.png)
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
OMG! JJ What have you done?
This is a buddy of mine after a skiing accident. He tore his calf and it swelled up to the size of his thigh. I saw this picture and I was horrified...have you ever seen such hairy legs...get them sorted dude! haha
Alternatively, one might say "Cool tattoo dude!" haha
Alternatively, one might say "Cool tattoo dude!" haha
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Train To Run Like The Best
(Courtesy of Terry Walsh and taken from Triathlon Europe)
Paul Huddle’s strength as a young pro in the early days of triathlon was the run, but he never realised how important the bike and swim were to a good marathon in Kona until he asked his housemate, Mark Allen, why he was so religious about making every morning swim workout. “He said if his swimming was as fit as possible, it would have minimal impact on the rest of his race,” Huddle recalls. “It didn’t get me to swim much more, but I thought about that concept as it applied to my marathon at Ironman. Since cycling was my weakness to begin with, I started to think that maybe I was focused too heavily on my strength, which was running. If I were to run a better marathon, maybe cycling was the answer. I hadn’t come close to what I felt was my potential in the marathon of an Ironman and, since I’d already been focused on running since that was what I knew, I decided to become a cyclist. I reasoned that if 180K didn’t impact me, perhaps I could maximise my running abilities. I was right.
I doubled my cycling volume and my marathon time became competitive. On top of that, my bike split also improved.”
Most top-end Ironman coaches agree that the stronger you become on the bike, the better able you’ll be to run to your potential in an Ironman. “Just because an individual athlete has shown brilliance in one or all of the disciplines at another distance or as a single-sport athlete, it’s no guarantee of success in Kona,” Huddle says. “How many sub-2:20 marathoners have come to Kona and gone five hours? I can name five off the top of my head.”
So bike more and run off the bike regularly in your training. “If you don’t have a strong running background, consider double runs as a safer way to boost running volume,” says Huddle. “One hour after a long ride is as long [a brick workout] as I’d suggest.” Long runs and higher intensity runs should be done fresh to avoid injury or necessitating a long recovery, but they are an irreplaceable component of high-level Ironman run training.
And how long should your longest run be? Running expert Bobby McGee says anything over two or two- and-a-half hours is counterproductive. What you want to focus on, he says, is quality and leg strength. McGee has his athletes do one long run every two weeks and in between an intermediate distance run with a quality finish. “Fast finish long runs or runs with strides toward the end are super ways to reduce recovery time and teach athletes to finish strong,” he says. He also advocates running workouts that build your functional strength and mechanical efficiency: springing up a steep hill for 30 to 45 seconds at a time; hill interval workouts with 10 1.5- to 3-minute repeats up a moderate hill focusing on good form; and the bread-and-butter race- pace intervals off the bike. “I’d keep them short, fresh and plentiful,” says McGee, “like 200-meter to 1-mile reps at race pace, fresh and off the bike.”
McGee also has his Ironman athletes do their long run sessions with fewer calories until they can manage more than two hours on water and electrolytes alone. Why? Reducing the need to feed reduces the mechanical stresses on the gut and makes for a higher likelihood of a clean run, especially in the heat,” he says.
He also trains his athletes to walk fast and long, build- ing them up to “some really nasty, gnarly four- to six-hour hikes. The muscle endurance and fat-burning skills gained here are hugely beneficial to the age grouper,” McGee says. “The walk/run method is a total no-brainer. We have five years of anecdotal proof that this is the way to go fast, and I’d hazard a guess that even sub-three-hour [marathon] runners could benefit from this.
Simon Says: -
I have to say that for the less talented distance runners amongst us, and I include myself in that, I think that anything up to 3 1/2 hours for the long run is beneficial and quite honestly imperative. It's about training the mind as much as the body. Also we age-groupers travel a lot slower than the pros so our 3 1/2 hours is probably their 2 1/2 hours. I certainly wouldn't manage a nonstop run in an Ironman on long runs of only 2 1/2 hours.
The main point of the article though is to train on your weakness (Paul Huddle focused on the bike as it was his weakness), I definitely intend to make myself a runner when I get back from my shoulder injury in a few weeks. My bike always takes care of itself and my swim is never going to be brilliant but I always put the time in so I see huge returns in becoming a good distance runner. Time will tell.
