I know this is always something that needs to be taken with a thought process that allows you a learning curve that is outside an obvious physical exertion but the relationship between the thought and the action is very conected
Aussies duel at Lake Stevens Ironman triathlon
Aussie Luke Bell edges countryman Joe Gambles by one second at the finish line to win the Lake Stevens Ironman triathlon.
LAKE STEVENS — On a day of nearly perfect racing conditions, Australians Luke Bell and Joe Gambles waged a determined battle over 70.3 miles, with Bell pulling ahead in the final few steps Sunday to win the Lake Stevens Ironman triathlon.
Bell and Gambles were virtually stride for stride as they neared the finish line in downtown Lake Stevens before Bell eased ahead to cross the finish line one second ahead of Gambles.
The 29-year-old Bell, who is from Melbourne, Australia (and has homes in San Diego and Boulder, Colo.), was clocked in four hours, 15 seconds. He received the first-place prize of $5,000.
Gambles, also from Melbourne, was timed in 4:00:16. His runner-up paycheck was $3,000.
Chris Legh, also from Melbourne, was third in the men’s race at 4:01:43. He earned $2,000.
The women’s winner was Mary Beth Ellis of Boulder, Colo. ($5,000), with a time of 4:33:42. Second place was Linsey, Corbin of Missoula, Mont. ($3,000), at 4:38:22; and third was Fiona Docherty of New Zealand ($2,000) at 4:40:59.
These results are always something that keeps us all with our eyes on the big race results and the professionals as they make their money keeping us entertained with their dedication to the sport.At times we enviously look on as the genetics of an individual that give them the opportunity to lead a life of the elite.
But for us mere mortals like Rachel Ross who is the 2 time defending 30-34 Women’s age group champion at the Ironman World Championships in Kona. In addition to being an outstanding triathlete she is also a mother of three kids under the age of 8!
Training consists of a max of 20 hours once or twice training for Ironman Arizona this spring. It’s broken down into 4 swims (about 12k total), 3 rides (just under 200 mi/week) and 3-4 runs (30 - 40 mi/wk). With 20 hr/week environmental scientist job and three kids she is part of the majority of the participants of this sport who embody the passion and tenacity to get more out of life.
What ever drives you to step up to the start line, use it as a communication for all around you to see.
Where there is a will to commit to something, excuses are not an option and your determination to set and achieve a goal, is from the changing of a mindset that can liberate you from old habits and set a course that has the possibility to inspire those around you.
We are a lesson to every other person we come into contact with, we get such a short time here inspire, grow, and share, and the world will be a greater place for all involved
Stretching essentials
Regular stretching should be part of any exercise program.
TEN Top tips and good Reasons for Stretching
Its not something that is allways considered as an important part of an overall fitness regime but where is you not NOT stretch to the point of make the muscles to elastic before a race.
I know for myself it is important to put a session aside per week to dedicate to stretching
1 Flexibility
To improve your daily performance. having Flexible muscles allows greater performance and load levels
2 Improve the range of motion of your joints.
The range of motion keeps help keep you mobile and less prone to injury from falls increases the biomechanical efficiency of a body which can translate to better speed and power
3 For greater circulation.
• By increasing blood flow to your muscles. Improved circulation can speed recovery after muscle injuries.
4 Promote better posture.
• By stretching it helps keep your muscles from getting tight, allowing you to maintain proper posture and minimize aches and pains.
5 To combat stress.
• Stretching relaxes the tense muscles that often accompany stress.
6 To help prevent injury
Preparing your muscles and joints for activity can protect you from injury, especially if your muscles or joints are tight.
7 Warm up first.
Stretching muscles when they’re cold increases your risk of injury, including pulled muscles. Warm up by walking while gently pumping your arms, or slowly go the the range of movement you be using in your given sport Better yet, stretch after you exercise - when your muscles are warm and more receptive to stretching.
8 Relax and breathe freely
Don’t hold your breath while you’re stretching
9 Hold each stretch
A good rule of thumb at least 30 seconds,up to 60 seconds for a really tight muscle or problem area.
It takes time to lengthen tissues safely. That can seem like a long time, so keep an eye on the clock or your watch. Then repeat the stretch on the other side. For most muscle groups, a single stretch is often enough if you hold it long enough, I like to do sets of 3
10 Don’t bounce.•
Expect to feel tension while you’re stretching. Bouncing as you stretch can cause small tears in the muscle. If it hurts, you’ve gone too far. Back off to the point where you don’t feel any pain, then hold the stretch.
