Monthly Archives: December 2011

Fitness Testing Fun

I love numbers. I’m one of those athletes that likes to track progress using data. Once I got a Garmin watch and set out to improve my half marathon time, I started tracking my pace, distance, time and other observations about my runs in an Excel spreadsheet. When I found that not one, but TWO of the bloggers that I follow (Lauren & Katie) wrote blog posts about getting a VO2 Max test done, I was so fascinated that I HAD to get mine tested as well. Let’s start from the beginning, what is V02 Max and why would I want to get it tested?

What is VO2Max?

V02 Max is defined as “the highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal or exhaustive exercise” (source). As we exercise harder, we also consume more oxygen. However, at some point exercise intensity can increase without an equivalent increase in oxygen consumption. This point is called the V02 Max. V02 Max is generally accepted as the best indicator of cardiovascular endurance and aerobic fitness. V02 Max is a mix of genetics (25-50%) and training. Some people’s V02 Max is easily influenced by training and others are less responsive.

So why do I care what my V02 Max is? Although it’s fun to know how “big my engine is” (basically my fitness potential), the main reason that I got tested was to find out my heart rate zones. I’ve read several times that the biggest reason for a terrible Ironman experience is riding in the wrong heart rate zone. The higher the heart rate, the more calories from carbohydrates the body uses. Since we can only store 2,000 calories from carbs and can’t possibly eat enough calories to replace the ones we use without experiencing severe GI distress, it’s imperitive to learn to burn calories from fat instead. If you work in heart rate zones that are too high, you will burn nearly all of your calories from carbohydrates which will quickly deplete your small 2,000 calorie store and cause you to BONK, hard. Not ideal during a 12-17 hour race.

Luckily, soon after I read Lauren and Katie’s blog posts about their testing, a message came through the TriClub that recommended a great testing facility nearby (and included a special Christmas deal!). I immediately jumped at the opportunity. I purchased the CMP package from Fit Stop Lab which includes “Cardio Metabolic Profile, V02Max, Body Fat,Lactate Threshold and Training Zones.”

Testing on Treadmill vs. Trainer

You can perform this test on the bike or on the treadmill. The site recommends that if you can only get one test done that you test your “limiter.” At first I ignored this advice and signed up for the treadmill test because I felt that I’d do better at it since I’m more experienced. Plus I thought it was more in line with my long term goal of qualifying for Boston. However, after I read Lauren’s blog post about her testing on the bike, I sent Lauren a message on Twitter asking her why she chose the bike over the run. Lauren was very helpful and actually e-mailed me a message explaining that since you spend the majority of the Ironman on the bike, it’s important to know (and stay within) what your Zone 2 is. The key thing I took away from her email was “no one has a good run after a bad bike.” So true!

Getting Ready to Test

Prior to my appointment, I was not supposed to engage in strenuous exercise for 48 hours and I couldn’t engage in any exercise for 24 hours prior. I ran 5 easy miles on Monday morning so by 2 p.m. Tuesday I was rested. I was also supposed to arrive in a “semi-fasted” state, meaning I couldnt’ eat more than 500 calories for 8 hours before my appointment and I couldn’t eat anything for the 2 hours prior.

The Test

Fit Stop Lab

Ken from the Fit Stop was very welcoming. His lab is set up in his home garage and included a lot of high-tech looking equipment. We started the assessment with a discussion about my current fitness level, why I was getting tested and my upcoming races. I told Ken that I decided to do the cycling test was it is my limiter. I have only been cycling for 6 months. Next he took my height and weight, blood pressure and resting pulse. I was (pleasantly) surprised that my resting pulse was under 50.

Pretty Creepy Looking Huh?

Ken set me up on the stationary bike. He attached my pedals (which I brought from my own bike) and made sure that the seat and handle bars were correctly adjusted. Once I was settled, he put a mask over my mouth and nose which measures the amount of oxygen that I’m putting out as a breath. After a five-minute warm-up, the test began. The test is performed in one minute segments. Each minute, the resistance on the bike gets harder and the number of watts that I’m producing goes up. I was told to keep my RPMs at 85-90 and that the test would end when my legs couldn’t physically pedal any faster than 70 RPM.

Each minute, Ken held up a sign that showed a scale from 1-10 with each number representing perceived effort. Since number 5 was labeled as “hard” it took me a while to get up to that point. The first 10 minutes or so of the test wasn’t very demanding. However, once I got to hard, it got MUCH harder, as the resistance on the pedals got extremely tough to turn. My legs started to burn and my breath got harder and harder. Finally, I told Ken that I was at a 9.5 and he had me finish out the next minute. Once that minute was over, he asked if I could do another one, and I said no, and the test was over. I never noticed if my RPMs were under 70, but my breath was so labored that I felt there wasn’t any way I could go another minute. In retrospect, I think I could have gone several seconds longer, but since I knew I couldn’t do the full minute, I stopped the test.

