There are a few people, who in a moment of delirium decided to sign up for a late winter or spring Ironman. If you’re from this beautiful[ly frozen] state of Minnesota, you’re obviously not racing here. But perhaps you’re planning on heading south… 70.3 San Juan (Mar. 18th), Ironman Cozumel (Nov. 27th), Rev3 Costa Rica (Mar. 17th), Australia Ironman (Dec. 4th), 70.3 California (Mar 31st. OK, that’s west.)… you’ve got options. With a race of this distance – a half or a full – you can guarantee you will spend a significant number of winter hours working out!

Time in the saddle will be a requirement whether you like it or not, and after the pro’s and con’s of indoor riding, you might even be a little excited to get on the trainer! If excited isn’t the first word that came to mind though, going into your longer workouts with a plan can definitely help pass the time.

Here are a couple trainer workouts I’ve used (and enjoyed) for some of the longer rides. Keep in mind that if you’re going to be in the saddle for 3 hours or more, your goal probably isn’t to push anaerobic intervals. The focus is more to stay consistent and to continue workout throughout the course of the entire ride.

5 x 0:30

Total time: 2 hours 30 min Pretty simply, 5 thirty minute chunks.

0:00 – 0:30 Warm up: Get the blood flowing. If you’re starting off just spinning easy, you will probably want to gear down one or two by the end of the 30 minutes. For simplifying the explanation, we’ll call the gear you end your warm up at the “base gear.”

0:30 – 1:00 Stacks: Climbing up, and climbing back down. Starting in the base gear, shift one gear down at 5 minutes. Shift down again at 10. Down again at 15. Shift up at 20. Shift up at 25. This last gear will finish your 30! And you are now done with… only an hour.

1:00 – 1:30 Intervals: Don’t be intimidated. These are not (/should not be) anaerobic intervals… especially considering you still have an hour and a half to ride. 5 minutes in the base gear, followed by 5 minutes one gear harder. Repeat two times to finish out the 30 minutes.

1:30 – 2:00 Climb: Starting with the base gear, shift one gear down (the “harder” direction) every 10 minutes.

2:00 – 3:00 Cool it down. Same protocol (only backwards) as the first 30 minutes. Keep your cadence the same, but you might want to shift up one.

The Football Workout

Total time: depends on what game you’re watching

First things first, pick a team. 150% more fun with a buddy, who is cheering for the other team.

Use the first quarter as your warm up. For the rest of the game:

Your team is on offense = zone 3

Your team is on defense = zone 2

Half time = zone 2

Kicks = 30 second sprint

Commercials = standing climb

Spinervals Hard Core 100

Total time: as short as you want to 5+ hours

I know you’re shaking your head right now. Don’t knock it until you try it. “If done at a speed of around 18 mph, experienced cyclists can ride over 100 miles, simulating an actual Century Training Ride!” You can check out a preview of the video on their website.

The Tivo Tres

Total Time: 3 hours

Three hours of any of your favorite 1 hour show. I actually don’t have Tivo, but life is a little more fun with alliteration. I’ve currently been catching up on nip/tuck, but have watched pretty much the entire history of House MD and The West Wing. For these, I try to stay within zone 2 – zone 3, with a standing 1 minute every 10 minutes. Set your watch on 10 minute intervals for a reminder.

I’m not sure what that face means… other than I feel like I just got off a horse. First 3 hour indoor ride of the season! Hopefully some of these ideas will help get you through your next long ride stuck indoors.

Reader Qs:

Have you ever trained through the winter for a spring Ironman or long race? If you have any trainer workouts or ideas you use, please pass them on!!

-E

1 // MACCA. Chris McCormack. Two-time Ironman World champ. Wheeties box. Yeah… that Macca. He’ll be racing in the U.S.’s first ever TriStar111, which is right here in good ol’ Minnesota. The showdown is this Saturday (August 27th) in Maple Grove at Weaver Lake Park, but Chris McCormack will also be over at Urban Tri on Thursday (Aug. 25th) night from 5:30 – 7:00 for a book signing!!! There will be a limited number (~100) of copies of his new book (“I’m Here to Win”), cold drinks, and chances to win sweet goodies like the Ironman edition Yurbudz. PLUS if you haven’t had the chance yet to check out Urban Tri, you’re killing two birds with one stone. AWESOME shop!! Be there, or be square. More details can be found on Urban Tri’s news page.

2 // I recently took on a little blogging project for the College of Education and Human Development and the Kinesiology department. I know I have some younger readers just entering college, and several have asked about Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Sports Medicine, the U of MN, etc. Please feel free to check out my U of MN and don’t ever hesitate to ask questions!! Last year I had a girl come with me for a day of practice, classes, and work (HI KRISTEN!) and she is now a ‘U student’ and planning her degree to eventually enter the Doctor of Physical Therapy program!! You can find my UMN blog HERE.

