I work out alot compared to other folks. And I don’t eat much food compared to other folks. My body is like a frickin Prius – i get great gas mileage. For a car, this is awesome. For a body, this sucks. I want to eat more food. But if I do, I gain weight super fast. And it’s sooooo hard to lose.

Something I have been wondering about for quite some time is whether endurance sports makes one’s metabolism more efficient? It’s probably an advantage during a long race if your body doesn’t require as many calories as the next guy to keep on going. Maybe this even helped me in my past races.

Or maybe it’s just my age making my body require less and less calories. I am almost 49 years old, and each year I need less and less food.

True, I have been working out less because I have been throwing myself into my career. Certainly that is a big factor. Still, I have to wonder – if I switched up my workout plan to do something like P90x instead of all the swimming and biking and running, maybe that would rev up my metabolism. My weight has been gradually creeping up this year and I am way beyond good racing weight.

Here is my Loseit.com log for Christmas day (click to enlarge):

Jason M sent me an email asking me this question:

Hello, and thanks for the tips and 1st hand information on your training blog.  I love soaking up other people’s experiences and knowledge.  I have question that nobody in my local triathlon club seems to know or want to answer.  Because there are only 9 official IM (full length) events in the US, and they sell out in hours, if you are planning on doing one, it could potentially be 18 months from now before your race.  But, there are other events, such as the Revolutions3 140.6 race in Sandusky Ohio.  If you complete that, do you still consider yourself an Ironman, even though the sponsor is different?  I would like to think so, but as much effort that goes into training, I would hate to think that I had a Barry Bonds-esque asterisk beside my name until I completed an IM branded event.  These are the things that go through my mind on my long runs.  I know you have more important things to do than answer stupid questions like this, but I believe I’ve run out of people locally to ask.

 Here was my Answer to Jason:

Thanks for writing.  I think that’s a great question!  I did a non-branded Ironman race and I 100% consider myself to be an Ironman. I did the distance. I suffered through the pain. I’m an Ironman and damn proud of it.

However, I did not get the M-dot tatoo. I made my own tatoo design with a 140.6 on it. Mostly because I didn’t want folks asking me “Which Ironman did you do?” and then I’d say “Beach 2 Battleship”. To which they would probably say “Oh, never heard of it.” Unless you are from NC, you may not have heard of that particular race. But it is a full iron distance race, so I’m an Ironman!

Well, that’s my two cents worth! I’d be happy to post your question on my blog and ask readers to chime in.

So, what do you all think?

I love these commercials about Wim Hof and Columbia’s Omni Heat Electric jackets.    Incredible how this athlete has tapped into the power of the mind to keep his body warm despite frigid condtions.  Imagine what any athlete could do with similar mind over body power.   And, next time I feel like  a total wuss riding my bike in 50 degrees, I will think of Wim Hof and be inspired to go out and ride no matter what the temperature.

And, I want one of those jackets!  This commercial is very convincing, because it is so cool and clever.  Or, is that warm and clever.

Not looking like very good weather conditions for my race on Saturday. Swim.Brrr.Bike.Brrr.Run.Brrr.

This is Part 1 of a 3 part report.  Click for Part 2 and Part 3.  Part 3 is the actual race report, so go there if you just want the facts!

Wow, it has been so long since I posted. I probably don’t have any readers left. Work is still kicking my ass. It’s a demanding job, but I still like it alot. I work long hours, which really eats up my spare time. Thus, the lack of blogging.

The long hours at work also cuts into my training. I was not really feeling up to par for this race.

And since my good friend, Ginger, moved away, she was not able to be my race buddy.   That makes me really sad.  And I was using it as another excuse  to just bail on racing.

I had planned a long weekend at the beach and invited my 21 year old daughter along. I worked a 12 hour day on Friday and was really stressed out. Friday night, while packing up my beach-wear, I considered just skipping the race and laying on the beach all weekend. In the end, I packed up my race gear too, but was still not mentally committed to racing.

I posted this on FB:

i have a race this weekend at kure beach. really tempted to just bag the race and lay on beach all weekend.

My friend Scottie replied:

“negative…you WILL get out there and you WILL go fast!!!

That helped alot.  Thanks, Scottie!

But still,  I was struggling mentally…

I also got my period on Friday.    I have this irrational fear of sharks anyway, so this made me really feel like shark bait.  I spent time on Friday reading the shark attack files.    Turns out, New Hanover County – where Kure Beach resides – has the highest rate of shark attacks in North Carolina.  Great.  Seeing a “No Shark Fishing” sign on the Carolina Beach pier did not make me feel any safer.

I spent all of Saturday laying on the beach.  It was wonderful. I got burnt. I didn’t care.  I ventured into the water a little bit, but I was sceered of sharks.  I mean, how well do tampons work anyway, when sharks can detect blood in 1 part per million?!

