Looking to ‘Shake Up’ Your Run for the New Year? Explore the Benefits of Running or Walking on Varied Terrain!

Land, lever, lift…repeat. Too much of the same repetitive motion over and over limits exposure to activities that could lead to breakthrough fitness opportunities. Take the human foot and ankle; together, they support body weight and act as a lever for walking and running. By ditching the monotony of solely pounding hard surfaces, it allows the 27 bones in our lowest extremity to articulate differently than what they’re used to. So, lace up for a change of scenery! Varying your running or walking surface offers a plethora of benefits. Here’s why mixing up your substrate is a game-changer:

 **Muscle Engagement:** Different surfaces engage different muscles. Pavement provides stability, while trails challenge your stabilizing muscles.

**Joint Health:** Softer surfaces like trails or grass can be gentler on joints, reducing the impact of each step. It’s a win-win for your cardiovascular health and joint longevity.

**Mental Refreshment:** A change in scenery stimulates the mind, making your run or walk more enjoyable. Nature’s beauty can provide a mental boost and alleviate exercise boredom.

**Balance and Coordination:** Navigating varied terrain hones your balance and coordination skills. Uneven surfaces force your body to adapt, enhancing overall stability.

**Injury Prevention:** Regularly switching surfaces can help prevent overuse injuries associated with constant pounding on a single type of terrain. It’s a proactive approach to keep you running or walking longer!

**Leg Lift:** Leg lift is key to effective leg turnover for efficient running. Off-road presents an opportunity to address leg lift in the form of root and other obstacle avoidance.

 **Awareness:** To avoid a fall, it’s vital to maintain a clear view and awareness of the path before you. Keeping your head in spine alignment permits a focus on what’s to come.

So, whether it’s dirt trails, sandy shores, or the soft embrace of grass (kick the shoes off here and go with unshod feet!), mix it up! Your body and mind will thank you for the adventure.

2024 has arrived, and we’re eagerly embracing the freshness that a new year brings. While we’re always excited for Tri-Now each new year, there’s something uniquely renewed about this one.

Every year, we reflect on Tri-Now, asking ourselves, “Are we serving our athletes to the best of our ability? Are there ways we can better serve our members, personal clients, athletes, and race participants?” This year, we took that reflection a step further. We asked, “What needs to be renewed in us?” Health and fitness have always been priorities, along with our love for swimming, biking, and running. However, we realized we were missing out on our own training and participation.

There’s an expression that goes, “The cobbler’s children don’t have shoes.” While this saying might entail complexities, to us, it reflects the idea that as professionals, it’s easy to overlook our own needs when immersed in our work. We might let our own training slide or plan the Tri-Now calendar without considering what we’d personally love to train for and accomplish. So, as we added events to the team calendar, we also signed up.

We wanted more togetherness, more group training, more community. As much as we adore coaching and cheering you on from the sidelines, we also want to be right there with you—swimming, biking, and running!

If you can relate to needing a renewed excitement for getting active, we invite you to join us! At Tri-Now, we embrace all abilities and generations, welcoming you just as you are.

We would love for you to explore some of our offerings. Here is a glimpse of what we have added to cater to you this year: new group training programs from Rookie to 70.3, monthly coach connection calls for members providing advice, consultation, or encouragement. Additionally, we introduce the Forward Women’s Program, specifically designed for women seeking a fresh and holistic approach to kick off 2024 with a focus on health and fitness.

As always, we offer our club membership option (12 month and 3 month options available), providing you with group workouts, discounts on training and events, plus a vibrant community! 

Looking forward to seeing you in 2024! 

 Debra & Frank Cortese

Guest blooger: Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD

Sweater weather is upon us and although those warm, fuzzy feelings of pumpkin spice lattes, bonfires, and cozy thick blankets put us in a delighted phase of our lives, colder months are also a time for increased levels of depression for mane people.

According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), many people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), a form of depression. SAD occurs during the fall and winter months due to decreased exposure to sunlight, a natural source of vitamin D. The cold forces us indoors, requiring us to find a different routine of activities and even eating patterns.

These changes may cause stress within households, and with a condition like depression, options are limited to aid us in suppressing those feelings. But there is great news! Eating nutritious foods can help us in the battle with fighting depression. 

So, let’s talk about what your body is missing once the colder months hit. We naturally absorb vitamin D from the sunlight when it hits our skin. Vitamin D helps our body absorb calcium, which is important to help our bones stay strong. Vitamin D can also help reduce infections and inflammation in the body. Vitamin D is a very common deficiency, especially for those that spend the majority their time indoors, have a darker complexion, or do not consume enough Vitamin D foods or supplements.

