Christmas sugar cookies. Cranberry-pecan cheese balls. Bacon cheddar spread with crackers. Good eats and the holidays go hand-in-hand. Late November through December can be one of the most challenging times of the year to stay on track with diet and training goals. It’s dark. Cold. Rainy. And then there is the food. Maintaining a healthy diet throughout the holidays can pay back royally when January 1 rolls around and you did not lose six weeks …more »
Training
Winter Running Tactics for a Successful Upcoming Season
November 12, 2015Laying the groundwork for a successful running racing season next year will require strategy and planning this winter. It is important to honestly assess what you have done this past year and identify what your goals are for the upcoming year. Let’s look at how to create an attainable plan and how to build a training program to achieve your goals. Where are you now? It’s important to give yourself an honest assessment of where …more »
Nutrition for Female Athletes: Facts, Myths and Psychology
November 5, 2015Each year since the passage of Title IX, greater numbers of women from all age groups have been competing in endurance sports. Like their male competitors, they share many of the same nutrition-based concerns: maintaining energy, optimizing body composition, and improving performance. Although their goals may be similar, there’s one important fact women must remember when it comes to nutrition: Women are not just small men. As a sports nutritionist, I often think female athletes …more »
Yoga, Pilates and Stretching for the Endurance Athlete
October 21, 2015Many endurance athletes have incorporated yoga, Pilates and stretching into their exercise routines. While there are many benefits to using these techniques, there are also some potential pitfalls. Here are some basic descriptions of each practice to help you decide what best suits your needs. All About Yoga Yoga is a vast practice that incorporates many variations on an ancient tradition. The origins of yoga come from India, and are part of an overall way …more »
Overtraining: Prevention and Awareness
May 20, 2015by David Renne MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT In order to improve performance, you have to challenge your body’s ability to tolerate an increase in physical, mental, and emotional stress. This is called overload and is defined as adding stress greater than your body is accustomed to. Overtraining is a term that is used to describe both the process of excessive training and the resulting condition of “staleness” or “burnout.” Overtraining is a serious condition that results …more »
Does Caffeine Help You Cruise — or Crash?
May 12, 2015Written by By Donna Marlor, BSN, RD, CSSD (published from our archives) I had just finished a 10k. Just finished. Face still red and flushed, sweat on my forehead, sensations heightened. My ears picked up a voice in the crowd calling for my attention: “What do you think about drinking coffee before a race?” Huh? Still in a post-race endorphin-dazed state, I mumbled something about being a regular coffee drinker when the second question came. “Did …more »
How to Be A Swim Animal: Open Water Swim Preparation for Triathletes
May 6, 2015By Guila Muir, Swim Excursion Leader, Say Yes! to Life Swims LLC ANIMAL (Definition): The highest compliment you can give an open-water swimmer. Do you dread the swim portion of your upcoming triathlon? Are you training in a pool, even though you know (intellectually!) that triathlon swimming is totally different? The only effective way to train for an open water swim is to train in the open water. A pool cannot simulate open water conditions, …more »
Maximize Your Training
April 2, 2015Sometimes life gets in the way of training and there are only so many hours in a day. Given all that you have on your plate, how do you maximize your time while training for a race? From tempos to fartleks to long distance runs, and even weight or cross training, what takes priority and how should you divide up your limited training time? Your end goal is the greatest factor in determining how to …more »
From Walking to Running
March 24, 2015“Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.” – Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion Looking at Newton’s First Law of Motion, one can conclude that a couch potato will remain a couch potato unless he or she is motivated to change. Likewise, it is safe to assume that a person who only walks will never truly experience the …more »
Can Healthy Fats Improve Performance?
March 18, 2015Endurance athletes are always looking for ways to maximize their energy. Traditionally, the emphasis for fueling exercise has been on carbohydrates, and for good reason. Who hasn’t been in a race and felt the beast of a bonk about to take over when, with shaking hands, you ripped open a package of energy gel, squeezed, and, oh my gosh, power surge. You’re off! Unlike carbohydrate, fat does not raise blood sugar, and for the most …more »
