Category: Blogs

What’s your Big Why?

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

What’s Your Big Why?  Do you know?

Knowing the answer to this simple question can make everything in life a little easier.
So many times we get lost in the day to day activities; going through the grind with no goals, no purpose no focus and wondering where the day went, how time flies and you haven’t gotten anything done.  Nothing is as you want it to be.

Next, you start to get cranky and ask yourself why am I even doing this?
  • Why did I sign up for this Ironman®?
  • Why do I want to become a triathlete?
  • Why am I doing my 1st triathlon?
  • Why do I want to get in shape, lose weight, get healthy?
If you don’t have an answer to these questions, it’s not likely for you to stick to a plan or program or schedule. But, when you do know the answer, you spring out of bed ready for the day’s training and find ways to fit it all into your day.  It becomes a healthy priority 2nd or 3rd to other items in life but still in the top 5.  It can be tough sometimes, especially when we get knocked out of our routines.  This is a completely normal part of life to have to make adjustments to get back on track.  But get back on we must!

A few of my current athletes are struggling with this as we speak and I am just reminding them to take some quiet time to go within and ask yourself what your big why is again.  Your kids, your partner, your parents, a deceased loved one’s, a friend, brother or sister.  Everyone has a why, you just have to find it!

Last weekend, my 9 year old daughter Kaia was doing her 8th triathlon after not racing at all for over a year.  She has 2 parents who love and live triathlon so it’s hard for her not to be involved and want to do triathlons, but I don’t push her.  The morning of the race she was having major anxiety about racing; Would she be as good as she was before?  Would she be last? All the same issues we all think about at some time before a race.  So, I started asking her if she wanted to race, and she said yes but all these other feelings were taking over so I asked her to think about a few things, like maybe doing it for someone else, so it wasn’t about her and her outcome, but more about just getting out there because someone else couldn’t.  The other thing I reminded her of was how great it felt when she had crossed the finish line of her last race.  She was all a glow, cheering for friends and happy just to be out there.  We looked at some of her race photos and she was reminded of those post-race feelings of success and accomplishment.  Although she struggled right up to the start, she did the race with a huge smile on her face and even saying at one point “This is the best day of my life!”

Another example of a good why, is being a part of Team Thumbs Up.  We were asked to be included and help Brett Anderson who has Cerebral Palsy complete a sprint triathlon.  I was so proud of my team for stepping up and giving this man the experience of flying through a triathlon as fast as we could carry him. He was ecstatic and so thankful!

These are just 2 examples of a why and I have a bunch more I turn to when I am finding myself out of my focus.  All I know is when I am committed and training regularly, everything else in my life is better.  I commit to more sleep, eat healthier, work harder and with more focus and really plan my fun stuff as the reward for all the hard work!  Although the race is always the reward for me!

Of course, I can’t leave without mentioning that if you have your why and still no energy to train it could be a nutrition lifestyle issue and of course I have a program for that!  So, now its my turn to ask you; “What is your big Why?” Id love to hear about it and how it motivates you to get out there and TRI!!!

Are you SHIFTING me?

by fullcircle, posted in Bike, Blogs

By Coach Erinne Guthrie

I meet with a lot of cyclists on a weekly basis, some during one on one sessions and some during our weekly group rides, and I am always surprised by how little new and even experienced cyclists shift their gears. The gears on the bike are meant to be used and shifted quite often during your rides. They are what allow you to keep pedaling with a smooth consistent pedal stroke whether you are drafting in a group, riding alone or climbing the bridges. By shifting your gears you can keep a given cadence or rpm (revolution per minute) so you can be more efficient (90 rpm) on a long ride or create resistance with a lower RPM (50-70) for a given interval to build leg strength while on the bike.  On your next ride I highly recommend playing around with shifting the gears on your bike.  Which gears help you get faster? Slower? More efficient? Tired?  etc. there is a time to use all the gears on your bike, start shifting today!

Turn Down the Volume

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Run

What’s up Runners and Triathletes?

Have you signed up for your next 5k, 10k, 13.1 or 26.2?  It’s Running season!
Most of the programs you are following right now teach you absolutely nothing about HOW to run. Instead, they have you turning up the volume of running, week after week despite your lack of energy and niggling injuries. This is a sure recipe for disaster!

