Triathlon Training - Stonecoldtruth

[stonecoldtruth]

Crowler has finally done, he talked me into coming over here to keep a copy of my triathlon log on this site as well.

For those who want to know more about me or the previous training, I've been keeping logs at the various other boards, so check them. However, for our purposes here I am just jumping into it and going like hogwild.

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Supplements Taken:

Preworkout:
2 scoops Controlled Labs White Flood
2 scoops Controlled Labs Purple Wraath

Postworkout:
2 scoops Anabolic Innovation's Whey Protein Isolate

Other:
2500mg Bulk Cissus
2 caps Red Acid Gen 2 (4 hours postworkout)

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Workout Scores:

Focus - 7/10 - My mind was pretty keyed in considering that a) my niece is in the hospital with enfluenza a, b) our kitten judah had been missing all morning, and c) I had to take the kids to the gym which meant a stressful ride to the gym. However, my focus got continually stronger as the workout went on.

Endurance - 8/10 - My endurance was above my focus during this workout. While I wasn't mentally connected as I should have been, my body was ready for it. I think had my focus been better this would have been higher too.

Energy - 7/10 - I attribute this as well to the stress we've been having lately. But still a good push for the workout.

Pumps - 10/10 - I was like a pair of Reebok pumps today.

DOMS - 3/10 - My ass was only a BIT sore today! Legs are pretty spent from the bike workout on Friday.

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Workout Details:

Lifting:
3 sets of 12 Incline Bench Press (+10 increase)
3 sets of 15 Bench Press (+5 increase)
3 sets of 12 Seated Row (same as previous)
3 sets of 15 Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (+10 increase)
3 sets of 10 Supinated Lat Pulldown (new exercise)
4 sets of 12 Shoulder Press (+15 increase)
3 sets of 15 Skullcrushers (same as previous)
3 sets of 15 Spider Curls (same as previous)
3 sets of 20 Leg Extensions (new rep range)
3 sets of 15 Seated Curls (+15 increase)

Workout Notes:

After yesterday's subpar workout, I knew today that I had to bring it to redeem myself, even if just in my own eyes. With that in mind I hit up the gym and knocked out a very nice workout. Increased strength on various lifts and left feeling good about my workout and my week in general. I threw in the leg workout on the end just to get some fatigue in the legs, even though they are pretty spent from the bike workout.

SCT

 

[CROWLER]

GREAT to see you on here, THANKS

Feel free to put who is sponsoring you in your sig.

And to those who don't already know maybe you could either copy and paste or give us a quick run down on what you did with that first triathlon and your goals.

You can see more info on STC here: Whey Protein Isolate Concentrate, Cycle Support, diet, supplements - Wall of Fame



CROWLER

 

[stonecoldtruth]

GREAT to see you on here, THANKS

Feel free to put who is sponsoring you in your sig.

And to those who don't already know maybe you could either copy and paste or give us a quick run down on what you did with that first triathlon and your goals.

You can see more info on STC here: Whey Protein Isolate Concentrate, Cycle Support, diet, supplements - Wall of Fame



CROWLER

bah, I am typing on a wireless keyboard which has dying batteries, so you better love me for this. Here is some of the standard 'about me' stuff.

About Me:
Name - Josh or Stonecoldtruth/SCT
Age - 24
Training ? Endurance Based Triathlon Training
- Monday: Off
- Tuesday: Run/Swim
- Wednesday: Bike/Weights
- Thursday: Run/Swim
- Friday: Bike/Swim
- Saturday: Run/Swim
- Sunday: Weights

Diet - Eating near maintenance calories (3000-3300) due to the intense nature of cardio. More on diet inside of logs.

Before Pictures

1 month ago Pictures

more to come..

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Report from my first triathlon, feb 17 2007:

The day began unlike any other, at 8am. I did manage to get a full 8 hours sleep, thanks to the Staybridge Suites VERY comfortable hotel beds. In the morning I was a tad stressed and may have been a TAD snappy to the wife, but after breakfast things calmed down. I had oatmeal, a hardboiled egg, and part of a blueberry bagel. After we finished breakfast we headed back to the room and packed up everything. After triple checking my race bag we headed off to the gym.

