Seriously, this has been a goal of mine for a long time, ever since my first triathlon back in 2004. This will also be a focus for the winter since the majority of my training will have to happen indoors, which will help to take my mind off of how much I don't like the winter.
How does it begin? Although my weight is not an issue (I am weighing in right now at 135), my body fat ratio is about 26% which is a fair amount higher than I would like it to be. I know some of you may be questioning why I am concerned about my body fat ratio, so let me explain. At this stage in my life, age almost 37, my metabolism is on the down slope. It will continue to slow down until I am in my 60s, when it will finally level out. I have a limited window right now to put myself in a much better position to handle that metabolism slowdown. Raise the amount of lean muscle mass I have and reduce the amount of body fat I carry. It is as simple as that. Or not. The premise is very simple but the real life application is not. In the body composition game, about 60% has to do with nutrition (the what, when, how much & why of eating), 30% has to do with exercise, and 10% has to do with genetics. Nutrition really does play that huge of a role.
Thus far I have done a fairly good job at remaining in decent shape. I've participated in 1 marathon, 9 sprint distance triathlons, and a half dozen or so 5K races. This past year has also given me the opportunity to run 2 adventure races with Scott. Those were great opportunities for us to work together and build our strength and trust in each other and we loved the challenge! Ultimately, my goal is to continue to do things that challenge my comfort zone and keep my quality of life as high as possible for as long as possible. Its my big picture.
On the nutrition front however, I have some hurdles to overcome. Having the background that I do, I still struggle with the right plan for me. I can identify in others the changes that would be most beneficial and be the support for them to make those changes and see success. In myself, its a whole different ballgame. I am very critical of what I need to do and have gravitated to an "all or nothing" approach. If I can't do everything right, then I won't do a thing. Not healthy. For instance, if I have set a goal for myself for the week of 1 small sweet treat per day and by midday I have a craving for something sweet, I eat the sweet and then chastise myself for eating it and continue to the sweets because now I have screwed up the entire day so why bother. I'm not really sure when I mastered this chastization of myself but it has become very self-sabotaging.
So in order to successfully train for the Kansas 70.3 (1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles of biking, & 13.1 miles of running), I must retrain myself. Both body and mind. And this weekend begins that training. On Sunday I will begin a cleansing process to start retraining. I will start with a 24 hour fast from 6pm Saturday night until 6pm Sunday night. From there it will be 1 day of just vegetables, then limited fruit will be added in, followed by protein sources. Aside from vegetables, foods will be added in one at a time with notice taken to any reactions, either digestive or otherwise. Dairy and grains will be monitored with careful consideration and foods with added sugar will be eliminated. I am fairly confident that by the end of two weeks. I will have a much clearer understanding of what foods fuel me and what foods slow me down.
I tell all of this to you because I need your support. This race, and the subsequent preparation, will be very challenging for me and I anticipate some very tough days ahead. I must keep the big picture in mind, and learn to not let my mind overrule my body. Both mentally and physically I am both looking forward to the challenge and dreading it. So let the games begin.