Paul Huddle’s strength as a young pro in the early days of triathlon was the run, but he never realised how important the bike and swim were to a good marathon in Kona until he asked his housemate, Mark Allen, why he was so religious about making every morning swim workout. “He said if his swimming was as fit as possible, it would have minimal impact on the rest of his race,” Huddle recalls. “It didn’t get me to swim much more, but I thought about that concept as it applied to my marathon at Ironman. Since cycling was my weakness to begin with, I started to think that maybe I was focused too heavily on my strength, which was running. If I were to run a better marathon, maybe cycling was the answer. I hadn’t come close to what I felt was my potential in the marathon of an Ironman and, since I’d already been focused on running since that was what I knew, I decided to become a cyclist. I reasoned that if 180K didn’t impact me, perhaps I could maximise my running abilities. I was right.I doubled my cycling volume and my marathon time became competitive. On top of that, my bike split also improved.”
Most top-end Ironman coaches agree that the stronger you become on the bike, the better able you’ll be to run to your potential in an Ironman. “Just because an individual athlete has shown brilliance in one or all of the disciplines at another distance or as a single-sport athlete, it’s no guarantee of success in Kona,” Huddle says. “How many sub-2:20 marathoners have come to Kona and gone five hours? I can name five off the top of my head.”
So bike more and run off the bike regularly in your training. “If you don’t have a strong running background, consider double runs as a safer way to boost running volume,” says Huddle. “One hour after a long ride is as long [a brick workout] as I’d suggest.” Long runs and higher intensity runs should be done fresh to avoid injury or necessitating a long recovery, but they are an irreplaceable component of high-level Ironman run training.
And how long should your longest run be? Running expert Bobby McGee says anything over two or two- and-a-half hours is counterproductive. What you want to focus on, he says, is quality and leg strength. McGee has his athletes do one long run every two weeks and in between an intermediate distance run with a quality finish. “Fast finish long runs or runs with strides toward the end are super ways to reduce recovery time and teach athletes to finish strong,” he says. He also advocates running workouts that build your functional strength and mechanical efficiency: springing up a steep hill for 30 to 45 seconds at a time; hill interval workouts with 10 1.5- to 3-minute repeats up a moderate hill focusing on good form; and the bread-and-butter race- pace intervals off the bike. “I’d keep them short, fresh and plentiful,” says McGee, “like 200-meter to 1-mile reps at race pace, fresh and off the bike.”
McGee also has his Ironman athletes do their long run sessions with fewer calories until they can manage more than two hours on water and electrolytes alone. Why? Reducing the need to feed reduces the mechanical stresses on the gut and makes for a higher likelihood of a clean run, especially in the heat,” he says.
He also trains his athletes to walk fast and long, build- ing them up to “some really nasty, gnarly four- to six-hour hikes. The muscle endurance and fat-burning skills gained here are hugely beneficial to the age grouper,” McGee says. “The walk/run method is a total no-brainer. We have five years of anecdotal proof that this is the way to go fast, and I’d hazard a guess that even sub-three-hour [marathon] runners could benefit from this.
Simon Says: -
I have to say that for the less talented distance runners amongst us, and I include myself in that, I think that anything up to 3 1/2 hours for the long run is beneficial and quite honestly imperative. It's about training the mind as much as the body. Also we age-groupers travel a lot slower than the pros so our 3 1/2 hours is probably their 2 1/2 hours. I certainly wouldn't manage a nonstop run in an Ironman on long runs of only 2 1/2 hours.
The main point of the article though is to train on your weakness (Paul Huddle focused on the bike as it was his weakness), I definitely intend to make myself a runner when I get back from my shoulder injury in a few weeks. My bike always takes care of itself and my swim is never going to be brilliant but I always put the time in so I see huge returns in becoming a good distance runner. Time will tell.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
For the true believers (and anyone with a healthy sense of humour)
Two of my favourite "religious" pictures. Enjoy.
Doesn't this one really put it all into perspective? God is Santa Clause for all grown ups. Life is scary, so is death...Deal with it!
As for me, the unanswered questions of life the universe and everything - my philosophy is "I don't know...therefore, I don't know" I can deal with that and don't feel the need to make something up or worse, believe something someone else made up.
Doesn't this one really put it all into perspective? God is Santa Clause for all grown ups. Life is scary, so is death...Deal with it!
As for me, the unanswered questions of life the universe and everything - my philosophy is "I don't know...therefore, I don't know" I can deal with that and don't feel the need to make something up or worse, believe something someone else made up.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Don't celebrate too early!
