Ravenous

It hit me at 2 & 4 pm today: intense hunger. I couldn’t eat fast enough! I even went to the store to get more of my fav Greek yogurt – Fage (fa-yeh) with fruit & I munched on some trail mix with m&m’s. 30 mins later as I type this my stomach is still asking for more.
Soon after my run I ate a full cup of oatmeal with some dried fruit & nuts and had some leftover veggie pizza & and apple for lunch, a Diet Coke and a piece of bread.

Anyone else ravenous after the hill repeats today? What have you replenished with – good & bad??

keep drinkin’n & eatin’

Mixing up smoothies and core work for video/photo shoot

Moms doing triathlons on a shoestring budget; that was the theme of our video/photo shoot last Friday with Beth Engelman, writer/columnist, author, and prior teacher (www.mommyonashoestring). AND you can learn to do a tri and be inspired by reading TRI The Journey….our book soon to be published (January 2011).

Libby, Mary Bradbury, Kim Morgan and I- all triathlete moms met at Beth’s kitchen at her home. After a quick intro to each of us, Kim whipped up her fav healthy, power smoothie – loaded with anti-oxidants, calcium, protein, and carbs. Frozen berries (a good staple to that keeps in the freezer), greek yogurt, protein powder, Almond milk, and few other secrets. YUM, good…you’ll have to watch Kim at work and try the recipe.  Good for post workouts. We all cheered with our glass of smoothie for a photo!

Mary then got down on the floor with Beth to demo a plank – knees down at first to try, then with legs all the way behind them, butts even (not in the air or too low to the ground). Hold for 1 min. Remember to breathe….Beth did great – joking this was something her ex-husband would have made her do. Mary demo’d lunges, too. Keep good form and go slow.

Libby and I talked a little about gear and transition. Yes, you can get by with the basics; swimsuit, goggles, whatever bike you have in the garage (tuned up and safe to ride), helmet, water bottle, running shoes.

You can do a triathlon-be empowered, have fun, get fit,  do something for you – find the time in your schedule, AND be a good example for your family.

Look for our video and article on Beth’s site to be posted on January 13, 2011!

In the meantime, I’m doing yoga, playing paddle tennis, swimming, cycling on my trainer, and running on the treadmill (soon to be on the indoor track, too.). Phew! Busy and liking my schedule.  I’m enjoying doing swim drills – improving my stroke and thinking all the time about my body position, arm position, and rotation. I think it’s paying off . I’m finding that a few treadmill runs haven’t been too disastrous- I’m not one to run in place indoors. If I break it down into intervals or a few accelerations it’s doable- as with most of workouts – huh go figure! It’s just like outdoor workouts – set a goal for each workout and mix things up and you’ll stay positive and motivated no matter what the day’s weather.

Tell me how  you stay motivated to workout  in the winter?

2xu Compression sleeves for recovery

After Bang’s Lake Tri my legs were aching from working them so hard for 2:40 mins! I slipped on my compression sleeves and let them pump my blood to help with recovery. I suggest you try them – they really work!

I picked some up at Running Away Multisport in Deerfield, where we got our race packets and info. RAM is like a candy store to me! As I shopped for some compression sleeves, a woman approached who was wearing black compression sleeves on her calves (also wearing shorts- no funny looks while in RAM!). She was looking for white sleeves, since the black were so hot.

The salesman measured my calf- 13 cm- saying XS should do. I picked out some white ones – a pricey $55- for 2XU calf guards. They’re made of 80% nylon and 20% elastane. Their website says: “Therapeutic rated fabric provides greater pressure and recovery benefit by helping the pumping action of the cardiovascular system; removing blood lactate from exercising muscles leading to faster muscle repair.” also…”enhances stability and agility” “reduces damage and fatigue”   Even is “embedded with antibacterial” and has sun protection! SOLD!

I hemmed a hawed about the price, but caved in, knowing they were worth it and I’d get a lot of use out of them.

