Two Types of Resistence

February 13, 2023

I have been diagnosed as being pre-diabetic and since have gone down a rabbit hole of learning and self-diagnosing.

It seems I have developed two types of resistance: Insulin Resistance and Medical Advice Resistance.

Medical Advice Resistance

I am a healthy 44-year-old who exercises almost every day and has relatively low body fat. Despite that, the speed at which doctors will prescribe medicine is shocking to me. I don’t blame them, I blame a system that does not give them the time to do route cause analyses and a system that prioritizes quick fixes by way of medication.

"your the worst kind of patient." Said one doctor to me. You won’t just do what I say and you question everything.

One doctor suggested that I try Metformin to control my blood glucose. I researched this wonder drug and noticed it not only can help regulate blood sugar levels but also has studies that show that it extends life.

Not only can I solve my blood sugar problem, but I can also live longer.

That’s until I happed from another doctor and Ph.D. that cited studies that recommend against metformin when the patient exercises.

It seems for every doctor, there is a doctor with an equal and opposite opinion.

While I have a healthy resistance to the medical profession, I love when I find a doctor who is not only passionate about a subject but willing to take the time to really understand the context. I don’t believe they are motivated by money, but I find they are usually not cheap.

Insulin Resistance

While on the subject of resistance, my current working theory is that I have developed insulin resistance. which basically means that my body can’t effectively deal with the sugar(glucose) created by my liver so it stays elevated in my bloodstream. To deal with the blood sugar, my pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to deal with the blood sugar. Insulin either converts the glucose into fat and stores it in my love handles or helps get it into the cells. This process reduces the blood sugar levels and it signals to the pancreas that it doesn’t need any more insulin.

The process doesn’t seem to work well for me and I constantly have high blood sugar levels. This means that despite my body producing a lot of insulin, my blood sugar levels are not going down. To counteract this, my body then keeps on producing insulin. My body in a sense is resisting the insulin, in other words, I'm insulant resistant.

So what if I am insulin resistant or have higher than normal blood sugar?

I have a high chance of developing type 2 diabetes and will be injecting myself with exogenous insulin to manage my blood sugar. Other symptoms of high blood sugar are dehydration, fatigue, urinating a lot, and blurred vision.

My Assumptions

The working assumption I have is that I have developed this IR because I'm frequently eating. I snack all the time. I eat healthy things, like dried fruit, nuts, and dark chocolate. I eat a lot of healthy things, the problem is that I am always eating them. I exercise enough to keep my weight under control. This constant snacking may have resulted in IR.

I may have hypothyroidism. For this, I found a doctor that meets the above conditions that I will consult.

I assume it took years to get to this point, I'm assuming it will take many months or years to fix naturally.

My Approach.

No Medication
I've started wearing the Dexcom g6 continuous glucose monitor. This has been a game changer
I stop eating after 6:30
I intermittently fast 4 times a week. One of those is 24-36 hours
I have cut out all refined sugar and most carbs
I eat a high fat/high protein low carb diet
No snacking and only 2 meals a day Monday - Friday.

My plan is to do this for 3 months and see what happens to my blood markers.

Friends on Bikes Getting Coffee

February 9, 2021

“the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close (drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reduction in drag is dramatic; riding in the middle of a well-developed group, drag can be reduced to as little as 5%-10%” -Wikipedia

I usually ride my bike alone. I decide when I leave, the speed, distance, and how long I will stay in the café.

I do not enjoy group riding. It is stressful. Rather than getting lost in thought about myself, I have to focus on the rider In front of me and communicate to the one behind me. I need to be aware of my surroundings. Riding in a pack is an exercise in claustrophobia moving at 35km per hour. Group rides usually meet much earlier than I would like, and last longer.

In short, I usually ride alone.

