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Happy Bike = Happy Rider

Posted on March 25th, 2013 by

We now have more daylight hours than darkness and with the extra hour of light after the normal workday, more and more people are out on their bikes.  Now would be a great time to take care of your annual maintenance on your bike(s) so you can enjoy the increased riding time and be safe on the roads knowing your bike is in good working order.  Here are a few links that may be helpful as you prepare for a great spring/summer of riding.

Bike Maintenance specific to Road/TT Bikes

Bike Maintenance specific for MTB

4 Easy bike tune up tips

For the home mechanic

Keep the rubber side down and have a great week!

Coach Eric

Just Breathe!

Posted on March 18th, 2013 by

It’s another beautiful Saturday morning on the front range and your preparing for a moderate to hard training session with your buddies.  The beginning of the workout starts off easy allowing the body to warm up at a “social pace”.  This means that the effort is easy enough so you can carry on a conversation without gasping for air.  Before engaging in the main part of the workout, it is most beneficial to include what I call a “transition period”.  Here is the time to include 2 or 3 efforts with equal amount of rest where you gradually increase your intensity to a moderately hard effort for 20-30 seconds up to 1 minute depending on the demands of the workout.  This will further allow the body to profuse more blood to the working muscles, opening up capillary beds as well as elevating heart rate.
Now your ready to get to the meat and potatoes of the training session, the intensity starts cranking up, but you feel like you can’t get enough air.  Yes, I know there is less oxygen here at 5000 feet, but what I am referring to is what are you doing with your air in particular your exhale?
Of the three disciplines in the sport of triathlon, swimming posses the most challenges in this regard since your face is in the water making air not as readily available.  But, this is the perfect opportunity to exhale some, not all of your air to keep the breathing rhythm.  Your body knows to breathe in, so focus on making your exhale more effective to balance the inhale.  Imagine cycling or running and holding your breath for 2-3 seconds at a time.  You will find that you get tired very quickly.  This is the challenge the novice swimmer faces most often.  As soon as their face is in the water, they hold their breath.  This interrupts the breathing rhythm creates unnecessary tension in the body and a tense body will usually gravitate towards sinking.
Here are a few some simple things to try on your next swim to help make your breathing a bit easier.
Face in water = exhale some not all of your air, blow bubbles
Face out of water = inhale air, not gasp!
Relax your neck muscles as much as possible.
Breathing pattern does not have to be static.  Left side, ride side, every 2nd or 3rd stroke.  Water conditions and level of effort will determine what is best for you.
When breathing is relaxed and rhythmic, you will be able to work on other parts of your swimming stroke that in time will have you going faster, farther, & with less effort.
Make it a great week,
Coach Eric

Spring Journey

Posted on March 11th, 2013 by

Spring is coming, Yahoo!!! It is a magical time of the year when things lying dormant, come to life once again. A time for new beginnings, more daylight and spring- cleaning Ugh!!! Below are a handful of quotes, sayings, etc. that may help inspire, motivate and encourage you on your many spring journeys.

Simplify
Put character first
Celebrate your progress
Find what you love and do it
Focus on what you are here to give
Patiently seek the good in everyone & everything
Just do the next right thing
Live what you believe
Be disciplined
-Anonymous

"What ever you can do or think you can begin it. For boldness has power, genius and magic in it". -Goethe

"Having what we want doesn't necessarily cause us to thrive, having what we need, causes us to thrive" - Matthew Kelly



"I believe that nothing disappears forever, and less so deeds, which is why I believe that it makes sense to try to do something in life, something more than which will bring one obvious returns" -Vaclav Havel

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" -Anonymous

"Have the courage to live with the integrity that stabs deep".
-Mark Twight, Big wall rock climber and author


"Listen to the inner voice that is on the other side of your ego". -Anonymous

"Someday, after we have mastered the winds, the waves, the tide and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. Then, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire".
- Pierre Teilard de Chardin

"Inspiration seldom generates action. Action always creates inspiration". -Anonymous




"Acceptance liberates us. It sets us free to enjoy the moment" -Matthew Kelly

"If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you.
If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you". -Anonymous


"Stay in the moment and in the present, which is really where life is happening and the magic is" - Courtney B.

"Failing can be artistically beneficial". Movie line from "The Last Minute"

If you are depressed, you are living in the past.
If you are anxious, you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, you are living in the present. -Lao Tzu

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive nor the most intelligent but the most responsive to change". - Darwin

Last, but certainly not least............
"What could be more worthy of your life than to apply yourself to the task of building a handful of truly beautiful relationships?" -Matthew Kelly

If you made it this far, thank you and I leave you with a quote of my own...
"Embrace the magic of spring and the new beginnings it brings". - Coach Eric

Stress + Rest = Progress!

Posted on March 4th, 2013 by

One of my favorite authors, Matthew Kelly has a saying he calls “carefree timelessness”, such a simple yet powerful statement.  I drew the inspiration for this article on a training break as I spent the morning lazily wandering along a river taking pictures of my friends fly-fishing.  The landscape was stunning and as the morning progressed, large billowy clouds slowly formed on the mountaintops surrounding the valley.  The sound of the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze was both soothing and cooling and the thought of a nap crossed my mind on more than once occasion. 

