Dear readers,
Please excuse the brief blog entry hiatus as I was experimenting with creating my own tri-webpage. Alas, my technological skills (and patience) were lacking with regard to this project. I checked out weebly.com and set up a great initial framework, but then couldn't figure out how to archive entries and do some other fun techy stuff I'd had in mind. The webpage ended up looking more like a fancy blog, so I figured I should just go back to my initial calling. I am sorry I was led astray.
In other news, I have been busy with training, fundraising and coaching/guiding. With regard to the latter - I am now a guide with C-Different (www.cdifferent.org) and am working out with my friend Kim every weekend. We are running in the Soldier Field 10 mile race on May 23rd and in the Chicago Tri (which Accenture has sadly abandoned) on 30 August (I think). Th. and I are gearing up on the base-training for IM FL and officially start training on May 18. Our buddy S.C. is starting to freak out since he has never completed more than an Olympic-distance tri, as it was easy to convince him to sign up last December when our athletic endeavors involved eating cookies and drinking egg nog. Th. and I are trying to motivate him as best we can. Fundraising for Fisher House is also going well - I hosted an event with some students at the business school (Kellogg) a few weeks ago and raised some solid cash. I have a few other ideas in the works and hope to get moving on those soon.
I am excited to get started with Vision Quest again (I took a break since it is so dang expensive) and am especially looking forward to farmer's tans, massive calf muscles, and green hair. No, really, I am. I am back at it on May first and am really hoping that I can beat Th. but that will probably only happen if I don't get any injuries and he does virtually nothing over the summer. ;)
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Friday, February 6, 2009
Astaxanthin & Astavita
So in my quest to set a PR at Ironman Florida this year, I've been evaluating lots of strategies. One of them is nutrition and supplementation. I have a tendency to get sick a lot while I'm training hard, even when I eat relatively well (or so I think) and get decent sleep (7 hours on average). One of the products that peaked my interest last year was Astavita, a relatively new antioxidant on the market. Chris Lieto, a 3x Ironman winner, is the triathlon world's spokesperson for the product. He's pretty hot, so that also helped to spark my interest in their marketing campaign. :) But anyway, apparently Astavita is a really great product, and it's derived from astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant. This is what Lieto had to say about it:
"Astavita has been helping me fight off free radicals for years. By taking it on a daily basis it speeds up my recovery and reduces the free radicals in my system caused by physical and mental stress. What's even better is that it is all natural. It is from a safe source of algae that is grown in bio-Domes in Maui where it is monitored and protected from the outside environment. When it is at its optimal stage it is harvested. You know you are getting the best and safest Astaxanthin on the market. I don't go a day without it.”
Essentially, astaxanthin is a carotenoid (like beta carotene, lycopene and lutein). Carotenoids are derived from photosynthetic plants and organisms like algae. The significant research that has been conducted supporting astaxanthin's benefits suggests that it is up to 300x more powerful an antioxidant than many other common supplements, like Co-Enzyme q10. Research shows that it may be beneficial in cardiovascular, immune, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. It also supports the assumption that it protects body tissues from oxidative damage, which is why it is a great supplement for endurance athletes. Astaxanthin also crosses the blood-brain barrier, which makes it available to the eye, brain and central nervous system to alleviate oxidative stress that contributes to ocular, and neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and even Alzheimer's.
I'm hoping that it will help me to recover faster, and in turn, help me fight off illness. I'll keep you posted on how it goes since I just ordered three bottles.
Take it from Chris (*bonus - he makes a Speedo cameo*):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6963071327143631776&ei=3Z2MScu7G4P6-QGi4ITiCQ&q=chris+lieto+astavita&hl=en
"Astavita has been helping me fight off free radicals for years. By taking it on a daily basis it speeds up my recovery and reduces the free radicals in my system caused by physical and mental stress. What's even better is that it is all natural. It is from a safe source of algae that is grown in bio-Domes in Maui where it is monitored and protected from the outside environment. When it is at its optimal stage it is harvested. You know you are getting the best and safest Astaxanthin on the market. I don't go a day without it.”
Essentially, astaxanthin is a carotenoid (like beta carotene, lycopene and lutein). Carotenoids are derived from photosynthetic plants and organisms like algae. The significant research that has been conducted supporting astaxanthin's benefits suggests that it is up to 300x more powerful an antioxidant than many other common supplements, like Co-Enzyme q10. Research shows that it may be beneficial in cardiovascular, immune, inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. It also supports the assumption that it protects body tissues from oxidative damage, which is why it is a great supplement for endurance athletes. Astaxanthin also crosses the blood-brain barrier, which makes it available to the eye, brain and central nervous system to alleviate oxidative stress that contributes to ocular, and neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and even Alzheimer's.
