eSportsRD

Long over due 2010 recap & TEM intro

2011-02-14T10:44:00.001-05:00

Seems as if I cannot seem to make the time to blog. So many irons in the fire and the last thing I feel like doing at the end of the day is more typing but I have gotten some gentle nudges to keep this up so I will make another attempt.

Instead of a 2010 recap, all I will say is WOW, what an awesome year. Sure there were some highs and lows but overall it was another great year for the Ironclad athletes. Lots of PRs, tickets punched for World Championship races and folks applying the basic principles for healthy balanced nutrition to get the most out of their bodies. I was overjoyed to relive my Kona experiences though two athletes who made the very first trip to the Big Island for the Ironman World Championship. A belated and long overdue public display of affection to Michele S and Bill B for enduring and finishing he grandaddy of Ironman. I am blessed to have been a part of the journey with you.

There were many other memorable 2010 performances but when I look back over the year and think about the one performance that I was most proud of as a coach it has to be at Ironman Florida were Marc S executed the perfectly paced and fueled Ironman. Rarely does an Ironman go exactly as planned but in Marc's case he hit or exceeded all the times we had trained for without any GI issues or bad patches in the race. He trusted the preparation and excuted the pacing plan ( giving his best on the swim, riding strong and steady on the bike and holding back a bit on the first half of the run) to finish sub 10:25 with a monster new IM PR. So here is long over due PDA for my man Seaverson, way to go and glad you are on board for the 2011 pain train heading to Lousiville.

As for me, well I finished up the 2010 season racing the Myrtle Beach Triathlon and got a spot for the ITU Long Course Worlds which will be held in Henderson, NV ( just outside Las Vegas) in November. That will be a tough course since its a 4K swim, 120K bike and 30K run. I am still IM Retired but this race is between the 70.3 and IM distance which means some dedicated training will be in order. I also managed to participate in he final 70.3 World Champs in Clearwater. I say participate because it was still a very uncomfortable race for me. My hamstring issue is now resolved but I am having a rough go finding the joy with running......that is going to have to change soon if I want to swap my participant hat for the competrtor cap in 2011.

So here we are in 2011, and there is so much to look forward to. The year started off heading to Colorado Springs for the inaugural USAT Youth/ Junior Coaching Certification Clinic. I was asked to write the chapter on nutrition for the coaching manual and present on the topic to over 40 of the top coaches leading the way in youth and junior development in the country. After the coaching clinic, I attended the USAT High Performance Team (HPT) Symposium which brought together coaches with existing HPT programs and coaches who had applied for the designation in 2011. I am happy to report that my partnership with fellow coach Marc Bonnet-Eymard in forming the Triton Elite Multisport program was one of five programs to receive the HPT designation for 2011. To find out more about the TEM mission and my passion for working with junior and developing elites please check out our webiste at www.tritonelitemultisport.com.

The year is off to a great start so hope to keep the momentuem going!

Update coming soon>>>>>

2010-09-08T11:19:00.001-04:00

Really it is! Just going to get Clearwater off my plate then will use my "free" off season time to update :-)

Quick Review on 2010 to date.

2010-06-30T14:16:00.005-04:00

Well my one resolution to keep this blog, in particular, up to date has failed miserably!

I am not one who likes excuses but mine is I…….been busy folks! Unfortunately when things pick up, the first thing that goes is pleasure writing. Unless its training plans or correspondence with my athletes and fellow coaches its just not going to happen.

Being a "facts" and "get to the point" kind of gal that I am, writing for me is not about entertainment or to brag about my life via a blog. Quite frankly, writing is a task that takes way more time than I would like and I suspect its because I am not a natural wordsmith who can type 100 words a minute……still a "hunt & peck" typer :-(

Any how, I do have some folks that like to know what I have been up to so here is a recap of the first half of the year:

Coaching

There have a some changes on my coaching rostering and I must say its all been good. I have said this before but I am blessed to have such a hard working group particularly this season. There have been so many PRs and successful races that it would be too long to list to give "shout outs" but a belated public congratulations to all my IronClad peeps for working hard, racing hard and putting forth your best effort.

In addition to being swamped coaching and with nutrition consults, I have been really enjoying planning and implementing some things for the USAT Florida Region in my 5^th year as the Regional Athlete Development Coordinator. This year I have finally found the right support system to help with planning and implementing a Junior Skills Camp, Junior Development Race Series, Junior Regional Championship , Junior Elite Select Camp and Florida’s only Youth/ Junior Elite draft legal race coming up this next month. Its kind of crazy that I devote so much time to the developmental athletes particularly since I do not have kids!

Training / Racing

The year got off to a good start but then I suffered yet another set back. I strained hamstring mid April during a sprint tri and that pretty much took the wind out of my sails and forced me to scrap most of my racing plans. I did manage to do my annual trek to the Gulf Coast Triathlon in May. Fortunately the race was not affected by the awful oil spill that has tainted the Gulf. Under some of the toughest conditions I can remember ( this was my 9^th start) I had a decent race but was limited by the lack of run training and I really view it as a lead up to the big race for the early season, the Hawaii 70.3.

After Kona last year, I did say I was done with Ironman and I still am. I for some reason felt compelled to go back to the Big Island and conquer the climb to Hawi Long story short is was an OK race, no PRs or age group hardware but I did manage to grab a spot for the Clearwater 70.3 World Championship so we will see if I can get my body put back together to at least have a respectable race in November. I can now officially say IM DONE WITH THE BIG ISLAND.

Now with the first half of 2010 in the books I can only look back and say Geez, what a crazy 6 months but truth be told, I would not want it any other way J

Now who wants to bet how long it will be before I post something on this blog again……

2009 in the Books!

2009-12-30T13:07:00.008-05:00

As they say time flys and 2009 (with its ups and downs, highs and lows) sure did. But before I can look ahead to 2010 I have to wrap up a couple of things from 09.

Since I have failed to blog since the Kona experience, I realized I did not give a much deserved public display of affection for two gals that successfully completed their first Ironman in Panama City on November 7th. HUGE props to Krista Eyler and Rose Laurence for putting in the work and trusting me enough to help get them to the start line.

Once the start gun goes off , the Ironman becomes an internal mental game as well as a physical test of endurance and fortitude. Coaching only takes an athlete so far, it provides the recipe and directions on how to bake up the satisfying, rewarding experience and provides the fullness of a job well down. Unfortunately some athletes decide to tinker with the recipe by adding some ingredients of their own ( meaning doing something they did not do or try in training) or try to tweak the directions ( alter pacing or nutrient timing) which can result in a less than desirable outcome. Good news is these two woman followed the recipe! They "planned the work and worked the plan" and in the end got to hear what so many triathletes wish to hear: You are an Ironman. So again ladies, helmets off to you for strong finishes....Congratulations Ironwomen!

November also saw the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater come and go. I opted to sit the race out because the hip issue was not fully resolved and I had not put in the desired level of training to be worthy of another World Championship start. The bright side of that decision is I got to watch so many athletes go on to fantastic finishes. My husband David had a another strong performance and I was happy to see a future IronClad athlete Jeff D have a phenomenal day.
One of the sweetest parts of the day was also watching and encouraging Kevin Collington to run and fight for that 6th place overall finish. Remarkable performance and it validates that he could be a 70.3 guy but first things first....he's going to pursue London 2012. Kevin's come along way in the past 3 years and I thankful to have had the opporuntity to be a part of his development. As it stands, Kevin has chosen to take a different direction in 2010 so I would like to congratulate him on a solid year and wish him well in 2010 and beyond!

So now that 2009 is about to close, its time to think about whats next? Well I can tell you personally I have yet to wrap my brain around any particular race. Its surprising but I do not have ANYTHING athletic on my 2010 calender, meaning I have not filled out one race application! Kind of odd but also kind of liberating.

I know I will be racing but right now I am focused on getting all the exciting professional things I will be doing planned. I am also FINALLY running again without any pain or slightest bit of discomfort. I am being very conservative with my running right now so when I feel I can put forth a respectable run off the bike then it will be game on. For now, just going to spend as much time as I can on the bike, get back to regular swimming and enjoying training with some of the old and new athletes I am fortunate enough to coach.

This Kona photo below sums up how I feel about 2009. Exhausting and exasperating at times but overall hugely satisfying!!

Oddly enough I have to say 2009 was a good year and I am hoping 2010, with it being a new decade, brings even better times.

For those of you that read my blog, thank you!
In 2010, I am actually going to work on being better with updates plus I will be launching a new nutrition only blog....IronClad Nutrition. I thought its about time I share some of the tips, tricks and concoctions that help fuel strong athletic bodies........ so stay tuned for that link.

Here's too a happy, prosperous New Year!

Kona Race Recap

2009-10-28T19:07:00.024-04:00

Its been 18 days since I was treading water in the Kailua Bay waiting for the cannon to sound to start my “ new beginning” during the 31^st Ford Ironman World Championship. I am just now able to sit down and document my journey. I have had plenty of time to review and digest all that occurred to me October the 10^th.Here is a review of how the day played out for me.

RACE MORNING

The race was to start at 7AM for the age group athletes. After a restful sleep, I rolled out of bed at 3:45AM to have one of two small breakfasts. I will spare readers detail of my nutritional plan for the day, as that is a whole article in its self. I usually do not have much of an appetite race morning (I admit to some prerace nerves) so I find smaller more frequent feedings works best for me. Ironman is a long day so you need to get the body fuel tank topped off.

My bike and race gear bags were dropped off the night before so David and I walked the 1-mile down to the transition area. I felt pretty calm and was ready to get my race number stamped on my arms then set up my bike with my nutritional items. All went pretty smooth so I got to hang out until the Pro wave started then made my way to the steps of Dig Me Beach to enter the water.

SWIM

The 2.4 mile swim remains one of the most stressful parts of any Ironman race. It’s the discipline that does not come easily to me and is least enjoyable part of my triathlon experience. In all of my Ironman starts I have ALWAYS had a friend (or husband) to start next to in the swim. We may not have stayed together long but just having a friendly body next to me to buffer one side from the crazy arms and legs splashing and kicking gave me some comfort. This day I had no one. I was on my own.

I managed to get myself mentally ready for the swim beating. I wanted to minimize the pounding by trying a different tactic from my other Ironman races. I waited until just a few minutes before the start and swam to a spot that looked fairly clear (to the middle left of the swim buoys). I was treading water for about 2 minutes then the gun sounded and I thought, “ Here we go, no turning back now!” Face in the water, I just started to swim. I concentrated on staying relaxed, calm and was waiting for the swim congestion that seemed inevitable.

I could see other swimmers around me but I was surprised at how much room I had! Its weird because the more I swam the more I felt like I was in this protective bubble. When things got a bit more congested another odd thing happened…. I started thinking about a wonderful man, Buzz Hoge (He passed away in July of this year) who was a major influence on me taking the endurance sports road. I am not an overly spiritual person but for some reason he was on my mind and I found myself asking for his help…… when I did I found calm water. I was able to relax and enjoy the remarkable visibility of the water. I got to see the coral and most beautiful fish. Yes, during an Ironman I am looking at these things! The swim was the most relaxing and peaceful swims I have ever had in a race and I feel I owe a thank you to Buzz.

TRANSITION TO BIKE

After exiting the swim I did catch a glimpse of the time clock. I was briefly disappointed, I said, “1:21 OH great my slowest Ironman swim to date!” I did refocus pretty quickly and got my gear bag and headed into the changing tent. Once inside I did something I usually do not do in a race. I sat down! Not only did I sit down, I asked my volunteer her name (Michelle) and thanked her for what I was going to ask her to do for me. I did not have any sense of urgency getting to my bike so methodically applied my sunscreen (happy to report I finished this race with NO sunburn) collected my things and off I went…..to my wonderful bike!

BIKE

My 2007 race in Kona was the bike from hell. It was painful and demoralizing. This day I was determined to not repeat the same mistakes I made last time. I knew the ride out on the Queen K highway to Hawi would be fairly easy with less wind. I felt really good on the bike and the main thought, it's hot! One of the most memorable moments on the bike came early. I found myself riding up on a very inspirational young man, Rudy Garcia-Tolsen. This guy has guts and determination!

Rudy was attempting to be the first above the knee double amputee's to conquer the granddaddy of Ironman. This dude is pedaling is butt off….literally. What I mean by this is he is going to ride 112 miles on one of the most challenging bike courses with only the muscular power of his gluteal muscles! He has no use of quads or hamstrings, just his butt muscles. As I past him I said, “You are awesome Rudy ”. I thought about his motto: A Brave Heart is a Powerful Weapon. This experience just added to my mental arsenal for the day, which included a DNFQ -Do NOT Fing (fill in the blank with your favorite f word) QUIT!

Again the bike felt good! I used my power meter to help manage my effort and settled in for a long day. The climb and crosswinds up to the turnaround in Hawi once again did not disappoint. Unfortunately, I found the hip tightness that progressed into extreme pain in 2007 was starting to happen again! Damn the combo of climbing hills with a wicked crosswind! This time I did not let my stubbornness make me stupid.

