The Past 2 Years

What have I done since my last update?

Life has been keeping me busy and out of trouble (for the most part). I have continued to train, raced in a number of races, hit some low points, high points, bonked, recovered, gained weight, lost weight, crashed (literally and figuratively), got up again, and eventually moved on. No matter what you do, no matter what goals you have, continued forward momentum is what will make you reach the finish line, it's what will make your dreams come true, it's what will make you, you. You will always have people who will despise you, despise your goals, try to knock you down a notch, and those who will come between you and the "finish line". I used to say that they do this because of jealousy... this may have some truth to it, but in all honesty, it doesn't really matter. Your goal is to minimize the associations with negative influences and maximize the positive.

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers.

Ok, enough preaching....

What have I done? My last update was "Wildflower 2009" in May of 2009. Since then, here are the races that I have completed and my time:

• San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon (May 2009), 3:11
• Vineman Ironman Distance Triathlon (August 2009), 11:21
• Magic Mountainman, Half Ironman Distance Tri (October 2009), 5:49
• California International Marathon (December 2009), 3:13
• 13.1 LA Half Marathon (January 2010), 1:30
• LA Marathon (March 2010), 3:04
• Wildflower Long Half Ironman Distnace Tri (May 2010), 5:39
• San Diego Rock'n'Roll Marathon (May 2010), 3:09
• Vineman Ironman Distnace Triathlon (July 2010), 11:36
• Malibu Marathon (November 2010), 3:15

One of my lifelong goals was to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and I did, during 2010 LA Marathon. Training for speed was the key to accomplish this task. I could not have done it without the support from my family, and my best friends & training partners Alison Chavez, Angela Brunson, Kyla Faye, Lisa Fink, and Ankur Tarneja, who all have yelled at me many times when I started to slack off. Of course, my running coach, John Medina is the greatest. He has taught me patience, pacing, and re-ignited my passion for running. My triathlon coaches, Paul Ruggiero and Rad Hallman are two more people I am honored to have in my life. They have taught me pretty much how to swim, how to ride my bike, run, and to combine all of the above. Ankur's famous words, "stop dragging ass" is what keeps me going during the last 4 miles of pretty much all my events. Ankur, btw, is a 2:36 marathoner. Of course, Angela's "Do, or do not. There is no try." motto is what I keep reminding myself time and time again when I think about "trying" something. Angela has done the world's shortest races and the longest and most certainly, toughest. From a 1 mile fun runs, to having done 30 marathons, to having completed the world's toughest foot race, the Badwater 135 ultra marathon running 135 miles in 120+ degree heat. Kyla is my amazing celebrity superstar friend. She's definitely my most famous friend who was Miss Utah, in addition to being in Fear Factor, fitness competitions, modeling, and tons of other TV & print stuff. She's also a kick ass personal trainer, has qualified for Boston marathon numerous times, and ran Boston. Lisa Fink is my other speedy friend. Calling Lisa "fast" would be a HUGE understatement. She's not only fast, she's "I am going to win this thing" fast. The 2010 LA marathon was her PR with a time of 3:03. nearly 25,000 people ran the race and she won her age group. She has also won the 2009 Malibu Marathon, and came in 2nd in 2010. Alison Chavez is my best friend. She is among the most athletic and successful people I know with 10+ marathons, 3 Ironmans a really hard 50K utramarathon (with 8000 ft elevation gain), a 4.8 mile ultra swim race, many centuries, half ironmans, and tons of other stuff under her belt. When I don't feel like getting up in the mornings, I play the "what is Alison up to" game. So, name suggesting, I log onto facebook and see what Alison is up to at 5AM. She's either swimming, riding, running, taking a spin class, doing weights, boot camp, or any of the combinations thereof. Next thing I know, I am putting on my running shoes or my helmet. Should I mention that she does all this alongside working 10-16 hour days? There are so many other people who, for the sake of keeping this thing semi-short, I have not mentioned. However, I can write pages on every single one of my good friends, whom I would give my life for in a heartbeat.

Obviously, the point of this is to thank my friends. But even a bigger point is to emphasize the importance of positive attitudes. Sure, you can do things on your own, but it's just so much easier (and funner) to do it with others. So, whatever your goals are, get to know like-minded people, get your hands on quality how-to information (whether it's a coach or a reputable training plan) and just do it (remember, there is no 'try').

