Vegan Up!

There is a crowdsourcing fundraiser going on right now for a new vegan cookbook that I wanted to bring attention to.  The good folks at Vegan Up! are pulling a nice project together. It does take some crowdsourcing though, and I'm hoping we can help him out!

Vegan Up! on Twitter

Vegan Up! cookbook - order now

You can order the book now, they are trying to raise $50k to get the book self-published. Again I don't know how these things work, and they don't sponsor the old blog here, but he asked if I would write something and post a few links. I gladly obliged because I fully support his cause! And it's a fully funding project, so if he doesn't make the goal everyone gets their donations back.

This is more than just a cookbook. Terry really teaches the benefits of eating like this. How nice it feels to truly be non-harming, and how nice it feels to give your body true health and energy. When the body is truly and fully nourished it cannot be sick. This book is going to be a great way to get started learning about how delishious it can be!

You know I love my vegan meals, vegan days, but weeks are the best. It's not always easy to break old habits. The cleaner I eat (all fruits and veggies) the better I feel.  that's how it goes.  Step up if you can! This is a really great project.

You're in the Jungle baby!

All of this time on the bike has led to a lot of reading.  Recently I finished off The Jungle Effect by Daphne Miller, a very interesting book about preventing and fighting diseases through diet.  I know that's not exactly a revolutionary concept, but the book takes a pretty unique approach.

Dr Miller is an MD who takes a different approach sometimes.  I have to take the same approach, so I really respect the way she does this with her patients. Instead of just treating the symptoms of a disease, she looks at the family history and the nutrition to find the real source of the problem.  If you fix the source the symptoms will take care of themselves.

She has looked all over the globe for "cold spots", places that are the exact opposite of hot spots for a disease.  Longevity?  where do people live the longest.  What country has the lowest rates of diabetes? Heart disease? Cancer?  By looking for traditional indigenous diets of these cultures, we can find the source of the solution.  Go to the jungle, and you can find the root.  Or go to the island, or the fish market, etc.

My family heritage is being irish, and the health history includes cancer and heart disease.  I love learning about healthy eating plans from all over the world and why they work for those people.  My background is so generic I can adapt to anything. This book isn't a vegetarian or vegan manifesto.  The chapters build on each other and the principles of that cultures diet.  The second half of the book includes recipes from each of the area cold spots.  Try to incorporate some of these recipes can really help prevent the targeted cold spot disease.

The focus is largely on foods that are local, fresh, and in season. There is a consistent push for whole foods, and away from fast food and highly processed foods. There's a big key focal point on cooking the way your grandmother would cook. It's looking at the whole picture of the weekly meal plan, balancing veg and meats and dairy in appropriate proportions. and adding spices and flavors to make it all kick!

The kicker is that not everyone will respond well to every cultural diet just because they need to protect against a specific disease. The gene pool is so blended now that what you think might work for you, might not actually work very well at all.  I like being able to try new things, so with this book you can try anything and learn the benefits.  Each of the chapters build on each other with the facts about that disease fighting cold spot.

It really is a quality read. Give it a spin if you're looking for a good diet book or have concerns about one of the diseases.

Don't call him old, call him Incredible!

John Pendergrass contacted me about helping him promote his book, and this is the kind of story that I jumped on with passion.  John started running triathlons at age 60, and ended up completing 6 ironman races on 6 different continents, all after age 60.  This book is solid inspiration with all of the struggles and challenges normally faced by someone that age trying to do this crazy stuff.

image from the amazon page

Against the Odds is a fantastic retelling of the challenges of Ironman. John has to handle a lot of logistics.  When you start with the premise of doing an ironman on six different continents you know it's not going to be easy. Throw on top of that maintaining an active physicians practice and his age and the task becomes monumental.

The really refreshing part of this book is the candidness that Dr Pendergrass approaches the reader with.  His writing makes him seem very approachable, like anybody you would happen to talk to at any other race. 

Any 6 time Ironman is going to end up with plenty of stories to tell.  The way they unfold in here will keep you guessing.  From seeing the Great Wall in China to Brazil and Switzerland, New Zealand and South Africa, it always seems to come together.  And when it comes together at the finish line you know that takes something special.  I won't spoil what happens in China, but it's pretty intense.

Seriously, you need to add this one to the Amazon wish list or order a copy today.  It's a great read!  It's not a "how to train for Ironman" book, but more of a "how I really did it" book.

