Visiting the Pain Cave

This week I spent some time in the Pain Cave, that place where endurance athletes tend to dwell. And it's been fabulous!

I know I'm there when I find myself chanting the mantra, "I'd rather it suck now, than during a race. I'd rather it suck now..." The Pain Cave is that special place where, intellectually, you know your body is adapting to stress, you are forcing change to happen, and upon exiting, you will feel its benefits. Non-intellectually you just wish it would end but don't dare stop until it's time. It's a place that demented people like me voluntarily enter on a regular basis, a place dedicated to self-torture...or a tremendous feeling of accomplishment, depending on one's perspective. If I have any hope of completing Ironman Louisville AND not having it be an all-day suckfest, I must spend some serious time in the Cave.

This week's visit began with a 2-hour slog session on a treadmill last Sunday. I suppose I could have run outside, but simply didn't feel like dealing with the cold, the ice, and the slush. (Kudos to those runners who braved the elements: you have my profound respect.) I don't do many long runs, but have a marathon coming up soon (Feb 20), so wanted to visit the Cave before the race. That was followed by a killer bike class three nights in a row, Tues-Thurs. There were also the Weds/Fri morning floggings by my trainer Carrie at the gym (see Wednesday's workout at the bottom of this post).

The bike class is through the Indy Cycling Academy, a couple of guys who really know their stuff. It's on your own bike, on trainers. Each class begins with 30 minutes of core exercises (off the bikes), then we hop on the bikes for an hour of serious sweating. As a dedicated non-cyclist, this class is kicking my butt all over the place. It's a bit like drinking from the fire hose, only harder. If I survive the full two months and don't improve, there is simply no hope.

As for my trainer Carrie, well...she can flog like no other.

The next few days are out in the fresh air, away from the darkness of the Cave. I think a beer is in order.

Wednesday's Full-Body Flogging
Remember, this is all in 30 minutes, with minimal to no rest.

- Run .25 mile on treadmill as fast as possible. Substitute elliptical if necessary.
- Pushups 20x
- Alternating lunges with medicine ball (10lb). Start with medicine ball over head, step forward, bend at elbows and do tri-dip over head with ball. Straighten arms up over head as you return to standing position. 20x
- Alternating lunges with dumbbells (15lb). Do the lunge, return to standing position, then do bicep curl. 20x
- Squat to front-raise. Holding dumbbells (7.5lb), do a squat. While going down into squat, raise arms straight out in front of you. Lower arms as you stand up. 20x

REPEAT ALL

Then REPEAT ALL but do 12x instead of 20x for everything.

Race inventory for 2010

All in all, a very successful year. No injuries, only a little over-training (which passed quickly), and a heck of a good time! Now to prepare for 2011...yikes.

Race	Time	When	Where
Rock and Roll San Antonio Half Marathon	2:21:42	Nov 14	TX
Monumental Half Marathon	2:20:25	Nov 6	Indianapolis
Kansas City Half Marathon	2:20:25	Oct 16	MO
Eagle Creek Trail Half Marathon	2:58:39	Oct 3	Indianapolis
Powerman Sprint Duathlon (5k run, 20k bike, 5k run)	1:57:00	Oct 2	Muncie IN
Crossroads of America (10 miles)	1:45:56	Sep 26	Indianapolis
TNT Revenge Trail Run (5k)	34:02	Sep 21	Indianapolis
US Air Force Half Marathon	2:17:27	Sep 18	Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton OH
Austin Triathlon (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run)	3:33:10	Sep 6	TX
Special Olympics Runway Run (7.27k)	45:51	Aug 28	Indianapolis
TNT Revenge Trail Run (5k)	33:01	Aug 24	Indianapolis
Amazing Adventure Sprint (6.5 miles)	~3 hours	Aug 22	Indianapolis
Town Trek (~6 miles)	~3 hours	Aug 21	Indianapolis
Eagle Creek Sprint Tri (500yd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run)	1:28:56	Aug 21	Indianapolis
Muncie Multisport Triathlon (1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run)	3:32:23	Aug 14	IN
Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)	7:14:36	Jul 31	St. Joseph MI
Amazing Adventure Sprint	~3.5 hours	July 18	Carmel IN
Eagle Creek Sprint Tri (500yd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run)	1:28:57	Jul 17	Indianapolis
Freedom 5000 (5k)	~48 min	Jul 4	Austin TX
Mudathlon (~4 miles)	1:13:52	Jun 26	Indianapolis
Warrior Dash Mud Run (~3 miles)	48:15	Jun 20	Joliet IL
Eagle Creek Sprint Tri (500yd swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run)	1:30:44	Jun 19	Indianapolis
Hawthorne Half Day Relay (40.3 miles)	11:38	Jun 12	Terre Haute IN
Outrun the Sun (10k)	52:27	Jun 5	Lawrence IN
Terre Haute Tri (800m swim, 40K bike, 8K run)	2:43:05	May 22	IN
500 Festival Mini Marathon	2:13:42	May 8	Indianapolis
Lonestar 70.3 Triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run)	7:20:22	Apr 25	Galveston TX
Sam Costa Half Marathon	2:22:03	Mar 27	Carmel IN
Bop to the Top Stair Climb, Triple Step (36 floors, 3X)	28:34	Jan 23	Indianapolis

Still sore from the PREVIOUS workout

Thursday a.m. training...try to ignore the soreness in the right extender from the LAST beat-up session. Today's 30-minutes of torture included:

• Squat with medicine ball (one with handles) in one hand, do shoulder press as you stand up. 20x each side
• Jump up and down on Reebok bench (on high step setting) 25x
• Chest flyes on pec-dec 15x
• Bicep 21s (10 each second time)
• Pullups 15x
• Ham curls on ball 20x
• While still on floor from ham curls, do tri extensions with barbell 15x

Repeat all.

Thoroughly enjoyed the TNT group swim after work. Mix of drills, distance, and speed. Felt great and we all had a good time.

Healthy weight loss cutting into his profits?

Doctor urges an end to fitness myth

BOCA RATON, Fla. (UPI) -- Constantly linking exercise with weight loss may cause more people to fail at reaching their goals, a bariatric physician suggests.

Dr. Sasson Moulavi says exercise is ideal for maintaining weight once goals are met but is usually counterproductive in trying to lose weight.

"I've seen far better results from patients that strictly follow a lifestyle program than those that work to incorporate exercise into their weight loss regime," Sass says in a statement.
"When you exercise, your body certainly burns calories, but it also creates hunger and compensates with food, which is counterproductive."

When people exercise, they burn calories and feel justified in eating a little more here and there, which can sabotage their efforts because many eat more calories than they burned, Moulavi says.

For example, a study published last year in the International Journal of Obesity, found during the 18-month study of 538 students "when the kids start to exercise, they end up eating more -- an average of 100 calories more than they had just burned," Moulavi says.

Moulavi recommends eating healthy, nutritious foods, getting the weight off and then focusing on an exercise routine to keep it off.

Copyright 2010 by United Press International