Over the past couple of months, I have been riding with a local Istanbul group called Rota Biskilet, and I have learned some things about group riding and friendship:

Riding in a group only works if you over-communicate. Not communicating can result in people getting hurt.
It is based on trust. I trust that the rider in front of me will let me know if there is a hole in the ground.
You cannot be focused on yourself, you need to be focused on others.
Everyone must take a turn doing the hard work at the front.
It can be dangerous. You are riding inches from another rider going 35-40km per hour.
You can go further, faster, with the same effort.
You learn from others. How to eat, peddle, signal, etc.
If you get tired, the group will not leave you.
You practice being present.
If you are lucky, you will find some in the group that will take you under their wing. For me, it has been Gazi Abi. Sometimes, they send you to the back of the peloton, because you pose a threat.
You will become stronger when you ride with stronger people.
It takes time to become comfortable in the group.

Like riding, I also enjoy being alone. Since leaving New Jersey in 2006, I have mostly been alone, choosing not to make deep friendships.

“It’s just easier and less complicated,” I tell myself.

I wonder how much growth I have lost in the past 14 years, had I been surrounded by a peloton of friends who, together, are stronger than each can be individually. Or rather, how much stronger could I be in the coming years if I surround myself with people whom I trust? All I have to do is risk getting hurt.

American Egyptian Psycho -My COVID routine to stay lean and sharp

November 30, 2020

I know this post runs the risk of sounding like the opening scene of American Psycho. The truth is that I have two daily modes: one where I feel mentally, physically, and emotionally terrible, and one where I feel the opposite. I am in a constant battle between the loser version of me and the better vision. The better version wins about 80 percent of the daily battles. Below is the routine that creates a better version of me:

Monday - Friday

AM - (Boot up sequence)

Apple cider vinegar and water
Green tea and mint (15 minutes)
Morning spiritual practice (30 Minutes)
Morning Cardio (45 minutes - 90 Minutes)
Stretch (15 Minutes)
Contrast shower(3 minutes hot, 1 minute cold)
First meal at 12 pm
Daily Covid specific vitamins (C, D, Zinc, Selenium)

PM

Nightly spiritual practice(10 Minutes)
Fast starts at 6 pm
Strength training (Monday, Wednesday & Friday). More carbs on those days)
Sleep at 10-11

Weekend

Longer rides/runs on Saturday and Sunday
I eat whatever I want on Saturday. No restrictions and no intermittent fasting

I keep track of all my habits using the Habit Tracker and Zero app. These allow me not only to track but share my habits with my close friends. This has been a game-changer for me - there is something about clicking those buttons that gives me a dopamine hit.

Habits that haven’t stuck

Write for 1 hour every day. (I do write one hour every Monday to publish this blog)
No electronics after 9 pm
No phone
Turmeric Milk

Who not how

November 2, 2020

““Alone we can do so little; together we can do...” ”

— Helen Keller

When you set a goal bigger than yourself, the standard mental model is usually to ask yourself: How can “I” achieve this goal, what steps do “I” need to take. A far more effective mental model is to ask: “Who can help me achieve this goal?”
To many, asking “who” is almost cheating. Dan Sullivan argues it's an artifact of our education and rewards systems.

A close friend and highly successful entrepreneur Amr has this mental model intuitively. Whenever he sets a goal, he asks immediately: “Who can help me?”

8 months ago at the age of 55, overweight with two herniated disks and bad knees, he set the goal of doing an Ironman 70.3. He asked who can help him achieve this and found them. He asked me to pace him. Yesterday, we crossed the finish line together. He is a powerful example of someone who embodies who, not how.

Most people would be too embarrassed to ask for help. He was not. He simply asked and I said yes.

More Resources:

Watch the podcast for more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdQqrMTVWY8
Buy the book https://www.amazon.com/Who-Not-How-Accelerating-Teamwork-ebook/dp/B0867ZJ151

How I stopped eating 1,000 "healthy" calories at night

September 27, 2020

I have no problem with willpower during the day. Like a vampire, I am dangerous at night.

During that time is when I eat my healthy snacks. Primarily nuts, fruit, and the occasional piece of dark chocolate. All healthy stuff, because I’m a healthy guy. I play a mind game with myself: “It’s not like I’m eating junk.”

One day, I decided to count the calories I was eating before I sleep and was shocked to find out they were over 1,000 calories. Suddenly the fact that I couldn’t lose those stubborn 10 pounds made sense.

The following day, armed with this knowledge, I did exactly the same thing. My thirst for salted cashews couldn’t overcome my desire to save my midsection. This continued for months. Until this month, when I finally conquered it as I studied behaviors and habits.

My Habit Loop

My will power and desire to change were not strong enough to overcome my nightly habit loop.

Trigger: Sit on the couch after a long day
Routine: Tell one of my family to grab me some fruit and nuts
Reward: Dopamine hit of a fatty, salty, and sugary snack

I decided to try a different habit loop using the knowledge I gained from the different books I read this month.

To change the habit, I used the knowledge that I needed several things to overcome my urges. Namely: be part of a tribe, A constant supply of dopamine, a new trigger, routine, and reward habit loop.

I found that I could cover most of these things using the Zero fasting app. My wife and a close friend also began to fast with me. They along with the millions of others using the fasting app became my tribe.

My routine became:

Trigger: Click start fasting on the app at 6 pm.
Routine: Intermittent fast for 18 hours
Reward: The dopamine hit of clicking the end fast 18 hours later.

For the first couple of days, my mouth would start to salivate at around 8 pm. Rather than fight it, I know from the work of Charles Duhigg that I should change the routine. I will have some sparkling water or chamomile tea instead.

The intermittent fasting coupled with my normal habit of zone 2 cardio, paid dividends in the long run. As with most things, good habits have delayed gratification as opposed to bad habits. I lost those stubborn 10 pounds in a month.

More Resources

I had a panic attack while cycling down a steep hill

September 27, 2020

I was recently cycling up a very steep and gravelly hill on the Turkish coast. As I climbed further and further up the hill, alone, I realized that I should probably turn back. As I turned around, I was faced with the stunning blue waters of the Turkish coast on my left and the steep decent ahead of me.

I have an extreme fear of heights.

Instantly, I felt my palms begin to sweat and my body filled with the loud thumping of my heart and my mind began to race.

‘I can’t stop! The gravel road…my tires will skid’

‘I forgot to wear my gloves! My hands are sweaty, I’m going slip off!’

I felt debilitated, cycling down a steep hill on a race bike with 25 mm tires. I knew enough to know that I was experiencing a panic attack. According to the Mayo Clinic: “Panic attacks, while intensely uncomfortable, are not dangerous.” In this particular case, the danger was real.

What I have been deliberately practicing for the past year surfaced to my consciousness. In this moment, I remembered: “Breath.” I employed what the Navy Seals call Tactical breathing. Something I had been practicing for months.

The panic attack went from acute to dull. It was still there but not all consuming. I kept moving forward while breathing.

I made it down the hill breathing deeply from my nose and exhaling from my mouth. As I made it down the hill, I forced myself to smile.

The next day, I was met with an even steeper hill. The difference this time was that I began breathing slowly ahead of time. My fear did not go away, the panic did.

Running with a mask is changing my life...in a good way

July 20, 2020

Of the many strange new changes brought upon by COVID-19, I am forced to run with a mask. In Istanbul, where I live, there is a stiff penalty for not wearing a mask and an even stiffer social penalty for not adhering to the new societal norm.

I hate running with the mask because it restricts my breathing and it usually ends up as a chin strap. I assumed that mouth breathing is critical because it maximizes the amount of oxygen I have in my system.

Turns out I have been breathing all wrong.

I was listening to a podcast with author James Nestor where he was comparing nose breathing with mouth breathing. According to Nestor and some further googling, the effects of nose-breathing vs mouth breathing are stark.

Effects of mouth breathing
Sleep Apnea
Increased stress and Anxiety
Increased illness 
Bad breath
Respiratory issues
Neurological issues

Effects of Nose-breathing:
	Slows down your breathing which will increase the amount of oxygen in your system but up to 20%

Heats, humidifies and conditions the air before entering your lungs

Filters out bacteria before air enters you lungs

Reduction in stress and anxiety

The nose is a miraculous organ that prepares the air so that the body can maximize oxygen consumption as well as keep us in balance emotionally. Our nose is key to performance and balance. Its volume is actually larger than I thought - it’s the size of a small fist and extends above the eyes. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. If you don’t it will atrophy and will actually get harder to breath from your nose.