Sure enough, right after Bang’s Lake Tri, I slipped them on and wore them around the house all day. Instantly, I could feel my blood circulating…better for blood not to pool and great for fatigued muscle recovery.  Bruce had them on, too, but he found his – made of different material- at Village Cycle in Arlington Hts.

I took the week for recovery workouts- an easy cycle with Eric on Monday and a very short run. Felt good to work out some of the lactic acid build up. Then I took Tuesday off. By Thursday I was feeling good and cycled about 19 miles with Bruce, Kim & Mark early in the morning. Great time go, as always.

We headed up to the Clark’s cottage on Thursday evening (my sister/brother’s place)…I think I could train there all summer long! We swam at the lake and ran -doing some fartleks. Hips were sore…we really could train in all 3 there. The lake was warm with cold spots, so no need for a wetsuit. Calm and scenic- hardly anyone else was up there. I kayaked, too, to work my arms…always could use more upper body work!

So.. what’s my next goal? (Bruce is doing the Chicago Tri in 2 weeks. I’m forgoing this year. Not a big fan of the wait time for the oly race.). Definitely a 10K in September and maybe a few others.

I’ m ready to pay it forward and plan on coaching Girls on The Run at one of Glenview’s elementary schools. Coach training may even be this weekend. A different kind of training than what I’ve been doing, but I’m ready to get girls on the running path and see their faces smile with accomplishment!

With nutrition being a big part of our training- we planted a few fruits and veggies- stuff the kids would enjoy. They chose cantaloupe, watermelon, peppers, and tomatoes. They are finally ready to be picked and we bit into our first canteloupe last week. Yum!

Bangs Lake Triathlon – 8/8/10-cool tri, hot day

A month ago, I visited the Bangs Lake Multisport Festival website at least five times before registering for the race. I looked at all the course info, the registration info, the picture of cool goodie bag item- a green and white cycling jersey- and even some past results just to see how tough the tri would be. I liked the convenience of the race location – just 27 miles or so from our home- and the packet pick up was in Deerfield just a 10 minute drive away. It’s also a smaller tri than Chicago, so the wave starts would be nice and early.

My final decision maker?  I asked Mary Bradbury (TWT coach) about the hilly course. She had competed in this race at least a few times. She sent an email back saying, yes, it was hilly, but I could handle it. I love her confidence. Bruce also was excited to race, so the fact that both of us would be getting up at the crack of dawn and racing together sold me. DONE! I registered and arranged for sitter to stay the night with the kids.

After much preparation with our bikes, gear, and nutrition, the day before (and I tapered for the week – doing short, intense workouts), we hit the hay by 9 pm that night and set our alarms for 4:15 am.

at 4:20 a.m. or so, in the pitch dark, Riley, our dog, barely opened his eyes or moved much when we got up the next morning. Oatmeal with milk and fruit, and some o.j. for breakfast and off we went. I’ve learned that you MUST eat a good breakfast before a long race. Plenty of carbs. Bruce had loaded our bikes in the car the night before, so we threw in our gear bags and off we went.

We arrived at the race site in Wauconda, Il high school with a stream of traffic. We parked, unloaded and pumped up our bike tires. We even saw a familiar face- Andrew one of the TWT coaches! It was a nice short walk across the street to the transition area with plenty of racks and space for our stuff. Bruce and I racked next to each other and used my orange towel as our marker for our bikes and gear. We also counted the racks and noticed the sign in our row – Wave 5 & 6. We were near the “Bike Out” area but didn’t see the “Run Out” signs. We asked a volunteer, who said it was right by him, and they were still needing to put the sign up. We were set. We grabbed our wetsuits and suit juice and headed for the bus to shuttle us down to the beach to use the potty there.

