kagoscuba

x2 What type of cardio wil reduce belly fat? any will; however, depending on your body, belly fat may be the last spot fat is noticably reduced. It's not because your are doing the wrong exercise; blame genetics. For some people it is the back of arms, thighs, or butt. Sounds like yours is the belly, same as me. My legs and arms look great, as well as my chest up. Below my chest to the top of my waist is still a horror show though, and I do what some people would consider to be an obsessive amount of cardio. It may take another year, but I'll take care of it, and you will too. Good luck!!

Based upon my recent HIM performance, I'd say the issue isn't Shot Bloks. They do not have enough calories in them to cause weight gain, especially for a century or even a 50 miler. One Clif Bar has more calories in it than two packages of SB, and that'd still not be enough to properly fuel you. I drank 2 entire bottles of Gatorade, which is about 400 calories or more, and it wasn't even close to enough fuel for me to get through the run leg. In fact, I felt the first twinge of a cramp at mile 45 of the bike leg.. Granted, it was 90 degrees out, but you could eat cheesecake on a 50 mile ride, and other than the GI distress, the calories would mean next to nothing. Your BMR plus exercise would significantly reduce the caloric intake/burn rate to even levels.

This last Sunday I put all of my winter training to the test at IM Florida 70.3. The following is some random tidbits/thoughts concerning the experience. Friday I fly from fog, rain and 55 high degree temps in NJ. I take my $50 hit from Jet Blue for my bike box and relax in my exit row seat. Land in Orlando, get outside, and get stopped by “the wall of heat.” Wow…that was a shock to the system. Get bike assembled and eagerly await registration the next day. Got to WDW at 9:00, as I was getting Zipp 404’s put on my bike prior to bike check-in. I figured I’d try them for $145 before laying out $2200 on them, if I ever do. There is just something odd about paying more than twice as much as my bike cost just for wheels. Registration opened a little early, and I was in, done, shopped, bike checked-in, and on the bus by 10:45. The worst goodie-bag I’ve ever received. Nothing but advertisements and a poster. Now, the finisher medal, t-shirt, and hat were nice, so I’m guessing that’s where the goodie-bag money went. Spent rest of day relaxing and hydrating. I did a little walk around Downtown Disney too but nothing too exciting to see. In bed by 9 p.m. for my big day ahead. Sunday, 3:30 a.m. I had my blackberry alarm set, regular cell phone alarm set, and a wake-up call from the hotel planned. I was NOT missing my HIM due to not waking up. J I had some Red Bull, banana, some Shot Bloks (4 pieces), and Gatorade for breakfast. It seems I should have had a lot more. By 5:00 I was set up in transition and just milling around with my own thoughts. It was a good morning for me. I felt relaxed, refreshed, and I found the extra-secret porta-potty location. I’d say where these two where, but I promised an oath to 2 other guys there I would not divulge their location ever. I’ll give a hint though. I spent some time in the tent closest to them after the race. As race time got nearer, all of the athletes started moving into the area of the swim start, and as the sun broke through about 6:10, I could really start to pick up the excitement of the group. Everyone gave a big cheer as the pros went off at 6:20. I was in the 11th wave, so I had some time to chill. I laughed with a fellow triathlete, as we noticed the pro men on the final set of buoys right around the 20 minute mark. We just chuckled about how far behind THAT mark we’d be at 20 minutes. Beep, beep, beep, the sound of my wave going through the swim start, the first time I really heard the music, and it just amped me up. Clearly focused, ready to go, and off we went in a big roiling mass of humanity. I think there may have been a couple hundred meters of this entire race where I did not look up every 5 strokes in order not to hit someone or find a way through people. The boats at the buoy turns REALLY compressed the field into a small area, which I found a little irritating. I kept to my plan of keeping it RPE 2 and not trying to PR the swim. It worked, as I left the water more refreshed than I ever have for my other 2 tris. Time: 43:43 T1 was just a calm relaxed experience, as I took my time and made sure everything was in order…on the bike and my nirvana. This was the most fun I’ve had on a bike, since I was a kid. Flat, barely any wind at first, and lots of people to pass. I was having so much fun I wasn’t following my plan to eat and drink A LOT MORE. I drank 2 bottles of Gatorade and 2 bottles of water for the entire ride. I did not drink enough for the bike ride, much less to compensate for swimming and running. I knew I was in trouble when my left quad gave the twinge of a cramp at about mile 45, when I stretched it out to full extension for a planned stretch. While cycling, my legs felt great, and I did not think I ever got into anything approaching RPE3+ except on the minor bumps they called hills. I felt like I could have gone full IM distance no problem, but Houston, there was a problem. Time: 2:47 T2 was just like T1. Oh, except…on to my run and my own personal Hades. A quarter of a mile into my run I felt the first full cramp of my left quad. I kept on running, and at the ½ mile point my calf had joined the party. By the time I got to the first mile marker I was done running for the rest of the day. I just didn’t know it yet. I started walking thinking, “I’ll just get some liquids in me and I’ll be fine.” See, I did not feel like I was over-exerting myself. My breathing was fine….I just had very crampy legs. When I’d try to shamble/run the legs would hurt but not too bad and then cramps would hit, and I’d have to walk again. This is when I started getting mad at myself and say things to myself like, “Well, if you aren’t going to run, at least walk a little faster, ‘kitty-cat.’” So, in the “savannah” portions of the run, I’d get about 20 feet to the left of the main running trail and just try to power-walk my way forward. I was frustrated, embarrassed, and nothing I did seemed to help, as far as getting more fluid/fuel into me. The first loop was quickly coming to an end, and I gamely tried to run through the crowd-lined part. Second loop was a repeat of the first, except I was no longer running in spurts very much. The third loop was just reaching deep inside and gutting out a long day. I don’t know if it was heat, dehydration, hunger, exhaustion, or a combination of all of the above, but by the time I got to mile 12, I was in a very bad place. I started having visual issues where the foliage around me would suddenly lose its color and get brighter, kind of like when you adjust the brightness of a TV. In addition the edges of my “perceived world” were getting indistinct, and I had clear moment of thinking, “you are in trouble, get to the finish line…now.” Again, I tried to use the crowd to egg me on to run, but it was 2-3 steps at a time, then the cramps would hit. I could not look up from the ground, and when I hit the chute I could feel everyone’s energy and hear their words of encouragement, but it wasn’t enough for that “happy moment” at the finish line. I walked/staggered across, and I was escorted over to the medical tent for 15 minutes of Gatorade and relaxation before I felt good enough to walk over to transition. Time 3:21 total time 7:02:01 Missed my secondary goal by 0:2:02 I was sitting in transition trying to get my gear back in my bag while my legs spasmed uncontrollably. I decided to call Lauren and tell her I was done, so I lay down completely flat and gave her a call. She asked how I felt, and I replied, “I feel great for finishing, and I’d like to cut my legs off now.” A guy standing next to me heard me say this and chuckled a bit. All in all an outstanding experience. I know where I messed up, and I’ll be back to correct those and be better. Thanks everyone here for your support. I thought of you during those long hours on the run/walk, and it definitely helped to propel me forward. Pain was temporary, but I’m a finisher forever. J

