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Ryan went on to tell us how well his new “Get Big, Get Fast” race strategy is working for him. “The idea behind it is that you have to work so much harder if you’re bigger… so why not get HUGE and work that much harder”. Its a new idea on the running scene  that is starting to pick up steam.

A lot of people have picked Ryan to win Ironman Canada this year because of his new training methods. Kyle Marcotte, a former top ten ironman Canada finisher says “I’ve had some good weight gains in the last few months thanks to (the restaurant) Chicken On The Way, but Ryan’s weight gain is amazing, he’ll roll downhill so much faster than the competition. He is someone all the pros should be watching out for”.

Although Ryan’s methods might be unorthodox they seem to be working for him and other athletes who have adopted this training method. Only time will tell if it will work in the long run.

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Completely.

When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me “garbage can” and telling me I’d be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn’t run home crying, wondering why.

I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.

I hated myself all the time.

As stupid at it seems now, I wanted to talk like them, dress like them, carry myself with the ease of knowing that I wasn’t going to get pounded in the hallway between classes. Years passed and I learned to keep it all inside. I only talked to a few boys in my grade. Other losers. Some of them are to this day the greatest people I have ever known. Hang out with a guy who has had his head flushed down a toilet a few times, treat him with respect, and you’ll find a faithful friend forever. But even with friends, school sucked. Teachers gave me hard time. I didn’t think much of them either.

Then came Mr. Pepperman, my advisor. He was a powerfully built Vietnam veteran, and he was scary. No one ever talked out of turn in his class. Once one kid did and Mr. P. lifted him off the ground and pinned him to the blackboard. Mr. P. could see that I was in bad shape, and one Friday in October he asked me if I had ever worked out with weights. I told him no.

He told me that I was going to take some of the money that I had saved and buy a hundred-pound set of weights at Sears. As I left his office, I started to think of things I would say to him on Monday when he asked about the weights that I was not going to buy. Still, it made me feel special. My father never really got that close to caring. On Saturday I bought the weights, but I couldn’t even drag them to my mom’s car. An attendant laughed at me as he put them on a dolly.

Monday came and I was called into Mr. P.’s office after school. He said that he was going to show me how to work out. He was going to put me on a program and start hitting me in the solar plexus in the hallway when I wasn’t looking. When I could take the punch we would know that we were getting somewhere. At no time was I to look at myself in the mirror or tell anyone at school what I was doing. In the gym he showed me ten basic exercises. I paid more attention than I ever did in any of my classes. I didn’t want to blow it. I went home that night and started right in.

Weeks passed, and every once in a while Mr. P. would give me a shot and drop me in the hallway, sending my books flying. The other students didn’t know what to think. More weeks passed, and I was steadily adding new weights to the bar. I could sense the power inside my body growing. I could feel it.

Right before Christmas break I was walking to class, and from out of nowhere Mr. Pepperman appeared and gave me a shot in the chest. I laughed and kept going. He said I could look at myself now. I got home and ran to the bathroom and pulled off my shirt. I saw a body, not just the shell that housed my stomach and my heart. My biceps bulged. My chest had definition. I felt strong. It was the first time I can remember having a sense of myself. I had done something and no one could ever take it away. You couldn’t say s–t to me.

It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble. That which you work against will always work against you.

It wasn’t until my late twenties that I learned that by working out I had given myself a great gift. I learned that nothing good comes without work and a certain amount of pain. When I finish a set that leaves me shaking, I know more about myself. When something gets bad, I know it can’t be as bad as that workout.

I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn’t ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you’re not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.

I have never met a truly strong person who didn’t have self-respect. I think a lot of inwardly and outwardly directed contempt passes itself off as self-respect: the idea of raising yourself by stepping on someone’s shoulders instead of doing it yourself. When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in the worst way, as cartoon characters, billboards for imbalance and insecurity. Strength reveals itself through character. It is the difference between bouncers who get off strong-arming people and Mr.Pepperman.