On the bus, the woman across my row told her seat mate she had done Kona! (yes, that’s the Hawaii Ironman) Wow…some hard core athletes in this bunch! A few minutes later we arrived to the beach, the sun just starting to peek. We saw a port’o potty and headed there to go and put on our wetsuits. After chatting with a few other racers, and getting bitten by mosquitos, we jumped in the lake to warm up a bit. This is the first time I’ve been able to do this and it really calmed my nerves. Out and over to the swim wave start, I found Mary B., and Amy O, and we lined up together. No music pumping, but the announcer had started the race. We were Wave 5 and up soon….Yikes! My stomach fluttered…this was my first oly race in over a year. I’d be out there for over 2 hrs! I tried calming myself- just take it sport by sport. And like Kim text me the night before “give it all you’ve got!”

I lined up behind Mary as she shook off her nerves and fuddled with her goggles. Mine were feeling a little loose, so I attempted to tighten, then stopped -afraid I’d break a strap! Mary’s used to futzing with her goggles-I’m not. I kept my hands off.

There was a stillness and calm quiet as the announcer counted down. 10 seconds….I focused on the back of Mary and concentrated. 3,2,1….Off we went, running across the start pad and out into the water. A true mass start. I saw Mary run out as far as she could then leap into the water. I lept – arms everywhere. I just kept my face down and focused on my stroke – trying to pull away and find my space and pace. It took longer than I’d hope to pull away, but I got there. Sighting and keeping an eye on the buoys. We swam far out into the lake…I knew I’d be about 30 minutes or so, so I settled in and started breathing on both sides. I felt best doing this, as I didn’t then have to hold my breath so long between strokes.

Along the course, I sighted, watching for other swimmers and the buoys on our left. I missed that fact that I couldn’t take a look around and see my surroundings! I love swimming in lakes and checking out the scenery. Once I made it around the red buoy and headed toward land and the swim exit, I did stop to do breast stroke to see where we were to get out. My goggles were fogging up a bit and I just needed to know where I was going! There were colored flags at a small white structured building in the distance. Still a ways to go But, I was approaching fast…yeah. As I swam the last bit, I kicked harder to get my legs alive and started thinking about my T1 and cycling. I was putting all that I’d learn and researched for the book, TRI The Journey, into practice.

I popped out and ran to T1…a long run. Pulling off my wetsuit, it got stuck a bit around my elbows! Earlier, I was so focused on juicing up my ankles, that I totally forgot about putting any suit juice on my elbows. I pulled down harder as a I ran and got my suit off to my waist. Phew…then pulled it hard down to my ankles when I reached my bike and gear. I stepped on my suit around my ankles and pulled my leg up to get out of my wetsuit. Still on at my ankles, I pulled the last of it off around my foot, grabbed my sunglasses and helmet (my shoes were mounted on my pedals already) and got through the bike exit to then mount my bike. No problems.

Off I went with my feet on top of my shoes. I pedaled awhile until I felt I was in a spot to slip my feet into my shoes and velcro them shut. This was OK since I was just getting my legs warmed up for a 38k bike ride.

Rolling hill right off the bat and then a turn. Lots of left turns on this course. I found my pace and settled in my aerobars. I LOVE my aerobars and they do help me ride faster. The body positioning with them feels right- feels relaxed. So, it was hill after hill. There was one I was only going 10 mph up, but then it was a nice speedy on the downhill. I kept track of my time and fuel…taking in shot blocks I had stuck to my top tube every 15 minutes. I planned to take my gel at the 1 hour mark. I had my time clock right in front of me on my bike. My goal was NOT to bonk on the run, and the only way to do this was to fuel on bike. I also kept drinking my Powerade every 15 mins.

Two other riders and I were jockeying on the first loop of the course. I’d pass them, then they’d pass me! I passed them more often on the uphill…which worried me a little because I didn’t want to tire out too soon. I loved the scenery – barns, farms, homes.

Before too long, I heard Bruce come up behind me…”Go Betsy! Looking strong…” Geez, he started 3 minutes behind me! He passed me already??? I told him “Go Bruce! Looking good” He was cruising!

I felt good when I hit the second loop. I was hoping to come in around 1 hour 14 min or so and it was lookin’ good. On the second loop, one of the guys I was jockeying with rode past one of the turns and up into the grass! I made the turn, then looked back and asked if he was OK. He was smiling, a little embarrassed, then got back on track. Before long he was passing me up again! The turns were well marked, but there were many, so you had to pay attention and look ahead. Bruce told me later that he almost crashed when a woman kept going to straight at the turn as he was making the turn. There was even a road block and police at the intersection! The woman screamed, and Bruce put on his breaks, skidding a long way. The cops applauded his effort to avoid the crash.

Coming in to T2, I felt strong and pleased I kept up with my fueling. I knew the run would be hard and my legs tired. I was right. I did a pretty quick T2 getting my running shoes on and again, the run out was pretty long. I was hurting at first, grabbed some water right away and ran, waiting to find my running legs and pace. I knew it would take a little bit of time to get into my running pace. 6.1 miles to go!

A lot of people were on the run so they helped me keep going. I got a stitch in my side for a little, and just kept moving thinking of songs in my head and once I ducked into the neighborhood, I began looking for Bruce looping back.

The run course was hill after hill…I was thinking just a few hills, but no. This was one after the other! Yikes! I saw Vachee (the overall winner) running and cheered him on. Seeing the mile markers motivated me…2 miles…4 to go. I can do this. I thought of “Let it Rock”  and “If it was your last day” and imagined Bon Jovi signing at his concert I went to a few weeks ago. I looked around. Took in some scenery. Feeling good, strong. Not knowing my pace….I saw Bruce just before the turn around and he cheered me on. He was running fast, so I felt slow. With the hills, I thought I was running 8:30 miles or more!

Thankfully, the clouds covered the sky and sun stayed hidden the entire race. When I saw the 4 and 6 mile marker I was thrilled to be feeling so good!! A few women around me took off running. They must have been training on hills. Not me! I wish I could have chased them, but was giving it all I had for the time. I tried pushing it a bit, and picked up my pace, but felt I just couldn’t go any faster for the last couple of miles.

When I popped out the neighborhood and crossed the street to head into the park and toward the finish line, one of the volunteers said, “Cool orange shoe laces! I like those.”  Made me smile. I did force myself to smile on the last mile…just to forget some of the discomfort. SMILE says Chrissie Wellington. SMILE!!!

As I approached the finish line I saw Bruce ahead walking back to find me. “Go Bets! The finish line is just ahead. You are right there!” I said, “You gonna run the end in with me?” He moved to my right side and began running – of course faster than me! But he helped me kick it in some more. I was surprised to see the finish line not far. “You’re looking firm. Keep running firm,” he said.

So I did….I ran it firm and hard into the Finish Line. It was there and I made it feeling strong! I didn’t bonk, I didn’t hurt myself, I felt great and thought I’d finish in under 3 hours easily.

I met Bruce after taking off my chip. My legs got tight quickly and I was desperate to stretch them out. Then I didn’t want to hit a carb low, so asked Bruce to grab some bananas. Ah…we did it!

We saw Mary and caught up with her and her race..she was the overall female WINNER! So awesome. Then we found out Vachee was the overall winner! Couple of our locals and coaches. Incredible. We posed for a photo with Mary, Vachee, Candance, Amy, Katherine, Andrew – the TWT crew- who have all come a long way on our TRI Journeys. And we’re still going strong….Bruce and I were very pleased with our times, which left us thinking, can we go even FASTER???

Glenview Tri-Great race & some good lessons learned

Sunday, August 1st, the alarm set for 5 am was not truly set. We just thought it was.

I rolled over and saw a shimmer of light coming through our shutters in our bedroom. I thought, it must be around 5 am or maybe later. I hit my light on my bedside clock…5:28 am!!! YIKES! “Bruce, it’s almost 5:30! We gotta get up!”

