Newsletter - December, 2004

Welcome to the Wes Hobson Performance Newsletter!
Sponsored by Orca, Cervelo and Rudy Project In This Issue:
              
by Jeff Mallett              

* A PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT!!! - 2005 WHP Triathlon Camps:

The Newbie and Experienced Camps have been announced for 2005 in Boulder, Colorado! The Newbie Camp is June 2-5 and the Experienced Camp is the following week, June 9-12. The price, $795, includes all meals, an expert coaching staff, film analysis and new friendships with fellow triathletes. Register before January 1 and the price is only $695. To register, go to www.weshobsonperformance.com/camps. In addition, campers can receive up to $500 in value on WHP merchandise through special camper discounts.
http://www.weshobsonperformance.com/camps/special_offers.html

Added to the already excellent staff, other speakers will be:

* Richard Sawiris of www.wheelbuilder.com will have a presentation on the benefits of wattage based power training as well as bike equipment to improve aerodynamics. He will also have PowerTap wheels on hand for you to try. In addition, Richard will offer special discounts on wheel sets only to WHP Campers.

* Erin Carson, head instructor of Rally Sport Health Club, will put you through the Optimal Training Strength workout.

* New Compex Fitness Trainer is now available!!!

Many of you have "felt" the advantages of the Compex Sport at half the price, just $499 and free shipping! Compex has introduced the Fitness Trainer. Compex Technology enhances training and improves athletic performance. Approved by the FDA, Compex Fitness Trainer is proven in clinical tests to build muscle size and strength, as well as improve endurance and aid in faster muscle recovery on a post event basis. Used by 5 Time World Champion Simon Lessing! Go to merchandise of www.weshobsonperformance.com.

* Preserving Your Weight through the Holidays

As you prepare for this coming triathlon season, many of you have made a goal to lose a certain amount of weight. Whilst in the midst of losing the unwanted weight, WHAM, the holidays come bullying their way into your training. The typical American gains between 4 to 6 pounds from Thanksgiving to New Years. If you do expand your girth during the holidays, you will regret having those fried hush puppies or your Aunt's scrumptious cookies during the next triathlon's hilly bike climb or run segment.

As you attend holiday parties, you still have the opportunity to indulge on some of the foods presented to you and not come across as a tri geek to your non-athletic friends and relatives by announcing a self-inflicted "fast" during the holidays. When going to parties, try to enjoy a variety of foods, but have small portions of what is offered. Take smaller bites of each food instead of one big bite. This will keep you from feeling deprived, but also control your caloric and fat intake. As you browse the spread or create your meals, here are a few ideas to help you enjoy the holiday festivities and not feel guilty taking a bite.

As you arrive:
Request a Bloody Mary. It contains a free radical fighting antioxidant called lycophene which aids in clearing your arteries. The tomato juice provides you with half of your daily allowance of Vitamin C.

The gossip food:
Once you have your beverage, you most likely will progress to appetizers and have "social hour." This is where many people consume the most calories. You come hungry and the appetizer session can last for a long time. Hence, you will find yourself munching as you talk. When socializing, focus on activities other than eating and pace yourself with what you eat. Initially, don't fill your entire plate with food. Instead, fill up a quarter of the plate and leave the serving dish. Say to yourself that when your plate is done, you can get more. In many instances, when the plate is gleaned, you may be far enough away from the food tray and engrossed in such profound conversation with your mother-in-law that you don't want to take the time to go fill your plate. Target these foods while gossiping.

Skip the potato chips and go for carrots and spinach dip. Carrots and spinach are filled with antioxidants named carotenoids. Also, skip the breaded, deep fried cheese sticks and delve your toothpick into stuffed mushroom caps. Although mushrooms are not one of my favorites, they are mostly made of water and air. Mushrooms are low in calories, but big on flavor.

Go for the seafood. Shellfish, such as shrimp and crab legs, are high in omega 3 fatty acids, which increases your metabolic rate, makes you a more efficient fat burner and produces testosterone which enhances muscle building. In addition, shellfish are low in calories. To top off this delectable appetizer, use a spicy red sauce instead of butter. In addition to the above benefits of shellfish, these fruits of the sea also contain vitamin B12 which helps fend off fatigue; zinc, which aids your immune system; and iodine, which helps synthesize protein and carbs.

Finally, sitting down:
If you aren't stuffed with the appetizers, there are some holiday main courses you can consume and still feel like you can swim on top of the water instead of under the water the next day.

Turkey is always an excellent selection for a main course, but don't discount ham. The nutritional value of ham has improved in quality as the fat content has decreased. Calorically, a three ounce slice of ham is only 100-150 calories.

To cap off your meal:
It would be tough for me to tell you to shun eating plum pudding with custard during the holidays. Hopefully, you will savor just a few bites of the plum pudding and then go to a fresh fruit salad to satisfy your sweet tooth. Remember, your taste buds, which send the grateful synapses to your brain, will soon forget the satisfying taste of what you ate. If you can limit your amount of dessert intake, you will be happier come the next training session. The key is to control yourself from over eating during the process which your stomach signals to your brain that you are happily satiated.

