Day 11, Sun sets on Kona

Day Eleven.

Blow your nose.

Beg pardon?

Among the stylized and superstitious, the most important ritual one can preform while preparing for a session or event is the clearing of the nasal passageways. This to accommodate the maximal transfer of oxygen into the abdominal region.

I thought that is what the lungs are for.

Under normal metabolic stress, partially, but when we want or need to increase or intentionally decrease the rate, deep breathing vice shallow lung intake is way more efficient and productive.

Try it right now. Want to relax? Breathe deep. Take it below your sternum, past the diaphragm hinge and into the deepest part of the belly you can feel. Let it expand to cinch your belt. Think Cheen-tu-RAH, the Italian word for belt, as you expand and tighten simultaneously.

Better?

Hummm, yeah. But there's no way I could do this while holding 250 watts for twenty minutes.

Try. Start with one minute and increase as you adapt.

And remember to blow your nose. The sun setting on race day doesn't always mean we are done.