Eat & Run

I just finished off reading Scott Jurek's book Eat & Run about being vegan and running ultramarathons.  It was, in a word, incredible.

Scott really puts himself out there in this book.  It's an autobiography in the truest sense of the word.  He covers a lot of family dynamics, dealing with disease and the loss of his mother, and the brutal Minnesota winters.  There's also a lot of upside and positive aspects about becoming vegan and how he made the connection between food, fuel, speed, and winning ultramarathons.

Scott Jurek was a runner and cross country skier in high school, then as an adult turned into an ultramarathon champion winning Western States 7 times after going totally vegan.  In the book he puts recipes and meal plans out there, including how he fuels up for long runs.  The stories he tells are incredible, inspiring, and truthful.  There are lots of high points and low points that he had to go through to become a true champion, and he gives up all the glorious details. 

Since I've been vegan this year I'm seeing considerably faster recovery times and he talks about that a lot in the book.  I was surprised how much I was able to relate to his story.  He gives a lot of detail about the conversion process into being vegan and how it affected his training. 

He also talks a lot about his involvement in Born to Run, which was quite enlightening.

I can't say how much I really enjoyed this book. Two thumbs up!  Get a copy if you haven't already read it!

Paradigm

I finished reading the Paradigm Diet this week, and wanted to share some thoughts.

The pursuit is to look for foods that are completely paradigm, or the best foods to eat.  What does your body really want? How can you eat to fuel a performance?  What do different foods and macronutrients do to your body during digestion?  The answers are paradigm. 

I really did enjoy this book.  The theories are very sound, and I wish there was more information available online.  Adam Dave has a good web site and blog about the diet.  But I could use more cheat sheets about things like the typical day's eats, or a searchable recipe list.  This is the kind of book and diet plan that should  be as popular as atkin's or Paleo.  Yet there is way more information about paleo out there than there is about paradigm. 

Make no mistake about it, this guy is a bit extreme.  It's a real vegan manifesto still based on whole foods.  Nothing processed, nothing out of a box.  Nothing even with flour (processed) like pasta or bread, just whole foods.  Sweets, greens, beans, and seeds.  This post of his really explains the plan very well. 

Nothing but fruit before noon.  Breakfast?  fruit.  Lunch?  fruit.  You can blend it into a smoothie and throw in some greens or seeds if you like.  Seeds like chia or flax.  I love the days when I get to have a fruit smoothie for breakfast and another one for lunch.  If I could get enough fruit and remember to make it every night it would be even better.  That's my plan for ironman training next year.

Dinner should start with three of your favorite crunchy vegetables.  Make it like a big salad.  Throw in some more fruit if you want to.  Finish it off with a starch like potatoes, sweet potatoes, or squash.  Add in some beans.  Beans are a great source of protein.

The result is an 80/10/10 macronutrient breakdown with unlimited quantities of the healthy foods.  If you can get 3000 calories a day, go for it.  Bodyfat will just melt off.  You'll have more energy since it's all carbs.  Since these foods all digest in the intestines, there will be no problems in the bathroom.  So much of the paradigm foods are very high in water content, so you will actually be hydrated without having to drink extra water.  And you'll have to pee about 55498797 times a day. 

The bad stuff?  Meat has to be digested in the stomach by acids and enzymes.  The good enzymes die in the process of digestion, and the process generates a lot of heat and a lot of waste.  I have started to notice that if I have some meat for lunch I get really hot sitting in the cube at work about 20 minutes later.  That doesn't happen when I go all fruit for lunch.  There is no water or fiber in meat. 

Same thing with oils.  Whole olives are good, but olive oil is nothing but fat with no water, fiber, or protein.  The program isn't necessarily all raw, but if you want to cook he says to saute in a bit of veggie broth or water.  Otherwise boiling or steaming is ok.  There is no need for oil in paradigm foods.

The final thought?  I really hope this book gains more popularity.  The approach is a bit extreme, but it does work.  I have been thinking about going vegan for a while now.  The toughest thing for me to put down has to be cereal in milk for a nighttime snack.  I can't really get into a decent breakfast pattern yet either.  If I don't remember to make up a green smoothie for breakfast it's usually scrambled eggs with turkey bacon and some cheese, or another bowl of cereal.  Once I can work out a few more kinks like that it will be easy. 

