Welcome 2010. After spending the past three months opening up Exygon health and Fitness, the 2010 training year has began! Dusted off the bike with a nice 45 mile ride yesterday. The running scene has been moving, I have logged about 100 miles thanks to the new Sunday running group. Its going to be a great year:
Triathlons
Trail running
Hiking
Open water swimming
Kayaks and more!

John and I planned another ride for today after our ride last weekend.  Around Wednesday, he asked if some of his friends could join us and if one of them could use my road bike….not a problem, the more the merrier.  WOW, what an interesting ride that was.  Dr. T ran off the road when two dogs starting chasing us, everyone’s rear end was throbbing, and it was the first ride for both of them.

We ended up getting 30 miles in going to China, Tx and back.  Despite having to pray to get these 3 rookies home alive, it was a great time.  Hopefully, we have a few more people who will consider adopting this lifestyle.

Laters,

Triman

Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion – “For every ACTION, there is an equal and opposite REACTION.” Loosely translated, it means you get a boost of forward energy with every single stride you take.  If you are able to minimize the breaking effect at the beginning of your next stride by eliminating a heel strike you should be able to minimize joint impact and improve efficiency.

Enter the Newton Performance Distance S:

I decided to get a pair and try it out for myself.  1st run in them was 7 miles this morning (probably not smart) and I did notice a significant change in running mechanics with these shoes.  I have been trying to run on my forefoot in my Z00t’s for quite a while now and feel I have made great progress improving my economy, but the Newton’s seem to allow me to do it effortlessly.  I will continue to run in both my Zoots and Newtons to determine over about 250 miles which shoe performs the best for me.  Results to be posted in a couple months……

For more information visit www.newtonrunning.com

Please read the following before proceeding:

http://setxbayou.blogspot.com/2009/12/daybreaker-great-beaumont-fitness.html#comment-form

I typically try not to let such things bother me, but this is absolutely absurd.  To make the comment that one 3.5 mile trail is enough for a city of over 100,000 people is just simply absurd.  Lets fill in a few potholes so we don’t have to feel a bump while we cruise around in our overpriced, gas guzzling SUV’s instead of building of a trail to provide an opportunity for Beaumont to get healthy in an otherwise useless place.  Arghhhhhhhhhh!  Sure, we live in an area surrounded by refineries, but is that an o.k. to just throw in the towel and not exercise….give me a break.  Beaumont has to many folks with to many deep issues that need to be dealt with.  Have a look at CiCi’s pizza when they are having a $4.95 pizza buffet and tell me Beaumont doesn’t need more places and encouragement to exercise.

Quit making excuses and start doing something to become more healthy.

To the Beaumont City Council:

I sincerely thank you for providing the citizens of Beaumont, TX a place to exercise and try to lead healthier lifestyles.  It is ongoing opportunities such as these that will help our city become more healthy.  Thank you for helping us reduce insurance costs, doctor’s visits, healthcare costs, disease rates and for helping us improve cholesterol, blood sugar, metabolism, body composition, self esteem, self worth, mental acuity, and overall quality of life!!

Triman

I decided to stick with the theme of exercising in cold weather, this time on the bike.  I was lucky enough to have John join me for this windy adventure.  We put 15 miles behind us in about 45 minutes on Old Sour Lake Road, then turned around to come home….the wind was now directly in our face and we sludged along at 11mph all the way back.  It was a great time!!!

My clothing system worked great again: Cycling shorts, cold weather tights, neoprene shoe covers, cold weather base top, synthetic mid layer, windbreaker outerwear, headsweats beanie.  Wind chill was at 33 degrees and I never felt it!  It is very possible to enjoy the outdoors in extreme conditions with proper clothing systems.  John had a great system as well, but without the shoe cover….which I believe he will have by the next ride!

Train hard, train fast, have fun,

Triman

It is not often that it is 28 degrees, snowing, and icy in Beaumont, TX….therefore I had to make the most of this opportunity!  Kristen and myself set off on an early morning 6 mile trek to conquer the cold and ice.  It was fun, the city looks totally different covered in ice and it was fun to crunch in the grass and gingerly glide across the icy portions of street and sidewalk.  To this day, my favorite part about running or cycling in extreme conditions is watching the expressions (verbal and non verbal) of the people passing by in their cozy SUV’s!

No need to let a little chill down get in the way, keep on training!

Kristen, John, Linny and myself are gearing up this morning for the turkey trot on the coldest day of the year so far! Going to be a fun run….pics to come soon.

Pre Race

Over 600 Runners, Excellent Showing!

Lindsay cruising to a 5th place AG finish!

Laura Solis just after finishing her first 5k!

Kristin bringing home the hardware with a 1st place AG finish!!!

Everyone did a great job at the race!  This year’s Turkey Trot put on by the Sea Rim Striders at Terrell Park was a huge success with over 600 runners.  These numbers keep growing every year, which leads me to think that maybe SETX is starting to think about getting fit!!!

Big shout out to the woman in charge, Lindsay, for putting in a great effort and coming out with that 5th place AG spot.  Also, Kristen, representing the group with some hardware as she cruised to a FIRST PLACE age group finish!!!

Happy Thanksgiving,

triman

Sent out a message that I was getting the running group back together. Was set up to start this morning at 6am from Kris’ house. And she no showed! Go figure………

Just kidding, she was up and ready, but thought I was coming over in my truck instead of running. Hence, she never heard me arrive so didn’t go outside. Better luck tomorrow I guess !

It has been a solid 3 months since I have done much structured training for triathlons and other such endurance races and I am feeling the itch to crank it up again.  During August, I was completely stuck in a rut after a hard spring and summer of racing along with getting the new Exygon Health and Fitness club kicked off.  We are getting close to opening, time is very tight, but I have more help now and it is time to make more time for myself.  September and October was spent doing intense CrossFit workouts at 5:30am 6 days of the week along with commuting by bike or foot to and from workouts and work.  I was just having a great time pushing some weight around!

I am feeling quite fit right now, but I am ready to feel SUPER FIT as I did back in May, June, and July.  Hence, it is time to start running and putting some heavy miles in on the bike.  I would also like to have a strong showing at several races next spring (Gusher Marathon, and Lone Star Triathlon).  I am also feeling a strong longing to get back outside and explore.  There is simply something amazing about a 2-4hr solo ride or 1-2hr solo run!

for many new adventures! I have been commuting to work every day for about a month now and have had several exciting experiences. I only live about 2 miles from work, so whats the point in driving when there are much better means of transportation anyway (a.k.a. man power!). The first weeks I got several crazy looks, and a few unfriendly gestures, from my roadway companions in those silly things they call cars. More recently, I have been getting some more friendly gestures and even passed a fellow self powered 2 wheel commuter! Maybe we are having some success in getting Beaumont to explore healthier ways of living.

I have also been gearing up to begin ultralight backcountry camping in the local areas of The Big Thicket. This is a great area to get outside, exercise, explore, and learn. 1st overnight trip is set for early spring. Next year’s backcountry goal is to conquer the 128 mile long Trail Between the Lakes in East Texas!!