Multi-Sport

Top 8 Benefits of Sweating

April 26th, 2021 by JoAnn Cranson

Sweating can be embarrassing if you are at work, school or a meeting, but sweating could also be beneficial for your health. The almost 1 liter of sweat our bodies produce per day can strengthen our immune system and give us healthy-looking skin.

Doctors, scientists and dermatologists talk about the several benefits of sweating. It is the way the body and the skin protect itself from overheating. Sweating also increases the blood circulation and the drips of sweating is the proof of our body’s built- in mechanism to keep it cool while opening up and unclogging the pores, the dropplets consist primarily of water, sodiums, chloride and potassium to an extent.

Detoxifies The Body

Sweating can flush the body substance of alcohol, cholesterol and salt. In fact, a 2012 study found that sweating plays an important role in expelling heavy metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic from the body because they dissolve readily in water. Sweat can’t flush out all toxic compounds, so it’s important to drink filtered water and follow a healthy diet in order to avoid other low-dose chemical threats.

Lowers Kidney Stone Risk

Sweating is an effective way to flush out the salt and retain calcium in our bones. This limits the accumulation of salt in our kidneys and urine, which is where the stones come from.

Good Mood By Boosting Endorphins

Group exercises like zumba or hot Yoga, like any other workout, can help to put a smile on your face. Sweating releases endorphins, which are hormones that trigger positive feelings in the body. This can do wonders for your mood and overall well-being.

While you certainly don’t have to venture to a sweat lodge on a hot summer’s day to experience the benefits of sweating, you can find a practice that works for you in order to get in on the feel-good effects of this natural bodily function. Just be sure to recover from any cardio workout or sweat session with plenty of water to keep your body hydrated.

Immunity

The skin is considered a vital part of the immune system, which makes sense considering it’s often the first line of defense against everything you come in contact with each day. Any bodily fluids are part of this biological defense system, serving as a deterrent for germs to take hold; additionally, human sweat contains a natural germ-killing protein called dermcidin, which can protect against strains of germs and viruses that cause diseases. Several research documents show that these natural substances are more effectives in the long term than traditional antibiotics because germs are not capable of quickly developing resistance to them. The natural antibiotic is naturally activated with salt and slightly acidic sweat.

Weight Loss

First and foremost, sweating is thought to boost weight loss. Yes, you may lose water weight during a session that will inevitably come right back, but because your body is working so hard to cool you down, you’re also using energy and burning calories, which contributes to more permanent weight loss.

Improves Your Skin

Sweat purges the body of toxins that can clog the pores and plague the skin with pimples and blemishes. It can also expel impurities like pollutants, dirt, and makeup embedded in the skin. It’s thought to improve the tone, clarity, and texture of the skin and is known to improve circulation, which can benefit the skin as well.

Muscle Recovery

Although a sweat session alone (like sauna) won’t help you build muscle, it can aid in muscle recovery. Sweating boosts circulation and helps flush out lactic acid, according to researchers this can alleviate soreness and speed up the recovery process.

Heart Health

Putting the body in a situation where it needs to cool itself down by sweating can get your heart pumping similar to a cardio workout. Additionally, research shows that sweating, whether it be from physical exercise or from sitting in a sauna environment, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular health problems. A study published in 2015 by The Jama Internal Medicine; followed Finnish men for 20 years, found that those who sweat in a sauna more frequently were less likely to develop a fatal disease over the course of the study.

So will all this information, let’s get motivated to do your favorite physical exercise and get sweating!

The Power of Visualizing Your Goals

February 15th, 2021 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Raquel Torres

If you want to increase the likelihood of reaching your goals and dreams, visualization is where it all begins. Just as affirmations or mantras are beneficial for motivation, focus, and effective goal setting, so too is a visualization or mental imagery.

What is Visualization?

It is the use of the imagination through pictures or mental imagery to create visions of what we want in our lives and how to make them happen. Along with focus and emotions, it becomes a powerful, creative tool that helps us achieve what we want in life. If used correctly it can bring about self-improvement, maintain good health, help you perform well in sports, and accomplish your goals in life.

In sports, mental imagery is often used by professional athletes to improve their skills by picturing the achievement of a specific feat, such as hitting or shooting a ball, riding a bike, swimming, or running a race, among other things.