With foresight:
During the holidays, keep your triathlon goals firmly engrained in your mind. It is easy to lose sight of your ultimate vision and why you began your fitness or nutrition program. Spend time prior to the beginning of the holiday season reinforcing how your triathlon racing will be better when you are at your goal race weight.

Avoid the all or nothing mentality. No one is perfect. There might be a time or two when you go overboard by not only eating unhealthy foods, but also way too much. Don't let this lead to an "I already blew it" binge that lasts until January 1st. One or two days is not going to make or break your weight loss efforts. The key is to get right back on track the next day.

During the holidays, stick to your training program as much as possible. Time permitting, increase the duration of your low intensity efforts to help burn fat. When you know there will be social eating, you can eat less on the days before and after the event. Don't arrive to every social event famished. Have lighter meals the morning of the big feasts to balance your overall caloric intake. Pay attention to how full you are and eat until you are satiated, not stuffed.

Enjoy the holidays with socializing and eating. Eating the right foods and listening to your body when it senses it is full will allow you to stay in mid-season form and mentally feel light when the holiday season retires for yet another year.

* Congrats to WHP Ironman Florida Athletes:
Congrats to WHP Team members Kevin Neal and Andrew Halperin who both achieved personal best's at IM Florida. Kevin did a 10:09:19 with his previous best being a 10:53 at the recent IM Canada. His previous best at IM Florida was an 11:53, before having a coach. Andrew did a PB of 10:09:18. This was on the least amount of training of all of his previous 5 Ironmans as his goal was to do USAT Olympic distance nationals in September. Although sick with a head cold and sore throat, congrats to Dena Eaton for reaching a personal best of 11:42:22 at Ironman Western Australia. Dena has been coached by WHP for just four months and she took 1 hour and 21 minutes of her previous best time. The sky is the limit when she is healthy! Her next race is IM Arizona. Talk about team unity at an Ironman, finishing together out of 2400 participants!

* Training Plans only $5 per week:
Wes has just revised the ten training programs he offers. Now is a great time to start with the 16 Week Prep and Base Phase program.
"Wes, another successful season in the books thanks to your Tri training plans. First time in 6 years of racing - 4 x 30-34 age group podiums (out of 5 races) and 4 minutes subtracted from my PR on 1/3 less training . . . KUDOS to your system!" Jim
Get your training plan at www.trainingpeaks.com/whp.


* GOAL SETTING: THE BEGINNING OF THE FOUNDATION
Need a coach? - www.weshobsonperformance.com/coaching

"An intelligent plan is the first step to success. The man who knows where he is going and who knows what progress he is making, has a pretty good idea when he will arrive. Planning is the open road to your destination. If you don't know where you are going, how can you expect to get there?"
Basil S. Walsh
American Businessman

Setting goals? For many of us, it is a fleeting thought, but never followed through. Although you are fairly disciplined as evidenced by reading this newsletter and exercising, how many of you have a goal associated with exercising? You are motivated now, but how are you going to sustain that motivation two or six months from now? Having goals will help you stay motivated and give you a sense of purpose for what you are doing.

Dream vs. Goal. A dream is what you want. Of the many definitions of a dream, the most profound for this article is that it is "a vision voluntarily indulged in while awake," an aspiration. Goals are the action steps to achieve your dream.

The purpose of goal setting is to:
1. Keep you on track. I relate this to guard rails while driving on mountain roads. The rails keep you from straying.
2. Give you direction in both your athletic, personal and professional life.
3. Give you a chance to reach your potential. If you have no goals, then how do you know if you have been successful? Goals help determine when and what is success. Reaching a goal allows you to congratulate yourself for the effort you have put in to reach the goal.
4. Maximize your activity and energy. If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. I am sure you know people who work all the time and get no where. They are like a ship without a rudder, going in circles. Goals give you the rudder to go in the direction of your dream.
5. Measure your results. You will have concrete and tangible evidence when you have reached your goal.

There are two types of goals.
A long term goal may be two or three years away. I liken this in the athletic arena such as competing an Ironman distance triathlon or marathon. To reach the long term goal, you need short term goals such as first doing an Olympic distance triathlon or 10K run, then competing in a half Ironman distance triathlon or half marathon; thus building your training and racing through experiences to prepare you for the longer distance event.

To help achieve your short term goals consider the following:
1. Share your goals with others. Peer pressure can be fun. It also makes you more accountable to follow through with your goals. Friends can help remind you of your goals when you lack motivation.
2. Make your short-term goals compatible with your long-term goals. As you strive to achieve your short term goals, make sure you are training with the focus of your long term objective. Doing track workouts of 100s and 200s is not the best way to prepare for a half marathon. If you are successful with short-term goals, your long-term goals will fall into place.

Goals are not only athletic, but also beneficial with other areas of your life such as family and work. Aside from being a triathlon coach, I am a realtor and I came across an interesting survey. A group of realtors were asked if they had goals for their profession. 83% of the realtors said they had no goals! 14% of the respondents had unwritten goals. 3% of the people had written their goals down. The 14% who had unwritten goals earned 300% more than those who had no specific goals. Those realtors that wrote specific goals earned 1000% more than those who had no specific goals. By having goals in work, you can accomplish financial success more quickly; creating more time to achieve your athletic goals.

