New Bike

I haven't got one but am dreaming about it. Just need to sell another bike then I'll be ready to go...

House of Pain

Last night I watched/completed my first ever video workout. Time Trialapalooza with Troy Jacobson, to be exact. Ouch… It was just like this picture, without the window, the view, the daylight, and down in my cramped basement with me hunched over my bike, sweating like a dog. As a matter of fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had a workout on the trainer which was that hard. Key is to start out conservatively, so you can maintain intensity/wattage within each set, and then be able to pick up the wattage for the next set. I suppose I learned that I should be pushing myself harder from time to time. If you are so inclined, it was a great workout:

20’ WU with some 30’ pick-ups
20’ @ 302 watts
5’ Rest
15’ @ 314 watts
5’ Rest
10’ @ 327 watts
5’ Rest
5’ @ 352 watts
10’ CD

Have fun!

Power to the People!

Oliver decided today he wanted to ride a mile on the trainer and then run a mile on the indoor track at the YMCA prior to his swim lessons, so he can "burn some energies." It make me both proud as a parent and suspect of my parental modeling behavior. But it could be worse, no?

Thanksgiving & the Ironman Diet

Only in the US could a holiday originated to give thanks turn into a four-day, see-how-much-you-can-possibly-eat affair. How did we, as a society, become so fat? A study released last Friday by the University of Chicago states that cases of diabetes will double in the next 25 years (ballooning to 44.1M in 2034), and spending against diabetes will triple in the same period, to $336B. If these numbers seem unrealistic, consider a 1991 study which predicted that the number of Americans with diabetes would double to 11.6 million by 2030, which, as it turns out, is less than half the number of cases in 2009.

With over 50% of our country now overweight, we not only have increasing levels of diabetes to look forward to, but all of the other health problems which come along with excessive weight: hypertension, increasing risk for coronary disease, heart attacks, infertility, and a higher prevalence of whole variety of cancers: colon, prostate, endometrial and breast cancer. Over 300,000 deaths a year are attributed to obesity, which has now become the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. Very, very scary.

Years ago I remember half-joking with my buddy Andy that the “Ironman Diet” was a marketable solution to our nation’s obesity issue. Yes, for only $550 (adjusted for WTC-induced inflation to reflect actual dollars of today) you can lose weight, become healthy and get in the best shape of your life. Just follow any IM training plan and you are guaranteed success! Only downside is that it actually takes some physical effort. You can’t just put on an adult diaper and take a pill, or simply strap on an electrical belt which will melt your fat away while you sleep. Other problems are that it takes a ridiculous amount of time, requires a lifestyle change, and it really helps if you actually enjoy swimming, cycling or running.

Fortunate for me, I enjoy all three, or more accurately, I love to bike and run and occasionally don’t dislike swimming too much. I’ve also always taken to the challenge of physically pushing myself, whether it is in the form of chasing a soccer ball, hiking, running, racing bikes, triathlon, or whatever. Give me the choice between a bike ride and a good show on TV and the TV is always going to lose. I realize this might not be normal, but as I look around I wonder how we might be able to get more folks involved in triathlon. What about all the folks who do nothing? What about the folks who think Wii Fit is exercise?

I realize a transformation from couch potato to Ironman is highly unlikely. But what about couch potato to recreational walker, walker to jogger, jogger to 5K participant, etc? For the health of our sport, our economy and our country, it seems like there is something we should be doing. Getting everyone to exercise might be an oversimplified solution, but it sure sounds like an easy step in the right direction. Just something to think about while I finish off that last slice of pie tonight.