West Coast dreaming...and "1/2" an opportunity...

Unbelievable. That is the only word I can come up with. I am out here in San Diego on Coronado - the Naval Air Force Station - for a good friend's wedding. The weather is about 70-75 degrees, sunny and cool. Rumor has it these conditions haven't changed in 4 weeks!!! I don't know about you, but part of me really wouldn't mind training in this part of the world! Anyway, I will have some pics from the island up eventually, for now, you will have to take my word for it!

On another note, I got an email from IM North America that there are slots available for the world championships - the race is next June 5, 2005. Check it out here.

Enjoy your weekend!

Coach P

Going back to Cali...

That's right...Coach P is off to sunny California to be in my buddy Ivan's wedding. It is on some military base in Southern CA, and he has warned me that navy seals train all over there!

Should be fun! Have a great weekend!

Coach P

PTS Athlete in the News...

With the coverage of the Olympics dominating our sporting world (amen to that - I am SO tired of baseball), it's nice to see that there is still a little room for PTS athletes in the media. Becky M., who just competed in her first IM distance race @ IM USA was profiled by her local newspaper in this article. Becky was a total joy to work with this year, and her positive attitude (see that smile in the photo???) and a lot of quality training helped Becky beat her own goal. So inspiring...

Coach P

Lactic Acid - Friend or Foe?

Seems like that burning sensation we get when working super hard has gotten a bad reputation. In this article, recent research indicates that lactic acid is more than just fast fuel for your muscles, it actually helps you muscles to keep firing in a coordinated manner - so you can keep running/cycling/swimming at that same rate for longer.

Another interesting point - one that I have come to already accept - is that measuring lactic acid levels in the blood isn't a quantifiable measure of fitness. In other words, you may test at a certain level on Monday and a different level the following Saturday - reasons? Diet, fatigue, etc. Only most people don't test lactate that often as it is EXPENSIVE! Bottom line? Stick to a simple perceived effort test where you use your heart rate monitor - you don't need a lab, you don't need to pay hundreds of dollars and you can do it as often as you like!

happy testing,

coach p

Timberman Race Reporting...

It looks like the results are up...but even better, we have blow-by-blow descriptions of the race from some of the competitors. Here is the first race report written by Jennifer G., a long-standing PTS and Coach P athlete. She had a great day out there and did very well considering it was her first 1/2 IM ever!

A Day At The Races

I was lucky enough to spend the weekend up in Gilford, NH at the Timberman Triathlon Festival. Saturday was apparently a total sogfest (no sympathy as I was at home on my trainer for 2.5 hours), but it cleared up on Sunday for a fantastic raceday.

It's always hard to be on the sidelines, and watching all of my Psycho teammates gear up for the day only made it that much tougher. But cheering gives you a very different perspective on racing - from elite to newbie - and supporting some PTS athletes going for their first half-IM finish (or for revenge on a past performance) was AWESOME. I got some great photos here.

I am totally rejuvenated on my quest for the two IM season (IM Florida is next)...be sure to keep tabs on me by following my training log!

Happy Training...

Coach P