Results

Ken started by telling me that for someone with only 6 months of cycling experience, my results were very impressive. It was a great way to start the results discussion! My cycling V02 Max was 49 as compared to my age group norm of 37.8 (and in the “excellent” range on the chart above!). He believes that if I were to do the running test, my max would be 55, as typically running V02 Maxs are higher. My Lactate Threshold is 40 as compared to the average in my age group of 28.3. The most interesting part of my test was that my lactate threshold is at 95% of my maximum heart rate. I hit lactate threshold at 177 bpm, yet my max heart rate was 186. This is unusual, as it is typically believed that LT occurs in trained athletes at 85-88% of maximum heart rate (75% for non-athletes).

Ken also informed me that my V02 Max occurred at 217 Watts and I maxed out at 270. He said that for someone with my training experience, these were great numbers. My power to weight ratio is 3.3 which is considered “good” for the average woman cyclist (4 out of 5 on a scale ranging from poor to excellent). He said that this number as well as my V02 Max will improve with training. He told me that although cycling is my limiter in triathlon now, it doesn’t have to be. He said he sees good potential for me to be a great cyclist!

Heart Rate Zones

The main reason I came to see Ken was to find out my heart rate training zones. Riding in any heart rate zone above 2 can be detrimental to Ironman performance and therefore it’s imperative that I find my zone and practice staying within it. My zones are:

Zone 1 (80% max HR – active recovery zone): 133-150
Zone 2 (85% of Lactate Threshold – muscles get the maximum amount of oxygen and fat is used most efficiently): 151-170
Zone 3 (98-100% of Lactate Treshold- using more carbs than fats for energy): 171-181
Zone 4 (105% of LT – use for tempo runs and speedwork to increase your LT): 182
Zone 5 (106% or more of LT – 30 second to 2 min intervals max – anarobic zone – zero calories are burned from fat): 183-204

These zones are based off of the charts that indicated that my Lactate Threshold was 95% of my maximum heart rate. Therefore, my zones are higher than most of Ken’s clients. He warned me that if I start training with a heart rate monitor and feel like these zones are too high, that I should e-mail him and he can reassess the zones. He said I should do all my long rides at the bottom of my zone 2, at about 151-155.

Body Fat

Calories Burned Per Minute at Each Level

Ken’s test also indicates how many calories per minute I burn at each level of work. He also can tell how many calories I’m burning from fat versus calories from carbohydrates I’m burning at each level. He said that my body actually burns a good percentage of fat in the lower zones which of course is a good thing when you have a practically unlimited supply of fat and only 2,000 calories of carbohydrates in your body. He gave me this handy chart which tells me that I burn about 1/3 of my calories from fat in zone 2 and 0% of my calories from fat at lactate threshold and above. He also mentioned that in my early training rides, I should avoid consuming a lot of gels and what not so that I can teach my body to rely on fat instead of carbohydrates. However, once the race approaches, I need to start consuming the same amount of carbohydrates as I plan to during the race to get my stomach used to that volume.

Another test that Ken conducted as a skin fold body fat test. He used a machine to test a skin fold of my tricep, just above my hip, and my mid-thigh. He also used my height, weight and waist circumstance to determine that I am 14% fat and 86% lean. I was pleasantly surprised with this number, as its on the low end of the athletic range for women. He said that I do not need to lose weight, but the program is designed to predict your V02Max at the body fat percentage of 12% for women. The test predicts my V02 Max would go up to 51.2 if I were to lose 5 pounds. I don’t plan to actively try to lose weight but if it naturally happens during Ironman training, I won’t be against it if it makes me faster!

Another cool thing about Ken’s test was that it gave me an indication of how many calories I burn on the average day and how many calories I burn during cycling. On an average day when I don’t work out, I burn about 1775 calories. If I perform 1 hour of moderate exercise (in zone 2), he estimates that I burn an additional 608 calories. My packet of results included 5 scenarios of activities I could perform each day and how many calories I need to take in that day to either maintain or lose weight (create a deficit of 500 calories a day for a weight loss of 1 lb a week).

Overall I was very thrilled with my experience at Fit Stop. I think that this test will be very beneficial in my training and gave me quite a confidence boost. I highly recommend that any athlete looking to improve his or her performance get tested. My experience was heightened by Ken’s obvious expertise in the area of endurance training. He gave me some valuable insights into my training and I know that I will benefit greatly from his advice. If you are in the San Diego area, I highly recommend Ken. You can check out his website here: www.fitstop-lab.com

Ironman Training Week 3 Summary

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Merry Christmas! As you can probably guess, my lack of recent posts is due to being VERY busy with the holiday!