Riding with the brakes on
Very quick post as am having to deal with the ghost of depression again, I have always used my sport as an aid to maintain a hold on something as I know as depression. This time it got to me more so than it has any time in the past.
To the end that I am away in a retreat in the hills for a beat the blues program at a place called Fountainhead retreat.
I will be adding to the blog as I go through the course.
I came here as there is an emphasis on the mind body connection.
I have been using the facilities that are here 25 mtr pool, complete gym set up, a challenging obstacle course, sauna and an organic food environment with a 3 day fruit juice detox.
The time here is also made to challenge you with identifying the belief patterns that cause the cycle of depression.
I have managed to get a good start back to my training and am feeling like life is a getting to be more manageable.
Bloger in training
I do not know what I have done to this home page but somehow I have lost the navigation sidebar but if you scroll down to the bottom you will find it, or click the post category and all the nav bar appears, working on it to get it right 
Cancer drives Man to Triathlon
Sister’s memory drives triathlete
Southlake man raises funds to fight cancer through Ironman races
Jonathan Walkup credits his sister with providing the inspiration he needed to qualify for Saturday’s World Championship 70.3 Ironman in Clearwater, Fla.
Julia Walkup Middleton lost her seven-year battle with cancer on Sept. 1.
“Julia will not be far from my mind,” Walkup, 46, said.
Walkup, a Southlake resident, began triathlon training in January 2006 to improve his health. He placed in his age group in his first sprint triathlon races, which fostered a desire to continue training.
He then decided to raise money to help fight thymoma cancer, the type his sister had. Through research, he learned that the Janus Charity Challenge donated proceeds to the charity of one’s choice. The only catch: Janus’ fundraising program was tied to Ironman events.
“Julia was in her sixth year of this battle,” he said. “She should have only survived two. In the back of my mind, I knew I was running out of time.”
With five months to train, Walkup entered Ironman Arizona last April. He raised more than $14,000 and finished. He narrowly missed a spot in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Walkup then entered the Buffalo Springs Half Ironman last summer. Again, he missed earning a Kona spot, but he did qualify for Clearwater. He said the event will be a family celebration of Julia’s life. Even his dad, Bob Walkup, who was just re-elected to serve his third term as the mayor of Tucson, Ariz., plans to be on hand.
Jonathan Walkup is among 18 area triathletes who qualified for the Clearwater race.
Another, Jack Weiss, has recovered from a September bike wreck and multiple surgeries that followed. Weiss also qualified for the Duathlon World Long Course Championships in September, but he wasn’t physically able to participate.
“I’m in Florida,” Weiss said. “I can’t say how well I will do, but I am here.”
I hope I do get the message across with some of these stories that life is all about taking a stance and stepping up to the start line, life can throw you so many curve balls ( to use another sporting saying) that you can be bruised and battered but it is always the measure of the desire to be a participant that get you to the end of the race
Triathlon injury wreaks havoc
In all my years of I have spent training, I can sum up injuries/athletes in one sentence; those who have been, and those who will be, injured.
Athletes become injured for any number of reasons during training or racing — improper intensity/endurance effort increases, insufficient rest, failing to listen to warning signals from your body, a lapse in concentration by a training partner. The list is endless.
However, I don’t propose to teach you how to avoid injuries today. Rather, get to realized a basic pattern among athletes that may help you cope with and overcome an injury while on the healing path.
The first stage of healing is denial. Many athletes are pros at this, ignoring the pain in hopes that it will go away. You do this initially with an injury to buffer the negative consequences until you can figure out how to deal with it.
Many athletes believe they are tough enough to train/race through the pain. Keep in mind though, pain is your body’s warning sign of injury/inflammation and no matter how tough you are, you can’t beat biology.
Next, reality sets in and you become angry, immediately rationalizing away responsibility for what’s happened. You blame someone or something else — your coach, the steepness of the hill, your saddle height, anything to displace the blame from yourself.
Then you start bargaining. When anger doesn’t relieve the pain or make the swelling go down, you bargain and agree to make a pact with anyone who will help you face the denial and get through the anger. You’ll try to cut the best deal with what you feel are the best odds of minimal rehab, all possible shortcuts, and minimal time with an elevated appendage.