Later that day, we rode some of the rides at the Carolina beach amusement park.   We both loved  ”Ring of Fire” … a ride that spins you vertically around in a circle.  It even leaves you hanging upside down for a few seconds.  It was a blast.

Next, we rode the Graviton.   The ride operator let us choose the music for the ride.  My daughter let me  choose, so I asked the guy if he had any Led Zeppelin.  He said yes, and asked which song.  I asked for Kashmir, and he had that one.  So we spun round and round  sucked against the wall of the Graviton listening to Kashmir.  It was perfect.

Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face
stars fill my dreams
I am a traveler of both time and space

Saturday night, I practiced Transitions in the parking lot of the condo.  Some old drunk guy came and talked on and on about how he was in a bike crash a few years ago and messed up his knee.  I think he was making it up to impress me.   I was trying to be kind, but he was really annoying!   I finally got rid of him by saying I was running out of daylight to do my workout.

Practicing transitions in the dark parking lot got me excited about racing, so decided I would do it.    This race report is continued in Part 2 and then read Part 3.

Today I wanted to send a Wahmbulance picture to a friend.  So, I went to google images to search for wahmbulance.     What a proud moment in my blogging history when my very own blog post came up second in the search results.   What does it say about me that this made my day?!      I’m hoping this post bumps me up to #1…Bwahahahaha!

Wow, I think it’s been a whole month since I last posted.  I have been unsuccessful at losing any weight.  The good news is that I have not gained any weight. I still weigh about 157 lbs.

And it still really sucks running with that extra weight.   The only race I am excited about is Bridge to Bridge, the mountain century that I want to do in September.   I really don’t want to do any triathlons at this weight.  It will suck too much.  I know, I am comparing myself to my former “lean mean triathlon machine” self.   I either need to find my way back there, or get over it.  Red pill. Blue pill.  The blue pill tempts me.

I did have some nice lunch time runs at work in the sewer easement.   My friend and co-worker, Scottie, calls me a sewer rat!

Here are some tweets from one of those runs, reverse cron order.  If I had any spare time in my life, I’d clean this up and embed the pictures.  But, work is kicking my ass lately, so I have no time.  Still love the job and the people, but it is really quite demanding.

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

@

@sfuegen oh, it is fun running on those and a good balance exercise. somehow i run better on them. hmmmm.

12 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

@

@sfuegen actually, it’s not hunting season, i was just joking! it was fun, tho!

11 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

pace of 7:43…i dunno…seems hard to believe. cant wait to see garmin data.

11 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

back across the pipe…. http://twitpic.com/3ypezg

11 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

nomnomnomnomnom…KABLAM!! http://twitpic.com/3ype0s

11 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

is it hunting season. ? http://twitpic.com/3ypa5s

11 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

nailed a pace of 8 …w00t. http://twitpic.com/3yp94q

11 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

running the pipe is fun. http://twitpic.com/3yp86s

11 Feb

triblogcarol Carol Scheible 

i am mayor of the sewar rat run. #notfoursquare
http://twitpic.com/3yp6zu

The new job is going great.  I really love it – and I think I’m really good at it – and have thrown myself into it the way I used to throw myself into my tri training.

But now I am getting fat and out of shape because my training has been put on the back burner.  I finally stepped on the scale and I weigh 156 lbs. My race weight is 144 lbs.  I hate running with those extra 12 pounds of baggage.  I am slow and I feel the extra weight on even the slightest incline.  And it’s incredibly demoralizing to run my usual 6 miler “to the lake and back” at a 20% slower pace.

I need a plan so that I am motivated to train.  So here it is.  It includes lots of hills to give me extra incentive to work hard to shed some of those pounds.

• Tar Heel 10 miler, April 9th.  Hilly run on UNC campus that finishes in Kenan Stadium and includes running up Laurel Hill, yikes!
• Bandits Challenge, June 18. Super hilly OLY race.
• Kure Beach Double Sprint, June 26, super fun times with Ginger!  Do big ocean waves count as hills?
• Mayo Lake*, Aug 13, Kinda Hilly sprint
• Nuclear Swim*, Aug 28, 1 mile swim in Lake Harris
• Bridge to Bridge, Sept ??, 105 miles, 12,000 feet of climbing, ends with climb up Grandfather mountain. Yay!
• Washington Half*, Oct 29.  Not hilly, but I loved this race course, so I want to do it again!

*I have included three FS Series races this year in my plan.  They are a local race production company in North Carolina and put on a super fun race with the best race schwagg!   At right is pictured the sweet hoodie that all participants were given at the Washington Half last year.  I love that hoodie!

There, now that I’ve written out this plan, I better get my butt in gear!

Just call me the crooked woman.

I’ve had this terrible stiff neck and shoulder pain for about three weeks.   I can barely turn my head to look over my right shoulder when driving on the highway.  Today on my way home from work, I stayed in the slow lane all the way home just to avoid having to change lanes.