We arrived at the gym around 10am, and I was scheduled to be ready at 11:15am, so you can see we were a tad early. After organizing my lockers, yep I took up two lockers, I headed to the sauna to warm up a tad. A few laps around the track, just walking, and I felt like I was physically ready. I donned my swimsuit, swimcap, goggles, and a hoodie to keep warm and went to wait in the sign-in area.

The other competitors for the second heat began arriving shortly after, and to be honest for a few minutes I questioned if I 'fit in' with the others. Everyone else in the triathlon was by all definitions 'trim and fit', but I quickly dismissed those thoughts when TC showed up and we began talking trash about the bike ride. If you don't remember he and I bet $10 each, the winner of the bike ride taking the pot.

At 11:20 we all headed back to the pool and waited for a few 1st heat stragglers to finish up. I double-checked my swim gear to ensure I was ready and proceeded to wait for the start of our heat. Finally at 11:45 we got into the water and prepared to begin our triathlon. TC was sharing a lane with me, which ensured I'd be grossly outmatched in the swim category.

My first few laps of swimming felt pretty good, but I think I got too excited during the 4th lap. During that 4th lap I began not rolling enough on my breaths and started to swallow a... considerable.. amount of water. After adjusting my breathing and lengthening my strokes I began to feel at home in the pool. About this time TC was done in the pool, but I didn't let that phase me. I just kept going.. I was VERY proud of my work ethic in the pool. I NEVER stopped at the wall, always kicking back off immediately. In the 7th lap I experienced what one might call a TRAGEDY ... my swimcap suddenly appeared in front of my eyes! I had no clue what had happened, but figured that somehow the cap ripped. I reached up and pulled the cap and threw it on the side of the pool. However, again, I didn't let it phase me. I merely continued swimming like the fish I almost am. When I hit the wall for the last time I felt really overheated, but proud.

My swim time was 12 minutes and 45 seconds.

I got out of the pool, grabbed my towel from the wife and headed to the locker room. The microfiber towel worked great for getting water off of me quick. However, while I was hurrying, it was not a FAST transition, hehe. In the middle of putting on my clothes my nephew Domanic came in to help me. He opened my gatorade endurance for me, which probably saved a good minute since I was kind of uncoordinated. I finished getting dressed and threw my swim clothes into the locker.

Upon walking out towards the bikes I noticed TC was still going. Seeing as he had finished swimming a good 6 minutes before me I expected him to be done already on the bike. I knew at that point that if I could keep on point on the bike that I'd win our $10 bet. I had to wait a moment for the timer to be ready to start me on the bike, which was a welcome relief. One of my very favorite trainers at the gym, Kadie, was my timer which made me push even harder. I started biking hard, and then yet another thing went wrong... my mp3 player started sounding like the devil. I was listening to Karate Kid's 'You're the Best Around' and I began to hear strange noises that sounded like... well.. the devil. Instead of freaking out I checked the mp3 player and found that the headphones were not plugged all the way in (this will now be added to the checklist for the next race). Upon correcting this the music began flowing like mana from the heavens. My speed increased and my endurance went 10-fold. At 3 minutes I was only 1.6 miles in, which meant that I was nearly 30 seconds behind my goal! I kicked it up a notch as my family started to cheer me on, AND kadie started cheering me on as well.

My total bike time was 5 minutes and 45 seconds.

At the end of the day it turns out that this was the 2nd fastest bike time out of ANYONE in ANY heat. The only person who beat me was someone who biked FIRST.. however, to his credit, he biked a 5 minute flat 3 miler. Oh yeah, he was 72. I hope when I'm 72 I can bike that hard.

After my 5:45 bike I got off, now $10 richer, and felt like my legs were officially dead. Kadie gave me a few high-5s and I felt reinvigorated. I walked over to the run area and saw a few friendly faces. Kim, Angie, AND Debbie from the gym were all run timers. So I now had a HUGE cheering section when you add in the family. In my head I knew that if I wanted to come in uner 30 minutes I would have to run hard.

