Slow

For the past few weekends I have done several longer runs from 45-75 minutes and I am slow.  Although the Bolder Boulder was only five weeks ago, and I failed to train for that the way I should have (see 5/29/11 post Next Up Run Bolder), I still managed a time only a minute slower than my fastest Bolder Boulder time in 2008.  That doesn’t mean I was fast then, but if I was slow before I am slower now.

So how do I go from slower to faster?  Probably the best method is to cut the fat.  Now at six one and 195 pounds, “fat” in today’s obese America is probably a little too self-critical.  That being said my Body Mass Index of 25% does barely put me into the “overweight” category according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Earlier this year for the Lavaman Triathlon, I weighed 190 pounds, and improved on my Olympic Triathlon time substantially (see 4/7/11 post How about 118% for details).  For the Nation’s Triathlon on 9/11/11 in a little over two months I have set the goal of another personal record in the Olympic distance.  To do that I not only want to get back to that 190 pound weight, but go a little further and get down to 185 pounds.

The reason is not only to lose weight, but also because it is one of the quickest ways to improve performance.  In the book Racing Weight author Matt Fitzgerald points out that an extra 10 pounds demands more than 6% more energy at a given pace.  Even if I got a better bike, lighter shoes or any other equipment enhancement I might try, I will struggle to make up for the improvement that the 10 less pounds will mean.  The fact that I should be fitter in the course of losing those 10 pounds should only add to the performance enhancement I could expect.

So I will celebrate the 4^th of July today, and probably eat like I shouldn’t, but tomorrow Training Day is coming.