Muscle mass does not always equal strength. Strength is kindness and sensitivity. Strength is understanding that your power is both physical and emotional. That it comes from the body and the mind. And the heart.

Yukio Mishima said that he could not entertain the idea of romance if he was not strong. Romance is such a strong and overwhelming passion, a weakened body cannot sustain it for long. I have some of my most romantic thoughts when I am with the Iron. Once I was in love with a woman. I thought about her the most when the pain from a workout was racing through my body.

Everything in me wanted her. So much so that sex was only a fraction of my total desire. It was the single most intense love I have ever felt, but she lived far away and I didn’t see her very often. Working out was a healthy way of dealing with the loneliness. To this day, when I work out I usually listen to ballads.

I prefer to work out alone.

It enables me to concentrate on the lessons that the Iron has for me. Learning about what you’re made of is always time well spent, and I have found no better teacher. The Iron had taught me how to live. Life is capable of driving you out of your mind. The way it all comes down these days, it’s some kind of miracle if you’re not insane. People have become separated from their bodies. They are no longer whole.

I see them move from their offices to their cars and on to their suburban homes. They stress out constantly, they lose sleep, they eat badly. And they behave badly. Their egos run wild; they become motivated by that which will eventually give them a massive stroke. They need the Iron Mind.

Through the years, I have combined meditation, action, and the Iron into a single strength. I believe that when the body is strong, the mind thinks strong thoughts. Time spent away from the Iron makes my mind degenerate. I wallow in a thick depression. My body shuts down my mind.

The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.
by Henry Rollins

This article originally appeared in Details Magazine

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Info on the Beer Mile can be found HERE

Rules for the Beer Mile click HERE

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Sports are supposed to be pure-that’s why there are rules and referees; that’s why the first Olympians competed in the nude. It’s also the reason that the federal government is spending millions and millions of dollars investigating a famous cyclist who has, after a decade of denials and countless drug tests, returned to the center of sports scandal. It must be summer, since Lance and doping have returned to the national discussion.

It’s only natural that when we discover our heroes have injected chemicals into their veins for a competitive edge (and I’m not saying Lance has, only that it’s looking increasingly difficult for him to prove that he hasn’t) we find them tainted and strip them of medals and put an asterisk by their names. Doping is ugly for fans but it goes beyond betrayal. Performance enhancers turn a contest between athletes into a competition among scientists and engineers. This is the best argument against enhancers. It’s also the best argument for them.

Let’s pretend, for a minute, that a separate league exists. Let’s call it the Asterisk League or, better, the League of Extraordinary Medicine. Drugs are legal but regulated. Athletes get educated about the risks, long term and short, of everything they introduce into-or onto-their bodies. Fans know exactly who is taking what and tracking their performance accordingly. Labs and scientists are inexorably linked to athletes’ rise and fall. Chemist versus chemist doesn’t sound like it would make great television, but the field would quickly advance to the point were records were broken daily and feats of crazy strength became the norm. Chemist versus chemist would become superhuman versus superhuman. Broadcasts could include expert scientists in the booth describing the limits of the human body and how these chemical enhancements get around that, or don’t. The League of Extraordinary Medicine is more honest, its regulation more sensible, since outlawing drugs just does not work-we’ve got a forever War on Drugs to prove it. And our tests for drugs still aren’t very good……

Read the full story at Popular Science

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Via: Medical Billing And Coding

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I have Achilles Tendinitis (Tendinopathy)…. but, this is just a self diagnosis . After a ride to Cochrane the other week my achilles got a bit sore. I just assumed it was because I hadn’t ridden in a few months, and i guess i was right but i should have taken a bit more time off. Now i’m sitting in Pentiction with the sun shining, beautiful open roads just a few km’s away and my bike sitting beside me just itching to be taken out.

Rest and some anti-inflammatories, thats all i can do for now.