What are some good sources for Vitamin D that we can get from our stores? Some examples of good food high in Vitamin D are:

• Trout, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and fish liver oils 
• Eggs
• Cow’s milk and fortified foods like cereal and juices (orange)

Another vitamin group which may be linked to depression are the B-vitamins, especially Vitamin-B12. B12 plays an important role in brain health by protecting the nerve cells within. Deficiency in B12 and other B vitamin deficiency can be linked to symptoms of depression. 

Some sources of Vitamin B12 are:

• Eggs
• Fish
• Beef and poultry (chicken, turkey)
• Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, plain popcorn, whole wheat bread)
• Cow’s milk

A secondary consideration when eating healthy is that fresh fruits and vegetables that we are accustomed to during warmer months may not be readily available in the winter due to being “out of season.” Fear not, here are some examples of fall and winter foods:

• Root vegetables (squash, pumpkin, zucchini, carrots)
• Broccoli 
• Apples, peaches, pomegranates
• Walnuts and pecans 

Even if these foods are not the ones listed and packed with Vitamin D or B12, there is one thing to consider:

A healthy body can equal a healthy mind. So, fill up on nutrient-rich foods this fall and winter!

Need help keeping up your fitness during the Holidays? Contact Coach Debra for a custom health coaching  or personal training plan. 

Learn about Tri-Now endurance Nutrition plans HERE.  

(and oldie but goodie – repost from 2022 with some updates)

Judging by the chatter among age-group triathletes, and the open water swim tip articles aimed at them, open water swimming lurks as the big bad bogeyman of the sport.  It does not need to be that way.  Yes, it is important to respect the water as a matter of safety.  But — guess what — open water swimming is as much fun as everything else in triathlon.  Or at least it can be if you train for it.  So, let’s do that.

 If you are new to races with open water swims or want a guided review of open water skills, sign up for an open water swim clinic if one is available to you.  My club, Tri-Now, has a few, including the official  clinic specific to Dallas Athletes Racing’s Disco Tri, which is the Texas State Championship race for 2023. OWS Clinic Info.

Swim Fitness : Good open water swimmers are good swimmers.  Good does not necessarily mean fastest.  Good means they have good technique and good endurance.  We’ll call that swim fitness.  Those two basic elements, technique and endurance go hand in hand.  Swimmers who have efficient swim mechanics find swimming easier so they can swim for a good long while without feeling wiped out.  At first, establishing your swim fitness can feel like a messy mix of technique and endurance challenges. But, as with cycling and running, consistent practice can clear up the mess.

Everything else to learn about open water swimming connects back to your swim fitness.  To be ready for open water swims, to be as safe as you can be, and even to enjoy open water swimming, first and foremost, practice swimming.  The off-season months, roughly November through March in North Texas, are a great time to build yourself a terrific foundation of swim fitness in the pool.

Open Water Practice: Most of your swim training is likely to be in swimming pools.  Before and during the event season, plan to include open water practice, too.  Open water practice can help you to remind yourself, on race day, that you are not facing the bogeyman, you are just going for a swim.

 It’s safest to practice with an organized group.  If you are looking for a place to start, Tri-Now can help out there, too.  OWS Practice Info.  If group open water practices aren’t an option, still, do not go open water swimming alone.  Have a friend keep an eye on you, ideally going along with you in a kayak equipped with floatation devices.   Wear a brightly colored personal swim buoy so others, especially boaters, can see you.  Avoid areas with motorized boats. Most personal swim buoys look like the picture on the right.

Get in the habit of wearing a brightly colored swim cap.  The bright cap is another way to make it easier for others to see you.  You will have to wear one in events, so it is good to be used to it.

If you are practicing solo with a friend keeping watch, consider taking a marine whistle with you to get your buddy’s (or a boater’s) attention if needed.  You can attach it to your swim buoy.  Marine whistles are flat, such as the examples to the left, so that water doesn’t pool in them.  It’s a good idea for your helper to have a whistle, too.

 Specific Skills for Open Water

There are some skills to work on before your first open water event.  More than once.  These are some of them:

• Starts. Not every open water start is exactly the same. There are wave starts, where age and gender groups of athletes start together. In some wave starts, athletes run into the water from the shore. Other wave starts have groups treading water for up to 10 minutes while they wait their turn to go.  Increasingly popular are rolling starts, where athletes enter the water one-by-one in a steady stream, typically into water over their heads.  Race directors will tell you what kind of start it is going to be long before race day, so you will have time to prepare for it.  Swim clinics often include start practice.
• Simply put, sighting is looking where you are going. An open water swim clinic is a great environment for learning and practicing efficient sighting.  How often you need to look to see where you are going depends on a number of things such as course shape, how crowded the course is, visibility, whether the water is wavy or choppy, and how well you tend to swim straight.
• Many courses are in geometrical shapes marked off by big bright buoys that show where to turn.  If you are new to open water swimming, a clinic is a super way to get the feel for turning in a low stress setting.
• Drafting is taking advantage of the little pulling current, the slipstream, created by the swimmer in front of you. It can be a tricky skill to learn but, again, a clinic provides a comfortable environment for getting the hang of it.

