The Right Formula

My next race is FAST approaching! I can't believe it's less than a month away. Actually, I can't this YEAR is almost over. Where does all the time go???

Time is going by way to fast. When I was 15, it took FOREVER to turn 18. When I was 18, I couldn't wait to to be 21. I turned 21 & that's when time just took off! The years just clicked by!

Anyway, I have a race to get ready for so I've taken my training up another notch. I'm feeling pretty strong & I have my focus. Even though I've done this race several times before, it's VERY tough. It's tough because of the bike portion. It's all hills. It's no secret that riding over hills is my weak spot on the bike. Some people are natural climbers, but I'm not 1 of them. I think the reason is because I simply don't ride them enough and i weigh 210 pounds. The area in Florida I live is pretty flat, and the areas that DO have hills are over an hour away from where I live. Add in the fact that I don't like to ride my bike on the road and there you have it. I don't get enough hill training!

So I do what I can, and that means to ride the bridges in Clearwater over & over. I don't think I'll ever get tired of these bridges. The views are perfect!



This is a great area to train!



My training over the bridges is simple: ride up the bridge at my own tempo, ride a couple blocks, then turn around & do it again. I do that over & over to simulate rolling hills. Simple, but effective!



The most important part of my training sessions are the parts where I'm the most fatigued. When you're tired that's when your form starts to break down, you lose focus, and you slow down. This is the area that I need to work on the most. That's what seperates the champions from the rest: They know how to fight thru the fatigue and keep going strong. They can be tired, but you wouldn't know it by looking at them. Their form is perfect.



This is the area I need the most work. Yeah, I can finish a race, but I don't finish as strong as I'd like, especally on the bike sometimes. I can ride these bridges "comfortably" for 2-2.5 hours. But that last 30 minutes I really start to struggle. Again, those bridges just wear me out. That translates to at least 30- 60minutes of struggling in the actual triathlon and starting a 13 mile run with tired legs on a hit, humid day. Not a good look!

In other words, the bike is the most crucial aspect of my race. I'm comfortable with my swim. It's not the fastest, but I can swim 1.2 miles in 45-50 minutes without using too much energy. That means I start the bike feeling good, but by mile 45 I start to get really tired.

While training I don't like to wear headphones because it gives me a chance to clear my mind and to think. (It also allows me to stay aware of my surroundings to make sure I don't get jacked! That's what growing up in Chicago will do to you...lol)

But as I was riding up the bridge, I flashed back to my freshman of college. My math skills weren't up to par so I had to take a PRE_Algebra class. In other words, I had to take a high school algebra class my 1st year in college.

I was struggling the the class when the teacher said "math is all about formulas. If you can add, subtract, multiply and divide, you can do any math. Just learn the formulas and you'll be fine!"

When she said that I knew she was right! I was intimidated with math, but after she said that, I changed my thought process and math became much easier for me. I KNEW I could add & all, but was the FORMULAS that scared me. But once I broke it down that way I was able to excel. I went on & took regular algebra, calculus, statistics, and accounting courses and got a degree in Business Administration.

That 1 thought changed my whole mindset about math & I was able to overcome my mental block!

So, going back to this weekend's bike ride. I can ride the bike. I can finish the 56 miles, but not as strongly as I'd like. I had to change my FORMULA. Usually, when I ride the bridges, I ride my own tempo. I do that to save my energy. Rarely will I push it. A couple weeks ago I posted a video of my riding my indoor trainer doing an interval where I'd speed up and ride as hard as I could for 15-45 seconds.

Why don't I do that while riding the bridges? Why don't I just try ride aggressivley up a bridge for 15-45 seconds like I do on the indoor trainer? I have no clue. I do know when you train is when you're supposed to try different things & go as hard as you can to improve.

So 2 hours into my ride I decided to change my formula. Yeah, I was getting tired, but I decided to ride aggressively halfway up the bridge and see how my legs would respond. I'd stand up & pedal as hard as I could for 15 or so seconds, then sit back down & ride to the top a little faster & stronger.


