After months of not being in water except for showering, I finally made it to the pool on base. Luckily the pool is heated and Okinawa doesn’t get below 60 degrees. Swimming will be a struggle for this triathlon as it is my weakest event and it is very technical to be a good swimmer. A 30 minute swim session left me extremely sore the next day, ontop of hitting up the boxing gym. I cannot believe I am on training day 20 already! 135 to go!
Stairway to Heaven Day 15
Suckered my friend into bicycling to the Stairway to Heaven here in Okinawa. After a little confusing from Google Maps taking us down wrong roads and not the best directions from a source my friend had, we made it to the Stairway to Heaven! There were a couple added hills we rode up while looking for the stair step but all in good training.
The hill will be easy to incorporate into the days I have to bike and run, this steepness will condition the legs and lungs faster than regular flat ground running. Sprints will work in the same manner to strengthen and condition.
By the way the sports drink I had on my ride today was absolutely terrible by itself. Next time if I do have to use I will mix it with fruit juice or Gatorade.
Boxing Session Day 13
Tonight I decided to get back into the boxing gym and literally hit it hard! Afterwards we went out for a dinner with a friend that is leaving on Saturday. We tried raw chicken from the restaurant and it was surprising good with a little soy sauce.
Indoor Trainer Session Day 12
After a long day I decided to do a hard effort for 35 minutes on the bike trainer then follow it with a 2 mile run. Trainer sessions are boring but a good show or music can make it a tad bit more enjoyable. Benefits of trainer sessions is it will discipline you to not stop pedalling but instead to change gears as needed. Trainer sessions also allow for uninterrupted cycling, not having stop at red lights or in traffic. Following up a trainer session with a run is quicker and easier than trying to go out for a ride then come back and go back out in a decent time.
Half Ironman Training Day 11
New supplements, cookbook, and training schedule!
Half Ironman Training Week 1
First video up of my training! I need to work on the audio in my next videos but let me know what you think!
Steak and Sweet Potatoes (Paleo Friendly)
Tonight after my workout of mostly pull-ups, push-ups, and kettlebell exercises. I made a delicious dinner of steak and sweet potatoes. Starting the diet has been a struggle adjusting to from my normal eating habits, the cravings for bread are ridiculous especially when walking past the bakery at the commissary. The dish would be easy to make a large amount then slice the steak to separate for meal prep containers. This dinner will definitely be added to my meals list though!
Ingredients:
Favorite cut of steak
Sweet potatoes
Tonkatsu Sauce
Onion
Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parsley
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
I started by marinating my steak in a light coating of tonkatsu sauce. After several hours I preheated the oven to 350 and began to saute the garlic and a medium layer of olive oil in a braiser pan for easy transition to the oven. Once the garlic is caramelized add in the onions for caramelizing. Cut up the sweet potato into cubes then throw into pan and season with parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until outside is golden brown and crispy. Push potatoes and onions to edge of pan to make a space in the middle for the steak. Place steak in pan then place in the oven for 10 minutes. Broil for another 5 to crisp everything up.
Next time I make this dish I will marinate my steak longer and add in a little vinegar to tenderize the steak better. I will also try just broiling the dish because the pan is already cooking the steak from the underside.
Please comment your suggestions and recommendation to the recipe!
I will update as I experiment with different techniques.
