team trakkers blog

Product Review; UltraGen Recovery Drink

by: Andy Rosebrook

This winter I have been conducting an experiment to see if I could prove if UltraGen would make a difference for me, a middle aged MOP AGer. I started using UltraGen in December. I have tried two flavors (Fruit Punch and Orange Creamsicle) and the flavor grew on me (I prefer Orange Creamsicle), they also have Cappuccino. I drank a water bottle of UltraGen within 30 min after my last workout of the day.

Prior to starting I took some baseline data for comparison:

Vitals Age 39 Weight 169

1) 40 K time trial on my CompuTrainer: 1:04:14, 24.84 miles, ave 260 watt,s and ave BPM 170 Max BPM 191
2) 90 min HR ride on CompuTrainer: 1:30:00 30.30 miles, ave 160 watts, HR 115-124 max ave 118 BPM
3) 5K : Ran my post 15 year layoff PR 21:12 this morning (11/28/09). No HR data (didn’t bring my watch).

While I haven’t done a 5K since Nov, I have seen noticable improvement on the other two.

1)40 K time trial on my CompuTrainer 1:00:36, 24.84 miles, ave 280 watts, and ave BPM 159 Max 172 (Better yet I ran 7.7 miles about 2 hours prior to this ride)

2)90 min maintaining 120 BPM or lower went 30.82 miles Ave watts 170, Ave BPM 119

I have also clearly noticed how much fresher my legs have felt the day after a hard workout. I have had 3 of my…

Categories: Nutrition
Tags: Recovery drinks, UltraGen

3/10/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Chicago, IL

Has Spring Sprung?

by: MJ Slikas

Living in the midwest has it’s disadvantages when it comes to triathlon training. There are several months each year when it’s not practical to get out and ride – though most “hard core” athletes will run outdoors all year ’round. And swimming? Well we only get a few months of outdoor swimming, for even the most dedicated of triathletes.

Well, today it seems we’ve turned a corner. I knew it when I stepped out my back door at 5am to let the dog out that spring was in the air. It just SMELLED good!! A little light rain and mild temperatures gave me a taste of what I’ve been waiting for since October. Could it be spring?? Let the outdoor riding begin!

Categories: Triathlons
Tags: midwest, outdoor training, spring

3/10/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Sharpsburg, GA

Spilling the Beans

by: Andree Miceli

I haven’t been able to run for 13 weeks. My last run was on a hotel treadmill in St Louis MO. It was at the same time that I learned about the awesome opportunity with the Trakkers Team. For real?!?! I have this great chance to be on such a cool team, to promote products that I have already been using, love and rave about, to try some new cool products….and the best part-to be reunited with Carole whom I have know and loved for years?? And I can’t run?? What kind of curse is this?!

Why have I kept this to myself? (Not completely to myself-Cris, my coach and my “medical team” have known). Not sure. Maybe because I haven’t known what “it” is. What I have learned after countless appointments with various people, is that it is not just one thing-but many. And, as one is discovered another surfaces. So, if anyone asked “why can’t you run?” or “what did you hurt?” My answer would be “I am not sure”. Has it been frustrating? More than I can say. Has my faith waivered? Many times. But, then I hear a song, or read a verse that puts me back on track. And I have my ever optimistic coach, who each time I say something negative, he comes back at me with to positives. I have just spent TONS of time seeing this person and that one, different therapies,

…

Categories: Triathlons

3/9/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Spokane, WA

Foggle: Magic Wipes

by: Jessi Thompson

As promised on Facebook, I gave SBRs Foggle (a.k.a Magic Wipes) a go at this morning’s masters swim with my Blue Seventy goggles. Lurve. All you have to do is wipe the inside and outside of the lenses (goggles need to be dry), and then let the solution dry. That’s it.

The cool part is that the wipe is re-usable up to 5-6 times. So, having a little baggy to store it in would be a good idea so as not to waste it. Or heck share the love wichya frens! And check out these crystal clear lenses as proof of how well it worked… niiiiice. Seriously, I have tried other de-foggers before and had to rub stuff into the lenses and ended up scratching the crap out of my lenses in the process. This was a simple wipe… no scrubbing or scratching. No ruining perfectly good goggles trying to keep them clear.

Categories: Product Reviews, Swimming, Tips

3/9/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Royersford, PA

What I have learned about myself thru triathlon

by: Andy Rosebrook

Things I have learned about myself:

-The majority of my physical limitations only exist between my ears.
-Nothing is more satisfying than doing something you once believed was impossible.
-Without risk there is no reward.
-Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.
-That hollow feeling in your legs after you will your self through a hard race/workout is priceless because it means you gave it your all.
-I am capable of more than I ever imagined.
-You don’t have to finish first to win.
-You always have enough time to do the things you really want to do.
-Almost any problem can be solved with proper balance and proper lubrication.
-Staying in the moment and enjoying the ride will get you through whatever life throws your way.
-The top priority is to finish what you start and have fun doing it.
-Even though I am an engineer, computers still kick my tail.

Andy

Categories: Triathlons
Tags: philosophy

3/9/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Spokane, WA

Bath Time

by: Jessi Thompson

It’s weekly tubby time at my house on Sundays. I swear it’s not the only day we bathe, but it is the day I wash, dry, and package up all the fruits and veggies for the week.

