Mike Schubert

My focus this year is on nutrition and quality events. For the first time since 2007, there is no full distance Ironman triathlon on my race calendar. I am hoping this will allow me to focus on shedding more weight and building my capacity rather than focusing on getting ready to "get through" a 140.6 mile race. I have picked a handful of triathlons including 2 half-iron distance endeavors. I have also set my sights on 4 or 5 marathons with the goal of going under the 4 hour mark for the first time.

On the work front, my responsibilities are slowly increasing. I have a small portfolio of projects that I'm slated to deliver by the end of March and it is giving me a good taste of the rigors of resource, risk, and plan management at that level. The budget and scope are smaller than the largest project I managed, but has been a good way to get my feet wet in this arena that I hope to fully move into one day. During the 2nd half of 2010, I will likely be involved with revamping either our dot com or intranet platform (or both!). I'm looking forward to the opportunity to continue to grow. I'll yap more about this in March when I look back on my tenure at McKesson.

The top of Fort Mountain
Originally uploaded by Iron Mike Schubert

For many of us in the United States, the weather is getting colder and the urge to ride our bikes outside is dying down. Of course, it's not for me - but the rest of you people may be wimping out and that's okay. This is a friendly reminder for those of you out there still riding to be extra vigilant as there are fewer riders out and motorists may not be as aware of our presence.

If you ride enough miles you will eventually encounter less than friendly motorists that do things to you. I've had people try to run me off the road, throw bottles at me, yell, etc. I've even had stupid people in their own front yard yell at me to get off the road - as if I didn't know where they lived. What idiots.

One of my favorite stories came from the Athena Diaries this summer. Someone pulled a stunt on her while out riding, but evidently they were close to their final destination and she was able to note the address they pulled into. She wrote a friendly blog post titled Dear Pompous Idiot with this gem of a quote inside:

Oh, And thanks so much for pulling into your own driveway and screaming and swearing at us from your very own front yard. I checked on Google Street, and saw the same dark grey Volvo parked in your driveway, and now I know where you live. I’ll be sure and share that address on every cycling advocacy website that I know.

Just remember friends, you have as much right to the road as everyone else. Be smart, be predictable, and be safe.

Western Gulls
Originally uploaded by Iron Mike Schubert

Today is day 5 of trying to eat real food. It's also National Fast Food day in the United States. In the past, many of my snacks during the day have been protein bars - food items that while they appear nutritious from a protein/carbs/fat perspective, were potentially unhealthy due to the amount of processing they have undergone. I also eat out a LOT, and restaurants often use unhealthy things to prepare otherwise healthy menu items.

No, I'm not eating like a bird. I'm just trying to make better choices. Last Thursday and Friday I stopped at Publix on my way to work and picked up fruits (apples & bananas), vegetables (Birdseye Steamfresh veggie bowls), and Amy's Frozen Bowls. It's too early to tell what kind of impact these decisions will have on my training and general wellness, but I figure it can't hurt.

Unless you have a heart rate monitor (and / or a power meter when cycling), you are probably not training as hard as you think you are. I came to this realization this morning in spin class. The batteries died in the HRM I use for indoor work about 8 weeks ago, but for a variety of reasons I had not replaced them. I would ride my 5 a.m. rides based on the old rate of perceived exertion (aka RPE) and judge my progress accordingly.

I purchased new batteries this weekend and went into class this morning ready to rock and roll. Unfortunately, when my heart rate hit 75% of max, my legs were screaming at me. In part I think this was due to my running the hills in San Francisco last week. But I cannot help but wonder if over the last 8 weeks I was taking it too easy. 

What gets measured gets done. And I'm back on it now.

The calendar says Fall, but it seems like we've skipped Fall in Atlanta and moved straight to Winter. Nonetheless, the 5k/10k half/full marathon running calendars now become jam packed with events. For some, it will cap off an accomplishment. They trained for the past several months, show up for their event, and execute. For others, it will serve as inspiration for themselves to get off the couch and go run.

There will be countless articles on "starting running", "your first 5k", etc. etc. The advice will be endless. So it's my turn to give you one piece of advice - just go do it. Don't worry about how far or fast you go. Just do it. Eventually you will go farther or faster or both.

Now for running's dirty little secret - everyone cares how far and fast you went. I have no idea why, but everyone is obsessed with it. How far did you go? How long did it take? As I said above, it does not matter. It is all relative. Running 1 mile is better than sitting on the couch. Running 15 minutes is better than spending 15 minutes at the local all you can eat buffet.

Run YOUR run. Screw everyone else. Achieving what YOU are capable of is what is important.