I noticed in the mirror today one shoulder is lower than the other.   I think it looks alot worse in real life than the picture below shows.  Maybe it’s just in my head.  Or my neck.

This the the third time in three years I have had this issue:

The first time was during my Ironman training.   I ramped up my bike mileage too fast.   I was in a panic because I was in my peak training for Beach2Battleship, so I went to a chiropractor hoping to get back to the business of training as quickly as possible.   That worked out great, thank you Dr. Ed Raymond.   The adjustments immediately got my neck back to full range of motion, allowing me to continue training, but did not completely alleviate the pain.   The thing I loved about Dr. Ed was that he has a sports training background and gave me really good advice about how to fix the root cause of the problem.

The second time was last summer while training for Halfmax.   What set off the episode that time…was too much swimming combined with poor sleep posture, and bad form doing lat pulldowns at the gym.  Again, I was in the middle of my all-important training plan and could not afford to just ‘wait until it got better’.   So, I went to a different chiropractor that was located near work.  I did not like that guy at all – he just tried to sell me a bunch of crap and services that I did not want, and tried to convince me that I needed adjustments 3x per week for 6 weeks.   I went twice, and that helped some, but did not buy into his long term chiropractor sales pitch.

This time around I think it is due to too much computer mousing, bad sleep posture, and falling on my shoulder while using my roller trainers.   And since I am not training for anything, I am not in a panic for a quick fix, so I decided to just wait it out.   Well, that’s not working out too well.   I can’t tolerate swimming at all.  Forget about doing any crunches or P90X workouts.   Running is not too bad, but swinging my arms hurts alot – so I don’t enjoy running.    The pain is not horrible, but it’s really starting to grate on my nerves and make me crabby.   And, I want to get into a good workout groove, even tho I’m not training for a s specific race.   I need the endorphins to keep me happy.

Maybe I should buy a crooked cat?   And catch a crooked mouse.   Or, maybe I should just stop using my mouse!

I received two boxes of the new Wheaties box featuring Chris McCormack, ahead of sales to the general public.  Lucky me!  This new Wheaties box will be available in stores in March 2011. I gave one box to a friend at work who is training for his first Ironman in 2011, along with his girlfriend.  I hope that the Macca Wheaties will bring Scottie and Jennifer good luck.    Scottie put this on his Facebook, so I guess that means he liked it

“Macca whaaaaaaat?!!!”

The Wheaties Fuel box, I kept for myself.  I had never even heard of the Fuel variety of Wheaties before.   I ate some right before hopping on my roller trainer to watch Ironman Kona on TV.   The Wheaties Fuel tasted like regular Wheaties, sweeter, and with a crunchier, granola-like texture.  They were delish!   And I greatly enjoyed the Kona action – especially seeing the epic Ironwar between Macca and Raelert.

I’m going to write another blog post about my trainer roller ride.  Stay tuned for that.  In the meantime., please read on for the Wheaties news…

WHEATIES® CROWNS THE ULTIMATE ENDURANCE ATHLETE: 2010 FORD IRONMAN WORLD CHAMPION TO BE FEATURED ON BOTH WHEATIES AND WHEATIES FUEL BOXES

Australian Triathlete Chris McCormack First Ironman Wheaties and Wheaties FUEL Boxes Unveiled

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — (December 14, 2010) — After swimming, cycling and running his way to victory at the Ford Ironman World Championship,  the world’s most challenging endurance event, Wheaties is proud to unveil Chris McCormack as the first Ironman World Champion to appear on Wheaties and Wheaties FUEL boxes.   The boxes featuring the 140.6 mile champion will hit store shelves in March, and the Wheaties FUEL-sponsored 2010 Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii debuts on NBC on Saturday, December 18.

“Chris McCormack is an inspiring athlete, and we are proud to recognize the multi-sport endurance triathlon events and competitors that Chris represents by featuring him as our first Ironman champion to grace Wheaties and Wheaties FUEL boxes,” said Wheaties FUEL Marketing Manager Dan Stangler.  “Wheaties FUEL, designed to fuel athletic performance, is a great nutrition source for athletes looking to jumpstart their morning as they pursue excellence on and off of the race course and Chris is certainly a perfect example of that journey.”

McCormack battled against extreme heat conditions, heavy rain fall and melting lava roads to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles in Kona this year.   He has triumphed under equally-challenging conditions at nearly every major short course on the global triathlon calendar from Chicago to San Diego and New York City to Los Angeles.   In addition, he has captured first place at Ironman distance races from Australia to Germany, as well as the Olympic Distance World Championship, and his Ford Ironman World Championship win marks his fifth top-10 finish. McCormack finished the grueling 140.6-mile Ford Ironman World Championship race in just over eight hours, at 08:10:37 to break through the finish line tape first out of approximately 1800 of the world’s top professional and age group athletes competing in the 2010 championship event.