(Courtesy of CK Chew)
3 pieces of wise advice:
1) Never lose hope before it's all over
2) Never celebrate before it's all over
3) Never leave your post before the battle is really over
Now watch this video clip it will speak for itself.
3 pieces of wise advice:
1) Never lose hope before it's all over
2) Never celebrate before it's all over
3) Never leave your post before the battle is really over
Now watch this video clip it will speak for itself.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Amazing Mind Reader - watch to the very end
(Courtest of CK Chew)
Very cool, watch to the very end. Very eye opening! I particularly like the girl having multiple relationships!!! Very funny.
Very cool, watch to the very end. Very eye opening! I particularly like the girl having multiple relationships!!! Very funny.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Job Opportunity (Offended? Oh well ay!)
(Courtesy of Bill - nice one buddy, made me belly laugh out loud)
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ironman Age-Group Ranking
Simon says: -
This is what Ironman have announced regarding global age-group ranking. I'm very supportive of it and wonder if it is only a matter of time before this becomes the selection process for Kona just like the Pro field or whether they'll keep the qualifying as it is to help races attract entries.
Personally I think a global ranking system is by far the fairest as some races can be hit and miss - i.e. a weak field in one race can see weak athletes qualifying, or if some superstars turn up on the day strong athletes can miss out on a slot that they might otherwise have achieved. I get that it's the same for everyone but the point is that the best in each age-group should be going to Kona, there should be no element of luck involved.
On the other side of the coin it would mean that anyone aiming for ranking or Kona qualifying would have to do multiple Ironman races each year, so I wouldn't put it past WTC to introduce this. Even so, I'd support this option if this were the way it went. As for the system as a whole I love it, it's always fun to see where you rank and helps to push the limits to improve. Thumbs up WTC (Did I just say that??? I must be going soft in my old age haha)
Building upon the success of last season’s pilot program in Europe, IRONMAN announced today the global expansion of the Age Group Ranking (AGR) program for amateur triathletes. In extension of last year’s model, the program will now include all IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races in 2013. Beginning with last month’s IRONMAN 70.3 Pucon and ending with the IRONMAN 70.3 Canberra event on December 15, 2013, all athletes will be automatically entered into the program and receive points based on their finish times.
The global program will offer age-group athletes a way to earn points based off of their race finishes and measure their race performances against their fellow competitors regionally, as well as from around the world, in one cumulative system. Athletes who compete in any IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 event in 2013 will earn Age Group Ranking (AGR) points. In each IRONMAN event, Age Group Champions will earn 5,000 points, while first-place finishers of IRONMAN 70.3 events will earn 3,500 points toward their ranking. Points will then be calculated on a sliding scale based upon each subsequent athlete’s finish time, with a minimum of 1,000 points for an IRONMAN race and 700 points for an IRONMAN 70.3 race, as long as they complete the event.
Points and rankings will be updated weekly at www.ironman.com/ranking, starting in early spring.
Although athletes may compete in as many 2013 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events as they choose, only their top three race performances will be calculated toward their AGR. At the end of the 2013 season, all athletes will receive a special certificate and acknowledgement from IRONMAN, recognizing their achievement. Competitors who finish in the top 10 percent globally in either IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3 or a combination of IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events, will be designated as IRONMAN All World.
For more information or to see a list of frequently asked questions about the IRONMAN Age Group Ranking Program, go to www.ironman.com/ranking. Inquiries about the program may be directed to AGR@ironman.com. For media-related inquiries, contact Media@ironman.com.
Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/02/age-group-rankings.aspx#ixzz2KlM4sTHd
This is what Ironman have announced regarding global age-group ranking. I'm very supportive of it and wonder if it is only a matter of time before this becomes the selection process for Kona just like the Pro field or whether they'll keep the qualifying as it is to help races attract entries.
Personally I think a global ranking system is by far the fairest as some races can be hit and miss - i.e. a weak field in one race can see weak athletes qualifying, or if some superstars turn up on the day strong athletes can miss out on a slot that they might otherwise have achieved. I get that it's the same for everyone but the point is that the best in each age-group should be going to Kona, there should be no element of luck involved.
On the other side of the coin it would mean that anyone aiming for ranking or Kona qualifying would have to do multiple Ironman races each year, so I wouldn't put it past WTC to introduce this. Even so, I'd support this option if this were the way it went. As for the system as a whole I love it, it's always fun to see where you rank and helps to push the limits to improve. Thumbs up WTC (Did I just say that??? I must be going soft in my old age haha)
Building upon the success of last season’s pilot program in Europe, IRONMAN announced today the global expansion of the Age Group Ranking (AGR) program for amateur triathletes. In extension of last year’s model, the program will now include all IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 races in 2013. Beginning with last month’s IRONMAN 70.3 Pucon and ending with the IRONMAN 70.3 Canberra event on December 15, 2013, all athletes will be automatically entered into the program and receive points based on their finish times.