In short, deep breathing via the nose will help my running and intellectual performance. The challenge is that we breathe 25,000 times and I'm used to breathing from my mouth. How do I train myself to breath from the nose?

But now I have a daily cue to practice deep nose breathing. Putting on the mask is a constant reminder. Now during my run and bike rides I do “sets” of 10 “reps” where I breath deeply in and out from my nose.

Thank you Covid for reminding me to improve my breathing.

More resources:

How I Accidentally Eliminated Brain Fog and Became a Morning Person...

February 2, 2019

I generally hate the morning. I usually wake up later than I want, feeling foggy, chest full of mucus, and joints aching.

“I’m just not a morning person.” Is what I have always told others and myself.

I have long desired to become a morning person though. Waking up at 4 am, working out, journaling, meditating, etc. has always been an elusive dream. I tried watching inspirational YouTube videos, internet how-to’s, usually at 1 am, to help me become a morning person, but it never sticks.

Now that I control my schedule even more, things have gotten worse.

That is, until about 2 months ago.

I was visiting family in New Jersey and had a string of caffeine-fueled days and late nights that resulted in pretty crappy mornings.

The crappier I felt, the more caffeine I would consume.

On a night out with my wife, I decided to have a quick double espresso to start the night off right. We were discussing something, when my heart started to beat uncontrollably. She looked at me and told me that I should sit down and that my face was getting pale.

My terrible sleep habits, roughly 1200 mg of caffeine a day, and dehydration had resulted in that.

“That’s it! I’m quitting coffee.” I told her.

“I don’t think that is possible,” she replied.

We have been together for 20 years and I have been addicted to coffee the entire time.

Doing the Impossible

But that is exactly what I did. I quit coffee.

The following week is what can only be described as hell week. I was tired all the time, irritable, and just not myself.

After a week, I started to feel better, I stayed hydrated and exercised which seemed to help.

During this time, I started to read about what was happening with my body that resulted in the strange heart pounding incident. I learned about adrenal fatigue, inflammation, & circadian rhythms.

I calculated that I had been alive over 14,000 days and I didn’t want to waste any more. I didn’t want to wake up feeling like crap and going to sleep struggling to actually sleep.

Stopping caffeine was my critical first step. What I noticed as my body started to detox was that rather than going between 2 and 10, I was at a steady 6 or 7.

During this time we made a long trip back from New York to Istanbul with a stopover in Amsterdam. Doing an overnight with 4 kids and a layover is not a lot of fun, but to my surprise I was very zen the whole time. Even when we had issues with one of the kids papers, I was still at a 6.

During the following weeks, I started to sleep earlier and earlier. My body would get tired and I would just sleep. As someone who tracks their sleep habitually, my deep sleep went from 1 hour a night to 3 hours. I found myself sleeping less and waking up earlier.

I started waking up clear and feeling great. I became over-protective of maintaining that feeling. My nervous energy and excitability was replaced with a more mellow personally.

“Are you ok? Is everything ok?” Was something I heard a lot. I was perfectly fine.

Waking up at 4 or 5 AM poses a major issue: What do I do with that quiet time?

Rather than wasting the time on the internet or YouTube, I created an ever-evolving protocol:

The night before:

No electronics after 8 PM & keep the phone outside the room
Golden milk (This turmeric-based drink is a magical potion and has eliminated virtually all morning mucous)
Go to bed around 9 PM but not sleep
1. Journal (What did I do that day and what I want to do the next day)
2. Read a physical book
3. Talk to wife etc.

The morning:

Wake-up naturally between 4-5
Make a large peppermint tea, I prefer this to a large glass of water
Spiritual practices (30 min)
60 minutes on the stationary bike (Check email, WhatsApp, etc)
Hot/Cold shower
High protein breakfast & 500 ml of water
Wake-up the kids and make them breakfast

The sacrifice

This new protocol is not without it’s scarifies. 9-1 AM was when I would hang out most with my wife. We have replaced this with having breakfast together or going for a walk together in the morning. The lack of caffeine has also meant that it’s harder to get to a high when I’m feeling sluggish. I am also finding myself saying no to any social gathering that will force me to stay out too late.

Experiment: Train for Ironman in two months?

