My co-workers are having a "Biggest Loser" contest and they are going by Body Fat % loss as the main factor. I didn't think I needed another competition at this time so I stayed out but I did an initial weigh in just for Sh%&s and giggles.
To my surprise my Body Fat % is at the very high end of the healthy range of things for the 31 to 50 age group. How can this be? Obviously, the folks putting this guidleline in place are leading people to very unhealthy ideals.
If a 35 year old guy that does pretty well in his AG at races, trains 15 to 20 hours a week (at pretty high intensity) and eats a lot better than most of the population is just barely meeting the body fat target what does this mean?
Check out the charts-
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/bodyfatpercentage.html
Also, if you look up the male triathlete range, I am way above the 5% to 12% bar so I guess all the triathletes they measured were pros cause I happily see all shapes and sizes out there at our local events.
Even on the Health Canada site, my Body Mass Index is only a fraction of a number off being overweight?
I think it is time they re-viewed these numbers and made them a little more realistic before they drive people to very unhealthy lifestyles.
January 28, 2010
January 25, 2010
Good Night Conan! Vroom Vroom Party Starter.
January 22, 2010
Always looking for more readers...
I love all the comments the readers of my blog leave. Luckily, I have several positive people that stop by and add their opinions to my thoughts or ideas.
If you have a couple of extra seconds, I would be honoured if you could add my site to your blog roll or web links!
If you would like to leave your name or site , please do so and I will add you to the amazing collection of blogs I follow daily.
To those that have already added me, I really do appreciate the promo so thank you very much!
Happy training!
Larry
If you have a couple of extra seconds, I would be honoured if you could add my site to your blog roll or web links!
If you would like to leave your name or site , please do so and I will add you to the amazing collection of blogs I follow daily.
To those that have already added me, I really do appreciate the promo so thank you very much!
Happy training!
Larry
Comment From Stuart
Since comments are not always viewable on the main page I thought I would bring Stuart's comment out to the front page...
Not really related to your OP - but just saw this on the TriSport website - a "pay-what-you-can" group training run Jan 30 to support long-term projects in Haiti
http://www.whatsup.ca/news10/01-19-10_road2hope_enews.html
Looks like a good way to support a great on-going cause - & will also be motivating to be with a group of runners for the first time this winter
Stuart
Not really related to your OP - but just saw this on the TriSport website - a "pay-what-you-can" group training run Jan 30 to support long-term projects in Haiti
http://www.whatsup.ca/news10/01-19-10_road2hope_enews.html
Looks like a good way to support a great on-going cause - & will also be motivating to be with a group of runners for the first time this winter
Stuart
January 20, 2010
ATTENTION ALL DUATHLETES!!
I just received word that a 2010 National Championship for Duathlon is not in the works this season in Canada. This is not 100%, but pretty darn reliable info, as it appears that Triathlon Canada cannot get a host for the event so we will not see this championship for a second straight year.
My source mentioned that the races to qualify for the 2011 Worlds in Gijon, Spain will be announced "in the near future" so keep your eyes peeled for this announcement.
My source mentioned that the races to qualify for the 2011 Worlds in Gijon, Spain will be announced "in the near future" so keep your eyes peeled for this announcement.
January 19, 2010
2010 Ontario Duathlon Championships???
OK - I know some of you folks are in the know (wink, wink) so I am posting this question.
When and where will the 2010 Ontario Du Championships take place?
I find it very ridiculous that this event has not been posted to date. I am sure there are triathlon dates not posted as well but I have not looked (I am not ready for that competition, yet).
How hard is it to plan ahead and have this set up, or at least keep the website current (it is 2010 after all). Surely, many of the OAT folks realize that serious athletes start building their calendars before the new year and plan out their year based on the Subaru, Somersault, HSBC, etc. schedules.
I actually posed the question to OAT in very early December and was told that it would be announced soon. Well, "soon" has passed and I have not seen a posting on the OAT website or the HSBC website (rumour was that they have the place and date due to a two year agreement with OAT and this is the second year)
Wonder why some top athletes don't show up for these events? Probably because they already set their schedule and cannot switch it up to make them fit. I recently registered for an Ironman 70.3 event so that will be a focus for several weeks around the date of that event. My luck will be that the Ont. Championship will fall in that time period and I will not be able to compete but if I waited any longer I would have been out of luck as the Ironman events fill very early (in most cases).
I know I am never going to be a popular person with our governing bodies but the athletes need a voice and deserve value for the money they pay for these memberships.
Thank you,
Larry Bradley
When and where will the 2010 Ontario Du Championships take place?
I find it very ridiculous that this event has not been posted to date. I am sure there are triathlon dates not posted as well but I have not looked (I am not ready for that competition, yet).
How hard is it to plan ahead and have this set up, or at least keep the website current (it is 2010 after all). Surely, many of the OAT folks realize that serious athletes start building their calendars before the new year and plan out their year based on the Subaru, Somersault, HSBC, etc. schedules.
