Just laughing it off...

As you may know this week has been quite the rut for my swim, bike, and run schedule.  I've found myself tired, cranky, and overly frustrated with not being able to get my cardio in, not to mention I'm drowning in a sea of tissues.  I know not every week of training is sunshine and rainbows, but this definately sucks!  Although I'm at the tail end of this chest cold and I'll be back in the saddle tomorrow I definately thought I could use some laughs to make the best of my necessary laziness so I thought I'd share what I found.

 I know quite a few people that would prefer to compete in this triathlon!

 This is what I imagine hell would be like, I think I've actually had this nightmare before.

 This is how I feel every time I go to Sports Basement, athletics has become an addiction, it may be more expensive than smoking, but at least it is better for me.

 Probably what I look like when I go for a run.

 We always need some motivation

Definately a scent I wouldn't want to bottle

 So that's how you do it

All the new things I had to learn it is like getting a masters in triathlon with a minor in insanity.

The sick athlete

It happens once every year, I come down with some illness in the midst of training.  During my first marathon it came at the week of my 18 mile run and this year it comes at week 9 of Wildflower training.  Luckily I still have 9 more weeks to go, but any illness just like any injury is definately a setback.  My training usually continues if the illness is just a head cold, but if the illness hits my chest then I'm in trouble and I have to stop any heavy cardio workouts.  Otherwise I risk getting bronchitis which will put me out of commission for even longer.  I can't lie, I'm definitely stubborn, I don't ever want to give up my workouts for an illness, but I'm trying to get better.  Here is what I do to keep my mind and body as healthy as I can while fighting an illness.

Do some yoga: Stretching and flexing won't bring my heart rate up or cause me to cough up a lung so there is no reason I shouldn't take some deep breaths and get in touch with my chi.  Don't have a gym pass, that's okay there are several locations that offer yoga for free, just wash your hands and bring your own mat  and towel if you are sick.
Sports Basement WC:  Pilates Weds. 12-1
Pilates Sat. 9-10
Yoga Sun. 11-12.  If you want to look up a location near you go to this link Sports Basement
Also Lululemon WC offers yoga for free on Sundays 9:30 a.m.
You may be able to find other classes or just pop in a DVD

Hit the pillow: rest is key to getting better so call it an early night!

Get some weight training in: once again wash your hands but lifting some light weights won't hurt you if you aren't putting in vigorous effort

Your trainer can become your best friend: I mean your bicycle trainer.  Although you can't put in heavy workouts you can put in some base miles at a steady pace.  Make sure you control your speed so you don't raise your heart rate too much and start breathing heavy, but a nice steady pace will add a few miles to a fairly inactive week.
Don't have a trainer?  You can always get on a stationary bike and put it on a low setting.

Drink lots of fluids: You may not be working out as much but your body gets dehydrated a lot easier when it is working hard to make you healthy so focus on taking in fluids and it is always good to throw in a glass of electrolytes as well.

Roll: You may not be working out but it is still important to get in your daily myofascial release, especially since you may be sitting and laying down more.  I know when I sit for long periods of time my piriformis and IT bands ache.  Even though you may not be lifting heavy weight or putting in lots of miles it is still good for you no matter how much it hurts.


Take in Vitamins:  Even if you aren't usually good about taking them be sure to take them now.  I try to get a lot of Vitamin C in hopes it will chase all the bad guys in my system away.

Review your training schedule: Take a look at your plan for training and make adjustments for your illness.  You don't want necessarily pick up right where you left off or you might risk injury.  I will probably cut back my mileage a bit next week to adjust or reduce my number of speed workouts and focus on longer easy pacing.

I hope this helps anyone dealing with an illness during this cold and flu season!  Stay healthy, take care of yourself, and wash your hands!

To Eat or Not to Eat?

 Nutrition is one of the most controversial subjects in the triathlon community.  Some people believe in the Paleo diet, while others think Vegetarian, some preach organic, and some just eat whatever theywant.  The wise Chris "Macca" McCormack (this years Kona winner) said at a CLIF panel interview that he once had scientists calculate exactly what he should eat and drink during an ironman they advised him to focus on all natural foods and little to know processed sugars.  This diet caused him to BONK hard almost to the point of pulling out of the race as a DNF.  However, a fellow triathlete found him in his depleted state and informed him that he'll be fine if he takes down some Coke and water.  With a little processed sugar and caffeine he managed to finish Kona that year in one of the top positions.  The point is there is NO Perfect Nutrition Plan.  Everyone has different needs based on their body, metabolism, weight, and sport.

This topic is very important to me because I am a pre-race NON-EATER.  Yes, that's right I don't eat before a race, I just can't or I will spend the rest of the day miserable with GI tract issues.  However, I do have some nutrition tips for each sport that I have found work for me.

Firstly, before I begin let me address the non-eating.  Everyone thinks Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and normally I would agree, but I have found there is nothing wrong with not eating before a race.  Don't let people convince you it is bad for you, I can tell you I feel much better not eating and I have even performed better without food.  I do make sure I eat at least something within a half hour after finishing and this process has not failed me yet.

The Swim: There is not really any nutrition advice I can give you for swimming in an actual event, but you can prevent cramping while training.  If you make a point of having an electrolyte replacement drink like gatorade, accelerade, or cytomax with you then you are less likely to cramp.  I also find that Clif chews help as well.

 The Bike: I used to love Almond Butter and Jelly, hard boiled eggs, and nuts with dried fruit on the bike, but these foods pose a problem when racing.  I would advise any endurance cyclists (80-100+ miles) to try these foods out, especially dried fruit and Coke if you feel you are about to Bonk, they really help get sugar and caffeine into your system fast.  For triathlons and shorter race simulation rides I prefer perpetum.  Usually I fill a bottle with as many scoops as hours I plan on riding.  To accompany my perpetuem I usually use an electrolyte replacement called Heed.


The Run: Any run under 10 miles I can just use water, over 10 miles I prefer to use either clif bloks and water, or perpetuem.  I always add a bit of salt to my water to help replenish my electrolytes.  Even when running after cycling I find my stomach does well with perpetuem.


My only bit of advice is try everything before race day to see if you can stomach it.  Anything new on race day could be dangerous to your final stats.  Also, I try to keep everything in the same family when eating i.e. all natural stays with all natural (perpetuem, heed, and clif bloks).  When I mix processed sugars with natural products I have issues.  (I do just fine with gatorade and gu I just can't mix gu with perpetuem or I feel sick).