So Much Easier

The hardest part of the nutrition aspect of the plan you and I put together has been the distractions and temptations in the house. Last night I convinced my girlfriend that in order for me to succeed and achieve my goals I would need her help in with my new lifestyle change. She agreed and we went through the entire refrigerator and pantry and tossed out almost everything. There are now no trans-fats, hydrogenated oils or soda in the house. Then we made a trip to the store and bought tons of healthy foods including fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and crystal light. Now that I am not the only one in my household on a diet, it is going to be so much easier to stay on it.

A Daily Struggle

I am really having a struggle with the nutrition aspect of my weight loss plan. I have noticed that running, biking, and swimming is so much easier for me then staying within 1500 – 1800 calories each day.

When my plan calls for me to ride for 2 hours, no problem. When my plan states to avoid pasta or white breads then whoops, Houston we have a problem. I guess that just like anything else I need to turn eating healthy into a habit, and the only way for me to do that is to practice it over and over.

Catching The Fever

As I was leaving for work this morning my car broke down. The first thing that came to mind was "how am I going to get to my pool this afternoon." It was not concern over the price the mechanic is going charge, or panic that I was going to be late into work. Is this some sort of weird sickness? I can't really get much slower, so can I really justify worrying about missing a workout?
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As painful as it is to work out, and as bad as I am at it, I still look forward to it each day. I am having a blast.

Trying To Keep It Positive

Am I in shape? No. Am I in better shape? I think so.

As we all know I went into my last triathlon in very bad shape, and it showed as I finished second to last, not in my age group, but overall. I am still not in shape, but I do feel as though I am a little closer to it.

I have three races on the horizon that are sneaking up on me:
July 1 - Battle at Midway Triathlon - Olympic Distance
July 22 - Mountain Man Triathlon - Sprint Distance
Aug 4 - Desperado Dual - 100 Mile Bike Race

Even if the lungs are not there for me physically, mentally I am confident I can push my way through the hard times and mental barriers that I ran into during the last race.

A Call For Help

I have slowly worked my way up to the 8 mile distance for my long runs. During my last three running workouts of a low intensity jog / walk combination I have experienced a huge muscle cramp in my right calf muscle. All three times the cramp has occurred just after the six mile distance.

After the first time this happened I thought it might be due to a lack of hydration, so I made sure to drink plenty of water before and during my next time out. Sure enough, at mile six the cramp came back and I had to suffer through it for the next two miles. Knowing that the hydration was not the culprit, I figured it was a lack of sodium in my system. Last night during my third run at this distance, the cramp came back to haunt me again.

If it is not hydration or sodium, then what could it be? These are not small cramps that go away. The calf remains sore for a couple days and remains hard as if I were flexing the muscle. Why is it happening at the same distance each time out?

If you have any ideas please let me know. I want to get this resolved as soon as possible so it does not negatively affect my training schedule.

Locked and Loaded

I woke up early in the morning a couple of days ago and went to the office of my coach, Nick. He hooked me up to a couple machines that measure my target metabolic zones and tell me precisely how many calories my body actually burns, and calculates how many calories I should eat in order to healthily achieve my weight loss goal.

The results showed that my metabolism is very slow (31% slower then where it should be). Basically the calories are not going to burn off by themselves, I am going to have to burn a good portion of them by training and working out. I was given a nutrition plan that lays out a diet that ranges between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. This is going to help my lose weight do to the fact that I burn 2339 calories a day. This caloric deficit is going to help me shed those pounds baby!

I was very encouraged after he Nick educated my on the purpose of these tests and how they apply to what I am trying to accomplish. With my new workout plan, and my new nutritional plan, I am locked and loaded and ready to Rock!

My next Triathlon is in a little less then a month. I will not show huge physical differences between it and my previous race, but there will sure be a huge mental difference!

May Totals

• Swim = 1.13 miles in 0:53:15
• Bike = 41.45 miles in 3:05:51
• Run = 26.24 miles in 6:50:30

• Starting Weight = 262
• Current Weight = 257
• May Weight Loss = 5
• Total Weight Loss = 5