Newsletter - February, 2004 Welcome to the Wes Hobson Performance Newsletter! Sponsored by Clifbar and Cervelo In This Issue:

CAMPERS SAVE UP TO $500 ON WHP PRODUCT PROMOTIONS!

Included in this issue:

BUY THE KURT KINETIC FLUID TRAINER & RECEIVE ALL THREE ENDURANCE FILMS FREE….A $80 VALUE!!!

For the month of February only, buy one of the premier Kurt Kinetic indoor trainers, either the Standard Trainer or the Road Machine, and receive all three films Triathlon ~ Through the Eyes of the Elite, Triathlon ~ Racing Faster and Rides: Volume 1: The Rockies" FREE (S&H $5.95) This is a $80 value!!! www.weshobsonpeformance.com/

7 Mistakes Triathletes Make Most. Hopefully, You Can Avoid Making Them! + Bonus Section From A Newbie!

Las Vegas Fantasy Triathlon Camp Filling Up!

The third annual Las Vegas Fantasy camp at the Venetian Resort and Casino is March 11-14, 2004. The camp is already more than half full:

For more information, go to www.weshobsonperformance.com/camps

Boulder Triathlon Camps:

If you can't make it to Las Vegas, then be sure to register for one of the three camps at the "triathlon Mecca," Boulder, Colorado.

For more details, again go to www.weshobsonperformance.com/camps

Island Triathlon Camp: March 5-7, Hilton Head Island

Brochure & Sign-up (PDF): Join us for an educational, motivational, and fun weekend that will kick off your 2004 triathlon season. From beginner to seasoned veteran, sprint to ironman distance, every triathlete will benefit from this camp. Wes Hobson, Dave Scott and Chann McRae.

CAMPERS CAN SAVE $500 ON WHP PRODUCT PROMOTIONS!
After campers register for any of the Wes Hobson Performance Camps, they will receive a special promotional package. This package offers special pricing to the campers of Wes Hobson Performance Merchandise. Examples of the special pricing are: Consultation with Wes Hobson, TRIALL3SPORTS travel bike cases, Compex muscle stimulation, Orca wetsuits, Kurt Kinetic fluid trainers. Again, this special is only for camp registrants. YOU CAN PAY FOR THE NEWBIE OR EXPERIENCED CAMPS JUST WITH THE DISCOUNTS while enjoying the savings on reliable and quality products!!! This doesn't even include the goodie bag valued at over $100 during the camp itself!

Q&A:

Question: Apnea: Do you recommend doing Apnea (Free Divers) workout they are hard and many of times I have almost past out from them? The principal is working your muscles to work in a low or limited oxygen environment. So when you go a oxygen rich (regular air @ any sea level) environment, your muscles are more than happy. My friend David Lee can explain it better than I can. 100 - 200 Meter Sprinters do this with out them knowing, because a great 100 meter race is done on 3 breaths of air. Apnea workouts are like blood doping but naturally. The only thing is the Danger

Wes' Response:
I would have to say that for triathletes, there is little benefit to doing these types of workouts. If you truly want to gain benefits of having oxygen rich blood, then you need to be in an environment where you are consistently getting the effects of non-oxygen rich air such as at altitude. To raise your hemoglobin levels, doing Apnea training will not achieve this. You would have to be doing Apnea breathing not only in training, but all day. I am sure hyperventilation would take over after ten minutes. It is hard for me to see any positive affect of doing even run training, even for those who train for running sprint races, since the race is over before oxygen consumption is even turning to lactic acid. By the time the oxygen deficiency affects the body, the race is over. A 100 meter race is almost purely anaerobic, so the number of breaths the sprinter takes is nearly irrelevant The only type of run distance where Apnea training may be POSSIBLY an effective use of training MIGHT be the 400.

For triathlon specific racing or for any distance, because the sprint distance triathlons are still endurance races, you need to have a raised hemoglobin count which I believe can only be sustained three ways.