Just after the Hawi turnaround, I grabbed my special needs bag (aka lunch bag) and did something I have never done in an Ironman…..I stopped! Yes I unclipped BOTH feet and had a little lunch and stretch break as others are flying by me on the bike. And you know what, I did not care! I was actually pretty darn happy eating my Smuckers Uncrustable Peanut Butter sandwich and washing it down with a can of V-8. Sounds tasty doesn’t it. After a few minutes I ditched the bag and jumped back on the bike to bomb the descent out of Hawi…..THAT was fun. I loved passing many folks too “chicken” to be in the aero bars because the crosswind gusts where pushing their deep-rim race wheels. Needless to say, I was delighted with my training wheel choice for the day!

After Hawi, I got out to the Queen K highway. It was now only 30 miles or so to go. For much of the bike, I did not pay attention to time or speed, only mile markers, cadence and watts so I figured this is great I am in the home stretch! Well it was great until I got smacked in the face with some pretty hefty headwinds. With this race, the longer you are out there the tougher the conditions seem to get. As the day goes on, the winds pick up and the bike course becomes more challenging. Because I was taking my sweet time, I guess I deserved having to suffer the last 30 miles. Even though I still felt strong, the pace naturally slowed and I found my right hip starting to tighten up and cause some discomfort pain in the hip/ butt area. So once (actually twice) again I did some thing I never do…I stopped to stretch. These stops I did keep fairly quick but it’s not something I really wanted to do. I knew if I wanted to finish the day I needed to just be patient and suck it up and DNFQ!

Rolling back into town was a joyous moment because I was OVER the winds. When I did look at my watch for the cumulative time I was quite happy. I would be starting my marathon before 2:30PM, which was 7.5 hours into the race. I briefly thought, “ heck maybe I could still have a good day even if I do a 5 hour marathon!” Well that did not happen.

TRANSITION TO THE RUN

Ironman is great because after 112 miles, a volunteer happily takes your grimy bike. From that point, you have to try to find some legs to either walk or run (I did run!) to your gear bag and head back to the changing tent to prep for covering 26.2 miles in the heat of the day.

Into the tent, was thankful to sit back down and chat a bit with Amanda who helped me get all my crap out of my bag. She politely reminded me that my helmet was still on my head and I might want to take it off. She then asked me a very basic question: Do you have to go to the bathroom?

I paused. She quickly says…”oh if you have to pee please don’t do it on the chair!” By the smell of it, I suspect some gals had but I reassured that I would not. This question got me thinking…when was the last time I “went”? As I realized it was before the swim, I thought, “ NOT good.” (For those reading this who do not do triathlons or Ironman, you should have to urinate at various points during the day. No potty breaks usually means some level of dehydration. )

After a lengthy 8 min T2, I headed out on what I think is the true test in Ironman, the run. I had many restless nights during training and coming into the race. The “possible early stress fracture” in my left hip (femoral neck) kept me from running much of the time leading up to this day. I did what I could to progress fitness (lots of pool running with supplemental elliptical training) while trying to let me hip heal. My doctor gave me permission to START running at the end of October and here I am heading out to cover a marathon mid October with only a few weeks of walk/runs under my belt. As I have stated before if this was any other race I would have not even started……but with it being the World Championship, I felt I had to try. Needless to say I had TONS of uncertainty starting the run.

RUN

So on to the run, I did run the first .5 miles! Dave saw me and I was HAPPY!! I felt good… no pain in my hip! Shortly after I past Dave, I started to feel lightheaded and dizzy and I knew this was a result of my less than optimal hydration status. (My conclusion was I sweated out more than I could ingest and I drank A LOT) So I walked for a couple minutes then when my watch timer beeped I attempted to run…again no hip pain but had to walk because of dizziness. This is all happening in the first mile.

At this point in the race, I kind of knew “finish time” was irrelevant. I had 9.5 hours to cover the run course and finish what I started. I had no doubt that I could do that as long as I did not pass out and get removed from the course. I did not want to jeopardize my finish so I knew I needed to get rehydrated and feeling better. I knew the only way to make things better was to keep core body temp down (lower the intensity) by walking and hydrating while replenishing electrolytes until I finally had “nature calling”. For the first 1.5 hours of the marathon, I walked 4 min and ran 1-2 min. After lots of sports drink and salt until I finally visited Mr. Port O John and then it was able to shift to run for periods longer than my walk.

As someone who is wired as a competitor, it really is a mental challenge to concede to walking and finishing later than you may have hoped. Remarkably, I had a lot of support and cheering during the race thanks to my TriGators singlet. Gator Nation is everywhere and it was in full force in Kona. It was great that folks were cheering for the “Gator Girl”, sharing Gator chomps and happily telling me “we” were beating SEC rival LSU. Thank goodness Florida won as I think the few LSU fans that did reveal themselves would have heckled me.

So even though I was walking way more than I anticipated, the first 10 miles were very fun because of all the people! To head out of town for the final 16miles, you had to climb up Palani road (its long and steep) and make a left on the highway. I saw Dave at this point and he walked with me and just told me to keep going and that he would be there when I got back. I laughed and said, “That’s going to be a while!"

On the way out of town down the Queen K highway all you have to look at is lava fields and the highway with the heat radiating off the black asphalt. The athletes heading out of town where on the right side of the road and the athletes coming back towards the finish on left. Those on the left looked much happier than those of us on the right. Only cheering during this part of the course comes at aid stations.

By the time I got out on the highway (close to mile 13) my plan shifted back to more walking than running because a) my hip although not painful did not feel “normal” and b) my feet hurt really bad when running. I vowed not to let my pride get in the way and push through the discomfort. I did not want to cause damage to my ill prepared legs so walking seemed to be my best bet. It would have been easy to hang my head and start my pity party but as any negative thought came in I said, No! and silently asked for the strength to just keep on keeping on. To help raise my spirits, I started cheering for the folks passing me on their way back into town to finish. Many thanked me and offered kind words in return but I think more folks looked stunned. I guess they did not expect the Gator Girl to be so chipper knowing I had a lot of miles still yet to cover.

The last 13 miles of the marathon really were the most difficult but I drew strength from all the great people who wished me well before I left. I had PLENTY of time to think out on the course especially in the darkness of the last 9 miles. I thought about those athletes I have coached who inspire me through their dedication to training, their natural gifts and the mental fortitude to tackle tough situations to those who joys I shared with first time experiences or break through performances.

I had many special moments on the run course but the most special moment came when I arrived at the top of the hill before the entrance into the Natural Energy Lab. (The Energy Lab-photo below- is the turnaround point for the run) Just as I am getting up the hill I stop in my tracks to enjoy a breathtaking sunset over the Pacific Ocean. Again not be an overtly spiritual person, I found that this was the moment that I thought about an awesome woman. This woman has inspired me greatly with her will to fight her “Time Limited Project” but unfortunately was dealing with a set back and was back in the hospital. I said a short prayer for her and her husband then continued on into the “lab” as darkness set.

The turnaround point in the Energy Lab is a significant point in the race because you know its about 9 miles to go straight back to town. I resisted the urge to look at my watch for my current race time because I wanted to stay positive. My time will be what it will be.

So I was committed to forward progress using only my watch timer beep as a nudge to periodically test my running legs. Unfortunately there weren’t too many folks to chat with, as most walking were not very happy. So in the blackness of the night, I just stayed in my head thinking about people, singing songs (like The Climb) and looking at the stars while trying to follow the faint white line on the road. I was careful to not fall over the safety cones looking for each mile marker as my excitement for finishing was growing. During this time I was also wondering: What will time clock say?

At mile 22 came another memorable moment. I was getting closer to town so more folks were scattered on the highway waiting to cheer loved ones in. Just before this point Cherie Gruenfeld (65-69) scooted past me to be encouraged by her husband who I suspect was letting her know that upon finishing she would be crowned a World Champion, again. At first my thought was “Oh great I am getting run down by a 65 year old woman!”

My competitivness started to rear its head. I had successfully avoided looking at my watch up until this point but could no longer resist. The cumulative race time? 12:25. I thought “Can I run the last 4.2 miles in 36 minutes? The answer was No. So I plodded along sulking briefly about the "pass" but able to get back to being joyful. Why? Because I only had 4 miles to go! I knew now this was going to be my slowest Ironman to date and you know what….I DID NOT CARE. Talk about feeling liberated!

The final miles of the race were all I had hoped they would be. After the Cherie pass, I did try to run a bit more than walk. The last 2 miles I think adrenaline kicked in and feet not longer hurt and hip was feeling fine. I ran down Palani Road, the steep hill I walked up earlier in the day. Dave tried to run along side me saying” how are you running down this?” before dropping back. More adrenaline must have been infused to my muscles because after turning left and crossing the mat to signal 1 mile to the finish, I felt the best I had all year! My happiness showed and folks cheered. A few folks remembered Gator Girl and congratulated me. All I could do was smile and give a thumbs up. No way was I going to walk feeling as good as I did.

Then it happened….

Ahead on the road I saw a familiar figure. Its was the soon to be 65-69 Ironman World Champion…Cherie. My competitor cap went on and all I could think then is…”Ha, now I am going to pass you!” As I fly by her with now less than .75 miles to go I had a brief (and ridiculous) thought, “Is she going to try to go with me?” Now I know how silly this is. I have had over 1300 athletes kick my ass today and I am finding a sliver of pleasure in passing a World Champion.? Just silly!! Anyway, Cherie held strong and did finish behind me but not by much! (Kudos to Cherie for her win!) So after the pass and ridiculous internal dialogue, I made the right onto Kalani then right on to Alli Drive for the final stretch into the finish line. All I can say about running down Alli is the most energizing street of any Ironman.

I remember the joy of the two previous times running down the finisher’s chute….this time was going to be even sweeter. I soaked it all in. If a hand was out, I slapped it. If I got Gator Girl cheer, they got a Gator chomp in return. Once I felt the softness of the carpeted finishing chute under my feet all I remember is the cheers, "my" finish song “Jesse’s Girl” playing over the loud speakers (couldn’t they have picked something better than Rick Springfield?) and the voice of Ironman bringing me in with:”Jennifer Hutchison, you are an Ironman!”. As I came across the finish line, I raised my arms, put an even bigger smile on my face and thought, “Finally, IM Done!”

And done I am, with Ironman that is. I feel satisfied and complete and have no yearning to do another. I guess that could eventually change but right now I feel blessed knowing that the obstacles leading up to the race and the special moments I had on this day may be part of some unknown master plan.

Thank you so much to all that supported me I could not have done this without you.

IM Done!

2009-10-12T13:41:00.015-04:00

Kona 2009 is now in the books and I am delighted to report I am satisfied with how it all played out. In being honest I wish I could have pulled out a time that was not my slowest IM but as my race recount will eventually reveal it all worked out for the best. This was by far the most fun ( as sick as that sounds) Ironman expereince I have had. It helped having so many folks at home sending positive vibes and a husband that is so supportive that I would never be doing what I love if it were not for him.

Another big bonus was being able to share the experience with an athlete I have had a blast working with this year. A BIG shout out and way to Git R Done award to Chuck Kemeny for making some lemonade out of the sour lemon that got handed to him during the swim. Chuck was coming into this race 5 weeks out from an awesome IM debut in Louisville. We had hopes that quick recovery and the fitness established going into Louisville would carry over to his Kona debut. Unfortunately during the thrashing in the swim, somehow, he sprained his ankle which ultimately turned the hope for a fast finish into a quest to soak it all in and FINISH the race. As I said in my last post, Ironman is like a box of chocolates...ya never know what your going to get.

Finish we both did with smiles and some relief that it is now over and can get back to enjoying other parts of our lives put on hold to chase the Kona dream. Right now it's time to shift gears a bit and enjoy the rest of the week without having to swim bike or run :-) Complete race report will follow next week but here are some photos from race day.

Finished!! Chuck was kind enough to hang out for "coach lady" to cross the finish line. Thanks Chuck you made my last IM experience a blast!

Pre swim nerves.....as it turned out this was the MOST relaxed and calm Ironman swim I have ever done.
Must have been the "wide" path I chose :)

Up Palani Road and heading to the Queen K for the rest of the 112 miles of heat, hills and headwind!

One of the few moments I was actually running. I was indeed quite happy to be starting the 26.2 miles of pounding the pavement. Oh man was it HOT!

The finish line photo actually captured how I felt about the day. I will post that with the race report next week. So for now going I am going to enjoy the rest of the week hanging in Hawaii. Mahalo to all that have sent words of encouragement....it helped make my day!

Twas the day before the Kona Dance Party

2009-10-09T19:05:00.021-04:00

Its the eve of the BIG day! Got the bags packed and waiting to drop off the bike and gears bags. The week has just flown by and once again I find myself going through the spectrum of emotions that many Ironman athletes do.

What will he day hold? Have a done enough ( or too much?)

Having done 10 of these (Ironman) you would think by now I have it figured out. Truth is I know what it takes to get to the finish line but in a particular time its hard to tell. To steal and redo do a famous Forrest Gump quote: " Life/ Ironman ( Kona in particular) is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get." As much as we can control the training we do, our effort on race day and even the nutrition we carefully dial in , there are so many factors that cannot be controlled and those variables can make or break a day. In my mind its best to work to stay relaxed and not mull over the uncontrollable factors (heat/wind/dumb luck with a flat). Basically you have to handle whatever the day dishes up. It could be a stale piece of humble pie, a carton of sour milk or hopefully the tastiest piece of carrot cake ever! I am hoping for the last one.