3 // And last but certainly not least, the GIVEAWAY!! Yeah… I know this is the one you were really looking for. A legitimate Tried It Tuesday review will be coming later, but I thought we’d get to the fun (or more fun) part first. Up for grabs is a pair of SWEET Vital Sox arm warmers. <— See awkward photo at left. I want to say the temperature was about 60° when we started that ride. My core temperature overheats easily, but the circulation to my extremities still sucks. Hence the sports bra / arm warmers combination. Or the sports bra / gloves combination that you could likely see me running in around mid October. ANYWAYS, point of story is that the arm warmers rocked. Did their job… never felt too hot, too cold, and more importantly never slipped down my arms. And I can’t forget – big thank you to GEAR Running Store for providing these for the giveaway!! They’re the greatest.

WAYS TO WIN THE VITAL SOX ARM WAMRERS:

Each of the following options below counts as “one” entry. You can do just one of the following, or you can do all of them to up your chances. Please leave a separate comment for each thing you do! Giveaway closes one week from today (Wednesday, Aug. 31st) at midnight central time.

1. Medical Mondays are by far my favorite posts, but I put probably a little too much time into them which is why they don’t go up as often. What is a sports medicine/injury/physiology/etc. topic you’d like covered on a Medical Monday? Leave a comment.
2. “Like” GEAR Running Store on facebook, or check out their store website and tell me something you learned. (For the record, I don’t actually recall ever saying my quoted tagline on the “People” page…) Leave a comment.
3. Tweet it (make sure to include @SperlyTriRunner) . Share the link on facebook. Or link the giveaway on your blog. Easy access from the “Share This” links below! Leave a comment.

My papabear is currently visiting from Philly, the SUN is shining, and we’re headed out for coffee. Over n’ out!

-E

[Disclaimer - if you don't like needles, there is a needle picture coming! It's teeny tiny though. And no blood.]

(Marking nerve landmarks. Please ignore unfortunate/awkward position of the hand.) Last week I had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of an EMG, or Electromyography. That E_G sequence may look familiar to you, as in ECG (electrocardiogram), EEG (electroencephalogram), EKG (same as ECG). An electrocardiogram is for monitoring your heart, and an electroencephalogram for picking up electrical activity of the brain. (Question for you Dr. Greg or anyone else who can answer… why is an EMG -graphy, and ECG and EEG are -gram?)

So then, what is an EMG?

An EMG, or electromyography, is a diagnostic test used to evaluate the health and functioning of motor neurons and the muscles they stimulate. You can use electrodes placed on the surface of the skin to detect or transmit electrical signals, and/or you can do a needle EMG, in which case a needle is placed directly into the muscle and records electrical activity. I was fortunate enough to do BOTH, because really, who doesn’t want to be shocked and skewered by their doctor?

The electrodes were moved around as he shocked different nerves. A made-me-jump shock at my elbow felt like a finger tap on the medial side of my palm. Hmmmm….)

Your doctor may order an EMG if you are experiencing tingling, numbness, loss of motor control, weakness, pain, or cramping. An EMG may be used for preliminary testing for muscular dystrophy, polymyositis, myasthenia gravis, carpal tunnel syndrome, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or a herniated disk in the spine. Putting my sarcasm aside for a minute – I am very thankful that I have none of these are my diagnosis, and honestly and deeply do appreciate my health.

A neurologist typically reads the graphs/charts created during the EMG, and will go over it with your doctor, who will go over it with YOU. There are really only two outcomes: normal tells you you’re fine, but doesn’t solve the question/issue you were trying to solve by doing an EMG in the first place… and abnormal tells you you have more testing to do.

And that, my friends, is more than I’m sure you ever wanted to know about electromyography.

(Needle EMG! It was honestly the size of an acupuncture needle… teeny!) If you’re wondering why I was getting an EMG in the first place, it’s a long story that I’m about to make really short. A couple Sundays ago, I was in the middle of a pull set (in the pool) when I realized water was flooding through my left hand. No matter how hard I focused on it, I couldn’t keep the fingers on my left hand together. I was only about 1,000m into the workout, and it was a pretty easy swim to begin with, so I was reasonably frustrated and confused. (Imagine trying to kayak with a paddle full of holes!!) No pain, just weakness and lack of motor control. If you have ever come in from a winter run and you can’t coax your fingers to turn a door key or untie a shoelace, that’s exactly how my fingers felt (/feel). Fortunately, I already had an appointment scheduled with my sports med doc anyways for later that week, so I was able to get in and get her (doctor’s) opinion relatively quickly.