Give this book a shot!  The science is sound and it is a really interesting read.  This type of diet can fully support me in ultramarathon and/or ironman training, it just takes volume.  Knowing more about how our bodies process nutrients and how plants produce them is really interesting.  This is a great read and I'm taking a lot of useful information out of it.

Grrrrr - a 5k Race Report

The Biggest Loser 5k in Myrtle Beach SC was this saturday. I was really trying to PR since this was my only 5k this year. I might end up with a turkey trot or something, but now is the time to really go for it. My runs have been fast lately and I was feeling good.

Before the race:


Being that this was a Biggest Loser 5k, trainer Bob Harper was there. So were Phil and Amy (from SC), Ali and Helen who were the first two female winners. There was also a giant (like 6'7") former contestant that I didn't recognize. It was very inspirational. The tv crews were there, and the episode is supposed to air on Thanksgiving. The theme was "Don't Compete, Just Complete". so there were a ton of walkers. And they all wanted to be up near the front where Bob the trainer was speaking. Apparently, they are doing 20 of these events next year and this one was the pilot. We had 2600 people signed up to run between the 5k and the 1 mile runs!

So they gave the inspirational "get America moving" speech, which is certainly something that I can get behind. But I don't think they specified the "get the hell out of my way" point quite effectively enough. The starting gun went off and we didn't move. Remember, we were maybe 30 feet behind the starting line. The former contestants led things off, and I don't remember passing them but apparently I did.

The start was incredibly congested. I started the Garmin as soon as I crossed the timing mat, and it was a full 2 minutes until I finally was able to get under a 10 minute pace! So much for PR-ing. They never said walkers should stay to the right! I didn't think you could fit that many people in the first 35 ft of a race. But I must have passed a hundred people in the first few minutes. Kelley got to talk some with Ali, one of the winners and share her weight loss story. And that meant I was going to have to stay closer to an 8 minute pace to have a chance to PR rather than the 8:20 pace I was going to try.

Once I made my way past the walkers I checked my pace. 6:54, too fast. slow down. 7:04, still too fast. 7:02, damnit slow down or your going to burn out. Even with the congestion at the start I checked my distance for the first time at 1.2 miles, about 9:20. That's way too fast, no way I can hold it.

Bob the trainer ran with the crowd some. I almost caught him, he was maybe two people ahead of me when he peeled off from the pack to join the 1 milers at their start. I still got to yell a "Hey Bob Rock on!" when I went past him and he did acknowlege it. That was kind of cool.

At 1.7 miles my abs gave out. I walked a little bit just to catch up so I could hang onto an 8 minute pace to try and muscle it out. But that's what happens when you start out too fast. The abs can't hold up. Plus they said there were two water stops along the route and I was surprised to get past halfway before seeing the first one. But I walked the water stop at 1.9 miles and a couple more times after that. But after that first water stop I couldn't hold pace consistently for any real distance.

About 2.5 miles in I just decided to stray out at a 9 minute pace. Still had to walk once more. But I should have been able to finish it out.

The route was fantastic. It was really flat, a lot of time off of the roads. It wound through an amusement park, through parking lots, and finished on the boardwalk. Once again, management was the key. Navigate the traffic at the start and keep an even pace that you can hold throughout the race. Consistency is the key.

The goal to finish was under 26:00 for a PR. When I crossed the mat I stopped the garmin at 28:16. Missed it by that much. Still I put up a valiant effort.

The official results came in, and my chip time was 26:35. I was much closer than I thought! Not sure how the chip time was that much faster than the garmin time, but ok I'll take it. Finished 133 out of 1945 finishers, which is still much higher than I was expecting too. But top 10% is nice!

Kelley at the finish after the race. She finished in 31:06 and had a great time!

My friend Mae Anne found me after the race. Blogger meetups are the best! Her husband and kids were there too and they were so sweet.

And Kelley got a pic with the big man Bob Harper! He was greeting people at the finish line, but wasn't there when either one of us finished. But during a spot while there wasn't very many people were crossing the line, she grabbed him for a pic. Bob is awesome! He was so cool and personable, I was totally starstruck.

We had to find some shade after the race. It was HOT! 90+ degrees out there. It's almost october people! this is stupid. At least we got medals.

Kelley's mom and Gene came down with us for the weekend, so they kept the girls while we were racing, and brought them to the finish line while we were running. It was great having everyone down there. The kids absolutely went nuts for the beach and the hotel.