Our plan the night before was to get up at 5 am, eat, get ourselves to the Glenview Park Center by 5:30 so we could warm up in the pool and then even have time to run a little. Didn’t happen…Luckily, we are just a few minutes from the Park Center and quickly ate, get ready, rode our bikes into transition by 5:50 or so. We had until 6:15.

“Sorry, Tri’s over…” said a snappy volunteer….

We hustled to get our chips and body marked. The tri is so well organized and only about 400 people come, so it’s not too congested. We  got our stuff, marked, and then found our rack. There was plenty of room, but one woman had all of her stuff laid out in full form in a section of the rack! I asked nicely if she could move it, “usually, people just put their stuff by one of their bike wheels,” I said. She said there was plenty of room at the other racks in our row…I looked down the line – not really. I wanted the end so I could easily see my stuff and get in and out of the transition. Not happy, Bruce decided to rack in the back -where no one was! He’s always thinking.

We saw Kim and Mark come out of the water. They had warmed up. “If you hurry you might be able to jump in and swim a few laps,”  say said as the announcer said the pool was closing for warm-ups. We hustled over and our neighbor, one of the swim police, confirmed the pool had indeed closed. We went in just to use the restroom.

I REALLY wanted to warm up, so stood and did some jumping jacks and some sprints in the grassy area where racers were assembling. The announcer is awesome – loud and clearly saying we are all so fortunate to be here- to have the freedom to do what we want to do and to be safe at this race. I thought about our freedom while racing. We are fortunate.

We lined up to start the swim, Bruce & Mark ahead for some serious racing, Kim and I, then Stef and Sue – so comforting and fun to have friends nearby. There to support and you just know they will be cool if you panic or have any trouble. Kim and I didn’t like the tight conditions of the indoor pool swim…we told ourselves it’s only 5 mins and to just focus on ourselves and our own stroke, no one else’s.  As we approached the pool start, we saw Mark and then Bruce and cheered them on. The pace at the start line was quick.

Before we knew it, Kim was in the water and I was right after. Off we went! The swim worked out well. I thought strong and steady, keep Kim in sight, this is only 5 mins or so, I can do this. I just swam about an hour last week. Keep your head down and glide.

I  was given the red kickboard once on my 2nd to last length and turned around to ask the person behind if she wanted to pass…no she didn’t.I kept pushing on.

Out of the water, I ran down the grass to T1, my adrenaline pumping. Bruce and I had practiced getting in our cycling shoes while on the bike and it was so easy to do! So, I grabbed my helmet, glasses, and bike and ran out of T1, mounted my bike and pedaled with my bare feet on top of my shoes. Out on the street, around the turn, I reached down to slip on my shoes and velcro them shut. It worked great!

Then I realized my helmet was on backward. Dumb! I had taken off my visor the day before and didn’t have a reference for the front. So I tried to turn it around..which slowed me down. Kim caught up and asked if I was Ok? Yes, just my helmet is on backward!! In hindsight, I should have left it on as it…got it right, then kept pushing. I rode behind Kim a bit and then she took off after one of our turns. She was rapid on her bike! I pushed harder then ever, knowing the route well and we had 2 loops.

I kept drinking on the bike, hoping I’d feel strong on the run. Took some shot blocks, too, then the package flew out of my hand onto the street. Got one chew in and it took me forever to swallow I was working so hard! Geez…

Rounding the turn and coming down the stretch to T2, I un-velcroed my shoes, slipped my feet out of my shoes and pedaled barefoot on top of my shoes again into T2. So easy to then run without those clips on the bottom! Lovin’ it!

In T2, slipped on my running shoes and visor and headed out – my quickest transitions ever!! The run is always tough after cycling hard for so long. I was determined to keep a strong, steady pace, knowing my time was already improved from last year. Hitting the hill on the run couldn’t have been better with the volunteers playing their drums and cheering us on! The guys were nutty and so full of enthusiasm! What motivators to get me up the hill!!

