Triathlon Racing in Cooler Temps (IM 70.3 Oceanside tips!)

The 2025 Ironman Pro Series kicks off in North America on April 5th with Ironman 70.3 Oceanside in Southern California. The event has its challenges because of the weather. The water is cold, the morning starts off chilly and by the time athletes start the run, the weather is perfect. Racing in cooler temperatures presents unique challenges for athletes but with a few adjustments to your fueling, hydration, gear and pacing plan, you can set yourself up for success. 👊

How to dress when cycling in cold weather

I love the heat and humidity but there's something about winter riding that soothes my soul and sharpens my mind. It's as if the cooler it gets outside, the more excited I get to go outside for a bike ride. I was not always this way - it took me several years to learn how to dress appropriately for cold weather riding but as the saying goes "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing."

Where we live in Greenville, SC. the weather can be unpredictable. Luckily, we are never too cold for too long and it rarely snows. While this is a great thing for year-round outdoor cycling, it does make it tricky for what to wear. 

As an example, in the past two weeks, we have enjoyed a variety of weather for a variety of outdoor rides. 

Warmish 2-hour afternoon gravel ride. Private skills session with our athlete Diane. 

9:30am, 3hr group ride. Started off foggy, stayed cloudy, got warm and then cooler again. 

Very cold 3.5 hour mountain bike ride. 

Sunny sky, cold 4 hour road bike ride. 

Our Greenville cycling community is all about year-round outside riding. There are so many group rides, events and other activities to encourage people to ride outside no matter the weather. With no formal group ride planned this past weekend, my friend Carley took me (and two others) on her favorite route. I was really excited for this route as it included a few roads that I had never explored before. I love that after 8 years, we are still discovering new safe roads for cycling. The views were incredible and the time went by so quickly. Since I had my Garmin bike computer set on the route, I had no idea how long we had been riding. When I got home, I was surprised to see that we rode for 4.5 hours and 73 miles. Although it was in the upper 30's when we started our ride at 9:30am, the sunny sky helped us stay warm, even though it stayed in the 40's throughout our ride. Although this wasn't a "hilly" route, we did manage to accumulate ~6200 feet of elevation over 4.5 hours. 

With this being my first cold outdoor road bike ride this year, I naturally overdressed for this ride as I wasn't sure what to wear. But before I left for the ride, I decided to make a quick change and I ended up dressing perfectly for this ride. 

-Base layer
-Long sleeve cycling jersey
-Cycling shorts 
-Leg warmers 
-Shoe covers
-Long sleeve gloves 
-Ear covers

Depending on the air temp, wind chill, ride speed, intensity, duration and location (ex. protected wooded area like mountain biking vs. exposed gravel or road biking), there's a lot to consider when it comes to dressing appropriate for cold weather riding. 

A put together a video of showcasing some of the clothing that I have invested into for the winter cycling season. Because I ride outside year round, my wardrobe for outdoor winter riding is much larger than what I need/use for warm weather riding. But it's worth it. It would be a shame to spend the entire winter riding indoors. My bikes (and me) love to be outside. 

 

Cold weather triathlon racing tips

 

Within every triathlon race, there are lessons to learn. I often find myself learning the most about myself during races when the conditions are not ideal. 

IMFL 2007 - ~40 degrees and windy on race morning.
IM 70.3 Branson 2012 - ~43 degrees on race morning.
IM Lake Placid 2021 - ~50 degrees and rainy on race morning. 
Andys race sprint tri 2022 - ~35 degrees on race morning. 
Xterra World Championship 2022 - ~45 degrees on race morning.  

I've also started triathlons in sub 60-degree cold water conditions in Prague, Molveno and St. George.

Although I prefer hot conditions over cold, I've had some of my best race performances in colder, challenging conditions. Even more, I always feel proud and accomplished when I "survive" a challenging day.

Every triathlon presents unique challenges but racing in cold weather can be extremely difficult (and unsafe) if you don't properly prepare. 

How your body reacts in colder temperatures 
Before you can prepare for how to dress, fuel and hydrate in cold weather, it's important to know the effects of cold weather on your physiology. 