My sister Tracy stood trackside to hand me gatorade or water as I passed, and my nephew Domanic stood a few feet beyond to catch the bottles as I threw them back. On my 3rd lap of the track I noticed my new shorts were sliding down my butt, so I had to make a mental note to keep pulling them up since I couldn't really adjust the drawstring while I was running. On lap 6 I started to really fatigue, but upon passing my cheering section I knew that I would finish. TC came back to jog with me on lap 8, we talked for a few seconds and then he asked if I needed him to jog the rest with me. I knew that it would help, but this was all about ME.. so I told him he could go. The next lap a woman and her child who had been walking (not doing the tri, just walking) told me that I was doing great, and to keep going. I wanted to cry.. talk about motivating. When I was told I had two laps left I started to speed up. A runner who had just began her laps was on the opposite side of the track.. I decided in my head I was going to catch and overtake her. It was a daunting task seeing that she was a half-lap ahead, but as I rounded the 11th lap she was about 10 yards ahead. I pulled up even with her and she smiled and told me I was doing great. She looked forward and said, 'final stretch', she nodded and kicked it into high gear. I had no clue I had any actual 'running' left in me, but I passed her easily and ran through the finish line.

My run time was 11 minutes and 27 seconds.

My total triathlon time was 29 minutes and 57 seconds.

I finished 3rd in my age group, out of 3, but I did own the bike time. My nearest competitor was 2 minutes and 43 seconds behind me on the bike. This gives me very high hopes for my future triathlons, knowing biking is my strongpoint I can take advantage of that.

Because I met my goals I registered for a SPRINT DISTANCE triathlon later this year. Info on that below:

Green Lake Triathlon
Sprint Course: 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike, 3 mile run
August 12, 2007
Green Lake Triathlon

Today ranks as the 3rd best day of my life. The first would be my wedding day, the second would be the day I decided to start my journey towards being healthier, and the 3rd would be today.. the day I became a triathlete.

Thank you to EVERYONE who believes in me, I did this as much for you as I did for me. No longer shall we be limited by our weight, my society's perceptions of us, NOW is the time to bust stereotypes and preconceived notions.. I love each and every one of you for the support, inspiration, and motivation you give.

Josh

My goals for 2007:

- Continue cutting down to around 235lbs (which is the upper range for the Cyldesdale division for triathlets.

- Complete 8 sprint distance triathlons and be ready for a Feb 08 Olympic distance triathlon.

- Experiment with a ketogenic diet and endurance work, yes I'm that crazy.


More to come soon!!!

SCT

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Supplements Taken:

Preworkout:
2 scoops Controlled Labs White Flood
2 scoops Controlled Labs Purple Wraath

Postworkout:
2 scoops Anabolic Innovation's Whey Protein Isolate (Chocolate Mint)

Other:
2500mg Bulk Cissus
2 caps Red Acid Gen 2 (4 hours postworkout)

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Workout Scores:

Focus - 10/10 - I had to be entirely focused today to complete my ride/workout. Between the winds and the longer distance, if I hadn't been totally on point I might have perished </dramatic>

Endurance - 9/10 - The first half of the ride easily ranked a 10, but coming back and riding straight into the wind, as well as taking a few big hills, dropped the endurance rank down a tad.

Energy - 9/10 - A smooth solid energy that lasted from beginning of the ride to about a mile away from home.

DOMS - 2/10 - Some lat soreness for some reason, not bad though.

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Workout Details:

Biking:
23.2 miles
New Top Speed - 25.3 mph

Workout Notes:

My original plan for today was to ride to the gym, swim, and then ride home. Upon waking I wondered if I was even going to ride today, due to some windy and cold weather outside. However, after breakfast I knew that I had to ride if I'm going to keep ahead of my training schedule. So I threw on some underarmour cold gear and started to prep my gear.

The beginning of the ride was much more comfortable as I didn't swing by the falls, and instead just dropped onto the bike path on 6th street. I got a bunch of waves from drivers as I zoomed through the downtown streets, and then a weird look when I used my right and left hand signals.. they seemed confused!

Brief interuption, for the biking impaired:

Vehicular cycling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - A brief overview of riding on the roads.

Left Turn Signal:

Right Turn Signal:

I'm stopping Signal:

Ok, now that we have covered that, onto the ride.

I noticed right away that the bike trails were a lot emptier than when I rode last Friday, which is either a testament to my will or my sanity. The temperature outside 48 degrees, with a 19mph wind blowing at my side. The first 3 or so miles of the ride were a tad uncomfortable as my bare hands did not like the combination of temperature and wind, but they adjusted shortly thereafter. After I sunk into my rhythm I began to enjoy the ride and scenery. The geese were out in masse today, I would playfully quack at them as I rode past (yes, I know geese don't quack persay). After the soccer fields (about mile 6) you hit a very curvy section of the bike path, which I LOVE. I really worked on my cornering today, taking the curves and turns at around 20mph.. I only recommend this when the bike path is empty!

