Decisions, decisions...

Some of the coolest things I get to experience as a pro triathlete are all the options and opportunities before me. These range from choosing a local workout to do, with certain training groups, (like the Swami's ride, or the Sunday Cardiff run, etc), to training camp possibilities.

Peter and I have discussed some possible training camp options, including one of going to Flagstaff to train with Simon Whitfield, and his band of merry triathletes at altitude. Another is the possibility of going to British Columbia later this year to train with Peter for a number of weeks, and/or going early to Kona.

These are all cool opportunities, as last year I went to Victoria and trained with Peter, Brent McMahon, Paul Tichelar, and some of the many other top Canadians, which helped me quite well! There is even the possibility of returning to the Olympic Training Center, but I'm not sure that is going to happen this year.

So I will wait and see what Peter and I decide on, but it's cool to consider all the possibilities.

In the meantime, I have some workout opportunities here. I can go back this afternoon and train with the fast, not-so-little Macky, and put in another solid run effort. I was up early this morning, getting some ART done on the calf, and it is MUCH BETTER! Hit the pool after the session, and swimming fairly well. Baby steps, but it seems almost every swim I am improving, and that's always a good feeling.

One frustration I've had lately is a lack of weight loss. Yesterday I met with nutritionist Kim Mueller, (www.Fuel-Factor.com), and she had a really good analysis of my diet and how to improve. Most of the problem seems to be that I don't eat enough, and my body is in "survival-mode" so to speak, so it doesn't want to lose the weight. Instead I just can begin to feel sluggish. Since my volume has been low, I've thought my calorie intake should be low. When I'm training high, my weight comes down more, so I eat more. Unfortunately, if I don't give the body the fuel to burn, it won't burn off the fat mass, instead it will break down proteins and become catabolic.

So I'm back on the higher calorie diet, and trying to make wise food choices. Of course, she's made it a lot easier for me with meal plans, guidelines, grocery lists, etc. We'll see how it goes!

Vance - 2007 NFA