On the hill, I saw Mark and we cheered each other on. He was looking strong. Then saw Bruce who gave me the peace sign. He was working so hard up the hill, he couldn’t muster the energy to speak. No surprise to me.

When I saw the 2-mile marker then looked ahead to see where the runners were going, it looked to far away! I thought, I only have 1.1 or so miles to go…it’s not long…keep it up, you can do it.

A Bon Jovi song came to mind. Then I thought, Chrissie Wellington does this whole event in 8 hours, fast! Imagine being out here running a marathon. This is nothing.

I thought of our freedom. I took in the moment and before I knew it, I was heading back up the hill and on the last section of the race. Beautiful day.

The finish line was in sight as I saw Bruce and Mark cheering me on at the end..”You look strong! finish Strong!” I kicked in my run for the last few yards and crossed the finish line to the announcer and music in the sky.

Glorious Day with glorious people. I am grateful!!

And I’ve learned a few lessons for the Bangs Lake Oly Tri next Sunday! Get it on…

Aero bar, tri shoes, & bento box are a perfect fit

We made long overdue trip to Village Cycle Sport, in Elk Grove Village, IL to get clips for our tri shoes Bruce gifted to us last Christmas…I  also was in the market for aero bars and a bento box. All little fun gear stuff!

I first found a bento box which was recommended by the store clerk – one that is a little rigid and holds a few gels. I like it and it would serve it’s purpose. In the meantime, Bruce was at the shop having the guys check out his zip wheel that had deflated after about 3 rides. They tested everything, thought it might be the stem that wasn’t secure…they even dunked it in water to check for leaks. Nothing.

We also chose some carbon aero bars. YES…I was ready to be in the aero position and gain a little speed. I’m comfortable enough on my bike now, in handling it and with speed that I thought I’d benefit from the aero bars.

We found the clips for our Shimano shoes, too. I was excited to be able to have the velcro and the ventilation on these shoes.

I was anxious to try them out, but the day got away and the heat. Bruce prepped my bike and we planned for a ride early the next morning.

Sure enough, we dragged ourselves out of bed and hit the roads by 6:15 am. Great time to go – little traffic and cool temps. Into the wind, I settled into my aero bars and focused on my lower body- staying still and moving fast. Plus I was able to draft behind Bruce! We had a great ride…our shoes had a bit more float, but I liked that feature. More flexibility and a little less rigid than my other cycling shoes.

Stay tuned for info on a visit with Ironman champion, Chrissie Wellington…and some motivation tips from an expert in sports psychology!

Carb loading while running- sound nutrition plan in action

Just 2 weeks to go until the Chicago 13.1 -June 13! I’m I ready??? After Saturday’s run, I think so….

On Saturday’s long 11 mile run, I was diligent about by carb loading and I felt great. Getting in carbs and fluids while running over 60 mins. is KEY to feeling good which equals success!

Up at 5:45 am to eat breakfast – carb load before my long run. That early morning hour goes fast. My dog stumbled around a bit that early, but is always wagging his tale when it’s time for breakfast.  He’s knows the morning routine. While he lapped up his kibbles, I ate Special K granola, with fruit and milk-it’s always safe for my stomach….no coffee until after the run. I think it upsets my stomach and then the deyhyration factor is not good.

I thought if I started 50 minutes after I ate, I’d be OK. 6:50 I was laced up and ready to go. In hand – my Powerade Lemon-Lime drink in a small water bottle. Heading down Lake Street toward Greenwood, I still felt some food in my stomach – a little regurge back up. NOT good, but I knew in only 10 mins or so, I’d be fine. Sure enough, I settled down.  OK – so running 1 hr after I eat is the way to go.