I'm hoping that it will help me to recover faster, and in turn, help me fight off illness. I'll keep you posted on how it goes since I just ordered three bottles.
Take it from Chris (*bonus - he makes a Speedo cameo*):
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6963071327143631776&ei=3Z2MScu7G4P6-QGi4ITiCQ&q=chris+lieto+astavita&hl=en
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
So sue me, I didn't watch the Inaug, I caught up on Drudge.
Today was such an awesome day. This morning, I treated myself to a performance test with Robbie Ventura and Dr. Max Testa. Dave, the Head of Operations over at VQ's Chicago location, told me to act surprised when Dr. Testa walked in. So I did. Dr. Testa is a cute little Italian man who can basically talk your ear off about anything sports-medicine related. I'm really into this stuff, so I could listen to him talk for hours. And I pretty much did. Though I phased out some of the talking during the last few minutes of the LT test (the really hard part).
Anyway, we went through some of my background (race PR's, health history, perceived strengths and weaknesses) and talked a fair amount about the injuries I had going into IM CDA last June. I mentioned that my longest training ride was 70 miles and that my run training was virtually non-existent. Robbie winced at this. We looked at my bike fit and both Robbie and Dr. Testa concurred that it looked pretty good in terms of the fore/aft seat position; not too aggressive and not too boring, either. We tilted my seat down a little to allow me to roll my pelvis forward a bit more, and decided we would bring my handlebars down as my cycling skills improve. Apparently, I have a pretty inconsistent pedalstroke and need to work a lot more on the pull part where I engage my hamstrings and hip flexors. The upside to this is that I have beastly quads. I also need to work on my handling skills since: 1) I am not very good at grabbing waterbottles from volunteers at races; this has almost resulted in disaster on a few occasions. 2) I have trouble on tight turnarounds and usually end up unclipping one foot.
We started the LT test after the bike fit. Robbie pricked my finger with a magical pricking gun every 2 minutes or so (that's what she said), and then put the blood into a reader that measured the lactate volume. Lactate is a byproduct of cell degeneration, so it correlates strongly with fatigue. Lactate Threshold (LT) is measured on a scale with different points - the "breaking point" is the first upswing in the graph curve, and LT is the intensity level of exercise where there is an abrupt and significant increase in blood lactate levels. It's kind of confusing, but this graph I found helped me understand (thanks, Google!):
(FYI, the green dot with the arrow pointing down to '45' is the "breaking point.") I have yet to receive the formal results, but I think I did pretty well. I probably went to about 90% of my max and hit about a 172 HR (started at 54 at rest but nervous). They said something about a 13 lactate volume level, but I don't know what that means. Apparently, LT is a more consistent measure of aerobic capacity than VO2 max, so I'm definitely glad I did this, bruised pointer finger and all.
I won't bore you with the rest of the details on the test, but they did some other functional analysis stuff like flexibility, range of motion and muscular/core strength. Robbie and Dr. Testa also told me that they were going to be pushing me to put in a lot of cycling volume to improve my muscle memory, improve Z2-Z3 efficiency on the bike, and reduce risk of injury (vs. pumping out lots of run volume which is high-impact).
After all that, I felt compelled to go back to the gym, so I did a quick yoga class (I did work today, believe it or not - I just woke up early), grabbed some chow with a friend at an awesome restaurant called Duchamps, and then went to a clinic featuring guess who, Dr. Testa. Yeah. Best day ever.
Anyway, we went through some of my background (race PR's, health history, perceived strengths and weaknesses) and talked a fair amount about the injuries I had going into IM CDA last June. I mentioned that my longest training ride was 70 miles and that my run training was virtually non-existent. Robbie winced at this. We looked at my bike fit and both Robbie and Dr. Testa concurred that it looked pretty good in terms of the fore/aft seat position; not too aggressive and not too boring, either. We tilted my seat down a little to allow me to roll my pelvis forward a bit more, and decided we would bring my handlebars down as my cycling skills improve. Apparently, I have a pretty inconsistent pedalstroke and need to work a lot more on the pull part where I engage my hamstrings and hip flexors. The upside to this is that I have beastly quads. I also need to work on my handling skills since: 1) I am not very good at grabbing waterbottles from volunteers at races; this has almost resulted in disaster on a few occasions. 2) I have trouble on tight turnarounds and usually end up unclipping one foot.
