Goals for 2008.

I have quite a few goals for 2008 when it comes to racing and training. Some of them are race specific and others have to with training. Most of them I will keep to myself but here are three things that I am really working on.

1. Recovery

A	noun
	1	recovery, retrieval
				the act of regaining or saving something lost (or in danger of becoming lost)

I was pretty good about recovery last season but know I can get better. Recovery covers so many things from sleep and nutrition to training schedules and massage/chiro. I have broken down individual areas for recovery that I am going to try and stick with.

a. Sleep - be in bed no later than 10pm during the week and try to nap whenever possible on the weekend. To get in my training before work I have to get up most days during the week at 5am. I have found that if I don't get enough sleep on just one night it can throw me off all week and I can't catch up.

b. Massage/Chiro - I was pretty good about this last year. I try to get on the table every other week and I can tell the difference. What I really need to do is more stuff at home. I have a foam roller and massage stick that work great, but I don't use them enough. An extra 5-10 minutes isn't a lot but can make a huge difference.

c. Training Plan - Scheduled days off and recovery weeks are crucial. Anybody who has read this for any amount of time knows I like to smack myself down and go big, which is all well and good, but it needs to be followed by proper rest. You don't get any stronger if you don't let your body recover. I pretty much have my ATP (annual training plan) dialed in up until Temecula and I am feeling pretty good about it. All my rest weeks are there and it's more than I have taken in the past.

d. Nutrition - Very important. See below.

2. Nutrition/Diet

My diet is already good, but there is always room for improvement. Over the last month I have been doing a lot reading regarding diets for endurance Athletes. Everybody seems to have their own ideas and I do to. By default I follow a pretty Paleo Diet (lean protein, low starch) and it has seemed to work really well for me. There is no way I could follow a strict paleo diet but there are some really good/healthy aspects of the diet.

I really like this foof pyramid.
courtesy of Mark's Daily Apple (a great blog you should subscribe to). Here's the post with the breakdown.

Ironically Chuckie V had a post on his blog this week which pretty much sums up exactly what I am shooting for. Check it out.

a. - more fruits and veggies. I already eat a diet high in fruits and veggies but I am trying to increase that even more. Instead of snacking on chips and eating bars pre/post workout I am switching to to vegetables and fruit.

b. - Meal Timing - I always try to eat dinner at the same time, between 6-6:30pm. This helps me get to sleep early and has me ready to go in the morning. Timing also come into play around workouts. I am trying to eat high GI carbs before, during, and after workouts only and then switching to lean proteins, healthy fats, and again, a lot of fruits and vegetables.

c. - artificial sweeteners - I am cutting way back on these. Without even realizing it I found myself using quite a bit of splenda. I'd use it in my coffee, oatmeal, and cereal. Along with artificial sweeteners in diet sodas and energy drinks I was consuming way to much. I won't eliminate them completely because I still like the occasional diet coke or pre-workout energy drink but I have started using Stevia and honey in my coffee, oatmeal, and cereal.

3. Hit the Weights


Last year I hit the weights starting in January and then pretty much stopped in March. I got back in gym on an off throughout the season but I lacked consistency. I also dropped quite a bit of weight last year and a chunk of that was muscle and with the muscle went strength. I also enjoy lifting weights so it's no hard for me to get in the gym, but it is hard sometimes to get there at the end of they day after my other workouts. It's also hard to accept that during the early part of the year when I am lifting heavier weights that I am not going to feel great in all my swim/bike/run workouts. I am going to follow a similar periodization as is laid out in the Triathlete's Training Bible. but again, with my own twist/ideas.

During the base phase I am trying to pack on some muscle because I know I will need it when the build phase starts. I have some specific strength goals that I will be shooting for. After that I will go into strength maintenance and then cut out weights when my A races approach.

I think that's about it. Training this week is going really well and next week is a rest week and after the weekend I have on tap I'm gonna need it!

Dinner is serverd. Mega Veggies. Veggie-egg scramble and salad.