Some benefits of visualization:

The idea behind visualizing your goals is that if you “see” your goal, you are more likely to achieve it.
It creates an inner motivation to strive for your goals and dreams.
When you visualize your brain learns to recognize what resources it will need to help you succeed in reaching your goals.
The consistent practice of visualization promotes positive thinking, it helps you to stay on track to be successful in the long run.

By experience, the more I practice this, the better mentally prepared I am before any life event or race week, this increases the possibilities to enjoy the whole process.

It’s a very good habit to do the visualization first thing in the morning, I also do it during training, or before going to bed.

We can apply this technique to anything in our life, big dreams, goals, interviews, speeches, personal life, any life challenge, or skill that we want to improve or learn.

Before any big event or activity, it’s very important to do the full movie in your mind several times. Dreaming is free and legal.

Visualization Scenarios Tips for Triathlete’s Race Week:

The race briefing, the expo, the environment with good energy.
Setting an alarm the night before.
Your waking up routine early in the morning.
How your breakfast will taste, yummy.
Getting to the race venue. Listening to your favorite music.
Doing your gear checklist and completing all the to-do lists.
Bringing your bike in the car or packing it.
The weather (cold/hot/windy/raining).
Setting up your transition. What do you need?
Imagine the sounds, music, smells, the whole feeling.
You see a lot of smiles and nervous people but you are staying very calm.

Some examples of a Triathlete Race Day simulation visualization:

This can help to ease any race day nerves.

For better results start 2 weeks or some days before, visualize for around 5 minutes or more your event, here some examples of scenarios to visualize for a triathlon race day:

Waking up early: preparing to get to the race venue, how is the weather? is it dark or sunny?
Preparing your transition: warming up, practicing your favorite mantras for that day.
The race start countdown: 10, 9,8,7… Are you feeling cold, warm, confident, focused, positive? 3,2,1….Beeeep!
The swimming: visualize a lot of athletes swimming close by you, the water temperature and waves? clear or dark water? You are feeling light, breathing often. And using your favorite mantras.
Transition #1: Running from the water to the transition, finding your bike spot, do a mental rehearsal of all you need to do in the transition before touching your bike and getting out the T1 for your ride
The bike ride: a smooth ride, how is the circuit? hilly or flat? You are feeling alert and strong, focused on your nutrition, how it tastes?
Transition #2: Getting off the bike, running to find your bike spot, again a mental rehearsal with details of what you plan to do in the T2 before heading out for your run.
The run: Visualize having a good form, well managing your thoughts with encouraging self-talk, then you see yourself crossing the finish line.

The intention of visualization is to prepare your mind and body for the reality ahead of time, when the day comes your mind/body will definitely feel familiar and perform better.

Is Lactic Acid an Athlete’s Friend or Foe?

October 22nd, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Raquel Torres

Lactic acid or lactate, is the substance that our body generates during physical activity when our body cannot obtain energy through oxygen, this has always been a source of debate in sports science.

Physical trainers believed that this substance was the cause of cramps, sports injuries and, for a time, it was the “bad guy” by experts in health, physical exercise, and sports.

However, sports science has made it clear that this was all wrong. That there is no relationship, for example, between cramps and lactate. And that lactic acid did not have to be an impediment to the high performance of athletes, but even, if it is known to control it, it can become another ally in the improvement of physical performance.

During exercise, the body’s cells demand more energy than they can actually provide, so the body reacts by acquiring energy from sugar (muscle glycogen), converting these large molecules into smaller molecules, in two possible ways: aerobically and anaerobically.

The energy produced aerobically (with oxygen) more energy is obtained, but slowly.

During aerobic metabolism, a series of enzyme-catalyzed chemical reactions are involved in aerobic metabolism. These reactions cause energy to be produced.

Aerobic metabolism is the primary energy system in endurance sports that last several hours and in short-duration events with low or moderate-intensity exercise, it depends on the good blood supply to the muscles and releases oxygen and energy to eliminate waste products. When muscle glycogen stores are depleted, fatigue begins and affects performance, the body becomes dependent on fat as an energy source, speed, and intensity of work is reduced. Once the supply of glycogen is depleted, it takes approximately 24 to 48 hours for the body to recover and replenish glycogen in muscle fibers and the liver.

