A couple months ago, my old roommate emailed me with an article from the New York Times about kettlebell gyms around the country. Highlighted in said article wasa well-regarded kettlebell gym located here in sunny/windy Albuquerque. The name of the gym is Firebellz, which is a nod to the Firefighting/EMS background of the founders/owners.
I first got into kettlebells back in 2009 while training at Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia. I would mix one or two kettlebell classes in between Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes in an effort to continually mix up my workout.
For those unfamiliar with kettlebells, they are basically a cannon ball with a handle welded on to it. I'm sure anyone who is curious has already Googled the topic to find out more, so I won't labor on the details. The workouts typically consist of various lifts, swings, stretches and moves that incorporate the kettlebell(s) in some fashion. It's been said to be the secret behind the Iron Curtain and the crazy strength/toughness of the Russians. I bet Ilya Bryzgalov could tell some good kettlebelling stories.
The KB (kettlebell) classes at Daddis were intense. They were only 30-minutes in length and they were never an easy 30 minutes. The classes were advertised to be a similar burn to a full hour or even 90-minute session lifting weight in a gym. I believed it. I would have sore muscles that I didn't even know I had.
When Christina (my old roommate) sent me that NYT article it got me interested in getting back into the swing (no pun intended) of things and potentially add it into my workout schedule. But, for whatever reason, I didn't act on it until a few weeks ago. They were running a Groupon special for their introductory course and I decided to give it a go. After just a few minutes getting reacquainted with the KB, I was re-hooked.
The special was for their "Spark" class which is required for newbies (like me, sort of) to learn the techniques, postures, etc. in order to properly and safely workout with a KB. It was very beneficial. My experiences at the KB classes at Daddis were very technical and safe, but I never had the one-on-one interaction with a certified KBer to show me the proper stances, positions, angles and details. The devil is definitely in the details. The first Spark class we did nothing but deadlifts. A lot of them. Some with the bell, some without. The instructors were very thorough and patient. The deadlift movement is the basis for a lot of KB moves. It's critical to master, thus we spent a lot of time on it. My second class was much of the same, but spent some more detailed time on the swing, also another key movement in KB training. My hamstrings and glutes were very sore afterwards. (And they still are.)
While at my first class, I was keyed in on a program Firebellz offers called the Body Transformation Contest. It is a 12-week program they run, monitor, motivate, etc. in order to help people reach their fitness goals, whether it is to lose weight and tone up, or to bulk up with some solid mass. In addition to attending the classes they have offered at various times during the week, they assist with tracking your goals, monitoring your diet, and increasing your knowledge about your body, nutrition, injury prevention, and other hot-and-critical topics. The results from those who have participated in the past are pretty amazing. You can see for yourself on their website. If you're anything like me, you're skeptical of these before-and-after photos. You see them all the time on TV, whether it's for P90X, Weight Watchers, Curves, or whatever and you're never quite sure if you can fully believe the truth behind the advertising. Are they the same people? Did they post-produce the photos with some modifications to enhance the results? But I met the dude who won the past BTC (Body Transformation Contest) and he's legit. (Although, I just me the guy, so I didn't know him as the "before" dude.) The people coming out of this are filled with praise for the program. Chatting it up got me pretty amped.
So I took the plunge and threw my name into the hat for the upcoming BTC.
And it starts this upcoming week (4/30).
Tomorrow (4/28) I'm due at the gym for the initial photo, weigh-in and measurements. This Thursday is the first group meeting to review all the details and to meet the rest group. Meal logs aren't required for this week but getting to the required classes is. No better time to dive into things than now.
Between triathlon training (ITU San Diego is right around the corner), hockey season starting up and this BTC, it'll be a full schedule, but a healthy one. And since I have this little lane in the information super highway, I thought I would make a constant effort to update my progress along the way with weekly stats, results and thoughts to share with you, my loyal readers.
Stay tuned for more.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
2012 Coyote Carrera Results
Saturday marked the much-anticipated start to my 2012 triathlon season with the Coyote Carrera Triathlon held here in Albuquerque. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the event seemed to have gone off without a blip.