Before I knew it I was at the turnoff from the bike path for the gym. I jumped off the bike path and dropped into the park that leads to the gym when disaster almost struck! A motorcylce cop was pointing his radar gun at me, right as I'm passing the 15mph speed limit sign. Looking down at my bike computer I notice I'm going about 22mph, at this point I'm wondering how much a bicycle speeding ticket costs. However, he just shook his head at me as I zoomed past. Apparently he didn't know how much it would be either.

After getting to the gym I decided I really didn't want to swim today, and that I wanted to see more of the bike trail. So after a quick bathroom break and a water bottle refill I was back off! I went a few more miles on the bike trail until I hit 11.5 miles on my trip odometer. I considered going all the way to the end of the bike trail, but since a large portion of the final stretch is gravel I thought I'd just match the bike trail distance by turning around and heading home, and that is what I did!

The ride home was just miserable! The wind had shifted to where it was blowing straight into me, so the 11.7 miles home (I went through falls park on the way home) was just one long push where I seriously questioned everything about myself. It was the type of ride where you ask yourself if you have what it takes, or if you should just call home and have someone come and get you. Because of that, it was EXTREMELY rewarding to just coast through Falls Park on the way home and bask in my own accomplishment. Not that 23 miles is anything great, but defeating your own inner demons.. priceless.

As I rode the huge hill by the house I would end up jumping off the bike and walking it to the top, but it was more for traffic reasons than anything. It was rush hour when I hit the hill and tons of people were flying by me, so instead of risking my life while struggling up a hill I walked to the top and then rode the rest of the way. In retrospect, with the way my legs felt it might have been easier just to continue pedaling.

I wonder how sore my ass is going to be tomorrow.

SCT

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Workout #2 for the day:

Yep, you read it right. I got out of work today and decided to hit up the gym for a 2nd workout today. After a long 23 mile ride this morning I didn't 'plan' on another workout. However, I felt the urge to swim

Swimming:
18 total laps (1/2 mile)
100 warmup
100 kickboard
100 6 kick roll
100 pull bouy
100 freestyle
100 kickboard (50 speed, 50 recovery)
100 6 kick roll (50 speed, 50 recovery)
100 pull bouy (50 speed, 50 recovery)
100 cooldown

I'm off to get a haircut since there is a family wedding later this week, and also to be sexy for my IMPC pictures in April.

SCT

 

[Outside Backer]

you ran 3 miles in 11 minutes???? ur awesome SCT. **** i dont run my 1.5 mile in that lol. I hate running more then anything on this planet. It hurts my body to no end.

very good work

 

[stonecoldtruth]

you ran 3 miles in 11 minutes???? ur awesome SCT. **** i dont run my 1.5 mile in that lol. I hate running more then anything on this planet. It hurts my body to no end.

very good work

Umm, that was a one mile run.. mini-sprint triathlon. But trust me running after swimming/biking sucks ass.

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Offline for the next few days to go to a wedding, will post workout logs and such when I get back.

Josh

 

[Outside Backer]

Umm, that was a one mile run.. mini-sprint triathlon. But trust me running after swimming/biking sucks ass.

still
better then me lol

 

[CROWLER]

Not that 23 miles is anything great, but defeating your own inner demons.. priceless.

As I rode the huge hill by the house I would end up jumping off the bike and walking it to the top, but it was more for traffic reasons than anything. It was rush hour when I hit the hill and tons of people were flying by me, so instead of risking my life while struggling up a hill I walked to the top and then rode the rest of the way. In retrospect, with the way my legs felt it might have been easier just to continue pedaling.

I wonder how sore my ass is going to be tomorrow.

SCT

NICE GOING BUDDY!

you really have my respect.


CROWLER

 

[steve0178]

Awesome bro! Good to see your progress. This is actually the first time i've seen before pics. AMAZING job! Good luck in the training man!

 

[stonecoldtruth]

So, after a nice vacation down to Arkansas for my cousin's wedding we are back and ready to rock and roll.

