The Kindzia Blog

My Head Hurts - February 27, 2009

As the month of February quickly came and went, I came to the realization that the chances of me participating in Ironman Lake Placid were waning with each passing minute.  It's been a mixed set of thoughts and emotions on the matter.

I am thoroughly enjoying my run focus.  I'm also enjoying the tangible and quantifiable improvements in my running.  It seems as though I've put in so much time into Ironman in the past with very little to show for it.  And now, while only training about 7 hours a week, in a period of my life where I find myself unusually crunched for time, I'm enjoying the change of pace (literally and figuratively) along with breakthrough performances? 

I can't say that I've missed jumping in a cold swimming pool in the mornings.  I can't say that I've missed being on the bike and spending hours on end turning the cranks.  I can't say that I've missed training 12, 15, 20+ hours a week, week in and week out for something that always seems so far off in the future like every Ironman race seems to be.

I've enjoyed sleeping in on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Meanwhile my wife Angela has had a lot going on with her parents state of health (that at times has appeared to be health that is rapidly diminishing).  I had no idea of the mental and emotional fatigue that accumulates when we are left with such uncertainties that are on issues of health as they relate to our family members (or even ourselves).  What have I learned over the past six months?  Growing old sucks and I don't want to do it! 

Very few things can shake us up and take us out of our normal patterns and thoughts like health issues with family members.  Walking around like a zombie with zero direction often seems to be the norm at times.

What happened to all the fun that life was supposed to endlessly serve us?  Lately it just feels like a never ending series of kicks to the groin with no end in sight.

You know the drill, work, family, stuff, stuff, stuff.  Angela and I came to the decision yesterday to just pull out of Lake Placid entirely.  I feel a sense of relief (except not really???)

This morning Angela gets on the internet to discover that WTC (World Triathlon Corporation) which acquired North American Sports (the owners of the U.S. based Ironman races) has changed it's transfer policy regarding charity slots.  No longer are you allowed to transfer to any race in the future.  I planned on exchanging my Placid slot for an Ironman Florida slot for 2010.  No such luck.  I can only transfer my 2009 Placid slot for a 2010 Placid slot.  I had no intention of doing Lake Placid in 2010!

So it's basically "use it or lose it" on the entry slots.  At a cool $1,300 a piece plus a hotel deposit already paid, it sort of puts us in a decision making mode.  Do we postpone until 2010 (I don't want to).  Do we just walk away from thousands of dollars (Apparently I forgot the definition of "sunk cost" from accounting class.)  Or do we just do the event, deal with life as it comes at us and use it as an outlet emotionally, mentally and physically?

There is a risk of course in doing the event. I've found Ironman isn't always an outlet that brings us joy.  It often is just another source of stress if we feel obligated to do it rather than embracing the challenge to do it.

It was only when we felt that Ironman Lake Placid was officially taken away from us did we have a panic attack and say, "NO!!!"

It seems as though I've now come full circle.  I'm now putting my running focus on hold to prepare for Ironman Lake Placid.  I'll finish out next week with a 10k race.  I'll try to break 42 minutes and then that leaves me 20 weeks of preparation before Lake Placid.  I'll do 8 weeks of triathlon transition and then a 12 week push.  Once Placid is completed, I'm free to focus on running as much as I like and concentrate fully on the Marine Corp Marathon which I am officially registered for today (along with my sister Stephanie.)

Game on...

By the numbers;

• 180.0 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 155 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 240 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 57 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 4.50 - Miles run today

• 322.00 - Miles run in 2009

Well There's A Surprise - February 26, 2009

It's Thursday, which, in terms of running and executing my Daniels running plan means a quality day.  There's a two week routine that repeats itself in this phase of training and I've discovered it.  There are three specific days in week one (which I perform on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and then two specific days in week two (which I perform on Tuesday and Saturday).  The routine is a day of repetitions (R-Pace), a day of Tempo (T-pace), a day of Intervals (I-Pace), back to repetitions (R-pace) and wrap up the two weeks with a final Tempo run (which I've been doing during with an actual race).