I will be completely honest when I say I was not completely "ready" for the event. Yes, I've been training steadily but the last few weeks I have been slightly off on my usually solid regiment of swimming, biking and running (and, of course, cross training). To make things worse, I was sent on business travel this past Tuesday and spent a couple days away from home base, working odd hours in a different area without my usual resources and with gobs of good eating with coworkers. Not the ideal scenario.
For all the business traveling that I have done, I have never been able to make progress on any fitness/weight loss/etc. goals while away. That's why I'm so impressed with someone like my friend Quoc who can have a man-weekend in Vegas and still stay on track with his goals. Whoa! Way to go.
As for me, my "workout" leading up to the race was limited to sitting in large conferences rooms and walking from point A to point B. As a result, I felt stiff, rusty, tight and generally unprepared Saturday morning for the race. Imagine the tin man from Wizard of Oz before they would oil his joints. That's how I felt.
Nevertheless, I was excited! It was a gorgeous New Mexico morning among a couple hundred fellow triathletes. Got up a little later than anticipated and ended up getting to the transition area at about 7:10. Luckily traffic was light. Was a little later than I wanted to get there but still had plenty of time to find my spot, get numbered and start to prepare.
After some light socializing, a short jog and dynamic stretching and the Star Spangled Banner, it was go time. I was in the first wave (8:00AM) and the run started right on time. The course was very similar to the Thanksgiving 4 Mile race from last year and it brought back some good memories. The run felt pretty good. The majority of it was on the Bosque which is a nice flat trail. I pounded a Cliff energy gel right before the transition area. My T1 was pretty bad. Getting out of running shoes and into bike shoes should be a pretty smooth transition but I botched it up. My transitions need some work.
EDIT: The run was supposed to be a 5K course. However, I noticed my time and my pace, as displayed on the results, did not match up with a 5K run. After an inquire to the race director, it appears the course was unfortunately set up short. The run was actually 2.72 miles.
The bike route was a two-loop course on open road. In addition to dealing with other triathletes, we had to deal with horrible New Mexican drivers. And the worst part was 9.5 miles of the little-over-10 mile course was on pothole-infested roads. They made Pennsylvania roads look like a smooth sheet of ice. I hit a few unavoidable ditches and thought my kidney was gonna jump out of my stomach. Rolled into the transition area, racked my bike, grabbed my goggles and headed in to the pool for the swim.
The swim was as hectic as I assumed it would be. Bodies splashing all over the place. Each lane had people going in both directions which made it nearly impossible to pass (or, for that matter, to be passed). Was one of my weaker swims. I just couldn't find my cocoon of calmness and I felt, on numerous occasions, my technique slip. My time was also killed by the waiting at the walls for all the traffic to sort out. Jumped (read: walked up the steps) out of the pool, across the Red Bull finish line and celebrated the completion of my season opener.
Below are my official results for the race:
2.72 mi Run: 19:35 (7:12/mi)
T1: 2:20
16.5K Bike: 30:32 (20.14 MPH)
T2: 1:02
400m Pool Swim: 8:57
Total: 1:02:26
That was good enough for 55th overall (out of 201) and 12th in my AG (out of 17).
Overall I wasn't completely disappointed with my performance. My rusty body could have used a couple of squirts of oil along the way, but that's the life of an AG triathlete. Seeing a nearly 9-minute 400 meter swim makes me cringe a bit, but that's the nature of the beast with these pandemonium pool swims.
Looking ahead, ITU San Diego is only a few weeks away which is very exciting. Travel plans are set and all I have to do between now and then is continue along with my training plan.
I will be completely honest when I say I was not completely "ready" for the event. Yes, I've been training steadily but the last few weeks I have been slightly off on my usually solid regiment of swimming, biking and running (and, of course, cross training). To make things worse, I was sent on business travel this past Tuesday and spent a couple days away from home base, working odd hours in a different area without my usual resources and with gobs of good eating with coworkers. Not the ideal scenario.
For all the business traveling that I have done, I have never been able to make progress on any fitness/weight loss/etc. goals while away. That's why I'm so impressed with someone like my friend Quoc who can have a man-weekend in Vegas and still stay on track with his goals. Whoa! Way to go.