Can you imagine training all those weeks only to come up lame on race day because you only trained based on volume?

Running more does not always make you a better runner, especially if you have poor posture and have any imbalances in your core muscle strength and limited flexibility.  Who doesn’t have imbalances?  No one is perfectly balanced or symmetrical. 

After years of study and analysis it is becoming apparent that there is a better and smarter way to train for your next running race.

I invite you to join us on Sunday, October 11, 2015 for Run Essentials – We’ll meet at Coral Reef Park in Miami.  Click this LINK for details and registration – LEARN how you can avoid the status quo and do things differently this year!

Wishing you well!

 

 

Flip Turns – Summer Review

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Swim

Flip Turns – Summer Review

Although open water swimming and triathlons do not require the use of flip-turns, it is important to use them in the pool setting for a couple of reasons.
  1. Flip-turns add a challenging aerobic component to a workout. It’s like getting two workouts, for the price of one! Each flip-turn is its own mini-workout, aiding you in increasing lung capacity.
  2. Flip-turns minimize the amount of time spent on the wall between laps. The quicker the transition, the more similar it is to swimming in a long distance open water/triathlon swim.
  3. Lastly, flip-turns are fun! Really!!!! Doing flip-turns throughout the entire swim workout increases core strength, something that is essential to proper swimming form/technique. So get out there and flip-turn away! A great way to add them gradually is to commit to a flip every 4th lap as a beginner method. Then commit to every 3rd lap until you are feeling comfortable. Keep adding turns as your lung capacity and comfort improves.
Must SEE Links!
Flip-turn progression:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjfsaWj7G4

Basic concepts of the flip-turn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EL3v1saCQw
Workouts
Total Yardage= 2,050
Focus: Flip-turns
 
3 x 150 FREE :30 rest (flip-turns!!)
50 Free breathing 3, 5, 7
50 catch-up drill & fingertip drag drill together
50 Free breathing 3, 5, 7
 
3 x 100 FREE  :35 rest
75 free, 25 swim of “6 strokes, then flip” drill (see video)
 
4 x 25 kick :15 rest
FREE kick for 10 seconds, then 1 butterfly kick (repeat until done)
* Think: I must do 1 buttterfly kick before I do a flip-turn.
 
6 x 100 FREE  :40 rest (flip-turns!!)
            #1,3,5….50 sprint, 50 easy
#2,4,6….75 moderate, 25 sprint
 
2 x 200 FREE w/ buoy & ankle band :15 rest
 
200 EZ
 
Dryland (abs/core)=
1-     15 V-ups
2-     30 trunk twists (flat hands on each touch)
3-     :30 sec Superman
4-     15 Left/15 Right threading the needle
5-     30 crunches
 
 
Total Yardage= 1,950
Focus: Open water swimming
 
Associated video links:
 
4 x 100 FREE :15 rest
75 FREE, 25 Backstroke kick w/ streamline
 
1:00 vertical kick drill
 
2 x 200 FREE  :45 rest (no flip-turns, no touching walls)
*Go through x 2 to complete 200 FREE
– 25 FREE swim
– 25 Tarzan drill (freestyle with head out of water)
– 25 FREE swim (spotting/looking up every 7 strokes)
– 25 Tarzan drill
 
4 x 50 FREE kick :20 rest
* w/ no kickboard, hands straight ahead and shoulder-width apart, use sculling to breathe (see video link)
5 x 50 FREE w/ fins :30 rest (flip-turns!!)
            * SPRINT all of them!
2 x 200 Free w/ buoy, ankle band & paddles
4 x 25 underwater
200 EZ
 
Dryland=
1-     15 dips
2-     30 sit-ups
3-     15 push-ups
4-     :30 sec Superman
5-     15 squats
6-     :30 flutter kick
 
 
Total Yardage= 1,900
Focus: Open water swimming
 
4 x 200 :20 rest
#1, 3…
100 FREE kick, 100 FREE swim
#2, 4….
(75 FREE swim, 25 swim “5 strokes FREE, 5 strokes BACKSTROKE” drill) x 2
 
4 x 100 FREE :25 rest
– 50 swim, 50 kick (no board, kick in streamline position, turn onto back to breathe)
 
3 x 100 :30 rest (no flip-turns, no touching walls)
            #1,3…7 strokes FREE swim, 2 BREASTSTROKE arms/kick
#2…FREE catch-up drill & fingertip drag drill together
 
4 x 50 FREE kick w/ fins :35 rest
            * SPRINT ALL OF THEM!
 