• Even before you begin exercising, your body is working a lot harder just to stay warm. As an example, when you get cold and you shiver or shake, this your body's way of trying to generate heat. Muscles in the body are rapidly contracting and relaxing to warm you up. 
• Your body prioritizes the core, brain, heart and major organs over working (exercising) muscles. This is why body parts furthest from the core are usually the first to get cold. Your body does everything it can to keep your core warm. This causes lack of circulation to body extremities. 
• Heat is a natural muscle relaxer. It reduces tension and allows you to move more effeciently. Cold muscles are not as efficient as warm muscles. They get tight. They are also weaker and fatigue quicker than warm muscles. Nerve impulses and reaction time is also slowed. Now we know why so many fit athletes struggle to perform in cold weather.
• Metabolism increases in cold conditions. You burn more calories to stay warm. You use energy at a much faster rate. As a result, less energy is left for exercise. Glycogen is used more quickly, whereas fat oxidation takes longer. The result is earlier fatigue. 
• In the cold, you don't feel thirsty to replenish lost fluids. Dehydration becomes a greater issue in the cold. Although you aren't losing water from sweating, you are losing water from respiration. 
• If dexterity is compromised due to cold hands, it can be difficult to eat/drink to fuel properly. 
• Cold weather can put strain on the heart. Blood vessels and arteries narrow, restricting blood flow and reducing oxygen to the heart. Your heart has to pump harder to circulate blood through blood vessels that are constricted. Blood also gets thicker. As a result, blood pressure and heart rate increase. 
• Asthma can be triggered by cold air filling the lungs and airway. Raynaud's is often triggered by cold temperatures. 
• When you are cold, your body reduces circulation to the extremities and skin. A greater volume of blood goes to the core. As a result, arterial blood pressure increases. A natural response to reduce this pressure is for the kidneys to reduce the volume of circulating blood by removing water to be lose as urine. This is why you may have the urge to pee a lot in cold weather (cold diuresis). 

How to prepare for cold weather racing 

• Make sure to eat enough before the race. Try to consume at least 500 calories, primarily carbs w/ a little protein and fat. 
• Stay warm before the start of the race with warm clothes from head to toe. 
• Sip on a warm beverage (coffee or tea) but be sure not to overdrink so factor in the warm pre-race beverage into your morning hydration intake (I don't suggest more than 30 ounce fluid on race morning). 
• Do a dryland warm-up to gradually warm your cold muscles. 
• Keep your feet and hands warm (ex. throw-away socks and gloves) before the swim while standing in the corral before the start. 
  
• Prior to the start, pour a bottle of water down your wetsuit (neck/chest) to prevent the chest from "sucking" - to reduce tightness and difficulty breathing. 
• ~15-20 minutes before the start, consume ~80-100 calories in the form of a gel or chews 
• You may need to swim a little stronger than normal to keep your body warm in cooler water conditions. 
• Dress for the bike as if it was ~10-degrees warmer than the actual weather conditions. A few tips: 
  -Your body will generate heat on the bike. The harder you work, the warmer your body gets. Take into account the course, wind, wind chill, humidity and weather conditions for the first hour of the bike. If there are hills, you will naturally warm up faster than flat or descending terrain. Typically the weather will get warmer so layers are key. 
  -Compromise time in transition but not aerodynamics. Take the time to put on any or all of the following: a dry jersey (or kit), dry socks/calf sleeves/compression socks, arm warmers, ear covers, gloves and if needed, a light vest - all should be somewhat tight fighting. Consider putting newspaper, a piece of a space blanket or a small towel on your chest as a removable base layer to keep you warm. Also, 'hot hands' are great under gloves and under toe warmers. 
• Pre-open bars/chews or make a small tear in gels for easy consumption. If your hands are cold, it's hard to open packages. 
• Knowing that you won't be drinking as much, try to consume at least 200-240 calories worth of sport drink each hour (at least 16-20 ounces). If preparing nutrition in a 24-28 ounce bottle (normal size sport drink) you may need to slightly concentrate your drinks knowing that the bottle may be consumed over 90 minutes and not over 60 minutes.  You may want an additional 50-100 calories throughout the hour from gel, chew or soft solid food. Consume small amounts at a time throughout each hour for easier digestion. 
• Set a reminder on your bike computer to remind you to drink every 10-15 minutes. 
• Peel off layers as you get warm (but don't toss). Roll down arm warmers and stuff gloves in your jersey pocket in case you need them again (ex. descending). 
• Do not overdress with thick clothing. You need to make sure your body can function efficiently. Your clothing needs to wisk sweat from your body while also preventing body heat from escaping. Layering is key so that each layer has a function. 
• By the time you reach T2, the air will likely be warmer than what it was in the early morning. Alongside more muscle mass being used during running, you no longer have to deal with the wind chill from riding. You will likely remove your layers for the run as you will warm up quickly. 