I actually posed the question to OAT in very early December and was told that it would be announced soon. Well, "soon" has passed and I have not seen a posting on the OAT website or the HSBC website (rumour was that they have the place and date due to a two year agreement with OAT and this is the second year)
Wonder why some top athletes don't show up for these events? Probably because they already set their schedule and cannot switch it up to make them fit. I recently registered for an Ironman 70.3 event so that will be a focus for several weeks around the date of that event. My luck will be that the Ont. Championship will fall in that time period and I will not be able to compete but if I waited any longer I would have been out of luck as the Ironman events fill very early (in most cases).
I know I am never going to be a popular person with our governing bodies but the athletes need a voice and deserve value for the money they pay for these memberships.
Thank you,
Larry Bradley
January 18, 2010
Building it up brick by brick.
Lately, it has been tough to slide in two workouts per day due to a number of things going on right now. Nothing bad, just a lot of real work and family stuff that needs to be priority.
That being said, I have gone back to a recommendation from a brief conversation I had with a very highly ranked Ironman. I asked him what should I really focus on to run better off the bike.
He said that I needed to lay down more than just one brick workout per week, if I wanted to be a solid runner off the bike. He also mentioned that even a 5 to 10 minute race pace run right after a cycling session can be helpful so it doesn't always need to be a full run in the brick. This can be a long enough effort to get the legs use to coming off the bike in a tri of du situation.
To get some workouts in from all three sporting elements the last week, I have had to go back to this philosophy and put in a few more bricks than usual as the night seems to be the only available training time. This is not a bad thing as I really enjoy the brick workout. I was not riding the bike as much as I should have been due to the running races and the weather in December so it is good to find the motivation to ride, even on the trainer. Now I just have to increase the attention span to go past that 1 hour ride barrier.
As for the runs off the bike, they have been the best runs after a bike session since I started multisport training. I usually put down a 10k run after the bike workout and they have been very strong with decent form (I have never been a pretty runner to watch) so I am very happy with the progress since the fall when I seemed to have found the next gear. Luckily, there are many more gears to find so I just need to keep up the running and wait for the track sessions to begin.
Hope everyone else is enjoying the start to 2010!
Talk soon,
Larry
That being said, I have gone back to a recommendation from a brief conversation I had with a very highly ranked Ironman. I asked him what should I really focus on to run better off the bike.
He said that I needed to lay down more than just one brick workout per week, if I wanted to be a solid runner off the bike. He also mentioned that even a 5 to 10 minute race pace run right after a cycling session can be helpful so it doesn't always need to be a full run in the brick. This can be a long enough effort to get the legs use to coming off the bike in a tri of du situation.
To get some workouts in from all three sporting elements the last week, I have had to go back to this philosophy and put in a few more bricks than usual as the night seems to be the only available training time. This is not a bad thing as I really enjoy the brick workout. I was not riding the bike as much as I should have been due to the running races and the weather in December so it is good to find the motivation to ride, even on the trainer. Now I just have to increase the attention span to go past that 1 hour ride barrier.
As for the runs off the bike, they have been the best runs after a bike session since I started multisport training. I usually put down a 10k run after the bike workout and they have been very strong with decent form (I have never been a pretty runner to watch) so I am very happy with the progress since the fall when I seemed to have found the next gear. Luckily, there are many more gears to find so I just need to keep up the running and wait for the track sessions to begin.
Hope everyone else is enjoying the start to 2010!
Talk soon,
Larry
January 11, 2010
Working out of Calgary for a few days...
Work has sent me off to Calgary for a few days so I am trying to make use of the facilities here at the hotel. Thankfully, the weather is a lot warmer out here than back in Mississauga so I should be able to run confortably outside a few times.
For the indoor workouts, the gym is not too bad and pretty much what you expect to get in most places these days but the pool was a disappointment as it is set up more for families. It has a big winding slide and a splash pad. The pool is not too big and it is very oddly shaped so not useful for completing any laps. Booo.
I do need to get some real work done while I am in town so I guess the swimming will have to wait until I geet back to the GTA.
Take care,
Larry
For the indoor workouts, the gym is not too bad and pretty much what you expect to get in most places these days but the pool was a disappointment as it is set up more for families. It has a big winding slide and a splash pad. The pool is not too big and it is very oddly shaped so not useful for completing any laps. Booo.
I do need to get some real work done while I am in town so I guess the swimming will have to wait until I geet back to the GTA.
Take care,
Larry
January 8, 2010
Swim Update
The one question I get more than any other these days is, "How is the swimming coming along?"
Well, to be totally honest, it has been a lot tougher than expected. Sure I can now swim for longer periods of time which is pretty neat as I was barely making it through 25m of freestyle in Aug/Sep 2009. I am now confident enough to make it through an Olympic distance swim without having to pull out the breast stroke. The problem is that swimming is so technical and I am wasting so much energy trying to go at an average pace.
