Check her out here: http://abbysunderland.com/
Simply awesome!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
BAMF.....
Jordan Rapp posts occasionally about people whom he calls BAMF's. BAMF's are basically people that do or are extraordinary in life. This girl definitely belongs in this category. She is 16 and sailing around the world solo.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Rolling Into 2010
The site is finally up and running! Though a few of the pictures and logo's will be changed, what you currently see is most likely how it will stay! Feel free to post your feedback!
On the coaching side of things, I am finally an LLC. The official title is Blake Becker Multisport Coaching LLC, until I can think of a better name for the company. Minor details ;) All of my athletes are getting back into the groove and many of them are taking advantage of all this snow to avoid long tedious hours on the trainer. This helps them avoid the feeling of being burned out after so many weeks where it is cold and dark outside.
I have 5 slots left for athletes in 2010, which will most likely start to fill up in the next month as people think about their seasons. Contact me at blakebeck@gmail.com if you are interested or would like more information.
Speaking of planning, this is the time to map out your races, rides and events for the coming year. Map everything out and come out of the winter with a plan off attack. This will keep you motivated, excited and ready to race when that ice melts.
On the racing side of things, everything is tentatively set with my 3 Ironmans on the calendar. I will race Ironman Coeur d'Alene in June, Ironman Wisconsin in September and then Kona in October. Outside of these big events you can expect to see me at nearly all of the local events, I have found that a lot of racing is good for me early in the year.
That is about it for now, but I also want to mention a few talks and events I will be attending or giving in the coming weeks.
- January 22nd on how to integrate power into your training. It will take place at the Trek Bicycle Store West at 630pm.
- January 29th I will speak on how to read and interpret that power data. This is also going to be at the TBSW location and will start at 630pm.
- February 1st I am giving a seminar on how to integrate winter sports into your triathlon training. 630pm at Trek Bicycle Store West.
- February 11th 6:30 Get a sneak peek at the new Trek Speed Concept TT Bike at the Trek Bicycle Store EAST location!
**If you are interested in purchasing a powertap, I will have 20% off coupons that I will be distributing at both of my Power Training talks in the coming weeks.
It's almost February, keep it rolling!!
Blake
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Training With Power Seminar Series
TRAINING AND RACING WITH POWER
WHERE: Trek Bicycle Store West
WHEN: THIS FRIDAY, January 8th
TIME: 6:00 - 7:30pm with presentation starting at 630pm./
COST: FREE
Come learn about and increase your knowledge of training and racing with power in our January Training with Power Seminar Series. It is a 3 part series with dates and a brief description given below. Email me with any questions that you might have!
January 8th - THE BASICS OF POWER
This is an overview of what power is and how it is measured. There will be an introduction to the terminology and the Power Tap. Attendees will also learn why training with power is more effective than traditional methods using heartrate and perceived exertion. There will be a lot of time for question and answer
January 22nd - INTEGRATION OF POWER INTO TRAINING AND RACING
Learn how to use power effectively and get the most out of your training and racing. Learn about training zones, power tests and guidelines to follow while out on the bike.
January 29th - ANALYZING AND INTERPRETING DATA
Learn how to be able to download your power file, what that file shows and how to read the data. Then learn how to integrate the results into your future training and racing.
*** Each seminar will have a question and answer portion and a brief summary of what was given at the previous seminars. Handouts will also be available, as well as a link to notes online.
Hope to see you there!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Training Through The Holiday's
It is the favorite time of year for many people, but unfortunately it is also the most stressful. It seems as though every aspect of our life has become more stressful. There are work deadlines, holiday planning, shopping, visiting family and I haven't even started to mention 'everyday' life or training!
There is so much to do, that it is easy to see why many people fall off the wellness wagon. It is important to remember that it doesn't have to be this way. I love the following quote for life in general, but especially when stress gets high!
"Learn from the past, plan for the future, but live in the moment!"
- Continue to do what has worked in the past and avoid what hasn't. There is no sense in repeating things that don't work for you. Don't worry about how many chocolates you ate this morning at work, or that swim session that you missed earlier this week. Those moments are gone and only thing we can do is use knowledge from the past, to plan a better future.
