FEATURES
30-Minute Survival Workouts
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Friday, 12 December 2014 00:10
By Marty Gaal (usatriathlon.org)
Most of us will have days, and sometimes weeks, where life, work and family duties demand a lot of our time and energy. You might be traveling for work and engaged with clients from sunup to sundown; your children may be out of school and you need to keep them entertained while also logging 40-plus hours of work or your dog is sick and you can't leave her alone for too long. Let the fun begin!
Whatever the cause, you find yourself overwhelmed, stressed out and just generally unable to get much time to yourself. You might be tempted to just chuck all your training and sit on the couch in those few moments you do have to relax. But if you really are goal-oriented and in training for some big event down the road … don't give in.
This is where short workouts come in. I call them 30-minute survival workouts. Why? Because those 30-minute workouts will help your fitness survive until you have the wherewithal to get back out and about for your 'real' training sessions....
Random Semi-Important Stuff...
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Tuesday, 09 December 2014 06:10
- LAKE MINNETONKA TRIATHLON - We just heard from our good friend Ross Rogney (photo L with Steve Sander), who told us that his annual classic triathlon--Lake Minnetonka--is over half full already. Act quickly to get in, okay? We suspect that this race's "non-charlty" slots will fill within the next month. RACE WEBSITE
- NORTHWOODS TRIATHLON - Registration for our state's fastest-filling triathlon, Northwoods, will open on January 2 at 8-AM (ZapEvent.com). Last year, the event filled in less than 30-minutes. Also, Northwoods has a new webpage: LINK
- APPEAL TO RACE DIRECTORS - The MTN Guys want all of Minnesota's multisport events to prosper but various trends over the last five years have resulted in diminishing attendances. The trend that chaps our hienies the most has to do with scheduling because that's an area that can be changed. Over the last three seasons, there have been 8-9 weekends with 3, 5-or-more Saturday races followed by Sundays with no races. We believe that everyone would benefit from a better distribution of events. Yes, we understand that some races cannot be moved. For those directors who can be more flexible in their scheduling, we encourage them to consider moving their events to the least busy days on those weekends when a crowded, say, Sun. is preceded by a vacant Sun....
HL's Dream Bike Vacations...
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Monday, 08 December 2014 00:10
By Heather Lendway (heatherlendway.com)
It’s that time of year where I’m normally thinking about putting my tri schedule together for the year. Since I’m still waiting on some schedules to come out I decided to think about something completely different, my dream bike vacations. So far I’ve come up with four but feel free to comment and give me more ideas. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
1. Scotland
In 2011 I traveled to Europe for the first time. I took a train from London to Edinburgh and rented a car. I drove (on the left side of the road) from castle to castle, through the mountains and by lochs. It was beautiful, unfortunately while driving you can’t take in all the scenery as much as you’d like, I stopped plenty for photos but had I been on a bike I could have really taken it all in. I’d love to go back and ride the route I drove. Check out my map and some of the things I did capture on film in my gallery below.....
Getting Un-Crazy...
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Sunday, 07 December 2014 00:10
By Jene’ Shaw (triathlon.competitor.com)
Prepare for battle with a pre-race brain ‘audit.’
You’ve paid up to $700 to race—so why let your brain f@#k things up? This question from sports psychologist Dr. Simon Marshall, Ph.D., was the basis for the brain training program he developed to help athletes combat pre-race anxiety, appropriately titled “Calm the F@#k Down.”
From the stress of family drama to actual race execution, there’s a long list of issues that can leave you feeling a little crazy. You’re not, of course, but Marshall explains that you’re undergoing a temporary loss of equilibrium. The good news is with the help of external assistance using tools and skills you already have, you can return to a state of self-reliance in time to race your best.
Marshall, who is the husband and coaching partner of two-time XTERRA world champion Lesley Paterson, started with the principles of crisis intervention—or, in this case, “acute sport psychology intervention”—and came up with a program to address issues you may have leading into your biggest race.
For the six days before, Marshall will spend 15 minutes combating potential issues: distraction control for expo time, start-line visualizations, race checklists, final pep talks and more....
Stuff About Loving Your Body...
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Friday, 05 December 2014 00:10
(Photo - This pic of Hanna with her boyfood, Sean Cooley, and a random pig has nothing to do with this post. It's just a really cool shot.)
By Fit Gingersnap, aka (Hanna Grinaker)
There are several good reasons to make healthier choices, and I betcha you could name ten. For instance, we know that if we eat whole, clean, nutrient dense foods, we will feel better. We also know that exercise is powerful in terms of calming the mind and rejuvenating the body. And a side effect of following these guidelines will often be a reduction in weight–although one should never deny a massive plate of sweet potato fries on occasion. Through a healthy diet and regular exercise, our bodies will become slimmer, our sinewy muscles will start to pop, and belts for the jeans that at one time didn’t fit will become necessary. In theory, there is nothing wrong with wanting to transform our bodies into healthier, sexier versions of our former self.
But in reality, our reasons for wanting to lose weight — especially as women — stem much further than anything other than the physical results we see as a byproduct of this lifestyle. Oftentimes, our desire to lose weight is not out of self-love but fraught with self-hatred...