The energy produced anaerobically (without oxygen) the energy obtained is less but faster, and the muscle takes this energy-producing waste, which in theory is one of those responsible for cramps.

Anaerobic metabolism, also known as the ‘starter system’ because energy is immediately available at the start of exercise, uses creatine phosphate metabolism in the process, does not produce lactate as a waste product, and does not require oxygen in the development of energy. The higher the intensity of the exercise, the higher the use of carbohydrates in contrast to fats. The anaerobic lactic system (without lactic acid production) is the primary energy system in the early stages of exercise, as it allows rapid acceleration and speed with the support of creatine phosphate stored in the muscles, although it suffers a sharp drop after 10 to 20 seconds.

The third type of metabolism in energy generation is lactic anaerobic.

The anaerobic lactic system depletes glycogen stores rapidly. Lactate, a toxic waste product of anaerobic lactic metabolism, is produced faster and cannot be eliminated, leading to accumulation in muscle fibers. It reduces the pH of muscle fibers and slows down the chemical reactions responsible for generating energy. Lactic anaerobic energy is the primary energy system in sports that require maximum effort (high intensity) for a period of 20 to 120 seconds.

In other words, lactic acid is a substance generated by the body that is beneficial in principle, but too much and without good training can lead to low performance, even muscle damage and injuries.

Lactic acid is produced primarily in muscle cells and red blood cells when it breaks down carbohydrates under conditions of low oxygen levels. That is, lactic acid is a source of energy for the human body.

The oxygen level in the body could drop for two reasons: during strenuous exercise (sprinting) or if the person has an infection or illness (because of the amount of energy required by the immune system). In these cases, lactic acid comes from the breakdown of glucose when oxygen is not present, that is, in an anaerobic exercise such as lifting weights or swimming at full speed 50-100 meters where there is a lot of intensity and little duration. Under normal conditions that lactic acid when we are training is reused and there is no major problem. But when there is a lot of lactic acid in the body, we have neither energy nor the ability to contract muscles, this is nothing more than tiredness, fatigue and the best thing we can do is stop the exercise or activity.

In other words, from a natural perspective lactic acid is a “turbo button” feature of extra energy, a survival mechanism to keep humans and other creatures safe under a fight or flight threat.

How can we avoid the accumulation of lactic acid? With a smart training plan, based on training the organism displays adaptive mechanisms that prevent lactic acid from accumulating so quickly and if it begins to do so, the muscle supports it more effectively.

Beware of some bad combinations of specific exercises (like speed work and/or weights) in a bad combination can make the body accumulate lactic acids and cause injury. That is why the importance of having a good training plan with a wise balance between intensity, volume, frequency, and rest is key.

Here are 10 practical tips on how to avoid accumulating lactic acid:

1.Train more frequently and consistently.

2. Warm up well in each activity.

3.Breathe deeper for better body oxygenation.

4.Stretch frequently.

5.Hot baths.

6. Massages.

7. Maintain good hydration.

8.Consume enough: antioxidants (fruits like berries), magnesium- helps the metabolic system (dark green vegetables like spinach also legumes, nut,s, and cereals), vitamin B, natural proteins (creatine), omega 3 Oil (cold-water fish/salmon, avocado, olive oil or some nuts).

9. Beware of lifting weights (frequency and intensity) and speed exercises and their combination with other physical activities.

10. When you feel a lactic acid burn in your workouts, reduce the intensity so that the body can channel its natural mechanisms, and avoid acid accumulation. It is the way the body warns us so that we do not over-do.

Why Tri?

October 8th, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By Belinda Vinton

When I tell folks that I am a triathlete, they usually think that a triathlon is an extreme and unattainable goal for the average athlete. But I think that triathlon has saved me! I have been a runner since middle school. I ran the distance events in track and field and ran many road races. As the years went on, I was strictly a summer athlete. My children’s activities kept me so busy! And being a school teacher, I felt like June, July, and August were the only months I could run. But I also was strictly a runner. How did I train? I just threw on my running shoes and ran. No strength training. No cross training. Just running. In my early 40’s I decided to train for my first half marathon. I didn’t follow a training plan. I didn’t ask for advice. I just kept doing the same thing I had always done. I just ran! Different distances on different days. Maybe a little speed work. Rest days? Not if I could help it! I’m sure you can guess what happened…by the time the half marathon arrived I was really hurting. Foot, knee, hip. Injured. So I vowed never to run a half marathon again.

A few years after that, my sister convinced me to try triathlon. I borrowed a road bike. I took swim lessons. I joined a gym. And that’s when my body came to realize the importance of strength training and cross training! I started taking regular TRX classes and boot camp classes. I participated in an Athletic Mentors tri camp and came away with an actual training plan! I started training with the plan, adding in strength training. What a difference it made!

I’ve been competing in triathlons for 9 years now. I wish I could say it was without injury, but I can’t. The pandemic came at a good time for me! I would not have been able to compete to the level I would have wanted to this summer due to a lingering hip injury. As I have made my way to several different doctors over the last 2 years I hear much of the same. My injury is caused by arthritis but is worsened by pounding the pavement. As one doctor put it, “Your hips are like a tires. The tread will wear down eventually. And you have a lot more miles on your tires than most people!” Each doctor though has encouraged me to continue cycling, swimming and strength training. These activities have kept me strong and have actually helped me!

In hindsight, I wish I would have started doing triathlons sooner! By adding cycling and swimming to my workouts, I believe that I have helped my body and helped extend my active time. I do love running, and I always will, but I think that triathlons have helped my body by working different muscle groups and making me an overall stronger athlete. So I encourage everyone to expand your variety of exercise to keep you motivated and to help your body parts from wearing out!

The Power of the Mind

September 23rd, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Brian Reynolds

Every triathlete should know that a Triathlon is not only physically demanding on the body but is also mentally demanding. Our body will only go as hard as our mind will allow. If our mind doesn’t want to push the pace then our body will not push the pace. Our mind and body are one which means it’s imperative to work on your mental game in training since it can have a big performance impact on race day.

Let me share a quick story with you about one of my 5 hour rides I did this summer. The long ride was supposed to be a steady zone 2 aerobic effort on a warm Saturday morning. I felt ok for the first 2 hours considering it was warm and humid. I was holding around my usual power for the first half of the ride. By the 3rd hour I was starting to feel more fatigue in the legs and my power began to gradually decline. This is unusual for me to start slowing down by the 3rd hour into a 5 hour ride. Normally I’m able to increase the effort and push the pace harder. When this was happening I was starting to doubt if I would be able to maintain the same power throughout the ride. It felt like a war was going on in my head. My doubt and fear was my enemy and I was in a retreat during the 3rd hour of the ride.

By the 4th hour of the ride my doubt and fear had taken over my mind and I didn’t have any motivation or willpower to keep pushing through the discomfort. I just gave up and rode between 140 to 180 watts. Normally I would be pushing 230+ watts by this time into the ride. In my head it felt like I had retreated from my enemy and I was hiding out in the bunker until the ride was over. I was making excuses for myself by saying that it was ok to take it easy and just soft pedal back home. Besides all of the races have been cancelled anyways due to COVID so what am I killing myself for? I got to a point into the ride where I couldn’t accept this excuse. I had to find a way to get myself out of this rut and the only person who was going to do it was going to be me. I had no support crew to cheer me on and encourage me along.

When I got to the 4:10 hour mark it was like a light switch got flicked. I went from soft pedaling at 140 watts to 200 watts just like that. I was able to average 200+ watts for the remainder of the 5 hour ride and the effort felt the same or slightly easier than when I was pedaling 140 watts. What was the difference? How did I go from being weak to being strong in a very short timespan? I changed my headspace. Instead of thinking of the discomfort and feeling sorry for myself I flipped the script. I envisioned that I was strong and couldn’t feel pain. I concentrated all of my focus on being strong and having total control of my mind and body. I wondered to myself how can changing your headspace make you go faster? Apparently through this process I was getting neural energy from a release of dopamine which put me in a “feel good” state. In addition dopamine will buffer adrenaline which is important because every bit of physical effort requires adrenaline and when your adrenaline level reaches a certain threshold in the body our brain stops voluntary muscular control. Basically your body is saying “I quit”. Dopamine pushes back the level of adrenaline and it gives you more energy.

As I rode with higher power and a lower effort level it got me excited and I began to zone in even further. It’s likely my body was releasing more dopamine because I was able to raise my power even more by the end of the ride. What I learned on this ride is no matter how bad I was feeling or how bad the situation I was able to turn it around. You always have the power and that power is your mind. Your mind can give you the infinite energy so long as you have control of your mind to keep fear and doubt at bay.

Morning Workouts – Here I Come!

September 1st, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Belinda Vinton

One of my biggest struggles as a working, single mom is finding the time to fit in my workouts. Over the years I have come to find that the best time for me is the early morning hours. This was not something that came easy to me, but over time I have learned to appreciate my early morning workouts. Getting that workout in early means that I have the rest of the day to accomplish all of my other duties. I don’t have a workout hanging over my head. I don’t have to worry about whether or not I will be too tired in the evening. I can eat and drink without having to check the clock. I actually have more energy for the rest of the day by getting an early morning session completed. So how can you become an early morning person? Here are some tips from my experiences!

Plan ahead. I pack my gym bag the night before. I then lay out my clothes so I can change right away. I even set a snack on the kitchen table to get me going.
Set an alarm…on the other side of the room. Yes, I set the alarm on my phone which is on the headboard. But then it is too easy to hit snooze. I have an old-fashioned clock radio on the dresser across the room. That means I have to get up, walk over, and turn it off. That’s half the battle! Now I’m out of bed. And my clothes are right there, ready to dress for my workout.
Set small goals to start. I started out by setting a goal of one morning a week to get up early. I planned mine for Wednesday. I told myself that I could sleep late on the other days, but hump day was early workout day.
Find an accountability partner. It was a friend who first convinced me to meet her for a 5:30 am class. I wasn’t feeling great about it, but I knew she was counting on me. Text your partner to make sure they are up! It was so much easier coming to the gym during the early hours knowing that I would be able to see my workout partner. Even during the quarantine, I looked forward to seeing my friends on Zoom workouts!
Don’t give up! I started the once a week routine in October and by springtime, a strong habit had formed! Not only was I enjoying my early workouts, I liked it so much that I began to do it every day!

I am now a fitness instructor and personal trainer at the Jackson YMCA. My favorite time of day is still 5:30am! I feel refreshed and ready to face the day with that workout under my belt.

Should I Wear a Bike Helmet?

August 24th, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Michelle Dalton

As summer progresses and more people start to venture out of their houses, especially after being locked up for so long, I see more people out and about on their bikes. And that’s great to see, both from enjoying the summer perspective but also from a healthy one!

However, every year I am shocked to see the vast majority of people not wearing helmets. When I started learning to ride, many, many years ago unfortunately, helmets just weren’t a thing. Then in 1990, Australia came out with a law that said you had to wear a helmet while riding your bike. Anyone. not just ‘proper’ cyclists but any person who swung their leg over their bike had to strap on. And after the initial push back, it just became a thing. And this was before I took up triathlons. Everyone wore a helmet. You never saw any different.

Leap forward to 2011 and we arrived in the US. Like so many other new experiences we came across, the lack of helmet wearing cyclists was the norm. It was so strange to us. As I continued my love affair with triathlons I would religiously wear my helmet and saw the same everywhere I went with my fellow triathletes. However, what changed with us was that my husband (also a triathlete) and I became more relaxed about wearing our helmets while riding recreationally and especially when out with our children. There was no conscious decision to not wear one, and we always made sure the girls were wearing theirs whenever we went out. We just slapped on a cap and off we went. It wasn’t until a gentlemen came upon us riding one day that we reverted back to our helmet wearing ways. As we cycled along he yelled at us to “put your helmets on Mum and Dad”. At first I was outraged at being called out for not wearing a helmet when so many others don’t. In my most obnoxious Aussie accent I told him to go mind his own business and stop scaring my kids. Then he said, “Well if you don’t wear one, take them off your kids”.

Hmmm. That got me. I wouldn’t put my kids on bikes and have them ride on the road without one. Ever! So it got me thinking, whilst I would protect my children with everything I have, why wouldn’t I display the same behavior myself. And to my fellow riders point, if I don’t wear one, how can I ask my children to wear one?