However, the issue is still not resolved, as I haven’t been able to successfully swim more than 1000m before losing strength in my left hand. (I know – cry me a river. But even if you don’t love swimming, you’d probably miss it too if you’re used to swimming on a regular schedule!) It’s mostly affecting the extensors and the pinky and ring finger, which to me sounds like an impinged ulnar nerve. The person reading the EMG had the same consensus, and now, I think, it’s just a waiting game.

Reader Qs:

Have you ever had an EMG, ECG, or EEG? If so, why was it ordered, and what did it show?

See … Mondays aren’t really so bad. You get to learn something new, and you don’t even need to sit through a whole semester of PHAR 5201! Make the start of the week a good one!

-E

It has been way too long since the last Tried It Tuesday… and not because there are a lack of products to review!! There are a a handful stacked in the “draft/to finish” pile, including my hands-down favorite ever (so far) running shoe, some compression wear, and more on the hydration. (It’s supposed to be 100° on Thursday – gotta keep those fluids going!)

But on THIS particular Tuesday, the review is in, and we’re talking about Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes Fizz.

While this is not a brand new product (I think they came out ~October, 2010), they’re new to me. What took me so long to try them? Well, it just so happens that there’s a very similar product I happen to like a lot. Rhymes with the word moon, comes in flavors like kola (which others have likened to “armpit”, but I think is delicious. Bigger question – why do you know what armpit tastes like?), is linked right over there (—-> glance page upper right), and was featured in Train On Top Volume 4: Hydration. You know the saying – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – which is why I have been a little hesitant to make the jump when I have something that works so well for me already.

But then there’s that other saying - Never be afraid to try something new. Amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic. – (or something like that… ) so I decided to give them a shot. Below you will find my review on Hammer Nutrition’s Endurolyte Fizz tablets, as well as a comparison between the Endurolytes Fizz and Nuun’s Electrolyte Enhanced Drink Tabs.

According to the Hammer Nutrition blog, the Endurolyte Fizz tabs were one of the products to take the longest from a nice idea to a finished, fully functional hydration/electrolyte choice. Obstacles to overcome were taste, the chemical stability and breakdown, as well as combining everything into a product that gives you a bang for your buck. Regarding the economics, I’ll quote the Hammer Blog so you can see what they had to say:

Endurolytes Fizz is economical as well, with 13 effervescent tablets in each tube—not 10 to 12, like some of the others—at a cost of $6.50 per tube, or 50 cents per tablet. One of the reasons why Endurolytes Fizz costs less is that, unlike other effervescent electrolyte products, it doesn’t contain inconsequential amounts of vitamins or other nutrients, which only serve to increase the price. Instead, you get the full-spectrum electrolytic mineral support that you need, along with adequate amounts of auxiliary nutrients, just like you do with Endurolytes capsules or powder, but without the hefty price tag. Compare Endurolytes Fizz to the competition and you’ll see that you’re saving a lot of money!

Originally available in Grapefruit, Mango, and Lemon-Lime, the Endurolyte Fizz’s also now come in Peach. I’ve had the joy of trying all the different flavors, and according to my personal tastes I would rank them (from best to worst) as follows: Grapefruit > Lemon-Lime > Peach > Mango.

I will admit that I pretty much hate mangos, in any shape or form, so you may want to disregard that last ranking and just try it for yourself! I felt that all of the flavors were subtle – not overwhelming your water bottle or sickly sweet – in what I believe leads to a drink that’s crisp and refreshing, rather than something that tastes like juice. The “fizz” component of Endurolytes Fizz was also pretty mild, which I appreciated because no one likes bubbles up their nose during a 40 minute threshold interval. Each Endurolyte Fizz tablet is said to contain just 10 calories, <1g carbohydrate, a $#!&ton of Vitamin B6 and Maganese, 200mg sodium, 100mg potassium, and 50 mg magnesium. (See nutrition label at left.)

LIKES: I like the subtlety of the fizz and flavor. I like that you get a bonus tablets (13 in Hammer, vs. 12 in Nuun), and I really like the Grapefruit flavor!! I also like that this is a [practically] calorie / carb free product. As I explained in the HYDRATION issue of Train On Top, I like to be able to control the amount of extra energy I need (depending on the length/intensity of the workout) by adding my own magic to the mix.

DISLIKES: There are only four flavors, and I really dislike one of them (coughmangocough). I know Hammer touts the affordability of these little tabs, but at $6.50 a tube (or 50 cents/tablet), I guess I dont’ feel that it’s worth quite that much. (You could by 34.2 bananas at Trader Joe’s for $6.50.) Nor is it any more affordable than “the other” product. That “bonus” tablet doesn’t really seem like a bonus anymore once you realize both products cost $0.50/tab, and the product with 13 tabs instead of 12 costs $0.50 more. Doh!