We started the LT test after the bike fit. Robbie pricked my finger with a magical pricking gun every 2 minutes or so (that's what she said), and then put the blood into a reader that measured the lactate volume. Lactate is a byproduct of cell degeneration, so it correlates strongly with fatigue. Lactate Threshold (LT) is measured on a scale with different points - the "breaking point" is the first upswing in the graph curve, and LT is the intensity level of exercise where there is an abrupt and significant increase in blood lactate levels. It's kind of confusing, but this graph I found helped me understand (thanks, Google!):
(FYI, the green dot with the arrow pointing down to '45' is the "breaking point.") I have yet to receive the formal results, but I think I did pretty well. I probably went to about 90% of my max and hit about a 172 HR (started at 54 at rest but nervous). They said something about a 13 lactate volume level, but I don't know what that means. Apparently, LT is a more consistent measure of aerobic capacity than VO2 max, so I'm definitely glad I did this, bruised pointer finger and all.I won't bore you with the rest of the details on the test, but they did some other functional analysis stuff like flexibility, range of motion and muscular/core strength. Robbie and Dr. Testa also told me that they were going to be pushing me to put in a lot of cycling volume to improve my muscle memory, improve Z2-Z3 efficiency on the bike, and reduce risk of injury (vs. pumping out lots of run volume which is high-impact).
After all that, I felt compelled to go back to the gym, so I did a quick yoga class (I did work today, believe it or not - I just woke up early), grabbed some chow with a friend at an awesome restaurant called Duchamps, and then went to a clinic featuring guess who, Dr. Testa. Yeah. Best day ever.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Vision Quest Indoor TT
This afternoon I drove out to Vision Quest's Highland Park facility for a 30 minute indoor time trial. VQ does several indoor TT series "races" throughout the winter to keep everybody motivated when it's negative 30 degrees outside with a foot of snow on the ground. Fortunately, this weekend has been warmer (in Chicago that means 15 degrees F). I had an awesome time and was really impressed with the facility, which was set up with about 50 computrainers, HD screens, a professional, friendly staff, locker rooms with showers... the whole shebang. It was a pretty intense workout, but I was probably a bit more conservative than I needed to be; I'm also a bit out of shape as my bike hasn't seen the light of day since August (not joking). I guess I came in 2nd or 3rd among the women, because somebody told me I won some prize money (only 30 bucks, but still awesome!). I think I averaged just shy of a 19 mph pace on the mock Bong 40K TT course (great name, right?), which I could actually take part in this summer if I so desire since it is in Wisconsin. Overall, not bad for my first try.
I talked with Robbie Ventura, the freakin' president of VQ and former pro-cyclist (http://www.visionquestcoaching.com/robbie.php) about getting involved at VQ and working with a coach. I went ahead and signed up for a "performance evaluation" this Tuesday, which involves a lactate threshold (LT) test, bike fit, and a functional performance test (evaluates flexibility, balance, muscular weaknesses). Best of all, I get to work with both Robbie and Dr. Max Testa. Robbie is very well-renowned in the cycling world, as I've pointed out, but Dr. Testa is an orthopedist AND a coach (http://www.cycleto.com/videopopups/maxlance.html). He's worked as team physician for Teams 7-11, Motorola and Maipei. Oh, and he's also trained cyclists like Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong. You know, no big deal. So, to say the least, I am really freaking excited. And out 300 bucks.
I talked with Robbie Ventura, the freakin' president of VQ and former pro-cyclist (http://www.visionquestcoaching.com/robbie.php) about getting involved at VQ and working with a coach. I went ahead and signed up for a "performance evaluation" this Tuesday, which involves a lactate threshold (LT) test, bike fit, and a functional performance test (evaluates flexibility, balance, muscular weaknesses). Best of all, I get to work with both Robbie and Dr. Max Testa. Robbie is very well-renowned in the cycling world, as I've pointed out, but Dr. Testa is an orthopedist AND a coach (http://www.cycleto.com/videopopups/maxlance.html). He's worked as team physician for Teams 7-11, Motorola and Maipei. Oh, and he's also trained cyclists like Levi Leipheimer and Lance Armstrong. You know, no big deal. So, to say the least, I am really freaking excited. And out 300 bucks.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Ironman Florida Soundtrack
Workin' on it... subject to change. I want upbeat rock with a bit of pop flavor.