August 6, 2016

Can I prepare for an Ironman in less than 2 months?

(Guest Post) How I Started Running Fast(er)

June 7, 2014

Guest post by Issa Abbasi (@IssaAhmadAbbasi)

When I began to enjoy running, I immediately listed all of the popular marathons I wanted to one day race. Of course, any serious runner would make sure to include the Boston Marathon on such a "bucket list" of races as I made sure to do. I knew that I had to qualify for the Boston Marathon but what I didn't know was that the qualifying time for my age group (18-34) would require me to run a marathon a year before I planned to register to run the Boston Marathon in 3:05. This qualifying race for the Boston Marathon (also known as a "BQ") has to also be certified by the Boston Athletic Association (BAA), so it can't just be "any" marathon that you run to qualify for Boston.

While I am not running a 7 minute pace yet, I knew I had to get faster at running if I wished to one day qualify for the Boston Marathon.

But how does a runner simply run fast or faster? Below are some methods and techniques I used to improve not only my speed but also my endurance in a matter of 8 weeks.

I joined a running club

Running can be extremely fun, especially when you have a large support group in a running club. When you run with others around you, you will have no choice but to run faster if you want to keep up with the group. Naturally, you'll discover here what actual "running" is and feels like.

Furthermore, clubs tend to offer group workouts that include speed drills done by a coach. These speed drills are especially helpful to getting faster. With my experience, I cut almost three minutes off my 5K PR with weekly speed drills for six weeks (11/28/13 5K was 29:34 and 1/26/14 5K was 26:39).

I hired a running coach
As discussed in my previous post, even as a beginner, can pay dividends very quickly. A good coach's approach will get you to realize gains very quickly but also sustained gains for your long term racing career. Coaches will also give you advice you won't find in a running magazine, book, or on a Facebook page about everything running related.

I slowed down
This may seem counter intuitive but it works; slow down! Runners need to realize that not every run has to be at your all out 5k race pace. Runners need to embrace training at various paces on a weekly basis if they want to run fast(er). For more information about slowing down, see Ahmad's post about zone 2 training (hyperlink "zone 2 training" to your post on the subject). Remember, it's not the fastest runner who wins the race but the one who slows down the least.

I stopped comparing myself to others
Once I stopped comparing myself to others and focused on my running, my mental wall of "getting faster" vanished. This is especially key when you are running a race. I passed plenty of people in a recent 5K and 10K who were ahead me for the majority of the race and never looked back. How? Because I paced myself based on my training of slowing down and became a more efficient runner. When the time was right, I turned on the jets and motored past those who were in front of me for most of the race and ended up finishing before them. Remember, in a race, it's not about where you start but rather where you finish that matters.

I let it come naturally

Don't rush to get faster, let things come naturally. I've heard of the "running faster vs. longer" argument and I believe that a runner should focus on running longer first rather than speed. It doesn't help if you are a fast runner trying to run a half marathon but are not able to finish one. Furthermore, running longer will enable you to slowly become more efficient and thus faster runner, so don't chase speed.

Jiro Dreams of Ultraman

May 13, 2014

In the enlightening documentary, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" Jiro explains that his secret for becoming who he became was that he follows the same steps everyday and tries to get a little bit better everyday. This is the approach i'm taking to Ultraman UK 2014.

The core of my training is a consecutive thee day training block every week where I do a long stead swim one day, followed by a long steady bike ride the next and a run on the third day

For each of these consecutively longer sessions, I follow the same script as the week before, wearing the same clothes, eating the same foods. I'm trying to improve just one thing for each discipline each week.

The training log

Run

Lite breakfast. Just a handful of dates and water
What I wear: Nike, Underarmour shirt, Nike runner shorts. Asics Shoes, Compression socks
So far I have not been eating during the run (up to 150min). Need to change that. Perhaps adopt the MDS fueling strategy. Run 45 minutes walk 15 minutes and eat during the walk.