How about a little Nuun vs. Hammer throw down? Lets look at just the facts:

Nuun flavors: banana, fruit punch, lemon lime, tropical, kona kola, orange, citrus fruit, tri berry, grape, lemon tea, strawberry lemonade
Endurolytes flavors: lemon-lime, peach, grapefruit, mango

Nuun tablets per tube: 12
Endurolytes tablets per tube: 13

Nuun cost per tube / tablet: $6.00 / $0.50
Endurolytes cost per tube / tablet: $6.50 / $0.50

And the less objective measures….

Nuun flavor intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 7
Endurolyte flavor intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 4

Nuun fizz intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 7
Endurolyte fizz intensity (scale of 1-10, 10 being highest): 4

Nuun flavor options: 11 choices. My favorites = Citrus Fruit, followed by Kona Kola. Least favorite = Tri-Berry*
Endurolytes flavor options: 4 choices. My favorite = Grapefruit. My least favorite = Mango
*I have not tried several of Nuun’s new flavors, including Lemon Tea, Grape, Raspberry Lemonade, or Tropical, so can’t give a fair opinion on those. Nor can I be held responsible if you try them and think they taste like “armpit.”

FINAL GRADE: I’d give the Hammer Endurolyte Fizz tablets a B. The three factors bringing the grade down are 1) cost, 2) limited flavor options, and 3) the Mango. Ick.

But the score that really matters (to Hammer at least) is the amount sold. After all, a business is a business and they need to make a profit. Good, solid products typically have no problem selling! It is up to YOU to decide that for yourself, so if you’re curious about these little electrolytning fizzy drink tabs, I’d suggest you give them a try!

Reader Qs:

Have you tried the Endurolyte Fizz tabs? What did you think? Which was your favorite? Do you use electrolyte products like these during your workouts or racing? Do you have a different favorite drink product I haven’t talked about yet? I’m definitely open to other reviews!

Take care amigos,
-E

I’ll tell you what it looks like to me – a healthy, happy, solid right tibia. Which sounds about right… I had a pain-free, speedy 5K on Tuesday the 24th (May), and any tibial pain I was feeling a while ago seems to be gone. (**NOTE** That’s not my leg. The CD from my radiologist doesn’t work on a MAC?! Grrr….)

So then at my doctors appointment last Thursday the 26th, why did my doctor order no running or elliptical for three weeks?

STRESS REACTION.

While I wouldn’t wish a stress fracture on anyone, I’m sure there are quite a few of you out there reading and shaking your head with sadness because you too are familiar with this diagnosis. Stress fractures are in the top 5 most common injuries reported by runners, and have been said to account for up to half of the skeletal injuries reported by military recruits. Contributing factors to stress fractures commonly cited include: age, sex, lean body mass, low bone mineral density, low body weight, late onset of menarche, history of stress fractures, disordered eating, and low dietary calcium intake. However, conclusive evidence regarding the pathophisiology and epidemiology of stress fractures is “lacking” considering many studies are short term and use a small population sample. Nonetheless, the one common thread seems to be participation in repetitive, weight-bearing activity. (1) Oh, hey running!

(Nov. 2008 – femoral neck fracture) So what exactly is a stress fracture? A tiny crack in the bone, resulting from repetitive stress or loading. Often caused by doing “too much, too soon” (coughcough 10% rule!), weakened bones (osteoporosis, osteopenia), sex (women, especially with a history of amenorrhea or oligomenorrhea), and faulty biomechanics (leg length discrepancies, heavy heal strikes, etc.). Presents with pain, swelling, tenderness in a specific spot (the “hot spot”), increases in these symptoms with activity and decreases with rest, and earlier onset of these symptoms with each successive exercise bout or workout. Typical treatment is every athlete’s most dreaded prescription – rest. And possibly crutches or the boot of doom. (2)

A stress reaction then, in short, is the precursor to all of this. You are toeing the dangerous line of developing a stress fracture, but haven’t gotten there quite yet. Which apparently, is the case with my left tibia.

Three weeks of no running was [IMO] certainly a conservative measure, but truthfully my running had become so sporadic at that point that I didn’t really care. Some days it was great, some days it hurt. The mandate of “no elliptical” was an attempt to remove any unnecessary loading on the bone and speed up the process of recovery, and the prescription to bike and swim my butt off was to any ounce of sanity left, not to mention not be disowned from my family (or fired from work) for grouchiness!

Following this three-week-reset I’m going in for a running analysis (Wednesday the 15th) and hopefully will develop a plan with my sports-med team to come back to running (and racing!) safely, and solidly. I’ve been doing all of my treatment for quite a while now at the Institute of Athletic Medicine, and I can say with 100% honesty (and zero persuasion) that I LOVE them. They are honest, direct, proactive, and do what needs to be done!

