Share Your Passion

      Over Easter break one of my family members asked how my training was going. I replied with an answer that I did not really want to share, but honesty is the best policy. After being out for a month and a half with an injury I am feeling that my training is a bit slower than I would like. I also am suffering from a bit of burn-out with triathlon. My brother's girl friend responded with,"You can't always be into it." True, no matter how much we love something it seems to come in waves or phases. So how do we get back on track and focus on what we really love if we are tired of it?
     The positive part of sharing my burn-out is that it opened a door for me to figure out how to not feel that way any longer. One of the ways to get back on track for me has been to talk about and share my passion with other people. Remembering that relationships can grow and develop, as a result of any passion, is what I needed to focus on to bring me back.
     I started teaching swim lessons again a few months back, and that is something that has helped me develop that love again for that third of the sport of triathlon. Sharing my gift of being a decent swimmer has brought me so much joy and renewal to the sport. Talking with parents and seeing children brighten when they are able to master a skill has left me feeling that my purpose is a balance between competing and teaching.
    The other way that I have been able to share my passion is through another class that I am teaching at Lifetime Fitness in Cary, NC. The class is a masters/triathlon swimming class for adults. Here I am really able to help people that are new to the sport understand all the mechanics of swimming and beyond. Feeling needed is very rewarding and seeing adults improve on something is even more rewarding. Through teaching, I have been inspired to continue with my own training and know that I must practice what I preach if I am going to be a good teacher. Sharing my passion is holding me accountable to my training log.
      I have just about a week before my first event. I am feeling stronger and more inspired to go out and do my best. This race isn't about time, but more about the journey it has taken me to get to the starting line.
     The best advice has come from our Parish Priest, Father David. He speaks often of how it is not so much about what we do as human beings, but how we do it. Sharing our gifts will take us far and give us more than we thought possible.

Tri-On!
Kelly

My Quest for the Perfect Goggle

     Lately, I've been on a mission to find a pair of swimming goggles that do not leave a mark under my eyes. I love what swimming does for my mind and body, but after an hour or so in the pool I'm left with less than attractive gouges under my eyes. Comments from my kids like, "Mom, you look tired," have left my usual confident self feeling anything but confident. I remember in high school it was a status symbol having goggle marks, it meant you were a member of a very elite group called the swimmers. As a forty something, the last thing I want is another mark under the eye area that could equate to bags or wrinkles. Vanity is the devil's number one sin... still.
     I've gotten some advice/comments from a few Face Book friends like, "Don't swim anymore," or, "I have the same problem. Let me know if you find any that don't leave a mark." I visited a website and found some promising info about TYR Swedish type goggles. The goggles were advertised as having a softer gasket around the eye area, and that these type fit smaller faces and don't leak. Sounded like just what I was looking for so I immediately went to Dick's Sporting Goods to purchase some. I tried them out for a few swims only to be disappointed because they left red marks that seemed worse than my original Speedo Hydrospecs, and I had problems with them fogging up and leaking. Back to the drawing board. I took them back to Dick's.
     I decided to call in the big boys and go to a specialty triathlon store in town called, Inside Out Sports. They offer one stop shopping for all of your triathlon needs. If they couldn't help me with this problem, no one could. I called before going over and explained my goggle dilemma. The salesman was very nice on the phone and said his wife has the same problem."She swims at lunch time and used to have the marks well into dinner, but has discovered a new type of goggle which they carry in their store," he explained.
     I rushed over to the store and the salesman took me to the wall of goggles. He selected a type called the Kayenne by Aqua Sphere. The goggles were a bit over sized for my taste, but promised all the things I was looking for like, anti fogging, stabilizing nose bridge, hydrodynamic microframe made of hypoallergenic Softeril. Sounded great to me. These babies should do the trick I thought to myself, and priced at $24.99 they'd better deliver. I left the store happy as a lark.
     I couldn't wait to try these new found goggles out. After teaching lessons, and then swimming my own workout I had spent several hours in the water. I also wear goggles while I am teaching swimming because I wear contact lenses. After a morning in the pool, I had huge triangular marks on my face that lasted all day. Not only were the marks deeper, but they were bigger because of the oversize shape of the goggle.
     Frustrated, I returned the Kayenne's to Inside Out Sports. They were very understanding- as long as you have a receipt. So I opted for Aqua Sphere's Kaiman's. The salesperson explained these type offer all the other features of the Kayenne, but these are more designed for women as they are smaller. Okay. These babies were gonna fix me right up! I left a happy customer once again. As I left the salesperson called behind me," You might not want to tighten them so much." Thanks for the advice, as if I hadn't heard that one before.
     Same old story. The Kaiman's left under eye marks as well. I did like these a bit more than the Kayenne's though as the marks were smaller. Those type were $18.99 so back I went to get a refund.
     Long story short I have a bag full of goggles. I went back to Dick's Sporting Goods and tried some other types of Speedo goggles as these have always been a staple in my gym bag and worked pretty well(except for the marks). The main thing I am looking for are goggles that provide a good seal, don't leak, don't fog, and don't change my peripheral vision- some of the larger, mask type goggles can alter peripheral vision, in my opinion.
     I tried Speedo GCG adult goggles and I have to admit on a scale of one to ten these were about a 7. Not bad. They provided all the things I was looking for with one exception, they left a dark red mark under my eyes that lasted a few hours after my swim, I ended up returning these
      I also tried Speedo Vanquisher for women goggles and I still have these in my bag. The Vanquisher seems to fog up on me, but the marks left are minimal and seem to go away after a few hours. I hate the fogging, but the mark thing is better with these.
     Bottom line here is that all of the goggles I have tried left some type of mark. No surprise, I guess after swimming for over thirty years I already knew that my quest for the perfect goggle was not something that was going to be a reality. Persistence is a quality that can haunt you.
     I'm back using my old tried and true. Speedo Hydrospec's Junior. They are actually for kids, but they seem to work best for me, mark and all. I have loosened the strap a bit these days and that seems to help with the gouges under my eyes.
     I decided rather than fighting the under eye marks, I would embrace them. If someone asks," Are you tired?" My response will be,"Not at all. I swam over a mile today and I feel great! The darn goggles leave an under eye mark." I figure bragging rights should be allowed after spending all that time in the pool.