Let's see, what else is new? There is a wonderful new woman in my life with a nickname "Tough Cupcake". It was supposed to be tough cookie, but she likes cupcakes better. I mean, who doesn't? Cookies are soooooooooooo yesterday. I met her in Spring 2010, during our first date, which was a bike ride, our conversation went something like this:

Me: "Do you want to do an Ironman?"
Katherine (aka tough cupcake): "Sure, why not. Sounds fun".

From that point, she not only busted her butt and trained religiously, but she absolutely ROCKED Vineman Ironman Distance triathlon in July 2010 with a time of 13:13 and coming in 6th in her age division. I should mention that prior to Vineman, she had never done a marathon or a triathlon longer than a sprint. Her and I plan on running Comrades Marathon (56 mile foot race) in South Africa on May 2011.

As for my near-term goals, I will repeat 13.1 LA in January 2011, then attempt a PR at LA Marathon in March, then Boston Marathon in April, Comrades Marathon in May, and Challenge UK (Ironman distance Tri) in September 2011.

Thanks for reading this, friends. As my all time fitness mentor, Tom Venuto says, "Train Hard and Expect Success".

Be Well,

Arkady

Favorite Fat Loss Exercises

As promised, here are my three favorite exercises for fat loss.

Before going into too much detail, from my previous post, it should be obvious that in order to lose body fat, one must create a calorie deficit. So, instead of listing the best exercises for fat loss, I will list exercises, which burn the most amount of calories.


1. Running

If done correctly running is by far the best exercise to burn the maximum amount of calories in the shortest amount of time. In addition, it's inexpensive and requires no additional equipment other than a good pair of running shoes and some basic attire. The hype about running being dangerous is just pure nonsense. However, this only applies if running is done correctly. Wearing improper/worn-out running shoes, form imperfections, doing more than your body can handle, and other issues will most likely lead to injury. So, take some time, learn the basics of running, and you're off.

Why is running so efficient for burning calories? One of the biggest reason is that while one burns lots of calories during the activity, running also makes people burn calories after. It is a high-impact activity and there is definitely tissue damage taking place (nothing to be too concerned about, if done properly). Therefore, right after running, the body uses much energy to repair all those tissues and prep you for running session #2. Also, running not only involves the legs, but also the upper body. This results in more blood circulation, which results in a faster heart rate. This also plays an incremental role in increased calorie expenditure.

2. Cycling/Spinning

Contrary to running cycling is a very low-impact activity. An ordinary person may not be able to run for 90 minutes nonstop, but they may very well be able to cycle for 90 minutes. More minutes translate to more calories. While easy pace cycling on a flat road doesn't burn as much calories as running, it oftentimes can be a more enjoyable form of exercise. Ideally, the heart rate stays slightly lower while cycling simply because the upper body doesn't do much. Friends may decide to have a 3-hour leisurely ride on a Saturday afternoon or just head to the store located about 20 miles away to buy some basic groceries. Point being, cycling doesn't have to be considered an exercise, rather a hobby, which burns calories on the side.

Spinning, typically done in increments of 45-60 minutes, burns much more calories than leisurely cycling. The fact that most spin classes integrate intervals, simulate climbing, and also recovery translates to increased calorie expenditures. Hill climbing on a bicycle is also a great way of burning increased amount of calories. However, hill climbing (depending on the grade) is much more strenuous and may not be suitable for those who are just beginning. On contrary, most spin classes allow you to go at your own pace, set your own intensity and resistance, therefore, the experience is customized to your liking.

3. Weight Training

I do realize that "weight training" is quite vague, but point being, it is, or at least should be an important part of any one's fat loss plan. Weight training in itself doesn't burn a lot of calories, at least not when compared to running and cycling. However, weight training is essential for increased metabolism. Muscle is a metabolic tissue (as opposed to fat). The more muscle one has, the more calories they burn at rest. If doing cardio is the primary source of calorie expenditure, then muscle is bound to be lost triggering a decrease in metabolism. Weight training helps preserve those muscles and thus keep the metabolism at a constant level.

So, how many calories???
These numbers are based on one of my clients' fitness GPS (with HR monitor) readouts. I'll call him Mark, even though that's not his real name. Here are Mark's statistics:

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 186

• One hour of easy running (heart rate between 135-145) yields approximately 720 calories.
• One hour of medium intensity running (heart rate between 145-155) yields approximately 890 calories.
• 30 minutes of high intensity running yields about 550 calories
• One hour of easy cycling = 520 calories
• One hour of medium intensity cycling = 750 calories
  
• 30 minutes of climbing (6% grade) = 500 calories
• One hour spin class = 920 calories
• One hour full body weight training = 300 calories (approx)