To my surprise, it went well. Standing up helped me stretch my legs a bit and the speed helped me get up the bridge faster & use muscles I don't normally use. & now that I think of it, I do this same thing when walking up stairs: Sometimes I'll take them 2 at a time running, and other times I'll simply walk, 1 at a time. I can feel the difference between the 2, and I think the same applies to riding a bike uphill.



Amazing how something said to you years ago can apply to your life now. I never thought to tie that comment to my training, but it seems to work! lol

I went on to ride this way for another hour. It was VERY hot and sunny (big surprise) but I had plenty cold liquids & my electrolyte tablets.



I finished my ride in a little more than 3 hours. I was pretty tired, but changing up the ride a bit seemed to help me quite a bit. I wasn't as tired. Maybe it was mental? I don't know, but I'm going to try that again next time I ride the bridges. I really wish I would've done this months ago, but worrying about that now won't do me any good. I can always ride my indoor trainer & do the intervals!

After my ride I relaxed for maybe 30 minutes and watched the boats go by as I ate some food. Luckily I had a beach umbrella because it was HOT!



I even saw a guy in his kayak. That looks pretty cool. I'd like to try that 1 day.



My training is going great. I think if I had to do the race right now I could, but thankfully I have a couple more weeks to fine tune some things (physically AND mentally.) My run will depend on how I feel coming off the bike, and I will try get stronger over the next couple weeks. Time will tell how things will turn out, but I'm going for it and will give it 100%!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, Peace!

Larry Hoover

Larry Hoover

Hey, if Rick Ross can use him in a song, I can use him in a blog! Lol

(If you're reading this, that means I didn't get struck by lightning!)

Running in Florida is tough. Actually, It's downright brutal. What makes it tough are 3 things: the heat, the humidity, and the sun. The "Big 3" can make your life miserable.  The biggest and baddest of the 3 is the sun. When the sun comes out, it's best to run indoors or seek shelter because nothing good can come out of dealing with it too long.

So I call the sun LARRY HOOVER. Hoover was/is the leader of 1 of the biggest, deadliest, most violent  street gangs in Chicago and across the country. I have plenty BAD memories of growing up and dealing with them. When he and his boys came around, it was best to go indoors!

Saturday I went for a run. I got up as early as I could stand w/o waking up in a bad mood (8am) and was ready to run 10 or so miles. I'm NOT a morning person, so this was the best I could do! Lol

I got to Bayshore and it was already hot & humid. It was partly cloudy, but Hoover was already up, claiming his territory and causing havoc.




The weather here is weird. It can be partly cloudy, but it seems as though the clouds rarely block the sun. They may be close, but never fully cover it. Even the clouds are scared of Hoover! Lol

There was a little breezy headwind  today, so that helped me quite a bit. As I've said before, running in the Big 3 is really tough for me. It totally drains my energy. I run at half the speed (literally) of when it's 15 degrees cooler with cloud cover and no humidity. But in order to do triathlons, I have no choice but to run in the heat to prepare. 

I get really frustrated running in the heat, and moreso on partly cloudy days. You'd think the clouds would eventually cover Hoover and give you a brief relief, but most times they don't. 



So what can I do? Getting mad won't help. All that does is waste my energy. So I just keep running at a slower pace

After about 55 minutes, I get to Ballast Pointe, which is my turnaround. 
It's getting hotter out now but I try to ignore it. As I start to head back I see horses out at the horse stable across the street from the park.  I take a quick pic:



Notice it's still partly cloudy, but Hoover is still in control!

I'm about 70 minutes in and I'm really getting tired. The wind starts to pick up & I notice storm clouds coming in. Then I hear thunder in the far distance.  Next thing I know there are some clouds  right over head:



Finally! Relief! The clouds have stopped  Hoover like The Guardian Angels!   

Before I said Florida weather is weird in several ways.  Another thing about it is the rain. It can rain on 1 block and the next block be totally dry. Then there's the rain on partly cloudy days. The sun will be out to the point you need sunglasses AND an umbrella at the same time! WTF! I'm still not used to that one.

