my true training partner.

I wrote a few days ago about how Alias was my training partner. I think Kelty has been a little pissed off about that. She is getting a little crazy at nights.... even worse than she was. She won't get out when I want to go to bed. She will finally get out, but will crawl into bed around 2 or 3am when were sleeping. She is getting all she can out of me, because I feel guilty about not running with her enough.

Well Kelty (named after the backpacking gear) I'm sorry. Jennifer Garner has nothing on you.

I think she is also mad about not having all the freedom to go places we did in Colorado. I couldn't imagine taking her inside the video store here!

Kelty... you're my motivation!

challenging your fitness!

After the tecumseh trail marathon, I've taken it a little easy. What is easy, you ask? Casual training, personal allowance to take a day (or 2 or 3) off without feeling guilty about it and a general attention to nutrition, these are all what I consider easy. Some programs might label this kind of activity as maintenance, but even with these levels of activity, it is hard not to feel like you are slipping backwards.

When I start to feel like I've fallen behind in the "fitness game", I like to pick a challenge and see what's up. Living in Divide, CO last year, my challenge workout was running at The Crags. The distance of the run wasn't challenging, but the altitude and terrain were plenty difficult. (I lived at 9,200ft. and my gps monitor said the top of the Crags was around 11ish.) Today I did a challenge workout. The fun part of today's workout was that I haven't completed this kind of workout in a couple years! I did a circuit training program. At The Underground we have a circuit area set up with Cybex selectorized equipment... My workout went like this:

1:00 - machine, :30 - rest, 1:00 - agility cardio (sprints, jumprope, etc), :30 - rest. repeat. repeat. ...

I warmed up for 5 minutes, then started the circuit. At 40 minutes, I ran to the restroom thinking my lunch was coming up. It didn't! I completed about 8 more minutes and then cooled down. then I spent some time in the office lying on the floor, praying I could get up in time to make my personal training session later on.

The "no-pain, no-gain" mantra is something I've never subscribed to. But sometimes we all need to challenge ourselves to see how we are doing. What can our body really do?

Some other ideas that I use as fitness challenges are: all day hiking, how many miles cycling in a day, 2000 yard swimming time trial or a 10K.

The Ditsch Fitness philosophy has always been, health --> fitness --> performance. If we are healthy, then it can be fun to test our fitness. And on those few times a year we get to see what kind of performance we can put out.

Challenge yourself today!

another wonderful diet pill?

I understand that the research is showing that orlistat helps to increase the amount of weight that a person can lose, but does it solve the problem? Can it help defeat the issue of obesity in America or even in an individual?

It's been awhile since I've read any research regarding orlistat, but from a behavioral point-of-view, I don't see the pill becoming OTC helping the majority of people.

For a lot of Americans, the issue of obesity is ultimately a behavioral and emotional issue. So my question for those that would advocate for the use of orlistat would be; once the suggested six month period is over, is the person's behavioral and/or emotions responses to their weight improved?

And if they have not changed, what would allow/empower the individual to maintain the weight loss that they have had within the last six months?

A statement made in the msn article highlights this:

The pill’s effect ends once its use is stopped, said Dr. Julie Golden, a medical officer in the FDA’s division of metabolism and endocrinology products. A previous study showed a progressive weight gain in patients after they discontinued use of orlistat, she said. Quesnelle said people could resume use or seek help from a doctor if they gain weight.

I'm wondering what the doctor might suggest to the person that has taken orlistat and comes to his/her office asking for help because they've gained the weight back? Possibly behavioral changes like exercise or dietary changes? I really don't know.

The interesting thing is this quote came from the same article:

Glaxo said the drug helps the overweight slim down only when combined with a diet and exercise regimen. The drug’s actual effect on weight loss is “gradual and modest,” said Steve Burton, Glaxo’s vice president of weight control.

So orlistat only works when combined with an exercise and diet program anyway. So does the added weight loss from taking orlistat ultimately lead to better health down the road?

