part 1 The Training

It was a great aunt-nephew bonding experience.

I’m in New York, he’s in Boston.  I’m a 51-year-old writer and fitness pro, he’s a busy 17-year-old high school senior.  In June I suggested we do our first triathlon together, and choose the September Hyannis Sprint as the perfect ‘starter’ tri: beautiful spot, not too many people (1000 max.), plenty of time to train, and most crucially, manageable.  Yes – we still had to negotiate three sports in a row, an ocean swim with bodies all around us (no-joke proprioception), and the newness of ‘the transition’.  But it was doable, with the swim a sober ¼ mile, the cycle 10 miles, and a 3.5 mile run.

We were not doing this for speed, or placement, or ranking.  Our goal was to race together, to complete the event with reasonable efficiency and without injury; to have fun.

Jeremy is athletic and on the Track team so running is his strong point.  He cycles.  Like most triathletes swimming is his weak link so I advised him to practice, and we worked out how many laps equaled ¼ mile in his local pool.  I on the other hand am a strong swimmer, and with my non-slick hybrid bike enter gung-ho into a training schedule, swimming or biking or running each day, with twice/weekly strength training focused on tri-specific movement, and a day for rest and recovery.   I bow once again to the genius of Joe Friel.

I dive deeper into food and fuel.  I discover glucose-filled dates as natural energy and coconut oil as lubrication with its medium-chain, quickly-digestible triglycerides.  I buy an even bigger tub of protein powder.  I wonder about alcohol and its effect on my training. 

Week five I go overboard and hurt myself, I think during an endorphin-rush-run when I launch into speed/lateral drills and backward running. The knee pain is intense and it hurts to walk.  The orthopedist did his manipulations, took x-rays, said it didn’t seem serious and nothing obvious was broken.  Yes, it could be a meniscal tear and one could MRI it but we agreed it could also be inflammation, so I stopped running, swam and cycled with care, and monitored how I felt.  

Two weeks before the race Jeremy and I do practice ocean swims.  I bring him a new pair of good goggles to replace his cheapo pair. We wear (borrowed) triathlon wetsuits for the first time, the water is 63 degrees and bloody freezing, but after the initial shock it’s great to swim and feel the challenge of the current.  We are seriously pumped.

One week before the race I nervously do my first run in five weeks – a three-miler – to be sure that I can.  It feels great to pound the pavement again.  Nothing hurts.  I am thrilled.  I thank the Fitness God for muscle memory.

The night before the race we pick up our packets, and organize that Jeremy will swim with my age wave, #11, which I take as a good-luck sign and which he is perfectly happy to do.  We eat a carbohydrate-loaded pasta meal with veg and protein.  I read that several Ironmen drink beer the night before their race, so I have wine with dinner.

Before we go to our respective bedrooms, Jeremy turns to me with a fist pump and says “Let’s Do This.”

NEXT BLOG POST:  Race Day

One of my athletes recently completed an intense season, including two 70.3s, a full IM, and finishing the season with a PR marathon at Berlin of 3:07. He recently voiced concern about a high exercise heart rate during the transition period, which is a potential sign of overtraining. Below is my reply.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I wanted to followup on your comment about your high HR, and check to see how much of a concern this is. The first below chart is your run HR from the Berlin marathon through today, the second chart below is your run HR from April 1 to Berlin (I chose to compare run to run HR, we could have also compared bike to bike, it would have been similar).

- Since Berlin, you have spent 46% of your time in a HR above 145, compared to 63% above 145 from the previous 6 months (April through Berlin).
- Your largest HR distribution for the last month has been 145-150 compared to 155-160 for the previous 6.
- The next 2 charts are the same comparison of April to Berlin and Berlin until today. These charts compare average HR to average highest 20-minute pace in kph. I see here that the ratio of HR to speed also stayed level since Berlin. Note that there are some erroneous outliers in terms of speed where a bike workout was labeled as a run, but otherwise the charts show a similar HR to speed ratio.

These three items would indicate your HR is at or below intensities you experienced in training and racing, and therefore not a issue for concern.

However, there are two other items to take into consideration:
- There is a notable spike in HR over the last month in the 160-165 range. Although it is less of a % then during the training season, it is proportionally higher than is was over the regular season compared to other HR ranges. I don’t know that this is “bad” but it is certainly “different” and enough to justify a change.
- Frankly, your general observation of higher HR and feel that something is amiss is more important than any other consideration or data. This alone is enough to modify training for a few more weeks.

Therefore, I suggest that overall, we keep the intensity very low, volume fairly low, with only brief bursts of speed less than 30 seconds at around 5k race pace for the run, and 30 seconds at FTP for the bike. I think we should keep this up for the next 2-3 weeks, and your proposed training schedule in TP.com will reflect this. Anything I assign you over the next two weeks is recommended, please feel free to reduce or skip some items. We have moved from the Transition phase to the Prep phase, and there is still quite a bit of flexibility here until the Base phase begins.

HR Distribution After Berlin Marathon	HR Distribution Before Berlin Marathon
HR to Speed Ratio After Berlin	HR to Speed Ratio Before Berlin

Common Injuries for Triathletes – Runner’s Knee

Runner’s Knee also known as both patellofemoral pain syndrome and Chondromalacia Patella. While it is most common amongst runners, it can also affect cyclists and other athletes. For Triathletes it is a condition that often rears its ugly head and makes training and participating in events at best painful and at worst impossible.

What is Runner’s Knee?

Imagine your kneecap sitting comfortably on cartilage and sliding smoothly over the femur. If the cartilage becomes rough or worn, this smooth operation is disturbed and the result? Yes, you guessed it, pain and discomfort when moving the knee, swelling, pain whenever you bend the affected knee (especially when squatting down) and discomfort that increases going down steps or on steep ground. This can be caused by too much use, running on hilly ground, weakness in the leg muscles or foot problems.

How to avoid it?

Better to avoid runner’s knee altogether than try to cure it when it happens so follow these tips and you stand a better chance of escaping!

• Stretch well, strengthen well. Exercises that target the legs and thighs, strengthening them, are essential. Always stretch well before running or cycling and always stretch afterwards.
• Try arch supports. If you are flat-footed or have alignment problems, professional arch supports can help you avoid runner’s knee and a host of other nasty injuries.
• Deal with injuries quickly and effectively.

Treating Runner’s Knee

So, you think you have runner’s knee, what now? Firstly, you need a doctor’s diagnosis if you are concerned. Your doctor can carry out the right tests and give you the right advice for your particular injury. Don’t be tempted to carry on regardless as you risk doing yourself more damage. If it is runner’s knee, try the following techniques for dealing with the problem.

• Rest! You aren’t failing if you rest, you aren’t giving up, and you aren’t being a wuss!!! Sometimes the best thing for your training is to rest, and resting the damaged knee is crucial.
• Knee support bandages can compress the knee and allow it to heal itself by reducing strain.
• If you need painkillers, use an anti-inflammatory (NSAID) so that you deal with the cause of the pain rather than just masking the symptoms. Don’t do too much on the knee when using painkillers – remember the injury is not better; the pain is just relieved temporarily.
• Ice after exercise, heat before bed. This can often help with this type of injury, cool packs or frozen peas on the knee for 20 minutes or so when it is sore, warming packs before long periods of rest.
• Time – don’t expect an immediate improvement, have patience and use the rest time to plan out your return to training and identify areas you need to work on. No time needs to be wasted time!

Arlene
Fitness & Wellbeing Expert
PowerTri Contributor
Northern Ireland

OK. So…have you ever heard the term “beating a dead horse”? Well, if
this horse was dead….I would quit beating it…but, it is alive and well
and kicking… (everyone’s butts!)
Wanna know what is probably kicking your own butt and sabotaging your every
effort to improve your health?
Wanna know what is destroying your body’s efforts to get lean, strong, fast,
fit, powerful, injury free, disease free, full of energy, vibrant and pretty
much totally awesome and what you really can be??
SUGAR! I KNOW! Stupid, lame SUGAR!
It is in everything, it is everywhere and it seems to be a permanent
challenge for just about everyone.
I think we are all pretty much addicted to this substance (can you go for
even three days without the stuff? Really?)
So….let’s talk about how to overcome this challenge by examining it from a
little different angle.
I have been studying this topic and how it impacts an extremely important
organ in our body:
Our LIVER.
So…first we are gonna learn just a little bit about the liver and why it
is SO important. Then we will learn why sugar negatively affects our
liver’s ability to manage our health, and THEN we will come up with some
suggestions on how to overcome this sugar challenge!
Here is the deal:
Your liver is the largest solid organ in your body, performs over 500
functions and is known as the laboratory of the human body. The liver is
tied to all bodily processes because it is responsible for filtration of all
incoming foods and fluids. The body relies upon the liver to remove toxins
so that nutrients supplied to the body are pure and capable of providing
nourishment. Many scientists believe the liver is connected to pretty much
every disease or dysfunction that is happening inside the body.
The following are just a few of the important functions the LIVER does for
our bodies:

1. Metabolizes proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, thus providing energy
and nutrients
2. Stores vitamins, minerals, and sugars
3. Filters the blood and helps remove harmful chemicals and bacteria
4. Creates bile which breaks down fats
5. Helps to assimilate and store fat soluble vitamins (A, E, D, K)
6. Stores extra blood that can be quickly released when needed
7. Breaks down ammonia (and other toxins) created in the colon by
bacteria; thus preventing death
8. Helps to maintain blood pressure
9. Constructs cholesterol and estrogen, reconstructs hormones
10. *Converts the thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4) into it’s more active
form triiodothyronine (T3). Inadequate conversion may lead to
hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue, weight gain, poor memory and other
debilitating conditions.*
11. The liver is the key regulator of blood sugar between meals due to
its manufacture, storage, and release of glycogen, the starch form of
glucose. When blood sugar is low, a healthy liver converts stored glycogen
into glucose, releasing it into the bloodstream to raise blood sugar levels.
When blood sugar is high, a healthy liver will convert the excess into
stored glycogen or fat.
12. Chief regulator of protein metabolism. The liver converts different
amino acids into each other as needed.
13. Main poison-detoxifying organ in the body. The liver must break down
every substance toxic to the body including metabolic wastes, insecticide
and pesticide residues, drugs, alcohol, etc. Failure of this function will
usually cause death in 12 to 24 hours.
14. The liver is vital to a host of other metabolic functions, but this
brief overview should serve to illustrate the crucial role the liver plays
in maintaining our good health and just how important it is to take care of
this vital organ!

*SUGAR DESTROYS THE LIVER! *(for more info on this go to: this link)
Here is why:
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on. Every cell in
your body, every bacterium?and in fact, every living thing on the Earth?uses
glucose for energy.
The problem is….we aren’t eating glucose (which is what our liver is more
capable of metabolizing).
We are consuming the bulk of our massive sugar intake in the form of
fructose, high fructose corn syrup (which is an unhealthy mix of fructose
and glucose) and other various sweeteners that are extremely difficult and
toxic for our liver to break down.

When we consume fructose, 100 percent of it goes directly to the liver to be
metabolized.
This is why it is a hepatotoxin — it overloads the liver.

Two studies were done using medical students, both looking at biological
responses to fructose loading. In the first, the med students were given
either a large glucose load or a large fructose load. In the students given
fructose, almost 30 percent of the calories ended up as fat. In the students
given glucose, almost none ended up as fat.
In the second study, medical students were given a high-fructose diet for 6
days. In just that short time, their insulin resistance and triglycerides
doubled!
The point to take away is: consuming fructose is just the same as consuming
fat. Fructose is not really a carbohydrate — a high fructose diet is a HIGH
FAT diet. A high-fat diet that creates a vicious cycle of consumption that
won’t turn itself off.
In addition, your liver is affected by the fructose in just the same way as
it responds to ethanol (alcohol). So, the load placed on your liver by
excessive sugar intake is just as harmful as if you were drinking alcohol
(and that much sugar is equal to a lot of alcohol, huh!)

*SUGAR ADDICTION:*
The average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week or
approximetly 135 POUNDS of sugar every year!
This is not surprising considering that highly refined sugars in the forms
of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn
syrup are being processed into so many foods such as bread, breakfast
cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a plethora
of microwave meals. Plus, don’t forget the SODA and our own self induced
sugar coma’s that come in the form of our own self created sugar
masterpieces!
So, here’s the deal:
You eat as a result of the activation of the “reward pathway” of your brain.

The part of your brain that responds to what you eat is the same part that
responds to nicotine, morphine, amphetamine, ethanol, sex and exercise!
Leptin and insulin are modulators of these reward responses and leptin and
insulin cause your brain to send you signals to stop eating.
Fructose undermines these normal satiety signals, increasing caloric
consumption both directly and indirectly:
Fructose does not stimulate a leptin rise, so your fullness signals are
diminished.
Glucose suppresses ghrelin (the hunger hormone?it makes you want more food),
but fructose does not.
By raising triglycerides (fats), fructose reduces the amount of leptin
crossing your blood-brain barrier.
Fructose increases insulin levels, interfering with the communication
between leptin and your hypothalamus, so your pleasure signals aren’t
extinguished. Your brain senses starvation and prompts you to eat more.
**NOTE: fruit contains fructose…but, when eaten in it’s whole form it
also contains a wonderful amount of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other
essential nutrients. So, I am not telling you to stop eating fruit! Just
eat wisely and in moderation.
The sugar we want to QUIT eating and overcome our addiction to is the
refined crap that we are eating in the form of SODA, cookies, cakes, donuts,
pastries, ice creams, and all the other JUNK FOOD! You know exactly what I
am talking about! You know your own weakness and you know exactly where you
are sabotaging yourself!
That is the stuff that I am talking about in regards to overloading your
liver and creating a toxic environment in your body!
Think about it: if your liver is in a constantly toxic state just trying to
deal with all the poisonous sugars that are being put through it’s cleansing
systems….how in heaven’s name can your liver do much good at all for the
other 500 or so important tasks it is supposed to do to keep you healthy and
functioning?
Time to quit sabotaging yourself with all that toxic sugar! Time to clean
up your nutrition and give your liver a chance to give you a chance!

If you want to use a sweetener occasionally, this is what I recommend:

Use the herb stevia

Use organic cane sugar in moderation

Use organic raw honey in moderation

OVERCOMING YOUR SUGAR ADDICTION:
Considering the fact that this addiction is extremely damaging to our liver,
and our well-being, it is so important to break free from this dependency. I
am sure you agree when I say that this is easier said than done.