Knowing how cold water impacts your physiology and being prepared are two ways to feel confident going into a cold weather race. Lastly, attitude is everything. Accept the conditions for what they are and focus on what YOU need to do to be as comfortable (and safe) as possible so you can race at your best on the day. The person who is most prepared for the challenging weather will perform the best. 

The grand finale - GVL WBL #8

 

True to its name, the last GVL WBL was a cold one. Like really really cold. The location changed to Donaldson (~7-mile loop) due to possible ice/snow on the planned route. The start time was also moved back to 11am to give time for it to warm up. However, when we started the ride, it was ~32 degrees F and the wind chill was in the 20s (and the wind was gusty!). It was one for the record books for me - I have never biked in such cold conditions before! I was really proud of myself for doing the group ride and collecting a few more points before the podium ceremony at the Think Tank Brewery. The ride was "only" 35 miles (1:46). We did one warm-up loop and then it was time for the action - each loop had a designated group that was "sprinting". The women went on loop 3 and 5. The last loop also included the QOM/KOM. It was a spicy ride and the strong wind and cold made it even tougher. And just when I thought I was done and ready to defrost in the car, a group of ~8 riders were heading out to do the ~30 mile country loop. Just when I thought I had no more left in me (and my feet frozen), I found myself riding with the group and adding another 1:36 of riding time to my ride. I ended up with 67 miles (3:27) which made me happy because I didn't want Karel to one-up me by too much with his gravel ride. I managed to talk myself into a run off the bike (thanks Yannick for the accountability!) and ended up feeling somewhat good (and my feet finally dethawed around 1 mile into my 2-mile brick run).

Karel joined a group in Walhalla, SC (~75 minute drive) for another Southeast gravel recon (69 miles) and he said it was also very cold and there were some sections with ice/snow. 

And that's a wrap on another series of the Greenville Winter Bike League (GVL WBL). This was my second year participating in this group ride series put on by Debbie, Cate and Andrew of the Supra Cycling team. I attended 6 of the 8 events. I missed #1 because we were in Maui for our Xterra events. I didn't attend #7 because the location changed due to bad weather (snow) and I opted to stay indoors on the trainer. Unlike last year, the weather was not in our favor but I'm proud of myself for attending 6 of the 8 rides. Most rides had at least 20 riders and sometimes over 50. The ride starts at 10am from Trailblazer Park and the routes are typically 3-4 hours (~60-70 miles) with a SAG vehicle following the A-group and a designated store stop. Each ride has a specific route planned with a KOM/QOM and near the end of the series, a sprint zone. There are raffles prizes to be won and a points to be earned for attending. There is even a cash prize for winning the KOM/QOM (typically $40-$50!). There were so many incentives for attending, not to mention socializing and gaining a good amount of fitness. Every Saturday I found myself excited and nervous for the ride. But at the end I felt so accomplished - especially when the weather was cold, windy and dreary. This group kept me accountable to showing up no matter how I felt or how cold it was outside. 

The Supra team gave out awesome awards and a lot of great prizes. I placed 2nd in the women's category with my friend and riding buddy Carley in 3rd and Cate (the sprinting rocket) in 1st. I was also 3rd "overall" (it was actually Men Pro 1,2 category but Cate and I earned enough points to be counted in this category. Although I earned $150 cash for my placings, the idea of collecting points was a big incentive for me as I always arrived nervous and excited for the opportunity to give my best effort. 

Although I've finished every A-ride that I've started, no ride has been easy for me. Each ride takes me out of my comfort zone. And that's exactly why I love doing this series. 

A bit of background....
I did not grow up riding bikes. Karel and I met on a group ride when I was 24 and I was scared of being around others while riding. Karel was an experienced cyclist and I was a triathlete training for my first Ironman. I had a tri bike but I had no idea how to really ride it - I had no skills. Of course it didn't help that I lived in flat Florida as I could get away with bad riding habits and poor cycling skills. I was ok joining in on the local group ride but there was nothing too technical about the ride. The group rides were more about ego than tactics. 