From an athletic standpoint, we call this a recovery day or in some cases a recovery week.  It is just as important to schedule rest and recovery days, as it is the hard training days.  Rest is when the training adaptations occur and too much training without taking into account recovery, can lead to injury and burnout. Stress is the combination of workouts that challenge both your body and mind.  Rest comes in the form of easy training days or complete days off from exercise.  Progress is made when you have the optimum balance of stress and rest. This balance will be different for every individual.
When setting up a training plan for an athlete, balancing the stress and rest of training is a top priority.  First and foremost is the age of the athlete.  Let’s face it; we just don’t bounce back like we did when we were kids.  That said the adult athlete can still perform at a very high levels of intensity, but is just takes longer to recovery from those efforts.  Other things to be considered are current level of fitness, number of years in the sport, past or present injuries, demands of job, family obligations and how much can they train versus how much they are willing to train.
But, what if you’re not training for an event?  What can you do to add a little rest and recovery into your day?  Try taking time to check in with yourself, hitting the reset button and putting the fast paced world on hold.  It does not have to be a long period of time by any means even five minutes will do.   Some people find mornings are best to check in and set your intentions before beginning the day.  Others may find a mid-day break is just what they need before diving back into the afternoon to do list. Or maybe you prefer some quiet time in the evening to unwind and decompress from it all. 
Really it can be pretty much anytime that works for you.  One of my colleagues, Cris Dobrosielski, http://monumentalresults.com/has a saying that I really like, “small consistent change, over a significant period of time, leads to monumental results”.  Five minutes may not seem like a lot, but it can have a big impact over time if you are consistent.  So, keep searching to find your optimum balance, not only sport, but in everything you do in life.

Make it a great week. Spring is coming soon and will have more daylight, than darkness come March 20th.

Coach Eric

Think outside the box

Posted on February 25th, 2013 by

This past weekend,  I had the opportunity to attend the North American Handmade Bicycle Show here in Denver, CO.  http://2013.handmadebicycleshow.com/  A fantastic display of bikes that are both functional to ride and creative pieces of beauty to look at.

 Custom TT Bike with Bamboo.
Local company here in Fort Collins called BOO
 "Lefty" notice only 1 fork, saves weight
 Snow Bike kind of like twin tips skis for powder!
Amazing craftsmanship with wood

The show was a great reminder for me to stay in touch with my own creativity on both a personal and professional level.  Relating that to exercise, their are so many things you can do to add variety to your workouts to keep them fun, challenging and still functional.  Here are just a few things you can try on one of your next training sessions.

Swimming

  • Lie on the bottom of the pool and watch swimmers from underneath (blow ring bubbles too!) and a great way to see technique from another view point.
  • Sculling across the pool feet first
  • Swim IM in reverse order
  • Paddles, fins, snorkels, paddles & fins, paddles & snorkel, fins & snorkel, paddles, fins & snorkel 
  • Circle swim clockwise.  Just make sure your lane mates are on the same page
  • Swim in a different lane at practice.
  • Breathe on your non-dominant side during warm up and cool down
  • Vertical kicking (both flutter and dolphin) in deep water
  • Have someone film you swimming
  • Want to go FASTER? Take a private lesson to work on technique 

Biking

  • Stand out of the saddle for 20 minutes because your core is rock solid
  • Do a normal training route in the opposite direction (good for runs too!) 
  • 1 leg hill repeats
  • Find an old "retro jersey" for your next ride
  • Wear funny socks
  • On a flat to slightly rolling route use only 1 gear.  Great for Cadence work
  • Try a new coffee shop
  • Bike to work or use bike for errands instead of driving.
  • When safe & no cars, see how long you can ride right on the white line.
  • Try the above with no hands

Running

  • Walk/run backwards for 1 minute ever mile.
  • Insert drills of your choice in the middle of a run
  • No watches, GPS, ipod, etc... Just Run!
  • Fartlek run but instead of random increases in speed, do random exercises:  push ups, squats, jumping jacks, skipping, etc...
  • Try the walk/run backwards uphill.  Good quad burner.
  • Run 8 laps on the track starting in lane 1 and finishing in lane 8, but see if you can hold the same time for each lap.  Note: start slowly
  • Run with people slower than you for your recovery run
  • Run a new route or find a new off road trail.

So, keep an open mind to new ideas, new people, and keep thinking "outside the box"

Make it a great week,
Coach Eric

Nutrition in the kitchen

Posted on February 11th, 2013 by

When life gets busier than we may like, nutrition sometimes get put on the back burner.  So, it is important to have a couple of go to snacks, meals, etc... Here are three simple recipes that you can try incorporating into your meal plan.

Looking for a quick, healthy, energy packed smoothie for breakfast or a snack?  Then try this recipe courtesy of my friend Annette which I have modified slightly.

Albuquerque Smoothie
8 -10oz. coconut water
1/2 apple
1/2 avocado
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder
6 - 8 frozen banana bits
1 cup kale/spinach or both
1 Tbsp chia seed
1 Tbsp hemp seed
Blend it up and enjoy!
*Time saver... Keep a container of pre-cut frozen banana bits in the freezer.