Have you ever been to Myrtle Beach before? It's the tackiest beach in the country. You either love it or you hate it. I hate it. It's the redneck's riviera. I'm not real big on beaches to begin with, but MB has got to be the bottom of the barrel. It is the redneck's riviera.

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I saw not one but TWO pregnant women in bikini's at the same time at the same pool in our hotel. Fortunately, only one of them was smoking. Kelley said she saw a third show up later.

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I left the pool to go for a walk on the beach. Now the speedo I use in the pool was the only swimsuit I had on the trip, so that's what I wore to the beach. I am glad that I can say I was not the oldest, fattest, or only guy in a speedo on that beach.

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I saw more exposed boobies on that beach than was really necessary. Those guys really should have covered up.

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The beach was kind of crowded, but not by peak summer standards. Still, there was between 800 and 900 women out on that beach. Approximately 750 were wearing bikini's. 2 of those women were actually dateable (if I was in a position to notice dateable women which I'm not). Maybe 30 of those women were under age 50.

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The pool, the beach, everywhere else in Myrtle Beach except the race site. It was a parade of "what not to wear". Or at least "what not to wear when you're that damn old". or that size. or both. So I fit in great.

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So final thoughts: Great race. Well organized. Great cause. I might be on national TV. MB sucks but it is a flat place to race. My bottom line is my bottom. I am still carrying around 200 - 207 lbs, and I just can't push 8 minute miles at that weight. I also can't push the bike faster that 18 mph consistently (see Patriots race report) at that weight. I have started reading Racing Weight, and it's time to admit that I can't get any faster without slimming down. Even this weekend, I need to make Ryan's dreams come true and hit the beach in that Speedo thong, but make it look good like he does. Is it going to get boring if I start posting some weight numbers?

Book Review

First, I got in some speedwork last night. It's about time to change up my speedwork routine, I need to read back through some older posts and see what my last few session have been. The speedwork this time was a half mile fast with 0.2 mile recovery. I did the speed at 7.7, 7.8, 7.9 and 8.0 speeds on the treadmill. Then I pulled out a quarter mile at 8.5, and it felt like my stride got much shorter. I think I need to do more shorter faster intervals rather than these 800's again. I tend to do half mile or 1k (0.6 mile) intervals, and skip out on the quarter mile or shorter speedwork. The key to balancing speedwork is to do a range of distances and speeds, not just the same thing every time. With the warmup and cooldown, total workout was 4 miles.

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Book Review - Master your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels

Overall, I liked this book. The science is sound, practices are very grounded, and the basic outline of the plan seems like it could work. I sound skeptical because I've already been doing most of the plan without the intended results. It did give me some ideas for small tweaks and it really makes me want to see an endocrinologist.

The Plan: basically, she purports to get rid of all crap and only do things organically. Don't eat HFCS, no soda's allowed, stick to the powerfoods, and get everything organic. If it doesn't have a mother or grow from the ground, don't let it into your house. This includes abandoning traditional kitchen cleaners for a simple vinegar/water mix. Think of it like you speak english your whole life, then wake up one day and everyone around you speaks russian. You don't know how to interact with anything else anymore. So your body automatically wants to store it as fat, thinking that it's a language you can learn later. If you get foods and your environment to only speak english then everything can work in harmony again.

The entire book is based around stabalizing and balancing hormone levels, and that's something I can really get behind. I get the doctor to check my teststosterone level every time I'm in his office. I have no idea why I like monitoring that stuff, but I just do. She talks a lot about diabetes, PCOS, tons of women-specific hormone stuff, thyroid function.... really geeky details, and I love learning about that stuff.

The funny thing is, as much as she wants everything to be organic, she also talks about taking supplemental hormones prescribed by her endocrinologist. Seems contradictory.

The EXTRA sugar free gum on my desk right now, that they promote heavily on the Biggest Liar contains the ingredients: Sorbital, Gum base, Mannitol.... I have yet to see a sorbital tree so I don't think that gum qualifies to be on her own diet plan. Seems contradictory. Ever seen a mannitol plant? Maybe it really does exist.

My primary basis for comparrison has to be weight watchers. I've also used the Men's Health Abs Diet with good results, and there are some similar components here, but I still think WW would be the better comparrison. The basis behind WW is to get everything low fat, high fiber and eat tons of whole and healthy foods.