So what is my my outlook on the race? I just want to cover the distance with my head held high and a smile on my face and the time will be what it is. My plan for the swim is to treat it as any ole open water swim so I am not anticipating any stellar swim...just want to get it done with minimal anxiety and relaxed ( but strong) as possible. As such I am happy to swim a little extra to have my own space. Sounds good now but that could all change in the morning as I'm treading water with 1700+ other athletes.

The bike. I plan to ride as well as the conditions will let me. I opted to go without race wheels and use my "egg beater" training wheels for a number of reasons.

#1 I have a PowerTap on the wheel and I planned to use this race as a real world test of my power over the 112 miles.

#2 I did not want to have to fight the crosswinds. In 2007, the race wheel set up combined with the crosswinds I believe is what got my hip jacked up and that started my mental downward spiral.

#3 I know how these wheels are going to handle so I have confidence that I can bomb a downhill in the aerobars and stay upright with crosswinds.

The way I rationalized my choice of training wheels over using my race wheels (404s) is if the race wheels cause me to have to get out of my aerobbars to stabilize my bike in crosswinds then whats the point? Now granted I will be kicking myself if the conditions are mild but I doubt it will cost me that much in time... I hope. So although my bike would look way cooler and faster with the Zipps, I will have to be happy with my gold bling-bling rims and power on regardless. I will not lie, I would VERY much like to have a strong bike on this course...I love hills and I actually don't mind headwind if legs/hips hold up. If all things line up properly I plan to hammer the bike and am willing to suffer the consequences on the run.

The run. This has been the biggest source of uncertainty for me. I know I am going to have to walk (a lot) thus my willingness to fry my legs on the bike. I have no clue what my legs are going to want to do past mile 13. I have no idea if I will feel any of the discomfort in my hip. My plan is to stick with a run + walk strategy. It will vary but right now as long as there is no hip discomfort I am going to do either a 4 min run/ 1 min walk or 9 min run/ 1 min. To help pass the time and keep me positive and appreciative of gift I have been given to be HERE, I plan to dedicate various parts of the race (especially the marathon) to some very special people (both past and present) who have inspired me and even helped make me the athlete/person/coach that I have become.

I could easily just keep babbling about all the cool stuff that has gone on this week but instead thought I end this last blog post (until after the race) with some pics from the week.

Thanks to all that have sent positive words of encouragement.....those will certainly help fuel me tomorrow.

Nice gold rims huh. Check out the nice girly flower touch on my helmet too.

Earlier in the week ( Sunday) I road from Kona out to the turn to go to Hawi. Nice 30+ mile ride with sweet tailwind for the first part but wicked crosswind second half. Dave was kind enough to follow me and drive me back to town.

The next day ( Monday), Chuck #1466 and I drove out to the turn to Hawi. We did the out and back to the turnaround for the 112 mile course. Great mental and physical day as the bike and wheels handled the crosswinds beautifully.

On Tuesday/Wednesday, I met up with a clean shaved Chuck for a swim. He's a pretty quick swimmer ( and overall well balanced triathlete) so basically he just jumped in the water with me and swam away. Now if only on race day I could con him into dragging me the 2.4 miles.

Thursday I pretty much was a slug and laid around the pool. Thursday PM was the Ironman Welcome dinner so Dave and I walked down and got this cool photo before being entertained by authentic Hawaiian music, dance and song. WTC really knows how to throw a great prerace welcome dinner!

Friday ( today!) I opted to avoid the chaos/hype and posing of the last prerace swim and just did a 30 min bike and 25 min run. Felt pretty good :-) So now its just about time to drop off the bike.

Next post....post race. Hopefully it will be all good news!

~Jennifer

Race Week: Getting Settled In- Part 1

2009-10-07T19:26:00.005-04:00

After a long but uneventful flight we arrived in Kona Saturday the 3^rd and headed off to the condo. We were fortunate enough to book the same unit we had back in 2007. It’s a lovely Tommy Bahama style decorated unit with A/C (main requirement!!) just off set where we have a lovely view of a lagoon (this is where the Royal Kona host weddings) and the Pacific ocean. It’s less than a mile walk to all the pre race activities, transition area and swim start and race finish.

Its been a bit rough getting used to the 6 hour time difference. Going to bed here around 7-9PM (1-3AM EST) and waking up at 4AM. This does not bode well for a happening evening social agenda but it works well to be ready for the 4AM wake up call on race day.

Come Sunday AM Dave and I are wide-awake and waiting……..for it to get light to go for a swim. We head down to Dig Me Beach, which is the entrance for the Ironman mass swim start. It is so tiny. I was shocked the first time I saw it…I said, that’s IT? TV makes it look so different.

Anyway, just as we get down to Dig Me Beach I realized I forgot my swim cap and TYR goggles! Unlike some, I am not hard core enough to swim without a cap and I cannot swim without goggles (contact lenses) so told Dave go ahead and swim and I’ll just try to sweet talk a swim cap from someone and use his goggles when he got back. As he is swimming, I am looking around and the thought that came across my mind is “Whoa, there are some pretty fit people here…..oh, now I feel fat!” OK I know I am not fat but I am just flat out amazed at how freakin lean some of these men and woman are! I mean some have veins popping out in places I never thought they ever could. Crazy lean!!!

So back to my need to hunt down a cap…..how hard can that be? What I did find is that some folks are EXTREMELY attached to their old beat up caps and to my surprise…I did NOT get one. That’s OK as good fortune was on my side. I just so happen to over hear a gal talking to a TYR rep who was getting ready for a swim.

I am thinking well certainly the TYR rep must have an extra cap in his bag of TYR goodies. I introduced myself to him and spewed my love of TYR goggles (VERY specific on the type I can swim in) and sure enough he hands me his cap. Sweet! After a little more chatting about the goggles I use and how I stock pile them once I find them, TYR guy asks me: So do you race in a speed suit? I respond: Yes. He says: Which one do you use? I say: The original Zoot space looking suit. He says: Well why don't you get rid of that and try our SpeedSkin. He reaches into his bag of goodies and hands me a brand spanking new speed suit! Now that’s SUPER Sweet!!!! So I said SAYONARA to Zoot and was on cloud 9 with my surprise gift! I thanked TYR guy for making my day and patiently waited on the beach for Dave to come back in. When he does the look on his face was priceless. Here he is looking for the easy to spot TriGators two piece suit that is now covered with a full body black and blue TYR beauty. He shakes his head and hands me his goggles and I jump and start swimming. At that point the thoughts that came in my head were “boy this suit is comfy” then to “wow I forgot how clear this water is…oh look at those pretty fish…whoa there is a bunch of crab!....this water is awesome…..man this is kind of fun” I actually settled into a nice rhythm and LOVED swimming….. now THAT was the best surprise. All I can say is if it were like this at home I probably would love swimming but instead murky, hot water..blah!. Anyway, all in all it was splendid start to the week.

Will post some pictures next post with some training details for the past few days.

Now off to read by the pool and enjoy the island breeze!

Jennifer

The Road to Kona

2009-10-06T18:25:00.016-04:00

Its hard to believe I am back on the Big Island for my third go round with this race. When I started tris in 1999 if you would have told me I would be doing my 11th Ironman at the Ironman World Championship on October 10, 2009, I would have laughed and said "yeah, right!"

Funny how things change and some times you to take to something and see how far you can go. Thats what Ironman was for me intially. I just wanted the challenge of seeing if I could conquer my fear with swimming and I wanted to "earn" my first tattoo. Yup thats right, one of the reasons I signed up for my first Ironman was because my husband said there was no way his wife was going to get one.......the only way was if I finished an Ironman. Now when he said that he knew how hard swimming was for me and I know he never thought I would signed up for one. Well, I am not one that takes too kindly to being told I cannot do something so at that point I said "fine...I will just do one!"

And so Ironman Florida in 2000 was my intro to Ironman. At that time I never thought I would continue to do them let alone even fathom the thought of ever qualifying for the Super Bowl of tris. After 5 more Ironmans I qualified for my first trip to the Big Island with one of the best race expereinces I have ever had, Ironman Canada 2003. That race was just awesome and everything fell into place. With a 4th Place AG finish and 5 spots for Worlds I gladly accepted and was mentally set to race again in 8 weeks. My first expereince here in Kona was spectacular! I had no expectations, I just came and had fun and purposely staying aware of all that was going one....high fiving folks, thanking volunteers and having a grand ole time. The finish was surreal and I soaked in all in. I thought OK now I have seen it all and can take a break from IM and for the next 3 1/2 years I did just that.

Fast forward to 2007, I really had no intention of coming back out and doing Ironman as it is sooooo time consuming! For some reason, I cannot recall, I got sucked into signing up for Ironman Arizona (April). I trained fairly well for the race but not as focused as I had been before. The race went well and all I wanted from the day was a strong perfromance. Lo and behold the day turned out well and I managed to finish 4th AG ( again) and to my surprise realized I had gotten one of the 4 spots for Kona! I was actually pretty excited as I thought maybe I can REALLY focus on training and see what I can do in Hawaii. So my 2nd trip here to the Island was filled with great expectations to see how I could stack up against the best in the world. Only problem was it turned out to be one of the most painful race expereinces ever ( check out the blog archive Dec 2008 if you have any interest in reading about that day) and I said, NO MORE IRONMAN.

But....I could not end on that note. I had unfinished business and I did not want to go out that way. So when Ironman Arizona announced they were moving the race to Novemeber 2008, I had to go back to the start line and settle the score inside my own head. Needless to saying IM Az turned out very well. I set a new PR (10:47) and again! finished 4th AG. I would have been totally happy and content if they only had 3 qualifying spot for Kona but as it was they had 4......so how could I turn it down? Could the third time be the charm??

Thats bring me to this week...race week. I honestly had high hopes in training for Kona this year. Unfortunately life does not always go as planned. Its been a rough go with training this summer (minimal running) so its hard knowing I am here not where I was so hoping to be training wise. Its tough when in your head you are wired as a "competitor" but yet know that come race day you can only a "partcipant". But its all good...I plan to approach race day like I did back in 2003. No expectations. I am happy that I am here. I feel blessed and honored for the opportunity to race along side the best in the world. I have no clue what the day is going to serve up but regardless of what is thrown my way I am going to try hard to keep a smile on my face, keep making forward progress and just soak it all in.

I am so thankful for all the kind words so many folks have shared and will do my best come race day. In the mean time, I still have 4 more days to get things in order and enjoy the vacation! Will be posting more on the past few days and the days to come.

In the mean time will keep the race week Tweets alive ;-)

~Jennifer

September Rocked!

2009-09-29T09:10:00.006-04:00

September was a great month! Not only because is was my birthday month (the 30 days of Jennifer!) but because some IronClad athletes posted some pretty cool performances:

Dextro Energy Triathlon- ITU World Championship Grand Finale Gold Coast

Nice solid performance for Kevin Collington! He was 3rd US athlete and 37th overall in a CRAZY fast race with the fastest men in the sport. Kevin is currently ranked 57th in the ITU WCS rankings.

Ironman Wisconsin

Larry H…. congratulations you are an Ironman! This was Larry’s first Ironman and he even got to sleep in his own bed the night before. How lucky is he! It was awesome to track Larry’s performance and see him come in under 12:30. Awesome job Larry!!

Meat Pie Triathlon (cannot help but giggle at that name….wondered if they had meat pie in the food tent post race?)

Congratulations to Andrea A for her first AG win and a really nice overall finish. To think this was only a “for fun training day” you gotta like when some hardware comes you way. Good job girl!

Escape to Miami Olympic Distance

A Wahoo to a new Olympic distance PR for Rose L. Looks like that new Retul bike fit at OutSpokin has you dialed in. Next stop Ironman Florida!

Ironman 70.3 Augusta

What a race! I went up there are a spectator/cheerleader/coach and got to stalk/heckle all from my 30+ pound mountain steed Mt. Shasta!

I must give a job well done and praise to following folks:

Tracy R- You did it. You successfully completed your very first 70.3. All the hard work had you ready to enjoy the day. I know it was a challenge at some points but that’s what makes the longer distance races so satisfying….the mental strength you gain from not giving up and handling tough situations.

Marc & Erin S- Team Seaverson brought it on this day. Focus training has paid off nicely and as a result new 70.3 PRs. So happy for you both and glad I got to see it!

Krista E- Awesome work! You made it look so easy and to think we just had you train right through this race. Congrats on your new PR!!!

Karen A- WonderWoman Rocks J Lil Karen you have had a year full of challenges but handle them with the strength and tenacity of a 350lb. Lineman. Your determination and cheerful spirit are a joy to be around. Good job on getting another one done.

Kevin C. Nice work on your first 70.3 race. Good work with a 3:55 and 7^th Overall finish. Next stop a fun trip to Mexico for the last ITU race of the year then on to Ironman 70.3 World Championship!!

Season is starting to wind down so stay tuned for some more IronClad performances!

As for me its Kona time! Will update with some events from the week as well as a post race recap with hopefully a positive outcome.