These quality days have been hard to perform.  They tend to be hard on me muscularly.  I have a hard time keeping my legs moving the appropriate speed on the treadmill (my anti-cheat machine).  I can't say I find myself feeling what I used to imagine about quality/speed days which is running so hard that at the end of the set/workout I am bent over, breathing...rather...GASPING for air, on the verge of puking and lightheaded from oxygen deprivation.  That's not what I experience on these days.

Rather, I experience the feeling that it is very tough to continue moving my legs.  I feel the lactic acid building up in my muscles.  I sweat (profusely).  My mind has difficulty concentrating.  I want to quit early.

The tempo workout today was;

• warm up
• 15 minutes T-pace (7:08/mile)
• 3 minutes easy pace (8:57/mile)
• 10 minutes T-pace (7:08/mile)
• 2 minutes easy pace (8:57/mile)
• 5 minutes T-pace (7:08/mile)
• add on extra if feeling good and then cool down

The first 15 minutes felt rather tolerable.  I had some UFC playing on the DVR and just found myself watching TV while counting down the minutes.

On the next interval of 10 minutes, something amazing happened.  I got so wrapped up in watching TV that when I looked down at the time clock on the treadmill, I was 34 seconds past the stopping point for my interval!  Well there's a surprise!  That has never happened to me so far.  I'm normally counting down the seconds and trying to convince myself to "just hang on."  But not today.  I ran tempo pace where it was unusually tolerable.  It wasn't easy, but it certainly wasn't unbearably hard.  The pace was about 21 seconds slower per mile than my 10k pace last Saturday.  It's amazing what 21 seconds per mile can feel like (on the good side).

Very encouraging and motivating.

By the numbers;

• 180.0 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 156 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 241 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 56 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 7.50 - Miles run today

• 317.50 - Miles run in 2009

An Eventual Change - February 25, 2009

I think I'm going to have to make an eventual change to my running program and will probably be moving from the Daniels method to the Hudson method.  I'm going to try and hang on with Daniels for another six to eight weeks and hopefully I'll get through it without exploding or getting injured.

My other option is to get through the rest of this week and the next which would put me at the end of "Phase II" and then switch prior to starting "Phase III" which is supposed to be the hardest phase of the Daniels method.

If I stick with Daniels I'll certainly get in five quality workouts every two weeks as opposed to four quality workout with Hudson BUT the spacing under Hudson would allow a good solid long run each week.

Lucho also gave me an idea that helps me make sure I do get my long run in each week by adding miles to my tempo runs (very Hudson like).  Here's his thoughts which make a lot of sense to me;

 "The Daniels program tends to be too long for most athletes. The biggest difference between Daniels and Hudson is moderation.. Hudson is considerably more moderate both in intensity and the length of the schedule.
 I also think that Jack Daniels formed a lot of his schedules around high school runners- NOT masters runners. A 16 year old can absorb that much intensity like a sponge but a masters runner will have a hard time with recovery- as you are seeing. What you describe though, in regards to fatigue and aches, seems pretty par for the course. The critical thing for you though, will be to make VERY sure that in the last period of the training cycle (the last ~6 weeks)you unload all that fatigue and focus only on two workouts per week and 5 days of recovery. This is a big Canova principle.. to make sure the athlete drops volume and goes in to their races rested.
 There are also 2 schools of thought in regards to the long run. Some coaches advocate having it as just long easy volume. Some coaches say to drop a quality session and combine it with the long run. I think for a 10k (and considering your base)you don't need truly long long runs at a slow pace. Your particular weakness is not simply completing the volume, but it's completing the volume quickly...so speed becomes the limiter. I would tell you to tack on an extra 2-3 miles of warm-up and cool-down on to a quality tempo session and make THAT your long run... then rest on Sunday (or your long run day). In order for you reap the benefits of the training you have to absorb it, which seems to be an over riding issue with you? Just a thought.."

