48 Hours in Panama...Part Four

I was riding on one of the brightly lit Panamanian buses, when all of a sudden, there was a loud pulsating, buzzing noise.  It was getting louder and louder, and the lights were starting to flash brighter and brighter in time with each loud buzz.  Everyone on the bus looked very concerned, and quite panicked.  I was certain the bus was going to explode.  As I prepared to jump off of the bus, I looked around and noticed that the bus was full of children...all of them crying hysterically as the noise got louder, and the lights became so bright they were blinding.  I struggled with my decision as to which of these kids I would take with me...I could only save two or three.  I grabbed two children who were seated next to me, and prepared to jump as the deafening buzzing sound changed from pulsating to solid...I knew what was next.  Just as I was ready to jump...I woke up.  Yep, that's right, I woke up to the sound of the hotel alarm clock buzzing loudly in my ears.  It was just a dream...again, welcome to my messed up world!

As I rolled to my right and blindly smacked my hand on top of the alarm clock, desperately searching for the solution to the noise problem...I thought to myself "somethings wrong...I just went to bed."  I checked my phone to see what time it really was, and just as I went to grab it...the alarm on my phone went off.  "Okay" I thought..."it must really be time to get up."  As I rolled out of bed, the phone rang...yep, my 5:00 am wake up call from the front desk...there was no question now...it was time to get up and make the donuts...so to speak.  Three alarms...that's the way I roll! I don't know about you, but i typically have no problem getting up in the morning for the usual...you know, like going to work, or getting out of bed on any normal day...I have no problem.  Throw in something unusual however, or different...like maybe...my first Tignum program...and voila!, I become very concerned about oversleeping.  Okay, all together now...welcome to...you've got it...say the rest out loud...that's right, my world.  Very good.

To say the least...I was tired.  I hadn't slept well, and I went to bed late...around 1:00 am.  We finished up working that night at around 11:30pm, but I was a little wound up from the travel, and needed to relax a bit before hitting the sack.  I decided to sit out on my little balcony and enjoy the cool breeze, and the smell of the ocean...very relaxing.  Okay...I even took advantage of that bathtub that was placed right in the middle of the room...no details...just know that I took a bath!  Soon, I was relaxed enough to attempt  to go to sleep.  I plugged the headphones into my iPod, and turned on some relaxing binaural brainwave files...hoping they would do the trick, and put me down for the count.  Then the buzzing began.

View of the pool at night...27 floors below my balcony

Another cool night view from my balcony

A quick shower, followed by a cup of espresso...and I was a new man!  The plan for the day?  A little low intensity movement with the Adidas group, then testing for the remainder of the day.

Insert sound of scratching record here...

That was the plan...keyword, being was.  I was supposed to introduce the group to a series of low intensity exercises known as Daily Prep.  Daily Prep is designed to wake the body up, and prepare it for the demands of the day.  These exercises...movements...help to improve circulation, wake up the nervous system, improve right-left brain function, improve flexibility and mobility, and even provide a strength stimulus.  Daily Prep is a great way to start the day...for anyone!  The Adidas folks however, had something completely different in mind.  They...okay, maybe just the top guy...thought it would be a great idea if their Daily Prep was replaced by a short jog along the causeway.  More on the jog later...let's talk a little Panama history first.

The Amador Causeway, as it is officially referred to, was built from excavated material during construction of the Panama Canal. It took 18 million yards of solid rock extracted from the famous Culebra or Gaillard Cut of the Panama Canal to build this Causeway.  It is very beautifully lined with trees, and provides great views of the Panama coastline.  The causeway has become a thriving tourist attraction over the years, and contains restaurants, shops, hotels, and marinas.  It is a popular area for runners and cyclists to get their morning workout in...like us, apparently.

The Amador Causeway

We were informed that it would be a short run...nothing long at all...roughly a 30-minute jog.  "Alright" I thought, " I can do that".  I have not run however, in quite some time.  Remember...I am a cyclist...not a runner.  I'm in good physical condition though..."I can do this no problem".  We headed out, and to no surprise, the Adidas 'top-dog' took off like a bat out of hell...obviously a runner.  It was all starting to make sense now.  As Scott and I set a comfortable pace, I began to think about just how much rest I had planned on giving my over-worked IT-bands...you know, the ones that got worked for twelve hours during my race, the weekend before?  Yep, they were already starting to talk to me...and we had only run about a quarter-mile.  This was not going to be fun.  

To make things worse, I was running in shoes that are designed for performance training, not running.  These shoes have a very stiff ridge that runs along the outer edge of the shoe, which serves to provide superior lateral support when doing agility and multi-directional speed training...the type of training I do with my clients.  Unfortunately, that lateral support does not allow the foot to function the way it should during long runs.  The lateral support material also ended up slamming into the bone structure of my feet, ultimately causing bruising to bones in my feet.  So...after all this whining...what I am trying to convey to you is that my feet hurt...badly.  Following our run, we all met for breakfast, replenishing our spent fuel, and recovering from our 'light morning workout'.

Breakfast complete...now it was time to get a shower, and get set up for testing!  Tignum testing involves a number of evaluations, some of which take place prior to the first day of the program.  These tests typically include blood panels and EKG evaluations.  The results of these tests are combined with the results of the tests that we would be performing this morning, ultimately providing the client with a comprehensive view of his/her current and potential 'performance profile'.

The test that I ran for this program is a ventilatory threshold evaluation.  OK, without getting too scientific...ventilatory threshold refers (roughly) to the point at which the human body transitions from an aerobic state, to an anaerobic  state. These two 'states' rely upon two distinctly different energy systems to provide the body with fuel during exercise.  The results of this evaluation can be used to determine a number of things, including one's VO2 (cardio-respiratory fitness level), as well as to identify user-specific heart rate training zones for the development of interval training programs.  

My office for the day...Ventilatory Threshold Testing

The test can be conducted on a treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical trainer, etc.  The most common, and the method we use, is the treadmill.  Some of you may be interested to hear how this works, so I will explain briefly.  Those of you who have no interest in this should scroll down to the next paragraph :).  A speed protocol is selected for each victim...I mean client.  The speed is based upon their current level of activity, prior/current injuries, etc.  For example...if I select a 6mph protocol for a client, they will progressively work up to 6mph, but no faster...that is their top speed.  Each client begins at a comfortable walking speed of 3mph, increasing by 1mph every minute until their top speed is reached.  Once the top speed is reached, the intensity is gradually increased by raising the incline of the treadmill until the client achieves approximately 70-80% of his/her maximal effort.  This is a sub-maximal evaluation, therefore the clients will not be taken to the point of failure.  During the evaluation the client must wear a mask, which is connected via tubing, to the 'magic box'.  The 'magic box' is loaded with sensors that detect respiratory changes, and provide a digital display of the client's ventilatory effort, and ultimately their ventilatory threshold and overall level of cardio-respiratory fitness.  It's a great test, and only takes between 5-7 minutes to complete.

The iMett Ventitlatory Threshold Detection Device

We performed close to twenty evaluations throughout the day, wrapping up at nearly 7:00 pm.  Once the evaluations were complete, it was time to crunch some numbers.  Number crunching was wrapped up fairly quickly, then it was off to hit the showers...we had dinner reservations at a highly acclaimed restaurant...Manolo Caracol.  Tanis had selected this restaurant, based on the recommendation of one of the local Adidas employees.

Manolo Caracol Restaurant, Panama City

Alright...this is getting pretty lengthy...time to shut it down.  Stay tuned for Part Five...that's right, Part Five of my Panama adventure...I promise I'll wrap it up on the next one!  Thanks for reading!