 Event Swim Warm-up

 Many race directors wisely provide a swim warm-up period on race day or a swim practice on the swim course the day before.  Take advantage of these opportunities.  They help you feel ready for the start of the race and maximize your safety in the swim.

Race day nerves are often the jumpiest at the start of the swim.  Your swim fitness, your open water practicing and participating in pre-race swims can help calm those nerves. Some good open water events to try in North Texas that feature multiple options like sprint, Olympic and aquabike distances: Cedar Hill Triathlon and TriWaco

 Getting Help

The way to signal for help in the swim, according to USAT, our sport’s governing body in the U.S., is to raise your arm over your head and pump it up and down and call out for assistance.  You do not want to wait until you can no longer make forward progress swimming before asking for help.  If you feel like you are in trouble, asking for help before you feel completely overwhelmed is the smart thing to do.

 Sometimes you just need a little break, for example to wait for a nasty calf or foot cramp to relax.  During an event, you can stop at a support kayak to get through the moment.  Rest at the front or the back of the kayak, not the middle so you don’t accidentally tip over your helper.  As long as you do not make forward progress during your pause, you will not be disqualified.

 If event safety staff pull you from the swim, do not argue.  Lifeguards are trained to recognize the signs of a swimmer in serious trouble, sometimes even before the swimmer realizes they are in danger.

 Wetsuits

 It has become cliché to advertise triathlon events and products with pictures of serious-faced, mirror-goggled men and women in full-body wetsuits charging into water looking like so many superheroes.  The image can be confusing for new triathletes who often wonder whether wetsuits are required to train and race.

Wetsuits are designed to help keep a swimmer warm.  For age groupers, USAT requires wetsuits when the water temperature in an event is below 60.6 degrees Fahrenheit. At most races, age-group athletes are permitted to wear wetsuits, up to 5 millimeters thick, in water up to 83 degrees.  However, athletes hoping to win an age-group award can wear a wetsuit in water only up 78 degrees.  At water temperatures of 84 or higher, USAT bans wetsuits because athletes could suffer heat illness swimming hard in a wetsuit. The wetsuit rules are slightly different for the USAT National Championship.  It’s always best to go over each race’s athlete guide so you know what to expect.

Triathletes pay close attention to whether a race is “wetsuit legal” because wetsuits also increase buoyancy and therefore can offer a competitive edge, or at least make the swim take a little less effort.

There are several different types of wetsuits.  Some have full sleeves and legs.  Others are sleeveless.  Others have legs that don’t go all the way down to the ankles.  They come in different thicknesses.  Choosing a wetsuit depends on what feels like cold water to you, the water temperatures you expect to be swimming in and whether you feel a wetsuit for any given race will make your race day better than if you do not wear one.

Choosing a wetsuit is as personal as choosing a bike or running shoes.  But a couple things apply to most anyone planning to race in a wetsuit.  It should fit snugly but should not feel constrictive in your chest or shoulders.  And practice in your wetsuit in open water well before race day.

 It’s time to circle back to the biggest factor for successful open water swimming and that’s swim fitness. Have enough swim fitness to comfortably complete your swim distance without a wetsuit.  If you “need” the buoyancy to “survive” the swim, what you really need is more practice so you can feel good about the swim.

Happy Training,

Coach B
Beatrice Black
MS, ACE, USAT L-1

Coach Linda shares how she came back from emergency back surgery in 2022. 

In June of 2022 I had a T9-L1 spinal fusion. I thought I’d be laid up for a few months. I honestly thought there was a chance that I’d be able to step up to the start line at Waco 70.3  

The truth was, I wouldn’t be doing anything those first few months, except walking very slowly, and only then would I begin a long journey back to my original fitness that’s still ongoing! My doctor repeatedly told me that my high level of activity was instrumental in my healing. I still can’t imagine how bad it would have been otherwise. I couldn’t even tie my own shoes. I wasn’t allowed to bend, lift or twist at all. It was impossible to get anything out of the washing machine.My back hurt when I leaned forward to brush my teeth!

Fast forward to August 2nd, when I began my Physical Therapy journey. It was like starting from zero. I had been walking fairly regularly, up to several miles at a time, but had not really done any other exercises. Everything made me super tired! That first day, we started off with simple leg and arm exercises, and tried some low bridges, unsuccessfully. I started riding my bike on the trainer, very short, slow rides. It wasn’t very comfortable to lean forward, but it was OK once a week. 