I may try to hang on with Daniels for another eight weeks (including this week).  I'm at the end of Phase II next Saturday.  Phase III is supposed to be the toughest and Phase IV is really just sharpening and doing a lot of racing (and I'm doing a decent amount of racing already by substituting a 45 minute tempo run with an official 10k race).

I know that I am getting faster and that is exciting.  But I'm also aware that I'm not going to keep improving at the exponential rate that I have in the last 7 weeks (that kind of improvement is unsustainable).  So eventually the gains slow down but my risk of injury remains high (I think under Daniels).

If I can get through Phase III in one piece, then I could sharpen up and do a lot of 5k and 10k's in Phase IV and even cut that phase short if I feel like it.  By then the weather will be outstanding and I'll probably be yearning for some bigger mileage as it's a lot more fun to do the mileage when the weather rocks.  For now, in the winter, it's easier to just stay indoors, get on the treadmill, knock out the session and then get on with the day.

By the numbers;

• 180.0 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 157 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 242 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 55 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 3.50 - Miles run today

• 310.00 - Miles run in 2009

Similar To Ironman - February 24, 2009

My workout today reminded me a lot of my training leading up to an Ironman race.  During Ironman training I can recall quite a few times where I would find myself very tired, sore, tight and dragging but then I would perform outstanding in training.  I would often ask myself, "How is this possible?"

How would it be possible to do so well in training when we feel like crap and don't even think we'll make it through the workout let alone do well during the workout.

I woke up this morning and just laid in bed.  I couldn't get up and get going.  Angela came in and asked what was wrong.  I said, "I feel worn out, wiped out and weak.  I hope I am not getting sick?"  I didn't feel any of the usual signs of a cold or the flu like stuffed nose, coughing, headache.  But I just felt tired and achy.

I ended up pulling a pillow over my head and slept for an additional hour.  That felt great!  I got out of bed and did a little stretch routine.  That felt great!  Then I just started moving around slowly and had a healthy breakfast with some hot tea.  That felt great!  I didn't do my usual morning run but rather pushed it off until lunch time. 

Then I proceeded to get on the treadmill and had a fantastic run session.  10 X 400's at repetition pace (400 R-pace = 6:08/mile for me) with 400 jog in-between.  The first one felt tolerable.  The second felt the same.  And I continued to just rattle them off, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.  Ten done and I running like a champ?  I can't figure it out.  I'm still sore and tight and woke up feeling like doggy-dootie.

But I'll take it!

Yesterday at the end of the post I stated that one of the differences between Daniels and Hudson is a weekly long run.  I went back to my Daniels book to write out my next two weeks and sure enough, he proposes a weekly long run as well (relative to race distance of course).  He just doesn't include that in with the very descriptive "quality" workouts in the plans.  It's sort of "assumed" the athlete would do the long run.

That makes sense but now I realize how difficult it is to do the complete Daniels plan.  That means three quality sessions on a lot of weeks in addition to a long run.  I can't handle that right now.  He alternates three quality sessions in a week followed by a second week of only two quality sessions.  I've been racing that second week which has been wiping me out when perhaps I could get in a longer session on that second week.  But I don't think I can handle a long run during that first week with the three quality sessions (yet?)  Maybe it will come after adapting a bit more to the workload.  That's probably the case.

By the numbers;

• 180.2 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 158 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 243 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 54 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 6.50 - Miles run today

• 306.50 - Miles run in 2009

I Need Some Super Recovery - February 23, 2009

I scored a little sympathy from Angela when I "whined" about how sore my legs were.  She agreed to massage my lower legs last night in bed while we watched the Oscars on T.V.  I should rephrase that.  Angela watched while I moaned and groaned and kept yanking my legs while yelling, "That's too hard!" of which she would respond, "I'm barely touching them!"

The cramping is well behind me but I was still darn sore this morning with the usual two day effect.  And BOY WAS I STILL SORE!  Caplan, next time I tell you that I'm really adjusting well to racing 5 and 10k's, just go ahead and punch me right in the mouth.  No wait, I like my teeth, so punch me in the stomach.  This offer does not apply to anybody else...just Caplan and only after a race when he is tired too.  Glad to have that clarified.

