June 26
Rev3 Williamsburg, VA
June 29
5150 St. Louis, MO
July 13
Lifetime Fitness Minneapolis, MN
July 27 Giant Eagle 5150 Columbus, OH
August 8
Rev3 Wisconsin
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Greetings!
Welcome to the first issue of my newsletter, brought to you from sunny Tucson, Arizona where I am settled and training for my next race - Rev3 Williamsburg!
The move has been smooth for the most part, but I find myself already missing my family and friends. It is really weird being across the country from anyone close to me; however, I commited to making this change to become a better athlete. I am actually still operating mostly on east coast time to beat the heat! It is up at 5am everyday and on the road/trails by 6am. The terrain is challenging, the wind is strong, and the heat is on here in the desert. I am looking forward to toughening up a bit! |
May was a crazy month of racing, traveling, packing, and saying goodbyes. It started off with the 30th annual 5150 St. Anthony's triathlon in St. Petersburg. I had a disappointing race finishing in 12th place. I did my best and put that result behind me and focused on racing the next weekend at the Rev3 Knoxville event. I was able to overcome the cold wet conditions and finish the race in first place. There were very talented women in the race, including Mirinda Carfrae, Magali Tisseyre, and Radka Vodikova. The depth of the field made the win even more special and surprising. I then raced in the Kansas 5150 event. The race was turned into a bike/run because of the weather. I was disappointed because swimming is a strength of mine. Instead of being upset, I looked at it as an opportunity to race in less than ideal conditions. Once again, I was able to fight the negative thoughts in my head and come out with a victory. Finally, I raced in the 2nd round of the Lifetime Fitness series in Austin, TX. This was my fourth race in a row and not to mention I was in the middle of moving to Tucson, AZ. Mentally, I was drained leading up to the race. I ended up having an off day and ended up 5th on the day. I now need to decide what I will do for the remainder of the season. I am currently in 2nd in the Rev3 series, 2nd place in the Life Time Fitness series, and I should have enough points to compete in the HyVee triathlon. There is so much racing left in the season! Recent Race Reports: CapTex Tri || Kansas City 5150 || Rev3 Knoxville | REV3 Triathlon KNOXVILLE Pro Recap 2013 |
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Race Results
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5th | May 27 | Lifetime Fitness Captex Triathlon | 1st | May 19 | 5150 Kansas City, Kansas City, MO | 1st | May 5 | Rev3 Knoxville, TN | 12th | April 28 | 5150 St. Anthony's, St. Petersburg, FL | 3rd | April 7 | Lifetime Fitness Nautica South Beach Triathlon, Miami, FL | 5th | March 2 | Escape from Alcatraz, San Francisco, CA |
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Lauren's Kitchen - Beetrageous Smoothie
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Combine the following in a blender:
- 1 c of Biotta Beet juice
- � c almond milk
- � c water
- handful of frozen berries
- � frozen banana
- 1 generous scoop of peanut butter
- handful of spinach
- a few shakes of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 squeeze of honey
- 3-4 ice cubes (if you like a thicker smoothie)
There is a lot of research out there on why endurance athletes should consume beets. In short, beetroot juice widens blood vessels, reduces blood pressure and allows more blood flow into muscles reducing the amount of oxygen needed during activity. It is the nitrate that is abundant in the beetroot that is responsible. Dietary nitrate has been shown to lower blood pressure and by reducing the amount of oxygen needed during exercise it can enhance athletic performance.
I encourage anyone interested in getting that extra edge to start incorporating beets into their diets and follow up with their thoughts.
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Swim Workout: Increase Arm Turnover
I have found that pool speed does not always transfer over to open water speed. It has taken me a long time to figure this out, but the key to swimming fast in the open water is arm turnover. In the pool we are taught that distance per stroke is very important, and that the fewer strokes you take per lap the better. But in the open water, there are currents, chop, and drafting is permitted. I challenge everyone to focus on turning the arms over quicker and focusing less on the kick and see what happens.
A good set to ramp up the arm speed:
2x300 (1 swim, 1 pull)
8x25 sprint halfway/easy half way with :10 rest
4x100 band* + paddles with :15 rest
400 NO WALLS** tempo
4x50 band only
400 NO WALLS tempo
4x100 des 1-4 with #4 the fastest :15
400 NO WALLS tempo
300 easy
* A band can be made by knotting an old bike tube into a loop that is then put around the ankles to prevent any kicking at all
** NO WALLS - flip turn at the T on the bottom of the pool and use your core and arms to build momentum without pushing off the wall.
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Congratulations to my 100th newsletter subscriber and winner of the TYR giveaway package:
Danielle O'Dell
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