My fear is that if this becomes an OTC medicine that it will only give false hope to the potential user. Sure GSK doesn't claim that this is a cure all, but for the person that has tried many times to lose weight in the dieting yo-yo, this may be seen as another chance. And I can guess that it will be marketed to support their hope.

I'm sure that there are circumstances that orlistat is useful. A doctor should be helping you determine that, which I'm by no means a doctor. But I have helped people lose weight... and their is no pill that will change the behaviors and emotions that an individual has regarding their weight.

Three things that I believe can help are:

1. re-establish a mindful approach to eating... understand what / why you eat

2. increase your physical activity in gradual and consistent patterns

3. make sure that when you do eat, the food is appealing (emotionally) and nutrient dense

I realize it isn't easy. But the process of changing and improving is what makes life enjoyable, and shouldn't be something we always dread.

exercise, quality of life and sleep

Exercise can improve your quality of life. I think for most people this statement is somewhat engrained into their current view of exercising / working out / physical activity. The media is full of statements similar to: "look better", "feel better", "turn every man's (or woman's) head". Unfortunately, these taglines are also filled with time periods such as "in 8 weeks", "in 10 days", or "in 6 mins".

Exercise can be beneficial to a person's quality of life, especially when it becomes a part of that individual's lifestyle.

This is true because there are many more benefits that come from regular physical activity than losing a few pounds. This morning made me remember one of those benefits.... quality of sleep.

Last week, I got in my sessions everyday. Since I'm not training for a specific marathon or triathlon right now, I have been doing a little cross training at The Underground Fitness Center. The cross training generally takes a little more out of me because my body is adjusting and adapting to something new. I also found that I was getting some pretty solid and deep sleep last week.

I mean, 8 to 9 hours of lights-out, nothing-gonna-wake-me-up sleep. The great thing about this type of sleep is that I wake up refreshed. With a little morning coffee, I'm ready to go from hour one of my day.

Back in 2002/2003, when I was training pretty heavy for a long period of time, I remember needing 10 hours of sleep every night. And every once in awhile, I would get 11 hours in! I honestly believe that my ability to get this much sleep helped my recovery during that period. And this pattern of sleep along with my approach to the long run ... is what allowed me to go from a 3:28 marathon to a 3:04 marathon.

In the courses that I've taken where we've studied sleep, I have always come away a little lost. It seems that all the ideas about why sleep is so important are still theoretical at this point. But they all point in the same direction. Sleep is good for your health.

Many people I know rarily get enough sleep because A) they don't make the time B) they don't have the time or C) they have problems getting to sleep when they have the time.

My suggestion... get back to exercising. It will help you get a better nights sleep and you'll get the weight management benefits as a bonus.

Alias is my training partner!

I love Alias and right now Nikki and I are watching season 4. The nice thing about it is that I hoped on my spinning bike last night, put in my DVD of Alias (that I got from Netflix) and watched 2 episodes.

No commercials. I had 80 mins of straight butt-kicking, CIA/APO, globe-trotting action, during which I got 60 mins of spinning and 20 mins of stretching in.

This is why I'm willing to say right now that Alias is my training partner and Netflix is my coach. Luckily, we are about done with the Alias series because we're about ready to be putting in the hours on the road running. And as desperate for distraction as I am while exercising right now, I'm not willing to spend all my running sessions on a treadmill.....

There is always next winter to catch up on the latest episodes of Lost and Alias. I've also heard that 24 is pretty addicting, so maybe I'll try that one out too next winter?

Ramen with Stir-fried Vegetables.

I mentioned that I made an asian soup the other day (here), so I figured why not share the receipe. It is a mixture of a few receipes that I have and my own favorites (like the bok choy).

Make the Soy Sauce Broth: 6 cups chicken broth, 2 tsp salt, 4 tsp Chinese rice wine, pepper and 4 tbsp of soy sauce.

heat everything but the soy sauce and pepper in a pot and bring to a boil, after boiling turn heat down to a simmer and add soy sauce and pepper.