Supplements Taken:

Preworkout:
2 scoops Controlled Labs White Flood
2 scoops Controlled Labs Purple Wraath

Postworkout:
2 scoops Anabolic Innovation's Whey Protein Isolate (Chocolate and Banana)

Other:
2500mg Bulk Cissus
2 caps Red Acid Gen 2 (4 hours postworkout)

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Workout Scores:

Focus - 10/10 - My focus today was just off the chain. I have a feeling a few days off helped this along as well.

Endurance - 10/10 - My swim was slated to be a 450 distance swim and then some biking. However, after a 500 distance swim I decided to throw in some drill work. The bike ride was just about as boring as possible, more on that in the details section.

Energy - 10/10 - A few days off from working out combined with the extreme energy of WF/PW led to quite possibly the most 'rushed' energy I've felt in a long time.

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Workout Details:

Swimming
- 500 distance
- 400 drills (kickboard and 6 kick roll)

Biking
- 3 mile sprint (average speed 21.2mph)

Basketball
- 30 minutes
- Run for misses


Workout Notes:

My swim felt almost TOO easy, as if I were a slick surface the water could not slow. I think this is due to my quick adaptation to Front Quandrant Swimming and adding in a non-dominant 1-2 kick after every breath. I had originally planned to ride a good 12-15 miles on the bike at the gym, but I ran into a HUGE road block. After getting in some decent riding time on my bike outdoors I cannot STAND to ride on that stupid fake bike at the gym. A lot of people complain that running on the treadmill isn't running, well I say that riding a stationary bike is NOT cycling. Because of that, I did a 3 mile sprint on the bike and then went to shoot some basketball. Tomorrow my work schedule is weird (10am-6pm) so after work I will be lifting and running.

I also picked up more toys for the bike today.. here is the shopping list from this week alone for the bike:

New Seat
Saddle Bag (I call it the bike's fanny pack)
Combination Lock
Bike Shorts (Cannondale brand, gotta match the bike!)
Chamois Butter (yes, butt cream to stop chafing when using bike shorts)
Ninja Hood (lol, see picture for explanation)

Oh yes, what a good day.

SCT

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Supplements Taken:

Preworkout:
2 scoops Controlled Labs White Flood
2 scoops Controlled Labs Purple Wraath

Postworkout:
2 scoops Anabolic Innovation's Whey Protein Isolate

Other:
2500mg Bulk Cissus
2 caps Red Acid Gen 2 (4 hours postworkout)

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Workout Scores:

Focus - 6/10 - I was a bit distracted during my workout, but it was actually a 'good' distraction as I was focusing on something Mike the trainer said to me before I started working out. More on that below.

Endurance - 9/10 - While I may have been distracted I felt as if I could have done this workout while asleep. Certainly not an easy workout with increased weights combined with lower reps and very little rest between sets. I would have given it a 10, but my quick 1.25 mile run felt harder than normal.

Energy - 7.5/10 - Working out later in the night seems to throw off my energy levels.

Pumps - 10/10 - My legs felt like these:

My arms felt like these:

The pumps were just off the chain.

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Workout Details:

Cardio (pre-exhaust):
1.25 mile run (5 minute run, 2 walk, repeat x2)

Lifting:
4 sets of 6 Incline Bench Press
4 sets of 12 Pec Flyes
4 sets of 8 Lat Pulldown (wide grip)
4 sets of 10 V-Handle Seated Rows
3 sets of 12 Single DB Skullcrushers
3 sets of 15 DB Concentration Curls
3 sets of 10 Leg Extensions (3 second hold and squeeze at top)
3 sets of 12 Seated Curls

Workout Notes:

As I was signing up for a treadmill Mike, one of the trainers, came up to chat for a couple minutes. After talking about the recent weather (snow in April, WTFMATE?) he got serious on me. He asked if I remembered the other day when I was in the gym and he was training a larger guy. Of course I remembered, as I always remember what happens at the gym. The man in question reminds me a lot of me before I started losing weight.. however he is quite larger than I started at, weighing in at nearly 500lbs. Well, Mike asked me if next time he trains the guy if I would come and talk to him for a few minutes. Apparently Mike had shared my story with the guy and this man asked if he could meet me, because knowing that someone else has faced similar challenges inspires him that he can suceed. I'm not usually an overly-emotional guy, but I had to wipe tears from my eyes. I've always said that if I can inspire one person that my journey would have been worth it. Now, don't get me wrong, I have received dozens of e-mails/pms/ims telling me how I've inspired people, but never before have is it been RIGHT here in my own backyard, ya know? So I'm hoping I get to meet and talk to Harry soon..