Sugar addiction is both physical and emotional which requires a combination
of physical and psychological approaches. One simple thing to remember
is…..*
The less you eat it, the less you will crave it.*

Here are some tips on making it easier to overcome the addiction:

1. First, keep this in mind: If you get withdrawal symptoms, know that
they will only last a few days and then you will feel more in balance and
more energetic than ever, mostly due to the load of work that has been taken
off of your liver. SO…HANG IN THERE!
2. Remove temptation. Keep sweeteners and sugary foods out of the house.
3. A good place to start is by simply cutting back on the amount of sugar
you use in things you eat and drink everyday such as cereal, oatmeal, or
coffee and tea.
4. Start with cutting it down to half as much and then continue from
there. Instead of adding sugar to cereal or oatmeal, try fresh fruit like
bananas or berries. This is a good option to maintain liver health. Also
try replacing sugar with spices such as cinnamon and flavored extracts such
as vanilla or almond.
5. Eat regular meals each day of healthy foods to keep your hunger
satisfied. For some people that is three meals, and for some it may be four
to six small meals; it is up to you to decide what works for your lifestyle.
6. Include plenty of liver-friendly vegetables (especially broccoli,
onions, garlic, etc.), whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats. Healthy
fats are beneficial to your liver. They include low fat dairy products,
omega 3 foods, olive oil, and more.
7. Your goal is to support your liver in maintaining a steady blood sugar
level throughout the day to help reduce that sweet craving.
8. Eating a diet high in fiber helps reduce cravings also!
9. Once you have cleared most of the sugar from your diet your taste buds
become more sensitive; healthy foods taste better; and you feel more
satisfied when you eat.
10. Take a high-quality multivitamin and mineral supplement and an omega
3 supplement. Chromium Picolinate and L-glutamine have been shown to help
reduce cravings in some people.
11. Exercise regularly and get plenty of sleep.
12. Exercise also relieves stress and anxiety, which can sabotage your
new healthy liver habits real fast!
13. When anxiety happens try to manage the stress in other ways such as
take a walk, call a friend, read a book, meditate, or take a hot bath.
Relaxation will actually help to balance your blood sugar and reduce the
cravings!
14. Always keep a healthy snack handy, especially if you are going to be
at an event where there are going to be sweets!

CHALLENGE:
OK! Your challenge is to begin your journey to break your ADDICTION to
sugar NOW by committing to go three whole days with NO sugar!
That doesn’t mean fruit and that kind of natural, healthy whole food. I am
talking about the processed, refined junk!
Give your liver a chance and help it heal by eating your 7-9 servings of

VEGETABLES (especially broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, etc.); clean
proteins, healthy fats and LOTS of water (feel free to squeeze some fresh
lemon in your water as well!)
Now, don’t get discouraged if you slip up on your quest to detox your liver
and break your addiction to sugar. It’s not about being PERFECT….it’s
about trying and then picking yourself back up and trying again when you
slip up.
This is a journey that we are all on together. Enlist the support of your
friends and family and make it about just becoming a healthier, happier and
more empowered you that is NOT controlled by a sugar fix!
I know you can do this….and I will be doing it right along with you!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

Hello Everyone!
I believe it’s starting to feel quite a bit LESS summery around here in our
little Happy Valley.  I know there are many of you that receive this weekly blog post that live in some distance places that are still nice and warm and
summery…but, from where I am sitting I am noticing a distinct change in
the air….the much chillier air!
But, with the changing of the seasons comes a wonderful opportunity to
re-evaluate ourselves and really get a good idea of how our efforts have
paid off over the last several months.  It also gives us a chance to change
gears and perhaps get back to basics that we might have let go by the
wayside as we enthusiastically enjoyed the energy and craziness of summer.
I am guessing that most of us are back on a regular schedule with most
summer vacations under our belts (both literally and figuratively), and we
are able to take advantage of being a little more consistent with our
nutrition, exercise, sleep and daily lives.
And…that is GOOD!
How did you do this summer?  How was your nutrition?  Exercise?  Races?
 Overall health and commitment to taking care of yourself?
I hope you can answer that you are proud of your efforts and are feeling
ready to have an awesome fall and winter of even better health and fitness!

This week’s motivation is in a little different format.  I am actually
having you watch a really inspiring video.
Too many times we use stupid excuses as to WHY we can’t (or won’t) do
something that we know is good for us.
After watching this video, take inventory on your excuses that you are
currently using as the reason for your lack of awesomeness (if you are
struggling with that) and then throw those excuses out the window and TAKE
CHARGE of your life, your circumstances, and your health!
*MOTIVATION:*
Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year,
but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I
quit, however, it lasts forever. ~ Lance Armstrong

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your
character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what
others think you are. ~ John Wooden

WATCH THIS VIDEO!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc4HGQHgeFE&feature=related
After watching this video…just take inventory and decide to become the
best YOU can be.
That means choosing to take care of the body YOU have.
Commit to eating 7-9 servings of vegetables and fruits EVERY day.
Drink your 96 oz of water EVERY day.
Choose to get to bed at a reasonable time and get your 7-8 hours of sleep
EVERY night so your body can heal and improve.
Get out there and MOVE every day.  Choose something you love and then DO IT!
Decide to quit shoving so  much sugar into your body and sabotaging yourself
and your efforts to become healthier.
Make the changes you know YOU need to make to improve your life!
If your health is crappy, I guarantee that the rest of your life is going to
be crappy!
SO, make it a priority.  Choose to take care of yourself….and then watch
how just about EVERYTHING else in your life will improve!
That is your challenge this week!
Easy, huh!
NOW…GO AND DO IT!!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

I am going to try and motivate you guys today by giving you some BAD news on
why dieting and restricting your food intake is so damaging for you.

As far as the body is concerned, dieting is a form of starvation, even
though it’s voluntary. (The following info is from a book titled
“Intuitive Eating” by Tribole and Resch)

Chronic dieting (restricting food and calories) has been shown to:
#1: Teach the body to retain more fat when you start eating again. Low
calorie diets double the enzymes that make and store fat in the body.
#2: Slow the rate of weight loss with each successive attempt to diet and
lose weight
#3: Decrease your metabolism: Dieting triggers the body to become more
efficient at utilizing calories by lowering the body’s needs for calories.
#4: Increase binges and cravings. Food restriction stimulates the brain to
launch a cascade of cravings to eat even MORE.
#5: Increase risk of premature death and heart disease. A 32 year study
of more than 30,000 men and women in the Framingham Heart study has shown
that regardless of initial weight, people whoe weight repeatedly goes up and
down have a higher overall death rate and 2x the normal risk of dying from
heart disease.
#6: Cause satiety (feeling full) cues to atrophy. Dieters usually stop
eating due to a self-imposed limit rather than inner cues of fullness. They
lose the ability to LISTEN to their body and do what their body needs them
to do to be healthy.
#7: Cause body shape to change. Most dieters (especially yo-yo dieters)
tend to regain their weight in the abdominal area. This type of fat storage
increases the risk of heart disease.

#8: Finally…it’s just NO FUN to be on a “DIET”! You feel deprived and
hungry!

DON’T BE ‘ON A DIET’!!
Be “ON A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE”!
That way, you eat what you want to eat…but, the majority of that is
healthy food that you WANT to eat vs. what you “have” to eat because you
like how you feel and look when you are eating the healthier food choices!

*CHALLENGE:*
I am going to challenge you this week with ONE thing in regards to your
nutrition. Yep…just ONE thing that I want you all to do.
Think you can do just ONE thing to improve your health, decrease your weight
and body fat and make you feel great?!!

Of course you can!
It’s REALLY simple.
Ready?

I want you to eat anything and everything that you (think) you WANT to
eat…..
AFTER
you eat your 7-9 servings of *fruits and veggies* EVERY DAY.
That’s it.

If you are dying for a burger and fries (and a shake), you can have it!
just DON’T eat it til you have eaten your 7-9 servings of FRUITS and
VEGETABLES. Then…go for it.

HUH? That’s it?
Here is the experiment we are going to do with you.

If you eat those beautiful fruits and veggies and are still craving whatever
it is you are craving…I want you to have it.
Make note of HOW you feel before and after eating (just to give yourself a
chance to consciously track how you are affected by this).

I am attaching a SHORT article that talks about this ONE change you are
going to make to your nutrition this week:

Here are some typical serving sizes for fruits and vegetables:

*Fruits*

- one banana
- six strawberries
- two plums
- fifteen grapes
- one apple
- one peach

*Vegetables*

- five broccoli florets
- ten baby carrots
- one roma tomato
- 3/4 cup tomato juice
- half of a baked sweet potato
- one ear of corn
- four slices of an onion

This is NOT a diet! This is just ONE easy, manageable change that we can
all make to our daily nutrition to help us live healthier lives!

DO IT!
And then email me and let me know how it went!
Have a great week feeling terrific!!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

Practice the Finer Points of Racing for a Personal Best

You train your body to meet the physical demands of a race.  You train your mind to handle the ups and downs you may experience on race-day.  But how often do you practice the finer points of racing, like race pacing, nutritional planning and transition set-up.  These all-to-often-forgotten elements can make the difference between a so-so race and a personal best.

Race Pacing

Whether you are running a 5K or an Ironman, the goal of your training is to be physically prepared to handle the demands of racing.  An athlete is only as good as their training.  An athlete’s racing is only as good as the training is applied.

Once a beginner has accomplished a certain distance it is natural to begin to think about completing that distance faster and more efficiently.  In order to race faster, you must train faster.  Adding specific race-pace intervals and tempo workouts into your training plan will help to prepare your body for the expectations of a faster race pace.  It is not likely that you will average an 8:45 split on your goal 10K if you haven’t practiced that 8:45 pace in training.

Prior to a race, an athlete should sit down with themselves or their coach to create a race plan.  Having a plan in mind of how your goals of getting to the finished line will be accomplished can reduce race-day anxiety.  A race-day plan is like any other workout plan.  You break the race down into more manageable sections and since you are simple duplicating what you have done in training, you have a greater since of confidence.  You will maintain your focus and stay sharp for the entire race as you implement your plan.

Nutritional Planning

When you bring up nutrition there are usually more questions than there are answers.  Here, we will simply focus on the benefits and importance of nutritional planning.  Athletes are encouraged to seek out specific nutritional advice for their unique situation from a qualified Professional or Coach.

Having a plan for your nutrition will help you finish strong.

Most athletes would never toe the line of a race without training.  That would be setting oneself up for failure.   It is no different when it comes to race-day nutrition.  You must train the nutrition you plan to use in a race.  Ask any veteran distance athlete and they will tell you the horror stories of poor nutritional planning.  Improper race-day nutrition and nutritional timing can sideline even the most fit and well-trained athlete.

In order to avoid nutritional race-day pitfalls, it is imperative that a nutritional plan be developed long before it is ever put to practice in a race.  A balance of quick digesting carbohydrates, water and electrolytes are the basis of a good nutritional plan.  Timing of each of these elements can change depending on the distance of the race, size of the athlete, intensity of racing, weather conditions, etc.   There is no single answer.  It takes experimentation and maybe a bit of research until an athlete can settle on what they need nutritional to have their best race.

Once an athlete establishes what the best nutritional plan is, it should be practiced and tested over and over in training before being applied to racing (particularly an important race).  This “nutritional training” will pay dividends towards a personal best race.

Triathlon and The Transition Area

If you are a triathlete you are aware that races can be won or lost in that abyss between sports we refer to as “transition”.   Transition is the time when the athlete is moving from one sport to the other.  This time includes a changing of physical demands on the body, but also a change of gear and clothing.

You practice to swim, bike and run. Don't forget to practice your transition!

Transition is the forgotten sport in triathlon.  While some athletes seamlessly move from one sport to another in a matter of seconds, other seems to fumble for minutes, losing precious time.

I like to explain the purpose of transition to beginner athletes like this:  The purpose of transition is to GET OUT of transition. Transition is not necessarily the best time to take a break, have a snack or sort through your gear.

As with everything else, proper planning goes a long way when it comes to transition.  This planning begins with what an athlete intends to wear for the duration of the race.  With most distances, even long distances, an athlete can chose an outfit that is suitable for all three sports.  This completely eliminates the need to even worry about clothing.  What goes in the water with you at the start, will cross the finish-line with you at the end.  An investment in triathlon-specific clothing is an investment in time.

Getting to transition early on race-day is helpful in getting a good spot to set up.  Look for a spot that will reduce how far you will have to run with your bike.  Face your bike towards “bike out”.  It is much easier to drop your bike off a rack and head in a straight line than trying to navigate around obstacles.  The best and fastest transition places on the bike rack are closest to the aisle where you will run in and out.  Being close limits turning and traffic of other athletes at their transition spot and are also easier to find.

The Purpose of Transition is to GET OUT of Transition!

Where ever you end up setting up, take a minute to walk in from the exits.  Take a mental note of where you are and how you will locate your gear in the midst of the race.  Some people like to mark their spots with a helium-filled balloon, or with chalk on the ground.  In the least, count how many racks you will pass by from each exit until you come to your row.

Before the start of a race, an athlete should set up their gear in such a way to reduce the need to THINK.  You want to be in and out of transition without really having to think through what you need.  A great example, is putting your sunglasses, lenses down and arms open, in your upside down helmet.  When you get to transition all you have to do is slip on the glasses and stick the helmet on top of your head.  No fumbling, no unbuckling, saving valuable seconds.   Think in order of what gear you should put onto your body first.  Make sure the first items to go on are on the top and the last items needed are on the bottom.  Make certain that Velcro is undone and helmets and hats are upside down.  Use quick laces for running shoes and race belts for race numbers.  In training, see if you can ride and run sockless as to avoid the need to put on socks.

Planning your race will buy you seconds if not minutes onto a P.R.

The worst thing that can happen with your nutrition in transition is to leave something crucial behind.  Planning will make certain this won’t happen.  Nutrition for the bike leg and the run should be set up prior to the start.  There are many different methods of attaching your nutrition to your bike from bags to flasks to electrical tape.  Your solid food should be cut up into bite-size pieces and stored in Ziploc bags that you put in the pockets of your jersey, in a Fuel Belt (for the run) or store on the bike.  Prepare everything you need and have it ready to go directly into your mouth.  Water bottles should be filled and loaded on the bike and in Fuel Belts.  Gels and supplements should be stored in easy containers for quick opening and use.

So what does transition look like?  Here is a simple example of a swim to bike transition built for speed: After the wetsuit is stripped and while bending over, the athlete puts glasses on, helmet on, shoes on, bike off the rack and gone.  Simple as that.  All of the items are stacked one on top of another in order of how they go on the body with the shoes at the bottom.

One of the most helpful time-saving ideas when it comes to transition is to use visualization.  Close your eyes and watch yourself coming out of the water, managing your goggles and cap, stripping your wetsuit and slipping into your bike shoes.  Watch yourself hang your bike and switch to your running shoes.  Go over it step-by-step and eliminate everything accept the things you need in your transition area.

Racing well can come down to simple strategies in preparing for and planning your race-day.  Physical preparation is paramount, but don’t forget the finer points of racing.  With planning and preparation you’ll reduce seconds or maybe even minutes from your already FAST times.

