How to Quit the Gym

(Note - There are plenty of reasons NOT to quit the gym. Don't do this if you feel you should still be going.)

Quitting the gym is not something most people would admit to, but I'm proud of it. Mixing in some Crossfit style stuff with my running, I have gotten to a fitness level without the gym that most people are not getting even with it.  If you are wondering how or why to do this yourself, here's some helpful info:

• Standing around and slowly lifting weights is not real fitness.  Sure you'll get strong.  Strong at lifting objects in a controlled environment.  That isn't what usually happens in real life. 
• Crossfit and P90x is much more of a real workout.  Watch some of the Crossfit workouts on YouTube and/or a P90x video and you'll see some very fit folks.  Not much equipment is being used, either.
• Rollers and trainers.  A lot of the reason I was going was to ride a spin bike.  First, I found that spin class wasn't challenging anymore, then I discovered rollers.  Wow, what a workout right at home.
• Combining push ups, pull ups, squats, and running is an amazing workout.  Aside from getting a pull up bar, the rest is free.  Try doing some every ten minutes while running and prepare to get ripped.
• Test yourself.  I can do twelve pull ups (hands forward) and who knows how many pushups when working out at home just a few times a week.  Most gym rats have great single muscle strength, but not good group muscle strength.  Give it a try yourself to see how many you can do.  Are you really getting your money's worth?

Now, my gym does not have a pool.  If it did, I would definitely still be there.  But if you start applying some of the above methods and find yourself not going to the gym anymore, pull the plug.  The thirty bucks a month you save ($360 a year!) could go a long ways towards a new bike or even some coaching.

Nice Race! You're Not Done Yet.

Hopefully you got to witness a fantastic race within a race during this year's Boston Marathon.  Zentri's own coached athlete MangoRunner squared off against his arch-nemesis, SpeedySasquatch. This thing had people so motivated, I was ready to sign up for the next 15 Boston's myself.

They were evenly matched and alas, Mango came in just 2 minutes behind his competition and the both finished just a hair over three hours.  Absolutely awesome running performance in a world-class venue.

I told Mango great job, and don't forget that he's not done untill he writes down his experiences.  Every race is practice for the next.  If you want to do better, you need to record what went right, wrong, what you should change, and what you should keep.  Write it down and keep it in your training log for next time.

As for being his coach for this particular race, I could care less if he beat or lost to another guy.  Once you're going long, this stuff is really all about you and seeing how far and fast you can go.  Running Boston in 3:05:59 puts Mango within the bracket of Armstrong speed.  Very nice, indeed.

PODCAST - The Storm of New Orleans 70.3

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

First off, I want to give a HUGE thanks to rocker/triathlete Paul Both for letting us play his remake of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face" on our show.  It's about fifteen minutes in if you want to go right to it.  Wow!

Don't forget you can also follow him on Twitter here.  Always support your favorite artists by buying their music and going to their shows!

Ok, back to business.  This show is recorded in a thunderstorm and includes audio from the New Orleans 70.3 Ironman and Holistic Guru's first official "Healthy Nutrition for the Triathlete" portion of Zentri.  She will be a regular guest and we have lots of topics to cover in upcoming shows.

Shownotes!

• Chillin' in a lightning storm.
• Audio from pre and post race Ironman 70.3 New Orleans.
• "Eyes Without a Face" by Paul Both
• Interview with Holistic Guru about healthy alternatives to store-bought gels.
• Background music for that interview was "Guru" by Sagnik Basu Krishnaroop Chakravarthi - Sheherezad
• Voicemails!  One includes somebody running Bandit in a local race.
• Funny outtake from the interview with Holistic Guru at the end of the show.

Click here to listen

Recovery Styles

We've got some nasty weather hanging around, but I like it.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  Lightning and tornados mixed in for good measure. 

Bad weather is the natural time to do some recovery.  Humans, like all creatures, have evolved to take "down time" and recharge.  Work hard when times are good, regroup and rest when times are bad.  Next time your planned workout is rained out, think of it as good.  You needed the rest, anyway.  Flow with Nature, don't fight it.  You'll lose.

Here's some things of note or items I'm working on this weekend.

• The MS150 from Houston to Austin is partially cancelled this weekend due to storms.  This is part of the problem with hanging all our hopes and dreams on a single event.  There's always next year.
• Bamboo!  I'm going to wreck my garage again by whacking away at bamboo for some more experiments.  I've got an idea for either a bug screen or bike stand.  Hmm...
• Podcasting.  Time to listen and also record some podcasting material.  Always fun.
• Have some non-triathlete friends over for dinner.  Gotta catch up with the Real World.
• Probably go to Austin tomorrow to ride Jester Blvd. and interview a bike shop owner that specializes in fixies.

Next week should be nice and workout-friendly after taking an easy weekend.  I think after watching The Empire Strikes Back with my son 8 times, getting on the bike and the hell out of the house will be very attractive.

If you took it easy, what did you do?

Caffeine Pills is the New Starbucks

In these tough economic times, it's important to find ways to save money.  If you can save some cash on your unnecessary drug addictions, that's even better!

I was sick and wretching the day after taking too many caffeine pills during a half IM when I had a revelation.  Why do I need to drink coffee anymore to feel like crap when I can just take the pills?  I tried it for a week and here's my superbly scientific analysis:

1. For the price of one Starbucks latte verde tall mega half creamer vanilla chocolate mocha blah blah I can buy THIRTY SIX caffeine pills.
2. Whenever I try to quit caffeine, I get mild depression, low motivation, and the work ethic of a typical self-entitled American teenager.
3. These pills have a little half-dose mark on them that allows you to crack them and pop just half.  That's all I need because I get sick on more than that.  We triathletes are obsessive about exact measurements.  You can imagine the little jig I did when I saw those lines and cracked the pill in half.  "Walgreen's shoppers... Dancer on aisle 9!"
4. My dreams are more awesomer.  Lightsaber fights with chipmunks, a jet engine for an anus, epic lovemaking with a 16-sided skyscraper?  You name it, I've done it.
5. Huge time savings.  While you sit around making your coffee in the AM, I just roll over and pop a pill.  Next thing I know, I'm halfway to Vegas and swatting invisible bats in the desert.

Hey, don't you judge my pill-popping if you drink coffee or take vitamins.  Technically, everything you put in your body is a drug, Spicoli.  You're probably just jealous I thought of it first.