Tri-On!
Kelly

Baby Steps

     Have you ever seen the movie,"What About Bob?" Bill Murray, plays Bob Wiley, a man with many psychosomatic disorders. Bob goes to see his psychiatrist, but is pawned off on another doctor in the practice named Dr. Leo Marvin (played by Richard Dreyfuss). Dr. Marvin offers his new book called Baby Steps to Bob as a cure for his phobias. The book's main idea is that by taking small steps each day you can improve your life. Bob is agoraphobic, and has trouble leaving places sometimes. Dr. Marvin,"baby steps," him out of his office before leaving for a month long vacation with his family. The story continues with Murray(Bob) following the family while they are on vacation.

     "Baby Steps," is exactly where I am right now with my training. After a tailbone injury, I have started adding land workouts back into my routine, but it's a slow, steady process. I've been doing small increments of  running on pavement and trails to rebuild what I have lost over the last month or so. The good news is that water workouts, like swimming, and running on the underwater treadmill by HydroWorx, have kept my aerobic fitness level where it needs to be. Still, it's different running on land, and my body is taking a while to adjust back to land workouts.
     Fartlek workouts have helped with my land training. These are interval sessions, done at about 60-80% intensity. They can be done anywhere. I have a trail right in my backyard so I run there, but fartlek can be done on a regular treadmill, HydroWorx treadmill, or track. I warm up with a mile to mile and half of easy running. Then I take walking breaks in between my intervals. For example, after my warm up, I run for about 4 minutes at about 60% intensity. Next, I walk for a minute and run another four minute increment at a higher percentage. Each interval is followed by a 30 second to minute rest before I start the next run. You can have fun with these and mix it up anyway you wish, with whatever intensity you wish. Once you reach the allotted mileage or time, be sure to cool down with some easy running or easy walking.
      I am not running for long distances, but rather,"baby stepping," back into running shape on land. After all, I didn't go out and run six miles when I first started running. Conversely, after an injury, I want to protect myself from getting hurt again. Small intervals of running at moderate intensity are a great way to get back into the game.
     Fartlek can really help with speed too. Once I am pain free and able to do a bit higher mileage, the fartlek method can be used by increasing  intensity and decreasing rest periods. One of the great benefits of this method is that it can be adapted to the needs of an individual, and it develops aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels. Many fartlek workouts include hill work which can be especially tough.
     My first race of the season is in April, and to quote part of  Robert Frost's, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," But I have promises to keep , And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep..."