When we moved to Greenville in 2014, I was forced to improve my skills. With ~1000 feet of elevation gain for ~1 hr of riding (unless you climb one of our many mountains, which could add another 2000+ feet of elevation gain in 2-7 miles) you have to have great skills, strength, resiliency, confidence and endurance to train outside in our incredible cycling playground. It took me several years to improve my skills, strength and confidence on my bike (triathlon and road bike) but it has given me so many more riding opportunities. Again, I am just so proud of myself for completing these rides. Aside from the socializing aspect and having good endurance, these rides showcase my weaknesses and that is why I keep coming back for more and more suffering. 

A big thank you to Debbie, Cate, Andrew and all the participating sponsors and support for putting on the GVL WBL series. 

EXPLORE new weather conditions

                             

For 2018, I decided I would select a word to help define and guide my year.

I selected EXPLORE. 

I chose explore for many reasons but the original definition of "to travel in or through (an unfamiliar country or area) in order to learn about or familiarize oneself with it)" really spoke to me.

Although Karel and I will be doing a lot of traveling this year and thus, a lot of exploring, I felt like the word "explore" applies to so much more in life. As an example, sometimes it's important to explore our feelings. Feelings are often at the root of why we do and think certain things. Feelings drive our thoughts, behaviors and actions.

Although we are only in the 2nd week of the New Year, I have already explored my previous feelings about cold weather. In the past, I despised training outside in cold conditions. I never complained when it was cold because I knew I would be toasty warm inside on the bike trainer or treadmill. I never tried to train outside because well, it was just "too cold" for my liking. I developed a bad relationship with training in the cold, despite enjoying the change in weather in the winter. But the more I thought about things, I was simply resorting to what was comfortable and familiar to me. This thinking had little to do with my safety or health (with the right clothing, our cold weather is not unsafe for training) but instead, I had this idea of my "ideal" training conditions and anything less than my expectations was not practical and thus, I stayed indoors.

Well, that thinking doesn't work well in life for we will always be disappointed if we try to set a standard as to the best times or conditions to start or do/achieve something.

In further thinking, I recognized how much this mindset was not benefiting me for my upcoming races. Despite having big goals for myself in 2018, I must acknowledge and accept that come one of my five endurance triathlons this year, there's a good chance that I will experience race day conditions that are not ideal.

As part of my race day readiness, I need to explore training in unfamiliar and relative "sub-optimal" training conditions so long as my safety and health is never compromised. Although we can all build fitness and confidence by training in an environment that is comfortable, it's necessary to explore different conditions.

In the past week, I have rode my bike few times in 30-degree temps and have ran in sub 10-degree temps. This is all very new and unfamiliar to me but in keeping with my word of the year, it has been exciting to venture outside and explore how my body performs and how my mind works in different weather conditions.

Although I believe that athletes should primarily train in the environment that provides the best outcome for fitness gains and to keep the body in good health, we must pay attention to any thoughts that may be keeping us from exploring something new due to unfamiliarity. As an example, if you avoid training outside because it's "too cold" or "too wet" what will happen come race day if it's "too cold" or "too wet" for your liking? Will you start with the excuses that you can't race or you assume you will have a bad race or will you use your prior experience to know how to pace, dress and adjust your mindset for the best outcome possible with your given situation?

I really surprised myself over the past week for I never thought that I could train outside in such cold conditions. And it was COLD! But with each workout, I had a new, first time experience and I found it all really exciting, motivating and confidence-building.

Sometimes, when it comes down to it, we are our own worst enemy. We are scared or unwilling to step beyond what is comfortable and as a result, we miss out on many amazing life lessons and opportunities. It's so easy to fall into a routine or habits of doing what we like or doing what we are good at and avoiding what is "no fun". But learning about yourself and growing requires exploring new things in life - much of which may not be fun at the beginning.

With the help of my word of the year "EXPLORE" I have already found myself opening up to more opportunities and experiences. Now don't get me wrong - I would much rather train and race warm, dry and little to no wind conditions instead of cold, rainy and windy conditions but I can't control what will happen on race day. I am exploring new things this year because I want to put myself into situations that are out of my familiar/comfort zone in an effort to learn more about myself and in life in general.

I think it would be a shame to live life without exploring new things. I don't want to be in a rut of the same old routine day after day. I love living life and that includes exploring new weather conditions, food, people, places and experiences.

