Wesley Crozier's stuff...

Schools out for summer!

2008-05-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody. School is finally over and I feel like a ton has been lifted from my shoulders. I finished up the semester pretty strong and was happy with the numerous papers I wrote to finish. Schools over and I will now forget about it until next semester.

Training: Training has been going very well, though it did fall off a bit yesterday and today because of work commitments, but I think it was one of those things that Marc talks about taking a day off when you have to and I had to take off. I was very tired leading up to the rest because of the training and I'm beginning to feel my energy coming back around.

One thing I've noticed about training, working, going to school, and being in a relationship is that I seem to always be tired. I never really seem to have much energy and I realized today, while sitting at a swim meet for 9 hours (!) that I haven't been very excited about anything lately. This is a problem. I'm actually excited about next week simply because I can focus more on my training, losing weight (not easy to do), work, and most importantly my relationship. School is out and I have a ton of free time during the day to get things done. Towards the end of the semester I found that my interest and desire to do most things really began to take a hit. When I was living in Austin last year, working part time, dating my girlfriend, and not going to school I had so much more energy and enthusiasm about everything, especially triathlon training and racing. With all this said, I truly do admire those that are able to work 50 hours a week, maintain a relationship, raise children, and train for triathlons all at the same time...I'm finding it very difficult to do at times.

I've got a race at the end of this month that I'm looking forward to and will need to plan out the months of June/July because it is hot as hell here in Texas during those months, so I most likely pick a few local fun races that won't take too long to complete.

The summer is going to be great. We're moving into our house next weekend and the thought of BBQ, beer, (yes, all in moderation Marc) and friends in our huge backyard bring a smile to my face. I love summers in Texas!

Coming up for air

2008-05-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Finals, training, finals, training, finals, training. That's it for now folks. I hate this time of year because I actually have to work my tail off at something that I find to be very painful....school! I'm working my way through it and the grades are looking great. Training is going very well and there is not much more I can say about that right now. I'll post more when I can once again come up for air.

If you want to read something worthwhile until then, check out the comments in my "Focus" post.

Read It!

2008-04-23T08:49:00.001-07:00

http://ptichelaar.blogspot.com/

Scroll to Friday, April 18th 2008.

Something many triathletes experience, few talk about.

Thanks Greg

Focus

2008-04-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody! I'm curious to know if anybody actually reads this thing. I think it's one of the more interesting blogs out there, but I may have a slight bias. Well a lot has been going on: school is almost over, I raced at Collegiate Nationals this past weekend, and my girlfriend, cat, and myself are moving into a house. I can't wait to get out of this one room apartment, that's right, ONE ROOM....ONLY ONE. Meaning I can piss, watch TV, and cook an omelette all at the same time. If we stay any longer one of use is going to kill the other and the cat has been giving me a strange look lately!

Collegiate Nationals was a wash. I never really recovered from the sickness and I knew it wasn't gone the minute to gun went off. I just didn't have the energy and it stayed with me the entire time. I mean come on, I cramped like crazy during the swim! My chain fell off during the bike, and my legs completely, and I mean completely gave out on the run. It was pathetic, I couldn't move and I was within 100 meters of the finish, on the red carpet and all. I eventually was able to move again and finished, but it was not what it should have been. I thought throughout the whole race that I should pull out, but it was so great being there with friends and my girlfriend cheering me on that I just couldn't. I went from a great performance three weeks earlier to this. So it goes. Water under the bridge I guess.

My main focus now is focus itself. I've been so busy driving here to race there and it's disrupting my training and progress a bit more than what I like. Marc has created such a serious training schedule that I'm still very excited about, but I keep putting my progress and training second to my racing. I've got a feeling that it will only hurt me if I keep doing things this way. When I was down at the Ironguides camp in El Paso, one of the first thing Marc and I talked about was my progress. He made it sound so simple and it went something along the lines of this: "Let's get you trained and as fit as possible up to a certain point and take it from there." Well, that's my focus: to train and get as fit as possible up to a certain point. I want to take the time to see the training have its effects and shoot for higher goals because I'm certain my body is capable of them since I'm trained and as fit as can be at that point.

Read this: http://www.ironguides.net/news/69/65.html

It's just a really good article and it puts things in perspective.

Beyond the above, I had a tough swim this morning. I'll just say a ton of 100's and it was grueling towards the end. I just got off the treadmill about an hour ago. I tend to expect to be able to push the pace that I WANT to be at, but always end up blowing up well before the finish. Tonight, I kept it real and did what I knew I could do and still be challenged. I sometimes feel like one of those crazy parents that think their kids can do way more than what they're capable of doing. Crazy parents!

