Time to drop the "Of course I can eat that, I'm an athlete" attitude...

Since forever, i've pretty much eaten whatever i like. 

And my morning tea, more often than not, resembled something like this...

I've always been fairly active, and when combined with a fast metabolism, i've never had weight issues.

A few years back i realised i'd stacked on a few pounds. Ok, so peaking at 88 kg at age 38 wasn't too much of an issue, but it was 10 kg heavier than i was 10 years earlier and i knew if i didn't get active the weight would keep on adding up...

So long story short, i ended up semi-seriously running and doing triathlon.

Within a year my weight was back down to a more respectable 75 kg.  And it kind of oscillates between the low and mid 70's depending upon what i'm up to.

With my weight back down to a manageable level and training more than every other day i adopted the "OF COURSE I CAN EAT THAT, I'M AN ATHLETE" attitude...

However, now my training is getting more serious, and i'm trying to enter the realms of ultra/endurance events it's time i re-thought this strategy.

I'm trying to become A Finely Tuned Machine...ok, a semi-serious MOP (middle of the pack) athlete, and accordingly i should treat my body as such.

I've been reading about Paleo, Clean Eating, etc, trying to work out what I "should" and "shouldn't" eat...

So it appears that "The Rules" are pretty simple...

1. Reduce Alcohol...yeah, ok...i'm currently doing Dry July, and even when i'm not 5am training kinda sux when you're hung-over... TICK!
2. Reduce Processed Sugars...step away from the sweets jar...TICK!
3. Reduce Salt...don't really have salt, still need to look into salt tabs to reduce those lost during training...can i get them salt reduced ;) ...TICK!
4. Reduce Saturated Fat...main culprits - apart from the obvious "treats" are apparently dairy and meat - don't do dairy (lactose intolerant) and we eat lean meat...TICK!
5. Reduce Refined Grains...steer clear of white bread, white rice, white pasta, and go for "whole" grain varieties...NOT TICK!! Can improve here!!
6. Reduce Processed Foods...not too bad here, eat mostly fresh...Breakfast Cereal...???...PARTIAL TICK!
7. More Fruit and Vege...pretty good here, snacks are generally from this area...TICK!
8. More Water...happy with my water intake...colour chart says i'm well hydrated most of the time...TICK!
9. More Green Tea...generally have Green Tea on the go most of the time...TICK!
10. More Whole Grains...kinda will be taken care of with 5...???...ALMOST TICK!

So looking at that i really don't eat too bad. Just need to:

• swap the white pasta/bread/rice for whole grain alternatives, 
• keep away from the lolly and treat jar, 
• show some restrain when Dry July is over, and
• sort out breakfast!

One thing i'm going to need to see if i can find are some alternatives to energy gels...but on the other hand, if i'm in need of an energy gel, that's because i've used all my stored energy and need the energy from that high processed sugar right then and there!! (Maybe???)

If anybody can help me out here, please feel free to comment. 

Running...Back On Track...

Just a little note to say...woo hoo...my running appears to be back on track.

Last Saturday I decided it was time to hit Lysterfield lake Park again, last time we went there it was absolutely pissing down with rain, this time we were greeted with this...

So off we set. Last time i ran a single loop, this time we were planning to add a little loop to the bigger loop.  The run felt really good, and i even managed to run up the hill that got the better of me last time... (Linky to Strava data).  When i got home i checked my data, and just as i thought - this run was:

• my longest (time) 1hr 45min;
• my furthest (distance) 19.2km; and
• my hilliest (gain) 361m , 

since i injured myself during Two Bays Trail Run, back in January!!

But what was the most pleasing aspect, was my fitness.

While my legs struggled a bit (ok, i'm still sore a few days later), i didn't find myself lacking the fitness to keep on going.  It's a shame that i forgot to charge my Garmin and had to track my run using strava (HRM-less), because it would have been interesting to see what my HR was doing. I know that i some of the rises i was pushing it up, but i was pretty happy with the overall exertion level.

And Yes, i was that annoying person on the trails who appeared to be way too happy; smiling and saying hello to everybody else out there :)

Article by triathlon.competitor.com - Nailing the IM run... Well that's the plan!

As with most people, i presume, who are training for their first Ironman triathlon, i'm trying to absorb knowledge.  Reading whatever i can, and listening to all the advice on offer. 

I remember one of the best pieces of advice we were given when we had our first child - listen to everything and take what you want and ignore (or at least file away) the rest.

Well, it's fair to say that the bit that scaring me the most about the IM is the run... so when i saw this article headline "How to Nail the Ironman Triathlon" i thought i should at least read it.

Oh, and i probably should add that my version of nailing the run, at this stage, means finishing!!

Read it. Enjoyed it. 

Seemed some pretty solid advice. Didn't seem to contradict too much other advice. Seemed to sort of fit with what i was kind of thinking, so it was encouraging to get that "feedback" that my thought processes  were not too left of field.

My current training program has been filled for the next 18 or so weeks, which takes me through my first marathon and to my first triathlon of the season - the Noosa Olympic distance tri.  