Stir Fry: heat up "some" sesame oil and vegetable oil in the wok, then add in your favorite vegetables. I used: bok choy, onion, garlic, carrots, radishes, scallions .... (I think that was it)

Cook the Ramen noodles (come on ... you know how to do this!)

Put it together: divide up the noodles into the number of bowls you are serving (I used 1 package of noodles for 2 bowls)... add the stir fry vegetables on top of the noodles.... then add the simmering soy sauce broth to make the soup.

With the chicken broth and soy sauce there probably is a bit of sodium in the soup, but if you just ate the ramen noodles you have a lot of sodium with those little flavoring packets... plus you wouldn't get all the vegetables.

I like it. And Nikki thinks it's awesome I'm willing to cook. Double Whammy.

I pull a lot of my stir fry ideas from: Thre Complete Book of Asian Cooking, it's pretty good. There are probably some good websites too?

2006 Training Schedule.

I had hoped to just put a jpg of the schedule, but it looks like I don't know how to do it. So I'll just post a link to the Excel file and you can download it. This might be better anyway?

Link: 2006 training schedule

One thing to notice is that my weekly workouts are only done up to the marathon. Also the micro-cycle key goals are only done through the marathon. This is primary due to not knowing which triathlons I'm going to race.

I penciled in 3 1/2 Ironman distance races, but I'll probably be able to only do 1 or 2. Now if I can finance myself a little better than expected this year, I'll do all three. But having to purcahse a new bike (and one for Nikki too) it looks like racing will be a bit slower than hoped. (any sponsors out there willing to sponsor this site and get some exposure *wink*)

Key / Lengend

s - strides (near 100% pace, focused on form, 60secs on, 3 to 4 mins recovery)

t - threshold

mp - marathon pace

2,3,4 - in the last column is Jack Daniel's training phase category.

There is no training phase one, because Nikki and I completed what I would equate to that type of training for the Tecumseh Trail Marathon. And even with the period off from that race to now, we still have maintained the fitness.

I stayed with my personal theory on setting up the "long run weekend", instead of relying only on a single day for the long run. It has just worked too well to not test it again for this race.

Some ideas were also taken from the Jack Daniels' Running Formula text and from gordo's triathlon board.

Getting excited to run again....

I have to admit that this past week has made me excited to start training again. As I watch people working on their new year exercise programs and see students working out to be in shape for spring break, it makes me motivated to push hard towards another peak... in this journey of fitness.

My next peak is going to be the Kentucky Derby Festival Marathon on April 29th, in Louisville. I'm excited for this race for several reasons:

1. It will be my Kentucky marathon, in my 50 States goal. (I don't count the few blocks of running in KY during the Flying Pig as fulfilling this requirement.)

2. I have set a pretty specific time outcome that I'll be training for. Sub 3 hours. As always, placing a time specific goal on myself like this adds to the potential problems. So it will be fun to see how I manage the training for the goal, with the training that my body allows me to complete.

3. I will have a training partner for the race. Jeff Buhr has said that he's willing to take on this 3 hour task, so that will help, but I also have others that will be training for this race also. Nikki and Beth Atnip being two of them.

During the training, I plan on doing two races from the Louisville Triple Crown of Racing series. So that will be another benefit, because the marathon shares some similar routes, from what I've been told.

Well when I set up my 2006 schedule, I created the marathon training program to officially start on Feb. 7th. So that gives me some time to continue getting the rest I need and work on other areas, such as flexibility, nutrition and swimming.

Anxious to go... sub 3 hours on April 29!

(I'll try to post my training schedule later)

thoughtful decisions vs decisions made without thought

How difficult is it to change a behavior... a habit? I used to think that it was just a matter of will-power. I felt that a strong-minded person could essentially change any habit, they just needed to make a choice that they wanted to change that behavior.