With a little insight from a couple close freinds/family, I’ve realized lately that ever since my hip surgery in December of 2008 I haven’t been quite the same person.  Aside from the cascade of injuries since that date, my “psychology has been off”. My highs aren’t as high, and my lows… well, they’re definitely more apparent. Everything I think of in my history is separated into a “then” (pre-surgery) and ”now” (post). So I finally asked my doctor lastlast Thursday,

Do you think I’ll ever go back to being a “real” runner again? Like the girl who just wakes up and runs out the door, and doesn’t think anything of it? Do you think I’ll ever be able to run another marathon?

And her response?

Yes. Absolutely. But will you be able to exclusively be a runner, and not do anything else? No.

Seeing as how I’m slightly invested in this triathlon thing, I guess I can roll with that. I’m not sure if her “yes” included being able to run marathons again or not, but for now I’ll just take things one step at a time.

(Manitou Tri – June 2010)  Regarding racing: my three-week hiatus unfortunately extends past June 12th, which is the date of the Manitou Triathlon. This is hands down one of my top three favorite Minnesota races, and “bummed” doesn’t exactly exemplify how I feel about missing it. My plan until my legs are race ready is to volunteer (and relay!!) my butt off. I’m definitely not ready to leave the Minnesota Tri community yet.

READER Qs:

Have you ever had a stress fracture, or a stress reaction? Any local readers racing Manitou?Anybody interested in a TRI RELAY!? What is your next race coming up? What is your favorite form of cross training when “on the mend”?

Take luck mis amigos (+1,000 if you know the reference!!!!),

-E

(1) Kelsey, J. L., Bachrach, L. K., Procter-Gray, E., Nieves, J., Greendale, G. A., Sowers, M., & … Cobb, K. L. (2007). Risk Factors for Stress Fracture among Young Female Cross-Country Runners. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 39(9), 1457-1463. doi: 10.1249/mss.0b013e318074e54b

(2) Mayo Clinic. (2010, December 7). Stress fractures. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-fractures/DS00556

HOWEVER, I felt the need to update quickly and say…

IT’S BRICK SEASON.

(Yes. I really did go outside and pull a brick out of our patio border just for the purpose of taking this photo. I think there’s a small animal in that 4th hole.)

((TWSS.))

(((So. Sorry. Had to.)))

Don’t know what a “BRICK” is (outside of the patio paving variety)? Handy. Here you go. This was by no means my first brick of the season. But it was definitely the first one that left me feeling somewhat like I could race again this year. Maybe. Here are the breakdowns:

Bike 20.4 miles – 1:02:13 (3:02/mile or 19.67 mph)
Run 5K –  0:21:24 (6:54/mile or 8.69 mph)

Given that this 20 mile loop is within the box of the city (read: has some slow traffic spots, like going under the bridge from Calhoun to Isles behind someone with a dog in their bike basket…) I will totally take a 19.67 mph average. The run? Not super impressive. But again, considering that quite recently I thought running and I had broken up for good, anything sub 7, even if it’s just barely, is enough to put a smile on my face. See it?

And because today is a Tuesday, meaning this should technically be a Tried It Tuesday, I have a review for you. On the Asics Sky Speeds.

(Only it will have to wait until this final is DONE… hahah I had to include the link somehow!)

I will in short say that I like ‘em. A lot. More than the Brooks Green Silence and more than the Asics DS Trainer. Could the Sky Speed really be “the one”?? Will have to wait for a conclusive answer on that one until the end of the racing season…

READER Qs:

For my triathletes, what’s your favorite brick workout? I know it breaks the order, but there is a certain swim/run wko that I LOVE and will be returning to the second my lake warms up enough to swim in! On the Tried It Tuesday note, are there any products anyone is curious about or would like to see reviewed here at DTR? Or any product category (rehab, compression, shoes, nutrition – you name it) in particular?

And finally, one word of advice:

Sweat in the eyes. It happens frequently, and aside from wearing a 80s-esque headband, all I can say is roll with it. Let your tear production kick in and rinse it out. Do not try to rub sweat out of your eye. It will most certainly fail. And if you are wearing contacts, you may fail as well by rubbing your lens out with still 3/4 mile to go. Just. Don’t. Do. It.

That is all!

-E

But that does confirm that: yes, I am still here. Possibly buried under a stack of PubMed articles and lab reports, but here none the less. I have had pretty much zero guilt or shame in admitting that the blog has been at the very bottom of “the list” this semester… that is until my amiga Betsy over at Earning My M-Dot called me out in one of her posts for slacking. And then Susan, my long lost friend in NY emailed me saying she was coming to Minneapolis and where the truck was my blog?