For racing, what should you consider when setting up goals?
1. What distance? In triathlon, having a long term goal such as in the same season being the top amateur in your age group at both the Olympic distance and the Ironman distance will be difficult as well as take a superior genetic composition. Training for both of these distances is equivalent to training for the mile and the marathon at the same time.
2. How many races do you want to do? If your goal is to have a successful Ironman, then racing eight triathlons before it in the same season might be a detriment to your success.
3. What destinations? This is one point where your spouse/family can have input. One of my athletes determines his race season through his wife as she decides what races to attend. This allows her to have input and also gives here something to look forward to since they sacrifice time spent together so he can train.

Goals must be important to you:
Early motivation often fades without a goal. You need to have an inner drive to maintain what you have set. Hypothetically, if one day I decide to excel in bowling because I want to impress my girlfriend, that desire might fade if we broke up. Thus, my desire to achieve wasn't any inner desire. In an initial questionnaire to athletes I coach, I ask them on a scale of 1-15, with 15 being the highest priority, and taking into account all aspects of life, what number is triathlon? Their response determines how hard I push them in reaching their triathlon goals.

Goals must have a time allocated to it.
How much time do you have to train per day, per week, per month and per year? Your goals should take into account if you are only able to train thirty minutes a day compared to having the ability to train three hours a day. You have to determine your goals based on reality.

Goals must be measurable - clearly defined.
You need to know if you are getting closer to your goal. Just as you might have financial goals in your work life such as salary levels one and three years from now, you want to have definitive goal times.

Goals must be under your control.
You must be able to control your goal, trying to have the least amount of outside influences effect it. For example, qualifying to make the Hawaii Ironman might be considered a goal, but on the other hand, you don't know who will be racing at that specific race since there are several Ironman qualifying races. The depth of field may vary widely between races. This is where a time goal is a definite benefit. However, there are always ifs in sports where the environment can't be controlled. For instance, you may have a goal of beating your previous year's Boulder Peak Triathlon time; however, this year's race was hotter and windier. Although your time was slower than the previous year, you may have accomplished more at this year's race, not reflected by your time. In addition, your time goal must be realistic; a hilly course will not be the same as a flat course. There is also the question of accuracy. You cannot get caught up in this. Although I play the devil's advocate, you need to have a way to determine goals and time is a great indicator.

Goals must be a challenge, yet be achievable. If the "bar" of the goal is set too low, then you will quickly lose motivation. If the "bar" is too high, then you will deem the goal as futile and most likely give up. For instance a goal to swim 1500 meters in 14:34, which is the world record, is not realistic as last year you swam 24 minutes for that distance. Have realistic targets that you and others, such as your family, can live with. Be conservative if just getting started.

Goals must be in the positive, not the negative. Do not say don't, say do.

Have goals where you can visually see them. These will be constant reminders. Favorite places to place goals are on a bedpost, as a bookmark, placed on the mirror in the bathroom, attached below the car rearview mirror, on the desk, placed on the edge of the computer screen or even on bike handle bars.

Goals are not written in stone and you can adjust them. Take a moment and write down two dreams. Then write down ten goals to have your dream come true.


* Real Estate Division of WHP

Wes Hobson's Real Estate website is up and running www.realestateboulder.com.

18 ACRE LOTS IN THE MOUNTAINS!
As Spring arrives, so will 23 of the most beautiful 18 acre lots ever....be available to you. WHP Real Estate is assisting in a close of 450 acres of mountain property. Zoning will be completed by March. Incredible views, lots of space with easy accessibility. Just 25 miles from downtown Boulder and 43 miles from downtown Denver. Incredible training opportunities!!! Contact Wes for more information.

We were super excited about being first time home owners. Wes' knowledge of the real estate terms, procedures and true passion of Boulder allowed us to keep that excitement throughout the whole process. He allowed us to enjoy buying our first home and handled everything in a timely manner so there was little stress for us."
Matthew and Kelly Reed

If you are interested in buying a home or selling a house in the Boulder County area, please contact Wes. Wes considers living in Boulder like "taking a vacation." Let him show you why, as well as help you find the right location for your needs, wes@legendaryproperty.com.

* Real Estate Newsletter - FREE
The Real Estate world is always changing. If you would like to subscribe to a monthly newsletter concerning real estate and the effects of how economic indicators such as interest rates are affecting real estate, please subscribe by e-mailing wes@legendaryproperty.com and request the FREE monthly newsletter."

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.

In 2004, Wes has had articles published in magazines Inside Triathlon, American Tri, Lifetime Experience, Muscle & Fitness, Colorado Triathlete and Triathlon & Multisport (#1 read in Australia). He also has articles seen on web sites Triathlete.com, Active.com, ColoradoTriathlete.com, InsideTriathlon.com, AmericanTri.com, Ultrafit.com and several other triathlon coaching sites. Wes coaches multisport athletes, single-sport athletes and puts on the Wes Hobson Performance Triathlon Camps. To purchase any of his films or book, visit www.weshobsonperformance.com.

Contact: Wes Hobson


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