Running VERY slow my first mile – 10 min I think- I soon picked up pace heading down Lake Street. Nice so early in the morning….plus, the kid’s baseball games were going on all day, so this was my window.

Every 15-20 minutes I slowed down and sipped my drink. YES, this was practice for race day. Slowing down to drink doesn’t take slow down your pace much, so it’s better to just do it. With shorter races, under an hour, it’s not as critical, but this 1/2 marathon it’s a must and I thought I better get it in my head, this is my plan.

So, cruising along, I finished 7 miles and ran by the house to sip on some more water and Powerade I had sitting out front. I took some sips, with 4 to go, I hollered for Bruce to see if he wanted to do the 4 miles with me. As I slowed and sipped, my legs quickly tightened up….Bruce mumbled something behind the backyard fence. Not sure what he said, so I kept on going. I was afraid to stop too long!

I finished the 4 mi strong and met Bruce back at home. He had run, trying to catch me Never did, but he ran 9 mi total that morning. I felt the best I’ve felt on a long run – legs strong, cardio great and energetic the whole day – the carbs were perfect. I also drank plenty after and ate a banana and granola bar within the 30 mins after I ran.

We cycled 20 miles the next morning….still feeling strong and the effects of my training.

So – it’s pretty simple – make a nutrition plan before you work out and stick to it. Get those carbs and fluids in on a regular basis during your long workouts and you’ll feel your body being energized AND feel better the rest of the day.

This week – some short 2 mile runs with 10 mi speed work and a long run by Saturday. Then it’s taper week….

Now I’m thinking about a goal after the 13.1 – which triathlon to do????

Eat Right/FOOD IS FUEL- pre and post work out foods

Ugh…the heat and humidity arrived Sunday in Chicago. I love the heat it’s the humidity that’s tough. Add running in the mix and it just sucks.

Not to be gross but I don’t remember ever going for a run and after a few miles being so sweaty all over that my hands and fingers were soaked! Then my back was dripping. I’m not a heavy sweater, so it takes this type of high humidity to make me sweat. Come to think of it, we only had a few days of weather like this last summer and it was in August so we were a little more acclimated.

Yesterday, my easy 3 mile run felt like I was in an oven. I couldn’t wait to stop! Today was suppose to be 8 miles with 6 miles of a tempo run at 8:04…couldn’t make it the whole 8. Stopped at 6, then ran another mile slow and walked the dog for 20 minutes. Felt good for the first 4 miles then went downhill!

Anyway, I certainly feel different after a run like that….I chugged some Power Bar Endurance lemon/lime drink – my fav and kept drinking.

This afternoon I was fortunate to interview Deb, the Sports Dietitian with Northwestern Univ. athletic dept. for our nutrition chapter of our book. She was spot on when it comes to the importance of EATING PRE AND POST WORKOUT  and having a nutrition plan just as you have a tri, running or cycling training program.

I don’t want to give away too much that will be in the book but it’s also in the literature – Eating before exercising will  help improve your performance.

Focus on carbs and a little bit of protein for Recovery (30 mins after a w/o) and hydrate with electrolytes before, during and after long workouts.

Everyone is different, obviously, so try healthy carbs in small amounts before working out 1-2 hours prior….I do notice a difference when I eat breakfast of cereal, milk, fruit and then workout an hour later vs. waiting until it’s close to lunch or dinner or after dinner. FOOD IS FUEL!!

Nutrition can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s so important…. take your time to understand what are carbs  proteins. I’ve read and written a lot about nutrition and I think it’s finally sinking in- I’ve EXPERIENCED IT and FELT how it affects my body.

Think about what your eating as it fuels your body for exercise. Use it..and ENJOY!!

Start your day with a good breakfast and be sure not to miss out on Fall cycling

My morning routine includes getting glimpses of The Today Show. I like to hear the morning headlines, quick weather updates and health news. Dr. Nancy Snyderman is a favorite; she’s personal, smart and a solid reporter.

