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Showing posts from June 27, 2010

Training the body

On Sun evening I received an email from Karel... First sentence, 11 weeks until IMWI Next part of the email included dates for 3 weeks of build and 1 week recovery. The next part, 3 more weeks of build, 1 week recovery. Week 9 - last hard week Week 10 and 11 - taper 9/12/10 IRONMAN WISCONSIN So far, so good. Feeling great, no signs of "past injury" and feeling strong. Actually, stronger than ever before. Wouldn't you agree with me that the human body is amazing. I have always loved the body and the amazing things that it allows us to do on a daily basis but for much of my life, I really took for granted how sensitive the body is to every-day stress and daily habits. Growing up, I was always active with swim team. When I went to college at Transylvania University in my hometown of Lexington, KY. I majored in Exercise Science. I was president of the Exercise Science club, I was a personal trainer at the YMCA (in the summer) and taught spin classes and personal trained YMCA

Snack before you eat and control overeating

I hope you enjoy my latest article from the FREE Iron Girl newsletter! Snack before you eat and control overeating Looking to improve your nutrition or change unhealthy eating habits? Try snacking before a meal, which can decrease hunger and help control caloric intake throughout the day. Individuals who plan balanced snacks between meals are likely to avoid the symptoms of low blood sugar, are better able to fuel and recover from exercise and appear more alert and productive at work, compared to those who go long hours without eating. Eating a 50- to 80-calorie snack before your next meal will set you up for a portion, calorie and craving-controlled meal. An optimal snack should include healthy fats, low-fat or lean protein and whole grains, in addition to fibrous fruits and veggies. As you snack on these nourishing foods, you'll find yourself eating and ordering more consciously and will feel better about what you put into your body. Most, if not all, active individuals will qu

Vegetarian "Meat" and Potato salad

As you know, my background is in exercise physiology (Master degree in Exercise Physiology, Bachelor degree in Exercise Science/minor in psychology) so I feel really confident when it comes to coaching and understanding the adaptations that must be made in an effort to increase speed and power for optimal performance. Individual improvements are very relative. Because we all have different heart rates for different speeds, which causes us to metabolize fuels differently, it would be silly to say that a 9 min miler does not work as hard as a 7 min miler, just because the "faster" athlete finishes quicker than the "slower" athlete. Training must be individualized in an effort to experience performance gains and in an effort to avoid burnout, injury and unnecessary fatigue. Unlike any other event out there, except for the decathlon, triathletes do not just train for one sport. If you are a triathlete, or are considering the "triathlete" lifestyle, you realiz

Iron Girl Atlanta Pics

I missed my little ones

Iron Girl Atlanta Race Report

I remember all too well what it feels like to be a newbie. Considering that my first three triathlons (sprint, olympic and olympic) were on a Giant Hybrid bike (which I thought was the coolest bike EVER at the time) I was 100% newbie for my first year of calling myself a "triathlete". I think my swimming background allowed me to "succeed" in the sport as a newbie but looking back, WOW- I was such a horrible biker and so-not-worthy to even call myself a cyclist. That's ok - it didn't really matter to me if I sucked at cycling or running off the bike because I just loved the people at triathlons, the excitment, the finish line, the t-shirt and medal and the post-race soreness that lasted for at least a week. I just loved the experience and the lifestyle of swim-bike-run and never considered myself to be a die-hard competitive triathlete...that is, until I met Karel. Karel always told me that I was having too much fun at triathlons because I was always smiling