A John Urchak Blog
You scour the internet, pore over magazines and pester your triathlon friends to soak up every ounce of nutrition advice that might help you come race day. Nutrition can be the easiest thing to fix in your triathlon training yet can have the most disastrous consequences if executed improperly. While no two bodies or fuelling needs are the same, learning how the nutrition experts approach their own triathlon fuelling can provide some useful insights that may make a big difference when put to use in your own nutrition plan. All this week we’ll be looking at the nutrition advice of the pros. Lauren Antonucci, R.D., C.S.S.D.A longtime triathlete and nutritionist, Antonucci is the owner and director of Nutrition Energy, a private nutrition practice in New York City. She received her clinical master’s degree in nutrition from New York University, and opened up her practice 10 years ago. She’s been racing triathlon since 1999, when she signed up for a half-Ironman on a whim through Team in Training. Kim Mahoney, R.D., C.S.S.D.The first triathlon Mahoney signed up for was an Ironman, which she completed in September 2012. A longtime runner who had picked up cycling, she decided to go all-in with triathlon. The Chicago resident fits her training in between working full-time as a clinical dietitian specialist for bariatric patients – helping them change their diets both pre- and post-op.
1 Bed, 1 Bath, 6 Bikes
Not only was this place free, we got to pretend to be yuppie Swedes in the Södermalm district, riding bikes everywhere, shopping at corner grocery stores, and drinking the local beer. After a few days, Elliott and I met up with the Team USA group for a city tour and bus ride to Motala. Normally I avoid traveling with a group, but the Team USA package was pretty useful. The USA Triathlon team also included a mechanic, doctor, masseuse, coach, and a few other people who helped handle logistics. Unlike the Ironman world championships, people at this race compete as part of their national team. Rather than wearing my usual LUNA Chix kit, I had a Team USA onesie with TOBIN on the stomach and butt and my awesome sponsors, LUNA bars and Rose Physical Therapy, displayed on the front. As for why it was held in Motala, here’s a fun bit of trivia for you: Motala is host to the world’s largest bike ride each year, with over 23,000 participants. The official word was that the water was very, very cold-too cold for the planned 4000 meter swim-but warm enough to have us hop in the lake for 1500m before climbing onto our bikes for 120 km. I looked behind me, grabbed an American flag from my mom and another flag from the Team USA coach, and ran through the finish chute, a huge grin on my face…until two other women in my age group sprinted past me. 17th in the world in my age group isn’t what I was hoping to do that day, but better than the 101st I placed at Ironman 70.3 worlds last year.
Now entering the Lizabbatical Good Energy Zone
For those of you who haven’t subscribed to the Pure Energy Podcast get on it! Go to iTunes or Stitcher and subscribe, pronto! I’ve had some fantastic episodes recently. Starting with episode #6, I have officially expanded the podcast to serve the greater SF-area triathlon community, after a few months of successful pilot episodes with my home base, the San Francisco Triathlon Club. Top SF age-group triathlete Jordan Blanco gives us the low-down on The Well-Built Triathlete by her coach Matt Dixon, big-deal founder of purplepatch fitness and coach to top pros. Special guest appearance by local pro triathlete Laura Siddall! We join local running coach and former member of the Nike Running Farm Team Tom McGlynn to learn about track workouts for triathletes, including how to warm up, pace appropriately, and cool down, as well as common triathlete running form blunders. Tom is the founder of runcoach.com, an adaptive data-driven online run training program. I also give reviews of the inaugural Oakland Triathlon and Giro di San Francisco, and start training for Ironman Cozumel. PEP #8: Ironman Lake Tahoe Cancelled!Special Ironman Lake Tahoe cancellation edition! Hear first-hand accounts of what happened in the days leading up to the race and reactions to the cancellation. Learn more about wildfires, the hazards of exercising in poor air quality, and how the right travel insurance could help you recoup your costs. Listen to all of these episodes on iTunes or Stitcher, and be sure to share!
Wild Swimming News
When the sun shone, swimmers were out in force across the country, thousands of them, even if most were unaware that they were ‘wild swimming’ or even of the existence of the Outdoor Swimming Society. Ever since the lido era changed the focus of swimming from the early morning to the sunny day, it takes a spell of good weather for our numbers to be revealed. When it comes to our freedom to swim and the general public’s perception of swimming in the wild, there is still a long way to go. For my part I feel irresistibly drawn to water, and slighted when prevented from swimming in it. I feel a sense of belonging; of attachment to the aquatic environment; a sense of deep satisfaction and fulfillment as I sink in and swim, and of course swimming is such fun, it puts a smile on the face of the swimmers as well as the faces of those looking on. I remember watching a Michael Palin travelogue; his train broke down in the middle of nowhere and as it was going to be quite a wait for a rescue business men, mothers, bankers and children stripped down to their underpants and went swimming in a nearby lake. Youngsters are our future, and this is especially true when it comes to wild swimming. The National Trust has listed wild swimming as one of fifty things children should do before they are 11 3/4. Even ROSPA now recommend wild swimming. Let’s get active and swim our way into the future. Let’s be inspired by the 2012 Olympics, let’s get out, get active and set an example by swimming free in 2012.
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