Needless to say, my run went from being in direct sunlight to running in a lighr drizzle and watching a thunderstorm come right towards me:



If you look closely, you can see the heavy rain in the distance, and I'm running towards it:



As I was running I started to get nervous: Florida is the lightning capital of the world and i'm running right into a damn thunderstorm and my car is a good 2.5 miles up the road. Sunofabiatch!!!!

There are 3 things that I don't like: lightning, the dentist, and those big a** flying roaches/palmetto bugs. I hate those things!!

Well, Hoover is now long gone, but now I'm running toward a storm and I'm PRAYING for no lightning...

I get closer and the rain picks up. It's cooler out now and to be honest, the rain feels good!

Thankfully there's no lightning and i run in a heavy rainstorm for about 15 minutes. Rain doesn't bother me at all. I've done triathlons in the rain before. Long as there's no lightning I'm straight! Lol

I finish my run in 1 hour, 55 minutes. I was soaked and pretty tired when I was done. The rainstorm came as quick as it came, and as always, the sun started to come back out as soon as it could:



Soon as you turn your back, Hoover comes  back with a vengeance!

This run reiterated something I already knew: running in the heat really wears me out, and I have much more energy when it's cloudy and cooler out. I honestly felt fresher running in the rain, an hour into my run.

I'm also making it official: I'm racing on September 12th. I know it won't ve easy, but riding on those hills won't stop me. And neither will Larry Hoover!

But I don't back down from a challenge. You only live once. Gotta make it happen!

Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace! 

  
 

My First Interview

I had my first official interview recently for my company newsletter. It was fun! It was my first, but won't be the last!!


INVEST Associate Crosses Finish Line for the Seventh Time

On Sunday, May 16, in Orlando, Florida, INVEST Virtual Sales Assistant Jeff White completed his seventh 70.3 Ironman event. More commonly known as a half-Ironman, a 70.3 Ironman consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike and a 13.1 mile run.

White started competing in sprint triathlon events in 1995 and since then, he has moved up to the half-Ironman distance. He finished this race in seven hours, 41 minutes and 41 seconds, one of his best times yet.
“It’s the best feeling in the world to finish a race,” said White. “Your hard work, dedication and sacrifices all pay off.”



As a runner, White was a member of his high school track team. When he was in college, White started working as a lifeguard, which meant, the only sport he had to learn before competing in triathlons was biking.

“It’s important to enjoy the journey of the training,” said White.

To prepare for a half-Ironman, White usually trains for a minimum of six months. He swims, runs and bikes 4-6 days a week. Some weeks he focuses more on one stage, while during other weeks he trains in all three. On Saturdays, White hopes to complete a long run of 10 miles or a bike ride of at least 42 miles. He will occasionally do a brick workout, which consists of an hour long bike ride followed by an hour long run. White also lifts weights and does yoga. He only added yoga to his training regimen two years ago, but says it has been one of the best things he ever tried.



During training, White has to make a lot of personal sacrifices. Not only does he spend a lot of time physically training, but he also dedicates a lot of time to recovery — letting his body rest. White often has to forego junk food or nights out with his friends to ensure his body is in top racing condition.

“During each race, I always end up asking myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’,” says White. “But once you start something, you want to finish it. I never want to wonder, ‘What if?’”
His advice to those who want to try competing in a triathlon is to start small. White recommends competing first in sprint triathlons, which consist of a 400 yard swim, a 10 mile bike and a three mile run. He also suggests going into a race with a goal of having fun, not worrying about your time.
“It’s not about how long it takes you to finish the race, it’s about finishing the race,” said White. “When you finish, it makes you want to do it again.”
One of White’s favorite parts about competing in these events is meeting great people who share his interest in triathlons. It is a very social sport and competitors are always mingling at the races.



White might participate in another half-Ironman in September, but it takes a toll on the body to participate in these intense races. White will occasionally run in a half-marathon, however, he prefers the challenge of a triathlon.
White writes a blog to document his training and races. If you’d like to follow his progress, send him an e-mail for more information.



Talk about motivation. Time to take it to the next level! Thanks for reading! Till next time, peace!