Tips on consistent training & Sunshine tempeh, squash and mango stir-fry

Wow - 26 days until Branson 70.3. My body is feeling great and Karel is also feeling strong... but we still have about two more weeks to make some more serious performance gains.
This weekend we will visit my parents and ride/train on the hills in San Antonio (Dade City, Florida) to get our legs ready for the challenging 56 mile bike course in Missouri. Plus, Campy misses his grandparents and the "resort-style" living.

Can we say "What a life?"

On Tuesday, I posted on my Facebook page about my tips for achieving consistency w/ training and racing. On a personal note, I'm having my best season ever but I will admit that it's hard to think outside the box, especially when there are so many opinions as to how to train for triathlons. I may have a background in exercise physiology and exercise science and I may be a dietitian, specializing in sport nutrition but no amount of credentials can make it any easier to not overthink training (aka overtrain). Sure, we all know what we should be doing and the right thing to do (and when too much is too much) but, if you are competitive with yourself, like to train or have goals related to your performance, it's easy to always think about those who are better than you and compare yourself to them. Perhaps you should be thinking about those who may be looking up to you - impressed with what you are able to accomplish on a daily basis to meet your own personal goals.

On race day, I'm out to race my competition, not a time. With the trained body that I have on race day, I challenge myself to race amongst those who are better trained than me and I will be proud to race among those who see me as someone who pushes them to train harder. We all race for different reasons.....but we all reach the same finishing line.

One of the hardest things for an athlete-in-training is to be aware of "the now" but to consider the future. Who cares what other athletes are doing - you are racing your own race. To help you have a quality racing and training season, here are my tips to find balance and consistency w/ your training:
1) Get a massage and stretch before you badly need it.
2) Fuel consistently during workout, befo...

re you feel tired and fatigued.
3) Prioritize nutrition before and after workouts, before you find yourself struggling with recovery.
4) Prioritize your nutrition throughout the day to compliment your intense/long daily training regime rather than obsessing about your intake on your "off" or lighter days.
5) Don't strive for a race weight but rather a strong body that will perform optimally by x-day.
6) Don't wait until taper to feel "normal" again, find balance now.
7) Don't "rest" an injury/pain after a workout, address normal vs not normal aches on a daily basis.
8) Don't view your training as train hard and "rest" unintentionally when you need it. Consider intentional rest days long before you actually need them.
9) Respect and thank your body for what it allow you to do on a daily basis.
10) Have fun and inspire others.

 

With less than 4 weeks until race day, you'd imagine that our focus is to train hard....it's crunch time. Yes, we are still training hard BUT the focus now is on reaping every tiny, little gain we can achieve within every single training session. For the magic has been happening over the past 2 months....we have nothing to prove to ourselves in this last peak of training - nor will we give it are all in training. For we belive in saving our best performance for race day.

 

How can we do that but still gain performance and race strong on race day and meet body composition goals? Train hard, recover harder.

More rest, more sleep, more active recovery. More emphasis on the weekends when we have more time to recover (that is, when Karel isn't working on Sunday's and for me...I'm always working :) ) and more recovery (less volume) during the week. The intensity will stay through taper but with more recovery comes more energy, more consistency and more power.

 

I don't train my body to burn calories. I don't focus on what I "can't" eat (according to others).

I fuel. I train hard. I recover. I have fun.

 

I'm loving the challenge of "thinking outside the box" and I can't wait until race day!

 

So, on to another delicious creation.

I'll be honest, some days I just don't feel like cooking. But give me a pre-meal snack like a few baby carrots and some peanuts to chomp on as I am feeding our house full of animals (and fishies) and before I know it, I'm thinking of another creation to fuel my lifestyle. Knowing that a "meal" will leave me satisfied and well-fueled, I decided that the dreary weather was not going to affect my cooking so in honor of the random hurricane Issac rain showers (thankfully, we were not hit), I hope this creation brings sunshine to your belly.....Enjoy!

Sunshine tempeh, squash and mango stir-fry

Ingredients (for ~2 people + a little leftovers):

Mushrooms (container)

Tempeh (cubed, 1 package) - or your choice of protein

1 can roasted tomatoes (no salt added)

Squash (1 large yellow, thinly sliced)

Corn (~1 cup)

Black beans (~1.5 cups, rinsed and drained)

Mango (~1/2 cup cubed)

Whole grains (~1 cup or 1/2 cup per person)

Dark greens of your choice (spinach above)

Farmers cheese

Olive oil

Seasonings: chili pepper, cumin, curry powder

1. Recommend having protein and whole grain option prepared ahead of time.
2. Heat non stick skillet to medium heat and drizzle w/ olive oil.
3. Cook mushrooms, corn, squash until veggies are lightly golden.
4. Add black means, tomatoes (spoon out rather than pour) and mango and stir until combined.
5. Add protein and cook on low for a few minutes, stir occasionally.
6. Add spices and toss. Turn off heat.
7. Plate greens in shallow bowl. Top w/ heaping scoop(s) of veggie/tempeh mixture and sprinkle w/ whole grains. Top w/ cheese.