Today was nuts at work.  I was laughing with my buddy Steve Riddle on the phone when he asked how things were going.  I told him that I'll soon be in jail for practicing psychiatry and therapy without a valid professional license.  You investors out there are driving yourself nuts and you are also impacting my workout time.  So stop it.  Calm down, take a deep breath and let me get in a treadmill workout for crying out loud.  It's not like I want/need to do 4 hours of training everyday, but 45 minutes is a requirement!  This is a public service announcement.  If I can't get in some peace and quiet on the treadmill then I get cranky and I don't like being a Mr. Cranky Pants so chill out and let me get in some exercise.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a quality day on the run.  I think I need some super recovery tonight.  Something magical.  Something super because the workout looks to be a doozy.  I still haven't written out my next two week block (yet) but I did take a peak of the general outline and it's looking harder than the previous two weeks (why am I surpised by this?)

Nice easy 4.25 miles at easy pace this morning.  That puts me at 300 miles for the year so far!  Not bad but I need to bump it up a bit and it's tough to get in big miles without a weekly long run.  That's one of the biggest differences between the Daniels Running Method and the Hudson Method.  Daniels has three quality days per week and doesn't stress a long run while doing a 5k/10k running plan.  Hudson likes a long run (relative of course) regardless of your goal race.  A long run might be a 10 miler if training for short course or a 20+ miler if training for a marathon but each Sunday is a long run.  I think I like my long runs because I like seeing that higher number for volume but I also told myself that I'm sticking to the Daniels plan and working on speed as a top priority (of which Hudson would say is the objective as well).

By the numbers;

• 180.2 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 159 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 244 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 53 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 4.25 - Miles run today

• 300.00 - Miles run in 2009

Spoke Too Soon - February 22, 2009

So I'm walking back to the car with Caplan after the Charles Harris 10k yesterday.  We're chit-chatting and talking about training protocols, breakthroughs, adaptation and I say to Caplan, "One thing I'm noticing is that even though the quality days are hard to do, I'm adapting to racing a bit more.  I normally am trashed after a 5k or 10k race and I feel fine right now."

Fast forward a few hours and my calves were cramping up and I was getting very sore.  By the evening I was starting to stiffen up and in the middle of the night I was getting some strong leg cramps.

Angela is back in from North Carolina and we went to a few stores and I found myself walking like a penguin after getting out the car each time.  Apparently I spoke too soon to Caplan about my "wonderful adaptation to running short races!!!"

I can tell that I've experienced a shift in my belief system after just one race.  Over the past few months I've been questioning myself quite a bit and wondering if perhaps my best days were behind me.  I no longer question that.  I think my best days are still well in front of me as both a runner and a triathlete.

I KNOW I can still run much faster, especially after executing the rest of the training program (I'm only in week 7 of a 21 week short course program) and also letting my body get back in shape physically.  I'm still at "off-season" weight of about 180.  I find I drop weight during the warmer months as I'm just a lot more active, do more volume and I tend to eat better in the warmer months than the colder months. 

I'm specifically excited about the possibility of running a sub 42 minute 10k which gets you sub-seeded in the Peacthtree Road Race.  That's exciting as just an accomplishment to say I did it. 

This mornings recovery run was brutal for the first 10 minutes.  My legs didn't want to move.  I started out doing 10 minute miles (6.0mph) and would run for 4 minutes and then walk a minute.  Then I'd bump the speed to 6.2mph and run for 4 and then walk a minute.  I just kept that up for about 4.5 miles and by the end I was feeling a lot better and the legs were pretty loose (albeit staying loose only lasted for about an hour or two).  Then it was back to walking like a penguin.

On a side note, thanks for all the positive comments lately.  I really appreciate it. 

