FEATURES
Fitness & Healthfulness Are Not the Same Thing...
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Saturday, 07 May 2022 00:10
Photo - We couldn't find a photo that worked with this post, so we inserted this shot Chrissie Wellington's calves.
By Nancy Clark, MS, RD (beginnertriathlete.com)
Nutrition advice for those who run fast, bike far, but can't say no to cookies
As he indulged in a jumbo sugar-covered fried pastry, the runner unabashedly remarked, “I’m skinny; I can eat this.” Well, the truth is even skinny runners die suddenly of heart attacks and strokes. Heart disease is the number-one killer, ahead of cancer, and accounts for one in four deaths. No one can out-run a bad diet. While we’ve all heard let food be thy medicine, the latest dietary advice from the American Heart Association (AHA) focuses less on individual foods and nutrients (such as eggs, meat, fat, sodium) and more on lifestyle and lifelong dietary patterns. Given cardiovascular disease (CVD) starts in the womb, adopting heart-healthy eating patterns early and maintaining them...
Out With Your Old Stuff...
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Saturday, 30 April 2022 00:10
By Chris Foster (triathlete.com)
Triathlon is a sport of things. Even the most modest multisporter still needs at least goggles, a bike, a helmet, shoes, and a suit of some type—and each of those things often need other things just to keep them working. It goes without saying that we need a lot of new stuff to swim, bike, and run, and as such we generate a lot of old stuff. If only there was some type of big brother/big sister type program where we pass along our hand-me-downs to the next generation of equally sized-and-shaped triathletes. But alas, it’s not that simple.
The good news is that both independent companies and brands themselves are making it their business to help us either recycle or—better yet—upcycle our mountains of multisport stuff. Sure, it takes a little legwork, but you’ll feel good knowing that you’re not creating a landfill worth of tri gear, but rather passing along a legacy of tri to some lucky newbie. Read on for our guide. ...
Bring on the Smack Talk....
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Saturday, 23 April 2022 00:10
By Susan Lacke (triathlete.com)
My favorite part of last year’s Collins Cup was not seeing Taylor Knibb annihilate the competition on a road bike. It wasn’t Lionel Sanders’ thrilling comeback win after a mid-race bike crash. No, my favorite part of the Collins Cup was in the week leading up to the race, when world champ Jan Frodeno playfully threw a life raft into competitor Sam Long’s lane during a shakeout swim. It was hilarious, and I loved everything about it.
Smack talk is what makes the sports world go ‘round. If it wasn’t for Paula Newby-Fraser and Erin Baker’s vocal rivalry, we’d still think it was impossible for women to run the Ironman marathon without stopping. Chris “Macca” McCormack’s jawing spurred athletes like Craig “Crowie” Alexander to work harder to build a legacy that eclipsed Macca’s. Today, Sam Long and Lionel Sanders talk a big game and back it up with big performances. (They also hug it out at the finish line and make it a point to give each other kudos in post-race interviews. That’s what we do in triathlon.) ...
What Kind of Triathlon Finisher Are You?
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Saturday, 16 April 2022 00:10
By Adam Hill (triathlete.com)
Triathlon is an inherently silly sport. We dress up in spandex and punish ourselves through three events—not one, not two, but three. All for a shiny medal and the glory of the finish line.
Ah yes, the finish line. It’s what we train for, what we celebrate, and it can bring out the best in people. It can also bring out…other things. In that state of euphoria and exhaustion, unique quirks arise—some quirkier than others. There are almost as many different types of finishers as there are racers, but a few quirks float to the surface as the most common. Maybe I’m biased, since I’m guilty of many of these, but I don’t think we should be ashamed of our finish line foolishness. Instead, we should celebrate our uniqueness, and embrace the silliness of this sport we know and love. Declare loudly and proudly: Yes, I am a puker. ...
The Battle of the Carbs...
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Wednesday, 13 April 2022 00:10
By Cami Eckhoff
Fueling and hydration - this aspect of endurance training caught me by surprise last year. I guess you could say I learned the hard way. Migraines post race (all but 1), headaches after long training sessions, terrible side stitches during two of my races, didn’t go to the bathroom once during my half Ironman of 5 hours… can you say DEHYDRATED! It was my own battle of the carbs - I knew I needed them and was told approximately how many per hour for my long sessions and races but I was still skeptical of it and thought I would put on extra weight because of it, so I skimped on it and didn’t take time to learn what would work best for my body so I could maximize my time on the course. This 4th discipline of triathlon is just as important, so is the 5th, rest… but that’s for another day!
Now that I have a greater understanding of the science behind it and the importance of it from listening to many podcasts on fueling and hydration for endurance sports and working with my coach, there are general principles and guidelines to follow as well as a variety of ways to fuel (gels, chews, drinks, etc) and each athlete needs to figure out what works best for them...
