Tuesday is Arabian Nights ride....

On Tuesday nights TriLife sponsors a group ride. This is one of my absolute favorite rides as you are out under the stars enjoying the cool air and great conversation. The mix of riders is fantastic as it ranges from novice to seasoned riders. The group usually takes good care of itself and sometimes ends up in two groups but still maintained. You feel like a champion when it is your turn at the front and then humbled when you rotate off the front. With the addition of the HHSN personal track there is a 10KM sprint that will make you happy you put in the miles. Then the climb up to Al Areen is enough to get a good sweat before taking off on the straight away back to the shop. Show up early and talk shop or joke around with the guys! Great times had by all! #GoTriLife

 

First Triathlon complete!!!

Well folks it happened. I did my first triathlon. Brandon Gibson and myself broke through the wall. The FIT group and Anthony was out there and nailed it as well. The swim went very good for me, yes i was a bit suprised I did as well as I did. Anyways lots of stuff went as planned but leanred more then I ever thought. Overall the fitness for my times was great, I need to work on those transistions though. Here are a few pics from the event! #GoTriLife

Leading the pack....

I realized last night that I lead the pack longer then anyone else. Now I was not in front as in the fastest, no I dropped from the pack and was riding alone behind everyone about 100-150 meters behind. Your first thought is that is not good. However I would say that it isnt so bad. when you are solo you are doing the pushing and pulling which creates a great work out. It is how must TT guys train. So in the end it will make be a stronger better rider. Me, myself, and I!

Purpose and Reason

Over the past few weeks I have had several folks ask me about the activities I have been posting. First I think it is important to go to the foundation. In 2015 I resolved to complete a 96km bike race called Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge and with the support of my wife and friends I did exactly that!

2015 Spinneys Dubai 92 Cycle Challenge Anthony Manabat, Brandon Gibson, Eric Caes, Cody Ewing

 For 2016 my goal is to complete an IronMan 70.3 here in Bahrain. I think you are starting to understand the title to this post now. Going back to the beginning of my healthy activity will mean going back to Nov 2014. As my position in WV was coming to an end I was working very hard to return to Bahrain. There was a very strict rule in place, I had to fall below a 40 BMI (Body Mass Index). So in Nov 2014 I started going to Planet Fitness and watching my food intake. Not good enough for my time constraints. Jan 1 2015 I weighed in at 320lbs. Well above the 40BMI marker. Narlie and I drove to the store and bought a Juicer then went to Sams Club and bought a lot of fruit and veg. That day I started juicing, mainly the Mean Green juice. When I say started I mean the diet. My diet has been deemed controversial by many of my friends but my doctor said I was better for it. I had 3 juices, 1 GNC meal replacement drink, 2 glasses of Metamucil and 1 cup of stir fried veggies.   I also began doing one hour on the elliptical in the morning before work and one hour at night after the kids went to bed. 30 days of this diet will yield a loss of about 2 lbs a day. Now this is not for the person who kinda wants to lose weight. This requires FORTITUDE. I lost 60lbs in 6 weeks. I am healthier for my family and fit for the job.

Mean Green Juice

So here we are March 2016 and I have been working my tail off. I have now also began running. This is a huge learning curve for me. With the support of some great friends and my wife, we did a 10K race and then followed up with a 8K the next week. There is still a lot to learn when it comes to running technique and nutrition. It is getting better though.


Upcoming is a Super Sprint Triathlon. I am signed up but not sure I will compete as my swim is still not comfortable. Tariq at TriLife has given me some really good pointers and I might just go give it my all regardless.

Bahrain Road Runners Nando 10K

The benefit of all this activity is my overall health for my family. There are several ways to verbalize how this all comes together but I will keep it short. Without the support of my wife I would not have been able to come a fraction of the way. She is now joining me in the run and might even compete in the IronMan 70.3 as a team relay! I am very excited for her. To those folks who are looking for motivation, it all starts within you. Keep moving forward.

Purpose vs Reason is up for debate. Either way the adventure has started......


 

Its been a while....

Well folks it has been quite some time since we have a had post. So much has happened. I am working on some product reviews, ride reviews, and general cycling stuff. Its also a new year and my big hope is we can get some contributing writers as well. Here is to a very good 2016!

How far should you be away from another rider before you YACK!

Well today I cracked the 3,000 kilometer mark for the year. That isnt a lot for some but for me it is huge! Today I also set my highest 75% average at 32kph. So all in all a great morning ride. I had the new egg beaters and new Giro Republic shoes as well. The highlight of the ride though was Brandon and his near vomiting experience. So that brings us to the question at hand. How far should you be away from other riders when you are about to yack? Brandon chose the safe route and let me lead the ride and stayed a safe 30 meters behind. For me, well I have a different approach. The other riders should pay mind to my yelling or abnormal hand waving to create a vomit buffer zone. The vomit buffer zone should take wind, splash radius, and head whip into account. What do you think?

*Disclaimer: There was no actual yacking on this ride, Brandon was just very close.

Spinneys Dubai 92 update

Well the race is closing in and we have three confirmed participants from the Missing Links. Eric, Brandon and myself are all confirmed. We are hoping we pick up one or two more folks to round out the team. We have plenty of space in the van and in the hotel room.