Last night, I had a poor practice due to a lack of energy (the 30 minute tempo run that ended 4 minutes before the swim did not help, bad idea) and dehydration so I ended up exiting the water a little early to avoid being sick. The one good thing that came from this was that I was able to watch a few of the better swimmers with Hans and we picked out key elements in their stroke that I should work towards.
Coach Hans has been very good at pointing out a lot of my flaws and I really appreciate all the suggestions and tips he gives me at our Thursday night swims. Now I really need to get these pointers to work in my stroke. It is going to take time as there are so many areas of concentration for me to improve on and you can only do so many things in one session.
The good thing is that I know I can do it as my starting point was so aweful and I have managed to get to my current comfort level in the water, which is a minor win to me. I am going to stay positive and continue to work towards my secret goals in the water. Milton will be my first test in 2010 and I do not want to be one of the last athletes pulling into transition for my Age Group.
If I use my run and cycling work ethic, anything is within my reach.
Talk soon,
Larry
Well, to be totally honest, it has been a lot tougher than expected. Sure I can now swim for longer periods of time which is pretty neat as I was barely making it through 25m of freestyle in Aug/Sep 2009. I am now confident enough to make it through an Olympic distance swim without having to pull out the breast stroke. The problem is that swimming is so technical and I am wasting so much energy trying to go at an average pace.
Last night, I had a poor practice due to a lack of energy (the 30 minute tempo run that ended 4 minutes before the swim did not help, bad idea) and dehydration so I ended up exiting the water a little early to avoid being sick. The one good thing that came from this was that I was able to watch a few of the better swimmers with Hans and we picked out key elements in their stroke that I should work towards.
Coach Hans has been very good at pointing out a lot of my flaws and I really appreciate all the suggestions and tips he gives me at our Thursday night swims. Now I really need to get these pointers to work in my stroke. It is going to take time as there are so many areas of concentration for me to improve on and you can only do so many things in one session.
The good thing is that I know I can do it as my starting point was so aweful and I have managed to get to my current comfort level in the water, which is a minor win to me. I am going to stay positive and continue to work towards my secret goals in the water. Milton will be my first test in 2010 and I do not want to be one of the last athletes pulling into transition for my Age Group.
If I use my run and cycling work ethic, anything is within my reach.
Talk soon,
Larry
January 3, 2010
2010 is Now!
It's January in Mississauga and it is darn cold. Add the winds we have experienced of late, and it is even worse. The last three nights of running have required several layers and even two toques the other night.
It was to the point where I considered running with the wind and taking a bus back home after my run to avoid training head on into the blustering chill out of the north. After thinking through the plan, I figured that was cheating (plus I am too cheap to waste money on bus fare) so I did not go along with the devil on my shoulder. I know that this is character building time so I sure hope it pays off come the spring.
On a resolution note for the new year, I stayed away from banning my mouth from treats as I knew that would be very short lived. Instead, I have set my goal in 2010 to becoming a morning trainer. This will be a tough change from all the late night hours I put in on the roads but will give me some better options when the mornings become brighter. It is also a piece of mind thing with my family as they think training at night is a little risky.
From past experiments with running in the AM, I have lacked the energy to reach my usual training paces. I tried to change that by eating and than running but that led to cramps. Anyone have any suggestions to get me up to my regular energy outputs in the morning? On the bike, I am able to consume before or during the workout without the same issues so I am not too worried about losing any intensity for this part of my training.
Other than that, it has been great to spend a lot of time with my family over the past few weeks. The usual colds and other little illnesses have kept us inside most of the holidays but we have had a lot of fun playing with all the cool new toys Santa placed under the tree. Mini hockey is my favourite and it sure beats the make shift doorways I used to use as nets when I was a wee lad.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!
Larry
It was to the point where I considered running with the wind and taking a bus back home after my run to avoid training head on into the blustering chill out of the north. After thinking through the plan, I figured that was cheating (plus I am too cheap to waste money on bus fare) so I did not go along with the devil on my shoulder. I know that this is character building time so I sure hope it pays off come the spring.
On a resolution note for the new year, I stayed away from banning my mouth from treats as I knew that would be very short lived. Instead, I have set my goal in 2010 to becoming a morning trainer. This will be a tough change from all the late night hours I put in on the roads but will give me some better options when the mornings become brighter. It is also a piece of mind thing with my family as they think training at night is a little risky.
From past experiments with running in the AM, I have lacked the energy to reach my usual training paces. I tried to change that by eating and than running but that led to cramps. Anyone have any suggestions to get me up to my regular energy outputs in the morning? On the bike, I am able to consume before or during the workout without the same issues so I am not too worried about losing any intensity for this part of my training.
Other than that, it has been great to spend a lot of time with my family over the past few weeks. The usual colds and other little illnesses have kept us inside most of the holidays but we have had a lot of fun playing with all the cool new toys Santa placed under the tree. Mini hockey is my favourite and it sure beats the make shift doorways I used to use as nets when I was a wee lad.
I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year!
Larry
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