Guilt is a powerful emotion. Guilt about skipping that long ride because you were SPENT from being at the office till way late the night before. Guilt about not being cleared to play in your stupid 1-credit tennis class, when your doctor is clearing you to run as much as you please. (You’re a LINEAR athlete!! Don’t risk it for something so small!) Guilt that the Twins just lost 10-5 and yes I did just snap on someone unintentionally. (Oh… guilt that this was written last week and never hit publish? Twins won their last two games BTW.) Guilt that yes, that is a Costco sized box of Starbursts in my drawer. (Cheap, long ride fuel?!) And then it crept in – guilt from blog neglect.

I’ve still been reading though – I know that Julia went on a sick training trip, Betsy is planning (are you serious??) a freaking amazing racing/spectating trip, Steve is an overunder pronator and yes damnit we will ride soon, my teammate Matt posted a SOLID  race at Oceanside 70.3. I haven’t been able to post, but I’m definitely still reading!

ANYWAYS. Long story short, this is my life right now:

[ETA: we're back to the current date - April 19th.) There are a total of 16 days until my last class of the semester, and then ONE WEEK of finals with my Ex Phys exam on the last possible day – Friday May 13th (we can’t all be lucky) – and then I’m donnnnnne!!

Or at least done for 9 days until my May term class starts. Don’t feel too sorry for me – it’s PE 1012: Beginning Running. And my LAST PE course ever of my Kinesiological education. ( <- That’s the outcome of my degree. “Kinesiological.” Really?) I will, however, accept condolences from July 4th through August 4th when I’m sitting through 4 hours a day / 4 days a week / for 4 weeks of intensive Physics. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little…

Training? It’s going. I had probably the slowest ride of my life yesterday, but I’ve also had lots of great rides so I’ll write that one off as “one of those days” and move on. I’ve also been swimming consistently – 95% of which is contributed to having someone to consistently swim with! Running…? Not quite ready to comment on that one just yet. The racing season will be here in a blink of an eye though, so I better own up and take whatever I’ve got!

If you guys can just hang with me for sixteen more days… I promise my life will be about 75% less packed and stressful, and we can hang out like we used to back in the old days. In a shameless attempt to KEEP any readers that I may still have, I’m going to be posting a giveaway sometime this week, so make sure you check back! I have several to give away, and they rhyme with depression leaves. Only they have nothing to do with Prozac or botany.

Reader Qs:

Can I get a quick collective rundown from the people who are still out there – how is training going? What races do you have coming up? (I know a lot of you have already started competing – how did the 1st of the year go?) Any big trips – racing or otherwise – to look forward to this summer?

Train hard, train smart, train often!

-E

Being honest: of all the different Tried It Tuesday’s and product reviews I’ve done in a past… this one is going to be hard to beat in the future. Really hard.

CHICKED APPAREL:

The ladies behind You Got Chicked – Jennifer Martin and Gretchen Heim – are two powerful women. One a Physical Therapist, one an Art Director, both athletes, both very driven, and both very inspiring. The idea all began when one of the ladies’ cousin had to play on a males university team (because there wasn’t a team for women). She was chicking all the guys! One night designs were drawn up at a cabin… and shortly thereafter, You Just Got Chicked was born.

For those of you that are local, so is CHICKED! If your not local, don’t worry! Orders are being shipped all over the country, across the oceans, and empowering ladies all over the world. (I’m not kidding – you can find someone sporting the CHICKED apparel in Barcelona, Mexico City, England, Vancouver and more!) If you do happen to be local to the Twin Cities and want to try any of the items on to decide what you like the best (caution: it will likely be all of the items…) you can find the CHICKED apparel at Gear Running Store in Edina.

Gear Running Store // 4406 France Avenue South // Edina, MN 55410 // 952.926.2645

That’s all the necessary information about the company. My opinion might not be “necessary”, but it’s always nice to see the products on a real person/in use/in real life. How many times have you gotten a present from the UPS man, opened it up, and thought $#!&. That’s not what it looked like online….

Chicking all of MSP airport, Chicago, and Nebraska. Sorry for the cell phone picture – I wasn’t trying to wake up sleepy people on the airplane with my flash!

LS Black

SS White – Men’s

The pants are probably my favorite. If you haven’t met me in real life, you might not know that 87% of my wardrobe consists of “athletic” apparel. (Example: the above airplane photo.. I’m wearing my CHICKED tights, my Green Silence running shoes, my HTFU sweatshirt from back in my Boston days, and have my U of MN athletics backpack as my carry-on.)

LIKES: (I felt the need to tattoo my emotions… “Like” wasn’t strong enough of a word. [That is supposed to be a heart...])

1 // TECH.

