winter training starts

Looing forward!!!! The week after xmas:
fun skiing

until then: daily running!

take care, tIM

Nike Courage Commercial (I've Got Soul But I'm Not A Soldier)

Let's move...

Fear is vital

A natural portion of triathlon is fear. It helps to be "aware" and sharp in spirit. However, from time to time it is good to overcome our worst fears. On my triathlon journey I fought with the following "monsters":

* Swimming: I was afraid of fishes, especially sharks. I know they are quite seldom in European pools, but it doesn't help if you think, what if there were some sharks in the pool - just this time. PANIC! It helped me a lot to go scooba-diving and to find out, you must be really lucky to see a shark. More people are killed by cockonuts falling down.

* The fear of being under water and having no air - granted, that is a bad situation. However, the ability to stay calm helps a lot in such moments.

* Riding the bike downhill with max speed - I had two car accidents where I felt quite an impact. So my brain goes "alarm" facing speedy situations. I had to learn to rely on good material and have it checked regularly.

* Once I had this nightmare: 5 mins to race-start, I enter the transition area and find my bike dismantled to the last screw. Wonderfully sorted and ordered in pieces like an inventory. 5 mins to start and I start putting it together. Horror! I like to be quite early at races, having the equipment checked 3-4 times.

* Latest fear I overcame was to jump from the 3m-high-diving tower for the lifeguard course. I prepared my mind first by watching youtube-jumping videos. Then I went to the pool and enjoyed the fly.

Triathlon is really helping to thrive!

My flip-turns... not yet perfect

My next goal for swimming to save more time is to do proper flip-turns. See also: http://www.svl.ch/flipturn.html

Great hint: "•Never use your arms and hands to initiate and perform the tumbling motion (mistake #1)." - I trained it without arm-movement and it is much more smoother!

Turns - Flip-Turn Eyes from Glenn Mills on Vimeo.

Lessons learned from the Liveguard course so far ...

I am really happy that I started the lifeguard course. Meanwhile I learned important skills in the lifeguard trade:

1. swimming without googles
2. handling emergency situations
(from alarming to lifesaving reanimation)
3. transport-swimming of persons
4. diving 4-6 meter deep w/o equipment
5. jumping from the 3 m tower

SLRG Züri - Going for the Brevet 1 and CPR

Combining usefulness for mankind with sport and fitness I decided to become a lifeguard. "Baywatch" is calling. ;- )

I joined SLRG Zueri to train for the lifeguard-course. Exciting a new and useful skill. ;- )

Ironman - The Distance

He is going the distance ...

triathlete since 4 years - thinking ahead

When I signed up for the IM Switzerland for next year, one of the fields to fill out was: "Triathlete since XX years". I was surprised, that I already compete since 4 years in triathlons. It feels I only started last year or maybe two years ago - but 4 years.

Interestingly I was not yet able to improve my results. So Getting ready for next year I definitely want to make a step ahead. Originally I thought I even could participate in Hawaii in 2010 - hahahaha . Three leverages I see to improve:
1. my weight
2. go to trainings of my tri-club
3. start now for 2010

let's see how that will work out

Ironman from the Inside

Ironman race report from a guy with a hand camera

Find a link to a great video - recorded by an Ironman himself along the race course in Kona. Quite shaky, but really a nice summary of such a day.. "funny hill" / "you can only go off your bike, if you want to run the marathon" /"down funny hill" - liked that. ;-)

Two weeks after my 2nd Ironman I feel superb. Although I had two blisters at each of my little toes, I felt to finish and there I went..

The Ironman Distance

The Ironman Distance
Part 1: Looking at “The Big Picture”By Coach Al Lyman, CSCS

Over many years of endurance training, racing, and coaching, I’ve had the opportunity to make a lot of mistakes and learn a great deal in the process! ☺ In an effort to help you avoid those same mistakes and thus increase your chance for success on the race course, I’ve put together a series of short articles, sort of a compendium of “how tos” to help you finalize your ironman race plan! As always, feel free to fire back any questions at me if you have them.

In my mind, there are a few basic principles that must be adhered to if you’re going to have a successful day on the race course. To keep things orderly, I’ll move from the “big picture” to gradually smaller pieces of the race with a series of articles, addressing those important components of nutrition, pacing, and mental/emotional state, among other things.


