My body obsession

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Ever since a young age, I have loved learning about the human body, especially a moving human body.
In 1999, just shy of turning 18 years old and a year away from graduating from High School, my birthday present was a book titled "New Atlas of Human Anatomy" which came with a CD ROM explaining all the human body systems. 

I read that book every night, over and over again.

Throughout my undergraduate years at Transylvania University, in Lexington, KY, I couldn't get enough from my exercise science classes. Every topic was interesting and exciting and as a student athlete, I was able to apply almost everything that I learned to class to "real world" situations.

While majoring in Exercise Science, I quickly fell in love with strength and conditioning which gave me aspirations to be a strength and conditioning coach. Forced to start strength training at the age of 10 as part of my swim team conditioning helped me appreciate the health and performance benefits of a properly designed strength training program.
(I've been strength training for nearly 24 years!)
I remember interning at the University of Kentucky with the men's and women's basketball and cheerleader teams, which gave me a lot of hands-on experience in writing strength training programs for athletes (most of those athletes towered at least 1-2 feet over me). 

When I graduated from college with a Bachelor degree in Exercise Science and a Minor in Psychology, my quest for learning was not complete.

In the fall of 2004, off I went to graduate school in sunny and warm, Davie, FL at Florida Atlantic University.

While studying to earn my Master's in Exercise Physiology, I worked as a research assistant. In addition to my classes, which required me to get familiar with all the testing equipment in the  laboratory, I spent many long days and nights collecting research, and testing subjects, for research studies. 

Sometimes, I was even able to test myself.

Although my love tank for exercise physiology was filled to the top while in graduate school, something was missing....my own athletic pursuits.

Although my free time was limited during graduate school, I just wasn't feeling complete.
The athlete part of me was missing as I was only a student.

Seeing that I spent the last 22 years of my life competing in sports, I knew that I needed to find something that would physically challenge me.

Well, since my longest swimming events lasted anywhere from one-minute to 2.5-minutes (or 60-150 seconds) and my longest ever run was a 10K (less than an hour), I thought, why not.....
I'll train for a marathon!

If I can run 6 miles, what's 20 more miles??

It only took a matter of time before an endurance bug bit me hard. 

By the end of 2006, I had completed the Boston Marathon, my first half IM and my first Ironman (which qualified me for the 2007 Ironman World Championship). 

But here I go again....

In 2008, I found myself once again feeling lost without school. 

I was convinced that the athlete part of me was here to stay as I found great joy as an age-group triathlete and runner but I still felt that I needed to learn more about the human body.

Rather than going the PhD route, I decided to follow my new found passion in nutrition, thanks to endurance sports (and a few bonky workouts) sparking a need to learn more about sport nutrition.

Fast forward to June 2011, after three arduous years of learning, studying, paper writing, interning (9-months) and test taking, I finally received my RD credential.

With an ultimate goal of becoming Board Certified in Sport Nutrition, I waited and worked until I was eligible to apply, study and then sit for the CSSD exam, which I successfully passed last summer.

So why do I write all of this?

Every Olympic year (in addition to any big competition in the sports of running, track, swimming, cycling or triathlon), I find myself itching to learn more.
I LOVE watching the human body in motion.

My obsession with the human body will never go away because there is so much to learn as it applies to the physiology of the body during exercise.

When I see the human body, I don't see what's on the outside.

Perhaps to most people, efficient movements, a lean physique and defined and sculpted muscles are easily seen by the human eye.
When simply looking at the body image, it's easy to look at the outside of the body and associate words like fast, strong, high, powerful and skilled with the athlete.

But within the body is a very complex system that always, sometimes, most of the time or rarely works smoothly.

This is why I always feel it is necessary to thank the body as there is great physiology complexity when you want your body to go long, far, easy or hard.
Many times, it is easy to take your human body for granted.

Sadly, many people abuse, overwork, undernourish, bash or hate their body.

What's interesting about the human body is that it can be trained, physically, but also mentally.
And for the body's metabolic systems, among many other things, to work efficiently, there needs to be water and energy, supplied from food and many times, sport nutrition, to support the many complex movements that are needed for a given sport.

The most beautiful thing about the human body is that it is not perfect.
There is not one size fits all sport.
The human body comes in all shapes and sizes and there is a sport for everyone.

Starting tomorrow, for the next 17 days, the 2016 Olympic games will be feeding my body obsession as I watch, marvel, learn and study the many bodies in motion.

Athletes from all of the world will be putting many years, if not a lifetime, of hard work, dedication, money, time, energy and effort, all to compete in their chosen sport, to be the absolute best athlete they can be.....with their one and only human body.

Triathlon Science By Joe Friel and Jim Vance - Book review

When I started graduate school in the fall of 2004, I saw myself as a former college swimmer. I was exercising to stay in shape but I really missed competition. 

As a long-time athlete, my mind functions best with structure. When it comes to exercising, I enjoy it but I like to have a plan. I like to work hard within my plan, knowing that I am moving closer to my goals. 

Exercising is fun and it makes me feel healthy but a structured plan helps my body get faster, stronger and more powerful for a bigger goal than just to "be healthy."

