Tag: USAtriathlon

Post Race; What Should I Do the Day After a Race?

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset, Race Specific

Post Race; What Should I do the Day After a Race?

What’s up Triathletes?
What you do the day after a race can be a little confusing. It depends if the race you just completed was a long, hard effort, an “A” race or just a training race – meaning you are still training for a faster or longer race in a few weeks or months. Most races will take more out of you than a normal training day due to getting up early and all the mental and physical fatigue regardless of how hard you raced. It’s a call you must make based on how you’re feeling when you wake up, how long your race was, and what you’re training for.

Sleep – Please take the day after the race to sleep in or at least take a nap the same day of the race. There is no better recovery tool than sleep.

Complete DAY OFF – If this race was your “A” race and you’re ready to take a break, take a complete day off. Take the time to analyze the race results while they are fresh in your mind by writing a post- race report. Go through all the details of the race exactly how you remember them and write down what you struggled with and what worked well, along with all the race data. You can use the information for strategy and planning for future training and your next race. If you have a coach you would want to review the notes with your coach sometime during that week again while it’s fresh in your memory if you wait too long you won’t remember these things.

Active Recovery – Another option is to do a little active recovery. That means training for 1 hour or less at a very aerobic pace, with low heart rate. Some examples:

– a 45- minute easy spin at 90 rpms with HR under 120.

– A yoga class or some mediation and breath work

– 45- minute swim with fins

– 30-45 min low heart rate run and 15 min stretch and foam roll session

Massage – Heat and Ice bath- getting a post- race massage can really help speed the time of recovery along with sauna/ hot plunge and cold plunges. All this just helps to improve circulation and move the lactic acid out of the muscles so you can get back to regular training without feeling the fatigue in your body from the race.

The mistake I see a lot of athletes make is going right into a hard training session the day after a race and by the end of that same week they are exhausted or sick because race day can be very taxing on the body if you don’t allow one or two days of easy training to ease back into your routine you can end up getting sick or really tired by the end of the week. So even though you may have tapered or gone easy the entire week before the race I still recommend taking one or two days very easy after the race and by the end of the week get back into your training program.

Nutrition – The last thing to consider post race is a good nutrition plan. Hopefully, you rewarded yourself somewhat after the race with a treat that you would not normally eat – like ice cream or pizza. If you are working on your power to weight ratio sticking to your nutrition plan post race can really help you get a big jump on your calorie deficit because you burn so many calories on race day. If you continue to eat healthy that day you will feel so much better the next day. I also really believe in a special reward for race performance, so if you’re craving that pizza or beer or some kind of celebratory food, that’s the day to do it. It’s always your choice.

Then, the next day after the race get back on your nutrition plan of clean eating and drinking tons of water to recover and it will help make you feel so much better going back into your training program.

I hope this article helps you in some way!

Feel free to ask me any questions or leave a comment.

Wishing you well,
Coach Erinne
Full Circle Coaching
Where Performance Meets Balance

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Life Savers- 6 Steps to Total Transformation

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Mindset

bookHow do we stay on course with training, family and work when so much of life gets in the way. If you really want to make triathlon training a part of your daily routine I have found an awesome resource from the book, The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. It was a total game changer for me especially when I started getting busier and busier with my daughter, work and a few health setbacks. It’s an incredibly easy read and I listened to it in the car in a week on Audible.com  I immediately started implementing the 6 Life S.A.V.E.R.S. Hal describes in the book. I have never accomplished so much in such a short time. Below is a recap of the book, but reading it will clarify a lot of details.  Hal also has a ton of resources on his website for free that you can download.

#1 Silence – Practice Silence Daily. The benefits of meditation are undeniable and scientifically proven. It really is simple and the benefits are tremendous. Improve concentration, immune function, reduce and manage stress. In as little as 2 min/ day but ideally 10-20 minutes you can have all of these benefits. I wake up and include it every morning and it completely sets up my day in the best way. Some Apps to try are Address Stress; Deepak Chopra 21 day meditation (Perfect Health is a favorite); Insight Timer, are just a few.  The Release Technique by Brendon Burchard is a very simple way to start. I also incorporate my breathing exercises while meditating, so I am actually improving lung capacity and CO2 tolerance at the same time. Try Box Breathing – inhale for 4-6 seconds, hold your breath 4-6 seconds, exhale 4-6 seconds and hold your breath out 4-6 seconds- keep repeating for as long as you have time.

