The 2013 Pensacola Beach Triathlon is officially "in the bag". Sean McSheehy, the race coordinator, asked us back again to cover the event, and in true cycnut.com fashion, we managed to snag about 1410 images. Considering there were about 300 participants, that means we should have a picture of everyone who was there, and probably more than one. Our goal is to catch EVERYONE in each event, but honestly, its almost impossible to get everyone on the swim. Well, we try anyways...
The images have been uploaded into five different galleries to make browsing easier. However, there are two cameras, and in each gallery, you will run through the photos from one camera (Tammy's are all called DSC XXXXX) before getting to the photos from the second camera (Tom's are all called 314JXXXX). Yes, its a bit disjointed, but the idea is to be in multiple places at once, capture lots of action, and hence the confusion.
The image galleries (clicking on link will take you to the image gallery):
If anyone wants the full size original image file, message me through the site with the image name (e.g., DSC 00091 or 314J4450). All the images are free to download and use, just not sell. If you have a chance, reference the site, so we can continue to support the triathlon community.
Oh, and if you feel inclined, there is a $1 PayPal donation button at the bottom of the page. I don't believe in selling pictures (some places charge $25-40 for photos), wanting instead to promote the sport... pay it forward. But driving to events, buying camera equipment, web hosting and software all cost money. So if you like what we do, want us to do more, help out if you can. Many thanks.
(clicking on images below will also take you to the galleries):
Let's just put it out there. I'm not a runner. I'm a cyclist.
Throughout the last 8 years, I've had relatively few issues ramping up my milage on the bike, routinely putting in 7 to 10 thousand miles a year when committed. I have a slower, heavy cadence that seems to work for me cycling. Don't get me wrong, sprinting on the bike can leave you gasping for air, but in a few moments, you can continue that heavy slog. The best way to describe it is like hiking uphill with a backpack... yes, its aerobic and taxing, but I've never had a problem putting in 20, 30, 50 or even a 100 miles. I've even done massive surges in mileage, putting in almost 500 miles in a week off of work.
But I'm not a runner. For one, I'm too heavy. I have a weak butt and an over-developed lower hamstring from years of cycling and thousands of hours in the saddle. So when I picked up running in the cycling off-season, I had a fair number of issues to overcome. Foremost was that I had never "learned" to run. Yes, we've all been walking and running since we were wearing diapers, but I was never taught form, cadence, pacing, or running economy. So while I could run, I just wasn't very good at the sport. Aerobically, I'm fine. I just suck as a runner.
Early on, I got a gait analysis. Guess what? I have crappy running economy...I'm a heel striker. Each foot fall landed to the back of the shoe, effectively stopping forward momentum. I powered through with hamstrings. It just takes a lot more effort than it should to maintain any speed. However, on endurance runs, all that pounding is hard on the joints. My IT band has to stabilize my leg during that pounding, so increasing mileage has to be slow, dedicated, and very methodical or I get plagued with IT band overuse issues like extreme pain going down stairs and a burning pain on the outside, lower portion of my knee where the IT band attaches. Over time and with guidance from a video called Chi Running, I've adapted to a mid-foot running style. I'm better but not there yet.
Over the New Year, I abused my IT band while running too much and much of that too fast. I didn't rest, instead I brute forced a half-marathon I had signed up for at Disney (well, I was registered and the condo was paid for... just saying). Yeah, I admit it wasn't the brightest idea ever, and I've been hampered by IT band issues since.
So I got a pair of Newton Sir Issac running shoes about two weeks ago. The shoes are essentially training shoes to force runners towards a fore-foot running style by placing a series of four raised rubber pads on the sole of the shoe, around mid-foot. As you run, the raised pads hit the pavement first, causing you to rock forward.
Mitochondria, those little organelles inside muscle cells, help make energy by burning fat and are the heart of aerobic metabolism. While all active cells have mitochondria, there is a much higher concentration of them in endurance fibers relative to fast-twitch, strength fibers. This makes sense, so the endurance, slow-twitch fibers tend to burn more fat while fast-twitch muscles tend to burn more glucose and fatigue more quickly.
And the more mitochondria you have burning fat to fuel your muscles, the better your performance. And everyone wants better performance, especially when the fuel is bodyfat.
So its of interest to be kind to your mitochondria. Endurance training helps generate factors to enhance them, notably SIRT1 and SIRT3. Clinical studies over the past decade have shown that resveratrol, and extract originally found in red wine, to be very effective in modulating the SIRT genes, and producing a a variety of effects that mimics the effects of calorie restriction... help to burn fat and preserve muscle. More recent evidence suggests that a combination of resveratrol and the amino acid L-luecine (and its metabolite HMB) are synergistic in modulating the SIRT genes to build more mitochondria while helping retain muscle (via mTor activation which stimulates protein synthesis and down-regulates catabolism). I should note that resveratrol is an aromatase inhibitor, slowing the conversion of testosterone to estrogens... but keep in mind estrogen is needed to keep connective tissue supple and many folks report joint soreness at doses higher than 2-3 mg/kg when taken daily.
Effect of resveratrol, L-leucine, and HMB over controls in mice. a) SIRT1 activity in muscle cells, b) SIRT1 activity in fat cells, c) SIRT3 activity in muscle cells, and d) SIRT3 activity in fat cells. See the PubMed article here.