- Create a rough outline and plan that will help keep you on track if you start to feel overwhelmed. Don't dwell on it, but use it to help guide you when you are you are so stressed, that you don't know which way is up. Plan your workouts, plan your shopping, plan your meals and be very liberal on how much time you think everything will take. For example; if you have a 1 hour ski scheduled, realize that you will need to allot much more time than just that hour. You will need time for getting dressed and undressed, time to pack your nutrition, time to commute (twice) and realize that you may or may not run into a friend out on the trail.
- Stay in the moment, live in the moment and enjoy the moment. We are one person and can only do one thing at a time. Focus on what you are doing, love it and know that the present is the only thing that we can do anything about.
I hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday season! 2010 season starts January 1st!
Blake
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Off Season Officially Started!
I am now offically two weeks into my off season and it is a nice change of pace. Im still training every day, but usually just 1 or maybe 2 sessions per day. I'll most likely keep this rolling through the Thanksgiving weekend and then start to get back into things a little bit more in the following week.
I wanted to thank everyone who came out to the Trek Bicycle Store Madison West location lastnight! Seeing you forgo the opening of "New Moon" (unlike 26.3 million other American's) and attend the event really did mean a lot ;) In the end it was a huge success! We had a great time with food, drinks, music, a little silliness, along with the creation of more than a few holiday wish list's! Thank you also to all of the westside store employee's! You guys are awesome and always work very hard to make sure these things go extremely smooth!
More to come soon...have to head out to ride and take advantage of this 55* November weather! Oh yeah, and it's NOT windy!!
BB
I wanted to thank everyone who came out to the Trek Bicycle Store Madison West location lastnight! Seeing you forgo the opening of "New Moon" (unlike 26.3 million other American's) and attend the event really did mean a lot ;) In the end it was a huge success! We had a great time with food, drinks, music, a little silliness, along with the creation of more than a few holiday wish list's! Thank you also to all of the westside store employee's! You guys are awesome and always work very hard to make sure these things go extremely smooth!
More to come soon...have to head out to ride and take advantage of this 55* November weather! Oh yeah, and it's NOT windy!!
BB
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ironman Florida
Both of the times I have raced Ironman Florida the water has actually looked like what an ocean is suppose to look like! Standing on the start line the horizon looked like a distant mountain range, rather than a smooth never ending sheet of blue-green glass. The gun went off and it was probably the least rough start to an Ironman I have had in a long time. We were all one big happy group out to the turn until we turned into the sun and left to deal with the 4ft swells. It seems that everyone decided to take their own line to the return leg of the loop. I tried to guess which set of feet to stay on so I could remain at the front of the group. Unfortunately, I guessed incorrectly and was in no man's land with a few other swimmers.
I came out of the water in around 19th position and was quickly onto the bike with my good buddy Justin Daerr (JD). He and I trained in Clermont, FL together for a long time and as we rolled out I joked about how it felt just like old times. We were greeted by 50 miles of headwind to start the ride, which was NOT fun. I just kept as low of a profile as I could and kept the power steady at about 80% of my threshold. JD and I tried unsuccessfully to drop a few riders that began to accumulate behind us. Early in the ride, into a headwind, it just wasnt possible. These guys could ride, they just choose to sit in.
We made the turn and had a ROCKIN' tailwind for about 20 miles...I'm talking 30-35mph. I chilled out a bit here and knew I could get a good look at the field at the turn-around. When we got there, i was glad to see that even though Luke McKenzie was off the front, the rest of the field was very close.
As the miles ticked by, I made my way through the field and was pleased to end the ride with a 4:33 bike split in 7th position overall, just a few minutes down on second place. Off the bike, the legs felt great. I rolled through the first few miles feeling smooth and could see 3rd-6th up the road. About mile 3, something just wasn't right...my stomach and GI started rumbling and I was then forced to stop almost every mile. My cast iron stomach was failing me :)
I eventually was able to manage the issue by limiting my nutrition to only water and a little bit of coke every few miles. I knew the lack of calories would mean a bonk at some point, but I was just hoping to finish before that might happen.
When running, I was running ok (6:40-6:50 per mile), I just couldnt keep it going for long without stopping. At 30k, I did the math and thought I could finish under 8:50 unless the world ended...and THAT is where I jinxed myself. At the 34k (21.5miles), the world ended! HA! I went from running to walking within about 10 steps!
I did what I had to and walked to the finish. Not what I wanted, but again...another step forward and that's all that matters!!