Dear Races, I know it is not always within the budget to print on tech material. But I am running out of things to do with all these cotton shirts. That are quite honestly extra large for a “small”…

Sincerely, Dr. T.R.

2 // SIZING. As mentioned above, yes, unisex sizing (and shape) is great for saving money in the budget. But I do actually enjoy clothing that fits my body. XSW should stand for extra small – women’s. Not Extra Short and Wide. The ladies behind CHICKED were very aware of this issue, and I will say that items fit true to size. Currently, pants are printed on NIKE, and shirts are printed on NEW BALANCE, so if you know your size in those brands you’re good. Or again, if you’re local to the Twin Cities, you can try the items on at Gear Running Store to be sure.

3 // The message. If you’ve been here at Dr.TR for a while, you should know I’m all about empowering women. (Please come back for Thoughts on a Thursday this week for a little more on that matter…) The You Just Got Chicked apparel is not just for the elite “panty” running ladies at the front of the pack. “Getting Chicked” means being passed by a stronger woman athlete. “Traditionally” the phrase is referring to passing a guy, but you’re definitely “chicking” other ladies too. And no matter how slow you think you are, there is ALWAYS someone slower. So yes – you will always have “chicked” at least one person.

The CHICKED ladies also donate a portion of their proceeds to the Women’s Funding Network which works with over 165 networks and organizations empowering women around the world. Yep… they’re kinda a big deal.

DISLIKES: (Haha I know… my tattoo skills are mad. You can hire me any time.) There is really nothing negative I have to say. But

1 // No tank tops. YET! (I am one of those either SUPERhot or SUPERcold people, and for working out indoors, I wish I could have the tank tops now. I am also one of those notsopatient people, so I wish I could have the tank tops now. They will be ready for SUMMER for sure.)

2 // What about the señores of the world? Are we just going to leave them out of the fun? (Nope…. see last photo above!)

THE BOTTOM LINE…

I. ❤. This. Stuff. And I hope you do too. You can buy all of their items online (under the BUY GEAR!! tab ) or at Gear Running Store in Edina, MN. Keepin’ it simple with only two options. Oh wait… maybe a 3rd. Keep checkin in here on Dr. TriRunner and you could win your own CHICKED goodies!!

Reader Qs: What do you think of the CHICKED apparel? Anything you’d change? Any styles/cuts of clothes you’d like to see? I know they’d love any and all feedback!

And with that my friends… I am OUT. Ciao.

-E

The questions is usually phrased something like: “I’m just getting into [running, triathlons, etc.] and I signed up for my first race!! But I don’t know what to EAT before or during the race!! Any advice?” The answer to that question is SUPER individualized, and just because something works for me, or these other lovely athletes down below, does not necessarily mean it will work for you. But you never know until you try, and I think our “go-to”s will give you some good starting ground!

For more PRE-RAE PREP, aside from delicious // butt-kicker breakfasts, check out my post Train on Top Volume 4.1 – PRE RACES!!

Mom

@ No blog. She should though because she has some awesome artwork featuring Minneapolis photography for sale. If you’re interested, let me know!

1 // What races do you participate in?

I am no longer racing, but raced a lot in the ‘80s and ‘90s:  many Grandma’s and Twin Cities marathons; the Boston Marathon, Las Vegas Marathon, Houston Marathon, three marathons in Utah, Easy Street to Lake Street Half-Marathon, New Prague Half-Marathon, Hennepin Lake Classics, Edmund Fitzgerald relays, Melpomene 5K, Victory Memorial 10K, among many other races.

2 // Your stand-by pre-race fuel

My pre-race fuel was a peanut butter bagel and banana along with several energy gel packs during marathons.

Me!

@ Right here my friend…

1 // What races do you participate in?

I’ve been through it all… from the mile and two mile on the track, to XC, to triathlons, all the way up to the marathon.

2 // Your stand-by pre-race fuel

My “stand-by” has changed quite a bit over the years. There are definitely phases and kicks I’ve gone through…. though I wouldn’t follow my example of that season of high school XC where I thought candy corn was responsible for my kick (until I crashed and burned).

However, I will give the following recommendations:

1 // Coffee is not a question of if but of Mexican dark roast or Twin Cities Blend? 2 // [IMO] Slightly upping the carbs the week before a big race is a better idea than shoving your face with spaghetti the night before. Have a nice, balanced dinner, but nix the pasta party. 3 // Kona Kola Nuun is not only deliciously amazing (amazingly delicious??), but also a life saver. 4 // Twizzlers & Raisin Bran on the beach while waiting forever and a half for your wave to start is actually a pretty good idea… 5 // Agua, H2O, dihydrogen monoxide, oxygen (di-)hydride, mizu, WATER!! All week leading up to the race.

