Greetings!
With Thanksgiving just past, I'd like to take the time to reflect on how thankful Scott and I are for all the quality coaches and clients we get to work with every year. We just finished up our annual Wenzel Coach Summit a few weekends ago, where all attendees come out of our seminars energized to work with their clients and goals. Whether your goal is a healthier heart or to go to Le Tour, you all make our job rewarding. Our best wishes to you and your family during the holidays!
This issue we bring to you some sports psych around those off-camber 'cross turns just in time for many State Championships and Nationals. Also check out our yearly holiday survival guide as well as new coach John Forbes from Lake Oswego, Oregon -- a multi-time champion swimmer as well as experienced triathlete and racing cyclist.
As always there are the Tip of the Month, Resource and Quote of the
Month as well as Client Successes. Send your feedback to newsletter@wenzelcoaching.com.
Happy Training!
~ Kendra Wenzel, Scott Saifer, and the Staff of Wenzel Coaching |
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Resource of the Month: Wenzel Coaching Exercises on YouTube
 Videos of the Wenzel
Coaching strength exercises are now available on YouTube. Check out what the
gym strength exercises are supposed to look like. As always, ask your coach if
you have specific questions about any of the exercises.
Check It Out>>>>>The
websites found in the "Resource of the Month" are in no way associated
with Wenzel Coaching and we are not responsible for any information
they contain.
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New Coach Profile: John Forbes of Portland, OR
 Wenzel Coaching would like
to welcome new Coach John Forbes of Portland, Oregon. John has been a
competitive cyclist for the past 16 years. He has finished 11 Ironman distance
triathlons and earned numerous podium finishes in master's competition in
Oregon's competitive racing scene. John is also a professional bike fitter and
has expertise in adjusting riding positions to alleviate knee, hip and foot
pain.
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Training Tip of the Month: Riding in Winter Weather
When
the rain and snow fall, motivation for outdoor training can drop, and very few
people are enthusiastic enough for indoor training to really enjoy all the
hours they should be getting. What to do?
First, remember that nasty weather is
your friend: When the weather is nice, all your competitors are getting their
hours, just like you. Nasty weather on the other hand means that some of your
competitors are slacking. It's your chance to leap ahead of them if you can
stay consistent with your training.
Second, get out there and do it: There is
no cycling clothing available that will really keep you dry in heavy rain, but
if you layer up enough, you can still be warm. The key in very cold weather is
to cover every square inch of skin, and then add thickness where needed to keep
warm. Invest in fleece tights, gloves and boots. For riding in packed snow, use
a MTB. On ice, use studded tires. In the dark, use lights. Other than deep
powder snow, there is no road condition that can't be ridden on a normal bike
with simple modifications. If you live somewhere that has deep powder snow,
cross train with skis or snow shoes, or, if you think you are really hard core,
take a look at how the Alaska Iditabike riders set up their bikes.
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Quote of the Month
"Losers quit when they're tired. Winners quit when they've won."
~Author Unknown
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Featured Article: Holiday Survival Guide
by Head Coach Kendra Wenzel
By popular demand, and by protest from some who'd rather not behave during the holidays, we bring back our annual Surviving the Holidays eating primer. Enjoy! (but not too much...)
I did it again.... Last Thursday on Thanksgiving I already ate too much, and then I repeated with leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and pumpkin pie, and
wine, and possibly not in that exact order of excess. I felt a little guilty about it, and then the struggle was over. Or is it a struggle? It all depends on my
goals. So, what is the secret to surviving with holidays with your nutrition goals intact?
The first advice above
all is to have clear goals, even short range ones, that are meaningful for you to reach. You
can talk about moderation all you want, but if you can't see the clear
path to your goals, you won't likely stay on any path that heads
toward them. Make them specific. And you may not believe that a coach
is about to say this, but
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Client Successes - 7 Victories, 18 top-3's and 1 personal record!
Coach Rich Cramer
-1st at the OBRA State Championship CX, Men 50+
-1st at Cross Crusade PIR, Men 50+
Wendy Stredwick
-1st place 3 weeks in a row at the Inland Northwest
Cyclocross Series, Women B
Isaiah Rapko
-1st place in 5 CX Races in the Bay Area Super Prestige Series,
Men B
Travis Monroe
-1st at the MFG Series Race #6 Woodland Park GP, Cat 3 Men
-2nd at the MFG Series Race #5 King
County Cross, Cat 3 Men
-2nd at Washington State CX Championships, Cat 3 Men
Kari Studley
-1st at the Single Speed CX World Championship, Women A
-3rd at Jingle Cross #2, Elite Women
Erika Krumpelman
-1st at the Northwest Cyclocross Series #6, Women
A
-2nd at the Inland Northwest Cyclocross
Series #7, Women A
Cindy Freed
-2nd in the MFG Cross Race Series, Masters Women
Coach Jenni Gaertner
-2nd at the MFG Series Race #6
Woodland Park GP, Women A
-3rd at Rolling Thunder Cyclocross, Cat 1/2/3 Women
Tim Butler
-2nd at Cross Crusade PIR, Men 35+ A
Trevor O'Neal
-2nd at Cross Crusade PIR, Men B
Sue Butler
-1st at Kruger's Crossing CX, Women A
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Wenzel Coaching thanks you for your business!
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Sports Psychology Q&A: Fear of Slick Turns
by Expert K.C. Wilder
Q. I've
been primarily a road racer all of my cycling life, but recently
I've taken on the second love of cyclocross. I can keep up no problem on
the flats and hills and even over the barriers, but when it comes to
slippery off-camber turns, I'm hopeless. I watch others ride so much
quicker through them, I know it's possible to go much faster than I do.
What can I do mentally to conquer my fear of these
turns?
A. What a great question. How does one get past the fear of taking a spill in a cyclocross (CX) race? First of all, most novice and elite racers may experience a similar fear. The key is to accept that ...
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More Client Successes
Lesley Galloway
-3rd place at the Santa
Rosa CX, Women B
John Wilson
-3rd at Cross Crusade
PIR, Men 50+
-3rd at the OBRA State
CX Championship,
Men 50+
Coach Ron Castia
-17th overall at Ruta
de los
Conquistadores,
Master Men B
Trevor O'Neal
-Upgrades to OBRA
CX Category A in only
his second
year of
racing
Tim Kibler
-5th at the Woodlawn
Park GP, Cat 4 Men
Anne-Marie Alderson
-Runs her fastest half
marathon since
2006
and places in the top
50% overall
Josh Smith
-Has lost 50 pounds in
3 months and has
gained a ton of energy
and confidence
Missing your results?
We do our best to publish all the results we receive, but if we don't know what you did, we can't tell the world about it. Did you have recent results that we didn't publish already? If so, please send them to our newsletter editors. We publish top-3 in any event, completion of endurance events, top-5 in national events, any substantial goal reached (weight lost, training pace increased, personal best for a course...) | |