On an aside, one of my fellow coaching associates, Tom Rodgers writes, "free divers training techniques, such as their breathing exercises, produces incredible lung capacity. It's NOT the same as VO2 max for endurance athletes, but in terms of sheer liters of air they can hold, it's pretty incredible. They also hit heart rates down to 15-20bpm at maximum depth due to blood shunting caused by the pressure. It has never been recommended doing any of the free divers routines as an adjunct to endurance sports or anything else for that matter; conversely, however, the aerobic capacity of endurance athletes make them ideal candidates to become free divers." This is if you want to decide to change sports! Most importantly, Apnea training is not worth the risk, especially don't be doing multiple Apnea sets on the bike :)

DO YOU FIND YOUR TRAINING STAGNANT WITH NO IMPROVEMENT? ARE YOU STUCK IN A MENTAL GLUT? ARE YOU SECOND GUESSING

your training? Are your goals defined? Is your planning going to give you the best results? Now is the right time to get a triathlon coach. You can have your questions answered and more with a WHP Network coach. Don't be second guessing your training. www.weshobsonpeformance.com/coaches. Personalized monthly coaching fees range from $150 per month to $485 per month. Do you need simple direction in preparing for a race? Purchase a 10-16 week pre race training program designed by Wes himself at www.trainingible.com/whp.

FEATURED COACH OF THE MONTH…TIM LUCHINSKI

Tim Luchsinski is a perfect example of a quality coach. Tim has the experience, finishing 13th overall at the Hawaii Ironman, and is one of the premier coaches in the WHP network. Tim was coached by Wes and he currently has two openings for his coaching at $250 per month. E-mail Wes@weshobsonperformance.com for coaching in inquiries for any of the coaches.

WHAT ARE YOU GRIPING ABOUT??

Japan's athlete monks run up to two marathons a day for 100 days on their path of enlightenment.

James Davis
Sunday April 22, 2001
The London Observer

There is a group of men who can claim - though they never do - to be the greatest, toughest, most committed athletes in the world. They run for no other reward than spiritual enlightenment, hoping to help themselves along the path of Buddha towards a personal awakening. They are the so-called 'marathon monks' of Mount Hiei, Japan.

The monks, known as Kaihigyo, are spiritual athletes from the Tendai Sect of Buddhism, based at Mount Hiei, which overlooks the ancient capital city of Kyoto.

The ultimate achievement is the completion of the 1,000-day challenge, which must surely be the most demanding physical and mental challenge in the world. Forget ultra-marathons and so-called iron-man events, this endurance challenge surpasses all others.

Only 46 men have completed the 1,000-day challenge since 1885. It takes seven years to complete, as the monks must undergo other Buddhist training in meditation and calligraphy, and perform general duties within the temple.

The first 300 days are basic training, during which the monks run 40km per day for 100 consecutive days. In the fourth and fifth years they run 40km each day for 200 consecutive days. That's more or less a full marathon every day for more than six months.

The final two years of the 1000-day challenge are even more daunting. In the sixth year they run 60km each day for 100 consecutive days and in the seventh year they run 84km each day for 100 consecutive days. This is the equivalent of running two Olympic marathons back-to-back every day for 100 days.

Author John Stevens, in his book, The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei describes the running style which dates back over a thousand years. 'Eyes focused about 100 feet ahead while moving in a steady rhythm, keeping the head level, the shoulders relaxed, the back straight, and the nose aligned with the navel.'

What makes all these distances even more amazing is the manner and the conditions in which the monks run. These runs are usually begun at night and are over mountain paths that are uneven and poorly marked. During the winter months the low temperatures and snow are a great hindrance to the runners. These monks do not wear the latest in footwear and clothing, but run in straw sandals, an all-white outfit and a straw hat. They also run on a diet of vegetables, tofu and miso soup, which modern athletes and nutritionists would deem to be unsuitable for endurance events.

Not only do they wear clothes and shoes unsuited to running, but they have to carry books with directions and mantras to chant, food to offer along the way, candles for illumination, as well as a sheathed knife and a rope, known as the 'cord of death'. These remind the monk of his duty to take his life if he fails, by hanging or self-disembowelment. The course is littered with unmarked graves, marking the spot where monks have taken their own lives. However, there have been no cases of monks' suicides since the nineteenth century.

During these long runs the monks must make stops at temples of worship that can number up to 260. This means that the 86km run can take up to 20 hours to complete leaving the monk with very little time for recovery or rest, but as an old saying goes: 'Ten minutes' sleep for a marathon monk is worth five hours of ordinary rest.' They also learn to rest sections of their body while running, such as their arms or shoulders.

And then there is the doiri, where the monk faces seven days without food, water or sleep or rest. During this time the monk will spend his entire day reciting Buddhist chants and mantras - perhaps up to 100,000 each day. The only time the monk will leave the temple is at 2am to walk the 200m to a well and return with water to make an offering. He is not allowed to drink any himself and the 200m walk can take up to two hours in the final days of the fast. During his time spent meditating there are two monks who are in constant attention to ensure that he does not fall asleep.

