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Showing posts from January 27, 2013

Train smarter to reach success faster

Back in September 2012, I spoke to a group of active women on the topics of eating and nutrition and performing beautifully. The focus of the talk wasn't to tell people what to do to reach performance goals or to lose weight but rather how to be smarter in the action steps or thought process to reach personal goals. If you are interested in checking out my recap of the event, here is the first of a series of blogs on the lecture.  Not too long ago, I went to Iowa to talk to a group of runners at their annual banquet on the topic of "common mistakes made by runners - "how to train smarter to reach success faster."  The event went better than I thought because I had no idea how many runners struggled with understanding topics such as designing a personalized training plan, how to understand and use training gadgets and how to focus on other aspects in life that can positively impact training/fitness gains beyond just focusing on the training miles.  So, now that I...

Endurance swim, pasta creation and upcoming talk

Looking forward to a busy day tomorrow (FRI). Swim, strength, work at the hospital and then speaking at the  Jacksonville Running Company  (Tapestry Park) along with Heartland Rehab, about maintenance and recovery at 6:30-7:30pm. I will be speaking with  110% Play Harder  to talk about how I value recovery after training and how recovery gear (like 110% and compression) has  made a big impact in my success (and health) as a competitive athlete. Karel is racing on his road bike this weekend - 4 races in two days! I won't be going to watch so I will be awaiting anxiously (like always) for his call that all went well and he enjoyed his suffering :) Wednesday was a tough swim! The pool was packed and I found myself stuck between too lanes...not quite fast enough to keep up with the fast guys but still wanted to be pushed. I had a great workout and the main set was exhausting! Main set 2x's: 4 x 200's steady pace (on 3 minutes) 800 steady 50 EZ Then repeat With...

Broccoli and cashew stir-fry and Tuesday duathlon

Monday was busy. Without a morning workout and the additional time that would have been spent driving, preparing for and cleaning up after the workout, I started my day early and finished late. But all was good by this morning because I had a great night of sleep last night knowing I tackled a lot on my to-do list and I woke up with a body filled with unused energy from Monday. This morning I had a workout on my schedule that I was concerned about. Run-bike-run. Ugggh. I am NOT a duathlete, Karel!!! But, there is always a method behind the madness so instead of starting my doubts and excuses, I went ahead and tried it. 2 mile build run + 1:15 interval bike + 4 mile descending run.  The first two miles were OK. .Actually, the first mile was OK and the 2nd mile was great. I was sure to do extra dynamic stretching before the run to loosen up the hips and to get the blood flowing but for someone who requires a long warm-up, 7:37 went by and I was making my way back to my car in N...

Two fueling creations - rainbow kale and toasted barley

Not sure which way you want to look at it...refueling or fueling? Either way, the body is always in need of food. Recovering from one workout and preparing for another OR eating because it is an opportunity to nourish your body. No need to stress about "healthy" eating - appreciate the foods that you can put into your body to fuel your workouts and lifestyle routine. The following two creations received a "YUM" from my non-vegetarian, yet "plant-strong" hubby who is also training hard for the upcoming triathlon season. As I train for my 6th Ironman, he is training for his first Ironman and we both know how important it is to fuel the body and keep the body healthy and well. Saturday evening creation: Rainbow kale, roasted potatoes and cooked polenta and tempeh with greek yogurt.  Rainbow kale (purchased at the farmers market in Nocatee) Tempeh (2 ounces per person, ~10g protein) Small baking potatoes (prepared 3 of them) - washed and sliced Sliced p...

No-guilt nutrition on recovery/off days

Two weeks of quality training are behind me. It doesn't seem like a lot but I still have 6 more months to go before Ironman Lake Placid and without emphasis on recovery, there is no way I can progress with intentional exercise-induced stress and fatigue. My body is going strong but to be proactive, I will rest my body and mind before I really need it. A solid 9 hours of sleep last night and I know a day off from training was needed since I am not a napper and nighttime is the only time I can rejuvenate and repair. I am a fan of active recovery (ex. swim, non-weight bearing activity) as a replacement for a day off but never when it comes with waking up with an alarm. Seeing that the drive to and from the gym may take more time than the actual swim, alongside feeling rushed, meal prep, etc. I didn't even need to think twice about not doing an active recovery/drill-focused swim this morning since I asked myself last night "What will I gain from this swim?" NOTHING. I...

Weekend training recap

I'm happy to report, another consistent week of training. I love the freedom of the weekends but my life never stops when it comes to my business. I look forward to the weekends like everyone else but I also find enjoyment in every day of the week. I find that life becomes very rushed when we only look forward to the weekends for with 4 weeks in a month, only being happy about 8 days a month seems kinda upsetting when you think about it.  Training was good. Hard both mentally and physically but sleep, stress management, diet and proper training scheduling has allowed me to see gains within every training session. Campy is an expert recovery partner so as I stay busy on the computer, he does extra resting for me. I was "on call" at the hospital this weekend. A patient I had to attend to yesterday had alcohol abuse and liver disease and was intubated after admit so the MD on the case consulted the on-call RD (me) for tube feeding recommendations (formula and rate)...

Discover your talent

When I was younger (in High School), I never felt talented. I loved being a competitive swimmer for more than just winning. Likely that's because I didn't win very much....if at all. I would qualify for prelims and maybe finals in the 200 butterfly (my specialty) but never did I stand on the podium in first place. I remember my senior year of college qualifying for prelims in the 200 butterfly and then finding out after I had swam that someone had scratched for finals and for the first time ever, I would be swimming in my first state finals! What a great experience for me and I had a best time of 2:19 (I think - from what I can remember). The only results I can find from my swimming career online are from the NAIA National Championships from college (in Canada - we swam in a meter pool, not yards) and this was also a very special experience for me as I trained really hard in the pool alongside balancing my school-work at Transylvania University (Lexington, KY). Despite h...