Life is to be lived and there is so much more to life than living within a space that is familiar and comfortable.

Brrrrr - weekend training

It's always fun for us to have a friend in town. We absolutely love Greenville and it's special to be able to show off our beautiful area to an out-of-towner.
But when a friend has a similar love for endurance training, it makes for a jam-packed few days, filled with lots of miles, laughs and food.

Not complaining. 

After our friend Lauren and her doggy Jordan arrived from Jacksonville, FL, I made a delicious dinner of lentil soup, roasted potatoes, mixed greens with tzatziki sauce, corn on the cob and protein (tempeh for me, chicken for Karel and Lauren). Dinner was amazing.

Then it was off to watch the documentary Bikes vs Cars at the movie theater, hosted by Bike Walk Greenville

After moving from Jacksonville, FL to Greenville, SC, I can honestly say that I love where we live now....in a very bike friendly community.

 However, after watching the Bikes vs Cars documentary, although it is evident that we are lucky to have so many cycling options as to where to ride (and not to mention the fact that cyclist are respected by cars when asked to share the road), it is acknowledged that we can continue to improve the safety, road conditions, accessibility and awareness for cycling in and around the Greenville community. 

With a large crowd in attendance for the viewing of the documentary (200+ individuals), it is obvious that many people in the community are invested in building an even more bike friendly community.
I'm incredibly thankful for the Bike Walk team for all that they are doing for Greenville, all in an effort to make Greenville a safer, more active and more environmentally healthy community.

After a good night sleep on Thursday evening, it was time to start the training fun with Lauren. 

I woke up at my normal time, 5:45am to get started on some work for the day while waking up my system with water, a cup of coffee and a waffle w/ PB, honey and banana slices (this has been my typical pre-training snack lately).
Around 7;15am, we drove to Furman for our morning swim, which totaled around 4000 yards.

MS:
6 x 100's 85% w/ 3-5 sec rest
400 snorkel, band, buoy, 1 min rest
8 x 75's at 85%, 3-5 sec rest
400 snorkel at 80%, 1 min rest
12 x 50's 90% w/ 3-5 sec rest
500 best effort

Whew. That was exhausting. Time to refuel!

I made scrambled eggs with mixed greens and a little cheese and served that with fresh bread (with an assortment of toppings - jam, honey, butter, nut butter). We also had orange and banana slices.

After letting our breakfast digest for 2 hours, we were about to change into our cycling clothes in anticipation for an outside 2 hour ride. 

Well, mother nature had other plans for us. 

SNOW!!!

So we changed the plans and rode inside for a mid-day trainer ride in our "pain cave."
MS: 4 x 12 minutes w/ 3 min EZ in between
(3 min Z2, 90+ rpm, 1 min Z3+, 65 or less rpm. x 3)

After the trainer ride, it was time to eat....again.
I had a quick glass of milk while preparing lunch and before showering.

I made a large salad with side toppings: chicken, cottage cheese, jasmine rice, quinoa, cheese.
Although a salad wouldn't be my go-to recovery meal, it was nearing 2pm and I was in need of some veggies. Plus, since we went into the bike trainer workout well-fueled, I wasn't too worried about our bodies being completely drained after a 2 hour trainer workout as the workout had a strength endurance focus and it wasn't intense or exhausting.

I was able to get some work done in the afternoon for a few hours and made a quick stop at the grocery store for some food for the weekend. I knew that we would eat the best if food was ready for after our weekend workouts.

We headed to downtown Greenville on Friday evening for dinner and yummed over a delicious dinner from Chicora Alley.
I had the tofu burger which is a marinated slab of tofu on a warm pita, spread with bean hummus.
So good! 

Although the weather was very chilly on Saturday, we were determined to enjoy the Greenville mountains with Lauren. We waited until it warmed-up to the 30's to start the ride so that meant not riding until around 11:30am. 

After waking up without an alarm, around 7am, we felt well rested for an exciting day of exploring.
After a small pre-workout snack (1/2 banana w/ a little smear of PB), we headed out around 8:30am for a 4-mile very easy, conversational pace run around our neighborhood (which is very hilly).
After the run, it was time for a pre-workout meal of eggs, fresh bread and fruit (and some toppings like PB, cheese, butter, etc.). Although the meal was larger than what I would have normally before a long ride, it was very needed considering that we would be out on our bikes all afternoon and our next meal wouldn't come until the evening. 