For several weeks before doiri, the monk will reduce his food intake so his body can cope with the fast. The first day is no problem, but there is some nausea on the second and third days. By the fourth and fifth days the hunger pangs have disappeared, but the monk has become so dehydrated that there is no saliva in his mouth and he will begin to taste blood.

The purpose of doiri is to bring the monk face-to-face with death. During this fast, the monks develop extraordinary powers of sense. They talk of being able to hear the ashes of incense sticks fall to the ground and, perhaps unsurprisingly, of the ability to smell food being prepared miles away.

Physiologists, who have examined the monks after conclusion of the rite, find many of the symptoms of a 'dead person'. Monks talk of experiencing a feeling of transparency where everything good, bad and neutral leaves their body and existence in itself is revealed in crystal clarity.

Even today thousands will turn out to watch a monk nearing completion of a 1,000-day term, as he runs the old course that now passes through Kyoto's shopping streets and the entertainment district, complete with its bars, restaurants and strip joints. Many turn up hoping to be blessed by these special monks whom they believe have powers to heal.

Japan has the largest number of marathon runners per capita in the world. From the Arctic northern island of Hokkaido to the balmy tropical islands of Okinawa in the Pacific.

ACUPUNCTURE - WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR & HOW CAN IT HEAL AN INJURY? By jon simon

In my private practice I have seen amazing results with acupuncture. Of course, I am not the most objective of observers, but I do feel acupuncture should be the first line of defense for many sports related injuries.

For example, a triathlete I treat regularly suffers from stiff shoulders, which have kept her from training for the past year. The stiffness is a side effect of her asthma and exercise choice which centers on swimming and running. As a city dweller, she can only cycle occasionally. Over the years the pain became progressively worse until she could no longer race. I alleviated her pain by treating her shoulders and stimulating the lung meridian. It was important that she breathe properly and release the tension in her shoulders, allowing her to train with less pain. In this case, the problem will never go away entirely; however, she now looks forward to a full season of racing.

--To read the rest of this article click here.

IRONMAN FLAGS:

For those of you who have completed or are planning to compete in an Ironman race, you might want to have your own personal memento. Visit www.IronmanFlags.com. Receive a WHP discount of 15%. Just put the special discount code in the "coupon code" portion of the order and 15% will be deducted from your order. The coupon code is: TeamDiscount.

CRUNCHES: THE MORE THE MERRIER

Crunches and side crunches are very beneficial. I have been doing crunches on a big, bouncy ball where I lay on my back on top of the ball. This really works a lot of the abdominal muscles. The ball also significantly decreases the stress on the back as when we do sit-ups on a hard surface.

This set, which only takes about three minutes, as proved significant gains in not only how I look, but also in strengthening the core (torso) area for the demands of triathlon training.
12 crunches looking forward followed right into 18 crunches where I go left side looking as I do the sit-up (back down), crunch looking forward (back down) and then a crunch looking right (back down).

I rest two minutes or else I do another exercise. I do four sets like this. As you start out, just do two sets and build to four. It doesn't seem like a lot, but you will feel it. Do these slowly, don't hurry the routine.

QUCIK TIP: FORM WITH SWIMMING

While swimming, if you start to fatigue and you find you are losing good form and reverting back to your old ways of bad technique, then rest more between intervals. I know this may be is tougher to do in a master's swim, but maybe you end up doing a 50 less than others in your lane. This time of year, work on form, then intensity.

WHP WILL SOON BE SELLING TRIALL3 BIKE CASES!

I traveled to over 220 races in my triathlon career. I still travel to camps, clinics as well as mini-camps with my clients. Whenever I fly, I use the TRIALL3SPORTS bike case. I have use these bike cases for over a decade and I know that my bike will arrive safely, even with the way baggage handlers through luggage around. Coming soon, WHP will e selling these bike cases to satisfy your travel needs.

Newsletter Forwarding:

Readers are encouraged to forward this newsletter to friends, family members and other triathletes. If you've been forwarded this newsletter and would like to subscribe (for free), complete the easy online subscription form at www.weshobsonperformance.com.

About Wes:

Wes Hobson has competed in over 220 triathlons, from sprint- to Ironman-distance. He garnered 35 first places, 60 top-three finishes and 96 top-five finishes during his 12-year professional career that also included being selected "Triathlete of the Year" by the USOC. Wes co-authored Swim, Bike, Run, and created three triathlon and cycling related films. Wes coaches multisport athletes, single-sport athletes and puts on the Wes Hobson Performance Triathlon Camps. He can be reached at wes@weshobsonperformance.com. To purchase any of his films or book, visit www.weshobsonperformance.com.

 

Contact: Wes Hobson

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