2021 is off to a great start

 

I am starting off working on the basics with my mountain biking. Hitting the weights Mondays and Wednesdays with cardio on the training rollers happening on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Heart rate Zones are key when I am doing cardio. With the weight sessions, it is not as much for max weight yet decent weight with high reps. 

I ventured out on the mountain bike trail for the first time this year, yesterday. Wasn’t a long ride, just over four miles. Feeling good.  With my main goal this year is to hit a 50 mile ride on my 50th birthday, in mid October. I feel it’s an obtainable goal. The weight sessions I am putting in now will be a great foundation for helping in that goal. 

Inhaling vapors of Olbas Oil, using the Foojin

Inhaling vapors from a few drops of Olbas Oil in the Foojin, individual essential oil diffuser quickly stimulates and enhances the breathing passages. 

Training update

Over the winter (yes, there is winter here in warm Arizona), I have maintained my training.

It's now time to kick it up and really work towards something this year.

Putting some weight workouts to use and needing to shed some pounds. 

The easy to use and quick workouts with the Gorilla Bow. 

This also means throwing the cycling rollers in the vehicle and putting my training bike on the bike rack. I'll bring them along to my kids sports practices. It's a great way to get that cardio workout in while keeping an eye on them while they practice. 

Or throw the running shoes in the vehicle to get a good training run in during that time.  

TRAGO -- A smart water bottle for keeping you hydrated

Head over to the Trago shop and use my deal code "TimHacker" for 20% off discount. Jump on this offer as it will expire at the end of the month. 

Use the link below to find out more or order yours NOW! 
TRAGO


So here is what it's all about!

So what is a TRAGO water bottle.  A 20 ounce water bottle with a BLE smart lid. Connect the water bottle to the app, available for both Android and Apple devices. Enter some information about your body, like body weight, male or female and the level of activity you participate in to all help keep you hydrated. 
Like with my food tracking apps, I have a difficult time often inputting my water I have consumed everyday.  This app keeps me on my daily goal. It reminds me of how much I have to drink and reminds me a few times during the day to keep drinking. The app splits the day into three segments, morning/afternoon/evening. On the bottom of the app it gives daily tips on how hydration keeps your body working. 

So enough talk about the app, let me show you some of the screens the app shows and well as what the bottle looks like. The lid also works on some other bottles on the market. The lid is powered off a simple coin battery, it comes with. It can easily be changed when needed. 

The different screens on the app show a running total of how much water you need to be consuming and what you are actually drinking. On the bottom of the screen it has a daily total and what you have been drinking.  You can set the app up in units of measurement in ounces or milliliters. You also have the option of manually updating your total of how much water you have consumed. The “fluid thoughts”, help you stay hydrated and give you tips and information on doing so. These can be turned off in the app’s settings if you want. The app tracks then your daily hydration and keeps a log to be later looked at for the whole week and month. 

"Stay hydrated my friends!" 

140.6 here I come!

I am have started training for a self supported Ironman distance race in the middle of October of this year. In order to do this I have asked and am being coached by none other than the best James Lawrence, or those of you into the sport of triathlon, Iron Cowboy James. Yes that is right, the same inspiring athlete who set out last summer completing 50 Ironman distance triathlons in 50 consecutive days in each of the 50 United States.  I followed along last summer on social media and his website as he traveled across the country, day in and day out finishing the 140.6 distance. I am extremely honored to be coached by this amazing triathlete. In my first two weeks of training, I have been given some great workouts to follow and am looking forward to being able to complete my own Iron distance race. More to come on that as training continues. 

Photo: www.facebook.com/ironcowboyJames

Update Week Four Marathon Training

This week was pretty much stuck doing cardio.  Not running while the knee is still not feeling great.  In about a week I will get the results of an MRI.  Then the new doctor I am seeing will let me know my options as to what the pain is being caused from and how to approach treating it.  I have a few mountain bike rides this weekend, and I am looking forward to hitting a new trail I have never been on before.

The Elevation Training Mask

While both running and using the bike on the rollers, I have been using the Training Mask. So what is it you ask. There are numerous studies out there on how athletes train at higher elevations to increase their performance. The area I primarily live and train in, is about 1000 feet above sea level. The mask covers both your nose and mouth and creates an effect as if I were in a higher altitude.  The mask is said to reduce training time by 1/3 by improving the efficiency of my workouts.  It conditions the lungs creating pulmonary resistance and strengthens my diaphragm.  Wearing it forces you to focus on your breathing. The best way this mask will help my body is by teaching it to use oxygen more efficient forcing me to take deeper more full breathes.  I can tell just after using it for over a month how my breathing is being helped by wearing it. 

Once again the mask fits over your nose and mouth attaching at the back of the head with a Velcro strip. There is Velcro strap it comes with also that can be used to cross over your head, joining the two ear holes on either side.  I have to admit the first time I put the mask on, I was very relaxed, yet then was forced to start focusing on my breathing right away. As without the mask, breathing is very easy and not really something the human body needs to think about doing  There are a few sets of valves that come with the mask and instructions on how to set the mask up to mimic different levels of elevation.  Of course very interested in knowing how the maximum degree of elevation with the mask of 18,000 feet would feel I set the mask up and jumped on my bike trainer.  It seriously was not long before I was having to really focus on getting my next breath.

Update Week Three Marathon Training

After a week difficult running, and getting frost bite from icing my knee too much, I visited a new doctor this morning, actually this time an orthopedic surgeon to have him look over and see what is going on with my left knee.  After a bunch of new x-rays, a bunch of twisting my leg, turning my knee and poking and prodding, an MRI has been ordered.  I've been told to stay off my knee until they can figure out from the MRI just what is causing the pain and how to treat it.  I will still be working on my cardio on the bike and maybe purchase my summer swim pass, to swim laps, earlier than I had planned.  While the doctor what moving my knee around he did not think it was my MCL yet was thinking along the lines of it being my medial meniscus.  This will be found out during the MRI.  With the destination marathon being in late June, I am leaning towards making it a marathon I do on my own, locally here on the same day.   The weather here in Arizona will be quite different than northern Minnesota at the time, but save a lot of money.   I have already started putting together a route that would be 26.2 miles with plenty of gas stations for support.    The marathon in still on,  just a different location.