Precious assets

I have never been faster and more dedicated. Since I got my Iphone on January 1st I earned an exceptional personal trainer. In the midst of training and planning for 2009 season, this device has made me a better athlete, all by allowing me to follow training principles that I have neglected in the past.

Time. It all starts with better time management. More organized, I am finally able to plan my days and save more time for training and rest. Now I do not have to choose between my different activities. I even have more time to watch tv!

Training Journal. I have kept an account at Buckeye Outdoors for the last few years, mostly to keep track of my races. Now I can log my workouts instantly and analyze my week from anywhere. During my rest I can compare my performance and engage on challenges with other athletes in the website.

The third training principle I have met this month is "what can be measured can be improved". I can use GPS technology through Imapmyrun and Imapmyride apps and have detailed and reliable info about my outdoor workouts, even for walks. I can even send a Twitter update of those activities.

Nutrition. I can finally keep real-time track of my food intake, using the app from livestrong. I am still making daily mistakes, but at least I can control my calorie intake and my weight pattern.

Dedication. I recently found many friends who care about the same goals and ideas, with whom I can talk endlessly about running, triathlon and endurance sports, joining Runcast.TV and Racenation online communities. They help me to stick to training, and give me energy to push forward, by telling their stories or challenging me. Twitter keeps me online with my friends, during training or rest. To keep this blog has also helped me to organize my ideas and goals, at least once a week.

It was really a good resolution to have started listening to my body, my mind and my friends at the dawn of 2009. Those are my most precious assets.

Hero of the week:

Lance Armstrong, putting public his life and sweat, defending a noble cause.

Quote of the week:
“Don't feel entitled to anything you didn't sweat and struggle for.” Marian Wright Edelman.

Happiness

This week I took a day off training because I felt tired, and the next morning I was very upset to myself after seeing somebody running on the sidewalk. In a stessful week at work, the question came to my mind: What makes us happy?

With so many people not able to swim, bike or run, for health problems, money or time constraints or psych blockage, should we be happy on being able to finish a race, or be ready at the start?

Always moved by adrenaline and endorphines, we push ourselves week after week, collecting miles and hours in training logs, worn off shoes and race bibs. Many times we loose the focus, because of tiredness, hunger or pain. My reaction to work stress invariably throws me to find new challenges, the crazier the better. Is happiness the absence of injuries, or a busy race schedule?

Permanently planning for the next race, days, months and years go by with stubborn preparation. We chase results, racing our peers. Can we train to be happy? If results matter, is an elite athlete happier than an age-grouper?

Science and Medicine more and more bring evidence that physical activity and wellness are intrinsically related and dependent on each other.

To be an athlete is not a profession, a badge, or a status; it is a state and a way of life. It takes dedication, sweat and pain, but so it is life and all pleasures.

Are we happy because we're athletes, or we are athletes because we're happy?

Hero of the week: Haile Gebrselassie won the Dubai Marathon yesterday in 2:05:29. Because of the rain, he could not break his own current world record of 2:03:59. “I’m really pleased with this performance,” he said at the press conference, “this is my best time in this sort of weather. (...) This is better than Dubai last year (2:04:53) for me, so I’m happy.”

Quote of the week: "If you want to be happy, be." Leo Tolstoy

I'm a member.

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You will have friends all over the world sharing your goals, pains and finishes.
You should check it out!

Movie Break

After watching "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" a lightning struck me. Unnecessary to say, the movies that become our favorites always bring reflections of our inner truths or beliefs, but I could not avoid another opportunity to learn to live with myself: what are the favorite movies of an endurance athlete?

I could not avoid its resemblance to Coppola's Youth Without Youth, and ancient Greek tragedies, showing men and women fighting against predetermination of their destinies. That is one of the reasons we cannot forget them. You can choose fictional characters (Birdy, 1984) or real people (Bird, 1988), journeys of self-discovery and life-changing stories are always inspiring, pushing us to our limits (if there are limits...).

Talking about life stories, we cannot forget epic movies like Gone with the Wind, Doctor Zhivago, The English Patient, endurance tests on themselves for time seated on hard chairs. I always think of them when I am swimming, running or biking large numbers.