Train Hard!  Race Harder!

Colleen C. Rue
PowerTri Elite Triathlete
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
www.stgeorgefitness.com

Here is a review of some great performances over the last month from some of our Powertri Elite Athletes.

Sarah Jarvis, an amazing female athlete from Flagstaff, Arizona recently competed in 2 longer races back to back.  She competed in the Big Brothers and Sisters Half Marathon taking 3rd overall for the women, and then the very next day raced and won the Mountainman Half Ironman with a very strong sub 5 hour performance.  Amazing!  Sarah went on to earn entries into both races next year for having the lowest combined times for the two races.  Congrats Sarah, that’s some hard work!  Sarah is racing at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas here in just a few weeks and we look forward to another excellent showing.

Adam Weaver, a Powertri athlete recently competed in the USA Triathlon National Age Group Championships in Vermont.  As a busy husband and father who is training one of his very talented boys right now, Adam came away with a PR at the Olympic distance of 2:12.25.  Congrats Adam!

At Utah’s own Utah Half, 3 of our athletes came out and dominated, and despite a slightly short course, they still posted some impressive times.  Spencer Woolston who has been training tirelessly for Ironman 70.3 Worlds as well as the World Ironman Championships in Kona this year came out and showed what all that training can do.  After a 7 minute defecit in the swim behind the leader, Spencer came away with the fastest bike split of the day with a fierce 27mph average!  He was still 3 minutes off the leader going into the run and slowly lowered that distance to closer to 90 seconds by half way through the 13 mile run.  At mile 10 Spencer picked up the run putting down sub 6min pace, passed the leader, and won the race by 5 minutes.  Congratulations Spencer!
Heath Thurston was that leader for most of the race.  He swam a impressive 23 minute, 1.2 mile split, sans wetsuit, easily coming out at least 2 minutes ahead of the next man.  He biked an impressive 26pmh average and came into T2 leading.  Heath ran strong throughout the very hot half marathon before finally being caught by teammate Spencer and finished 2nd overall.  Great race Heath!
Colleen Rue was not to be outdone by the boys.  With a competitive swim split, Colleen came out of the water 7th overall.  Then combined with the fastest bike split of the day for the women and smokin’ fast transitions (so important I tell ya), she came into the run in 2nd place, seconds behind the leader.  The leading woman, Jeanette Schellenberg, as well as the women one place behind Colleen, Kara Bankhead are very fast runners.  Apparently so is Colleen!  She ran a 1:37 and held on comandingly for 2nd woman overall.  We’re very proud of you Colleen!  The conditions were hot and muggy (for Utah at least), but you came through.

This week’s motivation and challenge are going to be NUTRITION and WEIGHT
focused!  Yep… JUST what you wanted!
If you feel like you have been working hard and are not seeing the results
you want….I can tell you right now….it is most likely your nutrition!
WHAT you eat, WHEN you eat it and HOW MUCH you eat are going to directly
affect how your body looks and feels!

I am going to review SEVEN basic RULES that you already KNOW and encourage
you to STICK to these PROVEN principles for weight loss and maintenance as
well as recovery from training. These are all basic, proven principles and
when you incorporate these into your permanent lifestyle you WILL reach your
goals!

*#1: Eat 5-6 SMALL meals* per day made up of a healthy combination of lean
proteins and COMPLEX carbohydrates (especially your veggies!)
Every time you eat, your metabolism kicks in to start burning what
you’ve eaten. Keep your metabolism going and burning as much fat as
possible by keeping it awake and moving every couple of hours!
You will also benefit because you will NOT be hungry and will make
better food choices because you desire less food.

*#2: DRINK WATER! * LOTS OF IT! Like…96 ounces or MORE every day!
I know! This is totally NEWS to you! I have never mentioned it
before and I am sure you are shocked!
Your body is almost 70% water. Give it what it needs….WATER!
Water helps your body transport the nutrients you need efficiently
into your cells. At the same time, water also helps eliminate wastes while
flushing all toxins out of your body to make you healthier.
That would also include aiding in the removal of FAT.
Water also cushions joints. This is important for us endurance
athletes as well as anyone else that wants to have healthy knees, hips,
ankles, etc.
So….get those water bottles filled and START DRINKING your water!

*#3: Eating Before Bed (NO Late Night Eating)*:
Eating before bed is NOT a wise decision (unless you are looking to
get BIGGER and FATTER).
While we are sleeping, our metabolism slows down. So, anything you
are eating before you sleep is most likely going to be stored as fat because
your body won’t be able to burn it off completely.
Make a goal to be FINISHED with any food at least THREE hours before
you go to sleep!  So…if you are an early to bedder and go down around 9:30 p.m., you
are DONE eating by 6:30 p.m.!
Not only will you stay healthier and lighter…but you will also SLEEP so much better! Double bonus!

*#4: Keep up your CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE and STRENGTH TRAINING!*
As endurance athletes, we love our cardio! We love to go out there
and do a 3 hour bike followed by a nice long run. But, let’s just talk for
a moment about the WEIGHT loss or maintenance issues of our movement.
Cardiovascular exercise is a huge key to losing weight. Your
nutrition can be terrific, but if you are NOT doing any cardio, you are not
going to reach your fullest potential for weight goals.
If you are just looking to lose weight…you really don’t need to do
a TON of cardio. For those of you that have done the long distance
races….Ironman, Ironman 70.3, Marathons, Ultras, etc., you can attest to
the truth that your weight pretty much levels off and you don’t just get lighter and
lighter by doing more and more cardio.

We also need our FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH TRAINING to help maintain muscle
and keep our metabolisms revved up by the higher energy demand of the muscle
on our body.

As athletes, we also need to include strength training to keep our
connective tissue strong and healthy and to help us move more efficiently
and stay injury free!

So…TWO FOLD benefits here:
1. Cardio and strength training help keep us lean, light and healthy
2. Strength Training in particular helps keep us injury free, more
efficient in our movements and increases our metabolism.

*#5: Eat your PROTEIN!*
I know we are NOT bodybuilders…but, our bodies are still made up of
the building blocks that we can only get from protein sources.
Did you know that 1 gram of protein is 4 calories? That means that if
you eat just 100 grams of protein every day…that is only 400 calories of
your total daily caloric intake?
Sometimes when I tell people to eat more protein, they think that it
is just SO many calories or a huge part of their daily intake. It’s NOT!
Aim for ONE gram of protein for every pound of LEAN body weight you have.
SO…if you weigh 150 pounds and you have 110 pounds of lean muscle mass,
aim to eat around 110 GRAMS of protein every day (that would only be 440
calories with the remaining daily calories coming from complex carbohydrates
and essential fats).
If you want to stay healthy, lean, fit, more energetic, less hungry
and injury free…feed your body clean, lean, quality protein (5-6x daily!)
You don’t have to be a big meat eater to get in more protein. You can
get a great source of protein in the form of a protein smoothie!

Just by incorporating 1-2 of these protein smoothies every day, you
will be giving your body a huge boost in health!

*#6: Get rid of the SUGAR!!*
Yep…this is another shocker! You mean, sugar isn’t good for me??
NOPE! But, we sure LOVE it, don’t we??
It’s easy to love….it’s really just a short little chemical bond
from being a drug! And, who doesn’t just love an addictive drug?
If you want to lean up, lose weight, feel healthier, get rid of the
headaches, body aches and lethargy….then LOSE the sugar!
That also means your beloved SODA! YES…even the “Sugar free” stuff!
I KNOW it’s hard! Sugar is my nemesis! I have NO problems with any
of the above principles. BUT, I LOVE my treats!
I can totally relate! Oh cursed sugar!
But, I also know that when I am really focused and limiting the
sugar…not only do I feel better, lighter and leaner…but, my cravings for
it go WAY down!
So…come on, give it a shot! Limit the sugar (especially in the
evening), and see what happens!

*#7: Get enough SLEEP!*
I have trained and coached FAR TOO many of you that do NOT get near
enough sleep!
If you want to lose weight, stay healthy, recover from your training
and reach your goals…you need to SLEEP!
In a recent study it was shown that overweight adults lost 55% LESS *
FAT* when they got 5.5 hours of sleep per night, compared with when they
slept for 8.5 hours per night.
The same study also showed that the same adults were also hungrier at
night when they slept less.
If you are serious about trying to lose weight, stay healthy, lean up,
recover from your training, have more energy and pretty much just be
AWESOME….then please….SLEEP!
And…don’t give any excuses about how you just CAN’T go to sleep
before 1 a.m. cause you are just too busy.
Too busy to be awesome? Too bad!
And…don’t give the excuse that you are one of those people that can
get by on 4 hours of sleep every night…cause, sure…you may be getting
by…but you are not THRIVING (and, once again…being awesome!)
Make it a goal to get your sleep…and then come thank me later!

So…those are your SEVEN basic principles for BEING THE BEST and HEALTHIEST
YOU!
If you feel a little (or a LOT) overwhelmed by the thought of incorporating
ALL of these into your lifestyle right now…NEVER FEAR!
JUST PICK ONE thing that I covered and choose to be the best you can at that
one thing!
Don’t worry if you can’t do ALL of it right now.
Just tell yourself that you will commit to becoming better at whatever you
feel you can do!
Then…DO IT and ENJOY IT and be PROUD OF YOURSELF for any progress
you make!
I’m serious!
The worst thing we can do to ourselves is get down on ourselves because we
try to be perfect or take on too much at once!
Little steps towards greatness…that’s all we have to do!
So…pick ONE if that’s all you want and ENJOY!

So, now you know what you are going to be focused on this week and what you
are going to work on to become even more incredible and healthy and happy!
Don’t forget our NEW schedule that takes effect this week!
Keep up all your terrific training and nutrition and hard work!
You can do this! AND….yes…it is worth it!!
Have a great week!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

Want to know how you can run faster, swim smoother, bike more powerfully,
walk down the stairs easier, recover more efficiently and avoid the dreaded
injuries that sideline far too many people?

I have had quite a few people ask me how I was able to manage the physical
strain and stay injury free during an 18 month non-stop training and racing
schedule with 3 Ironman races (within a 7 month period), 4 Ironman 70.3
races, a marathon, 2 Olympic distance races and another 8 or so Sprint
distance triathlons.

I’m gonna tell you one of the biggest things that has worked for me:
Stability, Mobility and Elasticity!
Bet you weren’t expecting that! And…you might not even know what the heck
I am talking about.

SO, Let me explain by having you do a little activity:
Take your left hand and put it flat on the table in front of you. NOW,
raise your middle finger and push it down as hard as you can. Slam it down.
Do it again…raise the finger and slam it down.
NOW….relax your hand and reach over with your right hand and pull that
same finger back and let it SNAP down. Do it again. How much effort was it
to raise that finger? Probably not a lot…but, it should have created
quite a lot of force. Definitely a LOT more force than the first method we
used with your left hand doing the work alone.

If you were to keep raising your middle finger off the table by itself,
you’d get tired. But if you can store and release that energy, lifting
with your other hand, you can do that all day long…and produce much more
power with a fraction of the effort.

This is the ELASTIC component that affects EVERYTHING we do and every part
of our movement; whether it’s walking, running, swimming, going down the
stairs or ANY other movement. This is important for every one of us! If
you are human, your body will move better, improve it’s ability to recover,
tolerate increased physical effort and just FEEL better when you have
improved elasticity.

Elasticity is basically the ability to store and release energy efficiently.
If you want your body to move more efficiently (elasticity) then you HAVE to
have a solid foundation of STABILITY and MOBILITY.
Go back to your finger lifting activity and when you lift your middle finger
up, don’t keep your hand STABLE on the table…let it lift. Lost all that
power, didn’t you?

STABILITY allows you to have a fixed point from which to stretch a muscle so
it can efficiently store and release your energy.
MOBILITY is the ability to take that finger (or muscle) back through the
range of motion, allowing for full fluid movement and a greater potential to
store and release energy.
Are you with me??
GOOD!

Now…Picture a rubber band. Now…picture that rubber band attached to a
pencil. If the pencil is stabilized and you pull on the rubber band, you
will get a lot of stored energy released when you release the rubber band.
If you don’t stabilize the pencil when you pull on the rubber band, there
won’t be any tension (stored energy) in the rubber band.
Now, picture that same rubber band, but with a dozen knots in it. Now, pull
the rubber band back. It won’t go nearly as far as the un-knotted rubber
band, and it won’t have the ability to store the energy or snap back. THAT
is what far too many of our muscles and connective tissue are dealing with
EVERY day!

No wonder far too many people feel tight, compressed, stiff, achey and
ummmm….crappy!
Too many people are living in bodies that are UNSTABLE, IMMOBILE and KNOTTED
UP like a beat up rubber band that has no elasticity cause it’s been
trashed!

LET’S FIX IT!
Want to know how you can improve your STABILITY and MOBILITY so you feel
great and perform at your potential?

Here’s how:
We are going to improve your Stability (like a strong hub on a wheel holding
EVERY other part of your body in place), your MOBILITY (by improving not
just muscle and connective tissue range of motion, but also decreasing all
those knots in your muscles) and ultimately improving your ELASTICITY (which
will create a healthier movement environment for your body)

*STABILITY:*
You need to strength train! BUT…not just any sloppy, mindless kind of
strength training. When you are doing your strength training, spend time
doing movements on unstable surfaces, standing on one leg, moving in
different directions (like side to side and diagonally) and strengthening
core musculature (if it’s attached to your spine, consider it part of your
core).

*MOBILITY:*
You need to begin EVERY workout (whether strength training or
cardiovascular) by spending just 10 minutes going through a very basic set
of moves that will activate your muscles so they are working at full
capacity and able to move like an unknotted rubber band.
First item to do: Self Myofascial Release. Otherwise known as ROLLING.
You are basically giving yourself a massage with a foam roller. You can
buy a foam roller on the internet or at local sporting goods stores. I have
one in my living room and several at my studio and use them often! To learn
more click on this link (just a quick 5 minute read with some great info and
instructions!):

Next item to do: Movement Prep. I have made a video of these moves and you
can check it out at this link:

Finally, in order for your muscles and connective tissue to fully respond to
your efforts, you need to keep them HYDRATED!
So…keep that water coming!
You will amaze yourself with what you can accomplish when working with a
body that moves well because it is STABLE, MOBILE, ELASTIC and HEALTHY!!
ENJOY and…. HAPPY MOVEMENT!

*Challenge for the Week:*
Your challenge this week is to begin incorporating the Foam Roller (Self
Myofascial Release) and the Movement Prep into your exercise routine.
You are also going to work VERY hard this week to ensure you are staying
HYDRATED by drinking somewhere around 96 ounces of water EVERY DAY!

