Talking Nutrition with Triathletes

Healthy food for hungry triathletes!

Last night I gave my first of (hopefully) many talks about nutrition to athletes. It helped that the athletes in question were members of my triathlon team and helped even more that I had the support of Nicole Cormier, RD of Delicious Living Nutrition in case there were any questions that I couldn't answer! Back in my former life as an editor, I hired Nicole to work on several nutrition books, which she's still doing. It's great to be working with her in a different capacity now.

The talk was at the bike shop that sponsors my team, Wheelworks in Belmont and about 17 teammates came out for the "Everyday Nutrition for Triathletes" talk. I brought lots of fresh fruit and veggies along with hummus, greek yogurt mixed with dill, and two healthy dishes, recipes below. We talked through daily calorie needs based on the Harris Benedict Equation, daily protein and carbohydrate needs, and talked a bit about pre- and post-race nutrition and hydration. I think it went really well and people were really receptive. It's always great to get little reminders of why you've made life changes like this - I love talking to people (especially athletes) about healthy eating, and look forward to continuing to do it for a long time!

Southwestern Protein Fiesta

1 bag Trader Joe’s frozen Fire-Roasted Corn, defrosted

1 bag frozen edamame, defrosted

1 can black beans (no-salt added), rinsed

1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped

1 container fresh salsa

 

Mix all ingredients together and bring cold to a potluck or BBQ, serve warm over rice or quinoa for dinner, roll it in a whole-wheat tortilla for lunch, throw it over salad, or put in your morning eggs!

Whole-Grain Mediterranean Toss

½ cucumber, diced

½ container cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can garbanzo beans (no-salt added), rinsed

1 package low-fat feta cheese

3-4 cups cooked whole grain (quinoa, brown rice, whole-wheat orzo, or barley)

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Balsamic vinegar, pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve hot inside steamed halved peppers, cold at a picnic, or as a side with grilled chicken!

Back in the Saddle Again

I've been having a tough time convincing myself to get out on my bike recently. It's been pretty chilly and wet and I've had odd pockets of time where other potential riding buddies were not available. I struck out on my own for a quick 12 mile ride and then waited for my triathlon team's annual training weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

If you think it's a good idea to start the season with one short ride and then a long, extremely hilly ride, think again! While it did show a fair amount of optimism on my part, Saturday's 66 mile ride reminded me of several things which all boil down to the same lesson: the best way to get something done without feeling ill affects is to ease into it. That lesson manifested itself in two places. The first, as you might expect, was that my legs and my sit bones were super sore the next day and I biked slower than I would have liked during the ride. The second was with my nutrition. As you might imagine, I tend to think of myself as a person who listens to her body and has a pretty good idea of what to put into it and when. However, it had been longer than I'd like to admit since I had gone on a ride of that distance and length and elevation gain. So after eating a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, during the entire six hours that we were out on our bikes, I ate a Clif bar and a Luna protein bar. Some people, in the same circumstances, would have been fine. But I was out of practice with what my body needs under those circumstances and ended up not feeling as good as I might have if I'd brought along some whole foods (banana, nuts, crackers) or had stopped for a small meal in addition to the bars that I ate. I just didn't put the right amount of the right things into my body.

Looking good despite not feeling great after biking 66 miles in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (my Co-Membership Director Bernadette is pictured here with me on the right)

I should add that I still had a ridiculously fun time on that ride - I got to know five of my teammates really well (while the other 35 teammates were off climbing other mountains at other distances) and saw some beautiful scenery. But if I had put in a couple more rides ahead of time, I would've had a better idea what to expect from my body that day. I think this lesson applies to a lot of aspects of eating and working out; want to stop being a vegetarian? If you start by one day eating a bacon cheeseburger, you'll probably make yourself sick. Want to run a 10K? If you start by running that distance you'll probably do yourself more harm than good in your training process (and could injure yourself early on). So, try new things, but give yourself time to adapt and let your body learn to love eating healthy and being active.