• MM says to only eat organic whole foods.
• WW say if it's labeled Fat Free or low fat it's going to be lower in points, and healthier for you.
• MM has never seen a bell pepper labeled "fat free". Fat free labels indicate that the fat has been replaced by a foriegn language speaking man made product and it should be avoided.
• WW wants high fiber foods like oatmeal, but not the high sugar flavored instant stuff
• MM wants high fiber foods like oatmeal. Whole oats, steel cut please
• WW wants only extremely lean protein like boneless skinless chicken breasts of any kind
• MM wants free range hormone free chicken, grass fed beef, the leaner cuts are better but organic is really the only restriction
• WW wants 60% carbs (veg), 30% protein, 10% fat
• MM wants 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat
• WW wants points
• MM wants balance

In my last post, I detailed a lot of my current eating plan. If you've been reading for a while, you know I already do everything possible organicly, and even keep (and love!) my organic garden. I already exercise regularly in triathlon training. I eat 6 small meals a day at 6, 10:30, 12:30, 3:30, 6:30 and 9:30 (or post-pm-workout) every day. My half ironman training requires enough fuel to push my body through the workouts, and I tend to maintain weight around 190 - 200 lbs during training. I actually got down under 190 (for the first time since I got married 10 years ago) after the marathon in june, and once this half ironman training started in early july, went right back up to around 200. I still have some belly fat, and my summer goal was to get rid of enough belly fat to look good wearing white pants and no shirt. That goal has not been achieved yet - but I still have until labor day.

The book really tries to promote balance, and that's something I am really big on. Balance between work and family, training cycles, macronutrients, fast time and slow time, everything has to stay balanced. Jillian approaches this from a hormonal level as well.

Cortisol is a stress released hormone, when it is raised (your stress level is out of balance) you add body fat. If you don't get enough sleep at night, you will feel stressed. Sleep is very important. Manage your stress to control cortisol.

Grehlin is the hormone that makes you feel hungry. high levels of grehlin indicate hunger, and when you are not hungry anymore (but not over-stuffed) grehlin levels go back down. It's directly paired with insulin, which rises right after you eat and drops as you get hungry. Insulin and grehlin have to stay balanced all day to keep your body fat in check.

To keep the 30% fat, 30% protein, and 40% carbs in check requires balance. When you eat each macronutrient is just as important as what it is. She wants 4 meals a day, eat every 4 hours, and nothing after 9 pm. Eat your biggest meals earlier in the day. Big breakfast, normal lunch, afternoon snack, small and late dinner. I guess the only way to make this time out is to have breakfast at 7 am, lunch at 11, snack at 4 pm, dinner at 8 pm. You could back it up another hour, but who wants to have lunch at 10 am? We eat dinner at 6:30 and the kids go to bed at 8, there's no way we could have dinner at 8. I take in around 2000 calories a day in 6 meals every 3 hours or so, and burn off 600 - 1200 calories per workout 5 days a week. I'm about ready to start adding some days with 2 workouts, so I don't see how her plan can adequately fuel my workouts without creating huge meals that throw off the insulin/grehlin balance. So there's one adjustment.

I really like how she wants more carbs earlier in the day and more protein later in the day. Growth hormone is only produced in a deep sleep cycle called stage 3 or stage 4 sleep. My last meal of the day is always a large bowl of cereal because after the workout I want a mix of carbs (cheerios) and protein (skim milk). Late night carbs trigger insulin, and high levels of insulin prevent deep sleep. I do have trouble sleeping through the night. Just last night I woke up at 2 am, then again at 3 am before the alarm went off at 6. And since no deep sleep prevents the largest production of growth hormone, I suspect a deficiency there. Jillian indicates a GH deficiency can lead to increased belly fat. So in theory, if I switch to an only protein last meal instead of a large bowl of cereal I should sleep better and lose the belly fat. The biggest problem is, I don't know what will fit the bill. The kids are asleep by then, so smoothies get tricky unless I make them up in advance. There's not usually time or patience then to cook something like eggs. I could keep boiled eggs in the fridge. 2 salted boiled eggs is a favorite snack of mine, and less calories than cereal. I've also been really into poached eggs lately. Since Jillian says dinner at 8 and nothing after, she did not provide any ideas for late night munchies. What do you like to snack on late at night?

