Sunday, May 29, 2011

I want to be an Ironman

I love this video. 

Is that a noodle? No, it’s a foam roller for self-myofascial release

Bailey & I have recently experienced some intermittent Iliotibial Tract (IT Band) issues.  So what do we do?  We turn to our friends and google. 

We read a few articles that explain the foam roller technique then chatted with Bailey’s sister & Margaret - they've been using a foam roller for several months and swear by it.  Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if Margaret writes a detailed review under our “Injury Prevention” page. 

Anyway, we've committed to using the roller after our workouts, so far so good.  Plus it's a great conversation starter for passersby in the parking lot.

What is better than an IPOD?? A waterproof IPOD!

Have you ever wished you could listen to your favorite tunes while churning out the laps of a 3200 meter swim?  Have you ever found yourself blissfully gliding through a balmy summer run only to be forced to finish the last few miles with the echoing sounds of your breath because your tunes cut out when your MP3 player was overwhelmed by the power of athletic sweat? 
If you answered yes to either of these questions then we have at least one thing in common.  That’s right, I too experienced the suffering caused by the conflict between electronics and water.  That was until I found H2OFriendly (thanks for the recommendation Jon!). 
H20Friendly is a small San Diego based company that will waterproof your IPOD (or other MP3 player), or will sell you a new, reasonably priced, IPOD that is already waterproofed (and waterproof headphones / Velcro to attach it to your goggles). 
They do not accomplish this amazing feat by sealing your device in a clunky water proof box.  No, they seal it internally with magic gaskets and other proprietary goodness.  This leaves your IPOD 100% waterproof while retaining its sleek stylish appearance.  Then they attach a sturdy warranty and send it back to you lickety-split.
How do I (David M. Wilson) use it? 
I've had my H20friendly IPOD shuffle for about 3 months.  I wear it during longer swims, but I do not press play until I get to the 800 -1200 meter pull sections of a workout.  During drill work I have too much stuff to concentrate on (body position, catch, high elbow, kick, not crossing over my stroke, oh ya and breathing).  Its real value is experienced during those long mid workout lulls, especially when you are swimming alone. 
I also use it on nearly every solo run and trip to the gym (I’ve been known to drench the elliptical).  Before I picked up this device my MP3 player was guaranteed to cut out after about 20 minutes  (then it would sit on a table for 2-3 days while it dried out before I could use it again).  I no longer have to endure this hardship.  Thank you H2OFriendly!
Discount for our team & friends
The guys at H2Ofriendly gave me a discount code to share with our team and friends.  Use the code WILSONCREW at checkout for $15 off your purchase!!
Lessons Learned:
1.       If your swim workouts include midsession pulls over 800 meters, and you like music, quit punishing yourself and motivate  your stroke
2.       If you sweat while working out and have ever had an MP3 player cut out, remember it’s not your fault there is a solution and it is just a click away

Monday, May 23, 2011

Anyone can do an Ironman!

A year ago, I embarked on this wonderful journey of running marathons! I had ran in a few half marathons and decided that it was time to challenge myself. Ohio Summers bring lots of humidity and heat which resulted in several runs that began at 6am. Without my MIT (Marathoners in Training) group, I question whether I would have gotten out of bed to run half of them. Before I knew it, running wasn't something I dreaded, but something I looked forward to! Good company and always good conversations took place during these runs. In fact, I can remember running through the rain one morning, and my friend David was talking about signing up for an Iron man. Of course I told him he was crazy and that running a marathon was plenty for me. During our future runs, he continued to talk about this Iron man and said that another girl, Margaret was going to sign up as well. I thought well if 2 people are doing it, then maybe it's not so crazy. I decided to take one step at a time and if all went well at my first marathon, then I would attend an informational meeting. I finished my first marathon in 3 hours and 55 minutes. I was very happy with my time, and ready to move onto the next hurdle.