August in Review & Patience

2009-09-09T14:17:00.008-04:00

August was indeed a hot month!

Traveled to Colorado Springs for the Youth/Junior Elite National Championship. I delivered a talk to parents and young athletes on pre race/ race day nutrition targeting youth and junior racers. It was held at the Olympic Training Center and was well attended. At the race, it was nice to see athletes from the Florida region holding their own with some of the best youngsters in the nation.

A big job well done goes out to Taylor Scott in the Youth Elite race. She sure looked good and made big improvements from her initial showing in 2008. We are already looking forward to 2010 where she'll move up into the Junior Elite race.

After COS, I got to come back and get in a little Kona training before I jetted back off to Tuscaloosa Alabama for Age Group Nationals and Elite Nationals. USAT was kind enough to arrange for me to give a talk to participants on Racing in the Heat. Even though the race conditions turned out a bit milder than forcasted, post race participants told me that the information they received was most helpful. I always love to hear when practical suggestions whether it be training, racing or nutrition related work out!

This is the first time I have been to AG/Elite nationals and I must say USAT did a first class job with the event. The race venue proved to be spectator and athlete friendly as well as provide a challenging course. In the AG race, I am pleased to announce that a young lady I have been working with managed to finish 2nd Overall. I mentioned Lindsay W in a previous post and this in fact was her 1st Olympic distance race and her 2nd triathlon, ever. Now granted Lindsay is a uber fast swimmer right out of the box and also has a huge aerobic engine. Just give us a little time and I think your going to see this shining little star shoot on up :-) 2010 watch out for Lindsay!

In the Elite race, it was great to watch Kevin C line up to race for the Elite National title. His form and fitness has been getting better as the year progressed but as with any athlete there are hiccups in race results. One week prior to Nationals, Kevin got a chance to race in the London WCS race. Unfortunately, a poor swim position heading into T1 and the insurmountable gap to the main field on the bike caused a very hard decision to pull out of the race. The athletes that know me well know, I HATE to see a DNF!
A DNF in my opinion is only acceptable if a) an injury causes the athlete not to be able to physically continue b) continuing to race jeopardizes the athlete's health/safety or other racers safety c) total mechanical failure. A DNF because the race is not going the athlete's way I view (and always will view) as a cop out....sounds harsh but that's how I feel. With that said, in this particular case, I do/did agree with Kevin's decision to pull out of the bike prior to the run in order to "save" the legs for Tuscaloosa ( the National Championship) which was the next weekend.

So to Tuscaloosa, Kevin had a great swim! Front pack position and out on to the bike with the top contenders. On the bike, he worked hard and held strong going into T2. From there it was kind of anticlimactic. Kevin has a fast run but I could tell from his gait and running form after that first lap that this was not going to be his best day. The guys in front of him (1st Charbot,2nd ODonnell, 3rd Reed and 4th Fretta) just had a bit more in the tank. Kevin finished 5th for the day and earned a 3rd OV finish in the 2012 Elite Series which was a nice pay day for him. Overall, the result was good but truth be told we both know there is so much more there. More lessons learned and certainly will not make the same mistakes leading up to this race next year.

This weekend Kevin has the honor of joining 5 other US athletes ( Shoemaker, Reed, Charbot, Fretta, Dye) racing in the Gold Coast ITU World Championship Series finale. Here's to a strong performance for the USA athletes!!

My final athlete shout out for August goes to Chuck and Jessica Kemeny. Both made it to the start line of Ironman Louisville and earned their FIRST Ironman badges of honor. I have coached a lot of folks to Ironman but this husband and wife team impressed the heck out of me with how they balanced training ( LOTS of trainer time), work, each other and most importantly time with there kids. That deserves a special medal in its self.

Chuck, I am proud to announce got to claim his Kona GOLDEN ticket with a finish time of 9:41:35 in the ultra competitive AG of 30-34!!!

This was great news for me because he now knows he is going to have to wait for me at the finish in Hawaii! Heck, I even invited him to join me on my jog/shuffle/walk along the Queen K but something tells me he'll be showered and have eaten a good dinner with Jess and the kids by the time I am done! Anyway, Mahalo Chuck and Jess for being patient and trusting me to help you achieve your goal. Kona is going to be a blast!!!

So to round it all out, my Kona training. Well, the good news is I have some good mileage on the bike and my endurance for the swim should be enough to get me by mid pack, I hope. The run, as suspected, it will be a walk mostly. I have starting running a little this past week ( and it does feel good) but after going to the follow up doctor appointment today and looking at the MRI from 5 weeks ago, I know I am not 100%. Even though I don't have pain I know if push it I will certainly set myself back further. Just gotta be patient....that's my theme thru 10-10.

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time"- L.N. Tolstoy

"Patience and fortitude conquer all things" R.W. Emerson

"Endurance is patience concentrated"T Carlyle

"The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it." A.H. Gasgow

September is going to be a good month too. Its my birthday month for one! But even more exciting is the Augusta 70.3 race. Got a bunch of folks racing and I am even planning on going to watch/stalk/bark orders/ cheer those who have been foolish enough to let me torture them to get ready for the day! I am going to have my high end mountian bike, the Mt. Shasta, is up there so I can be out and about....so looking forward to it.

Until next post, will keep the tweets alive!

~Jennifer

July ( and a bit of June) in Review

2009-08-01T14:15:00.011-04:00

Long time and no meaningful posts but for good reason......SUPER busy on all fronts and does not look like its letting up until November.

Quick review of June.....

USAT Junior Select Camp was a big success. Great group of triathletes who seemed to have a boat load of fun and learn alot in the process. Already planning for 2010.

June also saw one of my girls, Andrea A finish her first Ironman in Coeur d'Alene. Its funny how just shy of a year earlier I remember getting a call from her asking about coaching and if I thought she could do it. I asked her to trust the process and that I would make sure she was ready for whatever the day served her and sure enough she finished happy and had a great experience.

Other significant happenings in June was a breakthrough race for ITU Pro Kevin Collington. He raced in the Hy-Vee Elite Cup ( World Cup) and had a stellar day finishing 13th in the field earning his highest Pro paycheck to date. More importantly, Kevin established himself as a worthy competitor to the likes of some of our top US ITU Pros ( Matt Reed & Hunter Kemper) as well as getting much closer to the world class international field of racers. Kevin's the real deal and its exciting to be a part of his progression.

On a personal note, June was also the official kick off to my Kona training but as it turns out it was more of a kick in my butt month. I have had a nagging hip issue ( more upper thigh) that I thought was from tight hip flexors/hamstrings and aggravated by a unclipping bike mishap in mid June. I took a good 5 weeks off ( for the most part) of running and the discomfort did not resolve. I finally went to a sports med/ortho doc only to get the news ( after contrast MRI) that I have "possible early stress fracture" of the lower left femoral head . The recommendation (as of this week) was no running for 12 weeks ( Kona is less than 10) and in his ultra conservative tone the MD explains the risk of trying to run right now. Good news is swimming and biking are pain free so I am going to see how water running goes for the next 4 weeks and chat with the doc to decide what I am going to do about Kona. I have not thrown in the towel on doing the race but I recognize that A) I might be walking much of the marathon or B) I might have to "tap out" of the run if things dont feel right. Right now option A is my preferred plan but well see.

JULY.....I really need to know where this month went. Lots of racing happened for many of my IronClad peeps so hopefully i can remember them all.

Morton Plant Mease Triathlon

Congratulations to The Seaversons...Erin & Marc for a really good day.
Good job to Krista Eyler and Rose Laurence for using a sprint as a fun speed work day in preps for IM Florida.
Big way to go to Taylor Scott for earning the USAT FL Junior Regional Champ title.
And finally HUGE shout out to Lindsay Woodward on her first triathlon....ever. This 23 yo former UF swimmer had the second fastest swim of the day ( beating all but one man) and used a solid bike (bike cages + running flats) and run to easily win her AG but even more impressive finish 4th Overall female. Age Group Nationals is next up for this young woman so will be exciting to see how she does.

Ironman USA

I have to give the "Tough as Nails" award to my dear friend aka Wonder Woman,Karen Alderman for her performance at IM USA. This lil lady trained hard to be able to conquer the hills in Lake Placid only to have a breast stroking dumb a#$ in the swim kick her right in the rib cage ( bruising and possibly cracking her rib). I have never had a rib injury but from what I am told it freaking hurts to breath. Imagine if you will swimming another 1.5 miles ( it happened during the first loop), riding 112 then trying to run only to wind up walking most of the 26.2 mile marathon. Heaven knows I might have just called it a day after the swim but true to her nature Karen hung in there and got r done. True Ironman if you ask me. Heal up Karen as you will live to fight another day :-)

July rounded out with a great day in USA ITU World Championship Series racing. The Hamburg WCS race took place on July 26th. It had quality field with some great US talent on the start list. The US athletes included 2008 Olympian Jarrod Shoemaker, Kevin Collington, Mark Fretta, Steve Sexton and Matt Seymour. I have had pleasure of being able to follow each of these young men and watching them race via the live feed thru the ITU webiste was awesome. Jarrod's performance was spectacular. He used his blazing fast run (29:37) to pull away from the field to earn the first GOLD medal for the US in a WCS race and 1st World Cup gold medal since 2006. I (of course!) want to note that Kevin had a great first time WCS experience racing finishing as the 2nd US athlete, 23rd overall with a 10K PR of 31:43. Not bad.

So now its August. If I was a betting girl its going to fly by quicker then last month. I got some folks gearing up for Ironman Louisville and Ironman Wisconsin. Youth and Junior Elite Nationals, Age Group Nationals and Elite Nationals are all happening this month too. I am travel a bit this month as I will be speaking at both Youth/Junior Elite Nationals and Age Group Nationals. I have to pack my coaching cap for these races all the while trying to fit in some sort of training to (hopefully) get me to the Kona start line healthy enough to swim, hammer the bike and make forward progress on the marathon ;-)

The month's going to be crazy but as always will keep the Tweets alive!

~Jennifer

Last note: Need to say "WHOA NELLY!!" to the athletes who raced Top Gun Triathlon on 8-1-09 ( aka " Guns a Blazing" Tri -thanks Seaversons): Good job Marc & Erin for matching 4th Place AG hardware and Rose L who continue to find the joy in sprint races as forced speedwork for IM prep.

Good Stuff

2009-07-14T14:38:00.002-04:00

Man o man the time is just flying by! Got some good stuff to post on some of the my athletes who raced since my last post. Been a great 30 days for them and just need a good 30 minutes uninteruppted time to unload it all.
Its coming soon plus an update on how the Kona training is going....thats not so good stuff :(

Summer camp!!!!

2009-06-14T23:03:00.003-04:00

This week is going to be a blast. Can check out whats up at the USA Triathlon Junior Select Camp-South on the USAT Florida Athlete Development blog.

A week of swim, bike, run ,eat, sleep and repeat!!!!

~Jennifer

Lessons Learned: Florida 70.3, PATCO & Mad Beach

2009-06-03T08:45:00.014-04:00

May was a pretty busy month. Heck all my month’s are busy now a days but this one was a mix of business and some personal fun.

First off I must give a WAHOOOOO to the following athletes who did the Florida 70.3 race.

As expected, it was hot and it was humid but they all endured and finished strong and some with new PRs.

Congratulations to:

Erin and Marc Seaverson. Erin posted a new 70.3 PR and Marc (coming off of a stellar St. Croix race) came close to cracking the 5-hour mark. Hard work paid off for you two so enjoy some down time!!!

Chuck Kemeny who placed 5^th in the uber fast AG of 30-34 and got a golden ticket to the Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World Championship. This was a primer for his first Ironman coming up in August.

Karen Alderman for a strong day! Although it was not exactly we had hoped she is on track for a very strong performance in July at Ironman USA. 8 weeks to go Wonder Woman!

Unfortunately I did not get to see them race as I packed my bags and headed to Oklahoma City for a rare opportunity to watch and support a promising young professional triathlete compete in his first ITU Pan American Championship (PATCO) race. I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Kevin since 2006 prior to becoming a pro. Let me tell you, he has come a long way since the first rinky-dink amateur draft legal race he won in St. Leo Florida.

So with PATCO being his early season A race, I wanted to see up close how he would do racing against some of the U.S. “big dogs” in the sport (Matt Reed, Hunter Kemper). I could easily make this topic a lengthy blog post of its own but will sum it up by saying he finished top 10 (9th), which was satisfying but the process by which it happened was frustrating. If interested check out Kevin's blog race report. Also at the end of the blog is a short video clip of the Men's swim finish.

The PATCO experience overall was good for both of us and has allowed us to redirect our attention on areas that need to be strengthened so he can perform to his potential. Draft legal racing is a dynamic racing format. Unlike non-drafting races where you (for the most part) control your own destiny, draft legal racing can be lost a variety of ways. A sub par race outcome can start with a poor position coming out of the swim and / or stupid mistakes or complacency by others in the chase group on the bike and miscalculating your effort and blowing up on the run. Every race is an opportunity to learn and refine your arsenal of tactics. From what I can tell, those that excel at the ITU format not only have superior conditioning but are also very skilled, smart, aggressive racers who are where they need to be going into the run.

