool itself down. The primary implication of this is that it is more difficult to thermoregulate in humid conditions, because the sweat cannot evaporate very well. Because internal body temperature rises during exercise and requires perspiration to cool off, water is even more vital during exercise than normal daily activities.The majority of dehydration problems occur at 2-6% body weight loss. For the typical 150 pound person this means a weight loss of as little as 3 pounds in a single exercise session, which is fairly common. The problems that arise with this kind of weight loss include impaired athletic ability and reduced muscle endurance and strength. However, if more than 6% of your body weight is lost, you are at risk for heat cramps and heat exhaustion. In more severe cases, the athlete could suffer heat stroke or even death. Some signs of heat illness include irritability, headache, weakness, dizziness, cramps, nausea, and decreased performance.Water is also essential for fat metabolism. The process by which the body burns fat is called beta-oxidation. Water is used during an important step of beta-oxidation and without it, this process could not be completed. It is very important then for those who are trying to lose weight to refrain from dehydrating themselves just so that the number on the scale looks smaller. The weight lost during a single bout of exercise is nearly 100% water, so don’t try tricking yourself into thinking that it’s all fat loss. You cannot burn fat without water, and fat metabolism will be limited in a dehydrated person.During exercise, your body gets rid of water via perspiration, as discussed earlier. As your body loses water, the volume of blood plasma in the body decreases, and the heart has to beat faster to keep the blood moving to the working muscles. This causes the stroke volume, or the amount of blood ejected from the heart per beat, to go down. Finally, the overall effect on the heart is that the cardiac output, or amount of blood ejected per unit of time, also decreases. This, in turn, decreases the efficiency of the heart and requires it to work much harder to maintain adequate blood flow to the muscles and vital organs. In a severe circumstance, this could lead to circulatory collapse. So how do we become adequately hydrated? Science doesn’t always agree on how much water should be consumed daily, although the range is anywhere from 1-8 liters per day, depending on a person’s activity level. When exercising, however, there is a good rule of thumb to follow. Drink 17 ounces of water 2 hours before the activity and weigh yourself right before you exercise. While you exercise, drink 6-10 oz. every 15-20 minutes. This may seem like too much at first, but this is the amount needed to insure proper hydration. For some people, this may even feel uncomfortable because it’s more fluid than they’re used to having in their stomach during exercise. If this is the case, increase your water consumption gradually -- people can become “better drinkers”. The last step is to weigh yourself after the activity, and for every pound lost during exercise, drink 1.5 pints of water. This will not only replace fluid lost by perspiration, but will insure that the fluid lost as urine will be replaced as well.Some people prefer to drink a sports drink to hydrate themselves because they prefer the taste. This is perfectly fine, and some drinks even have salt added to them, which stimulates thirst, making them drink more fluid and thereby staying more hydrated. The addition of salt also helps replace the sodium lost in perspiration. However, a sports drink is not required for most physical activity, although it is recommended for exercise lasting longer than 45 minutes, or of a high intensity. The ideal carbohydrate concentration of the fluid should be 6-8% and certainly less than 7% if the exercise performed requires a high amount of fluid to stay hydrated. Fruit juices, carbohydrate gels, and sports drinks with a carbohydrate content over 8% are not recommended as the sole beverage during exercise. Furthermore, beverages containing caffeine, alcohol, and carbonation should not be used during exercise as they can stimulate urine production, cause gastrointestinal discomfort, or decrease voluntary fluid intake.Most of us could probably do better at staying hydrated during exercise and even during our daily living. Don’t drink only when you’re thirsty, as this will not insure adequate hydration. If you struggle with drinking enough water throughout the day, try to drink even when you do not feel thirsty. When you feel hungry, first drink some water, as thirst is often disguised as hunger. Another strategy is to always have water available to drink. Many individuals find that it is easy to drink enough when the water is in front of them. Remember, as you improve your hydration, you will be able to perform better as an athlete and your body will be able to stay healthy and strong. Staying hydrated is about much more than simply satisfying your thirst, it’s about enabling your body to be as healthy and fit as possible. So drink up!

You have to try this!