Bike

What I wear: 3/4 bib, underarmour cold weather gear, bike top, Giro helmet
What I eat before: Big smoothie for breakfast
What I eat during: Date, Banana, Cinnamon, Almond coconut milk (300 cals/hour)
What I heat after: 250ml innocent smootie
Fuel goes into the tri bottle holder water goes into fuselage
How often do I eat: every 15m

Swim

Goggles: Aqua Sphere Kayman
Fueling: SiS gel every 30min.
Fueling after: Coke if swimming in a lake

Abu Dhabi Triathlon (Random Post Race Thoughts) w/Photos

March 18, 2014

Random Race report

3 km / 1.8 mile swim
200 km / 124 mile bike
20 km / 12.5 mile run
Very well organized. Has the Ironman feel to it.
Pre-Race pasta party was good. Hummus and fruit were a nice touch.
Bike route is too complicated. You should study the course beforehand.
Most of the competitors are doing the short course. Only a fraction(<200) of the 2500 are doing the long course.
Its very hot
Bike is flat for the most part but there can be some crazy headwinds
Biking on the Yas Marina F1 track is the highlight of the race
The swim conditions are very nice. You have to be ready to do the 1.5 km twice which involved getting out of the water running across the beach and jumping in again.
Aid stations are really well spaced. You dont need to carry much of anything.
Lots of nice bikes. One rich newbie had a Cervelo p5 and zipp wheels and clip-less pedals.

Random list of thoughts of things that worked an didn't work

What went well:

Profile Aeorobar Bottle Cage and mount worked really well.
Simple sugars through out the race
Pacing with people on the bike and run was the key. Picked people whose pace I could keep up with and stayed with them. Stayed with Cervelo p5 guy for most of the bike
Compact crank was great, Gearing felt perfect all day. Got a great deal on a Sram Red Compact crank from Velo Sport in Putney. The 50 front cassette was brilliant.
Counting was a great way to control negative thoughts
staying aero and getting out of the saddle was a great way to give the under carriage a rest
Talking to people on the Run really helped. Pacing will be key in Ultraman UK.
Got the whole bike checked a great bike mechanic(Marsin) in Velo Sport in Putney. He found an issue in the rear wheel hub that was adding resistance as well as the reason the bike saddle kept on falling down.
Packing the bike 2 days before leaving alleviated some stress. Usually I'm packing the bike midnight before I fly out.

What didn't work too well

There was too much pressure on my left arm in the Aero position, this resulted in numbness in my left hand that lasted for almost two weeks after the race.
Had terrible soreness in the roof of my mouth after the race. This was so bad that I couldn't dry foods for 2 days after the race. This seemed to be caused by breathing sand through my mouth for such a long time while biking. This may also have been exacerbated by consuming simple sugars for such a long time. I also had a bad infection in my ear/nose/throat after the race.
ISM Saddle left bad saddle soars. Granted, I have never sat on them for 7 hours before in the Aero position.
Bike fit is not right. Lower/back of shoulder hurt. Back of the neck hurt.
Swim was not a good at all. Felt mentally not there. Sighting was not great. Kept on stopping and looking for the buoy's
Back was really burnt. Should have been more careful with choice of clotheing and sun screen
Really bad neck rash from wet suit
didn't have breakfast, didn't have much energy on the swim
Couldn't get the Shiv hydration system to work. Didn't use it in the end. Met someone who taught me how to install it properly.

Hiring a coach vs self coaching

February 5, 2014

This is the first guest post on my site and is written by a very close friend of mine, Issa Abbasi (@IssaAhmadAbbasi), who is training for a marathon and eventually an Ironman. He recently made the jump from being self-coached to hiring a coach.

Self-Coaching

Pros

You can easily self coach yourself by pulling off a 5K, 10K, Half or Full Marathon training schedule off the internet. For Free.
To self coach successfully, you will need a lot of determination and dedication to your training plan
You need to be a self starter
It's easy to alter your training plan for your circumstances if you're self coaching. If it's raining today and you don't feel like running your scheduled run, you can cross train and run another day in the week

Cons

Despite the vast amount of reading you've done on running, you most likely aren't experienced enough to coach yourself. Even great coaches don't self coach themselves!
If you aren't determined and dedicated to training for a race, you won't get anywhere near your goal finishing time and worse, may injure yourself
You won't have someone who is experienced to turn to for added motivation, analysis of your progress, or general advice
You won't have someone to hold you accountable for your training regimen
It's easy to fall off your program if you're not a self starter