Now a bit of a break for me, then a lot to work on before next season! Thanks again to everyone for their support, I could not do what I do and keep the passion and fire lit without you! Timex, Trek, K-Swiss, my family and friend3s :) you guys are amazing!
My new site should be up shortly, as well as some other exciting news regarding next season!
Time to dust off the ski's!!
BB
I came out of the water in around 19th position and was quickly onto the bike with my good buddy Justin Daerr (JD). He and I trained in Clermont, FL together for a long time and as we rolled out I joked about how it felt just like old times. We were greeted by 50 miles of headwind to start the ride, which was NOT fun. I just kept as low of a profile as I could and kept the power steady at about 80% of my threshold. JD and I tried unsuccessfully to drop a few riders that began to accumulate behind us. Early in the ride, into a headwind, it just wasnt possible. These guys could ride, they just choose to sit in.
We made the turn and had a ROCKIN' tailwind for about 20 miles...I'm talking 30-35mph. I chilled out a bit here and knew I could get a good look at the field at the turn-around. When we got there, i was glad to see that even though Luke McKenzie was off the front, the rest of the field was very close.
As the miles ticked by, I made my way through the field and was pleased to end the ride with a 4:33 bike split in 7th position overall, just a few minutes down on second place. Off the bike, the legs felt great. I rolled through the first few miles feeling smooth and could see 3rd-6th up the road. About mile 3, something just wasn't right...my stomach and GI started rumbling and I was then forced to stop almost every mile. My cast iron stomach was failing me :)
I eventually was able to manage the issue by limiting my nutrition to only water and a little bit of coke every few miles. I knew the lack of calories would mean a bonk at some point, but I was just hoping to finish before that might happen.
When running, I was running ok (6:40-6:50 per mile), I just couldnt keep it going for long without stopping. At 30k, I did the math and thought I could finish under 8:50 unless the world ended...and THAT is where I jinxed myself. At the 34k (21.5miles), the world ended! HA! I went from running to walking within about 10 steps!
I did what I had to and walked to the finish. Not what I wanted, but again...another step forward and that's all that matters!!
Now a bit of a break for me, then a lot to work on before next season! Thanks again to everyone for their support, I could not do what I do and keep the passion and fire lit without you! Timex, Trek, K-Swiss, my family and friend3s :) you guys are amazing!
My new site should be up shortly, as well as some other exciting news regarding next season!
Time to dust off the ski's!!
BB
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Believing In You!
I was going to write this post after Ironman Florida, but I had some time and thought that I would write it prematurely. Triathlon (Ironman) is not only a sport and a lifestyle, but it is something that we use to teach us more about ourselves.
It is not about going fast for most athletes, but it is about setting off on a journey that we may or may not have thought we could complete. It is about showing ourselves that the so called "impossible," is truly possible. All we have to do is BELIEVE.
For many athletes, it is not just about the racing. It might be about losing weight, or it might be about feeling confident in who we are, our self image or maybe showing ourselves that we can live a healthy lifestyle, when we never have. When I think about all these things, I think about change and I think about empowering ourselves to live better lives and become happier people. Don't take a back seat to life, go get it..."We create our own lives and happiness." Work in a career that you are excited about every single day, surround yourself with positive influences that enhance your life, not inhibit it! Believe in yourself, always...now matter how absurd or rediculous it seems. If you don't try and you don't believe, it will never happen and you will never know.
We are constantly comparing ourselves to the rest of this world; other people, possessions, things we do, race times, our weight, our pant size, everything. We might think to ourselves, "I train that much, why can't I go that fast?" or " I eat this way and train that much, why can't I look like that or why am I not that size?" The reason is because all of us are different and need something that works for us, not someone else.
The best thing you can do is focus on you! Win those small battles one by one and stay in the moment, celebrate the victories along the way and believe that what you are doing is what is BEST for YOU. Take comfort in know that if something doesn't work, you can just change...it doesn't mean that you failed, as I hear all the time. Make modifications, go another direction, think outside the box, because there isnt just one shot at things, or a last shot...it is trial and error and learning and implimenting in the future.
