The 2016 Triathlon Season started off with Tradition's Triathlon and the Road To Tradtion's training series. Now that the season is fully underway, new and seasoned athletes interested in improving their performance, receiving customized training programs, or direct, hands-on training can continue their journey by signing up for the Post-Normal Endurance Camp - 2016. 




Post-Normal Endurance Training Includes:

• Free initial assessment to determine your current abilities and define your goals
• Custom weekly programs designed to help you achieve your specific goals
• Nutrition support and planning to optimize your fueling  and recovery needs
• Performance  monitoring and management, using Training Peaks
• Weekly group training sessions to prepare for your event
• Weekly one-on-one reviews for accountability and assessment of your progress towards reaching your goal or your event
• Race rehearsals, fitness tweaks, sports psychology tips, and more!

What kind of training plans do I create?

• 5K Training (4 - 10 weeks depending on your existing fitness level)
• Half Marathon Training (12 weeks)
• Marathon Training (12 - 24 weeks depending on our existing fitness level)
• Obstacle Course Race Training such as Spartan or Tough Mudder  (12 weeks)
• Sprint Triathlon Training (12 - 20 weeks depending on your existing fitness level)
• Olympic Triathlon Training (12 - 20 weeks depending on your existing fitness level)
• 70.3 Triathlon Training (20 weeks)
• 140.6 Triathlon Training (24 weeks)

Cost:  A complete season pass, from April – Dec, is only $500. This price covers all your training for events through the end of 2016. Individual months are $75/each. Group discounts can be arranged if you want to train on the same program with a bunch of your friends.

Some of the more popular events available this season include:

• Crawfish Man (May)
• Grandman (June)
• Sunfish (July)
• Cultivation Nation (Aug)
• Ironman 70.3 Augusta (Sept)
• Ironman 144.6 Chattanooga (Sept) 
• Ryanman 70.6 (Oct)
• RiverRoux 70.6 (Nov)
• MS Gulf Coast Marathon (Dec)

And those are just a few of the exciting opportunities in our region. 

Pick your race, get your customized program, train your butt off, and bring the thunder!

Want more information? 

• Use the Contact Page
• Message me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonMcDougal
• Send Email: jon at bepostnormal.com
• Call me: 228 284 4556

Saturday, April, 9, 2016: 1/3rd mile swim, 17 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run
Challenging local CrossFit boxes to prove which box has the fastest endurance team!

In 2012, the CrossFit games started with a triathlon. Since then, strength athletes have improved their cardio conditioning for endurance-based events.

Post-Normal challenges local boxes along the Gulf Coast to a team relay at Tradition’s Triathlon on Saturday, April 9.

Athletes & their coaches will compete to see which box has the fastest team. The winners get bragging rights for the year and a unique team trophy. 

Post-Normal Relay Challenge Guidelines:

• 3 individuals per team(swimmer, biker, runner)
• At least one male and one female per team
• Unless injuries prevent it, at least one coach per team
• Top 3 fastest teams, based on total racing time, receive unique trophies to take back to their box

Special Prize: A unique trophy will go to the gym with the most individual entries in the Tradition’s Triathlon. Those individuals will be competing against the rest of the triathletes, but the Coach who gets the most athletes from their box to cross the finish line will receive a one-of-a-kind prize to take back to their gym.

For question, contact Jon McDougal at jon@BePostNormal.com or 228.284.4556. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How do we register?
A: Click here,  which brings you to the Races Online page, and then select your method of payment (Credit/Debt or Cash/Check.) On the very next page, select "CrossFit Relay Team" and Continue from there. 

Q: Where is this event?

A: The Tradition community is located in North Biloxi, MS, off Highway 67. The entrance address is: 12500 Village Ave E, Biloxi, MS 39532. Stay on the main road, go down the hill, and you'll see the lake where the event starts.

Q: Will we be competing against other triathlon teams?

A: There is a relay for triathlon teams, but this challenge is only for CrossFit gyms and your team's time will be ranked against CrossFit gyms. 

Q: How long are the pieces of the relay?

A: The first person will swim 600 meters, roughly equal to 12 laps in a pool. The second person bikes 17 miles. And the third person will run a 5K, which is 3.1 miles. 

Q: Is a wetsuit required during the swim?

A: No. You do not have to wear a wetsuit. They are helpful for new swimmers and can keep you warm in cold water, but wetsuits have never been required at Tradition. 

Q: Can we train on the course?

A: Every Sunday between now and race day, at 2P, we train on the course. You are welcomed to bring your team and join us. 

Q: If there a Facebook page for the event?

A: The official event page is here. The race directors answer questions, updates are posted, and opportunities for training are posted very frequently. 

