Training Has Begun!

I'm only a month behind schedule, but I actually started training for the Salem Spring Tri.  It's pretty weak training, since I'm still recovering from pneumonia, but I did start last week on the treadmill.

My training is following a periodization training schedule.  This is a training schedule that breaks the year into various periods.  There are typically four or five such periods.  Each goes by various names, the first commonly being called the base phase or the endurance phase.  This is where workouts are long and of low intensity, the idea being to train the body's aerobic system and the muscles for long, sustained periods of exercise.  There are different ways of measuring the intensity of the workout.  Many people follow a maximum heart rate (MHR) plan, where a workout is performed at different percentages of MHR.  That, of course, presents the problem of measuring MHR.  A very simple way of calculating MHR is 220- (your age).  For me, this puts my MHR at 161 (220-59).  You can spend money and go to an exercise lab and be hooked up to various machines that measure your true MHR and other things like your VO2-max (more on this later) as well as body composition.  That is expensive.  There are even self-tests that involve swimming, biking or running to get a MHR.  For now, I'm going with 220-(my age).  A few years ago I did one of the self tests and found my MHR measured that way to be very close to 220-(my age).

In this base phase, my workouts are supposed to be in the range of 65%-72% of MHR.  Thus, I need to keep my heart rate between about 104 and 113 beats per minute (BPM).  Once again, how to measure BPM?  A lot of the treadmills and exercise bikes at gyms have handles that claim to measure BPM.  Some work; some don't.  I've had a heart rate monitor for years, but it has finally given up the ghost.  So I've resorted to the old fashioned way:  I put my fingers alongside my neck and count my pulse for six seconds, then multiply by 10.  If I get 11 pulses in six seconds, my heart rate is 110, right in the range it should be.  I do this every 3-5 minutes to make sure I'm staying in the range.

Most people find that exercising at 65%-70% MHR is very light exercise.  It is. After a 30 minute workout at this level, I'm not even sweating.  But this is a most important phase of training.  It builds the foundation for everything that comes later.  Most people skip this phase, or short-change it because they don't feel like they are working hard enough.  The foundation or base phase should last from 6-16 weeks, depending on your level of fitness when you begin.  For me, coming off pneumonia, I can tell this phase will last a long time.

Training While Sick

It might seem strange to start this training blog with a post about training while sick, but it's a timely topic given that, just three days after I picked up the gauntlet thrown down by my sons and entered the Salem Triathlon, I came down with pneumonia.  I haven't even started training yet.  I figure that, at this point, I'm at least six weeks behind, what with the actual time off from training plus the time it will take to get back to where I was before I got sick.

Illness can throw a monkey wrench into the best training plans.  How do you deal with it?  Do you just power through the illness?  Or do you sit morosely at home, wrapped in blankets, watching your triathlon year slowly circle the drain?  There's a rule of thumb called the neck rule.  This says that if your symptoms are confined to your neck and above (sniffles, sneezing, stuffy nose, maybe a mild sore throat) you probably just have a head cold and can exercise if you feel like it.  If your symptoms are below the neck (body aches, cough, fever) you should take time off.  In all cases, let your body be your guide.  If you have sniffles and generally feel less than 100%, but your training schedule has a hard set of intervals today, scrap the schedule and relax.

But what about the time off training, the setback in our plans?  For those of us over 55, realize that it isn't a setback.  For us, the goal isn't to win.  It isn't even to finish.  We're using triathlon (or cycling or running or whatever) as motivation to exercise, because exercise helps us live longer, more enjoyable lives.  As if I needed to be reminded of that, today I got a text from Brad, who is finishing med school.  He wrote "keep exercising, dad.  I'm seeing a patient who is 55, on 16 medications and has to use an electric wheelchair."  When you get sick, it's just a temporary pause in your life.  Don't stress that you're not on target with your training plan.

The Gauntlet has been Thrown Down

And I'm stupid enough to pick it up.  My three sons have all entered a triathlon in June, the Salem Spring Triathlon.  You can read the oldest's, Steven's, motivation here:  I Triple Dog Dare You at

http://chamberssteve.com/2010/12/31/i-triple-dog-dare-you/.  Well, no one triple-dog-dared me (one of the advantages to being the dad -- there is a certain amount of respect).  But peer pressure is a bear, especially the self-imposed kind.  I've done triathlons for many years, going back to 1983 or so when they were a lunatic fringe sport.  The last one I did was the Salem Spring triathlon in 2008, the year we started the swim in the snow (seriously), the year they cancelled the bike because of slippery roads.  The year I finished 3rd in my age group because of the 14 entrants, 10 were smart enough not to start and one didn't finish.  With our annual July 4 reunion at Bear Lake coming only a month after the triathlon, I wasn't about to be left out of the story-telling.  So, on December 31, just before the price increased by $15, I sat with my pointer hovering over the "Submit" button, my palms a bit sweaty, my heart racing.  I closed my eyes and clicked.