Allergies, blister, and of course training

2008-04-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well it's been about two weeks now and training has not progressed much. I dealt with that nagging blister for almost an entire week before being able to tolerate it enough to get back to cycling/running. It, of course, is still not healed, but I can't wait forever! Last Thursday training began to pick up again, and then on came the sickness. At first I thought it was just the allergies that are going around, which it was, but those allergies then turned into a fever, sore throat, congested head, and just about everything else I didn't want with the previous week being what it was. I felt out the training sessions like the boss suggested and the energy/will simply were not there Tuesday or Wednesday. I was able to push through my workouts on Monday and I think that may have made things worse. I'm feeling a little better now and was able to swim a bit earlier and I'm going to climb in the saddle for an "easy" spin with maybe, and I mean maybe, a shortened tempo effort.

Besides the blisters and sicknesses, training has been going very well, I just wish I could get back in a groove. It *seems* like I'm falling behind because I want to do well in my races, but don't see myself improving when I'm missing workouts because of blisters and a cold. I was reassured that my fitness would not suffer and to just feel out the workouts. It's funny how that really works, my body tells me way before my mind does if it's ready and willing to go through what Marc has lined up for me that day. Today for the swim I just shut off the clock and went by feel, it seemed more bearable.

I guess I'll just wait out the sickness and increase the work as my body feels fit each day. What's the rush anyways?

A few notes from the Boss

2008-04-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

March 27th

"Really happy to hear that the camp experience left you feeling stronger and more energized -- "mission accomplished", eh?! :-) Also many thanks for your kind comments. It's a privilege to work with committed, mature and considerate athletes like yourself.I want to also let you know that you have innate talent in you. There is a little weight to lose but that will come over time. The first day's meal and the energy lows you felt early on were partially the result of the missing sleep, too, so pay attention to your recovery and rest -- all part of the Big Picture if you want to improve at this game. But your run is very strong -- you have good form, a stride and body type suited to this sport, and innate speed. Just keep thinking "high stride rate" and aim for 96 per leg per minute, roughly.You also carry a fair amount of muscle and your body type means you should be pushing a pretty heavy gear on the bike. There is a lot of latent power there that will develop over time as your fitness improves. Don't worry too much about the next few months' results -- it'll come with continued training. Swim -- again, a great stroke and improving fitness will improve your splits. You're already far ahead of what you were describing to me. Just keep chipping away at the sets and don't hold back on the "hard" or "fast" efforts.

April 1st (a great motivator)

Thanks for your email and update. And Congrats on the race! I consider it a good performance for several reasons: a) it came off the high mileage of the training camp and consistent higher training mileage since you started on your program; b) not sure on weight, but if it was the same 7 lbs heavier as in the other race comparison, you are doing fine. Your swim, if you were still tired from camp/drive, is going to be hit hardest when fatigued -- most non-ex swimmers' swims are. Our weakest link gets hit hardest and first when we are tired.For racing -- always remember that no race is your last race! There is always another one ahead. As with any of life's learning curves, we learn best through "failure" -- which teaches us what not to do, or what to do better. Truly then Failure is not really well understood because it should be viewed as Opportunity -- to learn. To do things differently. To progress.In racing, there can be two kinds of "failure" then -- you discovered one of them already: Doing things too easily. There is also the failure of "going too hard." I use the word in its original sense, so let's examine the truth in this.Racing too easy gets you nothing new, just a nagging suspicion that you blew an opportunity to do better. But when you go "too hard", you can push limits and find out just where they are - and how you respond to them. This teaches us about our mental capacities as well as our physical ones...so really, "going too hard" is by far the better "mistake" to make. The failure to go hard in a race and save up or aces or play it safe is a failure to use the opportunity of what racing gives us: It's a way of breaking out of the ordinary, the everyday, the humdrum world of "normal life" and really letting it rip. So if you're going to "go for it" on race day and really push hard to find those limits - go all the way! Aim to blow up! Find those "limits" because if you keep daring and pushing and striving, the next time you see them it'll be in the rearview mirror!

Today:

Training has not been going so well since my return from racing on Sunday. I've felt very tired and I'm suffering, yes suffering, from a blister on the back of my heel which is causing quite a bit of discomfort with shoes on. I really should have taken the time to put socks on during the run because I have a race coming up in two weeks that I want to perform well at, but this blister needs to go away before running or cycling begin to feel less painful. Lesson learned! School is school and work is work. I'm headed to Austin this weekend, so I'm hoping to get some quality training in while there. A change of scenery seems to help break up the monotony of the same surroundings every day.