Because of its obvious action appeal, all Indiana Jones, James Bond and Mission: Impossible series are always fun, even after the twentieth replay, but unconscious action is always dangerous, as depicted in A Clockwork Orange and Minority Report.

Looking beautiful in the picture (like The Matrix series), or dirty and dehydrated (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) we all try to be the heroes finishing our endurance tests, official or private, outdoors or indoors. We seek for our inner truths, challenging predetermination of limits, making our lifes a gift to our loved ones (if you did not watch it, Run for your Life).

It is not just about fun.

Love your bike

I have never written how much I love my bike (2007 Scatante T560). It is one of the closest things to my heart, together with my wetsuit and my sunglasses. It amazes me how far and how fast it can take you (with appropriate training). There is also the green appeal, with the bonus of avoid driving in crazy cities, like LA. And there is the nostalgic feeling from our childhood (but I have to say: this bike hurts A LOT more than all my previous ones...).

That is probably the main reason I bought a trainer. Of course it was a good idea for ramping up the Ironman training, without leaving my wife alone for many hours on weekends (she still does not have a bike). It is also a big bonus to be able to train at 11PM in a weekday. I really needed to increase my time on the bike.

Setting up the trainer in the balcony of my new apartment seems almost an unfair advantage for me to beat the competition. If it really does not help me with biking, for sure it will help me with my running, as it has already done.

Finally I am ready to take ahead more serious training. I probably will need to buy more bike shorts.

Sent from my Iphone.

Next races: Surf City USA Marathon (02/01/09), Pasadena Marathon (03/22/09), 27th Annual Avia Wildflower Triathlon Long Course (05/02/09), Vineman Ironman 70.3 (07/19/09).

Heroes of the week: San Diego Chargers on the playoffs. Support your local team!

Quote of the week: “Talk of nothing but business, and dispatch that business quickly." Aldus Manutius.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year for all of us!!!

It is a new year, full of hopes, promises and resolutions, and this is my first post from my Iphone. It is a wonderful gadget that I will talk about later,after learning a little bit more. First things first.

On 12/27/08, following great expectations, and after one day of carrying heavy furniture moving from my old apartment, I finally ran the Big Cat Challenge. Few running aficionados got together at Huntington Beach Central Park to run consecutive two-mile loops and complete, to their will, a half-marathon, a marathon, or as much as they could run in 12 hours. Of course I chose the 12 hour challenge, to finish 2008 with a high note. That was still part of me learning to live with myself... My plan was to use the run/walk technique, targeting a pace around 10min/mile, with run over 3min and walk for 1 min.. My primary goal was to beat my previous result in my first ultra of 37.28 in 12 hours, with secondary goal of completing 60miles in 12 hours.

The official clock was marking 7:32am and 38 F degrees at start. I set up a bag on the floor as my HQ at the first aid station, allowing me to avoid carrying too much weight and to keep my own food and fluids. First hour was completed at 9 min/mile pace, bringing hopes of a better than expected performance. First 13 miles were ran in 1hour and 58 min.. The marathon was completed in about four hours, a new PR. At mile 28 I changed my shoes from the Kanadia trail to wide mildly-wore Brooks Adrenaline, to prevent foot injuries. At six hours, 36 miles were completed. After that, I was not able to keep the pace, and the walk breakes became erratic and frequent. At 7:32:13 I stopped, after walking a whole lap with my asthma flaring up for the second time that day.

I was able to meet my primary goal, achieved a new marathon PR, learned how to run for many hours, and finished first in my age group. Not bad at all! And once again I felt how nice is trail running...

Now I really feel I am ready to face 2009, with a big smile and bold goals.

Next races: Surf City USA Marathon (02/01/09), Pasadena Marathon (03/22/09), 27th Annual Avia Wildflower Triathlon Long Course (05/02/09), Vineman Ironman 70.3 (07/19/09).

Hero of the week: Robert English, the man behind the Big Cat Challenge, on its third event on 2008; the first race had only three participants.


Quote of the week: “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." Benjamin Franklin.