Go buy this book if you have a little nerd in you and want to learn about hormone levels and balance. She has her own set of powerfoods that I already love and eat all the time anyway. Again, the late night stuff is the best thing I got from this book. But learning in general what to eat to keep different hormone levels balanced made this a really interesting read.

Oh Boy -- and Book Review

What a wild weekend! Today's also nuts at work, so I've only got a sec. I'll have to wait and insult Glaven later. It was great not having the kids for the weekend. Bigun cried when we picked them up on sunday, she really wanted to stay at Grandma's house. I remember the feeling. Then she fell asleep on the car ride home. nuts, but they all had a good weekend too.

Friday was uneventful. After dropping off the kids, we went out to a restaurant we thought was too nice to bring the kids too. of course, they sat us between two tables with screaming kids. great. It was still a fun evening.

Saturday Kelley headed up the mountain to meet up with her cousin. This left me with no car, which is normally not a problem. I finally got the berry bed cleared, and planted all 9 Ison's plants. All 7 blueberry bushes already have blooms on them, so I hope I got them in the ground in time for a spring crop. The grapevines I got were huge! Two of them also had flower buds already formed, so they are going to love their new home, I think. I also planted the peas, but I might have waited too late in the year. Peas have to be planted really early in order for them to bear pods. We'll have to wait and see I guess.

I finished all that gardening, which was wonderful. Then it came time to get my 11 mile run in. And I couldn't get a ride anywhere, gym or Furman. But after 6 hours hard working the garden I didn't really feel like running 11 miles anyway. So I ordered pizza and cracked a beer.

Sunday was awesome. I did actually remember to change the clocks up. Then had a lazy morning, Kelley came back down the mountain early so she could get some house stuff done. I took off on the bike late for my group ride. I mapped a route through the neighborhoods (no traffic) to get to the starting point, it was about 7 miles. Then I met up with 11 other riders from the Greenville Spinners to climb Paris Mountain. It's not the most difficult climb, but it certainly has it's challenges. Especially when you already start out 7 miles ahead of the group. It was 80 degrees and sunny outside. Boy you really felt the heat during the climb. That's the most I think I have ever sweat on the bike. Check out the garmin log:

You can at least see the elevation changes without clicking to see the larger view. and don't make fun of my log on the left, I don't always use the garmin to log my runs. The cool stats: 24.99 miles total distance. 2450 ft of elevation change climbing, and 2471 downhill elevation change. Max speed 38.1 mph. Wow, that is fast. Since we had the snow last week, they put sand on the roads to keep cars from sliding off the mountain. Of course, that also means that the bike tires would just slide right out from under you if you weren't careful. Loose dry sand on a paved road does not really "agree" with bike tires. So we had to be really careful. Otherwise that 38.1 mph might have been higher.

I broke away from the group after we were down the mountain. The route came just a couple of roads from my house, so I took off. The groups are great, but they maintain a constant (and fairly slow) pace on the flatlands. So when I broke away and got onto a flat 4 lane road with very little traffic, I really let it open up. Got into the big chainring and a fairly high gear, and stayed around 27 mph for the last 4 miles or so. ah, that was a blast. but this is the killer part. I had to cut through a couple of parking lots to get into my neighborhood. Right before turning into the parking lot, my chain came off. Freakin 2 hours 45 mins into the ride, I'm 2 blocks from the house and I throw the freakin chain. unbelievable. I got it back on and finished the ride home.

Once I got home, there was a severe lack of nutrition. I should have taken some recoverite, but I didn't. I don't think I properly hydrated during the ride either, so I was already under the gun. Just couldn't seem to eat enough to feel good again for the rest of the night.

Today started out going back in the pool. I got in a good 1800 meters, and really wore myself down. Freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, I had a really good, balanced swim. Again today, I can't seem to get enough to eat. it's crazy. But that's the fun part about tri training. My legs are shredded, my chest and arms are shredded, and my ass hurts like I was somebody's bitch.

It's great to be back in tri season, though. The sun is out, we're back on daylight savings time, the trees are starting to bloom. ah yea.