So now, like son Steven, this blog has a purpose.  I entered in the 60-64 age group, because, well, because by June 4, 2011, I will be 60 years and 13 days old.  I could have entered the Clydesdale category (over 200 lbs.), but in my mind I will be a svelte, fleet of foot and light of step triathlete by June 4 and that would be cheating.  Besides, in the 60-64 age group, maybe there will only be 3 competitors and I'll get a ribbon again.  Anyway, back to the point:  There are virtually NO training guides for people over 60.  I found a few for over-40, but give me a break.  I have half a lifetime on a 40-year old.  So while Steven will document a first-time triathlete's training, I'll attempt to document a senior citizen's training.

Merry Christmas

It's been two months.  Time for another post.

The annual performance of the Messiah by the Cottonwood Community Choir and Orchestra was Sunday.  For 14 of their 16 performances, I've played clarinet in the orchestra.  Playing the Hallelujah chorus is truly a spiritual experience.  That is by far the greatest piece of Christmas music for choir ever written.  Sometimes in the middle of the music, with the choir singing, the trumpet (what a magnificent part it has) playing, the audience standing, I can hardly believe I am a part of this incredible paean to the Lord.

Have a wonderful Christmas and remember why we celebrate it.

World Series

So it's the end of October and it snowed four inches in Salt Lake City yesterday.  Must be time for the World Series.

This year I'm kind of excited.  The Texas Rangers have never been to a World Series in their 49 year history going back to 1961 when they were an American League expansion team known as the Washington Senators.  I saw the Senators play in 1962 when I was in Washington, D.C.  They lost to the Yankees.  From the National League we have the San Francisco Giants, who haven't won a World Series since they were the New York Giants playing in the Polo Grounds, in 1954.  Since I always go for the underdog, this is a tough choice.  Which team is more of an underdog?

In the end, I think I'm going with the Giants.  The Rangers have accomplished something already, just by getting to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.  The Giants haven't won in two generations, longer than the Rangers have been waiting to get there.  So, GO GIANTS!

Backpacking

So summer sort of got away from me.  It was early June and now September is here.  I went backpacking for the first time in three years, and not just once, but twice.  Once with the young men (we took goats).  That was a trip.  I wrote an article entitled "Men Who Walk With Goats" that will be in the September Catalyst magazine.  You'll be able to see it at www.catalystmagazine.net.

This picture is me at Twin Lakes.  I was catching some rays and got a random person to preserve it for posterity.

The second time with with Melinda and Scott Symes and his grandson Aaron.  Scott and I have been going together for nearly 30 years.  This trip was to Naturalist Basin.  We got absolutely hammered with rain going in and nearly quit half way in, but that night it cleared up (though it was cold -- frost the next morning), and then was beautiful.  Here are some pictures.

This one is me pointing to my GPS that shows we're at 11,008 feet.  Had to climb on that rock to get there.










This one is of Jordan Lake, where we camped, Friday morning after the rain.  The rest of the trip was like this.

And here are Melinda and I at the end.  She's my hiking buddy.

Yellowstone Vacation

Everyone is telling me I don't post enough, and since I haven't posted since March 31, maybe they're right. We just got back from Yellowstone with Brad and Mel, Jeff and Holli, Melinda and Leah and us. Courtney and Robert and Steve and Cathy couldn't make it. Boo.

Anyway, the BIG story is the lightning strike. We were walking around the geyser basin at Old Faithful in the rain (it rained almost the whole time, off and on) when it started to hail. I heard distant thunder and thought we should go in, but it was far away. Not five minutes later there was a huge crash of thunder and I thought, OK, time to go. I turned to gather everyone and saw a man falling and another down. Behind me, a third guy was down. His friends were trying to get him up, but I made him stay down until it was obvious he was OK. The one who fell was up and calling on his cell phone, but a third guy was down and not moving. A woman said she knew CPR and started it. Brad and Nancy were observing. I heard Nancy say "he has a pulse" but she kept going. Afterward, Nancy said she had her hand on the woman to pull her off because she wouldn't stop even though the guy had a pulse and was breathing. The woman apparently forgot the training about taking time to assess. All the other kids' blogs will have their versions of the lightning, so be sure to check them out.

Apart from that, there were two other things that really stand out. On Wednesday we went to Canyon Village. I recall a fishing trip with dad in 1962. He and his friends took their sons on fishing trips for three summers. This was the first. We went to Yellowstone. We got there late in the day and everyone wanted to fish so we unloaded the cars but didn't set up camp. While we were fishing a black cloud parked over our campsite and soaked it. The men built a big fire and tried to dry things out. I don't remember that night but the next morning we checked into the Canyon Lodge. I remember the snaking counter in the diner. It looks like elongated horseshoes so the waitress can walk into the U and serve both sides. Good memories from that trip.

Then in 1967 and 1968 we went two summers and stayed in the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. I made everyone stop there, too. It is an elegant hotel, built in 1890 with a beautiful view of the lake from a huge sitting room with a massive fireplace. There is a grand piano where someone plays every afternoon. They serve tea. It is gorgeous. I have put staying there again on my list of things to do.

A memorable trip, made better by having family along. I hope their memories of the trip will be as good as mine. Here are some pictures.