By the numbers;

• 180.2 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 160 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 245 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 52 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 4.50 - Miles run today

• 295.75 - Miles run in 2009

Talking Dogs and Charles Harris - February 21, 2009

It seemed as though no sooner did my head hit my pillow last night, the 5:00am alarm went off this morning.  "WHAT is that annoying noise?!?!" Oh...that's my alarm clock.

Angela is helping her mother out this weekend up in North Carolina so I needed to feed the dogs before departing for the Charles Harris 10k race that benefits the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  The race is held in Decatur/Tucker, Georgia.

One of the dogs was less than enthusiastic about getting up at the butt-crack of dawn with an outside temperature of 27 degrees.  Alarm clocks, lights, camera flashes and pokes to the ribs didn't appear to have any effect on lazy canines.

Paul - "Cheyenne...let's go...you've got to get up."

Cheyenne - "Go to hell...and on the way out, can you turn out the lights?"

Paul - "No, seriously, get up...Caplan said I have to get there early to take a bus to the starting line."

Cheyenne - "Tell Caplan to go to hell."

Paul - "If you want to eat, you better get up now."

Cheyenne - "Did someone mention food?  I'm wide awake.  When is breakfast being served?"

At 6:12am the phone was ringing.  It's Caplan, "Dude, where are you?"

"I think I'm really close.  I'm up and already in the car on 285 getting near the exit."

We met up in the parking lot and made a dash for the heated school bus that drove us to the start line.  It's been a long time since I've been on a school bus.  We didn't sit in the back of the bus where the cool kids were and I kept looking around for my Dukes of Hazzard lunchbox which should always be right up against your hip while riding the school bus.  If you lose your PB&J before you even get to school, it's going to be a junky-stinky day for sure.

I register for the race, we hang out for about 25 minutes and then proceed to head outside where we run into Jason Massie and Kevin Custis.  Jason has made a huge breakthrough in his running this year (following the Hudson method) and Kevin "rolling thunder" Custis has been training with him on the same Hudson plan.  I ask them their goal pace and when they start listing 6:20's to 6:30's I told them to wait for me at the finish line.  Both Jason and Kevin are doing the Albany Marathon in three weeks as Boston Qualifiers and based on their performances today 40 to 41ish 10k times, it appears they are well on their way.

I line up a few rows back with Caplan and the first mile is a bit fast at 6:42.  I was looking to hold straight 7:00 minute miles to get me to my 43:36 goal time.  This course is FAST with a lot of downhill sections.  Although I was fast, I feel fine.  I am not overextending myself but rather reaping the rewards of a net descent on the opening mile.

Mile 2 is a 6:41.  I almost crapped myself and started thinking that my race was over due to poor and aggressive pacing.  But then I started thinking of Lucho and a few of his blog postings on how our brain screws with us.  The theory is that we program our brains to associate a certain level of pain and discomfort and lack of ability to perform when we see certain paces or heart rate numbers.  The key is to disassociate from the data and "just run" on how you feel.  After two miles I was still feeling darn good, controlled and my form/turnover was excellent.  I started concentrating on Lucho's words and told myself to stop looking at my Garmin splits.

I passed the three mile mark at 20:08.  WHOA, I'm WAY ahead of pace.  But I still feel good, I'm in a groove and I still have great form/turnover.  This course has a few uphills but not as many as downhills.  Massie and rolling thunder Custis are so far up the road that it would take binoculars to locate them.  But I'm hanging in there and starting to get a glimmer of hope.  Can I pull this off for 3.2 more miles?

Miles 4 and 5 brought some inclines and I just did my best to keep good form with high turnover and not overstride up the hills.  I post two back to back 6:57's.  I've just completed five miles and I'm way ahead of pace and here comes another long gradual downhill.  I look up and see Steve DeMoss from Big Peach Running only 10 meters in front of me (and Steve normally disappears from my sites about two to three miles into races from me).

I don't concentrate on running harder as much as I concentrate on increasing my leg turnover and moving my arms/elbows quicker and keeping fluid form.  I go by the 6 mile mark with a 6:36 mile and then head uphill as I turn the corner to see the finish line.  I feel a guy behind me trying to pluck me off as we race down the straightaway.  I cross first and look up and see 42:20!  Holy MOLY!  I just missed the magical 42 minute barrier for a 10k by 20 seconds.  I'm pumped!  I know this is a very fast course but know that I was going to run well under my 43:36 goal time on any local course.  It was just one of those days.