Next, we have one of my favorite soups that tastes good both warm and cold.

Coach Eric Carrot Soup
32 oz chicken or vegetable broth
2 lbs cut carrots
Bring to boil then simmer until nice and soft
Put in blender when cool and puree
Pour back into pot on low heat for about 5 minutes and stir in:
1/2 cup half & half
smoked paprika, ground chipotle chili peppers & salt to taste
Serve in bowl or cup and top with some nutritional yeast!
*Time saver & one less thing to wash.... use a hand blender and blend in pot.

Lastly from Cortney Martin, http://www.cortthesport.com/ wife, mother, AG Triathlete we have a yummy wrap to try.

Healthy Curry Chicken Salad Wrap
Ingredients:

  • cooked diced or shredded chicken
  • dried cranberries
  • plain Greek yogurt
  • curry powder
  • baby spinach
  • Flatout or tortilla wrap
Mix together chicken, cranberries, yogurt, and curry powder (plus optional salt) and roll up with fresh spinach in a flat bread or wheat tortilla. 
[Made with 20g cranberries, 2.5 oz chicken, 50g 2% greek yogurt, 1 cup spinach, 1 Flatout == 300 cal, 5 g fat, 27 g carbs, 20g protein]

Make it a great week at whatever you do and let me know if you have any topics you want to know more about!

Coach Eric

Dryland training: Freestyle Catch on Vasa Ergometer

Posted on February 4th, 2013 by

There are many drills to work on the freestyle catch and thru trial and error you will find the best ones for your current functional ROM in the shoulders and level of fitness. The Vasa Ergometer http://vasatrainer.com/ is a great tool for this. Set the Damper Door setting on Level 1 and practice the freestyle pull pattern slowly, focusing on the setting your catch about shoulder width. A good visual cue for this is the pulley's that the paddles run through on each side of the Erg. This may help with your arms crossing over center as well by having an entry point about shoulder width. Keep a firm wrist, fingertips pointing at the floor and a straight line from finger tips to elbow. This needs to occur before applying power and fully engaging your lats. You will notice my heading moves side to side and I find doing this form time to time helps me stay focused setting my "catch" because I am watching my hands/forearms before starting the pull.  




 Two additional drills to try:
1) you can isolate arms by doing a single arm drill leaving the non-pulling arm in the extended/forward position.





2) pulling both arms at the same time think butterfly pull or pulling yourself out of the pool. Plus, you can set up the Erg monitor to view/measure your power (Watts) for each arm. 


To transfer to the pool, I have found a very simple drill I got from Marc Evans works great, single arm swimming using a kick board. With your head out of the water, start stroking with one arm while the other arm is fully extended on top of the kick board. This lets you first see the entry point width, before you set the catch and then pull. Trying doing a 25 (1/2 of each arm) then swim a 50 to reinforce the drill. Repeat this sequence 4-6 times as part of warm up or integrate into main set. 
Good Luck! 

Just Try

Posted on January 21st, 2013 by

This past summer, the world turned its attention to the Games of the XXX Olympiad. Across the London area, athletes from all over the globe turned in amazing performances, captivating us with their skill, determination and sportsmanship.  People gathered all over the world in front of TV’s, computers, some even tuning in by radio to catch the latest news and cheer for their countrymen.  Was there a moment during the Olympics that inspired you to train a little harder, set a goal for an up coming event or try a new sport?  Maybe some of you were inspired to just start exercising.  Come to think of it, life is like a triathlon.

Now, by definition triathlon is “an athletic contest comprising three consecutive events, usually swimming, bicycling, and distance running”.  What if we looked at it from a slightly different perspective and called it a try-athlon.  Would that help take some of the fear out of it?  What is it that prevents people from getting out of their comfort zone and trying something new? 
I believe the answer is very simple.  The fear of failure is what stops most people from not only trying something new, but from leading the life they were meant to live.

This fear of failure paralyzes us from reaching our full potential as athletes, and experiencing some of life’s greatest moments.  We see this in sports all the time, but also in many aspects of daily life: work, school, and relationships to name a few, where fear prevents us from trying.  What are we afraid of?   Are we too worried about what others may think or say?  Too vain as to how we might look in spandex? Being the slowest in a training group or last in race?  Look clumsy or awkward when first learning a new skill? I guarantee you, the Olympians we watched had plenty of awkward moments when they first started off.

What’s that old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try again”.  The Front Range here in Colorado is an athlete’s playground with so many things to choose from. So, find a sport you like and just get out there and do it.  Life is far to short to be spending your free time doing a sport you don’t like. Give it your best shot and jump in with both feet and embrace the new challenge.  The only person you have to answer to at the end of the day is you so, do what makes you thrive.

The athletes we had the opportunity to watch during the Olympics failed on more than one occasion to reach the level excellence they are now at.  One of the reasons they are champions, regardless of their final outcome is that they have learned from these failures along the long journey to London.  It’s better to fail trying, than to not try at all.  Failing can be artistically beneficial and when we allow ourselves to become vulnerable by putting fear aside, we often times achieve the greatest growth.