Mike & Me on Christmas Day

I still can’t believe how quickly this year went by. My birthday is on Christmas so I’ve had twice as busy of a week celebrating both Christmas and my birthday. As for training, since I have this week off of work, we plan to do our big runs and bike rides during the week so that we could save Christmas weekend for our family and friends.

Starting with last week (the week of December 19-25), I am going to write a weekly summary of my Ironman training. It will include some weekly mileage/hours and some comments on nutrition and how I felt overall. Not only do I think this will help me in my training but I hope that it can give others who may be considering an Ironman or who are also training for one a more detailed look at what I’m doing to prepare.

Here’s a summary of my workouts:

Monday: 60 minute Sufferfest “The Hunted” spin (moderate effort) on trainer
Tuesday: 8.5 mile Mid Week Long Run plus P90X Ab Ripper AM; 60 minute Sufferfest “Downward Spiral” (high intensity) workout PM
Wednesday: 45 minute easy spin & 3 sets of 20 push-ups/plank punches/mountain climbers AM; 5 mile run at lunch
Thursday: 8 x800 Yassos with warm-up/cool-down on treadmill (7 miles total) plus 1,000 yard swim AM (300 warm-up, 4 x 150 drill, 100 cool down)
Friday: 1 hr 25 minute Sufferfest ”Local Hero” cycling workout (high intensity) and P90X Ab Ripper
Saturday: 10 mile run (on part of the Surf City Marathon course)

Total Miles Run: 30.5

Total Minutes Biked: 250

Total Yards Swam: 1,000

Due to a lack of a big workout weekend,overall mileage was moderate this week. However, I felt it was a good week in that I was able to get several great mid-week workouts in. The highlights of the week were:

I actually swam! My last post discussed my reservations with swimming. Well, I finally got in the pool! I headed to the gym early on Thursday morning to get my Yasso workout out of the way before work and I figured since I was already there, I might as well get in the pool for a bit. One thing I can tell you is that I have work to do! But I think taking the first step to actually get in the pool was a move in the right direction.
I had an amazing 10 mile run on Saturday. I went to my Mom’s house in Huntington Beach on Friday and Saturday morning woke up to an amazing sunny day (high of over 70). I ran 5 miles out and 5 miles back along the boardwalk in Huntington Beach (basically miles 20.5-25.5 and 15.5-20.5 of the Surf City Marathon course) . I was surprised that I felt so great considering I did a very tough Sufferfest workout the day before. However, the first mile I ran just under 9 min/mile at it was really easy. The more I ran the easier it seemed to maintain a 8:50ish pace. I even ran the final mile in 8:15 minutes, ending up with a total average pace of 8:45. This gave me some encouragement that I can run the Surf City Marathon in under 4 hours. If i can maintain the 8:45 pace for the entire race, I’d even be able to break my 3:50 goal (which is the goal time I use for my Yasso 800s).
My energy level was high this week. Mike and I weren’t using supplements for a while and we recently got back in the habit of taking 2 scoops of XTR (a mix of branched chain amino acids and glumatine, among other things) and 1 scoop of high quality glutamine after most workouts. Mike has even been taking this mixture 2x a day to ensure that his energy levels are high and he doesn’t get sick again. I think that our supplements are making a difference!
As for overall nutrition this past week, it has been very poor. With the holidays and my birthday I’ve been eating out A LOT and eating a ton of baked goods and chocolate! I know that this is temporary though so I have been enjoying it all! Come January I plan to get back to a more healthy routine and try to limit my sugar intake.

I think Week 4 is going to be epic! We have this week off of work so we’ve scheduled some pretty awesome workouts. PLUS I took my V02Max test this afternoon and I have a lot to share about that experience! It was encouraging and a great learning tool.

How did you adjust your workout schedule for the holidays?

Avoiding the Pool

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TriRock Olympic Triathlon (September 2011) - The Last Time I Swam!

Although I’m technically in “Week 3″ of Ironman training and my Half Ironman is just a little over 3 months away, that I haven’t actually donned my swim suit, goggles and cap yet. Actually, I haven’t sported sexy goggle lines since September 11 when I completed the TriRock Olympic triathlon. Oops.

First Excuse Not to Swim

Despite being most competitive in my age group in the swim, it’s my least favorite part of triathlon. Although I swam 4-5 days a week in high school, I have no real excitement about swimming now. I actually didn’t even swim my senior year of high school because I was just over it. I got a job and decided working was more fun than swimming. I got back into swimming last June in preparation for my first sprint triathlon and continued to swim throughout the summer. I swam about 2 times a week on average and competed in several Aquathons put on by the TriClub. I found that I was pretty competitive when it came to swimming despite not practicing much. I was out of the water quickly at the Aquathons and finished well in both of my triathlons.