During my studies to earn a Master of Science in Exercise Physiology, I started to inch my way into endurance sports. Well, more like jump in with a smile on my face as I starting training for my first marathon without ever completing more than a 10K road race. 

Throughout my educational career, I found myself overwhelmed with the information that pertained to the human body in motion. Although I was forced to learn it in order to pass my classes, it wasn't until I started to apply the information to my training (more so than when I was studying Exercise Science in under grad as a collegiate swimmer) for my first marathon did I really begin to grasp a good understanding the physiology of the body as well as metabolic processes. 

When it comes to coaching athletes, I find it more important to accept the human body and to thank it for what it allows us to do on a daily basis than to constantly try to challenge it, always expecting it to be better, slimmer or fitter. 

Many times, athletes improve just be following a structured plan but if athletes can learn how to train smarter, not only is the athlete more respectful to the body during intentional physiological stress but there's a greater sense of enjoyment when it comes to receiving performance gains. Although we, as athletes, do want to challenge and test the body in order to discover our greatness, it's important that we, as athletes, accept how physiological adaptations are made. Sometimes we get quick, strong or fast rather quickly and other times, it takes a while to receive gains (ex. improved aerobic threshold). 

When Human Kinetics contacted me to review Triathlon Science, I jumped on the opportunity to add another well-written book of information to my textbook library. 

This book is filled with information and when I saw filled- 651 pages to be exact. 

There is a long list of knowledgeable contributors, each with a specialty area that is included in a chapter in this book. 

Although some of the information may not get you excited like I get when I read about the physiology of the body during exercise, I feel that reading this book will give you a great understanding of all that is involved when it comes to training smart, training hard and keeping your body healthy, strong and injury free. 

As an athlete, it's likely that you do not grasp the science of the body during exercise and that is OK. You are not suppose to and that is why there are individuals who devote their careers to coaching athletes like yourself so all you have to do is follow a plan. 

But if find yourself wondering why you are not improving as quickly as you would like, or if you find yourself signing up for racing and struggling to stay consistent with training, or if you find yourself wanting to "become one" with your body and mind and to learn how to have a better relationship with your body (and perhaps be a bit more appreciative of how awesome your body is and all that it allows you to do) I would recommend to get this book for there is a chapter that is written just for you!

My number one concern with endurance athletes (or any multisport athlete) is expecting too much out of the body too soon. Whether it's wanting to be fast and to have the endurance to go fast or making the body to do too much distance, too soon in a training plan, it's a common issue that I hear from athletes that the basic understanding of training the human body for performance gains is not well understood. 

This book will help!

Physical Attributes of Triathletes

Chapter 1: Physiology and the Multisport Athlete
Chapter 2: Genetics and Inheritance in Triathlon Performance
Chapter 3: Gender and Age considerations in triathlon 

Technical Execution and Efficiency in Each Event

Chapter 4: Swimming biomechanics for triathlon
Chapter 5: Cycling biomechanics for triathlon
Chapter 6: Running biomechanics for triathlon 

Environmental factors and equipment options
Chapter 7: In the water

Chapter 8: On the bike
Chapter 9: For the run
Chapter 10: Triathlon Training Technologies

Physiological Function in Triathlon Training
Chapter 11: Aerobic capactiy
Chapter 12: Economy
Chapter 13: Anaerobic Threshold
Chapter 14: Muscle Types and Triathlon Performance
Chapter 15: Fatigue resistance and recovery

Training modes and methods for triathletesChapter 16: Warm-up and cool-down
Chapter 17: Flexibility and core-strength
Chapter 18: Strength Training

Chapter 19: General and specific training
Chapter 20: Interval Training

Training strategies in triathlon 

Chapter 21: Duration, frequency and intensity
Chapter 22: Periodization
Chapter 23: Tapering and peaking for races
Chapter 24: Physiology of overtraining

Training base building for triathlonChapter 25: Swim base building
Chapter 26: Bike base building
Chapter 27: Run base building

Multisport event-specific training and racing tacticsChapter 28: Sprint
Chapter 29: Olympic
Chapter 30: Half Ironman
Chapter 31: Ironman
Chapter 32: Duathlon
Chapter 33: Combination workout training

Sport Medicine for TriathletesChapter 34: Triathlete body maintenance and medical care
Chapter 35: Triathlon injuries and preventive measures
Chapter 36: Triathlon injury recovery techniques

Nutrition for triathletes

Chapter 37: Energy needs, sources and utilization
Chapter 38: Nutrition periodization
Chapter 39: Nutrient timing for triathlon training and racing
Chapter 40: Supplements for triathletes

Psychology of MultisportChapter 41: mental toughness for triathlon
Chapter 42: Psychology of triathlon training
Chapter 43: Mental skills for peak triathlon performance
Epilogue: The Application of Science in Triathlon 

As you can see, there is a wealth of information from Joe Friel and the other contributors. 

The wonderful thing about sports is that the information to improve fitness, to fuel better and to build mental toughness is constantly evolving. As important as it is for coaches to keep up with research, webinars and real-world experiences, it is also important to recognize that the human body is unique and reacts differently to different situations. You will probably find that there are many different philosophies when it comes to training and fueling, perhaps some "by the book" and a few that break the mold as to the right vs. new way of helping the body reach performance gains. 

As an athlete, it's important that you not only do your research when selecting a coach or training plan to help your body train for a race but also, take some time to do some research on yourself. 

The better you understand your own body, when it is at rest as well as when it is active, the more you will appreciate how amazing it is when you ask it to swim, bike and/or run fast, strong or long.

I was not paid to write this review. I was provided the book for free and was asked to provide a review on the book.

My 2nd marathon was the 2006 Boston Marathon, just a few months after a finished graduate school. 

This was the start of my endurance racing career as an age-group athlete and the start of me being incredibly grateful for what my body allows me to do through sport. 

Since 2006 (24 years old), I have finished 7 Ironman triathlons and 7 half ironman triathlons (and a bunch of triathlons and running races). That's over 1476.3 miles of endurance-specific swimming, biking and running in 8 years....WOW!! Thank you body!!!

Physiological adaptations to altitude: train smart

I remember my very first destination bike ride - beautiful Lake Tahoe in September of 2006. This was a very exciting opportunity for me to ride my bike somewhere new and to experience how much I love having gears. I had my tri bike less than a year but I instantly fell in love with climbing. Oh, this trip was also extra special because my "boyfriend" Karel (who I had been dating for less than 5 months) joined me for our first trip together. 

I guess if any guy would voluntarily ride his bike around Lake Tahoe with me for "fun", he would be a keeper. Lucky me!

As much as I love traveling to race and racing to travel, it's important that when I pick my races, I understand the variables that can have a positive and negative impact in my racing experience. I put a lot of time, effort and money into my race day planning and training so it is important to me that I am able to do my best on race day by controlling my variables. Because my best distance is the Ironman, I realize that spending so much time and effort to prepare my body physically for 140.6 miles is hard enough. Add in conditions that I can not properly physically prepare for and that becomes an entire different scenario. 

Although some athletes may be fine to race in an environment that has elements that are new to the body on race day, it is important prior to selecting races (or if you have them picked, to adjust race day plan properly) to address any limiters that could or may affect your race day experience. Although I live in Florida, my body loves to climb. I do not train on any hills but I know how to simulate race day conditions with my power meter to help me pace in different intervals which could resemble race day. As for racing in the mountains......not likely as I live at sea level in Florida. 

As for altitude, perhaps there may be a day when I will do a race out West in the mountains but for now, I love to race and I know my body will become compromised the higher and higher I go above sea level (especially compared to the athletes who I am competing against - who can live and train at higher altitudes than myself). This is why it is really important for athletes to properly pick races that suitable for successful race day experiences (weather considered as well). There's nothing wrong with a bucket list race but be sure to consider the physical, financial, time and mental investment you are making for your "destination" race and if are able to put all that hard work to the test on race day. 

In the Fall 2013 (vol 32, No 4) issue of SCAN there was a great article discussing endurance athletes who train at altitude. We have all heard "train low, live high" to maximize performance but there are a few things to pay attention to with altitude training. Whether you are choosing to train at altitude specifically for physiological purposes or traveling for vacation and hope to maintain your fitness/training routine, here are a few tips from the newsletter (pg 18): 

-Iron - make sure iron stores are adequate by being testing for serum ferritin before going to altitude. Ferritin concentrations below 20 ng/mL to 30 ng/mL suggest a suboptimal iron status that might not support blood based adaptations to moderate altitude. In some countries, such as Australia, endurance athletes with low serum ferritin are encouraged to take an iron supplement daily for 2-4 weeks before going to altitude. 

-Illness - start the trip when you are healthy; avoid the trip if you are sick. An athlete who feels unwell does not need any additional stress relating to the dry air and hypoxia associated with high altitudes. Instead, the athletes should rest and recover at sea level. 

-Inflammation - Research examining the efficacy of EPO (erythropoietin), a hormone that controls new red blood cell formation, in sick people demonstrates that inflammation reduces the red blood cell response to EPO. Because EPO is a cytokin (a signaling compound involved in the immune response), it is possible that other cytokines involved in inflammation also interfere with red blood cell production. That could mean reduced ability to transport oxygen from the blood into the working muscles - and that means early fatigue.

-Intensity - Athletes should avoid doing high-intensity exercise at altitude for a while. Although they may be excited to start altitude training, many athletes overdo it during the first 3-7 days. They then struggle to do high-quality workouts during the middle of the camp-or even worse, they become sick. Allowing the body a few days to get familiarized with altitude is a wise plan.  

-Intake of Energy - Eat enough: no dieting is allowed at altitude because the body needs energy to make red blood cells. although it may be easier to lose weight at altitude (due to a lack of appetite), the better time to lose weight is during the off-season. 

-Investment and interest - Altitude training camps can be extremely motivating and exciting. Athletes want to use this unique environment to build hope and optimism for upcoming competitions. 

Since I won't be racing swim, bike, run in the mountains anytime soon, I think I will stick with the snow sports when I have the opportunity to enjoy a snowy, amazing mountain view.
(picture from Oakley Women product testing trip in Utah)