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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

TRX

Since the off season started (around October for me) I have been doing TRX about 3 times a week. It has been really great to get back into a strength training routine. Lifting and weight training was a huge part of being on the crew team at Colby. We did dead lifts, squats, rows, bench press, on and on with these intense barbells made with a pole and 2 rusty paint cans filled with cement....weird thinking back on that....But we got really strong. Since crew I stuck to the same routine (except with normal weights) and then pretty much stopped any weight training as triathlon training got busier. Last year for Christmas I got a TRX and have been hooked on it ever since. It is the perfect tool to get a full body work out based on functional exercises. It also targets a lot of smaller stabilizing muscles which is really important for injury prevention.

Here is what it looks like:

I liked this guy cause look! He is on the beach, working out, doing his TRX in his board shorts. That's how convenient this thing is. I also like the looks of his abs :)

OK here is a more helpful picture:

So the top of the TRX can be looped through some sort of eye hook or slung over a pull up bar in a gym or just anything stable. I have the door anchor as well so I can literally use it most places. You just have to shut it into a door and you are ready to go. The top part where the straps come together has a little see-saw type connector so the straps can even themselves out. With the yellow tabs you can adjust the lengths. There are the places for your hands and the craddle for your feet like Mr. Board Shorts is using.

I mean look at this guy. He was about to leave some stadium but decided it was time to TRX so he parked his truck next to some electricity tower. So he is doing a super inclined TRX push up. Based on his facial expresion he knows how hard core he is and is feeling pretty good about it.

He should have seen this guy first. I think that smirk would fade right off of his face:

Boom. That's about as hard core as it gets if you ask me.

It really is awesome and they even do it on the Biggest Loser and now Jilian has her own like knock off version of it that there are infomercials for.

During the season I didn't do it as much but I have been really consistent since October and it is paying off! I do a few different variations of work out with it but my favorite is called the Metabolic Blast Circuit. It comes on a card with the TRX. It goes as follows:

3 times through:
10 x 30 s of a TRX exercise, alternating legs, upper body, and abs. No rest inbetween each exercise.
      During each exercise focus on high intensity movements, really "blasting" everything
1 min SPRINT all out. If you don't have a track to sprint around you can do burpees, jumping jacks, jump rope or anything else awesome.

I have been TRXing with my friend meh and am going to start teaching TRX classes come January!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

TriSports.com

I am very excited to say that I have a new sponsor! I am a new member of team TriSports.com!

I am really excited for this opportunity. I applied to a few different teams in October on a whim and didn't think I would make any of them so I was thrilled when TriSports.com offered me a spot on their team! I will be getting a nice box of free garb and help with different aspects of this sport. There is also a training weekend out in Tucson at the end of March that I am going to try my best to attend. Should be fun!

When I applied for this team the instructions said to get really creative because they get so many applications each year and spots were limited. We had to submit race results, a bunch of answers to questions and also a "personal essay" that could be in any format. I decided to make a short power point which I have shared below:













So I knew they would either think I was a freak or that they just might like it! Thank goodness they did :)

I am so lucky to have the support of Mideast Multisport who provide me with not only wonderful coaching but also advice, ideas, bike help and soooo much more. I am excited to have another group of people helping me out this year. Time to really get training so I can make it all worth it!

Burned Cookies

So I tried to make cookies for 2 of my friends that are in finals week right now. Attempt number one with chocolate chip:
Terrible
The worst part was that I was simultaneously cooking shrimp and veggies with marsala so it smelled terrible in my apartment. I was literally falling asleep as I baked these because my workouts that day and little sleep had left me so tired. So last night I tried again, this time with aluminum foil lining one pan and a silicone cookie liner on the other. I even rolled the cookies in festive holiday sprinkles this time and was going to give a batch to my coach for his BDay as well. Result:


Burned sugar cookies. Which smelled even worse than the chocolate chip ones. Guess I need to use a different oven. Or try to be more like Foodie Girl!

My apartment still smells like burned cookies. Guess I will try something for them on the stove top tonight: Rice Crispie treats!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Chelsea Piers

NY has an extremely larrrgggeeee sporting complex called Chelsea Piers. They have everything: gymnastics, tons of indoor courts and fields, spa, a shooting range, and on and on but also a gym and pool!

http://www.chelseapiers.com/GRAPHICS/cpfrontbanner11.jpg

I had looked up a list of local USMS Masters teams in NYC and found that the Chelsea Piers team was meeting Saturday morning at 9:00. This was too perfect! My flight wasn't until 2 so I had time to practice, shower, pack, eat with my friends and get on my bus to the airport out of there. The only trick was getting there. I ended up leaving my friends apartment at 8:10 on 8th ave and 47th, headed towards the Hudson River. The run to the pool was about 2 miles and I was so glad to have the extra time because as you can see above, this place was GI-NORMOUS and took some navigating. I finally found registration and got myself set.