So maybe the fact that I am a little confident in my swimming abilities has something to do with the fact that I haven’t made swimming a priority. Biking has been a big priority of mine since that is my weakest leg of the race and the sport that is most new to me. And now that we are training for a marathon, running has become an even larger priority. However, I know that the inevitable is about to happen and I will need to start getting in the pool. Ironman training will require that I swim at least three times a week so I’ll need to get started soon! I actaully scheduled one swim a week on my Ironman training plan for the month of December, but I have managed to skip it every week due to all the holiday obligations. Simply, swimming is my lowest priority and usually gets put on the backburner.

More Excuses For Not Swimming….

Another reason I’m avoiding swimming is that I have only 2 options for workouts – swim on my own at the 24 Hour Fitness indoor pool or swim with the Master’s swim group at 7:30 pm on either Mondays or Wednesdays in a COLD outdoor pool. Ok the pool is heated, but the air isn’t and it’s chilly! Not to mention, the Master’s swim is about a 20 minute drive away from home (in the opposite direction of work) and I usually don’t get home until after 9 when I participate. Ideally, I’m getting ready for bed at 9, not arriving home starving and amped up from a swim. The alternative to Master’s swim is to swim on my own, but I know that it is more effective for me to follow a structured workout with a group. During Ironman peak training, I do plan to swim on my own at least once a week.

A Solution to My Problem!

Luckily, I’ve recently come across a fabulous solution to my swim problem. The local YMCA (less than 1 mile from my house) has a Master’s swim workout every morning from 6-7:15 and they allow drop ins!!! For only $6/swim, I can get a fabulous workout before work. Although it is more expensive than my Tri Club swim ($2.50), I will spend less money on gas and the time savings is totally worth it! Plus, I can get the dreaded swim out of the way first thing and can’t make excuses come 7 p.m. not to swim like I usually do. Instead, I can get a good swim in during the morning and then get in a bike or run after work and be completely finished with workouts by the time I’d be starting my TriClub swim. This is going to be good!

Come January, I plan to get in the pool 3x a week, no excuses! The holiday season has been putting a slight crimp in my Ironman training but I plan to go forward full force in the new year. My goal is to swim so much that the 2.4 mile swim on race day barely phases me.

How do you motivate yourself to workout when you don’t want to?

Marathon Training Round 1 vs. Round 2

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Training Buddies From Marathon #1

There are 7 weeks until the Surf City Marathon (and Super Bowl Sunday if you’re counting)! This is my second round of marathon training and it’s very different from the first. Asia and I ran 18.5 miles together through Mission Bay on Saturday and at about mile 16.5 we spotted our former running coaches from our Vavi Running Group. Vavi is currently training for the Carlsbad half marathon, and on Saturday after their 11 mile run, they had a potluck. We stopped to say hello, although nearly everyone had gone home already. It was nice to catch up with our old coaches (and see their shock when we told them that we were training for an Ironman). Seeing the old group really made me miss our group runs, running topic clinics and potlucks.

It has definitely been a bit more mentally challenging to train for a marathon without the support of a training group. Although we have Team WODS to support us in our Ironman journey, Asia and I are training for the marathon pretty much on our own. Jeremy isn’t going to run the marathon due to the fact that he injured his hip running the last one and doesn’t want to risk aggravating it before the Ironman, and Mike has kind of been on his own marathon training schedule since he got sick a few times since we started.

Here’s a list of differences between the first time I trained for a marathon and this time:

Supported Group Long Runs vs. Unsupported Couple Runs. Being a part of a running group not only provided plenty of people to chat with before, during and after Saturday long runs, but Vavi also provided aid stations throughout the course with both water and sports drink. During marathon training round 1, we’d run with a group of 4-6 girls and swap stories and chit-chat. During marathon training round 2, Asia and I swap stories and chit-chat while we carry our water bottles and fill them up at public restrooms along the way.
P90X vs. Triathlon While Marathon Training.Last time we trained for a marathon, we also completed our first round of P90X. This time, we’re training for an Ironman. The first half of marathon training actually also included the tail end of Insanity. So basically the first time I trained for a marathon I supplemented with weight lifting and the second time I’m supplementing with more cardio. Apparently I can’t just run. I need more to occupy me.
Saturday Morning 7:30 a.m. Long Runs vs. When It Works. Last time I trained for a marathon, I took the long runs much more seriously. Mike and I typically would have a quiet night on Friday nights, eat a low-fiber, high carbohydrate dinner, and be in bed early. We usually had to drive about 30 minutes to the start of the run, so we typically had a 6:30 wake-up call. Now, Asia and I kind of squeeze in the long run when we can. Although, as of late, we’ve moved our long runs to Saturday, in the beginning of training we were running 10-15 miles on Sundays, sometimes even in the afternoon, to accommodate our social lives. We go to dinner parties, Thanksgiving/Christmas parties and birthday parties the night before long runs. We usually have a few drinks and we don’t really regulate if our dinner has a low fiber and fat content. Needless to say, this discretion has led to a few quite uncomfortable long runs, notably our 15 miler which we ran late Sunday morning after a 45 mile challenging bike ride and also after a dinner party with plenty of imbibing the previous day. It was a pretty miserable run. After that long run we learned our lesson and shifted all future long runs to Saturday mornings and have cut back on the booze the night before. Things have been going better for us on our runs since the switch.
Sporadic Group Speedwork vs. Scheduled Yasso 800s. I didn’t put a lot of emphasis on a speed work plan during our first round of marathon training. It was incorporated into our Vavi running group’s Tuesday night workouts on occasion and I would usually participate. Vavi is actually where I learned about the Yasso 800s, but we only did them for one week. This round, I’ve been diligently completing my Yasso 800s each week, starting with 4 sets back in October and working my way up to the 8 sets I have scheduled this week. By January I’ll be up to 10 sets of these intense intervals. Hopefully they will help me achieve my A goal of a sub 4 hour marathon.
Coach-Prepared Training Plan vs. Self-Made Training Plan. For my first two half marathons, I followed Hal Higdon’s online training plans. For my second and third half and my first full marathon, I followed my Vavi Running Club training plan. For my fourth half marathon, I winged it, and for this marathon, I’ve created my own plan. So far, I’ve PRed in every race I’ve run which is most likely because I have been a fairly novice runner with plenty of room for improvement. I hope that despite my self created plan, the same holds true for the marathon on February 5! I basically made by plan using 4 week blocks – 3 weeks on, 1 week of recovery. I increased mileage for long runs by 1-2 miles per week and backed off in the 4th week. I only complete my Yassos in the build weeks and try to get at least 2 other runs in on top of the long run and speed work. Oftentimes, the 4th run of the week is part of a brick session and I’m running only 3-4 miles off the bike. One good thing about biking is that is has been proved to improve your run economy. Unfortunately, the reverse is not true and running won’t improve your cycling speed.

Running Buddy for Marathon #2

I wouldn’t say that I’m not taking this second marathon as seriously, but rather I think that I just have a better idea of what I’m doing. The first marathon was scary because I didn’t know if I could do it. Each time we ramped up our long run mileage, I’d be nervous. I always erred on the side of caution. Now, I’ve run 16, 18 and even 20 miles more than once and it’s not as daunting. I think I probably didn’t quite respect the long run quite enough in the beginning of training by allowing my social calendar to rule by long run schedule, but in the end I think it’ll be OK. I can’t let marathon training rule my life completely, especially during the happiest month of the year.

Next week we’re already up to 20 miles. Marathon #2 will be here before we know it!

Did you make any big changes in training strategy after your first marathon? Did you improve on your second attempt?

Team W.O.D.S. – My Ironman Training Crew!

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Team WODS at our first event together - the Del Mar Mud Run in 2010

With Ironman training “officially” starting last week, I thought it’d be a great time to introduce my Official Ironman Training Team – Team WODS! I’ve talked about each member of my crew many times during the course of this blog, but I wanted to officially introduce the three people who I will be spending most of my free time with for the next 6 1/2 months.

The name WODS was created just a few short weeks ago. We decided that with Ironman training approaching we needed a team name, one that perhaps we could even create awesome Ironman t-shirts for. We used our creative minds to come up with a combination of our last initials and a phrase to go with it. W stands for Woyski, O is for Osborne, D is for Dobransky and S is for Simonelli. The team slogan is Win Or Die Suffering. Cute huh?

Here’s the Team:

Mike aka “Doby Diesel” or “Mongo”

Mike’s Mongo nickname arose from his ability to consume inordinate quantities of food, especially after a long day surfing or training (he has been known to eat a family size lasagna by himself). Mike has been athletic his whole life and grew up playing both basketball and hockey competitively. He was introduced to triathlon and long distance running when he started work at the Active Network in 2007. He has competed in several sprint and olympic distance triathlons (placing top 3 in his age group at least three times), one Half Ironman (Vineman 2009) and one Ironman (Cozumel 2009). He is very fast but even more humble.