Some BIG PICTURE thoughts on the day:

1. Ironman isn’t a triathlon, it’s an eating and drinking contest! What, when, and how you handle fueling and hydration before and during the race is HUGELY responsible for your physical performance, especially late in the race (the 2nd half of the run). Over the years, I’ve witnessed athletes who show up on race day extremely fit and physically ready, only to discover that there lack of nutrition
preparation and attention to detail were “mistakes” that cost them a chance for a great race.

2. Stay in the moment - race in the NOW. Taken as a whole, an ironman can seem overwhelming, even to veterans of the distance. The best way to avoid feeling overwhelmed and make the day “fly by,” is to stay in the moment and on task at all times. This is true not only on race day itself, but also in the days leading up to race day. Develop a plan, a list of things “to do,” and then do the best you can, right at that moment. Worry about whatever’s next when you get there, because if
you take care of “right now,” what’s next will take care of itself too.

3. Ironman isn’t about racing, it’s about good decision making. Think about it, the entire day is simply one decision after another. If you make good decisions, you avoid serious difficulty and race to your potential, if not, you don’t. What’s the best approach? Another coach once shared his philosophy with me, which he calls the OODA Loop:
When an obstacle of some sort presents itself to you during the race (and it most assuredly will at some point), observe the situation, orient yourself and determine possible courses of action, decide on a course of action, and then act. Keep the OODA loop in mind during race day as an effective way to handle unforeseen difficulties as they arise, always remaining calm and focused in the process.

4. Be flexible and be prepared to improvise. Despite your well thought out and well rehearsed plan for how the day will unfold, you can expect that it won’t survive the first contact with some type of adversity, which may happen shortly after the gun goes off! ☺ No worries though, you’ve got the entire day to fix whatever happens, so use the OODA loop and do the best you can. Keep moving forward, stay relaxed and determined, and believe in your ability to overcome any adversity.


Some BIG PICTURE thoughts on race nutrition:

1. Think of water intake as not only hydration, but an aid to digestion. In other words, whenever you take in fuel, particularly if it is something that is concentrated, you should follow it with a swig of straight water to dilute it, thus aiding digestion and absorption. High calorie + too little water (or too much sports drink) = much greater risk of GI problems! 􀀯 Along with this thought, here are the two major reasons why I recommend you do not rely upon solid foods for fuel during the race: 1. Solid food requires lots of water to digest, and if this water isn’t available in the gut, it’s removed from the tissues and brought into the stomach, ultimately increasing your risk of dehydration. 2. Because of the work required to digest solid food, additional blood is needed in the gut, which similarly means that blood isn’t where you want it to be during the race: in your legs and arms
(the muscles doing the work!), helping you go forward faster and more easily!

2. You can think of this as “1a,” as it goes along with #1: Whenever you encounter problems with stomach cramping, sloshing in your gut, or GI distress of any kind, STOP taking in calories and go to straight water only. Obviously, you may also want to slow your pace, and if necessary, stop completely to assess what’s going on. At the very least, go to straight water until things return to normal. ALWAYS listen to your body and be aware of the signals it is sending you. Let your body reset itself, and let your heart rate come down. Some times a 5 min stand down during the bike can mean much more time saved on the run. If you get to the point of feeling a need to vomit, you haven’t been listening very well! LISTEN!

3. Intensity (heart rate) and calorie intake are inversely related. In other words, think of your heart rate as a measurement of the cumulative stress on your body, and calorie intake during the race, could be considered just another stressor. What does this mean? Take in your calories in a methodical, steady, and conservative rate,
and try to get the majority of them down early in the bike leg, when your body isn’t terribly stressed. Don’t make the mistake of taking in LOTS of calories when your heart rate is high. This concept is directly related to pacing, because if you pace smart, you will start conservatively and build effort over time. Similarly, don’t get into a calorie deficit and expect to make it up on the run, because at that
point, your body is under such great duress that it won’t process or assimilate calories well. OK, more simply put: high heart rate - adjust intake down, low heart rate - adjust intake up. Lastly, don’t do anything new that you haven’t tried in training. Execute the plan you have practiced and developed in training, remembering to be flexible as the day unfolds. If you need additional feedback on your race plan
or nutrition, contact me.


