There has been a lot going on the last few weeks and I have had a lot on my plate. I am trying to juggle a "normal" job during the week, work on all of the necessary preparations for our expedition and in addition, I am also trying to fit in the training to compete in my 5th Iron-distance triathlon coming up this July in Roth, Germany.
Those of you who know me, know that pushing myself physically and mentally is part of who I am and I have come to love and be consumed by the challenges presented in the world of triathlon, and especially the Ironman: arguably the world’s toughest single-day endurance event. (In case you did not know it starts with a 2.4 mile open water swim followed by 112 miles of cycling and is capped off by a full 26.2 mile marathon) If there is anything that I do regret about participating in our expedition, it is that I will have to put my love of training and competing in triathlons on hold for a while. (Although undoubtedly I will have plenty of other things to challenge me physically and mentally throughout the course of our travels) Training for an Ironman is a huge commitment. Training can average anywhere from 10 to 15 hours per week for me personally and given that there are only 24 hours in a day, work, expedition planning and training all add up pretty quickly. The one invention that makes it more bearable and enjoyable to put in those long hours and hard miles of training, especially on the bike, is the MP3 player. Music can help keep you focused, help you to maintain intesity and cadence, can help to take your mind off the pain and can relax you. Recently, a company called Fitbeats has added another dimension to the usefulness of the MP3 player in fitness training. They have created training intervals for both running and cycling that are challenging and come in a wide variety of sets: from warm-ups and cool-downs to high intensity intervals and abdominal workouts. For the serious competitor or the novice looking for some additional motivation and coaching in an enjoyable package, Fitbeats is for you. They even have their own customized MP3 player that is perfect or running and cycling. Be sure to check them out when you get a chance, you may actually start to look forward to getting up at 5:30 a.m. to get in a run before you head off to work!