Jeremy aka “Oz”

Jeremy ran his first half marathon with Asia back in 2008 and then ran his second half marathon in April of 2011, PRing by over 40 minutes with a 1:36, while the four of us trained together for our first marathon. Jeremy’s first triathlon was in July 2011, the day after we registered for our Ironman. He also won 1st place overall at the August TCSD beginner triathlon, officially graduating to a “non-beginner.” Jeremy has big aspirations – one day he’d like to complete a 100 mile race and he’d also like to climb Everest.

Asia aka “The Beast”

Asia’s Beast nickname came from Jeremy, probably at some point during their first or second round of P90X. Although she’s little, Asia is tough. After her second round of P90x she could do 50 push-ups and 7 pull-ups! She ran her first half marathon with Jeremy in 2008 and her second with me in 2010 (before P90X). After 2 rounds of P90x, she PRed on her third half marathon by nearly 20 minutes! She also finished 5th in her age group at the Camp Pendleton 10k Mud Run in June, just one week after we ran our first marathon. Asia has conquered her fear of open water swimming and is now focusing on her swim technique so she can bust out the 2.4 mile Ironman swim like a champ. Asia’s first sprint triathlon was also Solana Beach in July.

Nicole aka “Tazmania” or “Mongita”

My Tazmania nickname comes from Mike and is in reference to my impatient cooking style which results in the kitchen looking like the Tazmanian Devil came through it when I’m finished. The Mongita is the female version of Mike’s Mongo nickname, which implies that I can put down some serious food when I want to. As for my athletic background, I played sports my whole life and was on the swim and field hockey teams in high school. I trained and ran my first half marathon all alone in January of 2009 and nearly gave up on the sport until Asia and I trained for the AFC half marathon in August 2010 and my love of endurance events truly began there. In 2011 I completed the San Diego triple crown (Carlsbad, La Jolla and AFC half marathons) and also ran my first marathon with Team WODs, crossing the finish line hand in hand with Asia. My first sprint triathlon was in July of 2011, where I finished in the top 20% of my age group. I was the third woman to finish the TriClub beginner triathlon in August and finished 3rd in my age group at the TriRock Olympic in September.

Team WODS at our First Practice Triathlon

Although 3 of the 4 of Team WODS are fairly new to endurance events and to triathlon, I believe that we have the passion and the attitude to finish. We have proven that with hard work and dedication we can accomplish our goals. The four of us completed P90X (Mike and my first round, Asia and Jeremy’s’ second round) while we trained for our first marathon, often putting in 10-11 hour weeks. We aren’t afraid of the Ironman volume (ok maybe a little) – we know that we can do it. We have been smart about our preparation and planning for this event and have been reading books, researching and discussing it constantly since the idea occurred. We believe that although we are beginners to the sport, we have a solid base to work with.

Asia & I Crossing the Finish Ling of Our First Marathon Together

I feel very fortunate to have such a close group of friends to train with. I think that this support will be pivotal in getting through those tough, long weeks. Just this week when I was pushing myself to run my intervals on the treadmill I thought about how Asia was doing the very same thing at her own gym and it helped me get through them. We won’t be doing every workout together, as we all will have individual plans tailored to our own schedules, strengths and weaknesses, but we will have each other’s support, and that’s the most important thing.

Girls on the Run Sparkle and Shine 5k

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Team Encinitas (minus a few...)

Yesterday I participated in something incredible. I ran side by side with a 4th grader as she ran 3.1 miles with a smile on her face and no complaints. I’ve been an assistant coach with Girls on the Run for 11 weeks so far and every week I’m filled with joy as I watch the girls grow and learn about themselves and how to treat others. Today was something even more special than all that – watching the girls accomplish a goal that many grown adults don’t even believe they can achieve.

The day started with registration and bib pining and excitement. All four Encinitas coaches were present, along with my good friend and coworker Allison who had volunteered to be a Running Buddy and two other young women from the community who also volunteered to run the 3.1 miles with our team. Mike also came out to support me and the girls.

Face painting station

Some of the girls arrived early enough to get their hair braided and faces painted, but due to traffic, some of the girls arrived late. Although not all the girls made it on time, at 7:45 a.m. the team cheers started and our girls performed the cheer they had been rehearsing for the last two practices. The cheer goes like this (Hacahmama was their favorite warm-up game and they wanted to include it in the cheer):

Girls on the Run is so much fun;

We learn respect and leadership while we run!

Hachamama is our game;

No other team is quite the same!

Girls organize into a pyramid then shout:

We are Team Encinitas You Can’t Beat Us!

Miley & Me

I was so proud of the girls already for their great sportsmanship. We continued the fun by participating in a group stretch. There was a massive group stretch held over the intercom but we couldn’t see or hear it well so we did our own group stretch, standing in a circle facing each other.

Just Before the RUN!

