Exciting News for 2016 - Freeplay Magazine

I am so excited for the 2016 season to start already and now I have more good news to share. I have been selected as an ambassador for Freeplay Magazine! Team Freeplay is a team of elite and sub elite women focused on endurance running and triathlon. There are ten ladies on the racing team out of California and another five of us ambassadors added this year from all over to help spread awareness of the team and magazine. Head on over to freeplaymagazine.com to check out this awesome publication that is completely devoted to endurance sports for women. You can also visit www.teamfreeplay.com. My information should be live on the team site after January 1.

The team includes some pretty amazing female athletes. From 2:50 marathoners to Kona Qualifiers, you can read more about the new 2016 team and ambassadors here. I am looking forward to getting to know these fast ladies and hopefully picking up some guidance on how to improve myself.

Two out of Three Ain't Bad - New Coach & Trainer Moving Along

The last time I posted I described the start of my journey to my first 140.6 triathlon. Well, I am happy to say that I am off and running with my new coach & personal trainer! So two of the three things I need to do to be successful for this goal are in place. Now I just need to work on that third item...the nutritionist.

Last week I had my first meeting with my coach Sean Gilbert, a very nice guy from the Cleveland/Akron area that coaches some very capable and accomplished athletes. Sean has a very laid-back personality and I am excited to work with him this season to meet my goal of completing the 140.6 as well as other 2012 season goals including increased performance all-around. Sunday night Sean sent me my weekly schedule of training through Training Peaks and we talked about the workouts and schedule. Inevitably there were some things that wouldn't work into my schedule this week but I am doing my best to follow the training. Nevertheless, I am excited to move ahead week to week and progress in my running, biking, swimming and overall core strength as I prepare for the 2012 season with Team Rev3, Revolution3 Triathlon's national age group team.

Tuesday night this week I met with my new personal trainer Will Hanson. Will owns a great studio in Beachwood called Aspire Fitness. He is a very nice guy and a good athlete as well. I can tell he really knows his stuff and is passionate about what he does. My  husband Steve will be training with me over the next several months so we are both jazzed about making strides in our fitness as we work with Will on enhancing our power.

Next up is this whole nutrition piece. I've never done a full iron-distance race before but I know nutrition is key to training and having a successful race day performance. My goals are to be lean and mean. I will be working on this some with my coach, trainer and others. I just ordered a couple of books on Vegan eating and weight management for triathletes. I will be sure to write a post in the next few weeks on this topic alone with what I have learned and am leaning towards. When I brought up the nutrition topic on Facebook this week, I was shocked at the amount of response people had. Clearly nutrition is on the minds of many people, not just triathletes.

That's where I am right now in the journey. Stay tuned for the nutrition update!

Cross-train Workouts for Increased Results & Better Health

Human beings are creatures of habit. We thrive on routine. We find something we like such as running, cycling, swimming or yoga and we stick with it.  For a number of years all I did was run. I ran 5-7 days a week and did nothing else. I was frequently injured and never really sculpted my abs or arms. Sure I was skinny but was I healthy? Probably not.

Today I still run more than anything but I train for multi-sport events and also make sure to integrate core workouts including vinyassa yoga, pilates, kettlebell and weights into my weekly routine.  When life gets crazy I can always squeeze in a quick 30-60 min core workout at home or a quick run.  So can you.  Since I have become a multi-sport athlete I have noticed a couple of things improve. First, I am injured far less than when I was running alone. Second, my body composition has changed such that I have more muscle mass and definition. And lastly, I just feel better. I don't have the burn-out that I used to feel with focusing on running alone.

I encourage you to cross-train to enjoy the same benefits I have realized. I promise you will not lose effectiveness at your sport of choice but rather increase your overall fitness level and sport of choice as well! You can start this week by adding one different work-out to your routine. Do that once a week and you'll be on your way to a better, healthier you!

Where Are You Going?

As summer comes to a close and fall gently knocks at your doorstep, have you asked yourself where you are going?

Maybe you're getting ready for a fall marathon or marathons or your last outdoor triathlon of the season...and that's awesome! But what comes next? What's your plan for the fall and winter? Do you hibernate? Or will you adapt your training to the changing weather conditions and push on racing through the cold, snowy days and forging through to the spring sprints or marathons?

This will be my second year of serious year-round training. No longer do I "take it easy in the winter". Not that there is anything wrong with that approach, it's just that for me I have no desire to stop or lose endurance, which we all know takes time to build.

So I'm curious. Where are you going? What is your plan for the colder months? How will you stay in shape and if you're an endurance athlete, how will you maintain your fitness especially through the laborious months of Jan-March?