Recovery- Post Training

Today I did a 5 mile mountain bike ride- let me tell you, I failed miserably! It is so hard. I have come to admire bikers! They are especially amazing athletes. The strength that they have to have to go up hills amazes me. Once again, I was humbled during this bike ride- I think I would much rather do 10 hill repeats than ride a bike up a hill. To me, riding up hills is much harder than running up them. Once I was finished with this workout I realized how fatigued and stressed my muscles were. It is then that I drug my butt to my fridge and grabbed a most appetizing low fat chocolate milk.

Post Recovery....This point of your overall training program is the most crucial time for you to consume nutrients. It does not matter which sport you do, after a hard workout or a long endurance effort, it is crucial to replenish your muscles. As athletes, we have a 30 minute window immediately following hard workouts to consume a recovery meal in order to reap physical benefits. After this 30 minute window, your opportunity for optimal recovery decreases with every minute. Which, also, pulls you farther from achieving your athletic goals.
 Recovery Meals aid the body in several ways:

• eliminates metabolic wastes
• replenishes glycogen stores
• reduces muscle damage
• enhances the immune system- the immune system is particularly sensitive after a workout
• allows for muscle growth and recovery

If you want to set the stage for a healthy and strong season- it is important to determine a recovery meal that best suits your needs. Some guidelines of a recovery meal include:

• 10-15 g of protein
• 40-50 g of high glycemic carbohydrates (Any fruit that can supply sucrose sugar for you: pineapple, strawberries, banana or starchy foods like corn tortillas or white potatoes or white bread) (you don't want complex carbohydrates because they absorb too slowly)
• Some Vitamin C to enhance immune system support

Here are some great examples of Post-Recovery Meals that follow these guidelines: If you have a new, more creative, or more delicious idea let us know!

•  Low Fat chocolate milk
• Turkey sandwich 
• Shake: 1/4 cup real maple syrup, 1 banana, 1/2 cup blueberries, 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• String cheese and a fruit bar
• Greek Yogurt with a banana 
• 1/2 Peanut butter sandwich on white bread
• Orange juice and a bar high in protein
• Corn tortillas with peanut butter or eggs!

The Power of Collaboration

Team....This was the best part of my college career and forever will be. The people that I met on the team completely changed my life for the better- every single person that I interacted with on the team played a role in helping me navigate to where I am today.

The picture above displays the most important people to me in the world. We all came onto the team in 2008 and on day one became inseperable- we sat together every dinner and laughed for hours, we dried each other's tears, we broke each other of bad habits, helped each other through personal firsts, lessons learned, personal breakthroughs, and pushed each other toward greater heights. Leaving them and the rest of my team behind is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Once I left, I felt like a piece of me had been broken off and it was a piece that I knew I couldn't replace. If you have not graduated yet- please listen to me now...ENJOY your teammates. The feeling of disconnection with teammates is a weird and unsettling feeling. I know that sometimes it can be difficult but you will see that once you get into the real world that these teammates are probably the best friends you will ever have.

There is no way that you can get through life by yourself- as much as your pride might try and convince you, you never did anything by yourself. Support, encouragement, inspiration, and motivation from people around you are what project you forward in life. We need to change the way we think about life's big projects. Instead of focusing on our individual limitations we need to step back and ask, "Who can be motivated to tackle this with me?" A lot of your teammates probably have the same questions, goals, dreams, and problems that you do and you can use each other to discover solutions to all of these things.

Nightmares will happen- it is inevitable with a group of people that spend 24/7 together but it is important to perservere through these times- by sticking together you get stronger and will accomplish great things.

For those of you who have graduated- you already understand the greatness that can come from collaboration... now you just have to find it in this phase of your life. True, it may never compare to the team you had at college but it will be perfect for you at this point in your life. Every phase and every person happens for a reason- these phases are waiting for you to run through them...but you cannot do it alone. Disconnect yourself from your personal limitations- step back- and find yourself a team and go get things done.

SHOUT OUT TO MY TEAMMATES! I miss you guys...know the impact you have had on my life and continue to make that impact on each others'

Less is More...