Go for Broke with Tabata Intervals

By Matt Fitzgerald Triathlete magazine
What can you possibly accomplish in just four minutes on the bike? A lot, actually. All you have to do is ride as hard as you can. Better yet, instead of riding as hard as you can for four straight minutes, ride at your true maximum power-output level in several short bursts, resting just long enough between bursts to avoid a precipitous decline in power output from one burst to the next.
What will this hellishly challenging four-minute session accomplish? It will boost your aerobic and anaerobic capacity simultaneously, increase your fatigue tolerance and lead directly to improved cycling performance in triathlons.
The session I just described is known as the Tabata protocol. It is named after Izumi Tabata, Ph.D., a former researcher at Japan's National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, who learned about the workout from the coach of the Japanese national speed-skating team.
Specifically, the session consists of six to eight maximum-intensity sprints lasting 20 seconds apiece, with mere 10-second passive recovery periods between them. The session is so challenging and painful that most of the world-class speed skaters who were lucky enough to be the first to try it were totally exhausted after seven intervals. Only a handful could do eight.
Intensity vs. Duration
Tabata's primary research interest was the effects of exercise intensity on fitness. Through his work he came to believe that exercise intensity was at least as important as, if not more important than, exercise duration. So when he heard about a workout that packed two minutes and 40 seconds of maximum-intensity work into a four-minute period (and that's for those who could do eight intervals), he was intrigued.
To test the effects of this workout, Tabata first transferred it from speed skating to stationary bikes. Then he recruited subjects and had them perform the protocol five times a week for six weeks. At the beginning and again at the end of the study period, Tabata and his team measured the subjects' VO2 max and their anaerobic capacity. To provide a basis for comparison, Tabata conducted a second experiment in which subjects pedaled stationary bikes for one hour at a moderate intensity (70 percent of VO2 max) five days a week for six weeks. Their VO2 max and anaerobic capacity were also measured before and after the intervention.
The results were staggering. Subjects in the moderate-intensity exercise trial improved their VO2 max by a healthy 9.5 percent, while their anaerobic capacity did not change at all. Subjects in the maximum-intensity intervals trial—despite exercising for only 20 minutes per week, compared to five hours per week for the other group—improved their VO2 max by 14 percent and their anaerobic capacity by a whopping 28 percent.
Needless to say, this study got a lot of attention when it was published back in 1996, and coaches and athletes began to adapt the protocol to sports ranging from swimming to boxing. Virtually everyone who tried the Tabata protocol made the same report: It was excruciatingly painful, but it was effective.
I learned about Tabata intervals from Brian MacKenzie, owner of Genetic Potential, a fitness facility in Newport Beach, California. MacKenzie trains a number of triathletes and incorporates stationary-bike and treadmill Tabata sessions into the program of all who are willing to endure the suffering these workouts entail. An ultra-runner himself, MacKenzie credits his own twice-weekly Tabata sessions with enabling him to improve his performance on a training schedule averaging only 6.5 hours per week, and he says his triathlete clients have reported similar benefits.
The Setup
If you think you have what it takes to survive the Tabata protocol, set up your indoor trainer and warm up with a few minutes of easy spinning followed by a few short (10- to 20-second) efforts at 90 percent of maximum intensity at increasing tension levels. Reset your computer to zero so you can record the total distance covered in the following 20-second intervals alone. You will try to increase this total each time you repeat the workout.
To perform your first interval, simply churn out the highest wattage total or perceived effort you possibly can for 20 seconds. You can stay in the saddle or get out of the saddle and use whatever combination of gear ratio and cadence that works best. After 20 seconds have elapsed, stop pedaling for 10 seconds—and 10 seconds only. Now do your second interval. Do not expect to be able to do more than six intervals in your first attempt. Cool down with just a few minutes of easy spinning.
If you're like a lot of triathletes, you will be tempted to incorporate this session into a longer workout. Don't. If you do more than a warm-up beforehand, you will fall apart completely after just a few intervals, and while you will still be giving a maximum effort, you will not be working at your true maximum output level, and that's what counts. And you simply won't be able to even think about doing anything more than a short cool-down after completing your Tabata intervals.
There are two approaches you can take to incorporating the Tabata protocol into your regular training. One option is to do the session regularly—from once every 10 days to as often as twice a week—during the base-building period of training to quickly and efficiently boost your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Continue to do the session regularly until your performance (i.e. your maximum total distance covered) within the session stops increasing and levels off, and then turn your focus to more race-specific types of high-intensity workouts. Henceforth just do the session whenever you feel the need for a good blast.
A second option is to use the Tabata protocol primarily as a time-saver. Whenever you're pressed for time but you still want to get the fitness benefits of a solid workout, toss in a Tabata and have it both ways.

Help Landen and I make a difference with TCI

2008 Polar Plunge
TCI Architects/Engineers/Contractor

This winter Team TCI will be Freezin' for a Reason when we take the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Wisconsin. This is our THIRD year of plunging. The Polar Plunge is a cool event where supporters raise pledges and jump into frozen bodies of water. Money raised in the Polar Plunge provides funding for nearly 10,000 athletes with cognitive disabilities to reach for the gold. To date, TCI has raised over $10,000 to benefit Special Olympics.Please help us reach our fund raising goal by joining our team or by making an online credit card pledge to one of our team members. If you can't pledge, please consider plunging by joining our team, which is open to all friends of TCI.
http://www.specialolympicswisconsin.org/pp08/team.asp?id_t=144


Just click on our name and give any amount!
my number is 2211 -
My favorite numbers -Tyler was born on the 22ed Landen was born on the 11th
Landen's is 2212

Thanks for your support Sunshine's! Now lets raise some monies for the children!

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed".

21 things to think about!

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their
conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have awake or sleep all you
want.

FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it .

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.

SIX.. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have
much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to
live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile
and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great
risk.

FIFTEEN. Say 'God bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson .

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and
Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to
correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller
will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone and or with your family as much as you
can!

"Be happy, love what you are, what you do and always remember you only have one life to live so make sure you live it"!