Some BIG PICTURE thoughts on the mind and emotions:
Without a doubt, the ironman is a long day that requires patience and discipline for success. It’s also a very emotional day, as many of you know and have experienced. However, many racers have made the mistake of letting their emotions control their thoughts and their decision making during the race! Save your emotions for the last 100 yard run to the finish line. That’s the time to let it all pour out. Until then, you need to remain focused, calm, cool, relaxed, and efficient throughout the entire day. You need to do your best to remain a cold, emotionless, decision-making machine!
As another coach said to me once, the day is too big for pride and too big to get angry or upset about. Stay in the moment and focused on the task at hand, use the OODA loop when needed, and think RELAX at all times. Lastly, much of what I’ve mentioned will ultimately come down to how much you believe in yourself. At some point during the race, your resolve will be tested. It’s actually the part of ironman racing I love, but also dread, the most. There will come a time when the only person who can help you is you. Do you believe in your self, deep down? Do you feel you belong? Do you believe you can do it? Do you have what it takes? I believe you do, but if you don’t believe, then you don’t have a chance. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.

You DO belong, and you’re going to prove it when you hit that tape! See you at the finish line! Good luck, and stay tuned for more information coming soon!

weight and speed

Seen on www.shealynnbaird.com: YOUR health is YOUR choice:

Obviously there is a negative correlation between weight and speed, though speed depends e.g. also on muscle power and strength. However, when I had been 8 kg lighter, the calculator on a website would suggest, I had a 20 min faster race at a marathon distance. The calculator shows how much one gains/losses speed by additional/less body weight assuming all other parameters are unchanged (muscles, ...). http://www.runningforfitness.org/calc/

When I just think about it, any extra kg is a lot of resistance to carry for 42kg/26.2 miles. In a second step I compared then my BMI (bmi=32, age=35) to the average man:


Again it is very revieling and gives food for thought, less for my body...

indoor triathlon

triathlon - Bing Video: "http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x18ft_spot-promotion-triathlon-indoor-lom"

Becoming less wet while running faster? ;- )

Running and swimming in the refreshing summer rain is huge fun! The rain made me run faster! Did I become less wet running faster? ;-)

First Circling of the "Zuger Lake"

tri team zugerland & Zytturm-Triathlon Zug
http://www.triteamzugerland.ch/zytt...

Today I did the bike course around the Zuger Lake. Amazing just how many very nice place Switzerland got!
t-IM

The Meaning of becoming an ironman

Found at http://iamtri.com/profiles/blogs/what-it-mean-to-be-an-ironman
"The Meaning of becoming an ironman

What does it mean to become an ironman? It means to be poised to work hard everyday. You have to have a vision to become what most people think you can’t do. You have perseverance when things go wrong. You have to have the work ethic to keep going no matter what happens. We as ironman are setting example for our family, friends, and children. We do this no matter if people tell us this is crazy. Even if they think it can’t be done. The one goal we have is to become an ironman. The goal is to swim hard, bike fast, and run like the wind. We as trialthletes need strong nerves, patience, endurance, and strong will power. Ironman are respected, admired, and are honored. Do you have what takes to finish Ironman? The only question is you willing to see what it takes to become an ironman. The journey begins on a lonesome green belt trail. On an isolated morning swim at the local gym. It also begins on a solitary in the country just you the bike and the road. What dose the start of the race feel like the swim start is scary, memorable, and nerve racking. It will test every bit of your self confidence. With the swim over it is on to the bike. Are you poised oh yea! A great rid on the bike will prepare you for the marathon. The run will start us for the final test in the goal of becoming an ironman. You will hear cheering crowds at the end. Dreams of becoming an ironman can come true if you have unending pride when you cross the finish line. Anything is possible if God is with you. Ironman helps you build strong creatures. You will have a new insight giving 110%. Ironman finisher does 140.6 miles that’s a 2.4 miles swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run. Crossing the finish line with family, friends, and God means everything it inspiration is the seed of aspiration. Finish the ironman meant everything to me. It was goal I set for myself. I always remember that Rome was not built over night. So I train to take one day at a time. I just had to keep in my mind finish no matter what happens."