After the stretch, we moved toward the start line and eagerly waited in anticipation for the race to begin. Each of the 6 girls on our team was paired with a Running Buddy. I was Miley’s Running Buddy. Miley is in 4th grade, one of the most quiet on the team, and a very sweet girl. She always has a positive attitude and is usually near the front of the running pack. I asked her right before the race began if she’d ever ran in a running race before, and she said she hadn’t. I then told her that my first 5k was only 3 years ago, so she was WAY ahead of me!

: Slow Start

The beginning of the race involved lots of walking and dodging the slower participants but about 1/4 mile in we were able to get into a good rhythm and jog it out. The first mile went by quickly and I was happy to see that Miley seemed to be enjoying herself and didn’t even need a walk break! My coworker Allison was a Running Buddy to Sophia and we caught up with them around this point but fell behind when Miley took off her jacket and walked a bit. We saw them several times throughout the race as our girls took turns walking or slowing down and then speeding up. The course was beautiful (the boardwalk around the harbor in downtown San Diego) and was actually close to the same route (minus 3.1 miles) that I ran for the TriRock Olympic triathlon back in September. The course was much less crowded with tourists this time since it was earlier in the morning and much colder.

Running Along San Diego Harbor

Miley and I chatted a bit throughout the race. She told me a litlte more about herself and we talked about our mutual love for Taylor Swift. It was fun to watch the crowd since there were girls of all ages (Girls on the Run has a sister program called Girls on Track for 12-15 year olds) and Running Buddies of all varieties. There were plenty of women, girls and even men wearing the Girls on the Run signiture tutu (order your custom made tutu from Glam Runner here).

Glam Runner Tutus!

As we rounded the corner to get back on the penninsula that is Embarcadero Park South, we could see the finish line and festival and started to speed up. I thought that were almost there and so did Miley because she really picked up the speed. However, as soon as we got to the point where I thought we’d make a U-turn and head to the finish line, we actually kept going straight ahead and made a loop around hte south end of the penninsula. It was disappointing and Miley immediately stopped to walk. I could tell she was really tired at this point but I encouraged her to walk/run the rest of the course. As we neared the finish line I told her to finish strong and we sprinted ahead. I pointed out that there were 2 girls ahead of us and encouraged her to surge ahead of them. We ran harder and passed them just before we crossed the finish line! Miley received her first running medal as soon as she crossed the finish line. I was so proud of her!!!

As a middle schooler, I complained as I made my way through the gueling mile that I was required to run every few months in my PE class. I ran/walked it and never really considered running fun or even remotely easy. I am still in awe at these girls. I truly wish that I had a program like this to attend when I was growing up. I really believe that Girls on the Run will change the lives of most of the girls that participate. The program proves to them that you can do anything you set out to do.

I'm Going to Miss These Girls!

This Thursday will be the last practice of the season and we will be having a end of season celebration. I am still not certain as to whether or not my Ironman training schedule will allow me to coach next Spring, but I do plan to stay involved and definitely coach another season at some point. Being a part of Girls on the Run has been incredibly rewarding and I highly encourage anyone who is interested in giving back to the community, is passionate about running, and enjoys working with young girls to join this wonderful organization.

Insanity Final Fit Test, Measurements Changes & Before and Afters!

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I finished Insanity! Although admittedly it was a modified version, with an average of 3 Insanity workouts per week, I did make it through 9 weeks of HIGH intensity training!

How I Completed 9 Weeks of Insanity:

Month 1 – Average of 4 Insanity workouts/week plus 1-2 weekday bike/runs and a long bike and long run on weekends
Month 2- Average of 3 Insanity workouts/week plus 2 runs (including one speed workout), 1 bike ride and a long bike and long(er) run on weekends
4 Day break at the halfway point while I went on vacation
Didn’t follow the diet plan – ate fairly healthy most days but indulged on vacations and a few meals every weekend. Ate 4 Thanksgiving dinners (over the course of 2 weeks) and didn’t hold back on desserts (my weakness!).

Based on the fact that I didn’t follow the diet plan, I wasn’t expecting stellar results. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that no matter how many plates loaded with turkey and all the trimmings I ate, I still either maintained or lost weight. The only reason that I can point to for apparent bump in metabolism is high intensity interval training, which has been proved in study after to study to boost calorie burn during and after workouts. I think Insanity combined with my Sufferfest spin workouts and my Yassos turned my body into a calorie torching machine.

So now you know how I did it, on to the results!

Fit Test Results

Mike Snapped a Picture of Me Doing Max Plyo

Unlike P90X, I actually took the fit test before AND after the program so I have something to compare it to. This was especially important for Insanity since my primary goal was to increase my endurance, rather than build muscle and lose weight like in P90X.

