Start of season

Sun protection should be a year round thing, but especially in the spring and summer months.  My favorite sunblock is the Neutrongena Sport Face and the Sport for body.  Another good defense against the sun when riding or running are arm coolers... similar to this.  Of course sunglasses and hats are smart to wear as well.

This is a good time of the year to get in for lactate testing.  Call your local facility to get your zones dialed in for the season.  Also, now is a good time to get a tune up on your bike and if there's any issues you are having on rides to get a custom fit.  Have a gait analysis done, with the season just starting it's not too late to get this in.  Getting in with a dietitian to have your RMR and body fat measured will help to dial in your race nutrition.

Go through and inventory all your tri items.  Spring clean your tri gear.  Inventory your training and race clothes, see how worn your running shoes are, check to see if any of your nutrition products are low or expired, check the wear on your swim suits, are your goggles falling apart, etc.

Now is the time to finalize your race schedule and start registering for races if you haven't already signed up for them.  A lot of races fill up quickly.  Some you have to register for a full year in advance.  Many races are now offering race registration insurance.  Buy it!!!!  You never know what could happen especially when you have to register for a race so far in advance.

This is also a good time to go over your annual training plan or if you have a coach meet with them and go over it.  See if you have any changes you want to make before the season really starts.  It makes things easier for you and the coach if there aren't a lot of intentional changes to the plan during the season.

If you are new to triathlon, find some tri groups close to you.  Great way to find training partners and find out the best places to swim, bike, and run.  Also, you can pick other athletes' brains about favorite races.

Cheers to a great race season!!

Happy training,
Coach Angy

Marathon season

Welcome to marathon season!  I hope everyone's training and first races are going well!  Adding foam rolling to your training routine on a regular basis really helps with recovery.  Also, there is talk of tart cherry juice aiding in recovery.  It's mainly the anti-oxidants from the cherries.

Here's a link to the no meat athlete's blog, he tested it out.

http://www.nomeatathlete.com/tart-cherries-results/

I have one race under my belt for the run season so far.  I tried something new (for me) and didn't wear my Garmin and wore a stop watch instead to keep track of my miles.  I wanted to see how truly dependent on my Garmin I am to pace myself.  Well… I found out fairly dependent.  My goal for this training season is to not depend on my watch so much.  Do you train with a gps watch?  Do you use it more as a guide or do you depend on it for pacing?

Happy training!!

Food and training energy sources

I have been using Tailwind for about a year now.  It's my go to training nutrition.  It's all I take with me.   Before a long workout I estimate how many calories I'll burn and bring about 100-200 less of that amount in Tailwind with me.  It dissolves even in cold water quickly.  I have tried all of their flavors and love every one of them.  If I had to pick a favorite I think it would be the plain or orange.

I received this book for my birthday…

Feed Zone Portables

I've tried the pizza rolls… yum!  And made the blueberry and also the cherry chocolate sticky balls.  Yum yum!!  I usually just use Tailwind on long workouts, but I think I'm going to try the sticky balls on my long run this weekend.  I'm really looking forward to it! They are sweet but salty and it's like having a dessert on your run.  :)

I haven't tried the recipes below yet, but they look like a very tasty and refreshing way to recover after a workout.

Frozen Treats to Keep You Cool

We are about halfway through the triathlon season.  I hope everyone is having a great season so far!!

Happy Training!
Coach Angy

The Woodlands Marathon

Coach and Mary both did The Woodlands half marathon a couple of weeks ago. The start of the race was about 70 degrees with 100% humidity. Not your ideal conditions. Both Aloha Multisport athlete toughed it out and had a good race! Coach had a PR and Mary had a very strong race!!

On another note about 2-3 months ago I switched up my long run and race day nutrition. Instead of using gels, salt tablets (for warmer days), and water I now only use Tailwind Endurance Fuel. It's organic and I can mix multiple scoops in a bottle without it being too sweet or the flavor being too strong. It makes things so much easier just carrying that on my fuel belt. I usually carry a few fuel belt bottles of Tailwind and at least one bottle of water for my long runs.

Happy training!

Houston Marathon

What a beautiful day in Houston today!!  We don't get many days with weather like this.  Great day for a marathon!

Speaking of… Congratulations to Mary for beating her goal time by about 5 minutes and having a PR at the half today!!  Way to go girl!!  I'm so very proud of you!!

Tis the season for traveling...

A lot of people find it hard to stick with their training schedules while traveling.  Especially when visiting family, understandably so.  Be realistic with yourself about how much training you will be able to get in.  Try to schedule your travel around a down week if you have a big race coming up.  To keep up with your strength and core here is a good article by Erik Taylor on active.com.

Circuit Workouts for Runners Who Travel

by Erik Taylor

Traveling can take a toll on your fitness routine: Different climates, bad food, hotel rooms and lackluster workout accommodations can prevent you from logging miles on the road or time in the gym. If you plan ahead, however, you can make things easier and keep your fitness on track while you're on the road.

There are some effective indoor workouts you can do if you're unable to run while you're out of town, all you need is a jump rope and a smart phone or watch.

For some of these workouts, you may want to download a tabata app. Tabata is a form of interval training, where you perform an exercise at a high intensity for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest, for eight rounds. For an added challenge, you can extend the eight rounds to 32 rounds.

Another great workout is eccentric training, which is the lowering phase of an exercise. For example, when you perform a push-up, lower your body to the floor as slowly as you can. When you reach the floor, hold for three seconds and then return to the starting position.

These workouts shouldn't take more than 35 to 45 minutes including the warm-up and cooldown.

WARM-UP

• Run or jump rope for 2 to 4 minutes
• 10 Air Squats
• 10 Arm Circles, forward and backward
• 20 Lunges (10 on each leg)
• 5 to 10 Push-ups
• Frankensteins (10 kicks with each leg)

More: 7 Running Drills to Warm Up the Right Way

COOLDOWN

• Walk 2 to 4 minutes
• 5 to 10 minutes of static stretching

These workouts should be done in a circuit; do each exercise consecutively without taking a break.

WORKOUT #1

• 10 Air Squats
• 10 Push-ups
• 10 Sit-ups
• 10 Lunges
• 1 minute Plank
• Rest for 30 seconds

Repeat the circuit 5 to 10 times and then cool down.

More: Skip Away the Pounds: 10-Minute Jump Rope Workout

WORKOUT #2

• 1 minute Jump Rope
• 10 Burpees
• 1 minute Jump Rope
• 10 Squats
• 1 minute Jump Rope
• 10 Sit-ups
• 1 minute rest

Repeat the circuit 5 to 10 times, then cool down for five minutes.

More: Blast Fat With This 30-Minute Interval Workout

WORKOUT #3 (TABATA 32 ROUNDS)

Set your tabata timer to repeat, 32 times for 20 seconds.

Do each exercise for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds before moving on to the next move.

• Jump Rope
• Squats
• Plank
• Lunges

Rest for 10 seconds, then repeat the sequence eight times.

Depending on your fitness level and the amount of time you have, you can do the 32 rounds twice, take a two-minute break and repeat.

More: 11 But-Kicking Tabata Exercises

WORKOUT #4 (TABATA 8 ROUNDS)

Complete each move for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds before moving on to the next exercise.

• Burpees
• Mountain Climbers
• Sit-ups
• Jump Squats

Repeat the sequence and then rest. If time permits, do 16 rounds with a short break after the initial eight rounds.

Cool down for five minutes

More: Video: How to Do Squat Jumps

WORKOUT #5

Set your timer for 12 to 15 minutes. The goal of this workout is to try not to take breaks. See how many times you can get through all the rounds.

• 30 Lunges
• 15 Push-ups
• 1 minute Jump Rope
• 30-second Plank or 15 Sit-ups

Repeat the circuit until the timer reaches zero.

WORKOUT #6 (ECCENTRIC)

During this workout, remember to lower your body to the floor as slowly as possible.

• 5 Squats, hold for 3 seconds at the bottom
• 5 Sit-ups, hold for 3 seconds before you touch the floor
• 5 Push-ups, hold for 3 seconds at the bottom
• Rest 30 to 60 seconds
Repeat the circuit 4 to 6 times, then cool down for five minutes.

More: 8 Tips to Squeeze Your Runs in When You Travel

http://www.active.com/a3_articles/20815f53-0e60-4bf9-86d9-00eeb09df864/1?page=1

Great race weekend

Congratulations Lauri on a first place finish at the Bridgeland 10k Turkey Trot!!  Way to go!!!!