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Showing posts from March 5, 2023

Body Image and Vacation

Trigger warning. This post talks about dieting, weight and body image. You may have noticed that your wardrobe changes from season to season. Warm weather often means less or lighter clothing compared to the layers that keep you warm in the winter. Although we are still a few months away from summer, it's worth the discussion of how your body image impacts a warm weather getaway. If you struggle with body image issues, you may find yourself hyper aware of your body in anticipation for your upcoming vacation. You may fear wearing a swimsuit or having your photo taken. You may worry about systemic fatphobia issues during travel and begin to internalize messages that your body isn't good enough. You may begin to "body check" things like your weight, size or shape. You may suddenly begin to compare yourself to other people, likely making you feel inadequate. Anytime you feel heightened awareness of your body, you may feel the urge to diet or overexercise in order to chan...

How to fuel for triathlon race day

Preparing for a triathlon is much more than registering for a race and training to improve fitness. Sport nutrition plays an important role in race day readiness. Whether you are traveling to compete in a full distance triathlon or participating in a local sprint triathlon, dialing in your race day nutrition is key.How you fuel during a race primarily depends on the duration of the event, the weather and your racing intensity. No matter your experience, proper fueling will help you maximize your performance without compromising your health. While you may be able to get away with a haphazard sport nutrition strategies (or not fueling at all) during your workouts, an enjoyable race day means avoiding these common performance limiters - extreme fatigue, cramping, dehydration, gastrointestinal issues. Because proper sport nutrition should be part of your training and not something you only do a few times per month (or in the two weeks before your race), I'm providing some easy 'get...

Xterra South Africa Race Recap

  We had a really great night of sleep. There was something special about this race course that had us both really excited to race. With this being only my third Xterra event (previously Xterra Czech in August and Xterra World Championship in Molveno in October), I continue to feel a little nervous about the start of the bike and I worry about holding up other riders behind me on single track. But I'm learning to just focus on my own race. The biggest confidence booster was knowing that we had ridden the entire bike course and I was able to safely get through everything. It was not overly hilly (~2000 feet) and it flowed really well. There was a legit rock garden and several fun obstacles to go over. The race director gave the option for those who didn't feel comfortable in the rock garden could go the "chicken" route which was around 4K longer.  After we ate our pre-race meal, we double checked our gear, loaded the car and left our Airbnb around 6:15am and arrived to...