As for me, my "workout" leading up to the race was limited to sitting in large conferences rooms and walking from point A to point B. As a result, I felt stiff, rusty, tight and generally unprepared Saturday morning for the race. Imagine the tin man from Wizard of Oz before they would oil his joints. That's how I felt.
Nevertheless, I was excited! It was a gorgeous New Mexico morning among a couple hundred fellow triathletes. Got up a little later than anticipated and ended up getting to the transition area at about 7:10. Luckily traffic was light. Was a little later than I wanted to get there but still had plenty of time to find my spot, get numbered and start to prepare.
After some light socializing, a short jog and dynamic stretching and the Star Spangled Banner, it was go time. I was in the first wave (8:00AM) and the run started right on time. The course was very similar to the Thanksgiving 4 Mile race from last year and it brought back some good memories. The run felt pretty good. The majority of it was on the Bosque which is a nice flat trail. I pounded a Cliff energy gel right before the transition area. My T1 was pretty bad. Getting out of running shoes and into bike shoes should be a pretty smooth transition but I botched it up. My transitions need some work.
EDIT: The run was supposed to be a 5K course. However, I noticed my time and my pace, as displayed on the results, did not match up with a 5K run. After an inquire to the race director, it appears the course was unfortunately set up short. The run was actually 2.72 miles.
The bike route was a two-loop course on open road. In addition to dealing with other triathletes, we had to deal with horrible New Mexican drivers. And the worst part was 9.5 miles of the little-over-10 mile course was on pothole-infested roads. They made Pennsylvania roads look like a smooth sheet of ice. I hit a few unavoidable ditches and thought my kidney was gonna jump out of my stomach. Rolled into the transition area, racked my bike, grabbed my goggles and headed in to the pool for the swim.
The swim was as hectic as I assumed it would be. Bodies splashing all over the place. Each lane had people going in both directions which made it nearly impossible to pass (or, for that matter, to be passed). Was one of my weaker swims. I just couldn't find my cocoon of calmness and I felt, on numerous occasions, my technique slip. My time was also killed by the waiting at the walls for all the traffic to sort out. Jumped (read: walked up the steps) out of the pool, across the Red Bull finish line and celebrated the completion of my season opener.
Below are my official results for the race:
2.72 mi Run: 19:35 (7:12/mi)
T1: 2:20
16.5K Bike: 30:32 (20.14 MPH)
T2: 1:02
400m Pool Swim: 8:57
Total: 1:02:26
That was good enough for 55th overall (out of 201) and 12th in my AG (out of 17).
Overall I wasn't completely disappointed with my performance. My rusty body could have used a couple of squirts of oil along the way, but that's the life of an AG triathlete. Seeing a nearly 9-minute 400 meter swim makes me cringe a bit, but that's the nature of the beast with these pandemonium pool swims.
Looking ahead, ITU San Diego is only a few weeks away which is very exciting. Travel plans are set and all I have to do between now and then is continue along with my training plan.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
The Season is Upon Us
I apologize for a lack of post recently. The past few weeks have been dynamic. Spring has rolled in to the desert which means unpredictable weather and high winds. And by high winds I mean some crazy high winds. If this was New England, I would go as far as calling them wicked. But it's New Mexico, so I'll just say, "eeeeeeeeeeeeee! These winds are ALL strong!" Phillies baseball has begun and the Broad Street Bullies are preparing for playoff hockey. It's a good time to be alive. To top it all off, a week from Saturday my triathlon season will officially begin with the Coyote Carrera Triathlon.
This triathlon will be here in town and since we lack a solid source of open water it will be a "Reverse Sprint Triathlon." The race will begin with a 5K (3.1 mile) run starting at the designated "Athlete Village" AKA the Rio Grande Pool. This is right along side the Rio Grande River (clever, huh?) and the run course will primarily be on the Paseo del Bosque. I don't know what Paseo del Bosque translates into or what it means, but I do know it's probably the best bike/run/horse/roller blade/etc. spot in town. It runs north-south along the river and is about 16 miles of uninterrupted, paved, well marked trail. It's fairly flat so I'm expecting the run times to be quick.