As you may or may not know, I am a teacher. I make meeeeeelions and meeeeelions of dollars teaching the future leaders of America. (Sarcasm font inserted here). Seriously, I just got an email last week from Mrs. Leena El Amin who has a project for me worth 7.5 million pounds. YES! It’s my lucky break – FINALLY!

So with my loads and loads of money, I struggle with shopping and buying organic. Obviously, organic/food co-op/homegrown is the way to go – but since I am trying to eat fresh (which is expensive anyway), buying everything organic is unrealistic. I try to prioritize, but one of my “tricks” is to wash everything in a cold water-vinegar bath. I fill up my sink 1/2 to 3/4 full depending on how many fruits and veggies, and dump about 1 cup of white vinegar. Dump in all kinds of veggies and fruits (even works with berries and lettuce). Let soak for about 15 minutes, rinse and dry well.

This soak helps remove pesticides and all the other scary stuff they spray our foods with. If you look at the leftover water, well don’t, cause it will kind of make your stomach turn. Or…

Categories: Nutrition, Triathlons
Tags: Nutrition

3/9/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

29.5352287,-81.5625000

Suicides

by: Joel Strickland

If you ever played team sports as a kid or young adult (maybe some of you crazy adults still play organized team sports), you probably recall the end-of-practice ritual that seems to be a common thread in all sports. Organized running. Sometimes this meant running suicides. Sometimes it was a game of chase the rabbit. Often it was just all-out balls-to-the-walls sprint repeats. I think that some coaches have this sadistic love for making folks suffer at the end of practice.

Fast forward 20+ years, and I’m a now youth sport coach. I’ve coached football, soccer, basketball. Right now, I help coach my daughter’s lacrosse team. And, yes…I DO find some sadistic pleasure in making the girls run sprints or suicides at the end of practice. Maybe it’s payback for all the running I had to do as a kid. Maybe it’s just me being a coach. I’m not sure. The difference between me and my coaches from my youth? I typically run with the girls. Instead of just watching them and barking at them like coaches often do, I usually line up and run with them. I love to taunt them – remind them that they should run faster than a 40+ year old guy. Rarely, though, do I let them beat me.

So last night we had lax practice. During the last 30 minutes of practice, we had an intrasquad scrimmage. Since we had odd numbers at practice,…

Categories: Running, Training, Uncategorized
Tags: Training, trakkers

3/9/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Ankeny, IA

Seasons change….

by: Rachelle Little

I’m getting into race season mode. I can feel it.

I’ve started randomly thinking about details throughout the day. What is working for me as pre-race food these days? What shoes? Drive in or fly in? How far is the hotel from the start? Does “hilly” mean “HILLY” or “HILLY HILLY”? What will my nutrition plan be? What nutrition will they have on course? Where did I put my race number belt? Where did I put my aero helmet??? My aero bottle straw? What did I accidentally leave in Mexico??!!??

Am I over-thinking this? Am I forgetting something?

Am I ready?

I saw the countdown on the left roll to 60 days. Yeowza!!

At 60 days out from the first race of the season, I’m still feeling like I’m shaking the cobwebs off a bit. I’m seeing progress on my workouts but I don’t feel fast. There is still snow on the ground and I have to wear 5 lbs of layers to stay warm for an outdoor run. It doesn’t look/feel/smell like a race morning yet. You know that look/feel/smell I’m talking about. Sometimes, when I’m out walking the dogs before work, I get goosebumps when I walk outside and think to myself “man, I wish today was a race day!” We aren’t there yet. Daylight savings this Sunday will help – it will reintroduce the morning sun! Ahhh….I can’t wait! I will finally feel energized in the…

Categories: Product Reviews, Training, Triathlons

3/9/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Parkman, OH

Mill Creek Half Marathon

by: Janet Edwards

First event of 2010 down and I guess we can say that I am officially starting back!

The plan was for the gimp squad to run the hilly half marathon pace at a comfortable pace and just have social 2 hours while we attempted to put in some quality mileage! The Gimp Squad included me, coming back from the tibia stress fracture, Amie (pictured above)coming back from IT band issues, and Jim who is only 9 weeks out from knee surgery!

Unlike the last several Youngtown 1/2 marathons, weather was as nice as one could ask for. 33 degrees and sunny at the start! Jim and I took a position near the back of the crowd as I looked around for Amie who had disappeared into the mass of runners. Jim’s plan was to run a nice easy pace of 9 min or better miles. I was fine with that as I was still nervous the tibia might just throw me the bird at any given minute! As a side note, it is so nice to start a race with no expectations other than to finish, feel good and enjoy yourself! I was looking forward to gettiing back out there running with all my friends!

Jim and I took off and the miles just clicked off pretty effortlessly. One of my biggest regrets of the race was not carrying my camera. The park just looked…

Categories: Race Reports, Running

3/8/2010

triathlete

GPS Coordinates

Quakertown, PA

Quakertown Rotary 10 Miler – can you say hillclimb?

by: Chris Garges

Quakertown 10 Miler 2010

On Saturday I decided to make the Quakertown Rotary 10 miler part of my long run. I had just paced a marathon 6 days before, put 40 miles of running on my legs since then and rode 15 miles on my bike 16 hours before the race. This course takes you through some beautiful Pennsylvania terrain and the race proceeds fund youth activities so it’s a great local event. This year there were 200 finishers. I had a great day, ran w/ a friend for the first 4 miles then was able to hold a good pace through the last 6 miles and came away w/ third overall! Check out the elevation profile….great training for Boston!