For a road triathlon such as Silverman, there are two main [...]]]> **Tracy is a guest blogger for SilvermanOrBust.com. Tracy has a long background in fitness and has raced numerous Triathlons among other events. She is also a physical therapist completing a graduate degree. Tracy is going into her second year as a pro-triathlete. **

For a road triathlon such as Silverman, there are two main styles of bike to consider if you are in the market for a new ride – road and time trial (tri bike). Both have pros and cons and the important thing to remember is what your primary riding will be. There are some major differences between the bikes that affect handling, comfort and performance.

Road bikes are designed for long days in the saddle, quick handling and riding in large packs. They have drop handlebars with a variety of places for your hands. They also have STI shifters – the brakes and the shift levers are in the same location on the bars. The geometry of a road bike also tends towards a more upright position (when compared to a TT bike). The seat angle will be closer to 75-72 degrees, which makes the bikes more stable when riding down the road. Because more road bikes are sold, you tend to be able to get better quality components for less money.

Tri bikes are highly specialized machined with one purpose – to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. They are not as easy to control, especially on technical descents, because the geometry encourages having the weight forward on the bike. The seat angle is usually between 75-80 degrees, which opens the hips and allows for a more aerodynamic position. These bikes come set up with aero bars, and cow horns, with bar end shifters on the aero bars and the brakes on the base bar. This can create issues when trying to shift in traffic or on technical roads. Tri bikes are more expensive then road bikes in general, and are less versatile in terms of riding.

There is a whole lot more differences between the two styles of bikes. A good rule of thumb is to consider how many bikes you can afford. If the answer is one – then a road bike with good quality clip-on aero bars is a better option then the tri bike. You will be able to use that bike for tris, group rides, road races and other events. If bike handling is an issue, then go for the road bike – it’s more stable and easier to handle under adverse conditions. If you already have a good road bike and are looking to up-grade, then start looking at the tri bikes.

The metabolic test starts with a little preparation before [...]]]> This past weekend, a small group of us got together to do a Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) test. Jared and Sam of MetaTest in Las Vegas came out to do this test for us and consult with us on the value of this information.

The metabolic test starts with a little preparation before hand to get the most accurate reading. At least 4 hours prior, and preferably 8-10 hours, we were asked to fast, refrain from ingesting caffeine, and refrain from cardio activities. For the test, we sat quietly, breathing into a mask for about 12 minutes. The machine analyzes the gas exchange in our breath to arrive at the RMR numbers at the conclusion of the 12 minutes.

My metabolism tested slow – about 1210 calories per day. This is about 17 points lower than “normal”. Others tested closer to normal and above. So, what does this number mean to me? This means that in order for my body to survive and maintain normal body functions, it requires 1210 calories every day. Then, we add exercise activities and lifestyle activities like work to arrive at a higher caloric count for realistic living. Even this number for me what not high – around 1600 on average.

What these numbers also mean is that if I want to drop some weight, then it would require a diet of 1000-1200 calories per day, preferably in 5-7 meals. This roughly equates to 200 calories per meal about 6 times a day. Wow. That’s not a lot. Consider that some meals out are already over 1200 calories! :-O

My main concern, however, is energy and strength for training. The advise that Jared and Sam gave to me is that I need to get into the gym to do some strength training. Based on my metabolism, they indicate that if I train for endurance now, I will neither feel strong nor be strong when it comes to Silverman. All the details are a blur, but essentially, it seems that based on my metabolism, my body will break down my muscles rather than build them up if I train for endurance now. They suggest building up muscle by doing strength training for the next couple months before going into periodized training for Silverman. This should help me build enough muscles that should my body break down muscles during my endurance training, I will still have plenty left to keep me strong and going during Silverman.

This is probably the last thing I would prefer to hear since my least favorite part of training is in the gym and on strength training. However, I will take that into consideration and digest it in the next week or so to determine how I want to proceed.

This week is also prep and research to develop quality, substantial meals that are in the 200 calorie range. I doubt this will be challenging once we start shifting our food paradigm. In fact, all the playing I’ve been doing with raw and vegan foods in the past couple of weeks should come in VERY handy in this next endeavor.

If you are embarking on a training regimen for the first time and are not quite sure how to incorporate diet, strength, endurance training, etc., a good place to start is with metabolic testing. It’s also a good idea for anyone who isn’t getting the results they anticipated if on a diet or fitness routine. Everyone’s metabolism is different and responds differently to foods, exercise and lifestyle. My friend Michael for instance is recommended to eat frequently and just about anything he wants because although he works out a lot, he isn’t feeding his body enough to stay strong and to slim down.

