tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19123989784534670452024-03-05T21:30:42.952-05:00Physiologic PhunctionThis is the story of a dude trying to effect positive change in his life by striving to be 1% better today than he was yesterday. Endurance pursuits may be the overwhelming theme, but the journey is all-encompassing.Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-81642010568174419122013-12-10T14:09:00.003-05:002013-12-10T14:09:39.088-05:00This Blog Has a New Home....Head over to Tailwind Coaching Concepts to see what Josh has been up to.
All future ramblings will be done at ww.tailwindcoaching.com.
Thanks for following!
jwJosh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-72520187667626946162012-10-16T20:31:00.000-04:002012-10-16T20:31:02.113-04:00Rev3 South CarolinaLast weekend Leigh and I headed south for the second edition of Rev3's half iron distance race in Anderson, SC. I've quickly become a fan of the Rev3 race series, (and this race in particular) which finished off my 2011 triathlon season. Rev3 South Carolina carried a little extra incentive, though. The quantity of the pro prize purse and the quality of the field Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-61886601874228920092012-08-27T09:40:00.000-04:002012-08-27T09:40:05.245-04:00Summertime and the living is easy....It's been an interesting couple of months. At my last check in, I was lulling you to sleep with a race report about another mediocre performace from the Triangle Triathlon. I won't say that I've had a "busy" couple of months, because who hasn't? I'm always amused when someone feels it's necessary to share with me at great length just how busy/hectic/important their Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-12064150958387238462012-07-24T14:49:00.003-04:002012-09-13T12:51:39.136-04:002012 Triangle Triathlon
Earlier this month I raced in the Set Up Events Triangle Triathlon, part of the IOS North Carolina Triathlon Series. I think I may just now starting to shed my 'new guy' status in the Piedmont, but I've learned from the locals that the Triangle Tri is one of 2-3 can't miss events if you live in North Carolina. I'm usually not too keen on sprint races, feeling that Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-20546595671144542592012-06-11T08:38:00.003-04:002012-06-11T08:38:20.640-04:00Rev3 Quassy Race Report
Last weekend I traveled to Middlebury, Connecticut to have a crack at Rev3 Quassy. Everything about this 70.3 distance race is big. The race itself is big, with 1000+ racers. The pro field is stacked, with at least 10 top tier pros on each side, included the women's reigning IM World Champion. The professional prize purse is one of the biggest in theJosh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-12187847897972050342012-05-10T19:05:00.000-04:002012-05-10T19:06:48.776-04:00Too Much of a Good Thing?
“Americans are drowning in a sea of very bad nutrition information” – T. Colin Campbell, Cornell University.
Dr. Campbell couldn’t be more accurate in his assessment of the western diet, and athletes are no more immune to commonly held misconceptions about diet and nutrition than the morbidly obese. There are countless topics one could take issue with under the umbrella of nutritional Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-27490489579260664912012-04-30T12:14:00.001-04:002012-05-01T20:25:06.529-04:00A Few Steps in the Right Direction (Beaverdam Olympic Triathlon Race Report)This past Saturday marked the start of the 2012 triathlon season for me, with the Inside Out Sports Olympic Triathlon at Beaverdam. A pretty long name for an event that historically attracts less than 200 people- but this race always lives up to it's drawn out moniker. For the past two years Beaverdam has served as my first S/B/R competition of the Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-73544166748033832222012-03-26T16:18:00.000-04:002012-03-26T16:18:17.069-04:00Greenville Duathlon Race ReportMy stoke level increased by a factor of at least 10 this past weekend, as the 2012 race season is officially here! I’ve been following the early season pro race reports on Slowtwich.com for a couple of weeks, but the upcoming triathlon season became much more tangible for me on Saturday when I hopped in the FS Series Greenville Duathlon. The different races put on by the FS Series Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-357453346026884452012-03-20T15:45:00.001-04:002012-03-20T15:47:40.692-04:00Quick Training & Racin' UpdateI'm really stoked to say that this year I am joining the Triangle Multisport-InSide Out Sports Triangle Triathlon Team. Yes, that is a mouthful. Most of us just refer to it as TMS-IOS. Hefty name or not, I'm super excited to be mixing it up with this great group of age group and professional triathletes in 2012. I can't say enough how thankful I am to both Triangle Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-86375851835758532462012-03-06T16:12:00.000-05:002012-03-06T16:12:02.752-05:00It's in the Details....Part IIMy last post highlighted some of the ancillary details outside of actual training sessions that can have a huge impact on long term fitness- in a positive or negative way, depending on the actions of the athlete. I’d like to expand on that topic further. Training and competing at a high level demands that no compromises are made with respect to training. High level Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-14405002209333568282012-01-01T18:02:00.000-05:002012-01-01T18:02:31.018-05:00It's in the Details...Part ILet me start by saying this is not a post inspired by New Years Day 2012. I feel as if the last few days I’ve been inundated by headlines touting that predictable annual January topic of self improvement. There are a few popular triathlon and/or running publications out there inquiring about what you're going to do to be faster/stronger/better in 2012. Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-1975326197223601962011-12-05T09:29:00.000-05:002011-12-05T09:29:09.526-05:00Staying True to Yourself in Times of DistractionAt times it can be challenging to maintain training momentum when travel and/or family obligations find their way into your training block. This seems to be where a lot of athletes succumb to to 'life', and let sporadic training influence what could have been an otherwise great run of fitness changing workouts. Consistency is, and Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-45330058668298820582011-11-29T16:27:00.041-05:002011-11-29T17:08:28.804-05:00Exercise Testing Part I... VO2maxEarlier this month I underwent some graded exercise testing at Duke University. The objective was to find my (run) VO2max, lactate threshold, and max heart rate. VO2max is a measure of aerobic capacity. Also referred to as maximal oxygen consumption, VO2max is a test of cardiovascular fitness. In practical terms, your VO2max represents the highest level of 'work' yourJosh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-76580155639372759522011-11-15T22:30:00.001-05:002011-12-04T13:05:09.031-05:00Chickamaunga Battefield Half Marathon Race ReportThis past weekend Leigh and I were lucky enough to spend some time in Chattanooga, Tennessee for a short holiday with several of our incredible friends from our time in Birmingham. While I guess the official reason for the gathering was to be the Chickamaunga Battlefield half and full marathon, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was a little more excited to catch up with Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-24812371469757776992011-10-27T07:21:00.000-04:002011-10-27T07:21:54.228-04:00FFTTP (read: An Epic Weekend) This past weekend I fell into the good fortune and great opportunity to be a part of Fast Forward Triathlon's fall training camp in rustic White Lake, North Carolina. Hosted by Pro Alex McDonald and Elite Coach David Williams, this camp was designed as a last big training block before a fall race for some, but for me this weekend represented the Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-78439745223635034992011-10-13T11:30:00.001-04:002011-10-13T11:31:17.273-04:00Battle of the Bridges Triathlon- A Family AffairEarlier this month Leigh and I headed south for visit with our parents, and a little racing in Melbourne, Florida. As excited as I was to race again, I've gotta say that it was even better to spend a little time with my parents and my in-laws in the sunshine state. The Health First Battle of the Bridges Triathlon had always been on my radar while I was living in Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-7935962335506208392011-09-20T12:35:00.000-04:002011-09-20T12:35:50.557-04:00Staying the Course"Keep things simple, train hard, and be consistent with what you do."
Short, sweet, and full of truth. Pound for pound, the above might be one of the more powerful things I have heard- and its something I repeat to myself often when I am tired, in the middle of a big training block, or otherwise lacking motivation. As a relatively new endurance athlete, one of the harsher truths I Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-14537524749654866072011-08-16T14:04:00.000-04:002011-08-16T14:04:44.849-04:00Lake Logan Olympic Race ReportWell, I'm back- and after a couple of weeks learning to manage training while balancing a few new job related responsibilities, I resolve to pay more attention to this blog thing. Two weeks ago Leigh and I made the short trip over to Asheville, NC for the Lake Logan International Triathlon on August 6th. In it's fifth year, this great race draws more than 500 racers and a Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-25070111905221928022011-07-23T15:17:00.000-04:002011-07-23T15:17:42.036-04:00It's HOT out there!Here's a quick update as to what I have been up to training wise. Like just about everyone else in the continental U.S., I have spent considerable energy the past several weeks trying to figure out how to manage training sessions effectively with the summer heat. In the way of strategy; I have started longer bike efforts earlier in the morning to avoid the hottest part of Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-52337406802134422762011-07-08T19:05:00.000-04:002011-07-08T19:05:11.680-04:00Quick UpdateThe weekend before last I raced at the Morton Plant Mease Triathlon, a sprint triathlon in Clearwater, Florida. The MPM triathlon is unique in that it is a sprint race that offers a fairly big prize purse, which in turn attracts a pretty competitive pro/age group field. Unfortunately mother nature decided on race morning to change the dynamic of this race, so I don't have a full Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-74324438173233452392011-06-23T14:25:00.000-04:002011-06-23T14:25:41.758-04:00A closer look at static stretchingAn accomplished triathlete and good friend of mine asked me recently about the proper placement of stretches within his weekly workout cycle. That got me thinking, and this post was born out of my answer to him. It is a generally accepted principle that regardless of your status as an athlete, stretching proves to be beneficial. There are plenty of different Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-33234218154689195012011-06-21T19:36:00.000-04:002011-06-21T19:36:14.506-04:00Too Much vs. Too LittleAfter racing just three times in the first three months of the triathlon season, Coach Derick and I have decided its time for a few tweaks to the race season plan. After a big two week training block that kicked off this past weekend, its time to jump in several races and just let it fly. Admittedly, I haven't produced any acceptable results in the early going- so Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-63326736964107342122011-06-06T10:45:00.000-04:002011-06-06T10:45:00.665-04:00Rock n' Rollman Race ReportIf you are not one of the two or three people worldwide that have ever visited my blog, or follow my tweets, you probably aren’t aware that I raced this past weekend in Macon, Georgia. I will try and fill you in, although I am probably squashing all of the building anticipation prematurely by admitting right here that it was another mediocre performance.The SwimThe 1.2 mile swim was a one Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-75750116499597251152011-06-02T15:10:00.000-04:002011-06-02T15:10:30.643-04:00Coliseum Rock N' Rollman Race Week ThoughtsIt’s Colesium Rock N’ Rollman race week, and I am taking all of the necessary steps to be rested and ready for the physical trials Saturday morning will bring. Rock N’ Rollman is a ½ Iron distance triathlon in it’s 8th year in Macon, Georgia. RN’R features an elite field and a pro prize purse, and roughly 800 athletes are expected to race on Saturday. http://www.setupevents.com/Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1912398978453467045.post-12443761459044539642011-05-27T19:26:00.002-04:002011-05-27T19:31:06.756-04:00Two Part Post- Blazeman & a Quick Training UpdateA short post covering two things- acknowledgement of the four year anniversary of the passing of Jon “Blazeman” Blais, and a much more insignificant rundown of the past few weeks of training. I realize it has been too long since my last post, and a shout out to Blazeman and the War on ALS was just the thing I needed to get me back into blog mode.Part IBlazeman
If you are unfamiliar Josh Westhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11582907400063867656noreply@blogger.com0