I went to PT twice a week, and did other exercises and walked on the other days. Each week we added a little more to the routine until I was trying a plank! Bridges with my feet on a yoga ball! Side Planks! 

I continued my walking and signed up for the Dallas Half Marathon. My surgeon didn’t give me the go-ahead to start running until December, so I wasn’t exactly trained up for the half, but I went anyway, with his blessing. I did a combination run/walk for the entire race, and even managed to finish before the cutoff time. It wasn’t pretty, but it was SUCH a morale boost for me. My back didn’t hurt most of the day!

I also started back to swim practice a few times in October, and WOW that was really hard. I’ve had to relearn how to position my body to keep my pelvis tucked under, which keeps my back from hurting. November and December saw small improvements, and in January I felt pretty strong in the pool. Unfortunately, I’m working extra hard, and seeing super slow times for me. I know that it will continue to improve, but it’s definitely super frustrating. 

January brought with it deadlifting, with the bar only. It was super hard, but under the supervision of my awesome PT, I was able to do 3 sets of 10 that first day. 

I have since graduated from physical therapy, and have resumed attending all of my regular workouts. I’m slower in everything I’m doing right now, but the fact is that I’m doing it. I’m swimming, I’m biking, I’m running, I’m weightlifting. I have a long way to go, but I feel great most days! Sure, I still have some back pain, but there’s no comparison to how I felt a year ago. 

I’ve signed up for Waco 70.3, and am excited to train for it this year! 

This version of guacamole has added protein and veggies.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 avocados
• 2 cups shelled edamame
• 2 cups kale, spines removed and chopped
• ½ cup lime juice
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• ¼ cup red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut avocados in half, remove pit, and scoop flesh into a food processor. Add edamame, kale and lime juice and pulse until desired consistency.

2 Add bell pepper, onion, garlic and salt to processor and pulse until just combined.

Get more servings of vegetables by serving with carrot and celery sticks and your favorite salsa.

Welcome our guest blogger, Amy Goodson, MS, RD, CSSD, LD 

The holiday season is often synonymous with festive feasts, indulgent treats, and a general break from our regular routines. While it’s perfectly acceptable to enjoy the festivities, it’s also essential to stay committed to your fitness goals. Maintaining a workout routine during the holidays can help you stay healthy and energized, both mentally and physically. Here are five ways to keep up your workout routine during this joyful time of year:

1. Prioritize Your Schedule: The holiday season can be hectic, with parties, family gatherings, and shopping sprees. To ensure you don’t skip your workouts, prioritize your schedule. Dedicate specific times for exercise, just as you would for other commitments. This way, you’re more likely to stick to your routine and not let the festivities completely overshadow your fitness goals.
2. Embrace Quick Workouts: When your days are packed with holiday preparations, long workouts might not be feasible. Instead, opt for shorter, high-intensity workouts that can be completed in 20-30 minutes. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great choice since it delivers effective results in a short amount of time.
3. Get Creative with Family and Friends: Incorporate fitness into your holiday gatherings by engaging your family and friends. Organize group activities like a friendly game of touch football, a hike, or a winter walk in the park. These activities not only provide exercise but also create memorable moments with loved ones.
4. Plan Home Workouts: Traveling during the holidays can disrupt your gym routine. But don’t let that stop you from staying active. Plan home workouts that require minimal equipment. Bodyweight exercises, yoga, and resistance bands can help you maintain your strength and flexibility while away from your usual workout space.

5. Set Realistic Goals: Recognize that the holidays may bring extra temptations and schedule disruptions. Instead of aiming for significant progress during this time, focus on maintaining your current level of fitness. Setting realistic goals and being forgiving of occasional indulgences will help you stay motivated and reduce the stress associated with perfectionism.

 Keeping up your workout routine during the holidays is a commendable goal that can positively impact your physical and mental well-being. By prioritizing your schedule, embracing shorter workouts, involving friends and family, planning home workouts, and setting realistic goals, you can enjoy the holidays without feeling guilty about neglecting your fitness. Remember, a balanced approach is key to making the most of the holiday season while staying on track with your health and wellness goals.

Fins out about Tri-Now endurance Nutrition plans HERE.

Whip up these healthy smoothies for you and your sweetie this month!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cooked small beets
• 1 cup blueberries or mixed berries frozen or fresh (if fresh, add 3-4 ice cubes)
• 2 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 – 3 large handfuls of spinach
• ½ – 1 cup cold milk of choice ( we prefer almond, coconut or oat)

Optional: add a scoop of your favorite protein powder

INSTRUCTIONS

• Peel the cooked beets and cut it into small chunks
• Add the beet, berries, chia seeds, spinach, milk (and protein powder if using) to the blender or Vitamix. Blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Add more water or milk choice to achieve desired consistency.