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Book Review - Forces Of Nature by Laird Hamilton

Laird Hamilton is a self serving meathead. Sure, his wife is smoking hot (Gabby Reece) and he's widely regarded as the fittest man (and family) on the planet. Yea, he's a world renowned big wave surfer. And this book does have it's good points. But there is at least one picture of Laird on every page. Sometimes there were actually 6 pics of Laird on one page. Seriously, every single page has a pic of Laird. It's hilarious, and it makes it read like a book for a second grader. But he does have some good information in there, particularly the excercise and nutrition sections. His circuit is a bear. and he's all about organic, natural eating with some great info on nutritional supplements. that's something I can really get behind. But the rest of it was just Laird saying how great Laird is. Check it out if you're really into surfing or Laird Hamilton, because Laird Hamilton sure is.

Book Review

I fnished reading Tri Power: The Ultimate Strength Training, Core Conditioning, Endurance, and Flexibility Program for Triathlon Success the other night. I really enjoyed this book, and the program they promote. It is well researched, seems effective, and appropriate for runners and triathletes.

I talked some a few posts ago about balance. I think balance and stability is what gives us power and endurance basis points. When we run, we want to limit the side to side movements, and be sure all movement is helping us move forward. Same thing on the bike, without balance we would fall over a lot. And in the pool balance and stability in the water helps us rotate properly and keep a full range of motion and easier breathing. Tri Power focuses on balance, stability and core conditioning.

I think this book has equal appeal to men and women. I used to train like a bodybuilder, even though I never had the mass or definition to enter a competition. So I am intrinsically skeptic of a weightlifting book that doesn't have heavy bench press as a focal point. But this program starts with a complete look at the core, from sternum to hip flexors front and back. A lot of the exercises are body weight or light dumbells/bands for resistance, and tons of time on the swiss ball. So the true focus of the program is to help specifically with one or all of the tri sports.

It is a program, not just a suggestion. There is strength training, where you actually try and increase upper body, lower body, and core strength; flexibility which prevents injury and allows the muscles to stay supple and able to train hard; and finally conditioning which allows the muscles to perform for longer periods of time. The program is designed to take 6 - 9 months to cover you through the entire season of races. There is a self-assessment you are supposed to take every 4 weeks to monitor progress in strength and flexibility. Then 4 days a week you do 15 minutes of stretching and simple excersises. 2 days a week there is a longer strength training session, depending on what phase of the program you are in. There are base, strength gain, and maintenance phases of the program, so you can sustain it throughout the racing season.

I think a program like this is what can make the difference between completing races and competing in them. It can also be the difference between running the entire year comfortably and having overuse and form injuries. The worst thing I did in my marathon training plan was running and nothing else. I let my core fall into a secondary position. And that's when the knees, ankles and shins started acting up and bringing in new pains. When you work on your form and get plenty of cross training your body will be in balance. Focusing on only running will only work those muscles, and the body gets out of balance. Stay in balance, and you will stay healthy and show improvements in every area.

Don't use Tri Power unless you want to stay stable, injury free, and in balance. I'm taking the week after the marathon off (feb 15 - 21), then I'm going to start this program first thing on the 22nd. I really think this is what's been missing from my marathon plan. It's achievable, steady, and beneficial.

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GARDEN

And as if my spring fever wasn't bad enough, I got my garden planned out for this year. last year I had two spaces for veg, and one of them was too acidic to really perform well. I had some beans that grew pretty well there, but this year i'm going to do something else.

I finally got my Ison's order placed. Ison's is a small family owned nursery in southeastern Georgia. they are in zone 8, so anything they can grow and sell will also do very well in the pacific northwest for all of my Portland peeps. This is a hidden jewel that is only known around some parts of the south, and they ship some amazing products. I ordered 3 seedless grape vines, 7 blueberry bushes, and 2 boysenberry bushes. Last year, I got 3 muscadine vines, they should set fruit this year and I can't wait. My grandfather found them years ago, and grew about 20 muscadine vines on his farm. I'm going to put up the grapes next to my trellis of muscadines, and make the underperforming veg patch from last year into a full berry patch. The strawberry plants I put in there last year did ok, but the squirrels ate most of the berries. still, those plants will be back this year and I can cover the whole patch with netting.

I also got my seed order placed for Park's Seeds. They are another local seed and plant shop, in Greenwood about an hour and a half from here. I'm doing an oly tri in Greenwood this year. But Parks is pretty well known around the country. I ordered some corn, plenty of peppers, some peas, and another 25 strawberry plants with growin bags. I'm going to try hanging some strawberries this year too.

