It has been a whirlwind of a year.  Races, training, nursing injuries, openwater swim coaching and also working on our slide board class.  Check out our calendar for dates.  We will be starting our sessions again in January and they will run every Monday (Jan thru March / Oct thru Dec 2012) at 7:00 pm, Broadlands Community Center.  Since I am nursing a foot injury right now we have pulled December dates.  We look forward to seeing everyone in January and wish all Happy Holidays!

Experiences in life change with every moment of thought.  We have limitless thoughts,  and choices  about what these thoughts are about. Are they positive or negative?   Always choose to live a balanced and harmonious life.  Have peace remain in your heart at all times and express that peace in your day to day life.  Choose a positive life,  through your thoughts and actions.  These positive energies are what create your future outcome.

I have been a long distance runner for the past 14 yrs.  I was on the track team when I was in school and never was really taught how to run properly.  I have been very lucky in my life to have a neutral stride with very little effort.  If there is such a thing as little effort in running.  What I have learned over the years of running is to properly listen to my body and answer to its needs.  For the past year I have been training to become a Chi Running Instructor.  The philosophy within this technique speaks to me in many ways.  Not only the spiritual but also the approach.  I have also believed that we can make things much harder on ourselves than really necessary.  When we get our ego out of the mix and settle into excepting what comes our way, then everything is seamless.   As I have refined my technique in running I have found that many running shoes have not allowed my foot to truly feel the ground.  You probably have heard about or may even own Vibram sole shoes,  either the trail/ road or the five toe style.  I decided to go for a short run in the five toe style the other day and I was amazed at how freeing it felt.  As my foot lightly moved across the ground I could feel my connection with the ground energy.  I focused on nothing but my body and ease of running as my foot lightly moved across the ground.

I am still searching for a road shoe that is minimal enough that will give a bit of support and yet not so much that I can not feel my connection with the ground. Now,  these shoes are not the style you would put on and go out for a long run right away.  Always, always if you are thinking of going to a more minimal shoe should you start slowly and work towards this style and method of running.  Never start fast or you will create injury fast!  Running in a minimal shoe will work weak muscles in your foot that you forgot you had and needs a minimal approach at first.  Slowly work towards longer and faster runs.  This will allow those weak muscles to strengthen and hopefully cause no injuries.  Running in a minimal shoe will change the Bio Mechanics in a stride because it will be more like a bare foot and will allow the foot to do what it was mean't to naturally do.

Safe running to all and remember,  minimal is the key to a freeing experience!

 

I really enjoyed the Core Workout Class with Stephanie and Rob.  I am in training mode while nursing a hip injury.  This core class is low impact, but really gives you a great workout while using your core.  This class would definitely be beneficial to my training program since I lack core strength.

Mayra....Ashburn, Va

I recently returned from a solitary four day, 175 mile bike training camp on Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC.  The rides featured lots of elevation change, thick fog, cold rain, snow,  icy roads, 50 mph winds and temps ranging from 27 - 77 degrees.  When you are training alone it forces you to confront all of the conditions that make our sport a challenge.  While riding with friends is fun, try to shake up your routine and do a couple of long training sessions by yourself.  It will not only help you reconnect to yourself, but to your sport as well.

Life now a days seem so stressful, doesn't it?  Everything we do within our day involves some kind of added stress on top of what we are already dealing with.  Commuting, people, commuting,  people, all our daily chores are labeled with "Hurry up and wait Syndrome".  Tension builds, tempers flair and we all seem to be angry all the time.  Some more than others.

It is good to take a step back and think about our situations before we react to them. Having consideration for other people is a definite challenge when all we have in our thought process is "Negativity".  RAK, "Random Acts of Kindness" will promote positive feelings for both you and the person on the receiving end.  Opening a door for someone, letting someone in front of you in traffic, smiling at that neighbor that never seems to smile back, all are RAK.  It doesn't take a lot of effort, just a change in thought.

Think about how the mindset of people could change situations if we could just changed our thought process  toward one another and not to mention ourself.   So next time you react to a situation just ask yourself, are you living up to your own code of honor and integrity and is the outcome how you would want it to be if the shoe were on the other foot?

" Random Acts of kindness reassert the humanity within us all"

Exercise is a critical part of our  daily life.  Some how we have created a thought pattern that more is better. Planning a smart training schedule to accommodate all disciplines of triathlon is tricky enough with everything else we have to juggle on a day to day basis.  So we get up and rush to the gym at 5:30 am to participate in that spin class and then dash to work and try to squeeze in a run on your lunch break. After all why not?  You have an hour for lunch! You really only need 30 mins to eat and that you can do at your desk.  It saves time so you can  finish  work and  pick up your kids and drop them off at their sport.... you get my point.  We're in a daze from rushing and forget that with  our busy schedules we need to think about enough rest time too.  With the stress we apply to our bodies during training we need to allow our muscle tissue time to heal and grow stronger.  The rest phase is the most critical time for us to grow stronger.  "Doing more" , so to speak, only causes our muscles to break down and with the stress of our daily life, just adds fuel to the fire.  So find quiet time for your mind and  decrease your training schedule by 50% every 3 weeks.  This will be your growth time in many ways!  Train Smart, Train Safe and have fun!

One of the many challenges of regaining bike fitness is battling our infamous spring winds.  Rather than roll over or retreat to the basement try to embrace the opportunity of battling this strong opponent.  When the quiet still days of summer hit,  you will feel like you are always riding with a tailwind.  As the song goes "may the four winds blow you safely home"

We have all been told that,  "What you eat is what you are".   Our food choices create important connections with our mind and body, so as we choose to eat healthy for our body, then our mind will be healthy.  Smart food choices nourish and boost our physical as well as mental health and eating more fruits and vegetables are just a few ways to accomplish that goal.  Fruit is high in fiber and low in cholesterol, not to mention most are high in Vitamin C which is great in strengthening our immune system.  As athletes our immune system is always compromised to some degree, so making smart choices in our food will help keep us strong and healthy so we can meet our training goals and get to the finish line with energy to spare.  Challenge yourself to eat lots of color during the day, you will feel stronger in body and have a clearer mind.

Even though most of us are in a base building phase of our periodic training, now is a good time to start challenging yourself by forcing yourself beyond your comfort zone.  If you swim long distance build in a zippy set of 50's; on the bike ride every other hill standing out of the saddle.  Long runs can be spiced up by throwing in any number of 30 sec pickups.  Change up your strength program;  instead of weight training find a core class, Pilate's or slide board class.  Building a little intensity and diversity now will pay off big time this summer.

Our days are packed and fast paced, our mind often filled with an internal dialogue that is unrelated to what we might be doing at the time.  Mental chatter clouds our concentration and creates anxiety.  The value "mindfulness' brings to us on a daily basis is invaluable to our self and others that surround us.  Absorb yourself in the present moment, totally concentrating on the task, thought or conversation.  Consciously focus on each moment you experience.  Life goes by us so fast to not experience every moment.   Turn your life into moments of pure and profound relaxation.    "The Perfect Calm"

Always listen to what your body has to say.  Think about it, your body is always working toward optimum health, whether consciously or sub consciously!

Your body wants to be Whole and Healthy.  So as you cooperate with your body in a loving way by listening to what it has to say you will become Healthy, Whole and Complete!