One of the odd things I've noticed as I've lost weight is how exactly the fat has "came off". I put that in quotes, because your fat doesn't really come off, it just shrinks. You have the same amount of fat capsules (adipocytes), but they just shed some of what they hold. Thus, you generally get skinnier. More importantly, some of the fat that wraps around your body organs is shrunk as well, which is more important health-wise than any fat just inside your skin.
Anyway, I digress, as usual. Fat loss for me (and for most people, I would assume), has gone from the extremities inward. My forearms and calves have gotten pretty lean, but I still carry fair chunk (haha) of weight around my midsection and thighs. Nipples to knees, as I say. I've still lost weight in that area, but I'd like to have a six-pack again before I die. That's going to take some work. I kind of see one, but I'd rather it not require special viewing conditions to observe it.
So I started at 220+, and started racing cross at 217 lbs. I had a 38" waist too. Now I'm hovering at 189-190, and down to a 34" waist. I have a feeling I'll be seeing a 32" waist before Christmas, and hopefully I'll be in the 170's by a few pounds.
For everyday living, I think being 180# and 6' with my build is pretty good. But it's not that great when you're trying to keep your breakfast down and experiencing blurred vision as you race 'cross against a bunch of waif-like roadies. I guess I could always knock them over as they try and lap me.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Terrific video
I know! It's been so long since I've posted a video, but this one is really well put together. 4 riders decide to conquer one of the Tour de France stages from 100 years ago. It is unbelievable, there isn't a whole lot of words for this, and to think of how hard this must have been today, let alone on bikes from 100 years ago. It's a longish vid, but well worth taking the time to enjoy. Id recommend clicking on the video below and going to Vimeo's site to watch it in HD, it's beautiful. Cheers!
The 1910 Challenge from RAPHA on Vimeo.
The centenary of the Col du Tourmalet's inclusion in the Tour de France will be celebrated with a mountain-top finish on stage 17 of this year's edition of the race. As well as the special edition Tourmalet Jersey, Rapha honour the first ever Tour stage that tackled the Tourmalet with a tribute ride, The 1910 Challenge.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Ten things on my mind
I've noticed that my blogmanship has been lacking recently. Perhaps it is due to lack of initiative. Perhaps it is due to lack of time. I doubt it is either of those. I think it is the fact that I have so much on my mind, it is getting a bit stressful. One of the Buddhist adages I've retained over the years goes something like this, "Do not worry about what you cannot change, because those things are out of your control and your worry will not bear any fruit. And do not worry about what you can change, because you will do something about it."
Yea, I totally butchered that quote, but I can't find it and Google just failed me.
So here is a brain dump of things on my mind. Make sure you wipe your shoes before you leave.
1) AB has been sicker than I've seen him. He's on the mend now, but it was still tough seeing my little doppleganger with no wind in his sails.
2) 5 weeks or something like that to my next triathlon. I really want to swim better, but don't have enough fire under my ass to go practice 3x a week like I really need to.
3) I need to stop going to bed at 11:00 or 11:30 when Penny and Kieran wake up at 5:30. This lack of sleep is driving me insane.
4) I need to get back on the weight loss train, I've been hanging out at 190.x for a long time now. I think seeing 18x.x will be pretty sweet.
5) I wonder if being successful isn't more a curse than a blessing some times. It would be nice to walk away and do something more meaningful, or at least fulfilling.
6) Why is that mediocrity is so often rewarded?
7) Just when I think that our political process can't get much worse, I find out that a) the rabbit hole is much deeper upon further inspection and b) it's been like this a lot longer than most of us realize (and extends far beyond a single President's term).
8) BP is calling their own shots, and it's amazing that we still call this country a democracy.
9) My Evo is a terrific phone. I'm glad I got it and it is so much better than the Instinct it isn't even funny. Not one bit.
10) Sitting in an office chair for 40 hours a week sucks, but I think it's better than sweating my balls off swinging a hammer or zippin' sheetrock. God bless those guys who do that. I did enough of that stuff over my college breaks and it's a wonder any construction guys can walk past the age of 45 given the beating their bodies take.
All this pissin' and moanin' is just that. 97% of the world would trade their first-born to have the same set of problems I do. Sometimes it's difficult to keep perspective when your head is up your ass.
Tomorrow I'll be a little less grouchy or whatever I am today. But chances are, I won't blog about it. :-)
I think I just need a long, hard ride on my bicycle. Nothing like a little pain to stand you up straight.
Yea, I totally butchered that quote, but I can't find it and Google just failed me.
So here is a brain dump of things on my mind. Make sure you wipe your shoes before you leave.
1) AB has been sicker than I've seen him. He's on the mend now, but it was still tough seeing my little doppleganger with no wind in his sails.