So I'm expanding the veg patch that did pretty well last year. I still have to de-weed last years patch, and clear out grass and border up the new space. But the veg list for this year includes:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Okra
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Gourds
• Melons
• Pumpkins
• Pole and Bush green beans
• Potatoes
• Peppers (sweet, hot, bell, banana)
• Corn
• Peas

all in a single 60 x 30 ft patch. A lot of those grow like vines, so I'm going to take advantage of that. Use the taller products like tomatoes and corn to shade the veg that burns in the afternoon sun like beans, squash & zuc, and I think I've got a decent plan put together. Now all it takes is the actual work to get the beds ready and limed, get the soil ammended, and start some of the seeds in flats inside.

I'm also going to do plenty of herbs, but I discovered last year that it was too much of a pain to leave something on the stove to go to the backyard and grab fresh herbs. So all of the herbs are going in containers on the deck. They grow really well there, and the squirrels tend to leave herbs alone up there.

I didn't order anything from Seeds of Change this year, but I normally do. They are an all organic, carbon neutral organization, and the tree hugger in me likes supporting that. But I bought such a low volume of seeds this year, that I just went to Park's. I wanted the Silver Queen corn, and SoC didn't have it.

So it's off to work! I seem to be making a lot of work for myself now, with a new strength training program, garden plan, and tons of code to write. and miles to go before i sleep, and miles to go before i sleep. Have a great day!

a little snow

Well, we finally got our first snow here in SC. Sunday morning I woke up to a little dusting with more falling. But by 8 am it was sleet, then gone before the girls got up or I could take a picture. Then today I saw flurries when I pulled the car out of the driveway at 5:10 AM, but no accumulation. That is still more snow than we got in 2008 (none at all) and in 2007 we got about 3" total in one storm.

But get this: It was still enough to cancel the masters swim practice. Apparently, nobody knew. I think it's all going to work out ok, though. I showed up for the 5:30 practice at 5:35, after not knowing how long the drive would take with morning traffic. There were about 7 cars there, and I noticed one car still had somebody sitting in it. Then, every car still had somebody sitting in it. Then, some discussions took place that did not involve me, and every car simultaneously started up and left. I guess that meant the coach didn't show up thanks to the snow. So my first masters swim practice consisted of getting up at 5 am which should have been 4:45, and spending an hour in the car when I didn't need to. I almost slept in anyway, just thanks to the threat of snow, but decided that wasn't the triathlete thing to do.

I should mention that the county northeast of us got about 3", and when you get over the NC state line into the mountains (due north of me), and towards Charlotte (1.5 hours northeast) they got about 6" of snow this morning. Schools are closed, most businesses are closed, even government offices are closed today. And once again, I have to work. With no swimming this morning, I'm going to get out to the gym today. Maybe weightlifting, maybe bike or elliptical. But for at least an hour. If you are interested, the local TV station has a webcam setup that is currently showing the forecast and storm warnings too. It's downtown Greenville, I live about 15 mins outside of downtown.

The shin is feeling better, but not totally great. The right knee feels pretty good too, but not totally great. I'm still going to save the impact time for the 22 mile run scheduled for saturday. The training plan has a 5 mile run scheduled for today, so an hour on the elliptical is a rough equivilent. It's better to play it conservative for now.

I am also eagerly awaiting a couple of shipments. I found Bike Island recently, and ordered an indoor bike trainer from there that shipped out on saturday. I also got a set of cleats/pedals for the bike. I've got shoes already, but no clipless pedals for them to snap into. So it will be interesting to get that all setup. I still need to get a bike computer that will show me distance & speed while on the trainer, and would appreciate any advice you've got on what computer to get. or maybe I just need a heart rate monitor, I have no idea.

I also ordered a few new books from Amazon that should be here soon. Forces of Nature by Laird Hamilton looks really really good. It's his new philosophy book about surfing and how it gets him all zen'd out. America's fittest family shares mind, body, and soul secrets to living healthy and happy? I'm in. That seems really cool. And since I'm a sucker for free shipping, I tacked on Tri Power to push me over the total needed to get free shipping. I don't know how adding a $11 book to save $4 in shipping costs makes sense, but it works for me. I have been keeping my eye out for a good strength training plan specifically for triathlon, as I know I need to add more weightlifting workouts. And this book is the ultimate strength training, core conditioning, endurance, and flexibility plan for triathlon sucess. So how can you get any better than that? Have you read either of those? opinions please?

Have a great day! Flynn out (of the pool).