Transition 1 (T1) will mean flinging off my running shoes and slipping into my Shimano's for the bike. Originally, the course was set to be the standard sprint distance of 20K. But I guess the organizers ran out of real estate and had to cut it down to 16.5K. Bummer. Any who, from the transition area we'll head south towards the "South Valley" and take the bridge on Bridge Blvd (I sure hope they don't use tax money to brainstorm names around here) over to the "west side" of Albuquerque. By the "west side" I am referring to west of the Rio Grande. Before I moved out here, the only bit of advice from a local was "live East of the river." But I think the west side gets a bad rap. In perspective, it's harmless. Will Smith's mother wouldn't send him to live with his aunty and uncle in Bel-Air for a little trouble in the west side of Albuquerque. But I digress. The course then heads north to Central Ave, also know as the old Rt. 66, where we'll head East back over the river and repeat. After two laps we'll cover approximately 10.3 miles. I'm not too familiar with this loop but I have a feeling it is pretty flat and should post some fast bike splits.
After the bike I'll grab my goggles and jump in the Rio Grande Pool for the finale: a 400 m/y (haven't been to this pool before - they claim it's a 25 m pool but never know) swim. It's an 8-lane pool and the deal is you swim down and back in the same lane before ducking under the rope and repeating in the next lane until you cover all the lanes. Sounds hectic, and it probably will be. Both directions in the same lane leaves not a lot of options to pass. All you can do, sometimes, is hope the potentially slow swimmer in front of you is professional enough to pause at the wall and let you scoot by. But that could be asking for a lot.
Regardless, the Coyote Carrera Triathlon will be a nice, laid-back, convenient race to start the season. Unfortunately, due to it's odd length/format/etc., it's not a very good primer for my first A-list race (ITU San Diego) which is only three weeks after Coyote Carrera. I'll take what I can get and plan to use this opportunity to sharpen my skills in a race environment.
Let the season begin!
This triathlon will be here in town and since we lack a solid source of open water it will be a "Reverse Sprint Triathlon." The race will begin with a 5K (3.1 mile) run starting at the designated "Athlete Village" AKA the Rio Grande Pool. This is right along side the Rio Grande River (clever, huh?) and the run course will primarily be on the Paseo del Bosque. I don't know what Paseo del Bosque translates into or what it means, but I do know it's probably the best bike/run/horse/roller blade/etc. spot in town. It runs north-south along the river and is about 16 miles of uninterrupted, paved, well marked trail. It's fairly flat so I'm expecting the run times to be quick.
Transition 1 (T1) will mean flinging off my running shoes and slipping into my Shimano's for the bike. Originally, the course was set to be the standard sprint distance of 20K. But I guess the organizers ran out of real estate and had to cut it down to 16.5K. Bummer. Any who, from the transition area we'll head south towards the "South Valley" and take the bridge on Bridge Blvd (I sure hope they don't use tax money to brainstorm names around here) over to the "west side" of Albuquerque. By the "west side" I am referring to west of the Rio Grande. Before I moved out here, the only bit of advice from a local was "live East of the river." But I think the west side gets a bad rap. In perspective, it's harmless. Will Smith's mother wouldn't send him to live with his aunty and uncle in Bel-Air for a little trouble in the west side of Albuquerque. But I digress. The course then heads north to Central Ave, also know as the old Rt. 66, where we'll head East back over the river and repeat. After two laps we'll cover approximately 10.3 miles. I'm not too familiar with this loop but I have a feeling it is pretty flat and should post some fast bike splits.
After the bike I'll grab my goggles and jump in the Rio Grande Pool for the finale: a 400 m/y (haven't been to this pool before - they claim it's a 25 m pool but never know) swim. It's an 8-lane pool and the deal is you swim down and back in the same lane before ducking under the rope and repeating in the next lane until you cover all the lanes. Sounds hectic, and it probably will be. Both directions in the same lane leaves not a lot of options to pass. All you can do, sometimes, is hope the potentially slow swimmer in front of you is professional enough to pause at the wall and let you scoot by. But that could be asking for a lot.
Regardless, the Coyote Carrera Triathlon will be a nice, laid-back, convenient race to start the season. Unfortunately, due to it's odd length/format/etc., it's not a very good primer for my first A-list race (ITU San Diego) which is only three weeks after Coyote Carrera. I'll take what I can get and plan to use this opportunity to sharpen my skills in a race environment.
Let the season begin!
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