Here are 10 basic rules that Sam and Jared talked about:

1. Eat at least every 2.5 hours
2. Eat protein and carbs together….never the two shall be apart.
3. Drink/Sip water — plain water 8-10 oz an hour
4. Rest is important! Overdoing it will only lead to feeling of fatigue and exhaustion.
5. Make food easy for yourself. Pre make food as necessary.
6. Eat for fuel, not for emotions. If you find yourself eating for emotion try to recognize the triggers.
7. Give yourself a break.
8. If you stumble or make a mistake in your eating , move past it and learn from it. We’re all human, and humans like cookies.
9. Try to eat real food as opposed to processed food. (Within reason of course)
10. Enjoy the new information you have and embrace the changes. Smile and realize you are on your way and worthy of all the best things in life!!

Change doesn’t happen over night, but it happens over time. We are all very excited with our new knowledge and look forward to testing our RMR again to see the changes.

Have you done any metabolic testing before? What were the results and how did it help you? Tell us about your experiences in our comment section.

I’ve been out of touch for a while. Out riding my [...]]]> **Tracy is a guest blogger for SilvermanOrBust.com. Tracy has a long background in fitness and has raced numerous Triathlons among other events. She is also a physical therapist completing a graduate degree. Tracy is going into her second year as a pro-triathlete. **

I’ve been out of touch for a while. Out riding my bike through the cacti of Arizona. Training in the winter can be hard with the cold weather, bad conditions and dark days. My solution this year was to spend a nice day on the bike, then explore Arizona. Check out this link to my race report from the 24 hours in the old pueblo – a 24 hour mountain bike race.

I’ll get back to the bike info next week!

Among the folks I met was a man named Bruce. We chatted [...]]]> I was on the river this past Monday with the Las Vegas Kayak meetup. We paddled 12 miles from the base of Hoover Dam through the Black Canyon to Willow Beach. It was a beautiful paddle with great people.

Among the folks I met was a man named Bruce. We chatted a great deal, surprisingly, about food. Bruce retired last year and has since changed his diet to accommodate cleaner eating and has naturally lost 20 pounds. More importantly than loosing 20 pounds is that he feels as if he has more energy than ever. He eats a lot more raw foods, or cooks foods in more traditional mediterranean or asian styles. He eats often and he eats well.

Of course none of this is news to me. I have, in fact, found myself eating effortlessly in that manner before. And I too, lost quite a number of pounds – completely unintentionally, and I felt awesome! Unfortunately, due to various “life” situations, I started going back to my old choices and found myself gaining back all the extra weight.

Lately, I’ve been drawn to start looking at how to create new patterns of good, healthy eating. First, I need to eliminate my excuses, which include convenience, time, and the tendency to ‘make do’ when I get really hungry. I suspect other people experience similar issues. I believe a larger part of the equation is to become more familiar with cleaner eating food choices.

It doesn’t seem very hard, it just requires a shift in thinking. I have to create guidelines for how I choose to eat and why, then I have to choose this lifestyle for a period of time. For me, I cannot go through a mental debate each time I come to a meal. Based on my past experiences, I know that this simply will not work for me.

So, my next step is to consider my guidelines. When I work this out, I’ll go ahead and post it here to make it public and official! What ‘clean eating’ methods have worked for you? Do you have any great recipes that are are essential in your training diet?

It’s time to start talking about the bike. For most of [...]]]> **Tracy is a guest blogger for SilvermanOrBust.com. Tracy has a long background in fitness and has raced numerous Triathlons among other events. She is also a physical therapist completing a graduate degree. Tracy is going into her second year as a pro-triathlete. **

It’s time to start talking about the bike. For most of us, the bike will be the single longest leg of the triathlon, both in distance and in time. For that reason, it’s important to get the right bike. Triathlete Magazine has some good bike buying and first time tri tips in the latest issue, so I would encourage you to check it out.

At any triathlon, there is a dazzling amount of bike bling on display in the transition area. From full carbon triathlon specific bikes with disc wheels to uber light road machines with aero climbing wheels. The variety of bikes and equipment can be staggering. Add to that the high pressure ads on-line and in the magazines claiming that “these wheels are the fastest ever” and “this bike weighs nothing at all” and trying to find the right bike for your first and many other triathlons can be very challenging. It’s even more challenging if you have money to spend and a planned up-grade from the bike in the garage. There is a lot of information and many different styles and brands of bikes. I’ll start a series here discussing bikes – the differences between road and triathlon (and maybe mountain), the types of wheels available, and equipment, clothes, safety and basic maintenance.

As with any topic, some information might be new, some might be a good review or it might completely contradict what you have heard elsewhere. That’s okay! Bikes are such an important part of our event and represent the single greatest expense we have. But you don’t need the bells and whistles to complete a triathlon, even one as challenging as Silverman. All you need is a bike that fits comfortably and works well. The latest high tech bike won’t be as fast as the clunker in the garage if it’s not the right size or not comfortable for hours.

Along these lines, I found some great advice over at tinybuddha.com:

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/live-your-life-out-loud-30-ways-to-get-started/