Simplicity: the condition in which something is easy to understand and to do

" Most of us tend to be overly concerned about how many miles we are getting in, watches, heart rate monitors, etc. and lose touch with the essence of simply running. We shouldn't let the planning and analyzing interfere with doing and enjoying."
- Joe Henderson


It is great to be dedicated to your sport, to your job, to your school work, to your friends....however, there comes a point where you have to just take a moment and simplify these things. When you care deeply about something it is hard not to get caught up in doing everything perfectly...when we aim to do this, we can become obsessed over numbers: miles, hours spent on studying, minutes spent on training, and time spent on planning out meals and schedules.This is when running or working becomes "hard" or "impossible" or something that you dread doing because it is taking so much energy.

I am not saying being planned, working hard, or being prepared is a bad thing. What I am saying is that these little things are just "little" things- if you obsess over them they take your mind away from what really matters- which is simply the act of running or working. When we act simply we can hear the natural messages of our body saying, "I need more time off" or "I can go further" or "This is the best I can do today" The little things like being focused too much on mileage will sometimes force your body to do things it naturally does not want to do. And trust me, you will pay for it in the end if you let obsession be your ears rather than what your body is actually telling you. Just because your neighbor works 60 hours a week does not necessarily mean that you have to either- if working 40 hours a week is what you can do and you get quality work in, than there is no need to do more. The same thing goes for mileage in running- high mileage is not for everyone so if you know it is not for you or it is not working for you (even though you might try and convince yourself) do not force yourself or fret over doing more.

Extraordinary performances usually derive from pure acts of simplicity- this is in part due to less complexity, anxiety, and pressure. So instead of worrying so much about doing more- do less but make it quality and be at peace.

Simplicity is key.

If you were my boyfriend...

"If you haven't found Prince Charming...Don't worry, he is on his way- he is a man what do you expect? He is probably lost and not asking for directions...Unless of course he is Tim Tebow ;)"


Recently, I discovered that a boy that I liked did not like me in the same way- I mean he said he was attracted to me and liked me but his actions never showed it. He never invited me to hang out with him and his friends and rarely made effort to contact me. I am not a clingy girl- I understand that guys need their guy time and that sometimes you just do not feel like talking on the phone but there is a line where if you like someone you need to make SOME effort.

So, here I am again- square one. No boys- no stories. At one point in time it would have bothered me but a sixteen year old at my church gave me some great insight- a girl wise beyond her years. This is what she said, "Don't worry about finding a guy or not having a guy. Everyone's timing is different. Right now, you need to focus on becoming the best girlfriend/wife/mother profile that you can be. Once you focus on changing yourself and stop looking for others to do it for you- then things start coming together. But there is no set time- so get over it, stop feeling sorry for yourself and focus on the now and becoming the best that you can be for your future family!"

It was great advice and made me feel a little selfish. Here I was not focusing on making the environment a better place- instead I was focusing on what I THOUGHT I needed at this point in time. Obviously, I have some things that I need to work out within myself, explore the world, and provide love for everyone around me. I will not lose hope in finding love- because love is its own law and LOVE always lays it down when its time. I'm not worried.

Don't get bawled up in searching for Mr. Right- Don't stay in a relationship just because you feel like you need one or that you might be lonely- Let time and let him come to you. I know that it is not easy but life is never on our terms and the more we try to force it to, the less it conforms to our will... so let it ride and wait for the idiot to finally stop and ask for directions!

Calcium- Importance and How to Get It

Calcium is the main building block of our bones in our bodies and it also regulates and activates various muscle and cell functions. Obviously, it is crucial to get calcium in- this post is dedicated to inform you of three things: First, to educate you about what calcium does, second, to disclose which foods inhibit bodily absorption of calcium, and three, reveal which foods are the best sources of this important mineral.

 What does calcium do for athletes?

1. Composes bone and teeth
2. Regulates muscle contraction and relaxation (including your heart!)
3. Activates enzymes for metabolic processes
4. Helps with blood clotting
5. Aids in cell adhesion

(Herbert, V. (2012). Total Nutrition: The only guide you will ever need.)

If the body does not get enough calcium then it increases bone loss and it lowers its ability for muscle contraction- as a result, this will lead to fractures, or muscle injuries.