Take Care

Training Camp

2008-03-26T12:13:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks now since my last post and a ton of stuff has happened since. For starters, I scrounged up enough pennies to attend Ironguides triathlon training camp in El Paso, TX last week and it was definitely worth the 20 plus hours it took me to get there and back! I was very glad to have the opportunity to meet and train with my coach Marc Becker.

I was very nervous upon arrival at camp Friday morning because I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I met most of the campers before Marc's arrival and they were all very welcoming and in shape! Marc then arrived, we met, and off we went for our first seminar and training session. The swim was tough, the bike/run afterwards was another kick in the rear and the cycle continued for the next few days.

There were many a time when I thought that I would not make it through the training sessions, but one thing that kept me going was knowing that everyone else there was going through the exact same thing I was and they were sticking to their guns, so I pressed on. Marc was very persistent with pointing out what I needed to focus on and correct, but he was equally commited to offering me praise when I took his words and applied them to the training. I really enjoyed having my coach there to push me and mentor me through the whole experience.

So what have I learned? Way too much to include in just one post...it would probably take up a whole novel. I think the one thing that stuck most was that when I left the camp I felt more inspired to be a better person. What I mean by this is Marc didn't just preach triathlon to me, he was more concerned with my heart and state of mind. When we would talk one on one, he made it very clear that he wants me to succeed, but that I can't just look at my performances and see success, I would have to begin to recognize it in every aspect of my life and use that momentum to further my triahtlon successes. Marc may not have even realized this while we were there, but all I could think about on the drive home is how strong I felt. My heart felt so much stronger after each training session and my mind seemed to clear through all the pain that I endured over a four day period.

My fitness has skyrocketed, my body feels strong, and my mind clear. This is exactly what I was looking for when I embarked on that epic drive to beautiful El Paso, TX.

Other than that, life continues and training does as well.....

Week in Review

2008-03-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

This past week was a pretty solid week of training. Training became somewhat difficult/impossible towards the end of the week because we experienced one hell of a winter storm in north Texas. When it snows in Texas, everything shuts down. Well, this made it a bit difficult to get a swim session and run session in. Some things are just out of your control though and I had to think about it, forget it, and move on. I don't think my fitness will be completely ruined:)

My training plan comes out to about 18.5 hours of training a week and this is without a doubt the most training I have ever done on a consistent basis. The strange thing is that I'm not returning to each workout completely worn out from the previous one. Marc Becker (ironguides.net) has placed me in a position to get the most out of each workout by mixing up the energy systems, muscle groups, mental demand that each workout requires. For being the most I've ever trained volume wise, I recover from each workout quite well. Usually, I would have 3 workouts of each discipline a week and because the time in training each discipline was less, I would have to work extra hard in each workout to feel like I'm going to get anywhere which hurt me more than help me because I never recovered well. It was always smash, smash, smash and this became more mentally taxing than anything else. Marc has created a plan for me that works each discipline equally, but with different volumes and intensities that fit seamlessly with my weekly obligations. This week: same thing as last week with the volume increasing on some workouts and some stay the same. Keep it simple folks, it pays off.

Tuesday: long day

2008-03-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

Today's training consisted of a 3k swim and 45 min. run. The swim wore me out. I've never pulled so much straight through and it definitely took a toll on me. I started off with an interval that turned out to my 5 seconds too much so I had to increase the interval by 5 seconds midway through the set. Because the repetition, you will definitely know how hard you're working and if you are working to hard, the set will tell you. In my case, it did. Lesson learned: start out more conservative and work into a pace that suits me for the entire workout.

The run was a 45 minute run on the treadmill with varying intensities and it turned out to be a pretty good run. When it came to the race pace interval, I pushed a 6:15 per mile, but I think this may be a bit out of reach if I was to run it more than 10 minutes, let alone an entire 10k. 6:15 per mile is the goal on race day, but I think 6:30's may be a bit more realistic for now.

Other than that, the day started at 5 AM because I had to write a lengthy paper on the role of religion in regards to the conflict in the Middle East. Not how I wanted to start the day, but it turned out to be worth the time. It's 11:15 here in Texas and I'm beat.

First day on the job

2008-03-04T07:34:00.000-08:00

Started training under my coach Marc Becker's guidance today (ironguides.net) and enjoyed the first day at it. He threw a ton of 50's and a few 500's for my swim set. Some easy, some hard, and a lot of work all together. I naturally enjoyed the repetition and the fact that I did not have a ton of "micro" sets within the workout. Simple plan which makes it easier to follow progress.

After work I moved on to my second workout of the day which had me in the saddle for 70 minutes. Easy 20 min. warm up followed by 40 repetitions of low cadence power work mixed with an equal amount of recovery. 10 minutes easy and eat dinner.

Good day for the first day.