But when you don’t get to do it your way, the next stage is inevitable — depression.
This is when the confusion, self-doubt and fear set in. You feel vulnerable and out of control, be it money for race registration or travel, loss of connection with your contemporaries, or whatever.
You lose some of that mental sharpness and enthusiasm that previously sustained you. But somewhere in all this, things get clearer and injury rehab gets on track.
Finally you get to acceptance — time to deal with the injury and get on with it. Learn to make the best of the scenario and be positive, in plan and attitude.
Similar to a training plan, your recovery must be systematic, realistic and flexible for adjustment. Recognize and get yourself through the various mental stages of injury recovery and you can better help a friend when they go through the same process. You’ll be a stronger, smarter and a better person and athlete in both cases.
— Angie Ferguson is an exercise physiologist from Fort Myers. She is also a USA Cycling and USA Triathlon coach. She can be reached at www.gearedup.biz.
Heart Scare For Emma Carney
FORMER world triathlon champion Emma Carney has been warned not to push herself in competition after she suffering a heart scare
Three years ago Carney was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia — a condition that causes the heart to accelerate to abnormally high levels — and had a defibrillator implanted.
Despite being advised she would never exercise again, Carney, 36, could not accept a life without sporting challenges and was keen to complete the 299km Melbourne-to-Warrnambool.
On Saturday she was 20km into the race when she had to slow down to negotiate some cyclists who had crashed.
Momentarily forgetting her heart condition, Carney went into race mode and attempted to chase down the leading pack.
“I got held up and my reaction was to chase the lead pack,” Carney said. “I didn’t think about my heart condition.”
Just as Carney caught the front group her defibrillator went off, restoring a normal heartbeat via electric shock. “I thought, ‘S—, I better pull over’,” she said.
“My defibrillator went off again and I’m sitting on the side of the road in Werribee thinking, ‘I wish I was normal, why am I doing this? God, I’m an idiot’. Then the next day I’m back training again.”
Her cardiologist, Prof Richard Harper, said she pushed herself too hard and her heart responded by getting out of rhythm.
“She has damaged her heart from repeated over-training,” he said. “She was doing 10 to 16 triathlons a year, and she had an extremely rigorous training program.
“It’s possible to do too much training, and as a result of this, her heart can get out of rhythm.”
He advised Carney to enter fun bike events, or take up coaching.
“The problem with that, she says, is that the athletes don’t train hard enough,” he said.
Warned not to push herself too hard competing, Carney said: “The problem is that when they put a number on my back, I become a different person.”
Carney is training about three hours a day and hopes to contest a couple of Gatorade triathlon events this summer, despite Saturday’s scare.
Prof Harper has not met a more determined person: “She is in uncharted waters . . . considering the damage she’s done, I’m amazed she can do what she does.”
Throughout her ordeal Carney has sought to honour the memory of her sister Jane, who died of melanoma almost two years ago.
“I’ve seen how quickly life can be taken away with Jane. It’s such a fluke that I’m here and I’m alive,” she said.
Biologist Busts his B##lls in the jungle
Once was not enough for Daryl Suen.
He had so much fun last year surviving the blade of grass to saw through a piece of raw meat.
All competitors are required to carry mandatory supplies: enough food to last seven days, hammocks with mosquito nets, 2.5 litres of water, insect repellent, a compass, safety pins, a knife, a medical kit (containing salt tablets, pain killers, disinfectant, bandages and tape), a flashlight with spare batteries, waterproof matches or lighter, and enough water purification tablets for at least 10 litres.
“Last year was tough, because I was burnt out before the race and I didn’t bring enough food, and I also had a tough time figuring out salt balance and hydration because of the humidity,” he said. “I thought I was eating close to 3,000 calories a day and I was eating more like 1,000 a day. I didn’t realize it until my body started metabolizing itself (on Day 2) and I was running a temperature. Everything was going wrong and I hit the wall. A lot of competitors were either in such rough shape they couldn’t stomach their food, or some people had too much food and were giving it away to reduce weight, and that got me through.”
The high humidity severely limits the body’s ability to cool by sweating and runners dehydrate and overheat quickly, leading to problems which led to his own kidney problems. He was thirsty, yet unable to urinate.