Tri- On,
Kelly

What About Bob.mov You Tube

Spice It Up

    " You are what you eat from your head down to your feet." Remember Time for Timer?  I've always believed in this statement and was lucky enough to learn this at an early age. Food provides us with nutrition, but did you know herbs have some wonderful benefits as well?
      Lately, I have been dealing with an injury, and part of healing that is taking some anti-inflammatory medicine. The problem with Advil or any of the over the counter meds is that they have side effects, which over time can wreak havoc on your insides. My biggest problem with Ibuprofen is that it is not easy on my already sensitive stomach. I started investigating some more natural approaches to battling inflammation and discovered that adding some herbs to my diet can help.
     Centuries ago herbs were used medicinally and for good reason. The seven best herbs to use, according to Dr. Wendy Bazilion, are oregano, rosemary, thyme, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, and curry. Most of us have at least a few of these, if not all, right in our pantries. The spices, when added to our favorite recipes, can provide an antioxidant boost to our diets. Bazilion who recently wrote, SuperFoods RX Diet, writes about the importance of adding herbs to get health benefits.
     Blueberries and pomegranate are," super foods," that are discussed in the book, but did you know that one half of a teaspoon of cinnamon added to your favorite fruit or coffee can give you the same amount of antioxidants as a half a cup of blueberries or pomegranate? Antioxidants work to neutralize free radicals or unstable molecules linked to the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's. While nothing beats a fresh cup of blueberries, sometimes it isn't readily available, so reach for some cinnamon to get some of the same benefits.
     Oregano is another herb that most of us have in our cupboards. Did you know that adding a half of a teaspoon of this to your favorite food can have as much of an antioxidant boost as three ounces of almonds, and a half a cup of asparagus?  Oregano contains rosmarinac acid, an antimicrobial property that has been shown to fight the growth of bacteria and  parasites. Again, I think that nothing beats the real thing, but adding herbs to your already favorite foods can really boost the nutrition and add flavor.
     Ginger is a spice that has many healing properties. With my recent injury, I was looking for something to aid my inflammation, and I read that ginger, contains gingerol, an anti-inflammatory. Research has shown that gingerol  can reduce muscle fatigue and soreness due to intense exercise. Ginger was used centuries ago as a natural way to aid distressed stomachs. Bingo, by adding ginger to your stir fry veggies or chicken dishes, could really make a difference in your recovery after a hard workout, or aid in repairing an injury.
     Turmeric is another great spice. Turmeric's deep yellow color is a result of a compound called curcumin. Curcumin has been linked to having anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric, which also has curry blended in it, has as many antioxidants in it as a cup of red grapes.
     I think it is worth adding more of these wonderful spices to your repertoire, if nothing else it will add color and flavor to your dishes, but think of the health benefits as well. As my mother-in-law has often said," I would rather pay the grocer than the doctor or pharmacist."Load up on fresh foods and herbs, and reap the benefits of a healthy waistline and good health.

Tri-On Friends,
Kelly   

For more info on spices check out http://www.mccormick.com/spicesforhealth

 Time for Timer: You are What You Eat via You Tube

Tri A Swim Workout

     About three weeks ago, I slipped down some wet stairs in my ski boots, and bruised my tailbone. The good news is that I had an x-ray last week and it is not broken, whew! The bad news is, that it's a bit sore. What's an injured triathlete to do that can't run or bike?  Practice what I preach about the power of water, and add more water workouts. I can still run in the water. The water is a perfect place to work out and rehab at the same time. In this post, I'll share one of my swim workouts.
    First tip, if you have an injured tailbone, is to not flip turn when doing laps. The motion from somersaulting on your back and pushing off the wall can cause excruciating pain.  A simple, two handed turn, off the wall will do. Ignore your inner swim coach and wait until the area is pain free.
     Second tip, again if you are experiencing this injury, is to go easy on the kicking sets. Depending on how bruised the area is, kicking freestyle with a board could aggravate the area further. The muscles around the tailbone area are over compensating for the injury. My first swim workout back, I did very little kick. This type of injury really requires you to listen to your body. A good rule- if something is causing pain while you do it, stop. Take it from me, I've had my share of injuries, and if you push too hard, too soon, you can increase the longevity of the injury.
     Otherwise, the doc said swimming is absolutely fine, even encouraged with something like a bruised tailbone, because swimming has no impact. Below is a swim work-out that I have done the last couple of weeks. Again, no flip turning, and you can add or take away from the kick sets, depending on if you are injured or not.

                   Warm Up
Easy 500 yards. Concentrate on long arm strokes and breathing every 3rd stroke.