Fast forward again to 2020. My little kids who dutifully wore a helmet are now teenagers and are still required to strap on the helmet while riding their bikes. Even since our run in with our stranger years ago, we have also been very diligent in wearing helmets no matter where we are riding. And very conscious of the fact we are in the minority among recreational cyclists. Our teenagers know they can’t fight it. But on almost every occasion love pointing out that they are typically the only ones among their friends who are ‘forced’ to wear them.

So it made me wonder, should I wear a helmet?

When I am on my own riding, or with my husband we are typically on the road and going at faster speeds than with my children or friends. We are riding with the traffic and sometimes the roads are busy. When I am on the Fatty on trails, I am on uneven ground and being an upright challenged mountain bike rider, often getting up close and personal with a tree root. I wouldn’t risk the ride without a helmet. I believe that they offer a better chance of protecting my head should I have an accident that might result in a head injury. And obviously you have to wear them when you race.

But what about other times? So I did some research. What are the statistics for helmet vs non helmet injuries? What do the experts say? What about countries outside of the US? I read a lot and learned alot. Here are a few links about the stats: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Bicycle Helmet Statistics

Whether from US or other countries, I learned depending on the research that 50-79% bike accidents normally involve head injuries. The New York research gave the worse result of 97% fatal accidents were not wearing helmets.

Accidents on bikes can happen if you are 100 miles in or 1. If you are riding to a friends or on a solo training ride.

Not every road has a sidewalk, not every path is free from debris. Whilst my children have ridden enough miles with us to know the rules of the road in relation to safely riding a bike, others have not. I also know that accidents can happen if you are riding 40 miles per hour or 4. I know that not everyone who rides a bike will be involved in an accident. I know that some accidents are just little scrapes and some are deadly.

But I also know that I am not willing to take the chance with my head and especially not that of my children. I have adopted the phrase, the only reason to not wear a helmet is if you have nothing to protect between your ears. My kids hate hearing it. But I don’t care.

I know that my stance on helmets is not for everyone. I am not trying to change anyone’s mind. It’s just a topic that has arisen again as we are out riding more and something that I was wondering about more and more. I will admit that I think it’s stupid to not want to protect your head from something that could have a serious impact on your life. I choose to protect the brain I’ve got. And am ALWAYS proudly wearing my helmet!

The Wetsuit Test

June 30th, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By Brian Reynolds

A question I get asked often by triathletes is “what is the fastest wetsuit”? I usually just shrug my shoulders and say “you just have to try out different wetsuits to find the fastest one”. It’s not the answer most people want to hear but it’s true especially based on a wetsuit test I did this year.

The wetsuit test I did was 5x 100 at race pace effort with about 10-15 seconds rest. This test set needs to be done in a pool to ensure an accurate/repeatable distance. You need to wear a different wetsuit per each 5x 100 set to determine which wetsuit is the fastest. Ideally you should only test 2 to 3 wetsuits at a time. Any more than 3 wetsuits and you risk getting fatigued which will negatively affect your 100 pace later on into the test set. When doing this test you need to have someone time you so it’s a blind test. After the test you take the average time for the last 4x 100s and that is your 100 pace for that particular wetsuit. The first 100 doesn’t count because it’s usually the fastest and it could falsely inflate your “true” 100 pace average.

When I did my wetsuit test my friend, Eric Abbott let me try out two of his wetsuits which were the Blue Seventy Helix ST and the Roka Maverick Pro II S. To test the wetsuits I did a baseline test with my current wetsuit which was the Aquaman Goldcell. I did the 5x 100 at half ironman effort with 10-15 seconds rest in between the 100s. Below includes my warm up and 5x 100 results:

Warm up: 250 swim, 3 x 50 strong

Aquaman Goldcell

Comments: The shoulder mobility was poor because I could feel the suit pulling down on my arms. During the swim my arms were getting fatigued. There was water filling up in my suit and arms.

4 avg 100s – 1:12.47

Blue Seventy Helix ST

Comments: The shoulder mobility was good. The fit around my neck and torso was snug. The suit was pulling down around my neck which may be due to the fact I didn’t have the suit pulled up all the way. No water got into my suit. The suit was made with a stiffer material which helped keep my body taunt.

4 avg 100s – 1:08.93

Roka Maverick Pro II S

Comments: The shoulder mobility was good. It felt like there was extra bounce in the legs and a better torso fit. No water got into my suit.