Having a Coach

Pros

· You have an experienced runner/triathlete guiding you through your training assuring you are on target to meet or exceed your goals
You have someone to help guide you to maintain proper form (running, swimming, biking)
Coaches are one of your biggest supporters; they want you to succeed beyond your wildest expectations and will keep you motivated throughout your journey
There's someone there to hold you accountable on a weekly basis of your journey
A good coach will be there to answer questions you have about your training and race strategies
You will receive feedback about how to constantly improve and maintain your performance from your coach(remember, their job is to see you get better and better at your sport!)
Someone else will plan your weekly training for you! All you have to do is execute what they plan

Cons

Coaching comes at a price. Be prepared to pay a decent monthly fee for the level of service you need in a coach
Be prepared to be critiqued. Not every coach is a constructive one and will thus give you a lot of "real talk". You'll need thick skin and to want to constantly improve to have a successful relationship with your coach.
You do whatever your coach says. They're the captain steering your ship towards your goal and it's best to only have one person steering it. If you don't like being told what to do, being coached isn't for you

Pilgrim Challenge in Pictures

February 5, 2014

The Pilgrim Challenge is a 2 day, 66 mile Ultra that follows the ancient North Downs way.

The North Downs Way was once trodden by pilgrims heading for Canterbury and travelers bound for Dover and the Continent.

Finished the pilgrim challenge today. Random thoughts...

I quit before I even started. Wife forced me to go to the race.
Felt like I lost my mojo on the first day. Thought about quitting a lot
Prepared the night before. Obsessed over whether I should run with a pack or run with a cycling jersey
was very thirsty the first day. Didn't carry water and aid stations were every couple of hours
Stuffed dates worked really well on the second day
Didnt take in enough calories
learned about some cool races: Bhutan, Kalahari, Cambodia
Shoes were small, killed my toes. 4 toes fell off
Hoka's seem to be the new "thing"
day 2 was far better than day. Just focused on running from checkpoint to checkpoint
There are amazing people at these events. Lady that ran across the U.S.
What hurts: left Achilles, upper neck, left itb band, toes(hurt the most)

2012 MDS Race Report - Walk Like an Egyptian (v.02)

December 31, 2013

It's been over a week since the race ended and it all has become a mish mash of thoughts...and so will this post.

Every morning in the race starts pretty much the same way. People start waking up with the rise of the sun and start slowly shuffling out of their tents for their morning constitutionals. The laugher from the French tents starts straight away. This is shortly followed by a recording of roosters. It all seems very natural, we sleep when the sun sets and wake up when the sun rises. You have about 2-3 hours between waking up and the race starting. Basically you do three things in that time, and the order of these events depends on the person:

Eat breakfast
Get your morning water ration (3 liters) two big bottles
Get your stuff packed up and get race ready
I do it in the order above, being that I have enough water from the day before.

During all this, the Berber beduins come by and start taking down the tents. There will be a lot of “Yalla, yalla, yalla!!!” This is all quite funny and people rarely lose their temper as their tent gets lowered with them still in it. TIP: Watch out for your stuff during this morning period. Things can get “taken” during this time. I had no trouble, I had befriended a couple of Berbers the night before when I asked them for the Qibla. We were on first name basis by the end of the race.

People start heading to the race about 8:30 or so, and it usually starts around 9:10. They never start on time. TIP: Go early to the start. The atmosphere is worth it.

The beginning of each stage is proceeded by Highway to Hell. Patrick Bower sings along in his broken english which always makes me laugh.

Going into the race, I was probably most afraid of my tendons acting up and ending my race. My plan going in was to “nordic walk” the majority of the first stage and run a little and slowly reverse this proportion by the end of the race to a run-walk. At this point, I was not planning on placing high, I just wanted to finish.

The start of the race was quite a spectacle, and it was hard not to be over taken by the moment. There is loud music, people are very very excited and ready to go, and then there are the two helicopters...

They fly very low and side ways in order to record the runners from above. The whole thing feels like something out of Apocalypse Now.

