10 Signs You May Be Training for Ironman

1.  Your idea of a quick lunch is a 1/2 mile swim and a Hammer Gel on the way back to the office

2.  You are the only one in the neighborhood that gets up at 4:30 that isn’t leaving for the airport

3. You are the only one in the neighborhood that goes to bed at 8:30 that isn’t 7 years old

4.  Your car is valued at $5,000 and your bike and all its accessories is worth $7000

5. You train so much your idea of help around the house is putting the toothbrush back in the cup

6. Rumors spread that you may be gay because you’re spending 15 hours a week and every morning with a group of physically fit guys

7. You actually think of passing on sex because it may “take a little out of the legs” before a brick run

8.  You eat 6000 calories one day and still end up negative for the day

9. You’re running next to a guy with a latex bikini top and it doesn’t even faze you

10. Sleeping in is a 6 am workout

6 Minute Training Week?

The New York Times ran a piece about a study done in Japan that showed rats that were forced to swim super hard for 6 minutes a week had the same fitness gains as another group that swam 6 hours a week at a slow endurance pace. They also cited a similar study done in Canada with untrained college students and stationary bikes.

Gotta love scientific studies that prove what is already known. Intervals work. Duh. Now before you go and bail on your long ride this weekend it is important to recognize the subjects used in this study were not athletes so really it is not surprise that both control groups showed similar increases in fitness from baseline. I would like to see if these results would be replicated with athletes. My guess is they would not. The take away from this is that if you are not incorpotating some sort of interval training then you are not goingto perform up to your potential.

Long training sessions are the foundation that a good race season is built on. The way your body prioritizes and burn fuel is enhanced with endurance training. There are no short cuts for this if you want season long fitness. 1-2 long training sessions a week are essential if you want to Live the WUKAR Life. For the busy professional or family man/woman it can be hard to find the 3-4 hour block of time to do these types of workouts. The WUKAR way is to get creative. You can ge the same training effect by splitting your endurance workouts in two. 2 hours before work and 1-2 hours after work will do the trick.

WUKAR Life!

Heat is On

After a very wet and cold spring the weather around here is finally starting to resemble summer.  With temps in the 90’s for the near future it is probably a good time to discuss the WUKAR way of training in the heat.

* pre hydrate: drink at least 16oz of plain water an hour before your workout or race.
* for races or training under 90 minute drink plain water.
* for longer races a good electrolyte replacement drink like Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes will keep you running   cool.
* In a race never pass up the water stations.  The seconds you save not taking a hand up can quickly turn to minutes lost if you start to become dehydrated.
* Train your body to handle a lot of fluid.  This means making a conscious effort in training to drink a regular intervals.  Generally speaking if you wait until you feel thirsty then you are already in the hole and getting back to a proper state of hydration is unlikely for that training session or race.  Start drinking early and often! The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends 8-10 oz every 15 minutes during exercise.
* avoid training between 10am and 2pm.  UV and Heat Index levels are at their highest during these hours. You will get a more effective workout if you train when it is cooler as your body will not be expending as much energy in thermo regulation.
* Wear light colored, loose fitting, moisture wicking clothes.  A hat is a good idea for runners. Cyclists I am assuming your head is worth protecting and you wear a helmet on all rides anyway.
* Weigh yourself before and after training.  Drink 20-24oz of water for every pound lost.
* Chug a good recovery drink within 2 hours of training to top off your glycogen stores and start the recovery   process.  We use Hammer Nutrition Recoverite with great results.

This is far from a comprehensive guide so feel free to contact us at wukarlife@gmail.com if you have any questions or want more detail.

WUKAR for life!

More Energy After Training?

It’s hard to explain to a non WUKAR person. Plain and simple, I am more tired at work on the days I don’t train (which is only one day a week).  You would expect a 10 mile tempo run at 7 min pace before work would make my day a bit harder than a sleep in day but it isn’t.  I can explain it easily although I have exactly 0% scientific proof behind my reasoning.  It takes me  3 to 4 hours of awake time to get my body and mind rolling.  Starting my workout at 5 am and going hard until 6:45 gets my blood flowing and my body ready to tackle the day.  Without it, I drag.  This only holds if I get the right amount of sleep and the length of my day depends on that amount.  8 hours gets me through the entire day. 7 hours and I bonk at 8 pm. 6 hours and I pass out on the couch at 7 or whenever  I get home from work.  The last ingredient in the equation is food and quality thereof.  If I keep the quality calories coming and keep drinking, the days go well.  If I find myself having an orgy with the sugars and candy bars, I have a great morning and early afternoon with an early sunset.  Sleep ins are necessary I realize, but the day is going to be long and slow.  The guilt of not running is not the issue as I am smart enough to know that I don’t have to hit it hard every day to be in great shape.  With the addition of biking and swimming into my daily routines, I don’t even run as many miles as a used to.  It is merely metabolism, mine is dictated through exercise.   So long story short,  if I take the Kick A$$ out of the WUKAR it will only be wake up, repeat and that just makes me tired.

Welcome to WUKAR

Thanks for stopping by our little corner of the internet.  I guess the obvious question is what is WWUKAR?  The letters stand for Wake Up, Kick Ass, Repeat. On the surface pretty simple and dare I say clever.  Dig a little deeper though and more than the words it is a lifestyle.

We are like you, we juggle the demands of career and family along with our passion for sport.  We wake at 5am to train because we want to not because we have to.  Time is our most precious commodity.  We don’t have time to waste on inefficient training.  We don’t have time to waste on bad equipment.  Every PR is a testament to our love of the sport.

In the coming months we will share our experiences with what works and what doesn’t.  We hope to build a community of like minded individuals who live for the challenge, who push what is possible every day.  We are not spectaors we do. 

Live the WUKAR Life!