                    Pull Set
These are done with a pull buoy- great if your back area is injured, and great if it is not too.This works your arms and your lung capacity. Hypoxic means training with little oxygen.
4x200 yds (800 yds.) Concentrate on elongating your stroke and hypoxic breathing- first 200 is every 3rd stroke you breathe, second 200 is every 5th stroke, 3rd 200 every 7th stroke, last 200 every 3rd.
         
                   Kick Set( if it is not causing pain from an injury)
   4x100(400 yds)
   100 free kick
   100 breast kick
   100 free
   100 breast

                 Main Set
4x100(400)
Alternate 100's with freestyle and breaststroke
Rest only 10 seconds in between each 100, breathing every 3rd bilateral( on both sides)

               Cool Down
Swim an easy 200 freestyle
Total yds=2300 yds.

     This is a great swim workout( injured or not). You can always tailor this to your needs, by adding more or taking some away. Also, be careful when doing the hypoxic part, if you are not used to little breathing then that needs to be built up. I don't want anyone passing out during a workout.

Tri- On Friends,
Kelly

The Power of H2O

     Last weekend my family and I took a ski trip to the mountains of North Carolina. A mountain called Beech provided us with plenty of east coast skiing, even with all the warm weather. Sunday we ventured to another mountain, just six miles from Beech, called Sugar Mountain, where we skied comfortably in the high 30 degree sunny weather. December and January are months where I tend to spend more family time and take a little break from my usual triathlon training. Soon, I will be gearing up for my first race in April, but it is fun to switch the focus every now and then, and while downhill skiing is not the same as swimming, biking, and running, it is still an activity I love.
     Sunday turned out to be our best day skiing; bright sun and cooperative temperatures provided an enjoyable day; that is until I slid down some cement steps in my ski boots and bruised my tailbone. Ouch!
     I was able to rehab a bit Sunday night in the cabin's hot tub, but my mind was on the HydroWorx pool. I was miles away from being able to use it and I realized at that moment how much it really works. The hot tub was an okay alternative, but what I was missing was the attachment that the HydroWorx pool has that enables the user to blast water at an intense rate onto sore areas of the body. I kept trying to position myself on the hot tub jet, only to find myself frustrated, as I couldn't get the right angle.
     Last year, I had a sore knee and was able to run on the HydroWorx underwater treadmill and recover rapidly. I would recommend that land athletes try more water workouts. At one point or another we all have some type of injury or ailment and the power of exercising in water is amazing because you are virtually getting no impact on your joints and muscles.

    The HydroWorx pools are mainly found in physical therapy offices. Professional and college sports teams have access to the pools too, but even a YMCA in Randolph, NJ now has three of the portable X80 underwater treadmills in their facility. Featured recently in the news, the YMCA provided a boot camp class using the underwater treadmills as part of the workout, where participants rotated to different stations in a warm therapy pool. The workout was killer as they incorporated running, biking, and the use of exercise balls in a non-impact environment. This YMCA recognized that the HydorWorx equipment provides an excellent workout. Soon, I 'm sure we'll see more of the treadmills in gyms around the country. The fact that you can rehab and get a great workout without the stress is a key selling point of their products . Look for more of these classes and equipment at your local gym. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jCQGNdnpBI

Check out this cool video of the Randolph Bootcamp with the underwater treadmills.

Tri- On,
Kelly

Merry New Year; My Mom Sophia's Tips for Fitness

     During the holidays I took a little time away from writing, but now with the new year already under way I am back in full swing. Like most people I have a list of  New Year's Resolutions. This post is about sharing some realistic secrets( namely my mom's) in hopes to help my readers attain their weight loss and fitness goals for 2012.