So eight days after the PATCO race, Kevin went down to Austin to race the Cap Tex Triathlon, aka ITU Austin Pan American Cup (draft legal). Now this is a race I WISH I saw up close!!!

According to Kevin, he had an awful swim ( 4th pack, ouch) and found himself in a less than desirable position starting the bike. The good news is he used the bike power he has worked hard to develop and managed to get a couple other guys (New Zealand) to work with him on the bike. Kevin's group worked their way up to the main chase group who had over a minute gap to the small group off the front. Once on the run, the time gap closed fairly quickly and Kevin and a swift footed Kiwi ran together until the finishing chute....now the battle for the big W. I would love to say Kevin can home the victor but he got pinched by 3 seconds and came in a hard fought but highly respectable 2^nd place finish. Guess who is going to now be working on his race end speed? :-)

Once again lessons learned but this time Kevin got to stand on the podium and have some celebratory champagne to boot. So a huge shout out to KC on bringing that one home!! Next up for him is altitude training in Colorado Springs and on to the Hy-Vee Triathlon (an ITU World Cup race), which is KOABD (kind of a big deal). Prize money for the pros is CRAZY!!

To round out the month was the Madeira Beach Triathlon a race hosted by one of the largest tri clubs around, the St. Pete Mad Dogs. With close to 900 athletes doing this race, I must say the race organizers did a VERY good job and weather was perfect!

Last year I did this race and it came at a low point in my training. That morning in 2008, I sooooo did not feel like racing but did anyway and hated every minute of it. Quitting once I started was not an option (although I wished I could have just gotten out of the swim without anyone knowing). Lesson learned was if you are not “feelin it” then don’t start it. Triathlon should be fun whether as an age grouper or as a pro.

This year, I was in a much better state of mind and Mad Beach was FUN. I felt good for the most part but the run just is not coming back around the way I had hoped. Such is life and I was satisfied with the end result and will stop at that.

The best part of the Mad Beach day was hearing how well some of my ladies did.

Michelle Small has been training so well and it paid off with another PR for her and AG hardware (think it really was 4^th AG 40-44 and not 5^th like my twitter post said). You go girl!!!

Then there is up and coming Youth Elite racer Taylor Scott. This 15 yr old young lady dominated the 15-19 AG with a 1^st Place finish and even would have won the 20-24 AG. Amazing work!!!

It was awesome to see some of my former athletes out there racing too so I have to give a shout out to David, Z, Heather and I even think I caught a glimpse of Phil!! Hope you all had great days too.

Whew my fingers a pretty pooped now! June is also a busy month. Time for me to get focused on my Hawaii preps and get set for the USAT Junior Camp. Will have another update towards the end of June but will keep the Tweets alive!

~Jennifer

This is some raw video of the swim finish at the PATCO race. Kevin exits in back part of the first swim pack......you can hear my big mouth screaming towards the end.

Gulf Coast Triathlon

2009-05-13T16:31:00.015-04:00

My Love/Hate Relationship

In my tweets, I indicated that the Gulf Coast Triathlon was one of my favorite races. Funny how time erodes the memory of unpleasant experiences and every time I compete in this event I get reminded of really why I love/hate it.

This past weekend my husband David and I made our way up to Panama City to race the 27th Annual Gulf Coast Triathlon, a 70.3 distance race. This race was our first ½ Ironman experience and done to help prepare us for our first Ironman that takes place on the same course, Ironman Florida. PC has some fond and uncomfortable memories but for some reason keeps drawing us back. This year we came back after a two year break for our 7th go round with this event.

Why do I love this race?

Good value for your entry fee

Women go off in the first few waves so no getting pummeled by the dudes

Its nice to drive to a race

Beautiful beach with condos within walking distance to transition and the swim start

Clean and clear water

Has the potential to be a fast course

Great race support as the volunteers and aid stations are one of the best I have experienced in my 10 years of racing triathlon

Why do I hate this race?

The swim…you never know what you are going to get. You might have a calm , pool like swim or you might get battered by waves and drink a boat load of sea water. Then there is the issue of wetsuit, maybe it will be wetsuit legal and then again maybe not.

The bike... head wind and cross wind plus a crappie road that I pray everytime I come back is fixed….but it’s not!!

The run…..no shade and St. Andrew’s Park. The park is the back part of the run course and sooooooo boring and hot.

Last but not least….the heat. Its ALWAYS wicked hot.

So this year, how did it go?

The day before the surf was choppy and water temperature was suggesting a nonwetsuit swim. This brought back bad memories of my first race (2000) as that year it was very rough and it was no wetsuits for those who wanted to race for age group awards. Since I did not care about placing, only finishing, I opted to race in what I call the Wussy Wetsuit category. This year however I was prepared for no wetsuit but dreaded swimming that in the rough conditions. I said a few prayers the night before the race for calm seas and wetsuits, only to have my wetsuit plea answered.

Race morning, I did my usual prerace coffee, Nutter Butter routine, put on the wetsuit and headed to the swim start. The surf was pretty rough so I had a feeling no PR were going to be set in the swim.

Sure enough as the race started the swim was pretty much miserable for me. It was tough getting past the breakers as it was for most folks. Sighting the buoys had to be perfectly timed when on top of a wave which I did not do so well. As such, I drank a good amount of sea water and hoped it would not come back to haunt my GI later. The swim is an out and back rectangle with buoys on the left. On the final turn coming back to shore, sighting was better as you had the condo highrises to stay on track. When I race, I do not look at my swim time, instead I just figure it is what it is and try to get in and out of t1 as quickly as possible and on to the part I love best. The bike.

The bike course is a single lop that is pretty much pancake flat with the exception of a bridge. One would think that would make for a really fast ride but there inevitably will be headwind and crosswinds coming from the Gulf. This year did not disappoint and I was thankful I opted not to use my Zipp disc and instead went with the IM Az set up of the 404/808. I still got pushed with the 808 but overall felt fine with the selection. The bike was pretty boring as going off in the first few waves I passed many of the woman who swam faster than me within the first 20 miles. Lot of the bike was spent on my own wondering if I was in a race. I occasionally got passed by some of the speedy AG men but for the most part held my own even though my hip issue from Kona reared its ugly head. The pain was not as bad as in Kona I think because I did not fight it and I actually got out of the saddle a lot to stretch. Unfortunately for me I was less than satisfied with my bike split and when I did look at my watch before heading out to the run, I knew no PR was in sight this day.

Out to the run, I knew I just had to find some kind of steady pace and work hard to stay hydrated and keep my core body temperature down. The last time I raced here in 2007 I actually found myself in the medical tent needing two IVs because I pushed hard not to get run down after passing some gals in the Park. I did not want a repeat of that experience and quite frankly really did not care about what “place” I was in so I just wanted to “stay steady, stay strong”. I had no qualms about stopping at a majority of the aid stations to refill my water bottle with ice and water. I think I may have even annoyed a few ladies passed on the run as I squirted the ice cold water over my head, clearly they were a victims of the heat. Interestingly enough, the run felt the best of the day even though my time was no where close to a PR.

At the end of the day, I could not belly ache as I did hold my own with only two Masters ladies getting to the line before me ☺ I am happy to report that I did stay out of the medical tent and I even got to go back out on the run course to cheer in my husband, two wonderful new friends and two of my IronClad peeps into the finish.

So during the race I must say I always question why I come back but post race I always find reasons why this race feels so good. This year, the experience was even more fun because Dave and I were fortunate to stay with a wonderful couple Jeff and Gwen ( from Tampa) at the Boardwalk condos. This was their first ½ Ironman so it was tons of fun sharing words of wisdom, race day tips, laugh and relax a bit with them before the race. They both finished with smiles on their faces and already wanting to go the distance again.

Finally I must give a shout out to the athletes I am lucky to coach:

Congratulations to Dan Meyer for his 10th place 45-49 finish and to Rose Laurence who came to scope out the course to get ready to race her first Ironman in Panama City in November. Good job to you both!!!! Also, congrats to Michelle Small for her 1st Place AG at the Sarasota Sharks Tri. I suspect that really cool CupCake Tri top (see previous post photo) made her even faster!!

Finally, a BIG Race WELL ( never say good luck as that is for people who are not prepared) to Karen, Chuck, Erin and Marc racing this weekend at Ironman Florida 70.3 and to Kevin who is racing in the ITU Pan American Championship in Oklahoma City on May 16th!

Until next time, eat well and train smart!

~Jennifer

April Recap & St. Anthony’s Triathlon

2009-05-03T17:01:00.015-04:00

April was a very busy and fun month for multiple reasons.

First, it was kind of cool to see the black and white photo on the left in the April issue of Skirt! Magazine highlighting the “She’s Got Wheels” issue. I was dubbed the “Motivation Peddler” and the editor said some nice things about the joy I finding in coaching…whether is be straight up nutrition coaching or endurance coaching. I am thankful every day that I get to do what I love and was grateful for such a nice “plug” in their publication.

Second, racing season officially kicked off locally with the Escape from Ft. Desoto Sprint on April 11th. You can read about IronClad athletes success in the Recent News section of my website. After that race, I am happy to say it feels good to be racing and enjoying the process once again!!

Third, I got a chance to head out to Lubbock, Texas for Collegiate Nationals and the USAT Twenty Twelve Invitational Race April 17-April 20th. The trip was part of USAT business and the position I hold as Florida’s Regional Athlete Development Coordinator. It was a productive weekend watching some very talented up and coming triathletes race as well as brainstorming with other Regional Coaches on many aspects of developing youth, junior and U23/Collegiate athlete development.

Finally, the month rounded out with my hometown favorite race, St. Anthony’s. The past few years I had opted out of racing and instead wore my coaching cap. Last year, I decided to race again and it was brutal. In 2008, I did not put in the time I needed nor did I have my head in the game for a solid personal experience. As such, I suffered. In 2009, I was more determined to train and go out there and “race”. This year, I was willing to suffer for a personal best but race day did not turn out as planned.

By now, most folks who know of St. Anthony’s know this year was different.

St. A’s Triathlon turned into a duathlon. Race morning the RD had to make the tough call to cancel the swim portion for the AG athletes. I, like everyone else, was stunned by this announcement. I totally agree and support the RD’s decision especially having watched the rough conditions and the toll it took in 2006 but also as I saw the pro field working hard to navigate through the swells. The decision to cancel the swim was a game changer for all AG divisions.

Once hearing the swim was cancelled, I did what I could to find and talk with my athletes about this call and how it might impact their day. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to chat with everyone and this distraction in my own prerace setup would come back to haunt me later.

The one positive side to the change in race format was it gave me a chance to watch the Pro field come out of the water, head out and come back on the bike and head out on the run. Kevin C has been putting in some great training and I really wanted to see him bring it all together this day. Being able to see him head out on the run looking so strong and knowing he was in striking distance of another top 10 finish gave me a piece of mind and allowed me to relax and get into my own zone.

Getting into a zone I did. The time trial start format I really did not mind with the exception that I had way more women I had to try to get around on the congested bike course. I felt really good and strong the entire ride and believe a 40K bike PR would have been possible IF I had not gotten caught/stuck behind the ambulance in Lakewood Country Club AND the bike course was weeded out a bit more the way it usually is with the swim prior to the bike. It was what is was and overall I am pleased.

The run was a slightly different story. With the swim cancellation curve ball, I totally forgot to get the final bike nutrition details in place. I am a very heavy sweater and tend to need a lot of sodium when I race. This day, I forgot to put the electrolyte tabs on my bike and within the first quarter mile of the run I could feel my legs cramping from the lack of electrolytes. I settled into pace that I was hoping to hold without the legs locking up. The run was not fun and all I could do was repeat my mantra over and over in my head (will share that in a future post) until IT was done. I tried to pick it up at the turnaround and at the finish but the twinges in my hamstring and quad muscles said “oh no you don’t”. In the end, I was actually VERY happy with my finishing run time as I know had I done what I needed to do nutritionally, I would have had a PR there too. In the end, I came away from this race with a 3rd place AG award and even more dedicated to the training I know I will need to do have a strong race in Kona.

Official Kona training will be kicking off at the end of the month but next up for me is my 2nd favorite race…Gulf Coast Triathlon.

Last but not least, is the HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the following IronClad athletes that raced their hearts out at St. Anthony’s:

Karen Alderman- 8th 40-44
Suzanne Brown
Kevin Collington 9th Pro/ Overall with 2nd fastest 10K and new PR 32:14
Heather Hingson
Chuck Kemeny – new 40K bike and 10K run PR
Val Knight
Rose Laurence
Al Matheny – 1st 20-24 with 4th fastest 10K 32:23
Erin Seaverson- 13th 30-34
Marc Seaverson
Michelle Small- 12th 40-44

Me & Michelle- she had the BEST cupcake tri top!

Kevin getting ready to warm up before heading down for the Pro swim start.

My husband Dave, me and Al, his 2nd triathlon with an out of the box and off the hook 10K.

Me, Marc ( who just rocked St. Croix today), lil Karen and Erin enjoying some post race brew.

Kevin, Al, me and lil Karen after collecting awards.
The odd thing is the picture on the awards is of the swim finish....hmmmmm.