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How did the situation get so out of hand? On this week’s episode of Fault Lines, Josh Rushing explores the world of cheap food for Americans living at the margins. What opportunities do people have to eat healthy? Who is responsible for food deserts and processed food in American schools? Fault Lines finds food revolutions taking place and speaks with the people that are fighting back.

Watch it

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What happens to an impoverished developing nation town when you flood it with 20,000 bicycles? You lift three times that number of people out of poverty. Pedals for Progress and founder David Schweidenback have been shipping used American bicycles to Rivas, Nicaragua for the last two decades and the transformation has been incredible.

More at thebicyclecityfilm.com/?

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This is one of the Many videos posted on the NYVelocity site… head on over to

http://nyvelocity.com/content/features/2011/armstrong-sca-deposition-videos for the rest.

Check out this list of top riders Lance Armstrong beat to win the 2005 Tour de France. Most have been linked to doping. (from VeloNews)

• 1. Lance Armstrong, Discovery Channel
• 2. Ivan Basso, CSC – confessed to Puerto involvement and banned from 2006 Tour ()
• 3. Jan Ullrich, T-Mobile – connected to Puerto and banned from 2006 Tour
• 4. Francisco Mancebo, Illes Balears – connected to Puerto and banned from 2006 Tour
• 5. Alexander Vinokourov, Astana – tested positive for doping at 2007 Tour
• 6. Levi Leipheimer, Gerolsteiner — accused of doping by Floyd Landis and former Gerolsteiner manager
• 7. Michael Rasmussen, Rabobank – ejected from 2007 Tour while in the yellow jersey
• 8. Cadel Evans, Davitamon-Lotto
• 9. Floyd Landis, Phonak – disqualified as 2006 Tour winner for doping
• 10. Oscar Pereiro, Phonak – alleged to have doped by Landis
• 11. Christophe Moreau, Credit Agricole – admitted EPO use after Festina Affaire
• 12. Yaroslav Popovych, Discovery Channel – home searched
• 13. Eddy Mazzoleni, Lampre-Caffita – charged in doping conspiracy after receiving a two-year ban in 2008
• 14. George Hincapie, Discovery Channel — accused of doping by Floyd Landis
• 15. Haimar Zubeldia, Euskaltel-Euskadi
• 16. Jörg Jaksche, Liberty Seguros – admitted doping since 1997
• 17. Bobby Julich, CSC
• 18. Oscar Sevilla, T-Mobile – suspended by team in 2006 for Puerto links
• 19. Giuseppe Guerini, T-Mobile
• 20. Carlos Sastre, CSC
• Also, 23. Leonardo Piepoli, Saunier Duval-Prodir – tested positive for CERA in 2008

and of course there has to be a remix – HERE

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This is the latest video/workout routine ive been following.

and the outtakes – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4CnTInqNBA

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Ten feet or ten miles, whatever it takes.
On May 13th — bike to work day — Take some time to appreciate the natural world around you. Whether it’s the path through the park or some ripping single-track, make sure to seek out some dirt on your way to work.

Dirt to Work from WTB on Vimeo.

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Here’s what I had written on facebook:

I turn 30 in February and decided to make that into something positive by resolving to get into the best shape of my life by then. So between now and then for the most part I’ve given up alcohol and crap food. I haven’t given up coffee, instead I plan to drink so much that I become immune to caffeine. Or I’ll be really jittery. “Ah, f*ck! Don’t sneak up on me. Waaa, whatdaya want? Huh?!”

• My current weight is about 180lbs not sure if that’ll increase or decrease with better diet and more exercise;

• My current height is 6’1″ but I think I can get up to 6’4″ with better diet and exercise;

• My hair is currently sandy brown but I think by 30 it will have a touch of grey, so I will look like I know what I’m doing but can still do it; and

• My skin is currently pasty and white like an Englishman, but I can see from these “before and after” fitness photos that I will develop a dark tan from more exericse. I will also have no body hair by February.

I’ll let you know how it’s gone come February.

That was a couple weeks ago and I haven’t really gotten started yet on my non-specific fitness goals.  So looking to get things started this week, but then I’m on holidays in Vietnam for two weeks. Humm, but after that I’ll really get started!