-The Polyphonic Spree: "Light and Day"
-Cake: "Going the Distance"
-Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"
-Rob Zombie: "Never Gonna Stop"
-U2: "Desire"
-The Verve: "Bittersweet Symphony"
-Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: "Weapon of Choice"
-Cars: "My Best Friend's Girl"
-The Hives: "Hate to Say I Told You So"
-AC/DC: "Highway to Hell"
-Nine Inch Nails: "The Hand that Feeds"
-The Killers: "Read My Mind"
-Billy Squier: "Stroke Me"
-Depeche Mode: "Personal Jesus"
-KISS: "Shout it Out Loud"
-The Polyphonic Spree: "Light and Day"
-Cake: "Going the Distance"
-Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"
-Rob Zombie: "Never Gonna Stop"
-U2: "Desire"
-The Verve: "Bittersweet Symphony"
-Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: "Weapon of Choice"
-Cars: "My Best Friend's Girl"
-The Hives: "Hate to Say I Told You So"
-AC/DC: "Highway to Hell"
-Nine Inch Nails: "The Hand that Feeds"
-The Killers: "Read My Mind"
-Billy Squier: "Stroke Me"
-Depeche Mode: "Personal Jesus"
-KISS: "Shout it Out Loud"
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Off-Season updates
Hello all,
As is common with endurance athletes, I have a love/hate relationship with the off-season. It is great to relax, unbuckle that top button for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, and have a little more wine than is probably appropriate. Nonetheless, I find myself clamoring for more time in the pool, on my bike and on the treadmill (since I can't bring myself to run outside in this nasty Chicago weather). I've also been forced to take it easy for awhile as a result of a ruptured appendix two months ago. Fortunately, I've been getting back up to speed with my running and am faring much better than I was this past summer, but still have a lot to work on endurance-wise. I am up to about 12 miles a week, just working on easy base mileage.
Th. and I signed up for a late February half-marathon in the foothills of north Georgia's Blue Ridge mountains. My guess is that it will be as challenging, if not harder than the 10-miler we ran at Hemlock Overlook (VA) in December 2006, which forced even the speedsters to walk up some of the hills. I'm definitely ready to race again (and get the hell out of the Windy City for a weekend).
We also signed up for Ironman Florida, which is set for November 7th, 2009. We've got a ways to go, but I am already preparing for my basework and training. I'd like to work with a coach to see if I can attain my initial goal of sub-12 hours, plus not get injured along the way like last year. Several friends of ours signed up as well, including a friend who committed while drinking at a Death Cab for Cutie concert. He'll be fine.
Anyway, not much more to share in terms of athletic endeavors, besides a bit of skiing in Steamboat Springs, CO last week. Unless you count eating an entire pizza and half a bag of chocolate chips (fortunately not at the same time) an athletic endeavor...
Merry/happy whatever you celebrate,
Krysten
As is common with endurance athletes, I have a love/hate relationship with the off-season. It is great to relax, unbuckle that top button for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts, and have a little more wine than is probably appropriate. Nonetheless, I find myself clamoring for more time in the pool, on my bike and on the treadmill (since I can't bring myself to run outside in this nasty Chicago weather). I've also been forced to take it easy for awhile as a result of a ruptured appendix two months ago. Fortunately, I've been getting back up to speed with my running and am faring much better than I was this past summer, but still have a lot to work on endurance-wise. I am up to about 12 miles a week, just working on easy base mileage.
Th. and I signed up for a late February half-marathon in the foothills of north Georgia's Blue Ridge mountains. My guess is that it will be as challenging, if not harder than the 10-miler we ran at Hemlock Overlook (VA) in December 2006, which forced even the speedsters to walk up some of the hills. I'm definitely ready to race again (and get the hell out of the Windy City for a weekend).
We also signed up for Ironman Florida, which is set for November 7th, 2009. We've got a ways to go, but I am already preparing for my basework and training. I'd like to work with a coach to see if I can attain my initial goal of sub-12 hours, plus not get injured along the way like last year. Several friends of ours signed up as well, including a friend who committed while drinking at a Death Cab for Cutie concert. He'll be fine.
Anyway, not much more to share in terms of athletic endeavors, besides a bit of skiing in Steamboat Springs, CO last week. Unless you count eating an entire pizza and half a bag of chocolate chips (fortunately not at the same time) an athletic endeavor...
Merry/happy whatever you celebrate,
Krysten
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