I KNOW you can do it!
I also KNOW you are going to be feeling so great as you begin adding this
crucial change into your movement!
If you are able to stay INJURY FREE and healthy, you will be able to
consistently and progressively improve your fitness and your health!
AND…isn’t that what we ALL want?!
So, keep up all your good work and have a GREAT WEEK of improved movement!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

This last week has had a common theme with a lot of my clients and athletes
so I figured I would go with the direction that each week seems to point my
thoughts.

When you think about accomplishing a large task, do you think about doing it
all at once or in little actions that chip away at it?
We need to start a task with the end in mind, but….
have you also heard the saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a
time!”

Same thing with our lives. We don’t accomplish any of our goals in just one
huge bite. We just chip away at it with daily focus and discipline.
Whether you are looking to lose weight, get stronger, complete a 5k, finish
your first triathlon or compete in an Ironman….the approach is all the
same!

You need to identify your goal and then take the daily actions required to
successfully move yourself towards that goal. Let’s say you are looking to lose weight. Perhaps you want to lose 10
pounds of fat in the next 10 weeks.

Are your actions contributing to your ability to accomplish your goal? When
you wake up in the morning, are you eating the foods necessary to give your
body the tools it needs to burn fat and improve metabolic efficiency?
Are you waking up and moving your body with focus and intensity to enable it
to burn excess fat and build muscle to improve your metabolism?
Are you staying focused on your goal with positive thoughts and a belief
that you can accomplish what you are striving for?

Do you realize that EVERYTHING you eat is going to be moving you towards or
away from your goal?

EVERY DAY matters. It is the SMALL stuff that adds up and makes the
difference in whether you succeed or fail to reach your goal.
You are not going to be an overnight success at losing weight (or being
healthy, or finishing a 5k or completing a triathlon).
It takes consistent, purposeful and dedicated focus to become what you want
to become.

It sounds hard, huh. But, what is the alternative?
Your alternative is to feel crappy and unhealthy and unhappy in the ONLY
body you will EVER get!

Is it really too much work to make MORE healthy choices in your life to give
your body a fighting chance to be healthy, energetic, powerful, and capable
of doing amazing things that make your WHOLE life SO MUCH BETTER??
Of course it is worth it!

Just focus on those LITTLE things that make such a BIG difference!
How about WATER instead of SODA?
How about waking up an HOUR earlier and exercising instead of sleeping in
and then using the lame excuse that you just don’t have enough time to
exercise?!

How about CHOOSING to eat a serving of vegetables instead of mindlessly
eating whatever is most convenient from a vending machine.
Make a conscious decision that you are going to TAKE CHARGE of what goes in
your mouth by doing the following: spend just 10 minutes first thing in the
morning packing healthy foods and then eat them throughout the day. That
would be a good way to ensure those LITTLE things make a BIG difference
towards a positive outcome.

Don’t be a victim of life. Don’t use excuses that you can’t take care of
your body. You make time to take care of your car, your house, your
business, your family…those are all important.
But, if you have beat up and neglected your body and your health, I promise
you are not going to be able to continue to take care of all those other
(very important) parts of your life like your family, people you love, your
home, your business, etc.

It is worth it to focus on those LITTLE things that can make a BIG
difference in your health, because then you will have the ability to take
care of those BIG things in your life that really matter!
Your challenge this week:

Identify ONE LITTLE thing that you know you can improve on and focus on
making that a positive part of your healthy lifestyle.
If you know that you are drinking too much soda…then you are going to
focus on getting rid of soda and replacing it with water.
If you know that you are eating too much sugar, then you are going to spend
this week getting rid of the sugar!

If you know that you need to move your body more and improve your strength
and cardiovascular fitness, then you are going to focus on that this week.
How about eating more vegetables? Perhaps setting a goal that you are going
to eat SEVEN servings of veggies EVERY DAY this week is a good goal for you.
Or perhaps you aren’t getting enough sleep to help your body recover and
repair itself (and aid in weight loss). Your goal would be 7+ hours of
sleep every night this week.

Don’t be complacent!
Self analyze and pick something that you know you can be doing better and
then DO IT!
You will be happier and healthier and proud of yourself for making the
effort towards your improving yourself and your life!
SO…

GET TO IT AND MAKE THOSE SMALL THINGS A POSITIVE PART OF YOUR HEALTHY LIFE!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

This week’s motivation has been a topic of conversation with so many
different athletes this past week, that I thought we would all benefit from
a little reminder about TIMING and SEASONS. I am not talking about timing
how fast you run or if you are in your racing season or base building phase.
I am talking about working with where you are in your LIFE and with the
SEASON of life you are currently engaged in.

You see, too many times we make the mistake of comparing ourselves and what
we are doing with one of two different people:
1. OTHER PEOPLE and what they are doing
2. OURSELF at another time in life

The reason this is a mistake is because we need to be true and honest with
who WE are and what WE are doing RIGHT NOW. Let’s NOT compare ourselves to
some other athlete or individual and what THEY are doing. And…let’s NOT
compare ourselves to who we might have been 10 years ago, or who we THINK we
were back in the ‘good old days’. Let’s take inventory on who we are and
what our lives can handle NOW and work our very hardest to be the VERY BEST
we can be RIGHT NOW!

When I had my children I wanted to have them quick and close. So…I had
all four of them in a four year period. My oldest was only 4 years old when
I had my youngest. I was loaded up on diapers, bottles, 3 babies in cribs,
lots of baby gear and a little bit of insanity. During the years that I was
up to my ears in babies (and LOVING…almost….ALL of it!) I wasn’t
training for Ironman triathlons. I started doing triathlons during those
years, but they were shorter (for the most part) and my training quantity
was much less. I LOVED training for triathlon. It reminded me that even
though my main focus was on my awesome, fun little muskrats (that would be
my endearing term for my offspring), I still was a human that had outside
interests and they made me happier and more whole so I could be a better mom
and wife. It would have been a mistake to be trying to train for longer
more demanding (physically, emotionally, time consuming, etc.) races when my
children were so little because I know I would have had a harder time
managing it all and would have missed out on that season of my life which
was the baby season. Now that my children are a bit older (ages 10-14) and
they have been raised with this lifestyle, it is (for the most part) much
more manageable and a positive part of our lives.

I read a good analogy in a book by Chris Carmichael (Lance Armstrong’s
coach) titled “5 Essentials For A Winning Life” (if you are interested in a
good read)…

He likened life to cycling.
You see, in cycling, when everything is running optimally, we call it “being
on top of the gear”. It’s when you feel that you are riding with no effort
and everything just feels good. Then there is the opposite feeling (“behind
the gear”) when it feels like you are pedaling through peanut butter. Ever
had a time or season in your life where you felt like you were “behind the
gear”? When the efficient, coordinated, and focused movements of your life
have broken down and the harder you push, the farther you fall behind the
gear?

Of course you have. WE ALL have felt that way! It’s part of being human
and living. The simple solution to getting back “on top of the gear” (and I’m not really
talking about cycling…right?!) is to SHIFT!

What this means figuratively is that you are going to have to make some
changes in the way you approach life’s demands. SHIFT the way you are
thinking. SHIFT the way you approach your life. SHIFT your priorities!
If you were climbing a mountain, would you stay in the same gears as when
you are riding on flat terrain? Of course not. You would shift into an
easier gear during the steepest of the hill climbing to make sure you made
it to the top. You also would’t just STOP pedaling, cause then it would get
even harder to get your momentum going again. Just shift your gearing to
accomodate your situation and you are doing great! That also goes the other
way. If you are coasting along and not challenged…it is TIME to shift
into another gear that can get you moving!!

Take a look at your season of life and then make realistic, engaging,
positive goals that will challenge and excite you and make everything in
your life more focused and improved.
I have an athlete that is injured at the moment. He can’t run right now
because of some ankle issues and swimming is difficult because of an old
shoulder injury. Did He just decide to quit because it was too hard or
because he was discouraged? NO.

We put together a game plan that He is going to improve his cycling right
now and he is going to go back to doing a lot more technique work and drills
in the pool to improve his swim. So, while he can’t run, he has SHIFTED his
expectations and is now focused on improving his bike and swim and is
actively engaged in a positive and empowering regimen that is just right
for him right now! Is it easy for him? NO! He WANTS to be running. But,
right now he just can’t. Is it worth it for him to be shifting his focus on
spending his athletic energy on improving what he can and not focusing on
what he can’t do? TOTALLY worth it! He has made this “season” of his life
in his training one of productive fine tuning and is setting himself up for
future success.

I have another terrific client that is working on losing some excess
weight. She works some long shifts as a nurse. Does she use that as an
excuse because she is gone 12 hours? NO.
We have put together a focused and manageable nutrition plan that she can
prepare before she leaves for work and that will help her successfully
incorporate new, healthy habits into her lifestyle. Is it EASY for her? No
way. Is it worth it? Totally!

On the other end of the spectrum, I have an athlete that has been doing
triathlons for a while now and is in a great place in her life to really
challenge herself and do her first Half Ironman. She is excited and ready
and is rocking it on her training as she prepares for her big event.
It’s all about the timing!

Focus on what you CAN control and then spend your energy and time on that.
The thing I want you to notice is that NEVER in any of this information have
I EVER given you the option of using your timing in life or season of life
as an EXCUSE to just not TRY!
There is never a season or time that you can’t be making the effort to EAT
HEALTHY and MOVE!

I have heard lots and LOTS of excuses in my 17 years as a trainer and coach
as to why people can’t live a healthier (and happier) life.
The big one I hear is that people just don’t have enough “TIME”.
Bull@*&#!

You DO have enough time. And, if you don’t make time now to be
healthy…don’t be surprised when your body decides that it doesn’t have
time to be healthy for you in the future!
If lack of time in this season of your life is your excuse…the reality of
it is that being healthy and making a commitment to your health is not
important enough to you.

Be honest with yourself. If you are using TIME as an excuse, then you need
to do the following:
1. Analyze where you are spending all your TIME
2. Re-asses how important everything is that is taking your TIME.
3. Find a way to utilize your TIME more efficiently so you can commit to
even just 30 minutes a day of focused exercise.

Same thing with your NUTRITION.
Don’t even think about saying that you don’t have enough TIME to eat well!
It takes just as much TIME to make a healthy choice (even a fast food
choice) as it does to make an unhealthy choice!

So…YES, we need to take our TIMING and SEASON of life into consideration
when we set goals and make commitments.
BUT, we should NEVER use that as an EXCUSE to not TRY and become the BEST WE
CAN BE at this moment!
Be nice to yourself!
But, don’t cheat yourself of the opportunity for greatness!
Enjoy where you are in life.
But, always strive to live life to your fullest.
NO REGRETS!
You can absolutely become a better you and….
ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

Have you ever wondered why some people are able to make healthier food choices, stick to their goals, maintain focus on what they want and succeed…while others don’t? Were they born that way? Is it genetics, or is it environment? Perhaps a combination of both.

But, even with great genetics and a positive environment we can’t be great (at whatever we are aiming for) unless we are also dedicated! Life is always going to be throwing curveballs at us, but if we are dedicated to what we want to accomplish, our chances of succeeding are tremendously improved!

Are you dedicated to overcoming daily challenges and maintaining a healthy lifestyle that you will improve every facet of your life? Are you dedicated to making healthy food choices EVERY day so you can have the energy, health and quality of life you want? If you are willing to commit and determine every day that you want to live a quality, healthy lifestyle then guess what? YOU WILL!

This week’s challenges are going to focus on being MENTALLY TOUGH in regards to your commitment to being FIT and HEALTHY.

The following are four qualities that will help you COMMIT TO BE FIT and reach your goals!

1. Motivation: Do you find that you are able to motivate yourself to stay on the path of fitness and health? Or, do you find that you need an outside force and influence to keep you going? Most of us, in some form or another will find that we benefit from an outside source of motivation to keep us focused. Find what works for you, whether it be books, friends (good ones), family, media or some other source. Just keep the motivation high to sustain you during a tough stretch by surrounding yourself with postive and helpful sources!

2. Discipline: Do you shape your lifestyle to fit your goals? Are you steering clear of places and foods that you know will limit your progress and impede your success? How important are your goals to you? When the going gets tough (and it will) what do you draw on to keep yourself focused on the main goal (health and energy). You are in charge of yourself. Don’t forget that!

3. Confidence: Do you start every new day with a plan? Do you believe you can succeed even when you are faced with challenges and obstacles? Focus on the variables you CAN control (being prepared, ensuring you make the best possible choices available) and let go of the variables you CAN’T control. The more you make healthy choices a part of your daily life, the more confident you will become that you can maintain this healthy lifestyle for the rest of your life…and the easier it becomes to keep making those positive choices!

4. Patience: This quality is a HUGE factor to your success! So many people lack the necessary patience when it comes to weight loss and healthy living. They think it is a one time fix or a race to make it across the finish line. There is no finish line! This is a journey that lasts a lifetime! Be patient with your body and make this an enjoyable part of your life and everything will come into its right place.

Focus on these four qualities this coming week and pay attention to what is holding you back as well as to what is working for you. Find solutions to overcoming what is holding you back and continue including what is working for you into your daily life!

Our environment needs to be conducive to our goals. By maintaining a high amount of motivation, discipline, confidence and patience we will be providing the right environment both mentally and physically to ensure we reach our goals and enjoy the benefits of a healthy lifestyle!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

Lehi, Utah – July 16, 2011 – Broken collar bone? No problem.

PowerTri athlete Kim Shattuck shook off a broken collar bone just 6 weeks before the Rhode Island 70.3 to place 5th in her age group and qualify for the 70.3 World Championships, becoming the 4th PowerTri athlete in just a month to do so.

No swimming for 4 weeks and running with a sling allowed the former Team USA athlete to maintain her fitness just enough to accomplish one of her primary goals for 2011.

“Kim’s discipline and training compliance are incredible, ” said David Warden, Shattuck’s coach of 4 years. “When she called me after her accident, we came up with a modified plan to mitigate the challenges. She stuck to the plan, didn’t get discouraged, and stayed focused. She deserves these results.”

The qualification came in Shattuck’s third attempt at the 70.3 distance. After 3 years of short-course training and racing, including participation at the National and World Championship level, Shattuck pulled off a surprising 4:54 time in a test 70.3 in late 2010, causing she and Warden to add a goal of the 70.3 World Championships to her short-course resume for 2011.

The non-wetsuit swim appeared long and challenging, as even the top pros struggled to break 30 minutes on the swim. Shattuck entered T1 in 10th place in her F40-44 age group. That didn’t last long as she worked her way through the field on the bike. Her decision to switch to a new road bike configuration just before the event proved dubious, as she dropped her chain 4 times in the rolling hills of Providence. However, it was enough to pass another 5 cyclists entering T1 in 5th place.