Here's the splits;

1. 6:42 - 148 HR
2. 6:41 - 159 HR
3. 6:46 - 162 HR
4. 6:57 - 162 HR
5. 6:57 - 162 HR
6. 6:36 - 161 HR
7. Last .2 at 6:59 pace and 164 HR

Average pace of 6:49/mile.  This technically bumps me up to a VDOT score of 48 (and very close to a 49).  But it was a fast course and Daniels doesn't recommend bumping up more than one level at a time.  So with my previous VDOT of 46, I'll adjust my training speeds for the next three weeks to the 47 levels.

Hey Caps, thanks for the encouragement to get out of bed at 5:00am and run in 27 degree temperatures.

Blowing through previous PR levels is very exciting and rewarding.  I'm pretty pumped up and that should last me at least to my next quality day on Tuesday when I have to suffer again.

Post Race Caps and Kindzia, Limited Edition 1 of 1 

By the numbers;

• 181.6 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 161 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 246 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 51 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 7.25 - Miles run today

• 291.25 - Miles run in 2009

That Damn Caplan - February 20, 2009

There's a phone call from Jeff Caplan earlier this morning.  We connect and immediately he says, "So are you running or not tomorrow?"  He's referring to the Charles Harris 10k road race that is on his schedule (and technically my schedule).

I told him that I was unsure as to what to do.  The schedule calls for a 40 minute tempo run which is just below 10k pace.  Perhaps 15 seconds per mile slower than my previous 10k time or something like that.  I'm only in phase two of my Daniels Running formula and it doesn't appear that racing at this stage of the program is part of the game.  As I enter phase three and certainly phase four, it's all about running 5k and 10k's.

I'm finding that racing often is a bit addictive (if you are showing improvement).  It's instant gratification and instant verification that the training stimulus is working.  But is it smart to over-do the racing at this stage of the training plan?  It will be my fourth race of 2009 (that's more than I raced in all of 2008 including the two Ironmans...)  I'm not sure it is smart, but I'm not sure it is not smart either.  It's only a 10k and I'm not really that fast. 

So I continue explaining myself for another five or ten minutes to Caplan on why I'm unsure if I should race, the pros and cons, the risks and rewards.  Blah, blah, blah.

Caplan's response..."So are you running or not tomorrow?"  (Note, that was his initial question at the very start of the phone call.)

"Yeah, fine, I'm running."  Here's the deal.  If I show up and run a PR (44:02) I'll be excited or run a 43:36 or faster, I'll be even more psyched because it will move me up one more VDOT score - quantifiable progress!  But if I don't PR or don't hit my time, I told him that it's because I decided to stick to the plan and run accurate tempo per my plan (a backup excuse in case of failure) - It's a BRILLIANT plan!

Then Caplan told me how cold it supposed to be tomorrow (DUDE...don't you know you shouldn't share those details with me knowing how I hate cold weather?)  Try 25 to 30 degrees at the race start...YUK!

So that's the plan.  I have to set the alarm to go freeze my butt off in the morning with Caplan.

By the numbers;

• 181.6 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 162 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 247 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 50 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 5.25 - Miles run today

• 284.00 - Miles run in 2009

Financial vs. Investment Planning - February 20, 2009

Many people are feeling that this economy, housing market and financial market is for the birds.  So far there has been an increase in the subsidized bird food program in my backyard.  $10 bucks of high quality seed seems to bring me quite a bit of enjoyment each week in mini-viewing spurts. 

I received a good question from a reader that I never really gave specific thought to prior to the question;

"What is the difference between financial and investment planning?"

There's a good chance that each individual or advisor may have a slightly different interpretation of these two terms.  But I'll throw in my two cents, which after taxes and a weakening U.S. dollar is worth about two Mexican pesos.

