Part III of the interview. »You need friends you can trust, friends who tell you the truth…«
Archive for October, 2006
»Self-doubt is the killer«
Chris McCormack is one of the most successful guys in triathlon. He was spoiled by success. The Ironman championship on Big island, Hawaii, taught him a painful lesson. He failed 3 times to win this race. Now, he tries fourth time. This time it is another Chris MacCormack who goes into this race. Here is the second part of the interview I made with him before the race. There will follow 2 more parts.
Immune system is essential for recovery
»Sports medicine experts explain that there is a 45-minute "window" following strenuous endurance exercise when the body begins repairing damage by boosting the immune system, replenishing stores of muscle glycogen and synthesizing protein. Drinking chocolate milk, which contains high-glycemic carbs (sugars) along with rapidly absorbed protein at a ratio of 4-to-1 helps move the body from a breakdown mode to a build-up state«.
This quotation underlines the significance of the immune system for recovery. It gives strong evidence for the use of biestmilch as biestmilch www.biestmilch.com compared to milk is far more efficaciously in boosting the immune system than milk. Nevertheless, the statement makes a strong point. Moreover, I am happy to read that we are not the only ones preaching the indispensability of a healthy immune system.
Study results underscore the relevance of Choclate Milk for recovery
The study referred to here was published in February and found out that chocolate milk may, indeed, work just as well — or better — than Gatorade or other sports drinks in aiding athletes to recover from strenuous competition or workouts.
The study cast chocolate milk in a whole new light. Researchers at Indiana University in Bloomington, tested Gatorade, Endurox R4 and chocolate milk on elite racing cyclists.
Published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism and presented to the American College of Sports Medicine, the small-scale study found that milk was twice as effective as Endurox and as effective as Gatorade in replacing fluids and carbohydrates after intense physical activity. But chocolate milk’s value also lies in other healthful ingredients, including lots of protein, vitamin D, calcium and riboflavin.
But Biestmilch outweighs milk
Biestmilch’s content of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) is remarkably high, milk has only got traces of it, the same applies to antibodies and other immunologically active molecules as there are a large variety of cell communicators like cytokines. IGF-1 is essential for the carbohydrate metabolism. Bietsmilch as a whole has a pronounced anti-inflammatory potential and sthus upports the healing process.
Listen to this, guys down there in Kailua-Kona, getting prepared for
the BIG RACE. Science leads you back to the very natural stuff, why ?
Because it’s working.
Chris MacCormack: a very special (tri)athlete
Chris McCormack, business partner and very good friend. 5 days before the big race, the longdistance triathlon world championship in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, 2006. He failed 4 times to win the race. He says: »I had to change my attitude towards the island and the race as such to have a chance to eventually win this outstanding competition.« http://chrismccormack.com
Hawaii Earthquake 6.6: it was scary!
It happened shortly after 7:00 am. I had just arrived from my morning run at 6:56. I know that this precisely because I asked one-armed Willy from southern California (Willy lost his left arm. I am sorry, but he called himself like this. I wouldn’t dare.) whom I ran with this morning. »We meet at breakfast«, I said and headed off to my room. Moritz, the dog who joined me on my run as well, followed me. He was thirsty and I remembered this macerated snale in his water bowl. This couldn’t be. I went back to the kitchen to fill it up with fresh water. Then I rushed to the bathroom, cloths off, and off into the shower. I was just bending over the bathtub to fine-tune the water temperature, the whole house started shaking. First I did not show any specific reaction. Damn, I thought, is there somebody doing some maintenance in the house, with a jack-hammer perhaps? It didn’t take me long to realize the stupidity of my thoughts. I grabed a towel and ran into the garden.
Willi and his wife Lindsay were already there. Lindsay with her hair foamed, a blanket around her naked body. Then Laura came out of the house, pale, but calm she said: »I almost got killed by the light construction in the kitchen. It all fell down.« Only later when Willy and I tried to move the wooden monster, I realized how incredible heavy this thing was. It was only screwed to the ceiling with ridiculous screws, no bolts. It had to come down.
There we were, 3 earthquake experienced Californians, and one rourke from Austria. We waited. They said, they had never in their lives experienced such a strong quake. Their guess was between 6 and 7. How correct they were! No one was panicking, no, we were joking observing the house in its process of adaption. After a while we went back inside, but the second wave just about to come, it was strong, I can tell you. We all ran out again. I don’t know how long we have been waiting outside when we finally went back into the house starting cleaning and joking… Electricity was gone, water supply cut… We gathered around the breakfats table drinking the meanwhile lukewarm coffe and eating home made muffins, applepie and delicious Hawaii fruits.