The run, just as hilly as the bike course, introduced cramps and some walking in Shattuck. Fortunately, it was just as difficult for the other runners, as she held on for 5th place overall, just 13 seconds ahead of the next age-group competitor, and enough for the Las Vegas Championship slot allocation. Her 13-second cushion was possible in part due to the 2nd fastest T1 and fastest T2 of the day for her age group.

Nearly 2,500 miles away, fellow Team PowerTri athlete David Warden won his second straight Sprint event in as many week-ends, winning the Scofield triathlon for the second straight year.

The 132-participant event was small, but concentrated, and included Brigham Young University’s Jonathan Kemp, and  the 2011 Regional Championship runner-up Keb Wilson in what proved to be a back-to-back rematch for he and Warden.

Kemp set the bar early with an 11:21 swim, almost 2 minutes ahead of the next pack of swimmers including Rory Duckworth, Heidi Goedhart, and Warden at 13;12, 13:13, and 13:15, with Wilson not far behind at 13:41. Kemp’s lead was so big that Warden mistakenly assumed he was in first place as he exited T1 ahead of the swim pack he entered with. His excitement turned to disappointment as the spectators clarified his deficit to Kemp, and was confirmed as he saw Kemp already on the other side of the reservoir. Wilson was making time on Warden, with the fastest T1 of the day.

Despite a venue nestled in the mountains of Eastern Utah, the Sprint bike course proved a time-trialist’s dream as a pancake flat out-and-back course with relatively few turns. While Warden and Wilson had battled it out on the bike the previous week up hilly Echo canyon for a bike split less than a second apart, the flat Scofield course played to Warden’s strength. Catching Kemp at the bike turnaround, Warden extended his lead over the field with a 28:45 bike time, 71 seconds faster than the next fastest bike split, and 90 seconds ahead of Kemp starting the run thanks in part to the fastest T2 of the day. Wilson, always a threat on the bike, had moved up the field from 10th out of the water to 3rd, and was just 20 seconds back from Kemp heading into T2.

With a 90 second lead, Warden nonetheless started celebrating early. Kemp had no intention of handing Warden the win, and began to reel him in on the run. An ego, a too-fast bike, and a staggering altitude of 7,618 feet, combined to start Warden off at a pedestrian pace, assuming his lead was “too big to fail”. At the turnaround, Warden made his first calculation of Kemp’s pace. Warden decided he had better run faster, only to discover: he couldn’t. With half a mile remaining, Kemp was less than 20 seconds back, having eaten into Warden’s lead by 70 seconds in just 2.5 miles. Warden finally found his courage the final 800 meters, matched his pace to Kemp, and squeaked by with a 13 second win, with Wilson rounding out the top 3.

A primary key to effective training is the appropriate application of stress to the body, followed by a recovery period for the body to adapt and/or recover for the next workout. Too much stress back-to-back and the body cannot reach the required intensities to gain new fitness in subsequent workouts. Too little stress and the result is no new increase in fitness.

But how can we quantify the intensity of a workout? Using volume alone removes the critical element of intensity from the calculation. Using intensity or speed without a benchmark risks over or under-training. Additionally, stress is always relative to the athlete’s abilities. One athlete’s maximum sustainable output will be quite different than another, and yet the relative stress could be identical for each athlete. My 18-minute 5K run is just as stressful to my body as PowerTri Pro Heath Thurston’s 16-minute 5K is to his body.

Any determination of how stressful a workout was on an athlete must a combination of 3 inputs: duration, intensity, and relative intensity.

TSS (Training Stress Score) is an incredibly useful tool for a coach or an athlete. It allows us to quantify how much stress a particular workout was to the body. We can then use that information to structure the next set of workouts. It is a combination of a workout’s duration, intensity, and relative intensity. The duration is, of course, the length of the workout, the intensity is the raw output (power in watts or run pace). The relative intensity is measured using an Intensity Factor (IF),which represents how intense a ride was relative to your FTP (Functional Threshold Power/Pace, or the average power an athlete can maintain for approximately 30 minutes). True TSS and IF can only be measured with a power device or pace device, but I’ll show you how can get TSS with heart rate instead later as well. Let me give you an example of how to calculate a TSS based on these inputs:

Let us look at a cyclist with a ride of 1:31:27 in duration. The Normalized Power (NP, or power excluding zeros) for this ride was 181 watts. This athlete has an FTP of 240 watts.  Therefore, the IF for this ride is 0.754 or Normalized Power/FTP (181 watts divided by 240 = 0.754). We now have everything we need to calculate TSS for this workout.

The TSS calculation is (workout in seconds x NP x IF)/(FTP x 3600) x 100. Or, in this case, (5497 seconds x 181 watts x 0.754)/(240watts x 3600) x 100 = a score of 86.7.

What does this 86.7 mean? A TSS of 100 means the stress that riding 1 hour at your FTP would introduce to your body. Therefore, this ride was 86.7% as stressful to you as a 1 hour time trial.

Another ride for this same athlete may have been 3 hours long with power at 176 watts, or an IF of 0.733. The TSS score would be a 162.8 for this athlete. Meaning, it was 1.63 times more stressful to his body than a 1 hour time trial.

How can we use this data? In several ways, but the way I use it is:

a) to determine how much rest needed between workouts. I start with the guidelines from Dr. Andrew Coggan and adjust based on what I know about the athlete:

• TSS less than 150 – low (recovery generally complete by following day)
• 150-300 – medium (some residual fatigue may be present the next day, but gone by 2nd day)
• 300-450 – high (some residual fatigue may be present even after 2 days)
• Greater than 450 – very high (residual fatigue lasting several days likely)

b) to simulate the stress of a race without having to use race-day intensity. For example, let’s say that an athlete’s FTP is 255 watts, and I want them to race with an average of 210 watts (mid-Zone 3) for 2.75 hours. That would be an estimated TSS score of (9900 seconds x 210 x 0.823)/(255×3600) = 186 for the bike portion. As a coach, I have the option of introducing workouts that mimic the stress of racing in several ways. I could have him do a 2.75 hours ride at 210 watts for a score of 186, or a 3.75 hour ride at 180 watts, which would also equal a TSS of 186 points. This second option is a great option for athletes who have Ironman aspirations as well, we can get in a nearly 4 hour ride to increase IM endurance, while also mimicking the stress of a 70.3 ride.

c) to map long-term stress and chronic load, and ensure that there is a constant rise in stress throughout the season. This only works if the athlete uses a power meter for every single ride, and a GPS outside for every single run. Otherwise, the true stress cannot be calculated. Although it is possible to calculate the stress and TSS score based on HR, and there is quite a bit of literature and calculations on that, I think it is not worth the calculation if using HR to calculate chronic load. HR is significantly sensitive to time of day, temperature, indoors or outdoors, food intake, external stress, etc. The thought of making long-term decisions on HR data scares me. For an individual workout, yes, I can see using HR to calculate TSS, but not for chronic load analysis.

Calculating TSS for the run is almost identical to the bike. The difference is that you use graded pace instead of power. Graded pace is the pace that would have been maintained had the run been performed on a flat surface. It can only be calculated through a tricky manual calculation, or through software that can calculate it for you, like WKO+ or Golden Cheetah. You must have graded pace in order to do the calculation. The only differences are that a) the intensity is miles per hour instead of watts and b) a multiplier of 112 instead of 100 is used, since running does add more stress to the body. The calculation would therefore be (workout in seconds x MPH (graded pace miles per hour) x IF)/(FTP x 3600) x 112. For my European readers, kilometers per hour would work just as well.

For example, an athlete with a run FTP of 8.78 mph does a 1:44:01 run at graded pace of 7.627 mph. The calculation is therefore (6421 x 7.627 x 0.869)/(8.78 x 3600) x 112 = 146.5. Voila!

The calculation for heart rate also requires just a little bit of tweaking. See Joe Friel’s explaination of how to do this at http://home.trainingpeaks.com/articles/cycling/estimating-training-stress-score-%28tss%29-by-joe-friel.aspx

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Park City, Utah – July 9, 2011 – Team PowerTri athletes Adam Weaver and Ruston Southwick won their respective age groups, and David Warden took the overall men’s Sprint podium at the 2011 USAT Rocky Mountain Regional Championships.

In the Sprint-distance event, the Regional Championship lived up to its name from the start with the top 12 athletes out of the water representing 4 different states. Brother’s Trevor and Chad Tustion of Webster, Texas hit the beach in the top 6, and Salt Lake City’s David Chatwin led the field into T1 with a dominating swim. A flurry of activity followed Chad Tustion, with the next 9 swimmers exiting the water in a mere 30-second span in a group that included Colorado’s Connor Weaver (son of Team PowerTri’s Adam Weaver), Utah’s Keb Wilson, and David Warden in 14th and 15th into T1, just 3 seconds apart.

Aided by the top two T1 transition times of the day, Warden and Wilson made up 10 slots in transition starting the bike in 4th and 5th place, with Warden hanging on to a slim 6 second lead. By the bike turnaround up beautiful Echo Canyon, the two had moved into 1st and 2nd, with Wilson closing to within 3 seconds. The rolling bike course exposed the strengths and weaknesses of each cyclist, with Wilson gaining as Warden struggled in the hills, and Warden pulling ahead in the flats and descents. Due to identical bike splits (only 0.1 seconds apart), the two competitors entered transition where they left it, with Warden just 6 seconds ahead. Wilson was giving Warden no chance to relax with a blistering T2 that put the two starting the run a few seconds apart.

Warden opened up the challenging off-road dirt and gravel run fast, pulling further and further ahead. By the turnaround, Warden had put nearly a minute into Wilson, cruising to a comfortable victory to claim the championship.

The race for men’s overall 3rd place also came down to the run, with Connor Weaver dominating the run splits and passing the remainder of the field to complete the men’s overall podium.

In the Age Group races, the M30-34 Sprint competition became one of the closest of the day. David Fleisch and Chad Tustison set the pace on the swim, with Travis Burbidge and PowerTri‘s Ruston Southwick 2 and 3 minutes back, respectively. Reinforcing how critical transitions are in the Sprint-distance events, Southwick turned an 8th place swim into 6th place going into the bike with the fastest T1 of the division, and Tustion went from 2nd to 1st in T1.

The lead chaos in the age group continued on the bike, as the challenging up and down course shook up the division. The top 3 who left on the bike, Tustion, Shane Waterbury, and Fleisch, were replaced by Cade Erickson, then Tustion holding onto a close 2nd, and Alecio Mejia in 3rd, with Southwick chipping away at the leaders in 5th place coming into T2.

The fight for the age group division crown continued well into the run. Southwick again flew through T2, then patiently picked off the competition on the run passing 4 competitors, showing his outstanding pacing on the bike. Burbidge made a heroic effort coming into the run in 7th place, charging at Southwick in the final 800 meters. But Southwick would not be denied, and held on for the 16-second victory, with Tustion hanging on for 3rd.

In the Olympic events, the M40-44 division proved to be less nail-biting, as PowerTri’s Adam Weaver  dominated the division. The triathlon veteran was down by nearly a minute to Andy Compas’ division-leading swim, and Compas extended his lead with the fastest T1 of the division, and one of the fastest T1s of the day. But once Weaver started the bike, the divisional race was practically decided. Despite the fastest overall Olympic bike split of the day from Kyle Brown, Weaver went into T2 with a 4-minute lead and held onto that buffer through the run, ending with an 8-minute victory over Brown, with Compas holding his own on the run and taking the coveted podium spot by just 24 seconds over a lightening fast run from Jared Wehrli in 4th overall.

Race Notes:

- The 2011 Rocky Mountain Regional Championships took place at the 10th annual Echo Triathlon in Coalville, Utah. The region includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and El Paso County, Texas.

- After starting 2011 on a 3-race overall Sprint win streak, Warden entered Regionals coming in second overall in his next 3 Sprint events, finally breaking his streak as a “bridesmaid” at Echo and winning it for the first time after a 2nd place finish in 2010.

- Chad Tustion’s brother Trevor would go on to take 2nd in his M25-29 division thanks to the 2nd fastest Sprint swim of the day, resulting in a good day for the Texas duo.

- In another family affair, Andy Compas’ wife Sarah took 3rd place as well in her Sprint division by less than a second over local powerhouse Jeaninne Gardiner.

- Warden’s former love interest from high school did very well at the event, and the two were seen chatting with Warden’s wife, Rebecca prior to the awards ceremony. Witnesses say that the conversation was amicable, but the woman asked not to be identified as Warden’s former girlfriend.

Alright ladies, race season is in full swing now, with several good racing months to go.  If you don’t have your race outfit for this year, NOW is the time and I’ve tried to take some of the guess work out of shopping for you.  After trying on every piece of women’s clothing that we carry here at Powertri, I’ve put them in tables and given you information about lengths of the tops, inseam and rise on the bottoms, bra coverage, and little fit tips I found.  As a reference, I am 5’4 and 120lbs so I typically wear a size small, but women’s triathlon clothing is made for everyone from size XS up to XL.  While triathlon clothing is meant to fit snugly to be more hydrodynamic in the water and aerodynamic on the bike, not everyone loves a spandex party.  If you still find yourself uncomfortable in a larger women’s size, consider trying mens.  There are several options this year though for looser fitting jerseys and even capri length tri shorts.

I always say shop first by what looks good to you, then try it on and decide.  Be flexible with sizing, every brand fits differently.  Hopefully the feedback in this post will help those of you who are buying online.  There are lots of options out there from thinner straps and tighter fits, to wider coverage and more relaxed fits.  You have options on the tri shorts of leg grippers or not, and some higher waistbands than others.
Some tops have built in bras, some do not.  I think in general built in bras support A-B cups, and sometimes C cups.  If a top you like does have a built in bra but you need more support, simply size appropriately and you can wear your own underneath.  If you are large busted, consider going for a zip up top without a built in bra so that you can wear your own non-cotton sports bra more comfortably and have the tri top look better.
As for tri shorts, you’ll love not having to pull on bike shorts over your wet swim suit after the swim.  The thinner pad in tri shorts allows you to swim in them, but will dry quickly afterwords.  The pad is enough to get you through the bike comfortably, and won’t feel bulky when it’s time to run.  Most leg grippers at the bottom of the short are not as tight or grippy as they used to be which can produce a look most women don’t want, but if you’re concerned about how they may make your legs look, consider going for a short like De Soto without leg grippers.  It will sit smooth on your legs and really not ride up much.

Many women are concerned about their jersey being too short or shorts being too low exposing a lot of skin.  Consider trying a one piece suit to solve that problem.  They come in front zip and back zip, with bras and without.  De Soto also makes a fold over yoga pant style waistband that you could choose to wear un-folded for more midriff coverage.

A race suit that fits well and you feel attractive in will give you added confidence and help you enjoy your race more,
so choose something that is cute, functional, and comfortable.  Happy racing and happy shopping!