The race started, and my nordic poles came out. More than anything, they are a reminder of the plan...I'm going to walk most of the first day.

Coming in the race, knowing that I was going to walk, I decided that I would walk as fast as I could. I started training for this about a month before ending with a training run/walk from London to Oxford. I calculated that I could maintain a pace of 8km per hour. Adjusted for the desert, I could probably manage 7km/hour.

The first day was about 35 km. Unlike others, I did not study the race pack, in fact I never really opened it after glancing at it in the bus on the way to the bivouc. The rest is a blur really. I do remember the big ascent towards the end of the stage. It was really steep and there was a drop off on the left side. I later heard that someone fell off but did not tumble all the way down.

I didn't eat a lot during the stage. I had a 9 bar walking into each checkpoint and topped up with Humzingers, sesame snaps, and the occasional Gu. I also drank water every 10 minutes religiously. I would never actually drink all the allotted water and by the end of the race, I would take half my ration with me out of the checkpoint. One thing that I never did is spend more than a minute at the check point. I was in and out in 60 seconds. People spend ages in those little black tents. What a waste of time. TIP: Don't hang around at checkpoints...even in the long stage...hang out when you get back to the bivouc.

Back to the mountain that never ended...Mount Doom as it later came to be known. After I reached the top, I was able to see the bivouc in the distance...which is great. The only problem is that it takes a lifetime to actually get there. This happened at every stage. You get excited that you see it...then you get depressed when you realize your children will be married before you get there.

The stage ended, I waved at the webcam, got my small cup of Moroccan tea, grabbed my 3 bottles of water and went off to the tent. Five of my tent mates were already there, and 2 were still out there. That is to be expected being that I sped walked the whole thing.

The interesting thing was that, although I walked the whole first stage, I passed loads of people towards the end. When we checked our standings I was 350 out of 850. How was the possible? I walked!

This happened again and again. The stage would start, the majority would pass me, I stayed consistent, even during the dunes, was in and out of the checkpoints. I steadily moved up the rankings. Even when the weather went to 52 C (125 F) the energizer bunny kept on going at the same steady 6.5km/hour.

On day three, I decided to run the last 5 km to see how my tendons felt. I felt great all the way through. Had lots in the tank.

The next day was the long day. The strategy was simple, keep on the formula and run at the end if I felt like it. I did exactly that and I jumped 100 places. I was now 235!!

TBC...

My Diet (v .02)

December 26, 2013

What i've tried

Paleo
Vegan
80/10/10
Gluten free
Slow carb

What it currently is:

Modified 80/10/10
80% Fruits/Veggies/Rice/Potaties
10% Organic Meat/Nuts
10% Happy food (Ben & Jerry's, chocolate cheese burgers, etc)

Typical day:

Green smoothie breakfast
Green & fruit salad for lunch
Green salad for dinner
+ Fish on Saturday
+ Red meat on Sunday

Advice for those doing their first Ironman 70.3 (v.01)

December 18, 2013

This is based on my experience. Do you own due diligence:

Things to keep in mind (in no particular order):

Bricks(bike and run) are important
Spend lots of time on the bike
Do allot of low intensity volume
Do as much volume as your diary permit, but grow the volume gradually
never increase volume more that 1.17
Learn proper swim technique. I used total immersion swimming. Many of those who swim fast hate this approach. This worked for me. I was scared of the water and this technique worked well for me
Schedule an olympic distance ahead of the race so you can learn what works and what doesn't for you and to get over your fear of the open water
dont focus on time during your first ironman. Just get through it and get a base-line for future ones
join a club if you can
get a bike fit. makes a bike difference
lose weight if you can. being light matters in triathlon
find a Yoda someone to guide you
if you can do the each disciplines individually, you can do finish the ironman

Things not to worry about:

all the miscellaneous stuff that benefits the elite triathlete: Compression, obsession with gear, obsession with nutrition. These are things that will come later
the swim. its probably what i spent the most time on and what was the easiest part of the race. the wet suit will keep you safe
other athletes during race day. race your race
power meters, turbo trainers, polar, garmin, aero bars, hoka, vibrams. that stuff comes later

Marathon De Sables in pictures