“Breakfast is such an important meal of the day for any athlete. Given the long hours I train, I really need a nutrition source with a blend of simple and complex carbohydrates that can help fuel me,” said Chris McCormack.  “I never miss breakfast, and I include whole grains and B vitamins to provide the long-lasting energy I need to endure a grueling workout, so I can’t think of a bigger honor than being on a Wheaties box and representing the accolades of being an Ironman.  I know my kids will get so excited to see my face in the cereal aisle.”

McCormack’s appearance on the Wheaties box will be accompanied by the cover of the Wheaties FUEL box, which was the official cereal and sponsor of the Ford Ironman World Championship because it provides balanced nutrition that helps athletes prepare to win. Wheaties Fuel provides a blend of carbohydrates: simple carbs for rapid supply of energy, complex carbohydrates from whole grain to provide long-lasting energy and help fuel working muscles, and fiber to help curb hunger while limiting feelings of fullness. B-vitamins help unlock the energy contained in the carbohydrates. Wheaties FUEL also contains an excellent source of iron. Iron helps transport oxygen to working muscles. The cereal was developed by a team of elite athletes in the various sports of triathlon (Hunter Kemper), decathlon (Bryan Clay), basketball (Kevin Garnett), baseball (Albert Pujols) and football (Peyton Manning), and a leading sports nutritionist (Dr. John Ivy, University of Texas) to help fuel wins. Proper nutrition is critical to reaching the highest levels of athletic performance. Each of us strive for our own wins every day. Wheaties FUEL can help you prepare for any challenge.

“It is a great day for the sport, and for triathletes everywhere, to have Chris McCormack featured on  Wheaties and WheatiesFUEL boxes as the first ever Ironman to receive this great honor,” said Ben Fertic, chief executive officer, Ironman. “He joins an elite list of athletes, and it’s exciting to see the sport – and its accomplished athletes – receive this recognition by such a highly regarded brand as Wheaties.”

Not only is McCormack the first Ironman World Champion to be featured on a Wheaties box, he will also be the first athlete featured on the cover of the Wheaties FUEL box outside of the cereal’s elite co-creators.

Wheaties FUEL recently unveiled Wheaties FUEL Prepare to Win nutrition tips from Ironman competitors all over the world. The first three videos in the series are available to view on the Wheaties Facebook page. The latest addition features nutrition tips from McCormack. The brand is challenging Ironman athletes from around the globe to submit their nutrition tips via video submissions to the Wheaties Facebook page in order to share their personal learnings with other athletes.

About Wheaties

Born out of a fortunate mistake in 1924, original Wheaties was created when a health clinician accidentally spilled a wheat bran mixture onto a hot stove.  The result was tasty, crispy wheat flakes that became known as Washburn’s Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flakes.  A year later, the cumbersome name was shortened to Wheaties.  Baseball legend Lou Gehrig was the first athlete featured on a Wheaties Box, when he appeared on the back cover in 1934.  In 1958, American champion pole-vaulter Bob Richards was the first person to appear on the front of the package, jumpstarting the phenomenon of “being on the Wheaties box,” which has since been graced by some of the greatest athletes of all time, including Bruce Jenner, Walter Payton, Mary Lou Retton, and many others.  To view a complete timeline of Wheaties Champions, visitwww.wheaties.com.

About Wheaties FUEL

Wheaties FUEL is a lightly sweetened, crunchy whole wheat flake with crispy rice and a touch of cinnamon and honey and it represents the evolution of the iconic 85-year-old Breakfast of Champions. Wheaties FUEL is the first-ever cereal designed to help meet the nutritional needs of today’s athletes and was created with the help of Peyton Manning, triathlete Hunter Kemper, Kevin Garnett, gold medal-winning decathlete Bryan Clay, Albert Pujols and sports nutritionist Dr. John Ivy. The ready to eat cereal provides long-lasting energy from whole grain to help keep you going, and 100% of the Daily Value of five B-vitamins to help the body release energy from food.

For more information on Wheaties and the Wheaties FUEL evolution visit www.Wheaties.com. And, become a Breakfast of Champions fan on www.Facebook.com/Wheaties to receive exclusive content and more.

About Ironman

World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a Tampa-based company recognized for athletic excellence, distinguished events and quality products. WTC’s ever-growing portfolio includes the Ironman, Ironman 70.3, 5150, Iron Girl and IronKids brands, which have a combined total of more than 100 events worldwide each year. Supported by partners including Ford, Timex, Foster Grant and PowerBar, Ironman is the No.1 user-based sports brand in the world and has been a respected name in triathlon since its inception in 1978.

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The Breakfast of Champions, Wheaties and Wheaties Fuel are registered trademarks of General Mills.