A Little Running Here, A Little Running There

I was raised to be the type of person that can't really sit still on a vacation. In my family, vacations included going to countless museums, castles, churches (ask my parents how much I loved those as a teenager!). The idea of going somewhere to just sit on a beach day in and day out has always been foreign to me. So it's no surprise that for me, travel often goes hand in hand with some sort of physical activity. I've found that triathlons have been a great way for me to explore New England, visiting various spots in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont that I never would've gone to otherwise. Running and biking is also a great way to explore a new city, race or no race. I recently did a 10-mile run in Salem, MA that took us past the historic House of Seven Gables, to the rocky shores of Marblehead, and back to the city of witches (see photo).


Going for a training ride or run or signing up for a race in a new or exotic location can also be a great way to stay active on your vacation. Sure, you might spend the rest of your time there doing little else besides eating the local cuisine and sampling the local drinks, but you'll feel much better about it if you've done something to earn it! It's also a great way to bond with family members that live far away. My brother and I live halfway across the country from each other, but we've gotten together to do a triathlon in Maine, a Livestrong Challenge in Texas; he and my dad have done a trail half marathon in California as well as a marathon in Austin. The point is, while there's never a bad place to exercise, why not take a vacation to an awesome place to exercise?

Depending on your sport of choice, here are some links you might find helpful in planning your destination event:
Best Marathons in North America
10 Most Scenic Triathlons
Road Trippin Triathlete Blog
Top 25 Best Half Marathons
Destination Marathons (suggested by Lululemon)

TIps For First T(r)imers

First and foremost, if you haven't seen the video of my brother proposing to his girlfriend last weekend (complete with robots), make sure to check it out here.

I got another topic suggestion from a reader - love those! Keep them coming. He suggested that I post tips for people who are thinking of doing their first triathlon. A couple of my very best friends have decided to compete in their first tri this summer so I decided to go back and find an e-mail that I had sent to someone prior to one of their first races. I recall that I wrote it by just thinking through random aspects of race day so it's a bit scattered:

Chris,

It's OK (and sometimes even a good idea) to eat what you would normally eat for breakfast. A lot of people think that they need to pack in the protein and carbs the morning of a race but if your body isn't used to having that much that early then it can react in a negative way. Which leads me to another tip: get in line for the porta potties well before the race start, even if you don't think you have to go. The lines can take FOREVER and you don't want to figure out 5 min before the start that you need to go wait in the 10 min long line of spectators who need to pee.

Also, if you are going to have any shot bloks or bars or anything in your transition area, you might want to open them ahead of time. Make sure that your sneakers are untied. I personally like to have an extra water bottle in transition that I use to squirt my feet clean with (you'll see people filling up buckets and dishes and stuff for this purpose but I think that just sort of gets in the way). You'll want to have a small towel to wipe them off with then.

If you're using spray sunscreen put it on before they write with sharpy on your body.

If you're worried about getting kicked, start towards the back of your swim wave. If you close your eyes when your head is under water then you can't see the monsters/sharks even if they're there! If you freak out at all, try flipping onto your back for a few seconds. Don't forget to sight so you don't end up way off course. Take the top half of your wet suit off while you're running to the transition area, then worry about the bottom half (usually easier if you're sitting down, but that depends on personal preference) when you get to the transition area.

Shift before you coast. I couldn't really remember what I do when you asked this the other day, but I find that it's a lot easier to get to a harder gear, then do any coasting. This should also help you build more momentum for your coasting.

If it's really hot during the run and you feel like you need to take a walking break, wait to do it when you're in the shade.

Most importantly, just have fun and be prepared to laugh at yourself when you swallow salt water, get passed by old women on the bike, and feel like your legs are going to give out when you start running.

:)

Kat

I always love re-reading advice I give, just to make sure that I would still give it today. Good news! I would. Those are some time-honored tips that will hold true as long as triathlon remains a sport that people enjoy!