3 hours on the trainer today...new degree of suck. :thumbdown:

Final April Numbers: Bike:19h 49m 16s - 304.91 Mi Run:12h 54m 31s - 82.25 Mi Swim:5h 39m 17s - 15100 Meters

Two of my favorite triathlon quotes: "If it was easy, everyone would do it" -Macca: winnner of the Kona Ironman "She's 72, how old are you?" Announcer at the 2008 Ironman, speaking about a 72 year old woman who competed and made the time cutoff (with two hours to spare) to finish. Exercise is not something that comes easily, nor is it something everyone believes they have, but they do. I did my first 5k last May. I am doing a half-Ironman this May. It just takes putting one foot in front of the other consistently. Anyone who has started the lap-band journey has the ability - it is then just a matter of believing in yourself. I believe in all of us.

Chocolate milk is the choice drink for many triathletes after a long day of swim, bike, run. I know I enjoy it!

48 miles today in 3:07...was great, but I've GOT to learn how to eat on the bike. The last 12 miles were not a lot of fun.

1/2 Century for me this Sunday...looking forward to it with dread AND anticipation.

:rolleyes2: Great job!!!

Banded on a Thursday; in the gym the following Monday. Unlimited elliptical and treadmill work allowed by doc. Light weights allowed (25 lbs or less). 2 week wait period for ab work. 4 weeks allowed some higher weights. 6 weeks post-op push a bulldozer for all my doc cared.