sunrise Boulder
Bolder Boulder & Tough Mudder
31/05/12 10:45 Filed in: Other | My experiences
The last few weeks, I have been preparing for the consecutive races I had planned.
Either way, I had a great time and hope to be able to do it many more times. Maybe I should aim to finish under 50 minutes? I have done a 10k before around 45 minutes but that was many years ago and when my body was more designed for endurance sports. That should be a very realistic goal as I didn’t train specifically on running but also on biking, swimming, strength and cross training. Nonetheless, running is a great workout and boosts your cardio. A quality that is important for many athletes. I like to maintain a healthy balance of strength, cardio, speed, flexibility etc. That also means I can’t be a purely competitive endurance athlete but that is also not my goal at this point in time.
I was supposed to do the Sunrise triathlon this coming weekend and Tough Mudder next weekend. However, I will be forced to pass on the triathlon for following reasons:
- I have a wound on my arm that I don’t want to swim with in the Boulder reservoir. It is probably fine but I don’t want to risk any bad infections. I am sure you have heard of the horrible stories that have occurred lately with bad bacteria in lakes (not the reservoir but nonetheless, I’d rather be safe than sorry).
- By having a booth at the Boulder Creek Fest and a big yard project, I haven’t had a chance to recover in weeks. Therefore, I will pass on the triathlon so I can attend the Tough Mudder race. I don’t want to risk pushing my body too much and having to pass on Tough Mudder. We are doing it with a team and I want to participate. Too bad because my training was going fantastic but I don’t want to overtrain.
Unfortunately, the Sunrise Boulder organization was not very helpful in refunding my registration fees because of the wound that may get infected. Apparently they claim they never refund any fees under any circumstances, including medical conditions that may be dangerous to the athletes, whether it’s by own doing or infecting each other. As a business owner myself, I understand you need to reinforce rules but at the same time, also make exceptions. What if someone can infect other athletes, what if I get a heart attack a few days before? They would not refund an athlete? That doesn’t make any sense to me so I believe they should revise their policies as this is not fair or morally correct. I know for sure I won’t be registering with this organization anymore. When someone is unable to train with us because of a valid reason, we modify their membership to accommodate. Simply because it’s the right thing to do.
This week is all about recovery for myself with some cross training sessions to keep my body sharp for Tough Mudder. My cardio is great and I don’t expect an issue with Tough Mudder. And if my body were to let me down for some reason… I tend to be very determined (or stubborn?) in training & races. A quality that people around me don’t always appreciate that much :)
Also check out some pictures that our neighbor Julie Kate Photography took during the Bolder Boulder!
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Goal Setting: The Next Phase in my Training
The first few years after cycling and doing weight training off and on, I gained a great amount of muscle mass. At this point in time, I weigh about 215lbs with a fat percentage of approx. 14% (up from 8% when cycling). The reason behind the higher fat percentage is less cardio (I was on the bike 18 hours/week) and a less strict diet since I was no longer competing until now.
It was very important for me to retain my full range of motion, flexibility and speed. Mass means nothing if you can't put it to good use after all, especially as a martial artist. This is why I always focussed on explosiveness, speed drills, stretching and giving martial arts training 100%. The right attitude means everything. You can train 6 hours/day but if you only give 50%, results will stay behind. I was also very fortunate to study in a great college (while cycling) and since one of my majors was Physical Education, we had about 12 hours of different sports every week. This absolutely made me a more complete and diverse athlete, challenging me in every way. I feel stronger than ever and haven’t compromised my speed, flexibility etc.
Next week, we are doing a workshop about the Paleo diet. I will do a 30 day Paleo diet challenge throughout March and expect this to be a great help in my training. It will also be a great experience as I really like the idea behind the Paleo diet. I will be posting blog articles, updates and videos about my upcoming training, progress and Paleo diet experience. Every week, I will show you what I am doing and what differences I notice by changing my routines.
Until then, my training will be stepped up a notch and the focus will be on 5-6 meals a day with unsaturated fats, complex carbs and protein in every meal. Drinking lots of water is vital and fruits, vegetables and lean meats will be my refuge. Stay tuned for more updates!
By Sander Vanacker, owner and head instructor of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302