Race Day is Sunday, August 17, held at the beautiful Lake Winniepesaukee in Gilford, New Hampshire. This race has been in affect for over a decade and one of the first Half-Ironmans in the US Circuit. The whole town turns the area into a festival atmosphere and has local vendors come to the lake and Gunstock Mountain (An Awesome Ski Resort) making it fun for everyone who participates and spectates.
I have to be honest, I haven't felt this good in a long time. I have reached a new level of fitness and feel my body has never been in better shape. Just a few adjustments and it opened a whole new world in my training. Of course, a few outside factors helped.
My good friend Jason, finding his stride in running and becoming a better runner than he was in high school has pushed me to be a better runner. I have been stuck doing 8 minute miles the past 3 years and just this year, I am averaging closer to 7:00 miles. If I can attack this race intelligently, I may grasp that pace and have a race of a lifetime. It's not entirely inconceivable either. I feel confident, I will at least average better than a 7:45 pace which would lessen my time by 3 plus minutes from last year and that is being soft in a prediction. I expect to do a 7:30 pace which would bring me to 4:53 total time in the Timberman. A remarkable improvement from last year and all thanks to someone else pushing his own limits.
The failure of Ironman 70.3 Syracuse and Fiddler's Elbow humbled me so greatly, it re-focused my attention on my best discipline, the bike. I am already highly skilled with the 2nd portion of the triathlon but it is the longest distance covered and always contains the most time to make up. I feel I am in better shape than I was in last year and I averaged 21.9 MPH in last year's race (a personal best by a long shot) so I have a chance to break new grounds again. I just needed to fail a few times and get knocked down to push me to the next level. With the aid of finding new routes around the state of NJ and adding a few biking destinations around the globe with always pushing myself in the workouts, I have reached new speeds. I can't stress how thrilling it is to pass cars in 25 MPH zones.
So much fun.
The crazy thing is I still have room to improve.
The Fiddler's Elbow ride helped me reconsider my health, eating habits and discipline. Throughout the past 6 years, I have attempted a plethora of eating habits. Some good, some bad, and some extremely arduous and tedious but after getting my butt kicked, I finally landed on the right one and it is so simple.
Portion control will remarkably improve your weight, health, and performance. I am not just referring to athletic goals by the way. This can save you money, make you more efficient at work, save time, and improve your mood. It's obvious how it can save your money by if you aren't eating as much, you are not ordering as much, but that's not what I am talking about.
I really didn't need to state something that obvious but I digress.
When you eat the right amount, which is very little (It would shock you how little sustenance you really need), you obtain energy.
Have you ever come across anything that loses energy after you fuel it?
No.
Your car doesn't get slower after you put gas into it. Your phone doesn't stop working after you charge it. That would be counter productive. Your body responds the same way...when you fuel it right.
And at that point, you can start losing the need for caffeine.
Now, before I continue. Nothing is stronger than caffeine (Well except probably cocaine and PCP but let's keep it PG or PG-13...I curse sometimes). To me, that is a performance enhancing drug and no one can convince me otherwise. I drink coffee. I have a Red Bull after some tough workouts. It does the job.
However, the constant need of getting up in the morning and going to Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or Rock n' Joes to get your daily caffeine kick is a convenience you can easily forgo. It won't be easy but trust me. You start eating less and being smart with each meal and you will see the difference. The so-called 2:00 feeling is a result we all fall victim too because we simply overeat (1).
(1) I am not going to get into the benefits of eating healthy because it is common knowledge if you add raw vegetables and fruit to your diet, you will lose weight, become healthier, and have more energy throughout the day.
I have lost 25 pounds since I started doing portion control and fasting before I go to bed and eating the next meal (2). I started about 6-7 weeks ago and I really felt the difference in my workouts about 3-4 weeks in. I feel lighter. I am faster in every discipline. I feel I have reach a new arena of my own fitness. A new pinnacle that wasn't present before. Last year, I really struggled because I felt like I was running in place or treading water. I thought I had reached my peak and wasn't meant to get any better without the aid of professional coaching or full time training partner.
(2) This is very simple but extremely difficult to follow: Don't eat 2 hours before you go to bed (If you have to, eat an apple or something that is not high in acidity), wait 12 hours until your next meal after your last meal the day prior (that's where the word breakfast comes fun 'breaking fast') and drink at least a liter of water before you ingest anything in the morning. I swear if you start doing this, you will lose weight, gain energy, become healthier, sleep better, and can start weening off coffee. WARNING: This takes a lot of discipline and something I struggle with everyday. You will get cravings and you will feel like you are starving at points but trust in the process and you will see the dividends.
Now with this adjustment, I am in the best shape of my life and have gotten here primarily by myself (3). I am ready for this race and enthralled to reap the benefits. Even if I don't qualify for the World Championship, I know I am going to set a personal record with my best yet to come. I could not be anymore excited.
(3) I have been inspired and influenced by others and still am. This is a big help. I am strictly talking about training because 95% of the time, I am training by myself.
Just nine days away...Let's Go!
Thanks for reading!
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