Schedule, Training Bible online - who knew?

So I've been meaning to post this for two weeks now. Just about two weeks ago, I sat down with my Triathlete's Training Bible (Joe Friel) and went over where I was at. I laid out the grid and began detailing each week. What's nice is that even if I don't get each week totally detailed, as long as I have the big grid I'm okay - I can detail each week a few days before it starts. This also gives me an opportunity to add details as my weeks change/get busy or based on how I'm feeling.

I'm on the home stretch - just about. This is my last hard Build 2 week before my lower-hour Build 2 week and then I begin my 2 weeks of Peak. The one thing I'm slightly concerned about is my bike; this is really due more to the fact that I've been so focused on the run that I've made that my priority. Still, I think if I can squeeze in some quality rides over the next few weeks on the weekends (please, weather gods...PLEASE...), I'll be good to go. Spinning classes keep my legs in shape so it's simply a matter of getting those longer miles outside in the saddle.

Here's the plan:

Week	Date	Race	Type	Hours
1	2/11-2/17		Build 2	12
2	2/18-2/24	UC Davis Sprint	Build 2	12
3	2/25-3/2		Build 2	12
4	3/3-3/9		Peak	7
5	3/10-3/16		Peak	10.5
6	3/17-3/23		Peak	8.5
7	3/24-3/30	Oceanside 70.3	Race	7

As we can see, I said 'nay' on the UC Davis Sprint Tri last weekend due to weather (DANG WEATHER!). That was a real bummer because I really wanted to see where I was at. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Onward.

The other thing that I am SO EXCITED about is that I found Joe Friel's Training Bible Online! He also has a blog that I'm going to link to as well. It's VERY exciting because I really have a lot of respect for what he's written and the work he's done to help those of us who can't afford our own private coach. It's funny that it's called The Triathlete's Training Bible because back when I was living in Berkeley and commuting to work every day on BART, I would carry that thing around with me like it WAS a bible (so that I could read on BART, at lunch, etc.)! The cover and back are so tattered from all of the journeys it's taken with me.

His blog today discusses nutrition. Oh, the bane of my existence. Interestingly enough, he mentions starchy foods:

And to make matters worse, eating a high starch diet upsets the body's acid-base balance which ultimately results in the loss of bone calcium and muscle nitrogen. The only exceptions are potatoes, yams and sweet potatoes which raise body fluid pH levels and help to maintain bone density and muscle mass. This is what makes these particular starches the best possible recovery foods. All other starchy foods (along with dairy, legumes, meats, fish, nuts and eggs) have a tendency to increase acidity forcing the body to react to maintain pH balance by pulling calcium out of the bones and nitrogen out of the muscles (Remer and Manz 1995). Only fruits and vegetables have a net alkaline (acid-lowering) effect on the body's pH level. There is a great deal more that could be discussed on this topic and perhaps I will in a future post. I'd strongly recommend that you read Dr. Loren Cordain's and my book, The Paleo Diet for Athletes, for more details on this important topic and more.

Hm. Well, I'd be interested to pick it up. I know my body is just different from a lot of people's. My metabolism is different. My body responds differently to carbs and protein than a lot of others'. I really feel like if I could just understand it a bit more, I might have a better sense of control over my nutrition and I might even be able to perform better.

It's like the past few years, where all I've been saying is "wow, I did better in that race than I expected. What would happen if I actually trained right and followed a plan?" Well I've got that part down. But what would happen if I actually got the nutrition right, too?

What a confusing world. Still, it's like a mystery that's just waiting to be solved, and day by day, month by month, I continue to discover more clues and slowly put them together. It's coming.