To throw in some personal experience on this topic, I will offer this. I don't have the super-natural gift that many athletes have (yes I do realize I have some), but I have also trained around 10,000 hours in the last 8 years, that's alot! I rode 5:21 and finished in 10:35 in my 2nd Ironman Wisconsin. It took me 4 years to ride a faster bike split and finish with a faster time. To add more fuel to this fire, It took me 16, YES 16 Ironman races to NOT blow up on the bike...I had a LOT of people telling me that maybe I just couldnt go faster, that maybe I should focus on the shorter distance, but I believed...deep down, sometimes I forced myself to, but I knew I could.
This year I stepped back from the sport mentally and emotionally, I didn't look at what anyone else was doing and frankly I didn't really care. I focused on myself and what worked for me. I trained hard and recovered until I could go hard again. I focused on workouts that I enjoyed and believed in myself every step of the way.
At the end of the day (or the races:) I was the athlete that I wanted to be, I PR'd by 13minutes at the half ironman distance. I increased my threshold for the first time in 3 years and rode 30minutes faster on the bike in an Ironman, than I ever had before.
I got to where I wanted to be by doing everything that I had avoided in the past and thought didn't work. I let go, just listened to my body and I believed in myself. So whether you are trying to lose 15 lbs, qualify for Kona, love how you look, or just finish in a race. What seems impossible, is not! NEVER give up and keep on searching until you find the magic combination and balance that works for you!
Ok, that's all for today! 1 week of IMFL prep for me! I can't wait to see a temp above 60*!!!
Keep the faith,
Blake
It is not about going fast for most athletes, but it is about setting off on a journey that we may or may not have thought we could complete. It is about showing ourselves that the so called "impossible," is truly possible. All we have to do is BELIEVE.
For many athletes, it is not just about the racing. It might be about losing weight, or it might be about feeling confident in who we are, our self image or maybe showing ourselves that we can live a healthy lifestyle, when we never have. When I think about all these things, I think about change and I think about empowering ourselves to live better lives and become happier people. Don't take a back seat to life, go get it..."We create our own lives and happiness." Work in a career that you are excited about every single day, surround yourself with positive influences that enhance your life, not inhibit it! Believe in yourself, always...now matter how absurd or rediculous it seems. If you don't try and you don't believe, it will never happen and you will never know.
We are constantly comparing ourselves to the rest of this world; other people, possessions, things we do, race times, our weight, our pant size, everything. We might think to ourselves, "I train that much, why can't I go that fast?" or " I eat this way and train that much, why can't I look like that or why am I not that size?" The reason is because all of us are different and need something that works for us, not someone else.
The best thing you can do is focus on you! Win those small battles one by one and stay in the moment, celebrate the victories along the way and believe that what you are doing is what is BEST for YOU. Take comfort in know that if something doesn't work, you can just change...it doesn't mean that you failed, as I hear all the time. Make modifications, go another direction, think outside the box, because there isnt just one shot at things, or a last shot...it is trial and error and learning and implimenting in the future.
To throw in some personal experience on this topic, I will offer this. I don't have the super-natural gift that many athletes have (yes I do realize I have some), but I have also trained around 10,000 hours in the last 8 years, that's alot! I rode 5:21 and finished in 10:35 in my 2nd Ironman Wisconsin. It took me 4 years to ride a faster bike split and finish with a faster time. To add more fuel to this fire, It took me 16, YES 16 Ironman races to NOT blow up on the bike...I had a LOT of people telling me that maybe I just couldnt go faster, that maybe I should focus on the shorter distance, but I believed...deep down, sometimes I forced myself to, but I knew I could.
This year I stepped back from the sport mentally and emotionally, I didn't look at what anyone else was doing and frankly I didn't really care. I focused on myself and what worked for me. I trained hard and recovered until I could go hard again. I focused on workouts that I enjoyed and believed in myself every step of the way.
At the end of the day (or the races:) I was the athlete that I wanted to be, I PR'd by 13minutes at the half ironman distance. I increased my threshold for the first time in 3 years and rode 30minutes faster on the bike in an Ironman, than I ever had before.
I got to where I wanted to be by doing everything that I had avoided in the past and thought didn't work. I let go, just listened to my body and I believed in myself. So whether you are trying to lose 15 lbs, qualify for Kona, love how you look, or just finish in a race. What seems impossible, is not! NEVER give up and keep on searching until you find the magic combination and balance that works for you!
Ok, that's all for today! 1 week of IMFL prep for me! I can't wait to see a temp above 60*!!!
Keep the faith,
Blake
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