Suen felt terrible for the fourth stage, but it was on flat ground and only 18km long, designed to give runners a break before their 86km trek the following day. Suen walked the entire 18km and came in last with one other runner. The take-it-easy strategy paid off and by the end of the long fifth stage he’d worked his way back up to 12th place.
Runners have added incentive to finish the fifth stage before dark, because if they don’t reach the last checkpoint by a certain time, the trail is closed due to the threat of jaguar attacks. Runners who don’t make it though in time have to spend the night at the last checkpoint, then finish the course the following day, while the faster runners have a full day to rest before the sixth and final stage, a 24km beach trail run.
“The last stage is along the beach on one of the rivers and it was all sand again, and my feet were hurting, so that was a walking day for me,” Suen said. “I was limping around for a good five days afterward because my feet were in such rough shape, all around my toes and the balls of my feet.”
Suen placed 29th out of the 63 who finished the race. His Commonwealth team finished third in the team event. Teammate James Lowe of England won the men’s race in 38 hours 47 minutes four seconds, while Suen’s time was 61:21:16.
“I’m hoping to do really well this time,” Suen said. “It depends who shows up for the race, I guess. I’ll have a ton of food this year, and I have special hydration and carbohydrate drinks. I’d love to take home the trophy.”
It costs $3,600 to enter the Jungle Marathon, and that doesn’t include the flight to Brazil. Suen wasn’t planning on entering again this year, but when friend Elly Johnsen, Suen’s aunt in Hong Kong and the Investors Group in Prince George offered to fund the $8,000 trip, he couldn’t say no. The money came through with 10 weeks to go before the race.
Suen says he’s in better shape for a long run because he focused over the summer just on running, rather than the triathlon training he did last year leading up to the Subaru Ironman Canada race in Penticton. He discovered the Jungle Marathon in 2005 while searching the Internet for training tips to help him in the Kelowna Marathon.
Suen’s fisheries job the past few months has taken him in remote mountain camps around Kamloops, where he’s had plenty of opportunity for marathon-distance runs before work while carrying a heavy backpack through the desert. That means starting his days at 3 a.m. with runs over steep trail runs.
With all this self-induced pain and suffering, why on earth does Suen want to put his health at risk racing through the jungle again?
“It’s really fun if you can figure things out, it’s truly an adventure,” he said. “My ultimate goal is just to get through it healthy. If I can do that, I just want to see how well I can do with 10 weeks training. I think I’m in way better shape this year.”
Suen plans to keep up his running through the winter. From the steamy furnace of Brazil to the Canadian deep freeze, if he can get sponsorship, Suen is considering entering the 480-km Yukon Quest run in February. In that race, runners pull their supplies in sleds, covering the same course used for the annual sled-dog race.
Triathlete beats depression,and booze with one leg
Tracey Moore, who became an amputee after a failed suicide attempt, competes to inspire others.
The human spirit is a magnificent thing. Like all life on this planet add the right amount of sunshine, correct watering and life flourishes. Again here I see sport taking a role in the wonderful story of Tracy taking control of her life.
Sport has the ability to be so much more than smelly shoes and expensive supplements.
Most of the details of that day are fuzzy, but there is one image Tracey Moore has permanently ingrained in her memory.
The date was Feb. 26, 2000. The emergency room physician at Long Beach Memorial Hospital dangled a leg by its big toe in front of her face.
It was her leg.
The muscles and tendons were severed, the bones crushed.
Hours earlier, Tracey, then 38, purposely stepped onto the train tracks at the Wardlow Station in Long Beach in an attempt to end her “pathetic” life, as she refers to it. It was a life ravaged by alcoholism and the human wreckage left in its wake.
Tracey’s right leg was amputated below the knee that day. She received a craniotomy the next day to mend a depressed section on the back of her skull. She has a steel plate in her head.
SELF DESTRUCTION
Tracey recalls dabbling with alcohol in junior high. The drinking increased in high school.
“It got to be more than the Friday night football games,” Tracey said.
Attractive and extraverted, Moore immersed herself in what she calls “the Hollywood thing.” In her late teens and 20’s, the party girl earned small parts in movies, did some modeling and was in a few beauty contests. Drinking went hand-in-hand with all of it.
From age 30 to 40, there were several futile attempts at sobriety.