Until next time, continue to train smart and eat well!

~Jennifer

Catching UP!!

2009-04-15T16:22:00.002-04:00

Well its been pretty crazy since my last post. Hopefully those that have an interest in reading about what I have been up to and what some of my IronClad athletes have come to realize that I have become a Twitter fan. Its easy to post up dates on the fly ( and have posted on this page ) but is no substitute for blogging. So with that said, I will be doing a series of shorter posts with some pics in the coming week.

Right now, all is finally good and I am looking forward racing season picking up steam this month. Part of my excitment is from this lovely RED HOT ride.......still need a name for her though.

Happy Anniversary & My Oat Bran Pancakes

2009-02-11T10:33:00.013-05:00

Wahoooooo it's been a year since I launched my much overdue website www.IronCladCoaching.com. The photo above is me, my husband Dave and my BFF Karen on a vacation last year shortly after website launch. The picture captures my love of adventure which transfers to the joy working with athletes literally all over the US and abroad on both performance nutrition and endurance coaching.

I have received awesome feedback on the website but am always looking for ways to improve so please feel free to email suggestions!!

On a totally different note, I dusted off a really great recipe I had for hearth healthy oat bran pancakes ( FYI its American Heart Month). There are many ways you can make them but this morning I made them with the recipe below and added 1/4 c ground flaxseed. To make it even tastier I opted to make a fresh warm blueberry sauce and topped it off with a little Cool Whip Lite topping. Boy, they were good.
Before anyone comments about the Cool Whip, yes, I KNOW its got hydrogenated oil and high fructose corn syrup. As the old saying goes, " the dose makes the poison". A tablespoon or two of Cool Whip every so often never clogged arteries whereas a daily diet of high saturated fats food and trans fatty acids does.

Jen's Optimal Performance Pancakes

1 cup Raw Oat Bran
1 cup Egg Whites or Egg Substitute (Egg Beaters)
1 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
2 scp Unflavored Protein Powder (Soy or Whey)
1 tsp vanilla (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Batter will be thick so you may need to add a small amount of milk or soymilk to “loosen” it up. Consistency should be slightly thicker than traditional pancake batter. Use a ½ cup measuring cup to scoop the batter and cook in a skillet using a fat free cooking spray such as Pam. Cook all of the pancakes at one time and refrigerated. Pancakes store well in zip lock bags and reheat very well in the microwave.

The recipe above makes 6 “good size” pancakes.

Each pancake provides:
80 calories
10 grams carbohydrate (no added sugar)
1 gram Fiber
10 grams protein
0 fat or cholesterol (if soy powder is used).

Suggested Toppings:

1 Tbsp Fruit preserve = 50 calories
1 Tbsp Smucker’s Light Sugar Free Jam= 10 calories
½ c warm applesauce= 60 calories
1 Tbsp Honey = 60 calories
½ c sliced strawberries with 1 Tbsp Cool Whip= 60 calories

Optional ingredients:

• Splenda/Truvia/Stevia sweetener
~ 3 packets for the recipe if you want them a little sweeter.
• Fresh or frozen blueberries (antioxidant boost)
• Chopped dried fruit such as raisins, dates or prunes (adds fiber)
• Chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts (a source of “good “ fats)
• Substitute a “flavored” applesauce. Mott’s Healthy Harvest applesauce is good.
• Substitute puree banana for applesauce (great for added potassium)
• Wheat germ or flaxseed (adds Vitamin E or omega fatty acids)

As always, Train Smart & Eat Well!!!

~Jennifer

Random Stuff

2009-01-29T16:01:00.007-05:00

Hold on to your pants.....two blogs posts in one week!!

Just thought I let folks know that my current article for Ironman.com is up.
This month's topic is to get folks thinking about using nutrient density but being mindful of caloric density to guide their food choices. The hope is the pleasant side effect of adhering to such a plan will be less "junk in the trunks". You can check the article out here.

On a separate note, I have now jumped from one trend FaceSpace ( ok its facebook) to Twitter ( see the side bar). Why? Not sure but just something about "twittering" sounds like fun. So I added my twitter babble to the blog thinking that maybe, just maybe, I would be better at keeping that up to date and a way for those that maybe interested can check in to see what I am actually up to that day. We shall see...........

Picking Up Steam & Road Racing

2009-01-27T14:50:00.004-05:00

Whew! January is almost over and it just seem like it started. The good news is that even though I am swamped with an influx of new athletes ( oh the pain and suffering to come.......just kidding) and the new nutrition clients, I am managing to get in a little bit of training. Last year, I blew off getting started until March and suffered most of the year.

So far, I have managed to get back on my Computrainer, squeeze in a few swims and try to adhere to the its "best to get a short workout in rather than no workout" philosophy. So far so good.

The big news is this month I managed to do my first run road race since 2004. Wendy and Al Johnson put on a great race at the St. Pete Beach Classic 5K/10K. Its a first class event and we could not have asked for better weather. I had an OK day and feel i am on track to be closer to my old racing self this year but still have lots of work to do.

Boy road races hurt. As crazy as it sounds I have managed to avoid doing them all the while convincing those I coach to suffer through them :-) Its not because I am the "do as i say not as I do kind of coach" but rather I was not that into wanting to focus on developing my own speed.

The truth is if you want to get faster, doing periodic road races gives you a real time snap shot of where your fitness is. Whether it be a 5K, 10K, 15K, half marathon or a full marathon.....you can always learn something about where you are with your training and what needs to be worked on to get faster even if triathlon is your goal.

Those I coach know I like details. Feedback from races like these help me make their future workouts....well, more interesting ( insert evil laugh). So being that I have rekindled my own love of pain and suffering I am looking forward to planning my next road race.

I do need to give a WAY TO GO shout out to some of the following folks:

Rose L- you rocked it girl at your first marathon.......Ironman is gonna feel easy by the time I get done with you :-)

Andrea A - although this was a couple of months ago....you surprised yourself with a first 1/2 marathon. I am certain you will do the same with your next 1/2 coming up this weekend. You are on the right path to becoming an Ironman!!

Suzanne B- SUPER proud of you and your 10K effort.......this is going to be your year so stick with it.

Marc S- Way to hang tough my man......you got the speed in those legs of yours just need to find you a good dietitian to better give you advice on how many gels to take ;-) St. Croix is gonna be all you.

Erin S- What can be said other than PERFECT execution of a pacing strategy. You crushed your goal time and looked like a million bucks doing it. NOTE: The photo at top is Erin :-)....not bad for 26.2 miles!!!!!

More good stuff to come......

Eat smart and train well

~ Jennifer

Getting off to a good start in 2009

2009-01-14T11:45:00.007-05:00

2009 is here and its hard to believe we are almost half way through January!

I will be posting more in the weeks to come but thought I'd post a slightly modifed version my December article for Ironman.com. Enjoy!!

The 2009 season is upon us so now is a great time to reevaluate this past season's nutritional choices and provides a chance to make adjustments and start the 2009 season with a clean plate.

So, to get the nutrition self-evaluation wheels spinning ask the following questions:

1) How well did you do managing your weight (body composition) this past season?

Body weight management can be a sensitive topic. Excess weight from body fat can slow you down and too much “dead weight” can place overall health and joints at risk. Unfortunately, in an effort to race lighter and faster, some athletes attempt to lose weight with some less-than-desirable approaches. On the flip side, being underweight or possibly too little body fat as a result of inadequate calories and nutrients can place an athlete at risk for illness or injury. If you found yourself frustrated with the inability to healthfully maintain your body composition goals this past season, consider some professional assistance in 2009.

2) How well did you execute your race day nutrition and hydration plan?

Dialing in your race day nutrition plan is an essential ingredient for a stellar day, however if your key race went down the tubes because of nutritional mistakes then your goal for 2009 should be to find what went wrong and fix it. Training and racing an Ironman requires a significant financial commitment, so risking a DNF or bad day because nutritional miscalculations can turn into a poor investment. Race day nutrition, unlike some other aspect of race day, can be controlled. Having a tried and true race nutrition plan gives you the best chance for having a successful day.

3) How well did you do making consistent healthy eating choices from day to day?

I have seen a number of athletes think they are eating very healthy. In fact, with a close look at food journals, we find a lack of variety and skipped meals. In addition there are missed opportunities for optimal refueling (nutrient timing) or falling short with one or more food groups (wholesome grains, fruits, vegetables along with lean meats and low fat dairy). These nutritional mistakes, in my opinion, are the result of not fully understanding the role of food in activity and daily living and a lack planning. With a little knowledge and some pre-planning healthy eating can be mastered daily.

If your answer to one or more of the questions above is “ Not so well” , then to get off on the right foot in 2009 try to:

Be smart.

Learn as much as you can about nutrition. No one is saying you have to go back and get your nutrition degree, but any committed athlete should have an understanding of how the body works and how food is used in the body. Athletes that desire to train and race at their highest level possible owe it to themselves to understand the how’s and why’s of fueling. There are many great easy-to-read books (internet search for Monique Ryan or Nancy Clark) along with online resources (check out Ironman.com nutrition archives) authored by credible nutritional professionals (for example RDs, MDs). When you understand the role of food in the body at rest or when active, making good food choices should be easier to do. It’s hard to change or appreciate that which you do not know or understand. Knowledge is power and nutrition knowledge for an athlete can provide answers to why you need to commit to healthy choices.

Be aware.

Change cannot occur until you know where you stand. Food journals allow you to become aware of your habits. The process of writing down and reviewing the choices you have made is the first step in changing eating habits. Food journaling can be the single most useful self-evaluation tool, especially if you know and understand what nutritional mistakes may be staring back at you.

Be specific and realistic with goals.

It is very difficult to follow through with good intentions and stay motivated if you have the vague goal of “I am going to eat better this next season.” Once nutritional mistakes are identified then a plan of action needs to be created. Successful change with any habit comes when you can set and achieve smaller, measurable goals. For example, if you are always falling short on fruits or vegetables then a few goals might be to:

1) Add a fruit serving to breakfast and a snack
2) Buy premixed salad blends to add to lunch
3) Use V-8 vegetable juice post light workout on busy workdays to sneak a veggie serving in.

Once the two to three goals have been mastered then its time to move on to the next set of goals. Whether it’s to improve your hydration plan or to try new food each week, the key is to have something you can measure. Just resolving to eat more healthfully is too vague … you need to be specific.

Be patient and consistent.

Our bodies are a by-product of what we eat and what we do, over time. We do not get fit, lean or healthy overnight. Just like you need the patience, commitment and consistency with your training to get fitter and faster, you need that same internal motivation and faith that good day-to -day food choices will pay big dividends. The reward for consistently eating well is reducing your risk for chronic disease, more energy for training, better recovery and the external reward of a leaner physique.

Be accountable, if needed.

Once your nutritional mistakes have been identified, sometimes it’s good to be accountable to someone. It can be a friend, spouse or hired professional, but if you have a tough time following through then let some else give you the kick in the pants to get and stay on track. If the thought of having your significant other hounding you about your food choices makes you want to run and hide, then some times the best investment might be a consultation with a credentialed nutrition professional to get and stay on the right nutritional track.

A new season and New Year is always exciting because it’s filled with potential. If you realized some of your nutritional mistakes held you back in 2008, you can resolve now to work on fixing them starting now. 2009 is a clean plate…lets fill it up with the best habits and food choices and watch your season take off!

As always, train smart and eat well!!!

~Jennifer

2008-12-18T21:03:00.012-05:00

Ironman Arizona:
November 2008

(Warning: This is a long babbling report)

As mentioned in my previous post, Hawaii 2007 was a big let down. Post race I told everyone I was done with Ironman. I wanted 2008 to be about finding the enjoy in racing again and being more available to those I coach. After 44 days in Ironman retirement, the WTC announced that Ironman Arizona was moving to November and the 2008 race was open for registration.

Signing up for Ironman is a big commitment. Did I really want to go through the process of training and risk having it turn out like Hawaii? Was my body and mind going to work together so I could be a competitor rather than just participate? I flipped back and forth about signing up. After some soul searching, I sent an email to some of my friends saying…Hello, my name is Jennifer and I am an Ironman addict…….I just signed up for Ironman Arizona, again.

My first experience at Arizona (April 2007) was pretty good so I knew the challenges the race could present. My goals for the day were to be strong, relaxed, focused and fueled regardless of what the day would deliver. My goal for every race is finish what you start but I knew if things came together I could set a new PR so just needed to come in under 10:55 to check that box.

Race Day

My day started with a 4 AM wake up and my usual prerace breakfast coffee, cream, English muffin + peanut butter and a pack of Nutter Butter cookies…..love em! David and I grabbed our gear and grabbed lil Karen (one of the athletes I coach and one of my very best dear friends) and walked the quarter mile to the transition area. After getting body marked and dumping off our special needs bags we suited up in our wetsuits to stay warm until we had to make our way to the swim start.

Swim

The swim is an in-the-water start. You have to hop off the seawall and swim what seemed like 200 yards to the start line and try to stay warm treading water. The course is a counter clockwise one-loop rectangle in Tempe Town Lake. The water was chilly and I was thankful the temperature had been higher than normal the days leading up to the race.