Q: What if I have more questions?

A: Email jon@BePostNormal.com and I'll get back to you. 

First, normal people do not want to become an Ironman. And I was normal, once.  (But that changed. (Eventually.)) A couple of years ago, when I started doing sprint triathlons and Olympic triathlons, I did not want to do an Ironman. I did not think it would be possible for me to ever do one.

But you warm to the idea. Slowly. After a couple of Olympic triathlons you think: I can do an Ironman 70.3. And after you ride that particular dragon, your blood really starts flowing. Next thing you know, you’re on your way to a 140.6 mile race.

That’s the typical progression. Some people may have grand aspirations and spontaneously decide to do an Ironman, but the vast majority of people work their way up the triathlon ladder. For me, it took almost four years. The first three, I did not want to do an Ironman.

Second, regardless of your fitness level, becoming an Ironman is a daunting, time-consuming, and very thankless process. In terms of training hours, from Week 1 through Week 24, my beginner-level program resulted in: 60.25hrs of swimming, 77.5hrs of running, and 109.25hrs of biking. For a total of: 247hrs of traditional training.

In addition to the swim / bike / run hours, there were some (but not enough!) strength and conditioning hours that I neglected to record. I spent several hours per week stretching, rolling, compressing, elevating, and doing sauna/cold dip therapy to recover. Call that 2.5hrs per week for an added 60hrs. And there is no precise way to know how much time I spent driving/preparing for training, but 5hrs per week is a safe bet. So that’s another 120hrs.

Total time between training, travel, preparing, and recovering? At least 427hrs. Or roughly an extra 20hrs a week. In addition to the usual demands of work and family.  Normal people do not want to become an Ironman!

Finally, becoming an Ironman is an expensive proposition. Just entering the race, with insurance and pictures, is going to approach $1000. And unless the event is in your backyard you have to drive and stay and eat in a town that is booked solid and commanding top dollar for hotel rooms. So that weekend alone is going to set you back maybe $2000, including racing.

Remember all those hours of training? Such activities require fuel for your body. A lot of fuel! It was not uncommon for me to spend $25/day on the weekend on fluids such as GatorAde Endurance during activities, and PowerAde Zero or protein before and after activities, as well as solids like Strawberry Huma and Stinger Waffles during the longer sessions. Conservatively, that’s $50/week. For upwards of 24 weeks. Or a guestimate of $1200 on fuel for training.

In addition to racing costs, travel costs, and fuel costs you’re likely going to spend money (lots of money!) on hardware like your bike, your helmet, your shoes, and your swim gear. You are almost certainly going to double your grocery bill because you’re burning tens of thousands of EXTRA calories per week. And you’ll be VERY lucky if you don’t have some sort of medical costs, if only bulk purchases of Ibuprofen.

All in all, it took me several years of thinking about it, then almost 500 hours of serious preparation, and I’ll be happy if it only cost about $5000.

But, I am an Ironman! And I’m far from normal. 

During today's Road To Tradition's session, we covered Nutrition & Recovery. Several people have asked for a copy of the raw data that was shared, so I'm going to include it here, after the break.

A couple of points that I wanted to reinforce:

• The numbers are specific to SPRINT distance training. Longer distances have different consideration. If you would like information for longer races or need help dialing in your nutrition, please feel free to Contact Me.
• Counting calories is NOT encouraged. You should be counting your macro nutrients. Our bodies don't need generic calories. Our bodies need specific forms of nutrition. So we do not discuss "how many calories," instead we discuss "how many carbs, proteins, or fats do I need?" 
• You should be eating Real Food, not Products. If you cannot reasonably reproduce something you want to eat in your own kitchen, it is a Product, likely the result of heavy industrialization. Industrial products usually have more calories, less nutrients, and questionable contents.
  
  Example: Butter vs Margarine. Butter is a Real Food (if it contains simple ingredients like cream and salt) because it can be made easily at home. Margarine is a highly processed product that contains vegetable (and sometime petroleum) oils along with emulsifiers, colorants, and various artificial ingredients.
  
  Real Food is made from easily identifiable ingredients that you can buy at a grocery or farmer's market. Products are made from chemicals and concoctions that have to be formulated and produced in industrial equipment.
  
  Eat Real Food that you can make with your own two hands. Don't eat Products created in labs.
• Remember that recovery techniques are cumulative and can be done concurrently. You can ice and compress and elevate all at the same time. 

Read on, past the jump, for all the relevant Nutrition & Recovery notes provided today. If you have questions or concerns or need individual support, please feel free to Contact Me. Otherwise, I'll see you on the Road To Tradition's!

What Is Jon Reading Wednesday?

