Tag Archives: Lifestyle

Body Composition and Triathlon

One of the tricks I use to meet goals is to commit to them publicly. I meet with a friend on a quarterly basis to chat about has been working during the past three months, what didn’t work for us and what we want to accomplish in the coming quarter. Admitting these goals to someone keeps me on track with the parts of my life I want to be moving forward with. I started a blog and raised money for the American Heart Association to motivate me while I was training for my first marathon and I started this blog to publicly proclaim my attempt at completing a half Ironman.

So here I am, using this blog as a forum with which to publicly commit to decreasing my body fat percentage from 24% to 18% by the half Ironman on August 7. Here’s why:

Success in triathlon is all about generating the most power in the most efficient and economic way possible (I’m also looking into sneaking a motor onto my bike somehow). In other words, a triathlete wants to increase their power-to-weight ratio. Your power-to-weight ratio is simply the amount of power you can create divided by your body weight. In the most general of terms, the stronger and lighter you are, the better.

This is also an important ratio because it will keep you focused on the right numbers on the scale. Instead of just trying to lose weight, an athlete needs to focus on body composition – losing fat while maintaining your lean muscle mass.

Here’s some interesting facts:

  • Some research has shown that a runner can gain 1% in running speed for every 1% reduction in body fat.
  •  Male triathletes tend to have 4-12% body fat, and female triathletes 8-17%.
  • Here is how the American Council on Exercise (ACE) breaks down body fat percentage categories:

I’ll keep you up to date on my efforts on changing my body composition and if you happen to see me eating a Snickers bar, please grab it and run. At least I will get some exercise chasing you. Lindsay Brust

Dealing with the Elements, part 2

Today, I failed in my quest to continue with my training schedule despite the weather… though I have to admit, my resolve was already weakened when I was invited to help a couple of friends from grad school celebrate their engagement. Champaign was involved.

I had registered for the Colfax half marathon today (Sunday). Here is the chain of events that caused me to stay in bed:

  • It rained most of Saturday
  • It is really cold outside
  • The race started at 6am
  • I would need to get up at 4:15am
  • My friends are celebrating their engagement and it’s my duty to help
  • I’m having a great time hanging out with people I don’t get to see as often as I would like
  • My friend who I’m suppose to meet at the finish line is super cool about letting me off the hook
  • Jason (a barefoot runner) is steadfast in not giving me his opinion but I know he wouldn’t mind staying in a warm bed
So, last night I made a choice to skip the Colfax Half Marathon. I’m not proud of this choice. I feel a little like a slacker, though I did manage to get in my 6 mile, hour long, run in at the CAC this afternoon. That was what I was suppose to do according to the new plan I put myself on courtesy of BeginnerTriathlete.com. Here is the plan I’m on in case you want to feel sorry for or laugh at me.

Needing to Make Some Lifestyle Changes

I’ve come to a point in my training where, in order to put in more time and more miles, I need to change my lifestyle. So far, I’ve been training about 3 times during the work week and for about an hour and a half to 3 hours a day on weekend. Some of the “workouts” during the week deserve quotes as they are pretty light.

All in all, I’m probably spending about 7 respectable hours a week swimming, biking and running. The Ironman 70.3 Boulder is about 3 months away and since most people spend 5-7 months training for an event like this, I think I need to be doing about double the work I am right now.

During the week, I’ve been training mostly in the evenings. The problem is that by the end of my workday, I’m emotionally and physically tired. Going home to have a glass of wine and watch TV sounds like a more attractive option then staring at the bottom of the lap pool. What I need to be doing is waking up in the morning to get in a training session. I used to do this for marathon training and it really helped. I would have more energy for my day and I would be more likely to be active later.

The thing is, I’m tired in the morning. I haven’t been able to motivate myself to do it. My lifestyle is going to have to change for working out more to be realistic. I’m going to have to start going to bed earlier and have my glass of wine (just one) earlier in the evening so I have time to drink some water and not feel dehydrated in the morning. Then, I just have to do it a few times. I know I’ll get in the habit and feel good about it but I just have to get started.

Anyone have any suggestions for getting started? What works for you?