Friday Film #12

Here's a commercial that always makes me smile. The tune is just so darn catchy.



Have a great weekend everyone!

End of Season Body Comp

(This is one of several posts I've been meaning to write but never got around to it.)

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Taking inspiration from Sonja's annual body comp blog entry I decided to do one of my own.

I usually go by how I feel, how my clothes fit, and what I see in the mirror, but once in a while I get on my trusty Tanita body comp scale to get some actual numbers. Now, the impedence method of body fat analysis isn't accurate, but it's accurate within itself, i.e. if you always use the same scale at the same time of day it will tell you if you're up or down. At least that's my understanding.

Anyway, when I first started training in February I was coming off a long time off of biking and running due to some serious IT band issues. I had been swimming FREQUENTLY, almost every day, but never for more than an hour, so I really wasn't in shape. At my starting point I was 111 pounds and 26% body fat. Ouch.

So many months of training later and a Half-Ironman behind me, I decided to weigh myself right before the Lake George Triathlon. 108 pounds and more importantly down to 23% bodyfat. (For perspective, I'm 4'10" and the short, compact, muscle-y type that actually looks unhealthy under 20%. That's just how my body rolls.) I looked lean and mean and just plain FELT better than I did at the beginning of the season.

I weighed again right before the half-marathon, but everything has pretty much stayed the same. My goal is to maintain my weight through the off-season (more time to cook healthy now!) and toe the line at IMLP at 103-105 pounds and 20-21% bodyfat. There. I've put it out there.

And speaking of putting it out there, here's some pics. Should be fun to compare again at the end of NEXT season.



Front shot. No six-pack yet.



Another one.



Have to mug a little bit. GRRRR!!



And the back.

So I would love to hear your thoughts about weight/body comp and performance, especially for a super hilly course like Ironman. My usual attitude is to eat mostly right, splurge sometimes, train hard, and let the weight fall where it will.

Thoughts?

And Now For Something Completely Different

For the past two years I've dedicated all of my physical energy to swimbikerun. Last off-season I was injured so I didn't really get to do anything different. However, with the Mohawk-Hudson half marathon over I am officially in the off-season and only doing base/maintenance work.

So with it being extremely windy, Dr. Z and I decided to do something we haven't' done in at least a year and hike - one of few outdoor activities NOT affected by the wind. We targeted Owl's Head, a bump of a hill against the backdrop of the REAL Adirondack mountains but perfect for two out-of-hiking-shape mountain bums. It was kind of strange packing nearly nothing after being accustomed to all-day hikes. Just some water and rain jackets since the weather was iffy.


On the way up the trail.




Some views on the way up. Notice that all of the "real" mountains we usually hike are towering over us.


Me at the top. I'm leaning because the wind is blowing me over. This picture would have literally been impossible if the wind was blowing the other way - it would have been too dangerous. We didn't linger on the top because of the gusts.




Some views from the top. Unfortunately peak foliage is long past, so the colors aren't very vibrant. Still a gorgeous view though!


Heading back down the trail.

The rain came in just as we got to the truck, so our timing was perfect.

As for S/B/R? I did get in a quick spin session on the trainer late in the afternoon. You can never quite shut up the inner triathlete.

Friday Film #11

Sorry for the neglected blog. Work has been CRAZY. Coming back next week with a backlog of entries I've had planned for a while, including a race report from last Sunday's half marathon.

In the meantime, here's a very short but very cute Friday Film for you all: