Sports drink LOVE- First Endurance EFS

Lots going on for me this past month!  But before I tell you how much I miss my husband, how goofy my vizsla is, or enlighten you with my athletic struggles/accomplishments later this week, I want to give you a HEADS UP on some awesome tri products and deals to get you started this season!!

Let's start with nutrition- Consider this:

• "Fully loaded", guys store about ~2000kcal of carbohydrates ladies store ~1500kcal
• At a moderate pace, we burn ~300-800 carb kcals/hour
• At an intense pace, we burn ~600-1000 carb kcals/hour
• During a single long ride or run of 3 hours+, most of us would completely deplete our carbohydrate stores if we did not refuel during the workout.
• OR, if we did not refuel our bodies after daily workouts, we will eventually deplete our carbohydrate stores and START out workouts NEAR EMPTY!
• Once your carbohydrate stores are depleted, your body turns to protein in your muscles as an emergency fuel source- yikes.

THEREFORE, it's CRITICAL to fuel our bodies with carbohydrates before/during/after workouts, and make sure we are putting QUALITY nutrition products in our bodies.

I am fortunate enough to be on a team sponsored by First Endurance, my favorite sport nutrition company.  I had been using their products prior to learning of our sponsorship- now I'm proud to be an ambassador!

The first nutrition product I recommend you invest in is a sports drink that not only can help with replenishing your carbohydrate stores, but can also maintain hydration and electrolyte balance.

First Endurance's EFS Sport Drink is definitely worth a try.  It comes in a variety of flavors (grape, orange, fruit punch, tart lemon lime) - my FAVORITE is tart lemon-lime because I think it tastes like a margarita!  I also use fruit punch.  Most of my Trakkers teammates like the grape flavor, but I'm not a fan of grape-flavored stuff in general.  It's been awhile since I tried the orange, so I don't have a comment on that.

Clinical research has shown that sports drink can be most quickly absorbed at a solution of 6-8% carbohydrate, which is exactly how EFS is formulated.  It provides a mix of simple and complex carbohydrates, so you can be confident that it will be absorbed and metabolized rapidly, save a little bit for later, and minimize GI stress.

It also has the highest electrolyte content of ANY sports drink on the market- this is very good for people who find that although their muscles are well-trained, they are still cramping, especially in heat or heavy sweating.  I myself am a VERY salty sweater, and after using EFS for a full season, I NEVER had to take a single "salt tablet" to prevent cramping, where in previous years I had gone through 2 $30 bottles of that stuff !

It contains 2000mg of amino acids (building blocks of protein), so that will help prevent muscle breakdown and aid in recovery.  Also, this stuff is CLEAR!!  Meaning, it WON'T STAIN your water bottles!! SWEET!

SO, head on over to the First Endurance website (they send you a little free "something" with every order, it changes every month- this month it is a berry liquid shot) or All3sports.com (use the code GOTRAKKERS for 15% off) and give EFS a try!

Onward!

2011 Tri Season is ON!


At the end of January I was frustrated because I had trouble balancing my life and finding motivation to get my workouts in.  This month, I only missed 3. Woo hoo!

Does anyone else's bathroom look like this??

It has NOT been easy- all the same stressors are still there, but I'm making progress! One strategy that has helped me is asking myself, "When I go to bed tonight, will I be happier and feel more accomplished if I:

A. Responded to Emails
B. Did Laundry
C. something else that is boring but productive
D. nailed my workouts.

D!!!   D!!!

I haven't been the perfect athlete either- I completed most of my workouts, but due to bad time management/nutrition/recovery strategies, I've had to "rearrange" many workouts- but they were put in place for a purpose!! This has to stop!

For example:

• On a run that was supposed to be "easy", like Zone 1 easy, my heart rate was ALL over the place... probably shouldn't have drank 2 Diet Mt. Dew's within 2 hours of starting the workout.
• On Valentine's Day I ate 9 chocolate-covered strawberries before I planned to go "swim"...my stomach rebelled and I did NOT get to the pool.
• I've had to rearrange workouts due to sleeping in/working too late/etc. to now make planned "easy days" now harder days.
• I haven't been sleeping as much
• On Saturday I went HARD at an Indoor Tri, then did a tough TRX class right afterward...I had a protein shake, then the only liquid I consumed the rest of the night was WINE  I was WRECKED the next day and missed 2 key weekend workouts.  

GOALS FOR MARCH: Get the workouts done, HOW they are supposed to, and WHEN they are supposed to- like I said before, Jen puts workouts in a specific order, and I shouldn't be messing with that.  In order to accomplish, I need to further refine my time management skills, and start paying closer attention to my nutrition and recovery- these workouts are not easy!

I have LOTS of help!

GETTING THE WORKOUTS DONE:

I got my new AVIA running shoes - I am running in the Avi-Quest, their most cushiony and supportive shoe.  I'm STILL dealing with plantar fascitis (getting Graston 2x/week), so I need all the help I can get right now! My runs are short and easy right now, and the Avi-Quest has been a great shoe for the ride!  I will definitely continue to use these shoes for longer runs, and once my foot is ready, I will look into a lighter (but still somewhat supportive) shoe for some of my middle-distance and quicker runs - I have my eyes on the Avi-Quest Lite next!

I have been cranking out some KILLER workouts on my Kestrel 4000- I dropped 15 minutes off my 112 bike split on this bike last year, and I'm gearing up to drop another 15 this year!  This bike is SMOOTH and FAST!

As tough as it is for me mentally to get to the pool, I always look forward to my "spa" experience with SBR Sports- their shampoo/conditioner/bodywash/lotion are designed to get the chlorine OUT, and have a light, citrus scent.  Foggles works GREAT, and I'll definitely be using Tri-Slide to get my new TYR wetsuit on once open water swimming starts in May!

NUTRITION AND RECOVERY

One of my orders from last year!

Now that the intensity and volume of workouts are increasing, proper nutrition is really important to keep me fueled up and allow me to recover quickly- so I can do it all over again the next day!  I'll be getting my next batch of my favorite recovery drink- First Endurance Cappuccino Ultragen.  Absolutely delicious and it works- it contains a perfect 3:1 Carbs:Protein ratio, so you can refuel the energy that burned from your workout, and give your muscles the fuel that the need to rebuild.  

I also ordered my next batch of Pre-Race- some POWERFUL stuff to get you REVVED up for workouts, and increases your focus - you stay in the ZONE for those tough interval or time trial workouts.  Careful though - there is such thing as "too much of a good think".  Start off small and increase dosage to recommendations or to your tolerance!

I still have a stockpile of my favorite sport drinks - EFS Tart Lemon Lime and EFS Fruit Punch, as well as the Vanilla Liquid Shot.  The sport drinks contain more sodium/electrolytes than ANY on the market, so it's ideal for salty sweaters like me during the summer.  The Liquid shot is AWESOME- I have been recommending this product to so many people, because it is not your typical "gel" - it does not contain any gelling agents, so it truly is a "liquid shot" with a nice, subtle flavor and contains all the calories and MORE electrolytes than other "gels".

Aaaah recovery!  I am anxiously patiently waiting for my Recovery Pump!  I will definitely post more about this once I have it in my little hands!