Because of this being on my mind my workout was kind of distracted and somewhat unfocused. However, I still pounded out the workout I wanted. I focused on weights tonight since I missed a weight workout last week. Also, my run felt good at the 5 and 2 intervals, so I'll be doing the full 35 minute program of that later this week as well. I feel like I need to keep my run on a gradual incline so I may stay at 5 and 2 for an extra week since running is quickly falling behind my cycling and swimming.

I also took my pictures for the IMPC tonight, for those who don't know the IMPC is an online bodybuilding competition that I am taking part in. I am only in the MIP, or Most Improved Physique, category since I still have a long way to go before I'll be ready for any real 'bodybuilding' divisions.

SCT

 

[DrnkMnky]

Looks like things are going good. That is awsome that you have become an inspiration to so many.

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Supplements Taken:

Preworkout:
2 scoops Controlled Labs White Flood
2 scoops Controlled Labs Purple Wraath

Postworkout:
2 scoops Anabolic Innovation's Whey Protein Isolate (Chocolate and Banana)

Other:
2500mg Bulk Cissus
2 caps Red Acid Gen 2 (4 hours postworkout)

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Workout Scores:

Focus - 10/10 - I believe that I am now officially the most focused person in the universe. I went into the gym, did my workout, and left. No distractions, no self-doubting, no posing in the mirror. Just hardcore me.

Endurance - 10/10 - I threw back in an old, but favorite, exercise today and expected it to kick my ass. Turns out I might have to crank up the intensity some more if I want to tire myself out.

Energy - 10/10 - Smooth, steady, and didn't let me down at all. It was like that Asian Massage parlor.

----------------------------------------------------

Workout Details:

Swimming
- 200 warmup
- 600 drills
- 200 kickboard speed drills (25 sprint, 25 recovery)
- 200 6-kick roll speed drills (25 sprint, 25 recovery)
- 100 pull bouy speed drills
- 100 catchup drills
- 100 cooldown
- 1/2 mile total

Basketball
- 35 minutes
- Run for misses

Skipping (jump rope)
- 50 skips superset with 1 lap around the track
- 5 sets of the above
- Last set skipped until burnout, 97 skips

Workout Notes - Umm, I rock?

SCT

 

[CROWLER]

3 10/10 that is FANTASTIC

One of the special workout days GREAT to hear it buddy.


CROWLER

 

[stonecoldtruth]

A must read

WARNING - This post contains graphic content and pictures from today. Please be advised this post is not recommended for those weak of stomach.

The day started like any other, though it would not end that way. I got up, ate a nice breakfast and prepared my workout plan for the day. Despite the horrid weather (20+ mph winds, 4 degree wind chill) I determined that I would take the bike trails to the gym, do some stairmill, and then ride home.

I layered up for the blustering wind, making sure that no bodypart would be left to be bitten by the chilling wind, and headed out for the gym. I immediately noticed that I was competely alone on the bike trail. In fact, the only other rider I'd see all day was one leaving the convenient store on his mountain bike, 6 pack of beer in tow.

Having an empty bike trail excited me a tad, as it gives a feeling of freedom and almost an air of danger. Little did I know that this air of danger was almost a foreshadowing of what was soon to come. I kept a good strong 20mph pace up to Mile 6, and which I slowed down slightly due to the curvy nature of the bike trail takes on. This was also the area of the bike trail where my friend Kathy crashed last week, and earned her purple bruise all the way up and down her right leg.

I rounded the rounded the corner near Yankton Trail Park at around 22mph and as soon as I had cleared the turn I saw it. The path was covered in ice, apparently a nearby creek had flooded and then frozen. I applied my brakes but knew it was too late. I had hit the ice, still going a good 18mph at this point. My front wheel turned hard left and I went down.

A lot of times you hear people say 'it happened so fast' that they don't remember details. Well, for me it was the total opposite.. it happened so slow I recall every bit of it. The wheel turned hard left and I was thrown forward as the back tire came up in protest to the sharp wheel movement. Had this just been dirt or pavement the crash might have ended there, but since this was ice I was in for a long ride. The initial impact was on the frontside of my helmet, but my face would soon assist in the slide. I slid to the end of the ice on my face/helmet and then another 15 feet on the dirt/concrete that followed.