Jamie

@ SwimBikeRunLive

1 // What races do you participate in?

I participate primarily in triathlons, mostly half ironmans.

2 // Your stand-by pre-race fuel

My favorite pre-race breakfast is nothing special. I try to keep it pretty similar to what I normally eat in the morning. My pre race breakfast is usually a bowl of Frosted Flakes, a banana and some sports drink. My fav is First Endurance EFS. I will sip on a bottle when I get up and then another while setting up the transition area and waiting for the race to start. My stomach doesn’t like too much in it as soon as I get up, especially with pre-race butterflies flapping around, so I focus primarily on staying hydrated instead of chewing up solids.

Laura

@ Frayed Laces

1 // What races do you participate in?

I’ve raced just about everything, from 5ks to 50 mile ultras.  In years past I’ve been primarily a runner, but recently got into triathlon and just qualified for the Ironman world champs in Kona this year.

2 // Your stand-by pre-race fuel

I always have the same pre-race breakfast, no matter what the distance.  A few hours before the race I have a bowl of oatmeal with raisins, soy protein powder, and cinnamon.  I also have about 3 cups of coffee.  About 45 mins before the race start I’ll have a banana. I think the most important thing is to race using the same conditions you’ve trained with. I am not a fan of having a huge breakfast before a meal, as I don’t race well with a lot of food in my stomach.  I don’t even have a big dinner the night before.  Instead, if I have a major event (marathon, ultramarathon, half ironman, etc) I have a slightly larger than normal lunch, and then an early dinner.  During longer distance events I rely on keeping myself adequately fueled by taking in a steady supply of GU.

Lindsey & James Cotter

@ CotterCrunch & The Cotter Chronicles

James’ Race eats:

1 // What races do you participate in?

I compete in triahthlons professionally. Main races are half ironmans and a couple full ironmans per season

2 // Your stand-by pre-race fuel

Pre race fuel are usually oats or gluten free corn flakes. The wife makes me a small bowl of rolled oats and sticks them in the fridge overnight. In the morning she’ll had banana, cinnamon, honey, and maybe just a tad scoop of vanilla whey protein to mix in.

1 bottle of EFS by first endurance (an electrolyte drink) to take with breakfast and another bottle 45 minutes before race (sip on it in transition area while setting up). Then 15 minutes before race start I’ll take First Endurance Pre-Race powder (caffience stimulation powder) mixed with 4 oz of water.

Lindsays Eats:

1 // What races do you participate in?

No triathlons for me right now. Sold my bike and will get a new one later in the year. That being said, lots of Half marathons this summer/fall! WHOO HOO!

2 // Your stand-by pre-race fuel

I have a gluten intolerance and can’t handle much before a race so here’s what works for me before a half mary.

2 brown rice cakes (gluten free brand) with sun nut butter or almond butter, 1/2 banana, and honey on top. I sometimes add some sea salt crystals just to get some extra sodium in if its going to be a HOT HUMID race. Oh and COFFEE COFFEE is a must. I usually drink an electrolyte drink on the way to race sight (like EFS by first endurance). Then I during the race I make sure to have honey stingers with me. They are easy to chew and stick in my pocket. I alternate between gatorade and water for the majority of the race.

Post race (usually about 30 minutes after), I love CHOCOLATE MUSCLE MILK! The light kind is easy on my stomach because its lactose free and gluten free. I usually grab some fruit with it.  Its the perfect recovery fuel you can tag along with you to races.

READER Qs: What is YOUR “go-to” pre-race breakfast? Have you had any big breakfast blow-ups?

El fin.

Almost! If you haven’t noticed… I haven’t been posting much about my own training and pre-racing and racing hoo-ha lately. [I mean hoo-ha in the sense of "all that nonsense" or "all that business". Urban Dictionary might lead you astray....] And, that would be because I haven’t been racing. BUT, going by my last post, and my facebook photo, hopefully you all can see I’m still WORKING. There is a method to this madness, but a method where I’ve had to put my faith in God to follow. Not fe ciega mind you – although I’ll admit, I do have a bit of that – but guided faith. This is another one of my I’m so much smarter of an athlete now than I was then moments, and it feels RIGHT. Haha I didn’t say good, but it’s definitely right.

And speaking of good and right, there’s a company I want to make sure you guys know about. I say “make sure” because I had never heard of them until my girl Mrs. Frayed Laces enlightened me. And I’m SO glad she did! You can expect to hear more about them in the near future, but in the mean time, click on over to America’s Nutrition. Fair warning that you WILL want to fill you shopping cart, because they have something for EVERYONE. My “heavy lifters” … my marathon junkies … everyone. So fill your cart as you wish, but don’t hit check out just yet!!

[Muah ha ha!! What a tease.]

PEACE.

-E