Now with the advice from this article i can start to add some key sessions to the 20 week period from the Oly tri through to my first Ironman!!

UPDATE...

Well it's been a week or so since my last update.

In that time i've managed to get my health back on track, have a couple of good swims and get an exceptionally sore leg tendon.

I think i went a little too far and too fast in my first real run in the Vibrams - but thanks to my lovely masseur (aka my gorgeous wife), who has enjoyed inflicting pain and seeing my squirm in agony, my tendon issues appear to be getting under control.

I just need to ease into running in the Vibrams with one short run - and i mean starting at 2km - a week, building slowly as it feels ok, and start to build some long steady km's in my normal runners.

Apparently running on grass is also good for posterior tibial tendon issues - so be it!

As my run begins to get back on track, i need to start to build my ride.  My intense short (up to 1 hr) rides are good, just need to get out of bed on Sunday mornings and go long!!

Past 2 weeks...

SICK & INJURED!

Pretty much 2 weeks of nothing!!

With the "man-flu" clearing up on Saturday, i took the opportunity while James was playing football, to take off the shoes and with inspiration from the Tarahumara (Yes, i've been reading Born To Run) do an impromptu barefoot run around the oval. 

It felt great, natural, effortless, fast... So later that day i bought some Vibram Five Fingers "barefoot" shoes.  Sunday arvo i went for an easy 2.5km run with Jamesy, and wore the Vibrams.

There was a little calf tightness this morning - but that could also be related to the 1hr TT style bike ride yesterday.

Anyway, i'm planning on making the transition to the barefoot shoes a gradual one. I'll do the bulk of my running done in my other shoes and slowly swing the percentage in favour of barefoot time as my legs allow.

Also managed a swim a couple of weeks back - first one since April.  It didn't suck totally, which was great!

Cheers for now :)

Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction - Not so much winning!!!

So following on from my last entry, here's the low down on the ankle injury.

When i rolled my ankle at Two Bays, we (being my physio and I) think that i've pinched my Posterior Tibial Tendon. So it appears that when i run too much it's going to get sore - we're hoping it's just scar tissue, as strength and flexibility is OK.

Oh look, here's a piccy of said tendon...

So, the obvious advice is...blah, blah, blah...rest...ice...exercise...

And look here's exercises...

Ankle Flexion

Strengthening the muscles and tendons all around the ankle will help treat the injury and offer support. Sit cross-legged, with your injured leg on top of the other. Slowly flex your ankle so that your toes are pointed up toward your knee. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly point your toes and repeat. perform 5 to 10 repetitions. Stop immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort.

Ankle Circles

Slowly circling your ankles will help restore some mobility to the injured area. Sit cross-legged with your injured leg over the other. Slowly circle your foot all the way around, then reverse and go the other way. Perform 10 repetitions to start off, until the injured muscle is stronger. Stop immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort.

Inner Ankle Lift

The inner ankle lift uses light 5-lb. weight, so if your injury has not progressed to the point that you can incorporate any resistance, skip this for now. You will need a normal shopping bag with handles, and some kind of weight equaling approximately 5 lbs. Two cans of soup are sufficient. Sit cross-legged with your injured leg on top, and hang the shopping bag handle over your foot. Slowly raise your foot up and down by flexing and extending your ankle. Perform five to 10 repetitions and rest briefly between each one. Stop immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort.

Heel Raise / Calf Raise

The calf muscle at the back of your leg offers support to the posterior tibial muscle, and can help distribute the weight load if it is strong. Calf raises will help strengthen the calf and rehabilitate your posterior tibial muscle. Simply stand with your feet parallel to one another and raise up onto the balls of your feet. Hold that position momentarily and return to the starting point. Only do five repetitions and increase as you get stronger. Stop immediately if you experience any pain or discomfort.

Read more: LIVESTRONG

But as we know, just doing exercises is boring - i know, i need to ride and swim too, so why not just concentrate on that...because i like to run, and want to run!!

So, did a little research into taping, and look just like magic...

KT Tape time!!

And the KT Tape Forum even has an example of / discussion on my exact issue!!

So it looks like all that is left to do is to find a store with said KT Tape, and hopefully i'll be able to return to some reduced running... :)

Oh, and of course keep on doing the exercises... ;)

Update - Bad Training Week ...

The last few days have just felt crap...the week started OK though...

Saturday was great. Managed a fairly well paced 13km hilly run being dragged around the gravel access tracks at Lysterfield by a mate who's a bit quicker than me. That was followed almost immediately by an 11km (very) easy run around the local streets with another mate.

Sunday i was going to ride - but following a sleep in, i just subjected myself to 30mins of roller fun before we  went into the football, as Jamesy was doing AusKick on the MCG.

Monday night followed up with a 30 minute roller ride, hard 5k run brick session.  The run was fast (for me). And i felt awesome.

However, Tuesday morning i woke up and my ankle was in pain!

The injury from Two Bays is still haunting me!! 

So time to rest it...