#2 Affirmations – Say them OUT LOUD! When you say affirmations out loud you are literally reprogramming your brain’s subconscious or operating system. Use them for every area of your life. And say them every morning out load after your Silence.

Use this template: I am committed to (insert behavior or activity) so that I can (goal you wish to achieve) by (deadline you wish to achieve by). So, for example- I am committed to running 4 days/week, every week by the 30th of November using a speed work training program so that I can run a 23 minute 5k by August 1st, 2017. Or, I am committed to doing 5 minutes of yoga and box breathing every morning for 5 minutes by the end of the week. You get the idea. I include an affirmation for every aspect of my life: Spiritual, Relationships, Family, Business, Fitness, etc.

#3 Visualization – See your end result exactly how you want it to be. Tap into emotions, smells, physical feelings and visual displays of your exact outcome- this works for everything, not just sports! Make a vision board.

#4 Exercise – I would bet almost everyone reading this already exercises and knows the benefits. Something to consider is if you have a balance between working out and working in. Or applying an intention and or purpose for every training session. I find the more intentional I am in my training and recovery the better my results.

#5 Read – There are definitely times when I find it harder to read since I became a mom and entrepreneur, but with Audible.com this becomes SO much easier. Every car drive I am listening to a book. I also listen to podcasts and videos as well. All count towards reading and learning and bettering yourself. If you commit to 5 pages every day, that adds up to 1,825 pages or over 9 books a year!

#6 Scribing or Journaling but the S is better on the end of the acronym SAVERS. It’s great to just record your thoughts every day. Some days I write longer than others. I can self -reflect and get thoughts out of my head. I usually write down all the things I am grateful for everyday. Even the struggles because this can allow you to accept things as they are and move through them. “I am so thankful and grateful for my foot injury because it has allowed me to slow down and appreciate when I am pain free, what could have caused the injury and how to get better”

Get the book today and start your transformation. It is absolutely amazing how well this works and you won’t be disappointed. Try the 30 day challenge at TMMBOOK.com.

Wishing You Well,

Coach Erinne

Remember to reply and comment below and share with anyone you think would like to read. Also feel free to email me at Info@fullcirclecoaching.co to ask me to write about anything triathlon or health and wellness related.

Thanks for reading!

How to Take Minutes Off Your Triathlon Transition Time Instantly

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Race Specific, Run

It’s all about the socks

Socks or no socks???
I don’t recommend wearing socks for short course racing or training (sprints and Olympic distance triathlons) because it slows you down.

Not wearing socks can  save you tons of time in your transitions.  Putting dry socks on wet feet while balancing on one leg is no easy task, especially when your heart rate is at 160 or higher. So, why not learn to race with no socks. It’s simple really!

Powder and JellyMy trick to not wearing socks is using baby powder and some kind of non- petroleum type lubricant.

Put your run shoes on and walk/run for just five minutes.

Notice areas on your feet where you feel any chaffing or rubbing around your heel or anywhere on your foot.  That is the place you want to take your foot out of your shoe and add a little dollop of lubricant.  Then continue running for just five more minutes, then put socks on if you are running longer.

Watch How to Video Here

Next time you go running do the same as above but run for 10 minutes. Continue adding five minutes duration onto each run with no socks.  The baby powder helps absorb moisture in your shoe from the swim and or sweat. Using a squirt of baby powder in each shoe with a little lube on all the rubbing points will help you stay blister free and allow for a super quick transition. Of course make sure you are using Riplaces to make your transition even faster. Riplaces are elastic, no tie laces that allow you to slip your running shoe on like a slipper, no tying needed. Use fullcircle to receive a 10% discount on a great pair of laces.

Happy Transitioning!

Remember to comment if you liked this blog and or have any questions you’d like me to answer regarding triathlon training, racing or heath and wellness.

Wishing you Well,
Coach Erinne