Then something weird happened. I had never experienced this before. The guy at the front desk said I had to go into the locker room, then get my swim suit on and then put on a robe before walking across the gym to the pool. I was like OK this is a joke. He assured me it wasn't but I was not going to be a fool so instead I looked like a perv because I hung out in the locker room and eyed everyone in a swim suit to see what they did. Sure enough they put their robes on and went back out into the gym. I did the same but felt like a freak walking past the smoothie bar, all of the weight lifters and tradmill-ers.  

http://www.chelseapiers.com/new/sc/images/Pool-700x350.jpg

The pool was super nice and was on a second floor sort of extending over the water with windows all around so I was basically in the Hudson minus the boats, heroine needles and cold water. The practice ended up being really nice. The coach was super friendly and before I knew it I had gotten in 4800 solid yards! I ran the 2 miles back with my wet hair and intense goggle marks. At one corner I was stopped and a woman turned to her BF and was talking in a language I didn't know while making circle motions with her finger around her eyes and looking at me with a raised eyebrow. Yeah, I get it, I look like a freakish raccoon. So I lifted my hand that was holding my cap and goggles up near their faces in a fake stretch so hopefully they put it together. 

All in all, when out of town I am going to do my best to swim with the local masters team because it was really fun, in this case free, and a nice way to meet new people and see new things.

NYC

It is always difficult to find a swimming pool when traveling. While staying with my friend JKB outside of the city in Pound Ridge we had to trick a very nice woman named Joan or something into thinking we were actually interested in membership so that I could get a swim in. So I walked away with not only a free swim but a really nice folder detailing all the membership benefits awaiting me. We found a back exit so we did not have to pass her desk on the way out. The pool ended up being nice but foggy and super warm. There were def things growing in that water but it allowed me the 30 minute swim I needed.

Swimming is the one of the 3 disciplines that I hate to slack on because my form suffers so quickly since I was never on a swim team growing up. I loose a feel for the water about an hour after I get out of the pool as it is. My ears were still hurting though and once in the city I wasn't going to bed early thanks to fun outings and Broadway plays (yay best NY hosts ever). 
Christmas market near Bryant Park

Me and some big building...


THE BEST Salvation Army JINGLERS ever. They danced with bells the whole time. I totally would have given then money but I only had a $10...and I'm too cheap to give that bill up.

The view from my b-fri's apartment. IT IS GORGEOUS but she is beyond jaded by it. She says "oh yeah, the sunset is pretty...."

Yeah, it's pretty.

I got to CLM for a super quick visit again because she came into the city with some friends in her school program. We honestly had the most FREE fun here by the tree, where we got to watch skaters of all ages fall on the ice or show off their non-existent moves while drinking hot C from magnolias. 

Pretty nice tree. I'm glad I didn't have to put the lights on that thing.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Vacation

I got to go visit Baltimore and then NYC for Thanksgiving and a week beyond! It was so wonderful to get out of Lexington and see family and friends. My Aunt Judy hosted Thanksgiving and she somehow managed to feed 38 people in her new house of only 25 days! It was a wonderful time. I also got to spend some good time with my siblings and brother-in-law.


I had big work out plans for this trip;  I had already signed up for a 5K I had done the year before and there was a local YMCA that I loved to go to.  I chose last minute not to bring my bike because there would not be enough days in Baltimore to ride it before I went on to New York City. Alas....in the days leading up to our car ride I got sick...again. I was not happy with this. I had a sore throat, my ears were upset and I had the green oooz. I went to a doctor in Baltimore and got on some drugs for my diagnosed sinus and double ear infection.

This episode ended my gluten free days. I was baffled by my good eating returning little results. So I said bye bye and welcomed the gluten back into my life with open arms. I am still doing no white flour but my goodness is that soooo much easier. After 4 days in Baltimore I took a train up to CT to meet up with two of my best buds from college. Being sick was actually a blessing in disguise because instead of worrying about fitting work outs in I was more concerned with getting to feeling better. I had a WONDERFUL run along the Connecticut coast in Greenwich.
This is oh so New England and it reminded me so much of school and why I love the ocean so much.
The running trail was full of people on Sunday morning runs, bike rides and family walks.
 Good thing the bird in this pic didn't poo on us.