“After receiving such positive feedback from the triathlete community on the pilot phase, it is a natural progression to further expand the Age Group Ranking program to include all IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events,” said Andrew Messick, Chief Executive Officer of World Triathlon Corporation. “Our athletes from around the world have a competitive spirit and we are excited to offer them an opportunity to track their racing, while rewarding their accomplishments.”
The global program will offer age-group athletes a way to earn points based off of their race finishes and measure their race performances against their fellow competitors regionally, as well as from around the world, in one cumulative system. Athletes who compete in any IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 event in 2013 will earn Age Group Ranking (AGR) points. In each IRONMAN event, Age Group Champions will earn 5,000 points, while first-place finishers of IRONMAN 70.3 events will earn 3,500 points toward their ranking. Points will then be calculated on a sliding scale based upon each subsequent athlete’s finish time, with a minimum of 1,000 points for an IRONMAN race and 700 points for an IRONMAN 70.3 race, as long as they complete the event.
Points and rankings will be updated weekly at www.ironman.com/ranking, starting in early spring.
Although athletes may compete in as many 2013 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events as they choose, only their top three race performances will be calculated toward their AGR. At the end of the 2013 season, all athletes will receive a special certificate and acknowledgement from IRONMAN, recognizing their achievement. Competitors who finish in the top 10 percent globally in either IRONMAN, IRONMAN 70.3 or a combination of IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events, will be designated as IRONMAN All World.
For more information or to see a list of frequently asked questions about the IRONMAN Age Group Ranking Program, go to www.ironman.com/ranking. Inquiries about the program may be directed to AGR@ironman.com. For media-related inquiries, contact Media@ironman.com.
Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon-news/articles/2013/02/age-group-rankings.aspx#ixzz2KlM4sTHd
Friday, January 25, 2013
More Steve Huges - What's wrong with being offended?
(Courtesy of Allan Malcolm who reminded me of this, in line with my Yoda post about being offended go to 3mins 23secs if you're not going to watch it all - very funny)
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Viagra announcement
(Courtesy of Chris Wayman)
Viagra have just released a new pill called 007. It doesn't make you James Bond, but it does make you Roger Moore.
Whahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Monday, November 26, 2012
Have You Settled For Less Than You Deserve?
(Courtesy of swimsmooth.com)
Simon says: -
I read this today from Swimsmooth and it hit a chord, I've lost count the number of times I've heard people say they can't swim, or can't improve their swim or some similar variance. I'm not always a "believer" myself but I keep trying to reset those doubt and get better - you should too (unless youre in my age-group of course haha).
When Louise Sawyer said "you get what you settle for" she was talking about relationships. But the same thing is true for your education, your career and also your swimming.
While swimming isn't as important as our relationships, it's saddening to see someone you care about settle for less than they deserve because they don't believe they can be better.
If you've read our new book, you'll have heard us talk about how an eleven year old can be such a fast swimmer despite having very little strength compared to an adult. One of reasons they can do that is that kids don't place limitations on themselves, every time they go to the pool they walk out excitedly on to the poolside with a clear head, jump in the water, go for it and see what they can do.
Maybe you've settled because of your age, your inexperience, your talent, your training time, your gender or your height. Are you sure the barriers you feel are not entirely self imposed? Take a leaf from that eleven year old's book: enjoy every moment, work hard, keep an open mind and believe you will become a better swimmer...
...and you will.
Swim Smooth
I read this today from Swimsmooth and it hit a chord, I've lost count the number of times I've heard people say they can't swim, or can't improve their swim or some similar variance. I'm not always a "believer" myself but I keep trying to reset those doubt and get better - you should too (unless youre in my age-group of course haha).
When Louise Sawyer said "you get what you settle for" she was talking about relationships. But the same thing is true for your education, your career and also your swimming.
While swimming isn't as important as our relationships, it's saddening to see someone you care about settle for less than they deserve because they don't believe they can be better.
If you've read our new book, you'll have heard us talk about how an eleven year old can be such a fast swimmer despite having very little strength compared to an adult. One of reasons they can do that is that kids don't place limitations on themselves, every time they go to the pool they walk out excitedly on to the poolside with a clear head, jump in the water, go for it and see what they can do.