     Weight loss and eating better are some very common resolutions for 2012. I just had a conversation with a friend recently and she was explaining how she quits drinking alcohol each January, gives up heavy carbohydrates, and makes a menu plan for her family. Great ideas. Like my friend, I do many of those things also, after a month of eating mashed potatoes and stuffing with every meal, it is time to tweak my eating habits.
     As a triathlete I am always looking for ways to lose weight and stay on track with my training, but I wanted to share with you some realistic ways to get fit, even if you are not a triathlete. I said in my last post that you can't look at diet and exercise as a goal per say. Diet and exercise are a lifestyle and you need to commit to making that part of your everyday routine. How the heck is that an attainable goal for 2012? I promise it is simple. I want to share a story with you about my own mom.
     My mom is an inspiration to me. Is she a triathlete too? No. Is she a runner? Nope. Is she a swimmer? No again. So how is it that she has never had a weight problem and she has never even entered a gym? That is right, she wouldn't have any idea what to do if she entered a gym. She is 65 years old and has maintained the same weight for many years. When people see her they think she is my sister. Admittedly, that kind of irritates me sometimes, but overall I am super proud of her.
     So how does she stay in shape and maintain her weight without a fancy gym or personal trainer? Simple, she stays active by walking her dog ever day. She lives in Northeastern Ohio where the winters are tough, yet even in the dead of winter she bundles up and out she goes with her white Scotty named Beamer, after her favorite car a BMW- I know, don't ask, but off she goes for a walk each and every day for at least a half an hour. She is getting some great cardio without all the impact.
     When we were little kids my mom used to pack us up and take us to Summit Mall in Akron, Ohio. It would be the dead of winter and pitch black outside and off we would go to walk around the mall. I remember that she would walk really fast around the mall and not even go into the stores sometimes. This was back in the late seventies before walking became a craze. I realize now that there are many walking clubs that meet at the local mall, but Mom was doing it well before it was en vogue. She has always been ahead of her time and the speed walking was something that she did regularly. My brothers and I thought she was crazy, but in fact she was really smart; she got her exercise for free, walking the mall in the dead of Ohio winters. She walked so fast that my brothers and I had to do a slow jog to keep up with her. When the weather broke she went outside for her walk, recruiting many of our neighbors.
     The craze today is buying anything local, especially produce. I know a group of moms who started a business called The Produce Box here in Cary, NC, where you can have local produce delivered to your door. Mom was going to local farms many years ago before it was a trendy thing to do. She would talk to my friends about the,"Organic tomatoes that were less acidic," and they would look at her like she was a kook. One of my old boyfriends coined my mom as a hippy and did not understand what,"organic," even meant. Again this was back in the early eighties when she got into the," all natural phase." She always told my brothers and I that we needed to load up our plates with fruits and veggies and slack off on the meat.
     I'll never forgot the day my mom sat us down as a family to announce that we were going to change our eating habits. She had started going to the local farmers market to get all of our produce and she said one night after dinner,"Kids I have an announcement to make." Whenever my mother made an announcement we looked on in horror because as I said she was always ahead of her time and none of our friends parents were anything like her. It took many years for me to appreciate my mom's quirkiness and appreciate what she was advising. At any rate she continued with her announcement that we were going to,"eat a lot less meat." My brothers and I literally cried. After all we loved our hamburgers, steaks and pork chops. A life with less meat, in our opinions, was a life not worth living.
     She continued with her speech that we would ,"load," our plates with healthy fruits and veggies that she got at the local farmers market and that we would still eat meat but just a little less and incorporate more fish into our diets. The reason was that meat was too expensive, but also that it caused,"carcinogens," that would,"pollute," our bodies. I learned about cancer well before most kids, but again Mom was ahead of her time. Most of her information came from women's magazines, but it turned out that Mom was right.
     Another,"fitness tip," that I learned from my mom was to stay moving all day long. So many of us sit in front of a computer for work or in an office. Mom never sat down when we were growing up. She was always moving around. As a housewife she was constantly running the vacuum, doing laundry, or picking up something that my brothers and I had left lying around. The point is that she was always in motion doing everyday activites. Yard work was another thing. How many of us now have lawn services or cleaning services to help us? Rake your own yard and clean your own house and you will burn calories and save money. Get your family in on the action of cleaning and yard work too if time is a factor. If you sit at a computer put on a headset and walk around your office. You'll burn more calories standing then sitting and it's good for your circulation to move around.
     Mom was always involved with us growing up. She would volunteer at school and help out with all our parties. Usually she'd show up in some mini skirt and leopard shirt, which would totally mortify us. As with everything else, she was also ahead of her time regarding fashion. The point is that even though it was embarrassing that my mom showed up with a short skirt on, the cool part is that she could actually fit into a little skirt when most of the other moms could not. Her routine of eating healthy, speed walking the mall, and constantly moving around our house has kept her fit and,"hot," into her sixties. Now that is inspirational and totally realistic. So you don't have to run a marathon in 2012 or even do a triathlon. Just get moving every day and I promise you'll see results.

Happy New Year and Tri-On,
Kelly


My mom Sophia with my boys Bryce and Nicholas