Financial planning is the process of establishing a long term road map to achieve specific financial goals.  In my case, it is more like a personal creed, a way of life, a commitment to a process.

When I think of financial planning, I start out by asking myself, "What is it specifically that I want to achieve?"  I've thought hard over the years to get as specific as possible but not have that objective be loaded with convoluted details that hamper my ability to stay focused as economic factors that can change (often by the minute).

If I ask myself, "What is it specifically that I want to achieve," my current answer is this;

1. I want to be executing a plan where I am moving towards having NO DEBT (as in zero, nada, goose-egg).  That includes mortgages on primary homes, rental properties, auto's, etc.  Ask yourself this, "How little would it take to live if we didn't have any debt payments?"  Further, "How little stress would you have if you didn't owe a dime to any person or any bank/company?"
2. I want an adequate emergency fund that could sustain me through unusual, unexpected and unpredictable events.  When working with clients, I find that it's not the expected that causes problems financially, it's the unexpected and also the uncontrollable.  Cars break, tornados whip through houses, hurricanes devastate entire cities, jobs lost, health problems occur, etc.  How prepared are we for unexpected and unpredictable events (including cyclical setbacks in financial markets and economies?)

3. Generate a pool of capital that through dividends, interest and capital gains, could support me indefinitely; i.e. sufficient investments to live off of when I choose to no longer work even though I plan on working until I die (hopefully that is by choice and not by requirement).

So when I am thinking in terms of a financial plan, my big picture goals are always clear to see and remember; no debt, emergency fund, and sufficient investments.

As we proceed through each day, we are constantly prompted to make decisions that ultimately impact our health, wealth and happiness.  Having clear and defined objectives help make decisions that will impact us in the future.

Investment Planning is the process of choosing suitable investment holdings and strategies that hopefully allow us to reach our financial planning goals.  I break this down into two layers; what types of investments do we want to own, and then how do we manage those investments in a way that correlates to our overall strategy.

I often say, "There is a million ways to make a million dollars."  The hard part is picking one and then making it work.  But if you were to interview/examine one hundred financially secure individuals, you would find that each had a slightly (or significant) method of accumulating wealth.  Some choose commercial real estate, some choose residential real estate, some trade options, some start small businesses that eventually sell, some choose to work their way up the corporate ranks and make their money through executive compensation, some become famous artists, musicians and athletes.  Again, there is a million ways to make a million dollars.

The reality for many of us is that we either don't have the skill set to be a famous baseball player or we don't want to risk our time and money in a business endeavor that is uncertain to produce lasting material wealth.  No worries, many people have accumulated significant wealth by following very basic financial plans.

But back to investment planning.  If you are choosing to accumulate wealth through stocks (as in your 401k, IRA's and additional brokerage accounts), what is your strategy for those investments?  Are you a day trader?  Are you an economist?  Are you trying to time markets?  Are you a value investor, a growth investor, a micro-cap investor, an options investor, a currency trader?  What is your investment plan once you determined that you are going to be a stock investor (if that was your choice?)

And this is where I see many investors fall apart.  A lack of a clear, defined and specific investment strategy results in making bad decisions over long periods of time.  It's one thing to say, "I'm a long term investor who is capitalizing on the fact that corporate profits exceed the rate of inflation which results in wealth accumulation."  All that seems to go out the window when we read the newspaper, listen to the radio or watch TV during economic times that we are currently in.

Here are a few questions for you if you are trying to determine your investment planning strategy;

1. Do you think in ten or twenty years corporate profits will be much higher or much lower than current levels?
2. Will you most likely be alive in ten or twenty years from now?

If you could get clarity and confidence in those two questions, you're off to good start in making good investment planning decisions.

If your investment planning strategy requires being a nobel winning economist, the ability to forecast interest rates, a PhD in mathematics, a family member who is a U.S. Senator, or investment holdings that are loaded with mortgage backed securities, collateralized debt obligations, hedge funds, limited partnerships, and collar options, you may want to budget a little extra for mental therapy sessions with a certified professional.