Foods that inhibit calcium absorption: Basically Foods that have large amounts of fiber

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Spinach
3. Oatmeal
4. Corn
5. Carrots

 Once again- it is important to note that just because these foods inhibit calcium absorption does not mean that you should avoid them altogether. It simply means that if your diet is high in fiber and the above foods- you need to increase or add the foods that provide calcium so as to ensure that your body can absorb proper amounts of calcium. It takes about an hour for your body to be ready to absorb something else so at your next meal make sure you incorporate so calcium rich foods. Everything in balance/moderation- KEY TO DIET, TRAINING, AND LIFE

 Food sources rich in calcium:

1. Broccoli
2. Low fat milk
3. Low fat yogurt
4. Cottage Cheese
5. Salmon
6. Shrimp
7. Crab
8. Oysters
9. Oranges
10. Figs
11. Almonds
12. Garbanzo beans
13. Kale
14. Mustard Greens
15. Acorn Squash 

I HATE BIKING...

Today my dad took me on a bike ride- to help me practice cadence and get stronger for the biking portion of the triathlon. Well, lets just say that since I was about 5, I have despised biking. I always somehow fall or get launched off. Story of my childhood- and the story continues.

We began on a dirt trail that warned, "Be aware of rattlesnakes" which freaked me out and made me concentrate on the sides of the trail rather than what was in front of me. If you have never been mountain biking before, there are usually a ton of rocks up the trail, as you can imagine, me looking around for snakes and not paying attention to the rocks in front of me posed a serious problem. I racked myself several times and fell off into the prickly grass- my dad tried so hard not to laugh and to keep encouraging me but I kept getting more and more frustrated which made me more and more unstable on the bike.

The thing that sent me over the edge was the last hill of the trail- which I was not aware of. I was coming down the hill and shifted my gears to a higher gear thinking there was more downhill- stupid move because you need lower gears to get up hills. So I hit the hill in high gear and literally stood on end of my back tire and then plopped smack down on my back- and yes, the bike followed suit and smashed down into my ribs. I was so upset that I cried- Its not that it hurt as much as I was frustrated because this was so hard for me.

My dad pulled me back up and said, "Sometimes you gotta just get some speed and keep pedaling- no matter what is in front of you." This hit me in a special way because it applies to everything. True, I am not the best at biking but if I would have focused more on just pedaling and gaining momentum rather than being bad or weak, than I probably would not have fallen as much. In sum, athletes must understand that a deliberate and slow cultivation is the only way to success. Every day you just need to keep at it- this mind set will not change the difficulty of your situation but it will make it a heck of a lot easier to get through it.

Bitches and Sophisticated Bitches

Okay, I am not one to start a fight but I can finish them. To set the stage for this little story let me first tell you what my grandma said to me, "Alexa, all girls are bitches but there are sophisticated bitches and regular bitches. The regular bitches are just out to hurt people- the sophisticated bitches stand up for what is right and do not take crap from anybody."

I always liked that saying and was able to apply it today. I was at the rec talking to one of the female triathletes and just asking advice. Soon another girl on the team joined our conversation...uninvited I might add. The uninvited one looked at me and said, "Do you work?" and I replied, "Yes, I start on Monday." She retorted, "What are your hours?" I replied, "8-5...why?" she proceeded with this answer, "Oh, you're done then- you will not be able to get in the training that you need to. You might get enough in to just do it for fun but you will be too tired to train and most facilities will be closed to the public when you actually get off due to high school swim practice."

Okay, maybe it doesn't sound that bad to you but to me, this was like a slap in the face. How does she know that I still can't get in the training? And also, maybe I will not have the time to do what she does but I know that I will do what I need to do to put in quality work and have the competitive drive to COMPETE and not just do it for kicks like she thinks.

Do you have people that doubt you? Do you doubt yourself? Get rid of any doubt in your life now because those are roadblocks and will keep you in your comfort zone. It is hard to see past doubt but when doubt arises you have to be a sophisticated bitch and stand for what is right... The right thing is to know that you are capable. Sometimes you are capable of achieving things in a different way than others and at different paces but that is not to say that it won't and can't be done.

Let's get out there and show them that it can be done....I hope that girl is in my first race...

This is a wrap for this week- tune in next week for more information regarding nutrition and more updates!!!

Love,

Alexa