• A personal favorite

	Brand	Model	Sizing	Length in front below navel	Bra	Comments
	De Soto	Carrera Full Top	Runs very small, tight	3	Yes, probably enough support	No room for additional bra if a lot of support is needed, 3 back pockets
		Forza Tri Jersey	On, skin fit	5	Yes, probably enough support	Very full coverage (wide on shoulders), can see possible arm chafing, 3 back pockets
	Pearl Izumi	Select	On, loose fit	5	No bra	Thinner fabric, looser fit, 2 back covered pockets
		Elite Tri SL Jersey	On, skin fit	4	No bra	Soft fabric, longer in back, 2 back side covered pockets	•
		Elite Tri Singlet	On, Skin	4	Nice bra, encapsulated (separate space for each breast)	Good arm clearance, cute neck and straps, 2 back side covered pockets	•
		PRO top	On, Skin	3-3.5	Good bra	Bit hard to get on, but a cute top.  Flares out just slightly at waist, 2 back side covered pockets.  More fragile race specific fabric
	Zoot	Endurance Tri Top	On, looser fit	4	No bra	2 back side pockets
		Endurance Tri Tank	Sizes a little small, very skin fit	5	More bra coverage	Unique, odd semi-collared neckline, 2 back side pockets
		Endurance Tri Race Back	On, Skin	5	Ok bra	Less bra support, good back/shoulder room for running though, 2 back side pockets
		Lush Crossback	On, Skin	4	Good bra	Cute new straps in back, possible rubbing near bottom of should blade, 2 back side pockets
	2XU	Active Tri Singlet	On, relaxed skin fit	4.5	Bra, little support	Very comfy, soft tight knit mesh, 2 back side pockets
	Zoot	Bra	On		Good –great support	High neck, good straps, back clasp, fits like compression but has cup shapes built of mesh inside
	Handful	Bra	A little big (size smaller if in doubt)		Good support up to a C cup	A good all around bra for A-B cups, good bike/gym/yoga bra for C-D.  Very nice shaping, lifting removable  pads, nice thin straps.   Dries well even with pads in	•

	Brand	Model	Sizing	Rise	Inseam in inches	Comments
	De Soto	Carrera Tri Short	On	Sits top of hips	4.5	Nice wide waistband, thin fleece pad, no leg gripper = possible sliding, but not usually, no sausage effect.  Great basic short without grippers  •
		Carrera Tri Capri	Runs a bit small	Sits above hips.  2” above if unfolded	Capri length, below the knee	Fold over waistband for low rise fit or full midriff coverage, simple fleece pad, nice quick drying added leg coverage for those who want it
		Forza Long Distance	Runs a bit small	Sits above hips.  2” above if unfolded	6-7	When sized up, a very nice short, more compressive fabric on legs, no grippers, fold over waistband, back pocket
	Pearl Izumi	Select	Very small	Sits top of hips	6	Soft grippers, long enough to avoid the sausage effect, rear covered pocket
		In-R-Cool	Small but comfortable	A bit lower , curves down in front, higher in back	6	Hard to get on if not sized up, fits ok, high waistband in back.  Rear covered pocket    Leg band/gripper could ripple, thinner than the Select.  Cute short!  •
		PRO	On	Top of hips	8	Comfortable, no visible pad seams, back pocket, more fragile racing specific fabric
	Zoot	Endurance 6	On	Top of hips	5.5-6	Nice gripper, soft mesh, good size and placed elastic hip pockets
		Endurance 8	On	Top of hips	7.5	Same as the Endurance 6. 6 and 8 are very neutral easy to wear shorts  •
	2XU	Active Tri Shorts	On	Top of hips	5	Nice mid length comfortable short.  Good grippers.  Very small and minimal pad.  The short looks more like a normal short with the less noticeable pad.

	Brand	Model	Sizing	Bra	Inseam	Comments
	De Soto	Forza	Runs small	No bra	6.5	Has 1 back pocket. TheForza ITU suit has a higher end pad and two aero side pockets
		Lift Foil	Runs small	No bra	7.5	Like the way the seams look aesthetically, silky fabric
	Zoot	Endurance Tri Racesuit, front zip	On	Ok bra	6	Front zip bra could be inconvenient with bathroom stops, I do like the waist seam
		Endurance Tri Racesuit, back zip	On, runs a tad big	Not a great bra included, would work well with a separate bra	6.5	Like the legs, not as tight in front/chest area, comfortable	•
	Pearl Izumi	Pro suit	Runs small, but bigger in the chest	Yes, but it runs big	8	Hard to get on, but comfortable once on, looks fast, best for flat or larger busted women or someone who would wear an additional bra under it.  Fragile racing specific fabric

OUCH!
Simple & Cheap Injury Prevention

We all wish we were athletes with unlimited resources to pamper our tired and over-worked bodies.  But, this is real life and most of us train and race in the real world.  Weekly massages and frequent visits to our favorite chiropractor can definitely help keep our bodies in prime condition for training and racing, but for most of us the cost is prohibitive.  Here are three simple exercises that mimic the benefits of deep tissue massage that will help keep you healthy all season long.  All you will need is a foam roller (find one at Wal-Mart, Target or your local sporting goods store) and a golf ball.

1. IT Band Stretch and Release: Illiotibial Band Syndrome is one of the most common overuse injuries of runners, triathletes and cyclists.  Unfortunately, without proper intervention a bad case of ITBS can have you sidelined for weeks, if not months.

The Illiotibial Band is a large tendon that runs along the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee.  Most athletes with Illiotibial Band Syndrome will feel pain just to the outside of the knee or on the outside of the hip.   Pain usually increases with mileage.  The farther you go, the more it hurts.  Along with lowering weekly mileage, using a foam roller to stretch the tendon is an inexpensive and effective treatment to get you back on your feet fast!

Lay on your side with a foam roller under your hip.  Using your arms for balance, slowly roll your body up and down the foam roller along the IT Band.  Hold tender spots until the pain lessens.  Do this exercise everyday to prevent a reoccurring case of ITBS.

2.     Tight Hamstrings and Quadriceps. Many runners suffer from tight hamstrings or quadriceps (or both!).  Tightness in these critical muscles can cause muscle imbalances and lead to injuries in other areas of the body.  Again, using a simple foam roller to stretch and compress these muscles will help to relieve tightness and prevent subsequent injuries.

For Hamstrings:  Sit on top of the foam roller.  Using your hands for balance, slowly roll from the bottom of the glutes to the back of the knee (avoiding boney areas and focusing on muscle tissue).  For a deeper stretch, cross one leg over the other, to focus on one leg at a time.

For Quadriceps: Lay on your stomach on the floor with the foam roller under the upper legs.  Use your hands to roll from the front of the hips to the top of the knee.  For a deeper stretch, cross one leg on top of the other to focus on one leg at a time.

3.     Plantar Fasciitis Golf Ball Massage. Another common overuse injury in runners is plantar fasciitis, or tightness and inflammation of the fascia of the bottom of the feet.  With pain generally starting in the heel, runners suffering with plantar fasciitis will notice difficultly in putting their heels to the floor when getting out of bed in the morning or after a period of rest (showing very tight calf muscles and Achilles tendons).   In addition to targeted stretches for the calves and Achilles and a reduction in mileage, a golf ball massage can help stop a mild case of plantar fasciitis from turning chronic.

Place a golf ball under the arch of the foot and apply gentle pressure as you roll the golf ball from the ball of the foot to the heel, along the arch.  Stop at painful spots and apply gentle pressure until the pain reduces.  In addition to using a back and forth motion, also roll the ball side to side.

As athletes we love to train and race at our best, but every athlete will suffer from a training-related injury at one time or another.  With the help of a foam roller and golf ball you can help to reduce your risk of some of the most common injuries without breaking the bank!

Train Hard!  Race Harder!

Colleen C. Rue
PowerTri Elite Triathlete
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
www.stgeorgefitness.com

How familiar are you with HORMONES?

Do you think that they are just something that make adolescents and women wacky?  They don’t matter to you cause you are male, or young, or middle aged or….????  Guess what?  If you are human, you are directly affected by hormones!

Most of us don’t know much about hormones at all….and yet they are the keys to every function our bodies perform.  Every part of our body is affected by how our hormones function, including our weight, energy, and overall quality of life.  AND…everything we eat, interact with and do affects our hormones and determines how well they work for us!

It would be way too  much to go into much detail about all the different hormones and how each one plays such a vital role in our health.  But I am going to make an effort here to motivate you to choose foods that are going to do a terrific job of keeping your hormones in balance and your health and energy right where you want them! (Much of this info is from a very interesting book written by Jillian Michaels titled:  “Master Your Metabolism”…just in case you want more in depth information)

The basic hormones that affect your metabolism are:

• Insulin
• Thyroid
• Estrogen and progesterone
• Testosterone
• DHEA and cortisol
• Epinephrine and norepinephrin
• Human growth hormone (HGH)
• Leptin and ghrelin

We are going to learn about TWO of these hormones today:
1. INSULIN
2. HGH (Growth Hormone)

A real quick and simple overview on WHY these hormones matter, how they affect you and how to  keep them working FOR you to keep you healthy:

INSULIN:
**WHY it matters*: Insulin plays a critical role in how your body reacts to food.  It keeps the concentration of glucose low in your blood by delivering sugars directly into the liver where they are converted into glycogen for your muscles to use.  By keeping insulin levels low in your body, you can tap into stored fat for fuel (which means you stay lean and healthy).
** Messed up insulin response can create:*  diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, gallstones, and even affect your sleep!
** HOW to manage insulin:*   By eating foods that are low glycemic, complex carbohydrate focused and/or protein based that keep our insulin levels in check, we won’t have the sugar cravings, energy fluctuations, or excess weight and fat!

Sounds EASY, right?  But, I know and you know that it’s NOT!  We are surrounded by crappy, terrible and plain old BAD for us food!  It is SO tempting to eat that candy bar, drink that soda, inhale that doughnut or not bother to care what we are putting IN our bodies!  You may not be PERFECT (none of us is!)….But, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your best to manage this EVERY DAY!

Give eating quality, high nutrient, healthy food just ONE week of solid effort and you will notice a BIG difference in how your body is feeling, looking and performing for you!

HGH (Growth Hormone):
*WHY it matters:*  HGH is a hormone that makes everything better!  It BUILDS muscle by helping your body absorb amino acids (the basic building block of muscle), helps increase your metabolism (the result of increased muscle) and gives you more power (as a result of that muscle!)  It also helps BURN fat as a result of fat cells having growth hormone receptors that trigger the breakdown of triglycerides.  In addition, it helps our livers manage and control insulin…which affects all of the above issues we just covered!
PRETTY COOL!
*MESSED up Growth Hormone (or LACK therof)* can contribute to accelerated aging, decline in bone mass, and decreased energy and strength (which includes, weight gain and overall feeling crappy!) Yes…we do experience a decline in our body’s ability to create Growth Hormone after our thirties…but, we can do several things to help manage and even increase it’s effectiveness no matter our age!
*HOW to manage Growth Hormone*:  SLEEP!  One of the dumbest things we do to ourselves metabolically is to deprive ourselves of good quality sleep!  Did you know that when we are sleeping is when our body releases Growth Hormone? 

A University of Chicago study found that when people are deprived of their stage 4 sleep (which happens about one hour after we first fall asleep), their daily growth hormone levels fell by 23 percent!  That’s a lot of potential muscle building, fat burning, energy creating, metabolism ramping growth hormone that is being missed out on!  What a shame!  You are NOT being lazy by getting a good night’s sleep.  You are being SMART (and healthy!…which makes you even smarter!)

Another really awesome way to get your growth hormone really pumping is to engage in intense exercise.  Use those high intensity intervals to keep things going!

Finally…be careful NOT to suppress your growth hormone levels by eating too many low-quality carbs (didn’t we just talk about this?) which will keep your blood sugar and insulin high. Low glycemic, Complex carbs and Protein, on the other hand are a terrific and sure fire way to increase your levels of growth hormone.  Seriously…how many more reasons do we need to eat a low glycemic, complex carbohydrate, clean protein diet??  (That means lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins)

Not only will we keep our insulin in check, which will keep us lean and healthy, and manage to avoid a whole host of diseases, but we will also keep the growth hormone coming which will keep us strong, powerful, energetic, metabolically active and healthy!

ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO PUT IN YOUR BODY!

It matters!  And…you should care because this is THE ONLY BODY you get!  Take good care of it!  Value it!  Enjoy all the awesome and amazing things it does for you…every second, minute, hour of every day!

Here’s the deal:
I do not expect that we are all going to be perfect and eat 100% clean and awesome all the time.  Of course we are going to have a weak moment where we make a bad decision and eat something that is going to whack out our insulin or affect our growth hormone release.  But, when you have that experience….make a note of HOW you feel (right then as well as later) and after you realize that you don’t LIKE the way you feel… JUST RE-COMMIT to doing your very best and move forward! It’s a part of being human and just trying our best.

Don’t give up and DON’T be mean to yourself!  Just do your best and pay attention to how GREAT you feel when you are making those good choices!

YOUR CHALLENGE THIS WEEK is to pay attention to everything you eat and ask yourself:  “Is this keeping my insulin levels healthy and my body in a fat burning, muscle building state?” and  “Am I giving my body the tools it needs to release as much growth hormone as possible?”

That means:
1.  EATING low glycemic, COMPLEX carbohydrates (meaning: veggies, greens, fruit, whole grains) and clean, lean PROTEIN
2.  Getting quality SLEEP (7+ hours) EVERY night
3.  Engaging in EXERCISE (especially higher intensity intervals) several days a week

Not always easy…BUT ALWAYS WORTH IT!
So…GO FORTH…and CONQUER!
(and enjoy!)

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

Boise, Idaho – June 11, 2011 – Spencer Woolston and Sarah Jarvis took first place in their respective age groups, and David Warden made the final automatic qualifying slot in his division as Team PowerTri took home 3 coveted slots at Ironman 70.3 Boise to the 2011 World Championships in Las Vegas.

With an official water temperature of only 58 degrees at Lucky Peak Reservoir, Woolston shook off the elements for a 31-minute swim, exiting the water 14th in the Male 30-34 age group, and a full 5 minutes behind Wilmington, North Carolina’s Patrick Farwell and Portland, Oregon’s Jeff Smith.

Thanks to the fastest bike in his age group (and second fastest overall age group bike of the day), Woolston picked his way through the field over the rolling course, and entered downtown Boise just seconds ahead of Smith, and the race was on for the age group win. A blistering 1:27 run time 45 seconds faster than Smith’s turned out to be the eventual margin of victory as Woolston won the age group by 50 seconds with a time of 4:18, with Farwell taking 3rd. With the fastest bike (2:15) and run time in the age group, plus a 31-minute swim, Woolston can no longer be considered a one-dimensional cyclist.