2) 5 weeks or something like that to my next triathlon. I really want to swim better, but don't have enough fire under my ass to go practice 3x a week like I really need to.
3) I need to stop going to bed at 11:00 or 11:30 when Penny and Kieran wake up at 5:30. This lack of sleep is driving me insane.
4) I need to get back on the weight loss train, I've been hanging out at 190.x for a long time now. I think seeing 18x.x will be pretty sweet.
5) I wonder if being successful isn't more a curse than a blessing some times. It would be nice to walk away and do something more meaningful, or at least fulfilling.
6) Why is that mediocrity is so often rewarded?
7) Just when I think that our political process can't get much worse, I find out that a) the rabbit hole is much deeper upon further inspection and b) it's been like this a lot longer than most of us realize (and extends far beyond a single President's term).
8) BP is calling their own shots, and it's amazing that we still call this country a democracy.
9) My Evo is a terrific phone. I'm glad I got it and it is so much better than the Instinct it isn't even funny. Not one bit.
10) Sitting in an office chair for 40 hours a week sucks, but I think it's better than sweating my balls off swinging a hammer or zippin' sheetrock. God bless those guys who do that. I did enough of that stuff over my college breaks and it's a wonder any construction guys can walk past the age of 45 given the beating their bodies take.
All this pissin' and moanin' is just that. 97% of the world would trade their first-born to have the same set of problems I do. Sometimes it's difficult to keep perspective when your head is up your ass.
Tomorrow I'll be a little less grouchy or whatever I am today. But chances are, I won't blog about it. :-)
I think I just need a long, hard ride on my bicycle. Nothing like a little pain to stand you up straight.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Two wildly unrelated things
First things first. My triathlon was awesome, that is if you are a storm chaser. I got out of the water, feeling pretty strong despite my inept attempt at swimming, and started stomping the pedals after getting in a fight with my socks in T1. I was just about to finish lap 1 of 2 when the race director called the race and everyone started leaving en masse. It was great having support out there, even though I barely saw anyone other than AB yelling for me and Joe B.'s hand.
So that was a disappointment, and against all better judgment, I'm considering competing in the Jackson County Tri at Longview Lake on August 22. I kinda want to do a tri, but then again that only leaves me like 3 weeks to get ready for cross. Ug! I know I'll probably succumb to the great temptation of drowning in an open water swim. I'll post up as soon as I make up my mind.
On the unrelated note, I thought that Robert Reich wrote up an interesting article speaking to wealth disparity in our country. I linked it here in case you might want to read it. Enjoy...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-root-of-economic-frag_b_644465.html
So that was a disappointment, and against all better judgment, I'm considering competing in the Jackson County Tri at Longview Lake on August 22. I kinda want to do a tri, but then again that only leaves me like 3 weeks to get ready for cross. Ug! I know I'll probably succumb to the great temptation of drowning in an open water swim. I'll post up as soon as I make up my mind.
On the unrelated note, I thought that Robert Reich wrote up an interesting article speaking to wealth disparity in our country. I linked it here in case you might want to read it. Enjoy...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-root-of-economic-frag_b_644465.html
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Fresh content smells the best
Sorry I haven't been as diligent as I should be about updating the blog. Most of my spare energy has been going into training, as my tri is only a few days away and I'm trying to spend some time doing the old SBR (swim, bike, run). Swimming is coming along ok, I had a few moments of actual swimming last night where my stroke felt efficient and the water started flying past me. As more and more of those moments come, and as my breathing gets better (still my weak link), I think I might turn into an actual swimmer yet!
One of my observations about being a multi-sport athlete (other people, not me, yet), is that to be proficient in all three sports takes a lot of training. Triathletes aren't typically skinny because they control what they eat; I think it's just due to the amount of training one has to endure to be competitive.
It is this giant time suck that has me waffling on entering something as audacious as the Kansas 70.3 next year. That would entail training 10-15 hours every week, sometimes more especially as the date gets closer. That would require some major spousal support. We'll see. I know P would support me, but that is a major commitment to myself as well. Especially when training would start roughly the last week of January.
I really would like to do a sub 6-hour half-ironman if I'm going to do it. I could go out there with the "just finish" mentality, but I think I can do better than that. I'll need to peel off better than 2:00/100yd swim, 20+mph bike, and probably sub 9 min/mile run, with average to good transitions to pull that off. Actually that math would yield a 5:28:06 + transitions (~4 minutes). That'd be a pretty rockin' time.
So enough tri-geekery! I was inspired by our friend Francie's blog, where she asked her son Owen a series of questions. I had fun asking AB some of the same questions a few nights ago, and here are his answers...
