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Showing posts from May 16, 2021

It's (almost) race day - how to get in a positive headspace

 The past 12+ months have caused a lot of uncertainty and instability, bringing on a lot of emotional distress. If you have had difficulty concentrating, experienced hopelessness or have felt anxious, nervous, frustrated or stressed out, you are not alone. And with an upcoming race on the schedule, you may find it difficult to get yourself into a place of positive thinking so that you can stay confident and focused under pressure. Instead, you may find yourself lacking self-belief due to irritational or distorted thinking.  To feel more optimistic and empowered, here are a few tips to help you get in a positive headspace before your upcoming event:  Avoid energy suckers - it's not easy to deal with negative people who suck the energy from you and leave you feeling discouraged, upset and drained. Because you can't completely shut everyone out of your life (ex. acquaintances, family, co-workers), it's important to set boundaries and minimize contact in the days leading up to

Training around your first/second COVID-19 vaccination

  In late January, I was eligible to receive my first Covid-19 Vaccine from Pfizer. As a licensed dietitian in the state of South Carolina, I took advantage of the opportunity to be part of the solution of this serious pandemic. I was hesitant at first as I never get the flu shot, I never take antibiotics and I rarely ever take ibuprofen. I consider myself to be very healthy and I feel that my immune system is very strong. But putting my trust into science and into people in the medical field, I realized quickly that the vaccine wasn't just about me - it was about helping to stop the spread of COVID-19. In other words, being vaccinated wasn't about my health but how my health would impact the health of others. On January 27th I received my first vaccine and on Feb 22nd I received my second dose.  Karel wasn't eligible until late March and he had no hesitations or worries about receiving the vaccine. He joked that he grew up in a communist country so who knows what "med

Spinners 10-mile TT (and weekly training) recap

I can't believe that we are rolling into another race week. It's been great to have something to look forward to and to keep the enthusiasm for training alive, week after week.  This season has been a bit unconventional for us as it relates to training. Although the pandemic was such a stressful and difficult time in our lives, it also provided us with an opportunity to step away from structured swimbikerun training. We took advantage of the opportunity and have kept our souls happy with swimming, biking and running, but just in different ways than in the past. With no goals to chase at races, we are so happy to still feel a spark for triathlon training and racing, especially after such a challenging past year.  After our loooong drive home on Sunday after our Xterra race weekend ( off-road tri for Karel and trail run for me ), I needed a lot of sleep. I had no plans to workout on Monday as I had a lot of work and consults to check off my to-do list. With no intention on worki