After letting the meal digest for 2 hours, we bundled up for our ride in 34 degree temps. The sun was shinning which made it much more tolerable. 

We said a quick hello to Mr. Lama and then it was off to Caesar's Head.

Although climbing for 6.5 miles seemed like a great idea while it was happening (as we really warmed up), after taking pictures, we got really cold. Like really, really, really cold.

After a very painfully cold descend, it took a good 20 more minutes of riding to get slightly warm(ish) again.

90 minutes later, we were home after almost 4 hours of riding.

But as cold as we were descending, the views on top of Caesar's head were worth it.
Especially when we could look at our pictures when were nice and warm, sitting by our fire, at home. 

Thanks Clif Bar for fueling our workouts. The mint chocolate bar along with a few Clif gels and water were amazing throughout my ride! 

After the ride, we stuck with our plan to order out at one of my favorite restaurants in Traveler's Rest - Upcounty Provisions. We invited our good friends, Meredith and Lukas over (and their kiddos) and we all enjoyed dinner together (and my mom came over too). It was nice to yum with everyone and not have to go out to eat as we were still warming up from our ride.

Campy was clearly exhausted.
Or drunk.

After an early bedtime, we once again woke-up without an alarm and made it to 7:15am for a great night of sleep. 

After a pre-workout snack of waffle, w/ PB, honey and banana, water and coffee for me, we headed out for a "long" run around 8:45am.

We ran one of my favorite running loops which had no shortage of hills and climbs and great views. It was a great run to share with Lauren and Karel. 9.37 miles later we were home...and with not a peek of the sun, we were still a bit chilly as the temps out were around 23-27 degrees. 

After we came back, Karel was done for the morning and Lauren and I jumped on the trainer for one last bike workout. I only rode an hour and Lauren rode 1 hr and 45 minutes.

Bike trainer workout: 

15 min EZ
Pre set; 4 x 5 minutes Z1/Z2, highest sustainable cadence (~104-108 for me)
4 min EZ
MS: 6xs:
1.5 min build cadence and power from Z2-Z3, 80-100 rpm cadence.
30 sec EZ

Cool down

After our run/bike workout, it was time to eat. Karel made us crepes while we were on the bike trainers so it was nice to walk down to a nice smelling kitchen.
I had Greek yogurt and fruit w/ PB and cacao nib slathered crepes (with cinnamon).

After chillaxing a bit on the couch (while doing work on the computer) and watched Campy destroy his new Valentine's gift (nothing says I love you like ripping the arms and tail off a new bear), around 3pm we headed to the Furman pool for one last workout for the day. 

Swim workout: (2500 yards total)
MS:
2 x 25's
3 x 50's
4 x 75's

5 x 100's
4 x 75's
3 x 50's
2 x 25's
(all with buoy and paddle, 70-75% effort)

As much as I was not excited to swim, it felt good to move through the water with this recovery workout.

After the swim, it was time for grilled pizza. Seeing that I had this meal planned since Friday, I was so excited to get this pizza in my belly, all weekend long!

A big thank you to Karel for standing outside in the freezing cold to grill the homemade individual pizzas. 

Although there wasn't a lot of time to rest and relax, we did watch the Marathon Olympic Trials (DVR'd on Sat) and the indoor track championship on Sun (DVR'd).

As if that wasn't enough training over three days, we managed to have good energy for a 3800 yard swim this morning:

MS:
4 x 50's  kick with fins
200 swim with fins
4 x 50's buoy
300 buoy/snorkel/paddles
4 x 50's buoy/paddles
400 negative split
4 x 50's buoy recovery

---------------------------------------------

It's a beautiful thing when motivation can stay high with training partners.
Anytime that you ask/want your body to train a lot, train intensely or train at different hours of the day (or two-a-days) you can not neglect proper hydration and fueling (before/during/after workouts).
You can be extremely dedicated to training but if you don't fuel, your body will not reach its full potential.

To think about this another way, wouldn't you like to receive favorable athletic results by doing less work?

Just because a workout is on your schedule, don't assume that just because you check it off your plan for the day that you will gain anything from it.
Proper fueling, hydrating, mobility, sleep, recovery and daily nutrition are essential to maximizing your fitness while helping to keep your body in great health.