So here are the magical results (for descriptions of the moves, see my first fit test blog post here):

	Day 1	Day 63	Increase From Day 1
Switch Jacks	102	134	32
Power Jacks	46	55	9
Power Knees	89	95	6
Power Jumps	27	35	8
Globe Jumps	9	11	2
Suicide Jumps	17	21	4
Push-Up Jacks	25	30	5
Low Plank Oblique	45	58	13

Despite my modified version, I was happy with my results. These moves were HARD and I was happy to improve in all areas across the board. I’m sure that if I were to complete the program exactly as prescribed (6 times a week), I would have seen some bigger jumps in the numbers, but I’m sure that my running and biking fitness has also seen some great boosts over these 9 weeks, which can’t be measured in the Insanity Fit Test.

Physical Results:

As for physical results:

Pounds Lost: 5.2
Inches Off Waist: 1.5
Inches Off Hips: 0.5
Inches Off Thighs: 0.5

I weigh less than I did when I finished P90X and my waist is also smaller. Not by as much as 5.2 pounds of 1.5 inches, because I did gain a little weight back after my final P90X results. On to the photos!

Before

After:

I wouldn’t say my Insanity Before and After photos are dramatic as my P90X Before and Afters, but I still see a difference. I feel a difference for sure – my stomach and core feel tighter and my clothes fit looser. I highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to shed some fat while strengthening their core and increasing their stamina. If you want to see some serious increases in muscle mass, I recommend that you use P90X. For me at this point in time, Insanity was perfect because I’d rather not add a lot of bulk to carry around during Ironman training. I wish that I had done a mile run test before and after this program because dropping time off my mile would have been the most valuable of all.

Please let me know if you have any specific questions about how I completed the program (it was definitely more of a blend of Insanity & triathlon training as I mentioned before). If you’d like to try Insanity for yourself, you can purchase it here: http://beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/fitnessfatale (Shop Team Beachbody)

3 Weeks Hard, 1 Week Easy

Getting Fit at Work

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One of the questions most people ask me when I tell them that I work for a gym is if everyone is really fit here. Since I work in the corporate headquarters and the nearest club is 20 minutes away, the answer varies. While the majority of my coworkers don’t put fitness at the top of their priority list like I do, there are a handful of them who value a good sweat session.

One of the ways that our company encourages good health is through our bi-monthly lunchtime yoga program. Twice a month my company pays a yoga instructor to walk us through a an hour and fifteen minute routine which leaves me relaxed and stress-free. Although I can’t always participate, I greatly appreciate my company’s generosity in offering this dose of lunchtime bliss.

Corporate Wellness

Companies across America are offering incentives to employees for maintaining good health. From more apparent approaches such as health and wellness newsletters, gym membership reimbursement, educational speakers, skill building sessions (think weight management or stress management classes) to less obvious methods such as providing bike racks, supplying healthy snacks in the lunch room, and encouraging flexible work schedules to allow employees to make fitness a priority, the wellness of its employees is a big concern for most companies.

So why do companies care? In addition to being proven that healthy, stress free employees provide more value to a company productivity-wise, the primary reason that companies invest in healthy incentives is because it brings health insurance and healthcare costs down. The typical employer spends about $8,000 on healthcare for each employee annually. If an employee is fit and healthy, those costs are less.

Preventative care is much less expensive than treatment. If companies can reduce its employees waistlines, blood pressure and cancer risk, it will reduce its healthcare costs down the line. According to WellnessInTheWorkplace.net, a research study showed that “corporations using Workplace Wellness Programs had a return on investment (ROI) from $1.49 – $13 in benefits per dollar spent. The amount depended on the nature of the Workplace Wellness Programs used.”

San Diego Companies Take Fitness Seriously

My favorite of all the ways a company can promote wellness is by providing access to FREE fitness – either by providing free classes or having an on-site gym. Many companies in San Diego besides my own offer workplace workouts. Qualcomm, San Diego’s largest publicly held company, not only has a well-appointed gym in each building, it also offers fitness classes such as boot camps, Pilates, aerobics and Zumba. The Active Network which is also headquartered in San Diego, is arguably the most “active” company in San Diego, offering its employees not only several workout classes per week (including a popular boot camp type class called Active X), but also bike lockers, an Olympic sized swimming pool, and discount registration to local races. The Active Network is known for having a large presence at running and triathlon events, embodying their business model. I even heard that another San Diego company allows its employees to arrive at work late or take a long lunch so that they can get a surf session in at the local beach.

I find it encouraging in the age of increasing obesity that companies are taking action at making their employees healthier, even if they are doing it to increase their bottom line. In the end, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Do you have a corporate wellness program? If so, do you take advantage of it?

Fitness Fatale

Conquering Fitness Goals One at a Time