“Life would get good and I would sabotage it, taking a drink and thinking I can,” said Tracey, who was downing about two quarts of vodka daily during the worst of her drinking. “At 6:15 in the morning when the liquor stores opened, I would be there.”
Even the failed suicide attempt wasn’t enough to rattle her into sobriety The day she had the staples removed from the top part of her leg and her head, Moore hobbled to the liquor store on crutches and was off on another binge.
In the fall of 2002, Tracey got booted out of a sober living home. She wound up in a trashy motel. One day she woke up beaten up and bruised. She had no recollection of what happened.
Finally, on Oct. 5, 2002, looking unkempt with dried vomit on her dress, Tracey checked herself into the rehabilitation program at the Salvation Army in Anaheim. She was done killing herself.
SELF REALIZATION
At about 90 days of sobriety, the man who designed Moore’s prosthetic leg (who she endearingly refers to as her “leg man”) encouraged his client to train for the 1 1/2 mile swimming segment of the San Diego Triathlon Challenge, an event which serves as a fundraiser for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).
Moore, who had not been physically active since high school, took on the challenge, and trained for the event by swimming laps in the pool at the Salvation Army.
She also began jogging, sporting a prosthetic leg not intended for physical activity.
Tracey’s future husband, Robert Moore, who became acquainted with his future wife at 12-Step meetings, was driving past Tracey as she was jogging one day and was drawn to her doggedness.
“When I saw her running that day, there was no quit in her,” said Robert, a former power lifter and avid cyclist. “You don’t see that tenacity in people.”
The couple began dating and Robert offered to train Tracey for the swim. He also set a clear boundary between their personal relationship and their coach-athlete relationship.
“When we are at the gym, I am the coach,” he said. “You do what I say or we leave.”
Today, Tracey describes the coaching part of her husband with curse words.
“He is strict and forceful and he gets the job done,” Tracey said.
On Oct. 31, 2003, she completed the 1 1/2-mile swim.
“After I did it, I got the bug,” she said.
Tracey drew attention from the CAF, which gave her a $1,600 grant for a bicycle. She could now compete in all three segments of a triathlon-swimming, running and cycling.
The CAF also gave Tracey a $5,000 racing leg called a Cheetah (one of four legs Moore owns).
To date, Tracey has participated in 18 triathlons and is often the only amputee competing.
She says her greatest triumph was completing the 2006 Great Escape from Alcatraz, an adventure race starting with 1 1/2-mile swim in frigid water with a swift current, then a two-mile run followed by an 18-mile cycling segment and finally a 6 1/2 mile run over rugged terrain.
Tracey finished dead last, but received a medal for finishing first in the female physically challenged athlete division. She was told she was the only female amputee to have completed the 26-year history of the race.
“I cried,” said Moore, upon crossing the finish line with only Robert and her children waiting and cheering.
On Jan. 6, Moore completed the O.C. Half-marathon and is currently training for the Ironman in Hawaii, which takes place Oct. 11. She typically trains about two to three hours per day, four days per week. She swims about 150 laps in a pool and cycles about 45 miles at a clip. Those distances will be bumped up soon, says her husband, who still serves as Moore’s coach.
A LIFE WORTH LIVING
Tracey is now sober for five years, Robert for 10. They’ve been married since January, 2004.
Between them, the couple raises four teenage boys. They refer to their life as “Robert and Tracey’s excellent adventure.”
They attend 12-step meetings and run a ministry for recovering addicts and alcoholics on Friday evenings at a church in Anaheim.
Comparing her days as a “legless drunk” to her present life as a mother, wife, mentor and athlete, Moore is sometimes mystified. Her source of strength, however, is clear.
“Who would have thought I’d be thinking about doing the Ironman in Kona, Hawaii,” she said. For me, it was getting sober and getting God. After every race, I get to give the glory to God for letting me do it.
“I’ve heard of a lot of people who lose limbs who sit around feeling sorry for themselves,” Moore said. “I am doing more with one leg than I ever did with two.”
By LOU PONSI
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
http://www.ocregister.com/
Off Road Triathlon
I am really struggling with getting this blog set up the way so I am comfortably posting again but I am working on it.
I had to bring your attention to the great off road series these guys put on a really good event this link gives you some great photos
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Sometimes when you really do want to get started
BUT
the Motivation is not there try the power of positive therapy to change the way you think CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE
see where it takes you
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