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For anyone else looking for inspiration to start running, losing weight, or even to become more happy i suggest you check out this video.

There isn’t a magical fix to being overweight. Even if your body’s natural disposition is towards a heavier build, it’s still entirely possibly to lose that weight. Not easily, but through some serious pain and a goddamn ton of hard work.

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One of the 33 miners who have been trapped 700 meters underground since 5 August in Copiapo, northern Chile. Photograph: Codelco handout/EPA

As 33 miners enter their third week trapped 688 metres underground, the logistics of keeping them alive has been reduced to a single dimension: 12cm.

“That’s the size of the tube by which we can supply them,” said the Chilean health minister, Jaime Mañalich. “Everything we develop must be this size or smaller.” He described a laboratory of inventors behind the scenes designing everything from collapsible cots to miniature sandwiches for lunch.

A tiny video camera lowered to the depths of the mine on Thursday showed the stark contrast between the men’s cavernous living quarters — a two kilometer long stretch of mine tunnels, filled with vehicles and cave like crevices – and the nearly impossible task of providing them with anything more than the most basic sustenance.

The logistics of designing and sending supplies down a hole not much wider than a lemon has challenged engineers from Chile and from around the world as well as Nasa scientists and submarine commanders. The challenge of the rescue operation now is how to keep 33 trapped men healthy, sane and busy while a 40-tonne Australian-built drilling rig slowly rips open an escape tunnel.

Medical literature has revealed little about managing such a crisis, Mañalich said. “The closest comparison is the submarine programme in which the submarines deliberately lay dormant at the bottom of the sea. That’s why we have Captain Ramon Navarro, head of the Chilean submarine school, here.”

“The submarine has the water outside, the miners have a 700-metre high column of rock, yet the sense of confinement is the same,” said Navarro, looking out of place in the Atacama Desert with his stiff uniform and regulation cap. As he spoke, Navarro did little to hide pride for his fellow Chileans. “If I am ever in a similar situation, I’d hope to have the resilience, the desire and the strength of spirit these miners have.”

The miners do not appear to be in immediate danger: they began eating solid food on yesterday and are receiving water and handwritten messages from their families. Sets of dominos and other board games were sent down in an effort to stave off monotony and an evangelical priest arrived with a cache of tiny bibles. Special fluorescent tubes are being designed which will then be set on timers to create a sense of day and night in an attempt to keep the men on a normal schedule.

Mañalich said his team was preparing for medical emergencies. “How do you treat appendicitis without surgery? Our staff is scouring the old medical texts to find ways these kind of conditions can be treated without intervention, only using painkillers and other remedies.”

One miner, Johny Berrios, has been designated doctor, and given the task of taking urine and blood samples which will be carefully placed in the tiny tubes and shot up to ground level where a makeshift laboratory has been built to analyse and monitor the health of each man. Miners with skin ailments or lesions will be asked to parade before the video camera, allowing a team of doctors to first diagnose the problem and then design a solution that fits inside a “dove”, a carrying pod that passes through the hole.

The living conditions of the miners presents so many logistical and mental health issues that the support staff at this remote mine now includes 300 people, including engineers, psychologists, nutritionists, lab technicians and a detachment of Chilean carabineros. In total, there are roughly 10 professionals fully at work for each trapped miner.

After a week of consultation with Nasa, a team of astronaut specialists will be brought to the mine to monitor the miners. Mañalich appeared relieved by the swell of outside help and cited Nasa’s expertise as key to maintaining the miners’ physical and mental health intact for the ensuing 90 days. “Nasa told us that we need to give them four litres a day of water, given the extreme heat and humidity.”

“I would have to compare this to being trapped behind enemy lines or participating in a space mission,” said Rodrigo Figueroa, one of Chile’s leading psychiatrists who was brought in by the government. “Really I have studied the medical literature and there are no similar situations like this, they simply don’t exist.”

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