Back to Basics

Back to Basics

It's officially 55 days until my sprint triathlon on June 28 so it's
time to get serious. If I want to be a bit competitive with myself
which of course I do, I am not going to just show up and hope I finish
it at some point. No, instead I must have a goal in mind or it really
doesn't work much for me. To meet this goal, I really need to train
and so train I will. I'm stepping that up officially today, Monday,
May 4. It's what I'm calling "Back to Basics".

What you may ask do I mean by "Back to Basics"? Well, I've been
struggling recently to keep my minimum 3 day-a-week training.
Actually, if I'm honest with myself, I'll realize I was sick for
almost a month and so of course my training suffered. Not only did my
training suffer, but so did my eating. Eating has been a struggle my
whole life, but for the most part I have a handle on it. Still, I am
not within the range I set for myself so it's time to step that up as
well. So, exercise and eating will be covered in my "Back to Basics"
plan as will a few other things that will contribute to an overall
healthier me so that I'm ready to kick some ass on Tri day. Let me
list it out in no particular order.

1. Track Everything. Everything? Pretty much. Track what? Food and
activity. Keep a daily log every day and record what I'm eating for
each meal with calorie counts, how much exercise I'm getting with
mileage and estimated calories burned, and track the intensities of my
workouts, time spent, etc. in a hand log that I'll keep with me at the
gym.

When I do these things, I'm able to stay on track. It's when I let
things slip and am not paying attention (or am in denial really) that
I start to backslide. Saturday's weigh in was the reality there. I
will not be another statistic. Granted, the scale was up due to water
retention (hello PMS), I was sick, I quit smoking, AND I became a
vegetarian (which some would think would help you lose weight but I
tend to eat too much cheese and way too many carbs if I'm not
careful). These are not excuses but realities. I just need to start
dealing with them and one fairly simple way (for me anyway) to be
accountable is to write it all down. I know for many people this would
not work but luckily for me I'm an analyst so I don't mind collecting
this data.

2. Adjust Diet. Ok, that looks so simple. Two words. 10 letters. A
lifetime of struggle. Anyway, this means reducing the amount of
alcohol, sweets, and chips/salsa I eat in a week. This means a
concerted effort to eat more fruits and vegetables and to reduce the
number of simple carbs I'm taking in. This means keeping calorie
counts in the 1500-1700 calorie range most days with only a few times
per week to indulge. This means eating out less often and making my
own meals. This means a reduction in the price of beer…ok, no...that's
a lyric but I mean a reduction in the amount of beer I drink which is
to say hardly any at all. Pout. It is what it is. I am of the school
of math camp…calories in, calories out. Is it an exact science? No,
but it's not that far off if you ask me. I just need to be smarter
about the types and quantities of foods I'm eating and drink more
water. Sounds simple but it's this Basic that I fear the most.

3. Strength Train. GROAN. Most people I know love strength training
but I really hate it and I'm not afraid to admit it. I don't like
being in pain. Cardio is simple to me because you just breathe hard
and sweat for a specific period of time and then you're done. You burn
a ton of calories too which I love. Rarely is there pain. Rarely is
there the type of pain that makes walking down stairs complete torture
or the prospect of sitting down to take a pee wish you had some
Depends. I'm just saying. Still, I understand the importance of it and
so I will rededicate myself to this torture…uh, I mean,
reality…because I know that I need my large muscles (legs and butt)
and core to be strong if I want to do any running at my tri. The very
minimal practice sessions I have had at riding a bike for 30 minutes
and then jumping onto the treadmill have made me realize it's going to
be really hard. My legs felt like jelly after having been in that
cycling position for so long and running was just not happening after
a few minutes. My body said no. The reality is I need to be as strong
as possible in order to meet my time goal and to do that, I have to
push my legs to the limit and endure the stair/toilet issues I
described above. (I'm still trying to figure out what my time goal
is, but I think 1 hr 30 minutes would be awesome…maybe a bit
aggressive, but awesome nonetheless. We shall see.)

4. Get Enough Rest. I am guilty of not sleeping enough quite
regularly. I am going to strive to get seven hours of sleep a night.
Well, how about six? I need to work on this one.

5. Write More. As if I didn't have enough to do, I really need to
write how I'm feeling through this whole thing. I think it's exciting
that I'm pushing myself and so I want to remember it. One way to do
that will be to document the journey.

I think that's it for now. It's enough, don't you think?