Lately I’ve been reading Joe Friel’s thoughts on polarized training.

These days, most systematic training plans for most endurance sports involve periodization training. You know how it goes: ramp up the training one session, ramp down the training the next session, ramp up higher, ramp back down. Or more complex regimes include: Prep, Build, Taper, Peak, and Recovery phases. Rinse and repeat until race day. It can get silly complex. Lots of voodoo involved. And a dash of science.

But Friel posted an updated look at polarized training. With polarized, your training is either short workouts at high intensity (anything above your anaerobic threshold (AnT)) or longer workouts at low intensity (anything below aerobic thre

shold (AeT.))

In a 9 week study, the group of subjects that used polarized training had increased their VO2 max, increased their time to exhaustion on ramp tests, and increased their peak velocities. The group that used periodization training experienced “no significant improvements.”

So I’m going to do some more research on polarized training. See if I can work up a suitable program. And give it a try early in the season. If it works for shorter distances, maybe I can scale it to longer distances later in the season.

Only one way to see if it works, is to see if it works. More notes in the near future!

The 6th Annual Tradition's Triathlon will be held on Saturday April 9th. For the third year in a row, I will be organizing The Road To Tradition's. It starts on Sunday, January 13th, from 2P - 4P at eFitness & Wellness. Free (FREE!) for everyone, it is is a 13 week training program designed to introduce new athletes to the sport, as well as help existing athletes enhance their abilities. New athletes can train with some of the best competitors in the South East. Established athletes are welcomed to join us, too. The Road to Tradition's also gives participants unparalleled access to the race course. By the end of the program, everyone will have at least two opportunities to train on the exact course, and learn its nuances.

We will have a certified USA Swim Coach in charge of the swimming program, I will have introductory seminars on running drills, nutrition, and recovery techniques. One of our favorite bike shops is going to offer a bike maintenance seminar. Other Ticking Tri Bombs will be going over basic & advanced transition strategies. And there are more offerings being lined up as the schedule develops. 

I created a simple training program for new folks. Anyone interested in personalized training plans should Contact Me and we can get a specific plan designed for specific goals and abilities.

Useful other useful links:

• Race Homepage: http://www.traditionstri.com/
• Registration Page: http://www.racesonline.com/events/tradition-s-triathlon
• Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1647170498865162/
• Swim course: http://traditionstri.com/uploads/Tra_Tri_Lake.jpg
• Bike course: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=510198
• Run course: http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=421555

On a subconscious level, Post-Normal is my personal rejection of all the unhealthy, mass-produced, counter-productive, and outright dangerous practices of mainstream society today. It is my deep-seated reaction to help anyone who finds themselves in my prior situation by encouraging them to avoid all the landmines that I stepped on. And it is my obsession to help Build A Better You.

In the real world, Post-Normal provides Coaching Services to new and existing athletes. Or anyone looking to achieve specific goals. Or improve on specific abilities. I work with individuals and groups to take a methodical, measurable, reproducible, and skills-based approaching to achieve fitness goals, improve happiness and introduce an overall better quality of life.

If you’re curious about some of the techniques and habits I developed to take myself from an over-weight, pre-hypertensive, pre-diabetic, lethargic computer dork to a lean, agile endurance athlete, you can browse the articles. I write about the various nutrition, performance, and recovery methods I used. As well as new ones I’m trying to implement. Add your voice, offer your advice, raise your concerns, or ask questions. I appreciate your time and input. I didn't always get these things right the first time, or the second. But I kept moving forward until I found what actually works. And I share it with you. 

If you’re a new triathlete or fitness athlete and need a race plan or training plan customized for your specific goals, Contact me and let’s get started! From sprint triathlons to a full Ironman distance event, 5Ks to full marathons, Warrior Dashes to Spartan Super Beasts, we can come up with a plan to get you there.

Maybe you just want to improve your nutrition? Maybe you want to lose some weight? Maybe you need to improve your over-all wellness? We can plan that out, too. I won’t promise that it will be quick, Or easy. But if you have a goal that relates to your fitness or your health and you need help to reach that goal, Contact me! We can work to get your specific plan put together

Plans are easy. Sticking to them is hard. Being held accountable and  pushing yourself to achieve difficult goals is even harder. If you need help sticking to your plan, or if you need somebody to Coach your through it, Contact me and we can get started on that, too. We can figure out your current limiters, develop the skills to improve them, and get you well on your way to achieving new personal goals. From skill development to equipment selection and even picking the right race for you, we can get that done and achieve it. Contact me and we can get started.

At the end of the day, if nothing else, I hope you’ll find something new or interesting here. And I hope something I share or do helps you the way it helped me. And I hope you find something that makes us both Post-Normal.

-Jon