1. What is your favorite book?
A: Ironman
2. What is your favorite movie?
A: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
3. What is your favorite food?
A: Grilled Cheese and grapes.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
A: Ben Ten.
5. How do you like being five years old?
A: Kinda good. Depends on if I have big boys beat me up.
6. What is your favorite color?
A: Blue.
7. Who is your favorite superhero?
A: Batman.
8. What is your favorite song?
A: The Imperial March from Star Wars (Darth Vader's theme)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Tall MU Player (at this point he runs across the room, stands there for a second and runs back. I ask him what was wrong and he told me he needed a "fart break".)
10. What is your least favorite food?
A: Chicken
11. What do you want to do when you're five? (What are your goals for the year?)
A: Skateboard (Now he runs to the bathroom, poop break)
12. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?
A: Go downstairs and watch a movie.
13. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
A: Go to the pool.
14. What is your favorite thing to do with your buddies?
A: Run around and play.
15. What is something Mommy always says to you?
A: Go upstairs and get to bed.
16. What is something Daddy always says to you?
A: Eat your breakfast. (Apparently we don't deal well with his pokiness)
17. Where is your favorite place to go?
A: Florida
18. What makes you laugh?
A: Funny jokes. Sometimes when people do funny things that I laugh so hard and fall down on the floor.
19. What is your nickname?
A: AB.
20. What is your favorite toy?
A: Nerf blaster guns.
21. What makes you sad?
A: When somebody hurts my feelings and pushes me. And when people say "I'm not your friend".
22. If Spider-Man and The Hulk fought each other, who would win?
A: Probably Hulk because he's stronger and tougher. *pause* Probably Spiderman cuz he shoots a web. If Ironman and Wolverine fought, Ironman would win. Because he has more powerful weapons.
Funny kid!
One of my observations about being a multi-sport athlete (other people, not me, yet), is that to be proficient in all three sports takes a lot of training. Triathletes aren't typically skinny because they control what they eat; I think it's just due to the amount of training one has to endure to be competitive.
It is this giant time suck that has me waffling on entering something as audacious as the Kansas 70.3 next year. That would entail training 10-15 hours every week, sometimes more especially as the date gets closer. That would require some major spousal support. We'll see. I know P would support me, but that is a major commitment to myself as well. Especially when training would start roughly the last week of January.
I really would like to do a sub 6-hour half-ironman if I'm going to do it. I could go out there with the "just finish" mentality, but I think I can do better than that. I'll need to peel off better than 2:00/100yd swim, 20+mph bike, and probably sub 9 min/mile run, with average to good transitions to pull that off. Actually that math would yield a 5:28:06 + transitions (~4 minutes). That'd be a pretty rockin' time.
So enough tri-geekery! I was inspired by our friend Francie's blog, where she asked her son Owen a series of questions. I had fun asking AB some of the same questions a few nights ago, and here are his answers...
1. What is your favorite book?
A: Ironman
2. What is your favorite movie?
A: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
3. What is your favorite food?
A: Grilled Cheese and grapes.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
A: Ben Ten.
5. How do you like being five years old?
A: Kinda good. Depends on if I have big boys beat me up.
6. What is your favorite color?
A: Blue.
7. Who is your favorite superhero?
A: Batman.
8. What is your favorite song?
A: The Imperial March from Star Wars (Darth Vader's theme)
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: Tall MU Player (at this point he runs across the room, stands there for a second and runs back. I ask him what was wrong and he told me he needed a "fart break".)
10. What is your least favorite food?
A: Chicken
11. What do you want to do when you're five? (What are your goals for the year?)
A: Skateboard (Now he runs to the bathroom, poop break)
12. What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy?
A: Go downstairs and watch a movie.
13. What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
A: Go to the pool.
14. What is your favorite thing to do with your buddies?
A: Run around and play.
15. What is something Mommy always says to you?
A: Go upstairs and get to bed.
16. What is something Daddy always says to you?
A: Eat your breakfast. (Apparently we don't deal well with his pokiness)
17. Where is your favorite place to go?
A: Florida
18. What makes you laugh?
A: Funny jokes. Sometimes when people do funny things that I laugh so hard and fall down on the floor.
19. What is your nickname?
A: AB.
20. What is your favorite toy?
A: Nerf blaster guns.
21. What makes you sad?
A: When somebody hurts my feelings and pushes me. And when people say "I'm not your friend".
22. If Spider-Man and The Hulk fought each other, who would win?
A: Probably Hulk because he's stronger and tougher. *pause* Probably Spiderman cuz he shoots a web. If Ironman and Wolverine fought, Ironman would win. Because he has more powerful weapons.
Funny kid!
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