So the swim start…I HATE this part. Swimming is something I have always struggled with and I think this is due in part to a near drowning experience as I kid. My goal in any triathlon is to settle down as quickly as I can and just swim as best I can. Karen and I discussed our swim strategy. Karen breathes left and I breath to the right so we decided to create our own little “swim bubble” for as long as we could. David opted out of this plan so I kissed him goodbye and knew we would see each other out on the course.

So, the gun sounds and the thrashing begins. Karen and I worked pretty well together and stayed side by side for the first half of the swim out until I realized we were inside the buoys. I started to maneuver back over to the buoy line but the moment I lost sight of Karen was the moment our paths would widen. At that point I knew I was on my own and needed to stay relaxed and stay with the best line. In hindsight I would have to say this swim was one of my best experiences (it turned out to be my IM swim PR) Sighting was pretty easy and the congestion due to the narrow swim start thinned out about ¾ way on the swim out.

Exiting the swim my feet were numb but I opted to for go the wetsuit strippers and beeline it to the transition tent to prep for where the fun part of my day “usually” begins.

Bike

What can I say…I love to bike and I really loved this bike course. This course is 3 loops out and back. It’s mainly flat but there is a gradual rise in grade the last 5 or so miles of the bike before the turnaround. Combine that with headwind and shift in crosswinds made for a steady grind out and a sweet, fast ride back.

I felt good on the bike…really good. I set my black and hot pink Ordu up with 12-23 gearing (really wished I had my 11 though) with a 404 on the front and an 808 on the back. I typically like to push a big gear but stuck to my plan of using the SCR for headwind and the gradual inclines and hammering the big gears with the tailwind back to town.

I could not see my speed or riding time at all so I used the clock time to help guide my fueling plan. The first loop felt good but I knew the headwind on the 2 and 3rd loops could get worse. The second loop I scaled it back as some of the hip issues I had in Hawaii started to arise but instead of being stubborn I actually slowed and did quite a bit of on-the-bike stretching which worked! The third and final loop I focused on toping off the tank and getting ready for the run, not to mention making sure David did not catch me on the bike. I was lucky that I had David by a bit on the swim, which meant he would have to ride REALLY hard to catch me. Fortunately, he did not catch me and I am happy to say I now have the house IM bike PR……5:22, that was satisfying.

T2 & the Run

Coming off the bike I felt good. After a leisurely transition, applying sunscreen, lip balm, changing socks and last minute decision to go with run shorts (tri shorts were just too gross) I was off. I knew some pain and discomfort would be coming as much of the 3 loop run course is on concrete with a few tough inclines.

Coming out of transition, when I finally looked at my watch to see my race time I saw 6:38 and thought “oh good, I only have to do a 4:17 to PR”…I so can do that! The early part of the run was about settling into a nice light quick turnover and trying to just hold a 9 ish pace. The first few miles I was running faster than I wanted (8:15). so to stay with my plan I decided to walk for 30 seconds to slow my average pace. I did this not because I had to but I was hoping that would allow me to save something for the rough patches which tend to be miles 13-20. True to form, those were my most difficult and slower miles, as I did need to stop and stretch a number of times. The concrete running was taking its toll and I felt the lack of road running (did most of my longer runs inside on the treadmill for reasons too long to discuss in this post). The best part of the run though was the spectator support (thank you Suzanne and Charlotte for the Mexican Fiesta each time I came by) and seeing some familiar faces and getting words of encouragement.

I had no clue what my AG position was coming off the bike (post race I saw I was in 2nd starting the run) so when the two woman in my AG eventually ran by I really did not think much of it other than, dang, nice pace! Where can I get me some of that!!!!

Even though I had my Garmin on for the run I opted not look at my watch again until mile 20. At this mile marker is when I do take a hard look at my race time and give myself the “suck it up and suffer” talk and make every effort to finish the last 10K strong. When I saw my time (9:53), I knew if I wanted my PR I needed to pick it up. So with the mantra of “will not falter, will not fail” I recharged and felt as almost as good as I did when I started the run.

The last mile along Tempe Town Lake was incredible. I felt so good, so happy that the day just came together. The swim, bike and for the most part run (I know I can run much better) was what I had hoped for with the way the year went. My nutrition was once again spot on (can’t mess that up otherwise I might get my RD & Board Certification yanked).

I crossed the finish line happy!!!! 10:47:57. In that moment, I erased my last IM experience in Kona of being carried off on a stretcher and spending 1 ½ hour post race in the medical tent. IT WAS A GOOD DAY. I was FINALLY satisfied and was content to hang up the IM shoes.

I was delighted to finish 4th and I was relieved I did not earn one of the 3 Kona slots. I thought this is good… the decision was made for me. That was until I met a girl named Kelly (she was one of the girls who flew by me on the run and finished 3rd in my AG) tells me that there are FOUR Kona slots not three………

So…….a Kona slot is mine, if I want it. I know it may sound odd that I would even for a moment think about turning “it” down but I knew if I accepted it I was signing up for another year of some hard training. Was I really up for the challenge? Can I handle going back to the Big Island for the toughest race I have ever done?

Ultimately the answer was YES, I want the slot. I have caught some flack from those told I was done with Ironman after this race saying they KNEW I could not retire from Ironman yet. I think I would have caught even more flack had I turned the spot down.

I do believe everything happens for a reason so even though qualifying was not what I went to Arizona for, it happened and I am thankful. To me, this means I must have something left to prove to myself and it is a journey I am now looking forward to.

Hawaii 2007: Prelude to Ironman Arizona

2008-12-09T15:01:00.006-05:00

My last Ironman experience (Kona 2007) prior to Ironman Arizona left me questioning why I do these races. Prior to revealing my Arizona experience I thought a recap of Hawaii is needed. I never did write a race report after THAT race. Why? The experience was one of the most physically painful and mentally bruising races I have ever done. Having been to the Big Island one time before I knew the conditions would be tough. I was prepared for a hot, windy day and felt I was ready to endure what ever the day dished up. Little did a realize things would not go well.

The swim for me that day actually went well. I am not fast so staying calm and relaxed was the goal. Mission accomplished. The undoing of my day started with a slower than usual pace on the bike to get my stomach settled from all the seawater I drank. The nails in my coffin came in the form of the strong crosswinds on the climb to Hawi and my stubbornness. Usually I am strong in the wind but for what ever reason, that day the manner in which I chose to ride upto Hawi aggravated my right hip. The extent of pain did not truly surface until the turn around. At that point, any time I tried to apply force to the right pedal it felt like I had a knife jabbing into my right hip socket. Now if I were smart, I would have stopped to stretch things out. But no, I stayed on my bike trying to suck it up and get it done. The pain did not subside and in my mind I went back and forth from being pissed off this was happening to crying (and I mean full blown sobbing) and having my “why me, why today” pity party all the way to T2.

Coming off the bike was humbling. I could not run as my right foot was rotated inward a good 30+ degrees…so hobbled thru transition to the medical tent. 21 minutes later and after much manipulation to my hip in the medical tent I was able to talk myself into attempting the run knowing this day was going to be way slower than what I had hoped. Making the decision to finish what I started was the best decision I made all day.

So 26.2 miles later after a run/walk, I finished ( video clip below). Since this was my second finish on the Big Island I knew what to expect coming back into town. This time the finish was was a bit more emotional. Having been out there longer than I intended, I was able to come to terms with my thoughts and soak in some truly awesome sights. For example, seeing both Rutger Beke and Desiree Ficker (both podium finishers the previous year) walking back to town to finish as I was making an effort to run out of town……… I found inspirational. Clearly they both had bad days but chose to stick it out and finish what they started as opposed to “quit”. Another memorable moment was running down Palani hill and turning to see Scott Rigsby (the first double leg amputee Ironman ) getting ready to run UP the hill knowing he had ~ 16 miles to go and he had only 4 hours to do it. HE did not quit. Seeing him made me appreciate the day even more.

The aftermath of Hawaii was coping with post race blues from a huge letdown after all the hard work I put in. On top of that I could not really train much because the hip was all knotted up for a few months post race. The decline in fitness and lack of motivation was a dark cloud that hung over me most of the 2008 season. As the year went on fitness improved but the fear hung with me to the start of IM AZ. I prayed it would not turn into another day of pain. Fortunately my prayer were answered and it turned out well and I feel like the dark cloud has finally lifted.

The real IM AZ recap is coming.

This is my 2007 kona finish.....the joy of finishing what you start!

Back in the Saddle

2008-12-02T10:40:00.004-05:00

"Getting back in the saddle" is a saying that has multiple connotations. I, for one, finally feel I have gotten back the saddle both figuratively and literally speaking. I have a fresh and renewed sense for my own training and I am even more excited about what 2009 will bring for the athletes I am lucky enough to coach. I am thankful the season is over.

Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, I wrapped up my 2008 season with what I thought (actually hoped) would be my final Ironman event. Do not get me wrong, I LOVE triathlon. I am grateful to Ironman for the life lessons it has taught and the experience it has provided. I completely LOVE coaching athletes to completing their first IM event, dial in their nutrition plan and guiding those that want to compete for a personal best. The thing is Ironman can be life consuming. Balancing your own training with trying to be the best spouse, friend, and coach possible is difficult and sometimes we fall short.

The pursuit of the Ironman finish/PR/Kona slot can be a very selfish quest and yet, success is very much dependent on the team that you have built. The ones that get you to start line and the ones that carry you through to the finish line. I am very thankful for the support of my husband, family and friends. With that said, I also wanted to publicly thank everyone who emailed me or gave me words of support during the year and especially prior to Ironman Arizona. I will post a separate "better late than never" race report to sum up what turned out to be a PR day for me. It truly was great fun and a memorable day.

So until then, in the off-season let’s eat smart and rest well get ready for 2009!

Way to long

2008-09-21T20:31:00.002-04:00

Since I posted anything! Not sure how these regular bloggers find the time to write so much!

Needless to say its been a super BUSY 3 months since the last post. I have athletes racing all over the place and I am trying to stay on some sort of track with Ironman Arizona preparation. Its been a rough year for me personally as it relates to training and racing. My type A personality tends to let me over commit and the first thing that goes is training....or lets say the parts of training I do not enjoy as much ( swim and running when its hot). The motivation to train at intensity has not been there and as such the races I have done have been sub par which is humbling but to be expected. I tell athletes all the time......you cannot just pull a great race out of a box. You actually have to physically and mentally commit to the preparation needed to have good day...whether that's first place or middle of the pack or just finishing. The important point is racing knowing you have done your homework and you finish feeling like you gave it your best effort. Oh and having fun is a must too!

So over the next few days will post some updates on the great races that occurred over the weekend and post some tips for late season racing.

Train smart & eat well,

~Jennifer

June Wrap Up

2008-06-23T18:56:00.006-04:00

What a month!

First I must say CONGRATULATIONS to the following FIRST time Ironman finishers:

Amy NeSmith & David Blackwood. YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!!!!!!

These Florida flatlanders successfully crossed the finish line at chilly an hilly Ironman Coeur d' Alene yesterday. There is nothing like a first time Ironman finish so hopefully I can con them into a race report that I can post!

I must also congratulate Brian NeSmith of www.FrontRunningSports.com (check them out!!) for his 2nd Ironman finish. It was a tough day for him but he got r done and was sweet enough not to push his wife Amy out of the way to get to the finish line first ;-) Also , A BIG way to go to Dawn Decaminada for a new Ironman PR...great job girl!!!!!

Also racing this past weekend was "new to the Junior Elite ranks", Shayne Murphy. Shayne was the only athlete from the Florida region to make his way out to the flooded state of Iowa to race the Hy-vee Junior Elite Cup. This race was part of a huge race weekend that included the HyVee World Cup triathlon which had the final selections to our US Olympic team ( Sarah Haskins Kortuem & Hunter Kemper). This was Shayne's first "real" ITU racing experience and though it did not turn out as well as we hoped, he had a great experience and is fired up to train hard for Junior Nationals. Very proud of your effort Shayne!

Other racing news for the month include:

Age group wins at the 6-13-08 Publix Family Fitness Weekend St. Leo Triathlon

Karen Alderman (who is becoming quite the lil speed demon)

Taylor Scott ( the 14 yr old who just keeps getting faster)

Also, Suzanne Brown had a great day at the Mooseman 1/2 Irondistance.....next month IM USA!!!!.

On 6-1-08, at the Maderia Beach Triathlon, ITU Pro Kevin Collington on his new Orbea Ordu ( thanks Florida Bicycle Sports ) crushed the field to cruise to an overall win.

Instead of wearing the coach cap, I opted to put on my race cap for Maderia Beach. This went a little bit better than my last race but I am still struggling with motivation to push myself beyond the comfort of a steady state aerobic effort. Can't complain too much as results wise it was ok but hopefully I can find a some mojo for the next race Morton Plant Triathlon and have a better day!

Thats the news for June...be sure to check out my latest article on Ironman.com on Healthy Fats!

Train Smart & Eat Well!!

~ Jennifer

Busy, Busy

2008-06-09T06:49:00.002-04:00

Just as soon as I come up for air, I seemed to get pulled back under! Very busy month of May with many athletes racing and a successful June under way with a few athletes heading to Idaho to have a fun Ironman day in Idaho......will be chatting more on that later for sure.