When looking at health behaviors such as exercising, physical activity, dietary or stress management, I've learned that simply making a single "choice" may not change that behavior. People are just not that one-dimentional to think that by writing a goal on a piece of paper or paying the monthly dues to a gym, a behavior will change.

One of the reasons I think that habits become so difficult to change for people is that many of the decisions we make are done .... without thought. Here's what made me think about this:

The other night I had some time to make dinner. So I decided I wanted to make a Janpanese style soup that I made a while back. I went to the grocery store and got the vegetables and chicken broth that I needed. Then I cut-up, washed and cooked the vegetables, made the soup stalk and cooked the noodles for the soup.

The entire process of shopping, cooking and then eating, really made me think about the food I was going to eat. The dietary choices that I made were thought out. I was very aware of what I wanted to eat and what I ate. How often do I put that much attention into those decisions? Not very many. Here's my evening last night.

I got done training at 6:30pm, drove home in traffic while drinking a soda. Not because I really wanted the soda (see previous post) but because I was hungry and it was easily available. At home, I was still hungry, but even more tired. So I started eating some snack foods. I am not even sure what snacks I ate, just know I ate them. Then realizing I was eating, I decided to have a pizza. So I put in the ready-to-bake pizza and 20 minutes later, I started watching the Kentucky basketball game while eating. There was no thought put forth. I was hungry, so I ate. Conviently.

My point is that many times we make choices / goals to change a habit. Yet, we don't make the choices that are needed to support that goal. Using my example of cooking and unconcious eating.... if I wanted to improve my dietary habits, maybe a good supporting decision would be to cook a minimum of 4 times a week. That decision alone would require that I make the time to cook and then become aware of the cooking process.

Which leads me into another (maybe more important) thought. When the "process" is enjoyable then the outcome sometimes doesn't matter. This can be said about a lot of things... maybe a good start to another entry?

Dedicated Simplicity.

Well it's the first of the year, 2006. As always that leads us to reviewing the past year and planning the next. You might guess that new year's resolutions are not exactly my favorite activity (you can read why in my last entry: action > planning > dreaming).

But I also understand that the process of creating new year's resolutions can be a powerful tool in making positive lifestyle changes. So here is a thought on approaching 2006.

Dedicated Simplicity

How many of us can be successful at everything we do? My observations are that most of us can not be successful at everything, but we all can be successful at something.

One of my hero's growing up was Deion Sanders, the professional football and baseball player. It was always inspiring to see someone be the best defensive back and returner in the NFL, then to bat at a high level in the World Series (which he did with the Atlanta Braves). An interesting fact about "Prime Time" is that during this period of time he wasn't successful in his personal life. (This story is told in his autobiography.)

As I continually narrow in on what I'd like to accomplish in the next 5 to 10 years, I also realize there will be things that I would like to do that will not happen. Why? Because to accomplish my primary goals, I must become dedicated and focused on those primary goals. The secondary goals will have to be put aside.

For my own goals, I need to be dedicated. And the goals need to be simple. I realize this because partial attempts at complexity or thoughts of succeeding at everything will only get me to where I'm at today.

So the first thing I'll do is list some ideas/thoughts/goals of things that I will not dedicate myself to in 2006.... to simplify my mental clutter:

1. no more pursuits of education (specifically, working towards my R.D.)
2. I will still not play a guitar
3. computer programming / web design, needs to become less of a hobby :)
4. no more day-dreaming about pursuing my Ph.D.

And Here's my list for 2006:

1. be involved in regular devotion/prayer (spiritual)
2. tell nikki "I love you" at least once every day (marriage)
3. re-establish a thoughtful approach to consumption / buying habits (financial)
4. build on personal training / coaching business (financial / work)
5. consistency of training, as few days off as possible (Ironman 4-5 yr. plan)

So there it is. I think I'm going to go to www.futureme.org and email the list to me in 2 months. Just a way to hold myself accountable.