4 avg 100s – 1:09.15

Conclusions: The 100 pace times between the Blue Seventy and Roka were almost a dead tie. The Roka was a little more comfortable around the neck area. Both wetsuits were 3.5 seconds faster than the Aquaman wetsuit.

I was surprised by the results. I did not expect a 3.5 seconds difference between wetsuits! If you do the math that calculates out to being 1:06 minutes faster in a 70.3 Ironman and 2:13 minutes faster in a full Ironman swim. As they say “free speed”! I probably couldn’t shave this amount of time from 1 year of swim training only since it becomes harder each year to shave more time especially when you’re already a proficient swimmer. Hopefully when the gyms and pools open up you can give this test a try!

Athletic Mentors Youth Triathletes

June 18th, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By Jacob Florey

The Athletic Mentors Youth Triathlon Program is a great opportunity for kids who have never done a triathlon and for kids who have done a tri to improve their skills. In the program you learn about the rules of a triathlon, along with the equipment you’ll need. They teach you about proper Swimming, Biking, and Running techniques. The coaches train you for the Shermanator Triathlon specifically. The Shermanator is a great first triathlon because it is a fun laid back course with lots of volunteers making sure it is well marked. It also has a shorter distance for young athletes. Unfortunately the Shermanator Triathlon and Athletic Mentors Youth Triathlon Program will not occur in 2020 due to Covid-19, but we look forward to them in 2021!

You only need four items: Swim Goggles, a Bike, a Bike Helmet, and Running Shoes. Most people already have these four items.. You can get these items at varying prices but in the end a bike is a bike and a helmet is a helmet.

The coaches will teach you proper swimming techniques in the pool and open water. Once you have your swim stroke down they will teach you about sighting for buoys. Sighting helps ensure you’re going the right direction.

They then teach you about effective transitioning. Your transition is a very important part of a triathlon. Once you get out of the water you need to be able to get everything you need for your bike on quickly. Then when you are done on the bike, you need to be able to get ready for the run.

Biking was always my favorite part because of how fast you can go. But no matter how fast you go you have to be aware of your surroundings like cars, bikers, and even runners. This program teaches you about how to be safe while you are racing.

Training-wise; you will learn about bricks, bricks are teaching your body to transition between activities, like running after biking, or biking after swimming. Running after biking can be challenging because your legs will feel like bricks. One way to deal with this feeling is to practice.

Finally the coaches help you put it all together on race day. The coaches are at the race to help you and cheer you on. It’s honestly the best feeling once you finish the triathlon because all your hard work paid off. This program helped me train for future triathlons and taught me everything I needed to know. I’m very glad to have done the program because of how much I learned. If you want to learn more about Athletic Mentors Youth Tri-Coaching program, click on this link to learn more: Athletic Mentors Youth Tri Programs

Workout Recovery is Fast with Ultragen

June 11th, 2020 by JoAnn Cranson

By: Chelsey Jones

To reach my workout goals, I need to use all the help I can get! I want to be able to push my body in my workouts over and over again. To achieve this I need a reliable, quality Post Recovery drink to restore my muscle breakdown, build back up my fuel reserves and rehydrate my body right away! Research shows over and over again that for the best results to repair your body is to give it nutrients within 30 minutes of exercise.

First Endurance does a fantastic job creating a product that I can get in my body ASAP! I have been using Ultragen RS-Recovery Series after my hard workouts. It has fantastic flavor, and I notice a significant difference in my recovery afterwards. Ultragen has several components including fast sugars, complete proteins, amino acids, five electrolytes and key vitamins all designed to work together in order to fully maximize recovery. Ultragen is formulated with 6 grams of Glutamine and is the only endurance recovery product on the market that includes this essential anabolic and anticatabolic ingredient. First Endurance prides itself in all the research they continue to use to always be improving their products.

My favorite mix is the Cappucino flavor blended with almond milk, banana, and a few chocolate chips. It is so yummy! It is a great treat after a hard workout. Ultragen RS is also gluten and lactose free, making it a great option for those with specific intolerances.

I highly recommend First Endurance to those looking for nutrition. They not only have a recovery drink but they have a pre-race drink and plenty of drink mix options (including a liquid shot product) to keep you at your peak during your strenuous training/racing events.