2 days after my 3rd 70.3 IM in Rapperswil-Jona

I got a wake-up call. The race was soooooOOOooo bad. It took way too long (7:13 hrs). As I read in a post:

"every time you stay out late...
every time you sleep in....
every time you have another drink...
every time you miss a workout...
every time you eat junk food...
every time you don't give 100% and then some...
YOU MAKE IT THAT MUCH EASIER FOR ME TO BEAT YOU!!!"

So, I was beaten severly and have to change quite some things to get ready for the IM Zurich. It will be a transitional change for me. Triathlon is becoming a lifestyle rather than an event driven approach. Since I already finished an IM and several races.

"NO D.N.F." was my motto last sunday and in life.

Some more motivational quotes/quotations I found at "IamTri":

"Everyone has a limit. Not everyone finds out where it is!" (Erox)

"You're going to reap just what you sow." (Lou Reed - Perfect Day)

Courage to Start, Strength to Endure, Resolve to finish

"The more you sweat in practice, the less you bleed in battle"

Whenever I am struggling, which is usually during the swim, I remember Dory from Finding Nemo: "Just keep swimming swimming, swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming swimming..."

"Understand that this is not a dress rehearsal. This is it -- your life. Face your fears and live your dreams. Take it all in, yes, every chance you get. Come close. And by all means, whatever you do, get it on film." -Jon Blais
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vrjp2P0GlE

"Tri, and understand it"

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional!

"Let me win. But if I can not win let me be brave in the attempt"

"You can quit and they won't care, but you will always know"
Commander John Collins, Creator of Ironman

3 days to go

Link to the 70.3 Switzerland website

I am quite excited about next weekend, although I had only little time to train the last 10 days due to a cold. However, the race track in Rappersil is just awesome. It promises to be fun!

Ironman Triathlon

100 times seen, but still impressive

toni hasler's - 4 column's principle

Very interesting and smart triathlon-approach. An optimization of 4 dimensions: Mental, Nutrition, Body and Material. Very shocking, how much energy one can save by weight reduction. One of my constant battles. In the video Toni shows that by using different material, one can save 200 gr. That means an athlete will move 3600 kg less into the finish in a marathon (100 steps a minute - 3 hours).

http://www.internettv.ch/sport/triathlontv-ch/toni-hasler-s-4-saulen-prinzip

Toni Hasler said triathlon is all about optimization of 4 dimensions:

Mental, Nutrition, Body and Material

1. You rank every dimension from 0 (=very bad) to 10 (=full potential achieved)

2. Then you multiply all four figures

      best case 10*10*10*10 = 10,000

      worst case 0*0*0*0 = 0

this is your triathlon success score. 

Marathon & Henninger Turm bike race

Sunday, April 26th - Zurich Marathon my third marathon (see the guy at sec 17th crossing the finish line)- 04:43 h until "Meilen" everything was great, than cramps in the calves. After all 1 minute faster than last year. ;- )


1st May, Friday - Bike Race: "Henninger Turm" / "Frankfurt-Eschborn Loop"
I did the 70km in 2:20h. it was ok. I was the only guy with a "time trial helmet". ;- ) The whole 70 km were fun!

weekend warrior

= a person with a regular job, who spends their free time engaging in athletic endeavors;
= a person who takes part in athletic events with no expectation of actual reward.

(source: Asia runner, 12/2007-03/2008, page 70)


100% fitting for me. ;-)

bring it on - a little bit more competition

Yesterday a short tour on the bike until the rain started - see the 85 mm rim - really cool ...


The bike investment was prosponed in exchange for a solid city-bike. I want to start biking every morning to work!

This morning I registered for my first bike-race:
http://www.eschborn-frankfurt.de/ The "ex-henninger-turm" velo race. Bring it on.

6 days to zurich marathon. This hits me harder than the ellobow of a fellow triathlete at the first buoy in the zurich lake. Where did all the time go? It just has been February - skiing without end and now we are close to summer already. Have to go for some intervalls...

3* 50min spinning marathon

On thursday I did a 3 hour trainings session at http://www.vif-fitness.ch/. Great people! I even met some old-ager-triathletes. Very motivational to see them getting up and keeping pace even after 2:3o hrs, when I had to struggle to focus.

Overall training starts to work! Next weekend I am going for a long jogg. Today I brought my bike to Beat (santa monica). I am thinking about a new bike. So far there are two options:
- Cervelo P2


- Xerox QUARRA extra speed

You Know You're A Triathlete When...

(Source: http://iamtri.com/profiles/blogs/you-know-youre-a-triathlete )

...You have a lifetime supply of water bottles, safety pins, and t-shirts.
You have trouble keeping lunch under 2000 calories.
You usually wake up at 4:00 in the morning but don't get to work until way after 9:00.
You have a $4000 bike strapped on top of your $2000 car.
You're always wet .... sweat, pool, lake, sea water, shower, bath, or rain.
Your car has at least one energy bar wrapper and water bottle on the floor
You depart in morning with swim bag, bike, and running shoes in case you can get away at lunch for a workout.
You take triathlon junkets instead of vacations
Your kitchen cupboards are organized into "protein", "carbs" and "etc"
You bring bottled water to a party so that you're properly hydrated for the next morning's long run. Everyone else at the party also brought their own bottled water because you don't have a social life outside of triathlon. Oh yeah, and they all showed up by 7pm and left by 10pm.
You mention a race and somebody responds "running or biking" and you are again forced to explain....
You wear your bathing suit under your work clothes to make a fast transition from work to swim on your lunch hour.
You name your two new puppies Kona and Hawi
Your significant other wants dinner out and a movie, so you agree, but fall asleep during the previews.
You've spent more on bikes in the last 10 years than you have on clothes for the past 40
Somebody hands you a cup of water and you have to restrain yourself from pouring it over your head.
You forget that talking about daily LSD and speed weirds some people out.
You feel like you took the day off because all you did was swim 3000 yards.
Cars pass you on the road when you're driving and you either drop back to get out of draft zone or speed up to attack!
You haven't bought work clothes in two years, yet you own bike shorts made by every manufacturer under the sun and can recite the merits of CoolMax, Supplex, etc. in your sleep!
You know you could make a killing at Jeopardy if only the categories were:
- Past winners of Hawaii Ironman
- Legs shaving techniques
- 40-30-30 diet
- Aerodynamics racing wheels
- Gastrointestinal problems and long runs
- How to justify a $4000 bike
When asked, how old you are you answer 40-44.
Your training is more limited by available time then how far you can run.
Nobody believes you when you say 'Never again!' (should be familiar to first time marathoners).
You need a picture for a job application and you only have race pictures.
You use running T-shirts to clean your bike.
You think there are only two seasons during the year: racing and off.
You clean your bike more often than your car.
When asked to mow the lawn in 90 degree heat, you say that it's too hot to do that (and you mean it) and then an hour later you go on a century ride because its so nice out.
You tell your co-workers that you are going to "do a long brick" on Saturday and just expect that they know what you are talking about.
You are convinced that if you rest more than one day, your muscles will atrophy, your ultra-fit body will turn into a pile of goo and everyone in your age group will beat you.

Swim like a fish

This weekend was the total-immersion fresh-up to be ready swimwise for the upcomming season. I took a first beginners course two years ago and went this time together with Irina for a second time. I focused on rotation and on how to save energy and indeed learned some important things:

- I have to work on my core strength and have to focus to swim "on the "Latissimus" muscle" to be pushed forward by the water

- maintain body-tension and push back the arm/hand as much as possible towards the back

-
www.swimmersguide.com is a great website to find pools around the world! Check it out.

- www.finisinc.com are selling great equipment. Unfortunately not yet internationally. I ordered a special snorkel to focus more on the technical swim.

- "Swim slow to swim fast"

Happy laps!

ski vacation!

One week of skiing in Saas fee with great sunny weather. We had a view at 9 4000m-high mountains and fun, fun, fun. Very impressive. CLose to that:
http://www.tgrmedia.com/tgrclips/hilifetrailfastwm.htm
http://www.tgrmedia.com/tgrclips/sagefastwm.htm

First training peak in 09

entering the thrid week of solid consistent training is really pure joy after being nailed down to the bed with flue. last week my body really had to struggle to adjust. pain is weakness leaving the body! huhaaa. let the season come!
Monday: Swimming
Tuesday: Spinning
Wednesday: Running/Swimming
Thursday: Spinning
Friday: Running
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Running
Maybe I have to throw in a little more swimming...

Down with a cold

the last days I was ill ...