This morning we came very close to each other. Three strangers at 6:00 am, very familiar with each other at 9:00. This is what danger can positively achieve in a human creature. Its pushing you off the beaten path, gives you a kind of consciousness that feels good.
About the damage, and its consequences I am sure you will hear a lot on the news. We here wait and see, what is going to happen.
The big hotels in Kona with all the triathletes inside got evacuated, that’s what I heard. So, I am lucky to live in this wonderful quiete house made out of pine and cedar, a beam construction very fexible adapting to the moving earth, at least that’s my view. Its weak point »only« being this monstrous iron-wood-neonlight construction in the kitchen. Thank god it’s down!
The US may surprise you, Europeans, don’t carry too many preconceptions along
Before I shall start to focus on the Hawaii IRONMAN race during the days to come, I have to tell you something very outstanding. The US can always surprise you, over board with prejudices, European fellow countrymen!
This morning I left from the hotel at down town San Francisco to the SF airport for Kailua Kona at 6:20. The shuttle driver was a little bit late. I got slightly restless not knowing what I had to expect at the airport. Last time in 2003, I really got hassled.
At the airport at almost the same time with the same airline as this year I ran almost out of time in 2003. This year I thought, business as usual, I even expected it to be worse. I got out at United Airlines check-in. Already in front of the door United offered a special service to check in the baggage. I couldn’t believe it, for me as well? Yes, definitely, for me as well. The guy was very professional, felt my mistrust, showed me my boarding pass, my baggage tag, everything perfect. I was in the loop. Good start within less then half an hour I had passed all security checks, I couldn’t believe it.
By the way, I left San Francisco without buying running shoes. Nevertheless I had a gorgeous run from down town San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge. I’ll try to get running shoes here in Kailua. Let’s wait and see.
This how I was welcome. Sunset after the rain. View on Captain Cook Bay.
No Running Shoes
One won’t believe it. I didn’t find running shoes today. Even though, I was walking around the city for many hours. No store with running shoes. Since years I have been a loyal customer of Lothar Leder’s Laufshop in Darmstadt www.laufshop-leder.de. This time I thought I’ll take the chance of a change, changing brand from Asics to »Brooks Adrenalin«, a recommendation of a good friend with a lot of expertise and changing shop, too much, I learned my lesson.
Is it in the end, that loyalty pays back? or is this overstretching the term? Probably, yes. I don’t know, should I try again tomorrow or return back to loyalty?
Below some proof of my efforts from today.
Lurkers Outnumber Contributors 9 to 1
Jakob Nielsen http://www.useit.com/alertbox/participation_inequality.html has a great article up today. He postulates that in most online communities, 90% are lurkers, 9% of users contribute a little and 1% of users account for almost all the action.
All large-scale, multi-user communities and online social networks that rely on users to contribute content or build services share one property: most users don’t participate very much. Often, they simply lurk in the background.
In contrast, a tiny minority of users usually accounts for a disproportionately large amount of the content and other system activity. This phenomenon of participation inequality was first studied in depth by Will Hill in the early ’90s, when he worked down the hall from me at Bell Communications Research.
User participation often more or less follows a 90-9-1 rule:
- 90% of users are lurkers (i.e., read or observe, but don’t contribute).
- 9% of users contribute from time to time, but other priorities dominate their time.
- 1% of users participate a lot and account for most contributions: it can seem as if they don’t have lives because they often post just minutes after whatever event they’re commenting on occurs.
It reminds me of a saying of one of my professors during my medical studies in Vienna, which I shall remember for the rest of my life. He said to me: »You have to know one thing. If there are 100% sick people, then you can open the following accout. 90% of the 100% recover without any medical support, remain 10%. From these 10% die 9%, and, the tiny rest of 1% accounts for medical interventions.
But does this mean we should stop to intervene? Of course, not!
The same I think applies to blogging and other social activities on the internet. By just doing it things evolve, change, even if we can’t anticipate nor predict the outcome. The final outcome is of minor importance, the process of doing it is the essential.
For this reason it is definitely needed to cut down expectations and see the achievement as a welcome by-product of the process.
I am currently in San Francisco. Tomorrow, I have to go for running shoes. I’ll keep you posted. Here is a foto from my first lunch in town.