Woolston’s counterpart in the female 30-34 division, Sarah Jarvis, fresh off a victory at the Salem Sprint the week before, continued her dominating streak at Boise. Four minutes behind Issaqhah, Washington’s Judith Coyle-Babusis out of the water, Jarvis was already 3rd heading out on the bike. A 2:35 bike split put her in second place behind Isabella Roca, who did not make it out of T2 after a draining 2:21 bike split. With Roca out, Jarvis lead the way out of T2 and never looked back, winning her age group with the fastest run of the group at 1:35, and a total time of 4:45. Idaho’s Trish Deim and Salt Lake City’s Kathryn Throolin rounded out the top 3.

In the Male 35-39 division, David Warden was starting his first 70.3 since 2005. The unusually large field of 204 resulted in 6 age-group slots for the 35-39 men. With an anemic swim of 33 minutes, Warden was not helping his chances exiting the water in 28th place. An embarrassing failed flying mount and subsequent crash just outside transition further put a damper on his championship slot chances, with sizable road rash adding injury to the insult. Compounding his woes was the failure of his GPS, power, and heart rate device, resulting in an improvised pacing plan based on a mix of feel, real-time manual speed calculation, and prayer.

Despite this combination of poor planning, bad luck, and lack of swim skills, Warden managed to enter T2 in 16th place with a 2:28 bike split. A 1:29 run was more than enough to pass another 9 age group competitors with a 6th place finish at 4:36, and just enough to claim the final guaranteed 70.3 championship slot in his age group.

I’m surprised at how often athletes with such great talent fail to pace themselves properly in a race. The argument for pacing during a Sprint is debatable, but for Olympic, 70.3 and Ironman events, the consequence of going anaerobic too early is significant and measurable. Let me share with you an example of poor pacing and good pacing from the same athlete, and only a couple of month apart.

An athlete who enters an Ironman race fully tapered will feel invincible during the first hour of the bike ride, and the temptation is great to increase intensity. Remember, this is the first hour of a 4 to 10 hour brick, and the first hour is not the time to set a PR on the bike.

See the graph below of one of my athlete’s 70.3 bike rides.

The red line is his HR, the orange line is the altitude, and the yellow line is power. I had recommended to the athlete that he maintain 225 watts, assuming that with the downhill he would end up with an average around 210. He felt so good (which he should have going into a taper) that he went 277 watts for the first 30 minutes, which became his best FTP score for the year. His first hour was still 258 watts, 50 watts above the race plan.

You can see the consequence of that initial level of intensity on the rest of the day. His power continued to decline, his heart rate continued to decline (which is a sign of fatigue in a fit individual). His decoupling for the ride was more than 10%, and he was 16% slower over the second half compared to the first half. You can even see the “breaking point” where his body just had to slow down. His run was a disaster as a result.

Fast-forward two months to his full Ironman, after a severe lecture from me on the consequences of ignoring my advise. See his chart from that Ironman.

What a difference! He stuck exactly to the plan. HR continues to rise, power stays level and then increases. 0% decoupling for the entire ride (unusual for 180km), and his power output for the second half was 5% higher than the first half. Note how similar the two courses are, two loops of very good climbing in the middle. His total bike time was 5:19, or exactly 2 times his 70.3 time, but for 180 kilometers instead of just 90 kilometers! His run was a blistering 3:45, which was less than twice the time of his 70.3 half marathon, and he managed a 10:45 Ironman on his first attempt.

The time between the 70.3 and full Ironman was just 8 weeks, with 4 weeks of resting and taper, giving him just 4 weeks to increase fitness. Could an increase in fitness have been the cause of this dramatic improvement in performance? Perhaps some, but in just 4 weeks it would have been limited. The real answer is, of course, pacing.

Salem, Utah – June 4, 2011 – Heath Thurston and David Warden finished 1 and 2 overall, and Sarah Jarvis captured the women’s podium capping another dominant performance from Team PowerTri at the state’s second-largest Sprint triathlon.

Thurston lead end-to-end with the fastest swim and bike performance of the day. The local Pro was the only athlete to crack 30 minutes on the technical bike course, and a blistering run further extended his winning margin by a dominating 4 minutes over Warden.

“It’s an honor to be beat by Heath,” said Warden. “Heath was one of the first Pros that I turned to for advise when I picked up triathlon. I never dreamed we would come in back-to-back at a race someday. But I still wish he’d stayed in bed this morning.”

With previous year’s favorites BJ Christensen, Brad Gilson, Casey Robles, Grant Lerdahl and Jameson King out of the event, the men’s podium was considered wide open for 2011. The Salem event is a Sprint-only race, which results in the elite Olympic-distance atheltes competing with the Sprint specialists, and leads to a concentration of the state’s top talent.

Warden exited the water in 7th place, and methodically worked his way up the field, entering T2 in 4th place. At mile 1.5 of the run, a 4-athlete pack of Warden, Devan Tandy, Aaron Olson, and Ben Brooks were all within 20 seconds of each other, setting up a close finish for second and third place. Warden and dark horse Aaron Olsen, down more than a minute from Warden starting the run, broke from the pack at mile 2, with Warden holding off a charging Olsen by just 8 seconds to round out the top 3 in the 300+ athlete field.

On the women’s side, Jarvis led from the water to the finish line, never looking back in a convincing 90-second win. The 2010 champion defended her title in part with the fastest bike of the day, and humbled the men’s field by coming in 9th place overall.

“Racing with so many great friends really is a treat,” said the ever-humble Jarvis after the event.

Jeanette Schellenberg and Kara Bankhead placed second and third, with Bankhead owning the fastest women’s run of the day.

Race notes:

- After starting the 2011 season on a 3-event win streak dating back to 2010, Warden now has a new dubious streak to ponder: 3 straight 2nd place finishes.

- 70.3 Guinness World Record holder and 2009 Salem podium finisher James Lawrence also participated, and the now half-Ironman specialist finished a respectable 7th place. “Respect to the sprinters!” said Lawrence. “I made the mistake mid-way through the ride easing up just a bit thinking I had time to real ‘em back in. I didn’t.”

- Perhaps the most exciting race-within-a-race of the day was the men’s 20-24 division. A mere 4 seconds separated the top 3 in that age group.

Ever feel like you are doing all the things that you should be doing to lose weight, stay strong, recover effectively and reach your goals….but, you just aren’t making any progress??
YEP!

Ever considered that maybe STRESS could be tripping you up on your determined road to awesomeness?? After years of training all kinds of clients for weight loss, athletic excellence, and overall healthy lifestyle I’ve got something to tell you:

STRESS SUCKS and it can completely sabotage all your hard work in reaching your goals!!
Really!

Here’s the breakdown on stress:
Stress can be defined as any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain. However, not all types of stress are harmful or even negative.

There are a few different types of stress that we encounter:

1. Eustress: a type of stress that is fun and exciting, and keeps us vital (like skiing down a slope, racing in a triathlon, etc.)
2. Acute Stress: a very short-term type of stress that can either be positive (eustress) or more distressing (what we normally think of when we think of ‘stress’) ; this is the type of stress we most often encounter in day-to-day life (like getting to work on time or dealing with road rage)

THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF STRESS ARE WHERE WE RUN INTO TROUBLE:
3. Episodic Acute Stress, where acute stress seems to run rampant and be a way of life, creating a life of relative chaos (e.g. the type of stress that coined the terms ‘drama queen’ and ‘absent-minded professor’)
4. Chronic Stress: the type of stress that seems never-ending and inescapable, like the stress of a bad marriage or an extremely taxing job or demanding lifestyle. I would bet most of you feel this is the stress you are really struggling with!

Here’s the problem with the CONSTANT type of stress. It creates a Fight-or-Flight response that releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones speed up the heart rate, SLOW digestion, shunt blood flow to major muscle groups and give the body a burst of energy and strength (this can happen during a demanding day at work, or driving in traffic). Our bodies are created for this temporary reaction, but the problem is that when we have CHRONIC, constant stress levels our systems aren’t able to return to normal function and the adrenaline and cortisol are continually released, shutting down your system.

Do you feel like you’re prone to putting on more weight and struggling with recovery from training when you’re stressed, even if you’re eating the same amount of food as you always have? The following are just some of the ways chronic stress is leading to weight gain, poor recovery or lack of weight loss:

1.  Weight gain: chronic stress can negatively affect your metabolism and make you prone to putting on more weight when you’re stressed (even when you are eating the same amount of food as you always have.) WHY? Because too much cortisol can slow your metabolism, causing more weight gain than you would normally experience. This also makes dieting more difficult because people experiencing chronic stress tend to crave more fatty, salty and sugary (comforting) foods. This includes sweets, processed food and other things that are NOT good for you! So…double whammy….you are shutting down your metabolism with the release of cortisol and adrenaline, and then crave crappy, bad for you foods to calm and satisfy yourself.
2.  Blood Sugar:  Prolonged stress can alter your blood sugar levels, causing mood swings, fatigue, and conditions like hyperglycemia. Too much stress has even been linked to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health concerns that can lead to greater health problems, like heart attacks and diabetes.
3.  Fat Storage:  Excessive stress even affects where we tend to store fat. Higher levels of stress are linked to greater levels of abdominal fat. And, we all know that extra fat around the mid section not only looks less than great, but also places us at higher risk for heart disease!

ADDITIONAL SYMPTOMS OF CHRONIC STRESS:
*Chronic headaches
*Fatigue
*Anxiety
*Sleep disturbance
*Impaired immune system
*Increased risk of infections
*Increased susceptibility to colds
*Depression
*Diabetes
*Hair loss
*Heart disease
*Obesity
*Ulcers

In fact, it’s been estimated that as many as 90% of doctor’s visits are for symptoms that are at least partially stress-related!

OK. Now that I’ve pointed out everything that you already know about how your own stressful lives are affecting you….. Let’s talk about how you can REDUCE stress that is negatively affecting your quality of life and find some ways to IMPROVE your ability to deal with inevitable amounts of stress (because just by breathing and living on this earth we are experiencing stress!)

Eliminating stress completely from your life is impossible! We all know that! But, there are many ways we can learn to MANAGE our stress so we can live healthy, happy and as UN-stressed lives as possible!

The big three for managing stress are:
1. EATING HEALTHY (Thats right! Water, protein, complex carbs, healthy fats…Green Protein Smoothie!!)
2. EXERCISING REGULARLY (Free and healthy anti-depressants in the form of ENDORPHINS! Bring it, baby!!)
3. GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP AND RELAXATION (7+ hours of sleep a night!)

**When you feel yourself stressing and worrying about things, just ask yourself if it is really worth destroying your health over that issue!!

I have a few more ideas from one of my favorite books written by Dale Carnegie, titled: “How To Stop Worrying And Start Living” (This is another one of those books that maintain a permanent residence on my nightstand!) The following are a few basic highlights from this book that can help lessen the impact of worrying and stress on your health and improve the quality of your life!

Here goes:
1. If you have a worry problem, try this three pronged approach:
- Ask yourself: “What is the worst that can possibly happen?”
- Prepare to accept it if you have to.
- Then calmly proceed to improve upon the worst (which you have already mentally agreed to accept)

2.  Another approach to managing an issue you are worried (stressed) about:
- Write down precisely what you are worried about (ex: I want to lose weight)
- Write down what you can do about it (eat better, exercise more and get enough sleep)
- Decide what to do (Commit to following through on what you just wrote down)
- Start immediately to carry out that decision (and then consistently and patiently follow through)

3. KEEP BUSY! “The worried person must lose himself in action, lest he lose himself in despair!” TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE!

4. Don’t allow ourselves to be upset by small things! “Life is too short to be little” Put things in perspective and don’t sweat the small stuff!

5. Think and act cheerfully, and you will feel cheerful!

6. Count your blessings, NOT your troubles! (instead of cursing your body…be grateful for EVERYTHING it does for you!)

7. Don’t compare ourselves to others! Be true to ourselves and who WE are!

8. Fill our minds with positive, cheerful, empowering thoughts! Spend time everyday reading something uplifting and positive!

CHALLENGE:
Your challenge this week is to:
1. IDENTIFY what is holding you back and keeping you from reaching your goals and becoming what you truly want to become!
2. WRITE DOWN what you can do about it (ex: more water, less sugar, exercise consistently, go to bed earlier, stress less, etc!)
3. COMMIT to changing your old habits and beginning the journey to becoming what you KNOW you can become (healthier, fitter and happier!)
4. START NOW to become that awesome person that you want to become!

It is NOT easy! But, you all know that nothing worthwhile is ever easy! What a beautiful thing it is when you overcome a challenge and make yourself do something that is HARD for you! That sense of pride, accomplishment and….happiness, are worth it because you EARNED it!

If you are struggling with feeling stressed, unhappy, unhealthy and crappy….it is time to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Even just committing to eating more vegetables, or drinking more water and less soda, or going to bed one hour earlier is a TERRIFIC place to start!

You don’t have to perfect! Just keep trying! I know you can do it!
And…I KNOW you will be happier for the effort!

Have a great week!
Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
PowerTri Contributor
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808

St. George, Utah – May 21, 2011 – Team PowerTri took the top 3 spots at the 2011 St. George Sprint-distance Triathlon as Alex Bowcut led end-to-end and held off PowerTri owner David Warden by less than a second in a dramatic finish at the state’s largest Sprint triathlon.

Warden, the 2010 St. George Champion, came up just short as he could not make up the more than 3-minute lead Bowcut generated out of the water over he and third place Grant Lerdahl.

“I’m disappointed in the loss, particularly how close it was,” said Warden. “But I’m happy at how well our sponsored athletes represented PowerTri.”

“I’m glad I didn’t know Alex was 3:20 ahead of me after the swim or I would have given up then,” added Lerdahl.

In perfect racing conditions, Bowcut led the 380-participant field on the swim, with Warden and Lerdahl exiting 8th and 12th out of chilly Sand Hollow Reservoir. By mile 3 on the bike, Lerdahl and Warden had moved to the second and third spot, thanks in part to a dominating performance by Lerdhal at “the hill”, passing Warden during the grueling mile climb that is the hallmark of the St. George bike course. By mile 6, Warden had regained second place, but had only cut Bowcut’s lead to 2:20.

After a series of position changes for the remaining 6 miles of the bike, Warden entered T2 just 8 seconds ahead of Lerdhal, having reduced the deficit to Bowcut by another 40 seconds, down 1:38 going into the run. That proved too much as Warden managed to close the gap over the 3.25-mile run course to just a few feet with 100 meters to go, but Bowcut refused to relinquish the lead as the two sprinted to the finish line for an official time just 0.8 seconds apart.

“Would I have won if I had been 1 second faster in transition? I don’t think so,” said Warden after the race. “I had been sprinting all-out for the last half mile trying to catch him, and Alex knew just the right time to finish strong. Whether we started our sprint 100 or 300 meters from the finish, I just couldn’t hold that pace any longer, and Alex could have sprinted for as long as he needed to.”