The informational meeting was wonderful other than the anxiety attack that took place during and after receiving all that I needed to know. My first concern was, how the hell am I going to have enough time to do all the workouts. Second thought was, I need a money tree to pay for all my equipment, races, and travel. And my third thought was, I will just start off with a few Sprint and Olympic Triathlons for next year and go from there. In the meantime, I started swimming with Margaret since I hadn't swam in years. I was also doing a few spinning classes a week since I didn't own a bike or trainer, and of course I continued to run with MIT through snow and ice. I lasted about 2 weeks, before Margaret convinced me in the pool that I was already swimming longer distances than she was when she did a half Iron Man a few months prior. Then she said, "you are already doing the workouts, you might as well just do the Iron man". Without responding, I swam another 50 meters and when we both finished I said "OK". Of course, we both screamed and 8 hours later, I was signed up for the Ironman.

You know the saying, "Time flys, when you're having fun?" Well there most be some truth to it, because I felt like I just signed up for the IM last week! Thus far, my longest distances in each sport have been a 2 mile swim, a 75 mile bike ride, and obviously a 26.2 mile run. We are half way through our training and I'm so excited for what is yet to come. I feel so lucky to be training with such wonderful people like Margaret and David. They definitely make workouts entertaining and fun which keeps me wanting more everyday.

The purpose for me writing this, is to encourage everyone to try something new and challenge yourself! If you would have asked me last April if I thought I could run a Marathon, I probably would have said NO. And then If you would have asked me if I would ever do an Iron man, I would have said Hell NO. But now I have conquered one and I'm half way to completing the next, and I couldn't be happier. My only concern is, what will I do with all my time once this Iron man is over in November?? Only time will tell!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Compression Socks: How can something that makes me look so sexy also make me feel so good?

That is the question I asked myself for months as I vacillated on the decision of whether or not to plop down $50-$100 for a pair of these sleek knee high performance enhancing wonder socks.  It is clear that these glorious 1980s gym classesque beauties are easy on the eyes.  But will they increase my power, boost my energy, and speed my recovery time?  Well according to CEP the answer to these questions is YES! 

While picking up my packet at the Cleveland Marathon Expo I found a man, in a booth, aggressively hawking these socks at the rock bottom price of $50 (thanks for the tip Abby!).  A person can find other brands of compression socks at a lower price.  In fact even I was torn between these and a pair of $35 2XU socks.  But CEP appears to be the industry leader and they offer a 30 day money back guarantee!  No risk?  “Say no more,” I said to the sweaty sock salesman, “here is my money and let the test drive begin!”

These socks can be worn during races for increased performance or post race to increase circulation and speed recovery.  I was not brave enough to wear them, for the first time ever, on race day.  Nothing new on race day, right?  Forgoing the potential benefit of “increased performance,” I opted to dawn them promptly after my post race shower with visions of a speedy recovery in my head.

It is now one week after the marathon and I feel . . . um, normal and underwhelmed.  The stylish knee high white and gray socks definitely caused several people to mistake me for Brad Pitt; however, I cannot report that the progressive compression “sped my recovery” or “boosted my energy.”  I experienced the standard couple days of stiffness and I do not believe it was any better or any worse than after my last few marathons.

Maybe I should have worn them during the race, maybe it is because I am blessed with good circulation??  I do not know the answer, but I do know that, for me from a medical/performance perspective, they are not worth the $50.

I’ll give them another shot on a longer training run and report back in a few months if anything changes.  Until then, buy for style, pass for performance. 

Lessons Learned:
1.  Fifty dollars to look sexier than Brad Pitt is worth it even if they do not feel good, enhance performance, or speed recovery

Friday, May 6, 2011

Ironman Spend Tracking

Hi! As part of this process Margaret is tracking how much $$$ this advenutre costs :) Her original estimate/budget was $8,000...

The current spend as of 5/6/11 is $3911.43 and we still have 6 months to go . . .
For more details and pretty graphs check out this spreadsheet

We Made it to the Big Screen!! . . . aka YouTube


Here is a link to our new YouTube Channel
The channel is designed to serve as a place to share training videos and other clips from our experiences while on the road to the 2011 Ford Ironman Florida. Feel free to add tips and suggestions in the comments under the videos.
Enjoy!