The other day Joy Bauer discussed breakfast cereals. I tend to get in a rut with my cereals. Lately I’ve been eating Total Protein with a little bit of Kashi U – topped with blueberries. I’m always looking on the labels for fiber, protein and sugar. I want my kids to get in the good habit of eating decent cereals – but every now and then we slip. I really discourage things like Reese’s Puffs or Lucky Charms – never in our house! But, I don’t want to be so strict that I ban sugar form the house. Last weekend we bought some mini donuts…now forgotten in the pantry! How quickly they can forget!

For high impact, the Today Show had a TON of chocolate chip cookies on the set to show the amount of sugar in cereals…it was pretty amazing! This is what caught my eye.

Joy recommends reading labels looking for the first ingredient being whole grain, at least 3 grams of fiber per serving and no more than 8 grams of sugar per serving. She goes onto list the cereals she recommends…go to the link I include above..

I think the high fiber’s important for all of us to stay full for a few hours – especially for Brad, my 6th grader, who doesn’t get a snack before lunch.

I’ve also alternated cereal with oatmeal mixed with dried apricots, walnuts, blueberries and some brown sugar…Ok I added a little sugar!

Now…after you’ve had your breakfast, don’t rule out a Fall bike ride ride. Take a nice ride-pushing it a little-and enjoy the cool temps and Fall colors. I’m just not ready to pack it all up and go inside! We have to enjoy the outdoors a little longer….before the snow flies.

I sneaked in a short 30 min ride today -feeling good to move my legs and get back on the bike after a week. It’s also nice to take a break from training and ride for the joy of it. Ride because I can. Ride because I “get to” as Kristen Armstrong blogged (Mile Markers) about in her latest post on Runner’s World.com. Check it out…some “food for thought.”

Skinny Cow & back to bricks

I admit that I had a little sense of fear after the Chicago Tri that I was going to go down hill from here as far as my fitness level. Now that the tri was over, would I just be burned out? Be back at ground zero?

I had to remind myself that this was the reason I signed up for the Danskin tri on Sept. 27 – just 4 weeks away. I was in good shape, so why not just keep it going another few weeks? the Danskin is a fun tri and after asking around and finding that a few training buddies were also signed up, I wouldn’t be doing it alone.

TWT won’t have formal training for Danskin, but a bunch of us will be getting together to do some of the workouts. Emails were flying today – where to swim, what trials to ride. It seems we’re all relying on each other to get us to the race. Great way to go…and I’m so thankful for this group.

So, looking back to Week 10 of my TWT schedule, I saw there was a bike-run brick for the day. Or for one of the days of the week. With great weather today, I did my brick workout- 12 mile ride with a 2 mi run. Most of the ride I relived my Chicago Triathlon race…still fresh in my mind. The anxiety while setting up the transition, in the line up at the swim, cycling on LSD, and then running around the Shedd and running across the line. The race was still alive in my mind as I cycled in and out of the shadows on the path.

I still had energy and was feeling strong after my ride. I chewed a Shot Block and downed some water before running. NOT good. I got a cramp.

I worked through it by laying down in the grass and doing some crunches. Something Bruce (with track experience) said to do. It works. I think it pulls the blood to the area so it works out the cramp. Anyway, I finished my run easily and decided to next time skip the blocks until the end or try these new enlyten electrolyte strips. A nurse friend told me about them. They dissolve in your mouth and are quick to get into your system – no water needed to follow. No gooeyness.

After coming home I tried some Skinny Cow skim chocolate milk. Thick and creamy and it was to die for! Awesome taste!! The label says it has 37% more protein and 33% more calcium than regular while milk. I found my new favorite post work-out drink!!

Bruce was back on his bike last night. He’s taking predizone to help minimize the pain in his back. It seems to we working. The other night he ran and said his legs felt good. He’s taking it slow and getting back into exercising. We hope he continues to get better. I can say he’s bending down a little slow but never complains!