You may eventually discover that trying to predict the unpredictable and control the uncontrollable is for the birds.

The Downside of Progressive Overload - February 19, 2009

As I was shuffling around in the car going from appointment to appointment, I had a little time to daydream and do some thinking.  I started to think through why Ironman is;

1. So difficult for triathletes to compete in (most triathletes never do the distance)

2. So difficult to get good at

It didn't take me very long to come to a few conclusions.  For one thing, Ironman triathlon is incredibly time consuming.  Just to get through the distance takes up time in the form of training, recovery (physical therapy, massage therapy, etc), additional logistics (driving too and from long distance bike rides, pool sessions), and additional eating and sleeping.  To train 15 hours might require in excess of 20 hours when you add in the rest of the stuff.

Ironman is also expensive.  When you add in the bikes, the gear, the nutrition, entry fees, travel fees, etc. it really is an expensive sport (relatively speaking in comparison to running or weightlifting).

But say an athlete musters the time and financial resources to complete the distance.  Goal accomplished.  But then what?  Sometimes they say, "I want to go faster!"  Then if they go faster they say, "I still want to go faster!"  And an endless cycle follows.

Here's the reality that gets intimidating and exhausting...In order to keep getting faster, we often have to do more than we previously did in either volume or intensity to ensure progressive overload.  If we just kept doing the exact same training, our bodies adapt to that level and we plateau (See Kindzia from 2007 - 2008 season).

I actually know I was the most fit of my life in November of 2008 even though my finishing time didn't reflect that.  Maybe I would have broken my PR of 10:39 by 5 minutes or 25 minutes but I have a pretty good idea that I was in that 10:15 to 10:35 fitness window.

So that leaves me thinking - Now what?  In order to break my 10:39 I have to up the ante in volume and/or intensity.  That's what is a bit daunting at times because it leaves you thinking, "Do I really want to train 18+ hours a week and have that training be rock solid, no fooling around training?"

One of the things that I have noticed is that the more I focused on pure performance, the less fun I ended up having.  I needed to do specific sets and workloads and the more focused I was on training execution, the less I was able to participate in group settings or train with others.  So then the road to improved performance became a rather lonely one.  Swimming and running alone don't seem to bother me much.  I often enjoy being in my own lane and generally there are others in the pool that make you feel like you have company.  Running alone is sort of therapeutic.  I usually run on treadmills or in parks or on very safe roads.  I normally can zone out and daydream and enjoy the solitude of running.

Biking alone stinks even though it's tough to really socialize if you are training at faster speeds.  You also always have to be on your toes for road obstacles, cars, glass, sticks, animals, other cyclists, and a lack of road shoulders (how many times have we all swerved at one point when we weren't paying attention?)

The key to year over year improvement in Ironman is no different than year over year improvement in just about anything.  It requires consistency and discipline.  But with the laws of diminishing returns, the gains start to really slow down.  This is no different in playing the piano, playing basketball, shooting pool, running marathons, etc.  At first, the improvement is so fast and then it takes so much work to squeek out minimal gains.

But the gains can happen if we keep at it and we are willing to just keep working year over year.  One athlete that displays this is my buddy Jeff Keil out in Boulder http://www.jeffkeil.blogspot.com/ .  I watched him out in Kona back in 2005.  Although he required a mini sabatical from the long distance one season, he kept training hard and kept making improvements.  This year he is racing elite.  This past October he was the top American age-grouper and ran a 2:58 marathon off the bike.  So, the moral of the story is, if you want to keep getting better, you just have to keep working hard (obviously that's the hard part).

By the numbers;

• 180.4 - today's weight (January 1, 2009 weight was 184.2)  Goal weight for 10/25/09 is 165.

• 163 - Days until Ironman Lake Placid

• 248 - Days until the Marine Corp Marathon

• 49 - Total Days Trained in 2009

• 1 - Missed days of running in 2009

• 5.25 - Miles run today

• 278.75 - Miles run in 2009