Racing Weight ...

What is MORE important for speed, Fitness or Weight?

The above chart shows my times in the four 5k's I have raced and what my weight was on race day. Admittedly, my fitness has improved over the years but my weight has also dropped. So that brings us to the question of what is more responsible for the drop in times and the positive gains in speed - The weight or the fitness? The answer is probably a bit of both and the chart above makes the case for each side of the debate.

BUT, If you asked my opinion ...

I'd say dropping the pounds is more crucial to enhanced speeds then overall fitness. And I am not alone in this thought process:

Matt (author of the excellent book, Racing Weight) and I could be completely wrong and overall fitness could be the ultimate trump card but we will find out on February 2nd in an upcoming 5k I am racing. My fitness is very average right now and nowhere close to the levels of 2011 & 2012. However, my weight is as low as it has ever been as an adult, wait for it ... 144.2 lbs.


So what we learned today is that my unscientific test of Weight vs Fitness is going to be forever answered in two weeks. Good, moving on ...

Surely you are now wondering, "How'd you lose the weight to get down to 144.2lbs?"

I will try and break it down. If you are a regular reader, you'll probably recall that I was really sick back in   September and October with a virus. After getting over the sickness I ballooned up to 163lbs and decided it was time to make some changes to the diet and went and saw a nutritionist. My BF% was over 17% (up from 11-12% in August) and I looked flabby, especially in the mid-section.

The nutritionist devised an eating schedule that included cutting out fatty proteins, adding tons of veggies, consuming water like a camel, and eating 5-6x per day. I also choose to dramatically limit my Wheat consumption (including beer). It has worked. I have not been perfect and actually had a couple of relapses like when we traveled to Memphis and when I went to Pittsburgh around Christmas but for the most part I have followed the plan and it has worked.

My BF% is under 10% now and I can really feel the difference in my running and cycling and will be entering the 2013 at a perfect Racing Weight for the first time.

Do you agree with me and believe weight trumps fitness or do you reside in the fitness trumps all camp?

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

So What Did Y'all Think?

Last night was the big moment ...

The interview we had all been waiting for ...

Lance vs Oprah ...

I watched it, thankfully on DVR so I could FF past all the damn commercials, and my take?

Ninety minutes of my life I will never get back. It was boring, contrived, contrite and I walked away feeling nothing at all. It was sort of like the series finally of Seinfeld - unfulfilling.

IMO, it was so uninteresting that I canceled Part II on the DVR for tonight. Just not worth my time.

Ten minutes into the program last night I realized what I really wanted to see:

Lance to just go away for quite some time. Just get out of the public spotlight and leave us all alone. We deserve that - bye, bye cheater.

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff

2013 Race Schedule

The Count Down Timer is clicking away ------------->

Ironman Florida is my only "A" race for 2013.

That means I am going to be a three sport guy for 12 months.

Here is how the year is going to look:

Feb 2nd - BridgeFest 5k (Kingwood, TX)
April 20th - Lake Tejas Sprint Triathlon (Colmesneil, TX)
September 21st - Redman 70.3 (Oklahoma City, OK)
November 2nd - Ironman Florida (Panama City Beach, FL)

Yep, only have four races planned right now. I might add a running race or two but right now this is all I am doing.

Why these races?

The Bridgefest 5k will be my first race. It is a local 5k that I have done the last two years and really enjoy the event so am running it again. It will also be the first time I have raced since being sick so it gives me something to train for over the next month.

The Lake Tejas Tri is about 2hrs North of me and is on a what looks to be a hilly bike course. I haven't done a Triathlon since the August Ironman and figured this small race (capped at 300ppl) would be a good event to get the Tri legs back.

Redman is in Oklahoma City and is only about a 6.5hr drive for me from North Houston. More importantly, it is exactly 6 weeks out from Ironman Florida which makes this close to perfect (8 weeks out would be just perfect) for a long training day under race conditions. And the course conditions should be similar to that of Panama City, maybe a little warmer, but will be flat and windy.

Ironman Florida was decided on over a year ago. I wanted to do a fast Ironman course and few are faster than the track at Panama City Beach.

Who else has 2013 already planned?  We doing any of the same races?

Thanks for Reading,

Jeff