Your work out is my warm up! ;- )

6 weeks to go: Aviva IM 70.3 in Singapore!
http://www.ironman703singapore.com/index.php

“The harder you work the harder it is to surrender.” (From Kathleen Hughes)

2nd Quarter Singapore...

And again time is passing too quickly here in South-East-Asia. This week I got:
- my bike chain newly adjusted
- two new bottle holders, which really hold the bottle
- 3 new bottles! Got the hint from the merchangt, that mine wasn't good anymore.
- training ongoing as planned with some breaks.

Below some helpful triathlon links for Singapore:

My bikeshops
- the bike boutique
Here I bought my Cervelo P2C 3T, great serviceminded people

- "Giant" - bikeshop, run by the owner
6 Hoot Kiam Road, Singapore

- Swiss Valley, 486 River Valley Road, 248370 Singapore, 6836 6566 , swissvalley.com.sg

My bikeroutes so far:
1. Eastcoast
2. Westcoast
3. Holland Drive

Next competition is in 20 days... Olympic one called OSIM

First week of recovery ...

After 2 weeks of suffering - here I go again!

Thursday- nice 3 hr spinning
Friday - short jogging
Sunday - 1.5 hrs spinning

down with cold

2nd weekend I am down and have to skipp training. Very unsatisfying. I will cancel Zurich Marathon this year. There is no point of trying that.

On the other hand very motivating is this:
Whitehead breaks world record for half-marathon see also "soles of a champion".

Respect!

First time longer run this year 16 + 5 k

So much sun today (even in Zurich!) made me run my first 16 k this year. So far training was not really in focus. That is to be changed now. As a start I went the extra mile or better said extra 5 k walking on top of it.

First racing bike run

Greetings to all using the sunny weather in Switzerland for racing on the bikes!
What did I learn:
- I needed a small cap below the helmet, since it was too cold
- my large air-pump needs a new vlave
- the new helmet is quite comfortable

first week - great training

for the 2010 start not too bad after all nearly every day some kind of sport

mo - circle training, basketball 2h
tu - swimming 1k
& spinning 1 h
we - running 1 h
th - spinning 1 h
fr - swimming 1 h
sa - break
su - running in the new snow with the x-trail shoes. fun, fun, fun

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.

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

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. 

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

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...

2009 strategy

Hi folks out there, hope you have a good time?!
Eventually I find this year some time to do a proper training planning for 2009.

1. Current Situation I lost some considerable fitness due to unbelieveable lazyness after my first IM (Switzerland 2008). I basically didn't move for three months.

2. The Goals 2009 are to do another IM and 1/2 IM; this time with reduced time needed:
- IM: sub 14 to 13:30 h
- 1/2: sub 6:30

3. How to make it
- training, training, training
- Some short competitions to get in shape before
- swim: intensive courses before the competitions plus another total immersion course in the beginning of 01/2009
- bike: intensive spinning and a new bike? - not sure yet by all means I am planning to paricipate in a road bike competition
- run: some more joggs as 2008, throwing in some local races? marathon zurich?
- after all: only rest for a month after the IM to prevent the lazyness from taking over!

A lot to go for...
let's rock!

wintertraining

despite coldish weather, I keep up the training. Nowadays I started spinning again in the migros (puls 5) fitness center , going to the swim hall (Zürich City-bad) combined with running outside along the limmat. My trainingsprogram 2Peak is saying: "Tage bis zum nächsten Wettkampf: 192" - Only 192 days left to the next competition. Time is running...

Trainings revival

This week was the first since the IM Zurich, I started to train again. Meanwhile I gained too much weight and lost some endurance power. Time to change and speed up.

Monday: Running
Tuesday: Swimming
Wednesday: Running
Thursday & Friday: off
Saturday: Running
Sunday: Swimming

Preparation for Greifensee...

Today was my first lake-surrounding-jogg in Switzerland! 20.5 km arround the Greifensee lake. We were awfully slow and struggled with the heat and air-pressure. However, little by little Irina and me - we are getting ready for the Greifensee-Run at Sept-20.

After-effects

After having finished the IM two weeks ago I still have to assimilate what happened. Here are some of the different moods and experiences felt during the last week:
1. Feeling great: Some days I am just happy. When I have time to think about life I smile. The IM was a great experience always to be cherished.
2. Unreality: Did it really happen? Did I do this? Unbelieveable - even for myself. It took my three years from a big(!) couch potato to an athlete.
3. Confidence: Now facing daily troubles again quite a lot of them seem to be really unimportant and only worth a short smile.
4. Humble Thankfulness: Even with the confidence, there is something else inherited now in myself. It is a deep thankfulness, that I was allowed to pass that challenge.

After all - what is next? I am not sure. Today I recieved an interesting email from my trainings-program (www.2peak.com):
"Negative effects while over-reducing the training 14 days after a competition:
* -21 to -75% loss of the ability to use fat for energy-provision during workouts
* - 20 to -39% loss of the ability to store glycose in the muscles
=> An endurance-athlete will need 10 years(!) to reach the full potential."

So I better start training again! :- )

7 days to go...entering tapering

7 days to my first IM. Yesterday I had the last long training session: 3.8 k swim (1'35''). Everything went well. I felt good.

The water temperature is rising in the Zurich lake.
I guess we are not swimming with a neoprene (actual water temperature is 23.5°C with 1 week to go). Four months ago I bought the 70.3 and I am quite happy with it. I like it even better, since swimming is more "real" in the "shorty".

Training is somehow influenced right now with "moving the house" and "job change". Though I am able to find the right balance over and over again. My nutrition is going ok, though I could be thinner.

For the next week I will enjoy the circus and training becomes a matter of low priority. Have fun! onefreeracial