After the slid came to an end I took a few seconds to regain my composure, sure that I was 'ok'. I stood up and looked around, thinking to myself that it could have been a lot worse. I looked down at my gloves and noticed that they had blood spots all over them, and then the panic kicked in slightly. I leaned forward and watched as a steady stream of blood fall from my face.

As I mentioned earlier, the bike trail was barren of other human lifeforms, so I knew I'd need to call to get help. I hobbled back to the bike, which had taken only part of the slide with me, and got my cell phone out of my bike fanny. With bloody fingers I dialed my wife's work phone and began to tear up. I admit it, I started to cry. Not out of pain, but out of pure adrenaline and emotion. I was upset with myself for wrecking, for hurting myself, for possibly ruining my bike. I told her in a panicked voice that I had wrecked and that I was bleeding a lot. She asked where I was, and luckily I was close enough to a parking lot near the road that I told her to meet me there. At this point I noticed my glasses weren't on my face... because they were lying busted on the bike trail.

After calling her I evaluated my situation. I was alone, bleeding, freezing cold, and waiting for my wife to come. I knew I couldn't fit the bike into the car, so I placed another call. On faith that my customer loyalty mattered I called Spoke-N-Sport and told them what had happened. I asked if they could come pick up my bike for me since I didn't just want to leave it on the bike trail. Immediately they said they'd be right there. Being only a couple of miles away they beat my wife to the scene and sat with me while we waited. Up until this point I had no idea how bad my injuries were. I asked Kyle if I 'looked ok', his silence told me everything I needed... They offered to take me to the hospital, which just made me cry more as I was just astounded how much they were willing to help someone else who they've only known for a short time.

My wife arrived at the park and we headed to the hospital. In the car on the way to the hospital I got my first look at my face in the mirror. My left eyebrow was caked in blood, and the right side of my face was pretty cut up. Honestly, I began to wonder how on earth I had gotten away with so FEW injuries. The pain was about a 7 out of 10, and dizziness was setting in. Upon walking into the emergency room doors I was rushed, nay ushered, into the admissions office where we skipped all paperwork and began to take vitals and such. I was taken quickly to an exam room where the doctor came to see me within mere minutes. Hell, he was there to see me before we could even get me undressed (mind you, layers) and into the hospital gown. We talked for a couple minutes about what happened and he left me to get into the gown. Upon removing layers we found that my Cannondale Bike shorts were ok, but my underarmour compression tights AND compression shorts where torn up. My armour had been destroyed, hehe.

After I got gowned up and into the bed a EMT student came in to clean the wounds. It was humorous though, because when the nurse came in with the laceration cart she said, 'I just had to go get the crash cart.' I can only assume my eyes looked like that of an owl afterwards. The EMT student cleaned all of my wounds, beginning with my skinned forearm and reallllly skinned up knee. After that she tackled the face.. I must admit that for being an EMT student of only 8 months she did a really good job getting all the dirt/mud/crap out of the wound.

The nurse then put some gel anesthetics into the wound. Apparently the gash above my eyebrow was deep enough to need stitches. Some 'deep' stitches, as well as outer ones. I have never had stitches before, and being afraid of stitches, so I was a tad nervous at this point. After the anesthetics kicked in the doctor came back in and stitched me up. The initial stitch was very painful, due to not using enough anesthetics. However, after that one he gave me a shot of a different anesthetic, and I felt NOTHING of what he was doing. We talked about diet and exercise, I think as a method of keeping me occupied.
I was discharged, but not given ANYTHING for the pain which is now reeking havoc on my face.

I'm not allowed to swim for 7 days, and I have to put sunblock on the wound anytime I go outside. But other than that I should be back in the gym on Monday. I'd be back tomorrow but my knee is pretty damn sore and skinned up. Because of this I am going to take the weekend off to heal and recover, and hit it hard on Monday. I will be staying 100% on point for my diet this weekend, because the IMPC continues on regardless of injury.

Oh yeah, while I didn't get a picture of the wound before it was all cleaned up, I did take a post-stitches picture for you guys.. here ya go:

I can safely say that if had I not been wearing a helmet I could have literally died, in fact the doctor would later tell me I was lucky to have lived through it. I want to give a wholehearted thank you to Spoke-N-Sport as well, Kyle and Chad have earned a customer for life thanks to their kindness. As soon as I hear what is wrong with the bike I'll let you guys know.