Right now, I am currently working the USAT Florida Regional Junior Select/Skills camp in Dade City Florida along side Cyle Sage USAT Coach and longstanding supporter/camp director for athlete development programs and camps. This will be a fun week! More to come.

Train smart & Eat well,

~Jennifer

Coming Up for Air

2008-05-21T11:16:00.003-04:00

Well this past month has been a total bust. After St. Anthony's a chain of events occurred that just threw a wrench into some of the best laid plans.....did not get to race Gulf Coast 1/2 Ironman, one of my favorite races ;-( because I had to deal with computer issues.

Sounds kind of silly when you think about it. However, when your whole professional world is contained on a (taped together) laptop that was on the brink of death.....you best get your "stuff" backed up when you finally see the end is near. That just so happened to be the afternoon I was going to leave for Panama City. Total bummer and what a headache!! Good news is, armed with the new MacBook Pro I should be back in business. IronClad athletes have had some good results this month so will be reporting on that very soon! Stay tuned because another post is coming.....really :-)

Can you say slacker?

2008-04-14T16:11:00.004-04:00

It’s been a super busy past month which is no excuse for huge gaps in blog up dates. Since I am still pretty new to all of this (the art of blogging) I hope some of my faithful followers can cut me a little slack. Consistency is key when it comes to mastering any skill and making improvements……..something I do easily preach to others but find it difficult to apply to myself. This lack of consistency not only in blogging could shed some light on my very subpar start to the race season this past weekend…more on that later. Anyway, I will do my best to be timelier with up dates.

On an athlete update note, the BIG NEWS is earlier this month USAT Elite Professional Kevin Collington took a step up to the big time competing in his first ITU World Cup race ( this is comparable to a minor league baseball player getting his first major league start). As part of USAT’s Elite Development Team and some hard work earlier in the year to score ITU points, he was able to get himself on the start line for the New Plymouth BG World Cup in New Zealand.

It was a quality field with the men’s winner being one who many predict will capture Olympic Gold this summer….. the fast footed Javier Gomez ( he clocked a 29:37 10K!!). Through http://www.triathlon.org/ website I was able to watch Kevin’s race unfold.

The swim was a very fast start but Kevin managed to stay in contact with the main group and latch on to the large train of athletes leaving T1. This was good start because if an athlete misses the front/main pack then he or she has to work really hard on the bike to make up time and will need to produce a stellar run in order to have a good finishing place. As bad luck would have it as Kevin was getting into his bike shoes, one of them came unclipped and fortunately stayed in his hand. This is not a big deal in nondrafting races BUT when you have to slow down to get your shoe on and clipped in.........then look up and realize the “train has left the station”....... your tough day has now just gotten even tougher. To Kevin’s credit, he did not give up on this day. One of things I discuss with an athlete racing at any level is regardless of what the day throws at you, you have to make the most of it. A race gone sour may mean the plan may have to change but quitting is NEVER an option…. unless of course mechanically or medically there is a reason one cannot go on. Sometimes the greatest successes are born out of defeat......as long as we can be accountable for the outcome and learn from any mistakes we can make sure the next time is hopefully a much better day.

To finish up Kevin’s story, he did manage to get himself in a small group on the bike ( those that got pinched out on the swim) and tried some race tactics to see how it might play out. Unfortunately it did not play how we all hoped. A strong mind and cheers from a group of newfound Kiwi fans helped him to the finish line…….and luckily not in last place. Kevin has a good sense of humor about his 58th place finish and taking it all in stride and is looking into getting a better pedal/shoe setup. The biggest misfortune is not being able to see how his improvements in his cycling and running fitness stack up against the international fields on the ITU circuit. As Phil Leggit seems to say every year during the Tour de France……"he’ll live to fight another day!”

Kevin’s next big “fight” will be in Alabama this next weekend. As a University of Florida Senior he will be going to Tuscaloosa to defend his Colligate National Championship title (the photo is Kevin winning in 2007). Of course, I do hope he follows in the foot steps of another one of my favorite young professionals… 2 time Colligate National Champion ( 2006,2007) Justine Whipple….who by the way had a VERY nice World Cup debut in Ishigaki Japan this past weekend....... OTC life and training is serving her well.

Well thats enough for now…..will report on the events of the past weekend ( my return to racing and some great athlete results) after I wrap up this month’s Ironman.com article……topic-----Caffeine

Train smart & eat well,

~Jennifer

Holy Cow!

2008-03-12T14:20:00.005-04:00

So i get the most recent issue of Triathlete magazine the other day and as I am flipping thru the pages........ on page 39, I come upon a familiar image.

Holy cow! That's me.

Apparently someone at HerSports liked my 2007 Ironman Arizona run image enough for it to be submitted with the announcement of the 2008 HerSports Elite Triathlon Team. This is my 4th season racing for the Team and I am proud to be part of such a strong group of ladies. (For any of the ladies who have yet to subscribe to HerSports magazine, what are you waiting for? This is a must have publication packed full of GREAT articles and inspiring stories....and i am not just saying that because I race for them...honest!) OK back to the photo, I must admit its kind of freaky seeing yourself in a national publication but at the same time its kind of cool too. Well, at least the people that are in the sport and know me think its cool. I will be signing autographs later ;-) Just kidding, really.

On another note, I am very excited to have the race season get here. I am finally getting a routine back with my own training. That's going to be a long road but I am starting to look forward to being able to get out there and mix it up. This past weekend I had a couple athletes race in some very COLD races conditions. They managed to have solid days and I know that given another training block and some warmer conditions.....good things are going to happen. To check the successes of some of the athletes I coach....see the Recent News section of my website.

Its hard to believe that next month all the fun begins!

Train smart & eat well,

~Jennifer

Sick- To Train or Not to Train

2008-02-26T15:56:00.004-05:00

Well once again my own road back to training is a bumpy one. Last year about this time I suffered badly from the flu. This year fortunately I have dodged that viral bullet but have to deal with congestion and coughing which is impacting my sleep and overall energy so needless to say I am getting a very slow start.

The clients /athletes I coach at one time or another ask my opinion on whether or not someone should train or not if feeling under the weather. So what do you do? Basically, if you experience symptoms above the neck such as stuffy or running nose, sneezing and sore throat you can still pursue lower intensity training. If you have a temperature above 100 degrees, coughing or sneezing up the most god awful colors then that’s a BIG clue an infection is taken hold of the body. The best bet during this time is rest and adherence to good wholesome foods. Common sense should always be used, so when in doubt, going to see the doctor (and resting) will prove more beneficial than pushing through a workout.

For an older article on guidelines for training when sick see: http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1996/01_96/primospa.htm

Below is a part of an article I wrote for Ironman.com in Feb 2007 when I was whining about being sick with the flu……..enjoy!

As endurance athletes so much of our focus is on the development of our cardiovascular system. Our ability to get fitter, stronger and race to our true potential is dependent on our ability to stay healthy and recover from the stress of training. Unfortunately we don’t usually give our immune system much thought unless we get sick or injured.

The primary job of the immune system is to recognize and get rid of foreign substances that enter the body and to handle the “wear and tear” of both physical and mental stress. A person’s immune system can be positively and negatively affected by endurance training. Moderate levels of exercise can enhance the immune system and make you less likely to become ill. Long-term endurance training, (which is a necessary part of Ironman preparation), can undermine even the healthiest athlete’s immune system.

Even after a single bout of an intense or long training session, the immune defense system is weakened. The response is one that is very similar to infection (bacterial or viral), or injury (muscle damage or tear). In response to this “stress” there is a significant increase in blood leucocytes, lymphocytes and stress hormones that are secreted to help fight invaders and start with the “healing” process. The 24 to 48 hours following a stressful workout or week has been associated with increased risk for upper respiratory illnesses and greater susceptibility to viral infections. As Ironman athletes enter the later stages of base and build preparation, the cumulative nature of training (combined a haphazard fueling plan and insufficient recovery) can result in an elevation in stress hormones, which can further erode the immune system. The key to preventing illness during your Ironman preparation is to avoid other sick people, practice exceptional hand washing technique, adhere to a sound nutritional plan and get adequate rest and recovery.

Nutrition Tips for a Strong Immune System

• Fuel your workouts appropriately. Workouts greater than one hour should be fueled with at least 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour along with sufficient fluid to maintain a hydrated body. An athlete who chooses to severely restrict their fuel intake during longer training sessions will cause more stress hormones to be released, which in turn will impact the body’s immune system. Carbohydrates before, during and after training and racing will help maintain a healthy immune system.

• Eat regularly timed meals with emphasis on antioxidant rich foods. This should be a high priority year round but especially during the heavy training periods of the year. If you do get sick and your appetite is lacking, try some of these nutrient rich foods: Tomato Florentine (Spinach) soup, Butternut or Yellow Squash Soup, V8 Fusion (Pomegrante Blueberry) or a fruit smoothie made with low fat milk, yogurt and frozen berries.

• Eat a low fat diet, but make sure your get in your omega 3 fatty acids. Having an adequate amount of the right type of fats is essential to a healthy body. Both very high and very low fat diets can undermine your immune system. Good fats such as omega 6 and omega 3 supports a healthy immune system but most folks get more than enough omega 6s and need to bring balance back to their diet with omega 3 fats sources. Foods that are good sources of omega 3 fatty acids that you should include daily in some form are: Soy, canola oil, flaxseed, walnuts and fatty fish such as salmon.

• Don’t skimp on the protein. Protein needs are increased with endurance training and elevated even more if you are fighting an infection. Unfortunately, when most people do not feel well the thought of a nice piece of chicken, steak or veggie burger does not sound too appetizing. Most foods people use to comfort themselves when sick do not contain adequate amounts of protein. To continue to meet your needs in spite of a decline in appetite use smoothies made with soy or whey protein powder, low fat dairy or cottage cheese. Also, you can blend in finely chopped meats or add more beans/legumes to soups.

• Get on board with a one-a-day multivitamin and mineral preparation providing 100 to 200% of the RDA. This is a prudent suggestion for any endurance athlete as an “insurance policy” against inconsistent eating habits.

• Endurance training increases oxidative stress on the body producing free radicals which, if not neutralized with sufficient antioxidant nutrients, can erode your immunity. There may be some benefit to supplementing with 500 to 1000 mg Vitamin C, 200 to 400IU Vitamin E and 15 to 20mg Zinc. According to some studies Vitamin C and Zinc will not prevent you from getting sick, but may lessen the symptoms and decrease the duration of illness. Avoid the “little is good, more is better” philosophy - many individual vitamins or minerals taken in excess can actually weaken the immune system.

• Include some of these immune boosting foods during your day: Blueberries, Beans/Legumes (Soy), Almond Butter, Canola Oil, Flaxseed, Lean Beef, Low fat Dairy, Salmon, Walnuts, Whole grains.Consuming sufficient levels of nutrients and preventing deficiencies in vitamins and minerals known to have a role in maintaining a healthy immune system is primary objective of a sound nutritional approach.

Good nutritional strategies do not guarantee you will not get sick during training, but, if you eat well you should be able to bounce back more quickly and get back to training in no time.

“Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food" -Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine (460-377 B.C.)

Train smart & eat well,

~Jennifer

Getting Back in the Groove

2008-02-18T18:12:00.007-05:00

It’s hard to believe its mid February and the start of the race season is only 6-8 weeks away.

It’s awesome to see so many of my client athletes responding so well to their training by getting fitter and faster. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to their race season even more than my own.

One of the best parts of being a coach is helping athletes test their limits ......I tell them...."I will bend you but not break you" ;-) I so much enjoy helping each one see that with trust, patience and progression in their training program (combined with a sensible well thought out nutritional plan, of course)....great things will happen. And they do.....so big congratulations to David B for a solid duathlon performance and Dan M. and Suzanne B. who both set new marathon PRs over the weekend!

As for myself, well I suspect its time to come off the high on my recent mini vacation (skiing in Breckenridge......that was fun but painful!) and get back into my own training. The run and bike I find the most enjoyable but....Oh that swim. So feel free to ask me at any time how my swim training is going as I could use the encouragement to help me get my groove back.

Train smart & eat well

~Jennifer

It’s LIVE!!!!

2008-02-11T10:06:00.001-05:00

After much encouragement from family, friends and athletes, I am happy to FINALLY be up and running with IronCladCoaching.com. Those that know me well, know I have high expectations for myself and as such really wanted to make sure I had a site that was professional and eye-catching.

I feel I have accomplished that and I have two very important people to thank for their input on the website.

First, big thanks to Ted Bradley with St. Pete Digital for creating a website that is easy to navigate and one that I can maintain and update easily. I would recommend him highly to any professional looking for a great website!! Thank you Ted…I could not have done this without you!

Second, a HUGE thank you to professional photographer Dave Alderman for all the very cool images you see not only on the header of each page but also on the testimonial page. Dave is a true professional with a creative eye and flare, you can check out some of his work at http://www.adjuvantinc.com/. Also, got to give his wife Karen who is an IronClad athlete and very dear friend, a big thank you for her help with the process as well.

So here’s to the start of something I hope will be fun and informative………please let me know what you think!

Train smart & eat well,

~Jennifer