Maybe you've settled because of your age, your inexperience, your talent, your training time, your gender or your height. Are you sure the barriers you feel are not entirely self imposed? Take a leaf from that eleven year old's book: enjoy every moment, work hard, keep an open mind and believe you will become a better swimmer...
...and you will.
Swim Smooth
Amazing bird goes fishing
(Courtesy of Ian Hay)
Tell me you don't think this is amazing (if not a little scary too)!
Tell me you don't think this is amazing (if not a little scary too)!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Martyn Ashton doing a Danny MacAskill
(Courtesy of Kristoff and Disco Dave)
I'm sure many of you will have seen this by now but it's simply amazing so I couldn't go without posting it.
I'm sure many of you will have seen this by now but it's simply amazing so I couldn't go without posting it.
Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones
(Courtesy of Sian)
2 best friends graduated from medical school at the same time and decided that, in spite of two different specialties, they would open a practice together to share office space and personnel. Dr. Smith was the psychiatrist and Dr. Jones was the proctologist.
They put up a sign reading: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones: Hysterias and Posteriors". The town council was livid and insisted they change it.
So, the docs changed it to read: "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids". This was also not acceptable, so they again changed the sign.
"Catatonics and High Colonics" – No go.
Next, they tried "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives" – thumbs down again. Then came "Minds and Behinds" – still no good.
Another attempt resulted in "Lost Souls and Butt Holes" –unacceptable again! So they tried "Analysis and Anal Cysts" – not a chance. "Nuts and Butts" – no way. "Freaks and Cheeks" – still no good. "Loons and Moons" – forget it.
Almost at their wit's end, the docs finally came up with: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones -
Specializing in Odds and Ends". Everyone loved it.
They put up a sign reading: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones: Hysterias and Posteriors". The town council was livid and insisted they change it.
So, the docs changed it to read: "Schizoids and Hemorrhoids". This was also not acceptable, so they again changed the sign.
"Catatonics and High Colonics" – No go.
Next, they tried "Manic Depressives and Anal Retentives" – thumbs down again. Then came "Minds and Behinds" – still no good.
Another attempt resulted in "Lost Souls and Butt Holes" –unacceptable again! So they tried "Analysis and Anal Cysts" – not a chance. "Nuts and Butts" – no way. "Freaks and Cheeks" – still no good. "Loons and Moons" – forget it.
Almost at their wit's end, the docs finally came up with: "Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones -
Specializing in Odds and Ends". Everyone loved it.
Panic
Fortunately I got all the data and photos back without much problem but it just goes to show the power of backing up.
That reminded me of a joke I heard some years ago...
One day, Jesus and the Devil were having a discussion about who was best, so God suggested a typing competition. So God sat them down at two computers, one each, and told them to type up an article written on a piece of paper. The first to complete the typing would win.
Anyway, both Jesus and the Devil were typing away frantically, when there was a power cut and both computers switched off. Their typing work had disappeared from the two screens.
When the power was restored, and the computers re-booted, Jesus's work re-appeared on his screen, but the Devil could get nothing back and had lost all his work. So Jesus was declared the winner. The Devil complained bitterly to God saying that it wasn't fair at all and demanded a rematch, but God said,
"Stop whinging Satan, you know why Jesus got his work back - everyone knows "JESUS SAVES!"
Monday, October 08, 2012
Malaysian Triathlon Federation - Politics gone mad?
Simon says: -
I have just read this open letter on Facebook, I'm speechless and absolutely amazed. Surely there has to be another side to this story or maybe it's just the case that the wheels turn a little slower in Malaysia? I for one am not going to judge the Malaysian Triathlon Federation guys (not yet anyway), I know that they are good people and I have always thought that they have their hearts in the right place. I shall email this link to them and ask them to comment on it. I shall then publish their responses to give a balanced side of the story.
Steve Lumley is a world class coach and we are privileged to have him here helping us "Weekend Warriors" out but also working with the grass routes of Malaysian traithletes to get them on to the world stage. He needs our support and that of the Malaysian Traithlon Federation. So come on Traithlon community of Malaysia. Leave your comments of support for up and coming Malaysian triathletes competing and representing your country.
Let's keep everything positive for now, there's a time and a place to force change but in the meantime we owe it to the guys that represent TRIAM to put their side across.
An open letter from Steve Lumley
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