Josh

p.s. Crowler, you want to buy me a new bike? *flutter*

 

[bLacKjAck.]

Yowzas!!

Hey man, just saw those before and after pics --- Amazing progress!! Truly inspiring!

Get that eye better man! And keep up the good work.

 

[CROWLER]

OUCH that looks like it did indeed hurt.

Best of luck on getting better fast. Make sure your helmet fits properly. It should have defended you from that. It takes a good hour to get the fit correct so it feels ok but still will not slide up even when given a hard wack.

Now go work some over time to pay for your hospital bill and a new bike


CROWLER

 

[stonecoldtruth]

I got a call from the bike shop this morning telling me the bike survived the accident with a few scratches, but NO significant damage. The brake caliper needed some repairs, but the bike shop fixed that free of charge. I went and picked up the bike this afternoon and let me tell you that makes me feel 100% better about the situation. I did have to buy a new helmet since the mold apparently cracked on the old one. However, the Spoke-N-Sport gave me a 30% discount on any new helmet.. talk about an amazing group of guys.

My face is swollen pretty bad today and I like like the staypuffed marshmallow man, but other than that I am good. Spirits are high, rest is plenty, and Monday I'll be back in the gym.

Have a happy easter everyone.

Josh

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Just a quick update on things in Stonecold's world.

Work gave me a few days off with Medical leave to allow me to heal up, which is good since the pain seems to get worse each day. My father-in-law tells me this means I'm healing, gotta get worse before better right? I haven't been back in the gym yet except to weigh in. 4lbs down since I took my IMPC pictures, I think my body knows it is in competition mode

Tomorrow is my birthday so I am going to try and get back in the gym for a bit as a present to myself, but that is all depending on the status of these migraines/dizzy spells I've been getting. I also have a doctor's appointment in the morning to try and find some way to alleviate some of this pain.

I hope everyone is doing well, I'm psyched the IMPC has grown by such leaps and bounds.

SCT

 

[bLacKjAck.]

Hey man, do you have any recent/updated pics? Would be great to see that.

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Hey man, do you have any recent/updated pics? Would be great to see that.

Top of the thread crazyman, taken about 3 weeks ago.

 

[bLacKjAck.]

Top of the thread crazyman, taken about 3 weeks ago.

ahh OK didn't realize they were so recent. Good stuff.

 

[stonecoldtruth]

Anyone think I was dead? Well NOT QUITE. I've been enjoying some recovery time from my accident, and today after I got my stitches removed I decided the break was over. I hit up the gym, waterproof bandaid and all.

--------------------------------------------------------

Supplements Taken:

Preworkout:
2 scoops Controlled Labs White Flood
2 scoops Controlled Labs Purple Wraath

Postworkout:
2 scoops Anabolic Innovation's Whey Protein Isolate

Other:
2500mg Bulk Cissus

-----------------------------------------------------------

Workout Scores:

Focus - 9/10 - My focus was thrown off a tad by my gym shorts rubbing against the skinned part of my knee. Aside from that, on point.

Endurance - 7/10 - I felt fatigued during my cardio, but weights felt solid.

Energy - 7/10 - Same situation as endurance here, I felt really strong on weights.. but had a crash on cardio. However, this is where pure will comes in to play, I suffered through.

Pumps - 9/10 - My triceps and calves (from skipping rope) were just insanely pumped, not much going on in bis though.

Pain from injury - 3/10 - My knee is still tender, so no full on running yet. But my knee felt fine on skipping.

----------------------------------------------------

Workout Details:

Lifting:
4 sets of 6 Incline Bench Press (+5 increase)
3 sets of 12 Bench Press
3 sets of 15 Wide Grip Lat Pulldown (+10 increase)
3 sets of 8 Seated Row
3 sets of 15 Deathdefying Skullcrushers *see exercise description
4 sets of 12 Shoulder Press (+5 increase)
3 sets of 15 Spider Curls

Cardio:
40 minutes basketball (shooting around)
- Jog for misses
- Walk for makes

Giant set of Skipping:
- 50 skips
- 1 lap around track

Workout Notes:
For being my first workout back from injury it felt like a very solid workout and I was happy with the results. The cardio felt WAY harder than usual, but it was good to be challenged.

SCT