1:00 vertical kick drill
 
200 EZ
 
Dryland=
1-     :30 sec 8-point plank
2-     30 trunk twists (flat hands on each touch)
3-     :30 sec Superman
4-     15 Left/15 Right threading the needle
5-     :30 flutter kick
 
 
Total Yardage= 1,875
Focus: Speeeed!!
 
Associated video links:
 
3 x 100 FREE swim :20 rest
            #1…w/ fins
            #2…w/ fins & paddles
            #3…w/ fins, paddles, pull buoy & ankle band
 
2 x 200 FREE :20 rest
50 swim, 50 kick w/ no kickboard, hands straight ahead and shoulder-width apart, use sculling to breathe (see video link)
 
3 x 100 FREE :25 rest
            (25 moderate, 25 sprint) x 2
 
3 x 75 moderate pace swim :25 rest
            50 FREE, 25 STROKE (your choice)
 
2 x 100 FREE :25 rest
            #1…50 moderate, 25 easy, 25 sprint
            #2….50 moderate, 25 sprint, 25 easy
 
2 x 75 FREE SPRINT :30 rest
50 swim, 25 kick w/ no kickboard, hands straight ahead and shoulder-width apart, use sculling to breathe (see video link)
 
4 x 25 FREE w/ fins :35 rest
            * SPRINT all of them
           
200 EZ
 
Dryland (some soccer moves to improve hip strength)
1-     15 burpees
2-     30 knee touches
(stand and lift one leg up at a time for knee to touch on palm of hand located just below chest height)
3-     15 Left/15 Right threading the needle
4-     30 toe touches (straight ahead, in front of body, alternating legs)

 

Don’t Let This Be You!

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset
It has been a great summer so far.  I was able to take a nice break to “WORK IN” a little at Green Turtle Abaco, Bahamas.  I  had big plans of getting 8 hours of sleep a night, running, open water swimming and yoga every day!!!  Well… not so much!
The entire family got really sick, my plans went out the window and I eventually got sick as well.  So, I had to accept the situation and adjust.  I still got my meditation, yoga and some great free diving in between the diarrhea, vomiting and coughing!  But as you know, when this happens I lost some of my fitness.  When I got back to work and training I was not in the same physical shape as when I had left.
I could have picked back up doing my intervals, speed work and volume where I left off, but I have learned my lesson from previous experience.  Jumping back into training would have resulted in a pulled hamstring, tweaked back or other minor injury that could have been prevented.  I have dealt with this time and again with my athletes as well.  When you have taken time off from your consistent weekly schedule of training, you cannot just jump back in where you left off.  Sometimes athletes aren’t even aware that they have missed some key workouts but by keeping track of your weekly volume on a training interface like I use with my athletes on Training Peaks, you can keep track of your consistent or lack of consistent training.  When you do come back from taking some time off there needs to be a progression from a lower level of fitness to catch you back up to where you were before.  It won’t take as long as you might think.  Many times, I have tried and seen my athletes try to unsuccessfully jump back in, only to get injured and then need to take even more time off.
DON’T LET THIS BE YOU!  It is a frustrating situation and completely preventable without having to deal with a major setback.  So I recommend more frequent, shorter workouts at a lower intensity, drill work and some consistent sport specific strength training to get you back up to speed.  Take the time you need to build your volume and intensity back to where you were before the sporadic training started.  This is a proven method  I have used with myself and my athletes to get their fitness back and prevent injury in the long run.  Feel free to post comments and feedback!
Train Safe and Smart!
Wishing You Well,
Coach Erinne

Mental Skills; Do You Have What it Takes?

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

As many of my athletes are digging deep getting ready for some short course races here in south Florida I wanted to discuss mental skills and specifically short course racing and high intensity training.  Typically athletes racing short course will be pushing a higher intensity than those doing 70.3 or Ironman distance races.  It is just the nature of the length of the race.  For a sprint triathlon you can literally push your top end the entire race, but if you tried that for a long course race, you would most likely finish poorly or not at all. Mental skills are actually some of the most important skills any triathlete could have in order to be successful (short course or long course) and they are required at any level. If you signed up for the race to begin with you had to overcome your mental objections to do so and that is a mental skill in itself!

But, I want to get a little more detailed and ask the question “How do you get through the toughest of your training workouts?”  You know those days when you want to quit but have 3 more intervals or when it is SO hot, you feel you may pass out or when the finish line is 200 yards away and you start to sprint for it. What do you say to yourself to push through and get the job done?  This is what I want to know.

I have done some research and have also been using a few tactics that work well for me, but I would love to hear from you as well. Everyone is motivated by something different and driven by different motivators. So What Is yours?

Is it the pizza and ice cream after the race that helps you push though?
The chance at beating your local rival/ buddy for bragging rights?
Beating your own best time and creating a Personal Record (PR)?

I can tell you for me, always working to just be better than my last race is what drives me. I have been racing for almost 20 years, sometimes I am just happy to be out there and could care less how I do because I had been injured and couldn’t race for a while. Sometimes I am in shape but using the race as a measuring stick to see how much more into training I need to get if I want to PR. And Sometimes I am dialed in and ready to have my best race. Here are some strategies I have found that work for me and others I investigated:
COUNTING – Whatever the race/ workout I always use my counting tactic. When it gets tough I just start counting my exhales up to 11 and then start over. Simple and yet so effective to distract the mind away from the discomfort (pain!) This is called dissociative strategy- basically thinking of anything except what you are actually doing- it’s a great skill to practice to get through some tough training and racing.

Associative strategy: Focus on the job at hand and how you can make it better, relax shoulders, arm swing if running, form for swimming and running.  Another method is to recall prior tough training sessions or race results that ended well. Remember how good it felt when you succeeded before and really push to get those same results and feeling.  Say to yourself,  “I’ve been here before I can do this again.”
Goals: Achieving the life long goal can be a huge motivator so always reviewing your goals and why you are doing what you are doing can be super helpful in getting through a tough race or workout.
Repeating a positive mantra: “I am a strong efficient runner” vs “I suck at running” which do you think will give a better outcome?  Pain is temporary quitting is forever- one of my favorites!

Here is a link to one of the articles I referenced:
http://www.trainingsmartonline.com/images/Free_Triathlon_Articles/triathlon_psychology.pdf

And an awesome webinar that talks about mental toughness and it is a skill we can all attain!
http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/webinar-developing-mental-toughness

Now it’s your turn.  I would love to hear from you what strategies you employ when you need to DIG DEEP in that suitcase of courage.

I look forward to your responses so others can learn from you as well!

Suffering Meltdown?

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset
What’s Up Triathletes?

I hope everyone is surviving the heat!  I’ve had several athletes tell me about “MELT DOWN” on the workouts over the weekend.
Here are some tips to implement to insure a solid training session despite the heat.

  • Start earlier I know this can be more difficult on the weekends when we want to sleep in, however getting out there early and before the temperature gets too high makes for a much better training session and then you can come back and take a nap mid-day in the cool AC!!
  • Super Hydration before the workout. Be sure you have been hydrating with ½ your body weight in ounces of water with a small pinch of real sea salt in every 12 ounces that you drink.  Add on to that with coconut water, Kombucha or green tea (organic of course) but make sure you are getting your minimum amount of water in daily and the morning of your workouts.
  • Keep core body temperature as low as possible using cooling sleeves, gloves, ice, cold water
  • Take walk breaks when heart rate starts to get too high
  • Rest in the shade
  • Pour ice cold water on your arms, face and head every chance you get.
  • Wear a visor instead of a closed off ball cap.
  • Take sunglasses off so the wind can cool your face.
  • Call it a day if it’s just too much heat.

Ben greenfield just posted this great article with even more tips on how to stay COOL in the Heat- check it out here.

Oops I did it again

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

Oops I Did it Again… by Coach Erinne Guthrie

Does anyone else remember that Britney Spears song, or am I dating myself?  Anyway, that song was stuck in my head about a month ago when I was saying to myself, “OOPS! I did it again.”   I seemed to have re-injured my hamstring that was torn two years ago and took me away from running for over 12 months. The 2nd “Oops” was that I felt like I was back in Adrenal Fatigue.  I had no energy to get through my workouts and didn’t have the “dance to work” attitude I usually enjoy.  I really had to take a step back and take a look at what had been going on the past few months and it was all clear.

  • Less than 7-8 hours of sleep for many weeks in a row.
  • Too much refined sugar and processed foods from traveling for a few weeks consecutively.
  • Pushing too hard in training, despite my body telling me I was fatigued and needed more TLC and less 200 repeats at the track (despite my goal to get back to running faster).

All of these things I coach my athletes on and here I was not practicing what I preach.  I named my company Full Circle Coaching for a reason and please notice the Yin-Yang in the logo and my tag line; “Where Performance Meets Balance.”  When I had the opportunity to start over with my new company 5 years ago, I wanted to make sure I was implementing all the things I had learned over the previous 15 years of coaching, training and living that got me where I am today, happy, healthy, strong and fit.  The key component being BALANCE between working OUT and working IN.  I like to remind myself that life is about finding that balance between too much and too little of everything!  I like to see myself riding the wave of that balance, constantly course correcting as needed, to stay on top of the wave all the time, not just for a final destination or goal (although having a goal can help us get focused). The good news is I was able to implement all the strategies for nutrition, working IN and supplements needed to dig me out of the hole I found myself in. I like to train hard, I like to race and compete and I want to be able to do that and have the energy to be the best Mom for my 9 year old daughter and my growing company.


In 3 weeks, I am pain free in my hamstring and back to full, amazing energy by taking a ton of recovery days, not days off but days to rebuild my foundation with low heart rate movement, holistic nutrition, a few supplements that I swear by and of course including my daily mediation, EFT and working IN.

The hamstring pain is 100% gone after I implemented my tried and true strength program I created specifically for running injury free.
So, based on what was going on with me and what I hear my athletes struggling with as well, I am offering 2 programs this month.
The 1st will be an online 6 week course where I review all my holistic principles and how they apply to triathlon training. Many of you have been asking me for just the nutrition course but spreading the information out over a few weeks will make it simpler to implement and more comprehensive.
The 2nd program is my Running Essentials 101 and 102. This 1 day running intensive will include total body running strength exercises as well as a run test and training zones.
Also please enjoy these 2 articles that can make a difference in your running health.
If you’re looking to achieve results with your training program, contact us today.  Here’s a link to schedule your call to discuss how to make it happen!

Power Via Nutrition

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Nutrition
Do you know that you can create Blood Sugar balance every time you eat?
All you have to do is have equal amounts of protein and carbohydrates and added good fats.

For your smoothie please consider adding:

Parsley, ½ Avocado and Hemp Hearts (4 tbsp = 20 G protein)

Raw Greens powder (Where to buy)

Coconut water (Where to buy) instead of juice (sugar water), coconut has less sugar and tons of potassium;  Keep the chia seeds and reduce the fruits.  You can also add a pea or hemp protein powder (Where to buy)
Another Option, is to add a handful of raw cashews to your smoothie as a good fat.
 
Also, consider these:
Grassfed (Where to buy) Butter for your bread!  (look for sprouted whole grain breads)
I also recommend, Super Essentials Fish Oils that has the perfect blend for absorption, I have these available for $45 plus tax.  Contact me directly.
Experiencing Muscle Soreness?
Magnesium Glycinate (Where to buy) for sore Muscles and will really help with
Perfect Aminos for recovery,  I have these for only $24.99 plus tax.  Contact me directly for the Aminos.
Probiotics – I have a great one from doterra, but you should switch strands every other month.
Do you understand why I recommend eating more fats instead of carbs and sugar?
Let’s talk about it… Click HERE to schedule a quick nutrition call so I can answer questions about the proper nutrition specific to your training.
Please give us a rate and review… Tell us how you liked this nutrition update by clicking on the FaceBook link below!

This LINK will take you there! Thanks a bunch!