This isn’t the first time Bowcut, Warden, and Lerdahl have finished close. In 2010, Bowcut edged out Warden by 5 seconds at the Daybreak triathlon as Warden again failed to close a 2-minute gap going into the run. Just 2 months ago Warden held off Lerdahl by 19 seconds at the Icebreaker triathlon in an event that was not decided until the final 400 meters and included four lead changes between the two competitors. And in 2009, Lerdahl squeaked out a 4 second win over Warden at the Kearns Spring Sprint.

In a fitting result, Bowcut, Lerdahl, and Warden ended the 2011 St. George Triathlon with the fastest swim and T1 (Bowcut), bike (Lerdahl), T2 and run (Warden), sweeping not only the podium but all 5 individual splits.

By coincidence, I have 9 of my clients racing a half Ironman the week-ends of June 4-5 and June 11-12 (Switzerland, Mooseman, and Kansas). With so many racing a 70.3 in such a short period, I sent the following to all my clients racing those 2 week-ends, with thoughts on what to consider over the final 3 weeks before a 70.3. The following was formatted for the group participating at Switzerland on June 5.

—–

Dear Athletes,

Due to the large number of you participating at Rapperswil-Jona, I will be sending out a few pre-race communications to further help you prepare. I have chosen some topics I think you will find relevant and timely.

Heat Acclimation Training
The average high temperature for the Zurich area in June is 19C, and the highest recorded for June is 31C. The most likely scenario is that it will not be extraordinarily hot. However, due to the wave starts, most of you will be starting between 10 and 11am, which means that you will be running at the hottest part of the day. Therefore, while heat acclimation training is probably not critical, if it ends up being hotter than normal, then it could destroy your run.

Research shows that athletes can acclimate well to heat by training for an hour a day in the heat for 10 days, and that effect lasts for 7-10 days when the heat training is complete. Therefore, the best time to start your heat acclimation training is 17 days from the race, with 10 days training in the heat, and the last week before the race fully resting. For you, that would be starting the training on Wednesday, May 18. Remember, only 1 hour of your total workout needs to be done this way, not the entire workout. Additionally, if you only have a swim scheduled for a day, either wear a wetsuit to add additional heat, or heat acclimation can even be suspended for that day.

Many of you have pointed out the continual cool temperatures where you live, and the difficulty in finding a hot environment. This can be compensated in 1 of 2 ways. First, extra clothing, particularly on the head, hands, and feet, where heat is primarily lost, and second, indoors without a fan or even with a portable heater. This includes your strength training. As mentioned above, a wetsuit can be used in the indoor pool.

Again, this recommendation is based on a worse-case scenario of it being very hot on race day. You certainly do not have to do this, and I do not recommend it for every event. Even if it is not hot, just warm on that day, this kind of training will still improve your performance.

Visualization
I am a big believer in visualization. For those of you who have done Rapperswil-Jona before, this is easier to do, since you are familiar with the course. However, even if you have not done the course before, you can spend the next few weeks visualizing your success. Perhaps it would be something like this:

- Imagine yourself warming up in the water after the wave ahead of you has gone. You get yourself completely in the water to avoid the shock of the cold when the race starts, as your face and head are now accustomed to the temperature. The starting gun goes off, and you begin! Imagine that you get hit, or kicked, but this is normal and OK. The course is a single loop, you swim straight, and maybe even get lucky and draft behind a swimmer slightly faster than you.
- Your see that transitions are smooth, because yo have practiced them over the last few days.
- On the bike, you know the course, and your training has specifically prepared you for this course. Imagine that you are being passed by may cyclists, and you are tempted to go harder. But these cyclists don’t have a coach, and you will pass them later at kilometer 80 when they are exhausted. You recognize that you are not racing other people at this time, you are trying to maximize your own individual performance, and what they do is of no consequence.
- Imagine taking in all the required calories that you practiced with in training.
- The first hill is long, but you have trained for this. You maintain your wattage or heart rate. You are only 1 hour into a 5 or 6 hour day, and now is not the time to hammer on the bike. Even though that woman just passed you, you remain focused on your pacing plan.
- The second loop you feel stronger, and start to recognize some of the people that passed you earlier.
- You get to the run, and your legs feel great, but you hold back knowing that you have over 20 kilometers to run. Imagine a high cadence.
- When you see the stairs, you are not worried, because you have done this all in training before. There are only 65 of them anyway.
- The second loop start to hurt. It does for everyone, regardless of their fitness level or experience. This is normal, and you push through it.
- The finish line brings you many emotions! For those of you doing this again, yo have a new personal record, and for those of you doing it for the first time, you hear that “You are an Ironman!”

Taper
I was just reading last night another great study on a taper providing a 2-3% improvement in performance. This would be an increase from 195 watts to 200 watts, or 12.5 kph to 12.9kph on the run. This represents several minutes over a 70.3 event. Almost all of you will start your taper after your last big brick this week-end, and I strongly encourage you to follow the taper plan. While there is always some room for additional training in the Base and Build periods, or if an extra few hours is done, this is not a large problem. However, please remember that 2 weeks out from a 70.3, no new fitness can be gained. It takes 10-14 days after a workout for the new fitness to build. Any “extra” training that you are tempted to do will only cause additional fatigue, and will not increase your fitness for Rapperswil-Jona. As of this week-end, your fitness for June 5 is set, and all we are trying to do is maintain that fitness. Extra workouts will not help.

Race Simulation
The next 3 weeks should be all about Race Simulation. This means that as much as possible, you use all the same equipment, clothing, nutrition, shoes and pacing as you will on race day. There should be nothing new used on race day that you have not used in training. If there is a supplement you are tempted to try, try it over the next 3 weeks. What you eat for breakfast this week-end should be the same breakfast you eat on race day. I have encouraged many of you to perform some key workouts indoors, but I want to clarify that by saying you should still be doing as many workouts as possible outdoors for the next 3 weeks to work out any issues with your bike.

David

We had several of our Powertri family race the 2nd annual Ford Ironman St George this past Saturday, and some fabulous performances on a challenging course and a very hot day (temps reached mid 90′s).

Spencer Woolston put a fantastic race together coming in 18th overall, 5th amateur, and winning his age group, all while flying the Powertri colors.  Spencer also had the fastest amateur bike split of the day.  His 9:33.16 qualified him for Kona again this year!  Great race Spencer, we’re so proud of you, congrats!!  If you haven’t visited Spencer’s blog before, it’s definitely worth your time, and he has a great race report up as well.

We want to congratulate employee Rus Southwick for completing his first Ironman in high spirits and a great time of 12:31.  Way to go Rus!

Pro Heath Thurston had a tough day out there.  He came out of the water 6th overall with a 50 minute swim, powered through the bike, spent 32 minutes in the med tent at T2, and still went on run a 3:34 marathon and finish in 10:09.  Way to perservere Heath.  He also has a race report up on his website as well as Powertri’s blog.

*GREEN PROTEIN SMOOTHIE INFORMATION:*
If there is one thing that you should change about your current eating/post workout recovery habits, it would be the addition of green protein smoothies.

A smoothie accomplishes many objectives at the same time. First and foremost it gives your body excellent building/recovery materials. Most people need to eat more raw fruit, more high quality protein and more Essential Fatty Acids (EFA?s). Smoothies are an easy and tasty way to accomplish this. Also, by adding smoothies to your daily eating habits, you avoid the probable chemical laden/empty food that you would have eaten instead.

For post workout purposes, smoothies are a vital piece in the recovery puzzle. When your body finishes working out, the muscles have a 15-45 minute “glycogen window”. This window is your only chance to quickly restore your muscle’s glycogen levels quickly and easily. The whey protein combined with the fresh/frozen raw fruit will produce a slurry mixture that will hit the bloodstream much more quickly and restore the muscle and liver glycogen much more effectively than solid food choices that have no protein, ie bagels, bananas. Solid food may still be eaten and should be eaten. But, drink the smoothie first and then eat a meal (more carbs + protein) about 30-60 minutes after that depending on how long you workout for/how much you weigh and how hungry you are.

As a general rule, when exercising an hour or more, make sure to have a meal after the smoothie. On the shorter and easier days, sometimes a good thick smoothie will hold you for a couple of hours.  If you have not done a workout, you can still have a smoothie for breakfast, lunch or snack (leave out the carbo pro) as they are just great meal replacements. If you try to purchase a smoothie from Jamba Juice or something similar, make sure you request to add enough protein to equal at least 20 grams and go without the frozen yogurt varieties. The optimal recovery drink ratio is 4 grams of carbs to 1 gram of protein, so add up what you are putting in the blender. If you want to use the smoothie as a snack/meal replacement, then go with 1-2 grams of protein.

*INFORMATION ON GREEN PROTEIN SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS:*
*Fresh or Frozen fruit*
Fruit contains the sugar fructose. Fructose is the only carbohydrate that will restore liver glycogen and therefore an important ingredient. In season, local fresh fruit is always a good choice.  At other times, frozen fruit is a great option. Another option is to peel, break into pieces and freeze bananas in little baggies. Experiment with fruit combinations to find ones you like. Fresh mangoes, pears, and strawberries are great.

*Whey Protein Isolate*
A high quality protein that is easier to digest and lower in fat than other forms of protein. Whey protein is also cheaper, non heat damaged and uncontaminated form of protein as well. In order to rebuild muscle and repair cellular damage sustained during prolonged or intense exercise, one must eat sufficient amounts of protein not only after exercise, but throughout the day. There are many places that you can purchase whey protein. Whey protein isolate is the highest quality and can run a little more money.

*Liquids*
Distilled water is the first choice for a liquid. After long workouts (2+ hours) juice is a must. After a short day, you may not need juice. The preferred juice would be a fresh squeezed grapefruit. It adds great zing, helps alkalize the blood and rev the metabolism. Stay away from cow’s milk!

*Leafy Greens*
Spinach, Kale, Collard Greens and other fresh leafy greens are terrific addition to your Green Protein Smoothie. They not only taste great, but add tremendous amounts of nutrients to your smoothie. And, what a great way to get in those essential greens!

*Flax Seed Oil*
This oil supplies the Essential Fatty Acids. The dominant fatty acid in flax seed is Omega 3. Our food is filled with tons of omega 6 fatty acids, which are not completely bad, but most people end up with too much of it and not enough omega 3. The human body functions far better with large amounts of omega 3 fatty acids. The right fatty acids will be used by the body to build and maintain healthy cells, shorten recovery time, enhance growth, develop the brain, reduce inflammation, protect joints, provide materials to make hormones and increase your metabolic rate. One should buy flax seed oil sold in dark containers in the refrigerated sections of most any health food store.

*EmergenC, Green Food, Super Seed*
These are all fabulous additions to any smoothie. Anyone can use more of these nutrients. EmergenC greatly aids in recovery. Besides the vitamin C it always has, there are good amounts of potassium in it too. Green foods and Super Seed add tons of good stuff to the smoothie. These items will turn your normal smoothie into a serious super food that will nourish and rebuild your body like nothing else can.  These items can be found at any health food store.

*Creatine and Glutamine*
Many people who have heard of these associate them with bodybuilding. However, they also play a great role for endurance athletes as well. These supplements greatly improve recovery, increase muscle strength and bolster the immune system. These can be added in powdered form, measured using a teaspoon to the shake.  You can get these at any health food store.

*A FEW MORE IDEAS FOR GREEN PROTEIN SMOOTHIES:*
The reason you will be drinking at least a QUART of these a day is to increase your energy, curb your cravings (especially those mid afternoon cravings that so many people struggle with) and improve your dietary fiber, mineral and vitamin intake and general well being.

*7 Tips For Improving Your Green Fruit Smoothie Recipes*
1. Most blenders have a narrow bottom so it is best to pour in the liquid first to help the blades do their job. Using your blenders pulse button and pausing for a second here and there will ensure that the solid ingredients come back towards the blade. Some blenders come with a pre-programmed smoothie button, which will do the pulsing and pausing for you.
2. Pure WATER is the most preferred liquid to be used. But, if you want to use a SMALL amount of juice every so often. It is preferable to use FRESH SQUEEZED juice in these smoothies as they have a higher nutrition content.
3. If you aren’t used to them, the taste of greens can be a little overwhelming. If you find that this is the case for you, try adding an additional cup of berries to the recipe below. Or try mixing things up and add raspberries, mulberries or even blackberries instead.
4. Once you really get into the habit of consuming green smoothies, you will probably start stocking the ingredients. Since the bananas may perish before being used up, try freezing them (peel and break into pieces first) to keep them a lot longer..
5. Try swapping out the banana on occasion with other fruit such as: peaches, papayas, mangoes or any other fruit that you enjoy.  You can cut up fresh fruits and then freeze them in baggies for future use.  Plus, it makes your smoothie even creamier.
6. For reasons that are out of the scope of this simple document, changing your greens on occasion is a good idea. Try not to use the same green in your smoothie consistently for more than a week. Great varieties of greens to use in your green smoothie recipes could include: spinach, dill, kale (green or purple), rapini, dandelion greens, carrot top greens, beet top greens. Basically any dark green leafy vegetable will do!
7. Look online for more green smoothie recipes. Keep trying different things. The combinations are endless! Browse online to find even more ideas!

*MAKE YOUR OWN GREEN SMOOTHIE*
Master Recipe Ingredient Ideas
1. Liquid:  Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, or pure distilled water (approximaely 1 cup or so….)
2. 1 bunch leafy greens of choice (spinach, kale, arugular, collard greens, red leaf, green leaf, spring mix. etc.)  Make these greens constitute about 50% of your smoothie contents
3. Fruit of choice: banana, pear, apple, berries, papaya, pineapple, etc. *Fruit should consist of the other 50% of smoothie
4. Whey Protein Isolate (appx. 20 grams of protein per serving)
5. Flax seed oil:  appx. 1 tsp

BONUS SUPPLEMENTS YOU CAN ADD TO YOUR SMOOTHIE:
6. EmergenC:  any flavor you like
7. Glutamine:  typically 1 tsp is good
8. Creatine:  Follow typical serving size

1.  Add water or your FRESH squeezed grapefruit juice to the blender
2.  Add your GREENS and begin blending (adding more greens as you go)
3.  Add in your PROTEIN powder (1-2 scoops depending on your personal protein needs)
4.  While blending, add in your FLAX SEED OIL and your additional supplements (GLUTAMINE, CREATINE, BCAAs, etc.)
5.  Continue blending and add in your FRUITS (Frozen banana, berries, pineapple, etc.)
6.  Add in additional ICE if you want it thicker
7.  Pour into a QUART size container and ENJOY!

Keena

Coach Keena

Keena Schaerrer
USA Triathlon Certified Coach
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
BS Recreation Mgmt/Health: B.Y.U.
keena@coachkeena.com
801-427-3808