When we talk about run form we usually talk about cadence. So what does that even mean? Cadence is the number of steps you take per minute. You can figure it out by literally counting your steps for 30 seconds.

It is always interesting to look at the source of guidance. For example the S curve swim stroke came from the famous swim coach Doc Counsilman who noticed that all the best swimmers stroke underwater followed an S curve. Generations of swimmers were encouraged to learn the S curve until someone thought about physics! If you want to know more about that then sign up for swim lessons with me.

Back to run cadence. Legendary run coach Jack Daniels noted that top runners at the ’84 Olympics ran with a cadence of 180 steps per minute and that became the goal. Since then many studies have followed to find the ‘optimal’ cadence. Is there one, well no. You have different heights, weights, stride length, run experience, and speed. But it does seem there is a range and the range is likely higher than where you might run now.

Everyone I talk to about run cadence says that people with long legs have an advantage. Interestingly tall runners have lower step frequencies, but may not actually cover more ground. If you start working on cadence you may find it tiring, but studies show that a quicker cadence is actually no more tiring than a slower cadence.

So what should we look for? Well most recreational runners are 140-170 and often those under 160 are over striding. I see this as a huge benefit for working on cadence. You shorten up your stride working on fast feet and you pull your landing in under your body weight. Now you aren’t throwing the brake out in front! There are some studies that show a quicker cadence leads to fewer injuries.

What we don’t want to do it go from 150 to 180 in a run! There are tons of free metronome apps that you can download to help count your cadence and then dial it in. I like the song by the Weeknd called Blinding Lights - right around 170 or a little quicker. So where do you want to be. I’d say a little quicker than you are right now. That could be 160 or 180 or even 200! Short women may be closer to 200. I’d like my boys to get quicker feet, but at 6’2” that may be less than 180. The goal really should be a form that prevents injury.

Check out the video!

Swimming tends to be the most difficult leg of a triathlon for athletes. Why is this? I believe it is because people are scared, frustrated, lacking knowledge, or time constrained. For one or more of these reasons athletes don’t master the swim. Even when they get confident in the pool they still struggle in races. So I’m setting out to help you conquer the reason the swim is tough for you.

Swimming is all about being comfortable in the water. If you are scared then you are fighting the water. Did you have a traumatic experience as a kid near water? It could have been in the bathtub or friend’s pool or at the beach. If that experience wasn’t dealt with then you may have a lot of anxiety around water. If this is you then you can’t expect to start swimming laps and training for a triathlon. First you must become comfortable in the water!

How do you get comfortable (if you are already a swimmer these are still great drills for you to work on).
Float on your back
Float on your stomach
Kick on your side with fins on
Sink to the bottom
Bobs

Are you frustrated in the water? Do you feel like you are fighting and getting too tired every time you swim? I’d say that would lead to hating the swim for sure. Once you are comfortable in the water you need to become efficient. Think about how you would feel if you had to ride into a 20mph headwind every time you got on the bike. That is exactly what most people are doing who lack efficiency in the water! There is absolutely NO reason to be frustrated. Anyone can become more efficient in the water, well except may be Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps. The best way to become more efficient is to get a coach to work with you. Shameless plug - I hold swim clinics every fall and winter with a couple of phenomenal coaches - Carol Henry and Brianna Phillips. They are incredibly reasonably priced to rid you of the frustration around swimming. (www.hislopcoaching.com and hislopcoaching on Facebook). There are many great coaches and swim instructors who can really help with getting you efficient, so bump this to the top of your to do list. Sometimes improvement does mean one on one instruction.

So often I see people in the pool training for a triathlon. They are swimming laps and psyched as they hit 500 without stopping and then 1000 and 1500. They get in 3 times a week and swim that distance - non stop. Then they wonder why their swim leg isn’t improving. Why is the swim in the race still hard? If you go out an run 3 miles at 8:30 pace every day you can be pretty confident that you will run an 8:30 pace in your next 5K. Figuring out swim workouts can be tough. Knowing what drills are right for you and how to figure out intervals isn't easy. Another place a coach can help or joining Masters swim. Most people don't realize that masters in swimming is anyone over 25! We have some great masters swim groups at the Southern Saratoga Y on Wednesday mornings at 5:30 am  and Tuesday/Thursday from 12-1pm. Both will start up the 2nd week in September.

Time is always an issue with swimming. It takes time to get to the pool, change, swim, change and get on with your day. So try to make your pool trips more effective. Do your strength work after the swim or swim and jump in a spin class. For those who don't love getting wet in the winter a Vasa trainer is an option. The Vasa allows you to swim on dry land with power. It can be an incredibly intense workout and really allows you to perfect your catch and pull. You can sign up for Vasa trainings here.

CBD is the current rage. Everyone's talking about it but what do we really need to know?

Let's start with what is CBD?
Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that are found in plants within the cannabis family, including hemp and marijuana. Cannabidiol (CBD) is the cannabinoid that has many touted medical benefits in a natural and non-habit form.  CBD won't get you high; THC is the component of cannabis responsible for that.

To further confuse the market you may see hemp oil - often in soaps, lotions and other products. It is not the same as CBD oil. Hemp oil comes primarily from seeds of the plant, and the seeds contain no or only very small (trace) amounts of CBD.

When a market explodes there are great products as well as knows-offs with no redeeming value. The CBD market is expected to multiply sevenfold by 2021, to $2.15 billion from roughly $292 million in 2016, according to the Brightfield Group, a market research firm that specializes in cannabis. With that kind of growth you can expect a lot of companies jumping into the market.

You now find CBD products—oils, tinctures, vaporization liquids, pills—at gas stations, vape/smoke shops, candy stores, and in states where legal, marijuana dispensaries. The options on-line   abound. Tri-Sports is carrying at least 3 different CDB product lines.

Why is it so popular?
The Food and Drug Administration approved a prescription drug made from marijuana, with CBD as its active ingredient. Epidiolex cut seizures by about 40 percent in people with two rare but devastating forms of epilepsy. Now research suggests that CBD has properties that could translate into better health. For example a study back in 2009, found CBD to be an anti-inflammatory. Today many people are using to help with arthritis and some forms of pain. And it has many effects on brain chemistry, which could ease anxiety, insomnia, and depression, among others. An article in Medical News Today points to some of the research published.

An area that is getting a lot of attention is opioid addiction. Some animal studies and early research in humans suggest that CBD may help treat that problem and other forms of substance abuse. And other reports have shown that states with medical marijuana laws have seen drops in the rates of opioid deaths and use, possibly as people turn to cannabis products (which include CBD) as alternatives.

It is interesting to read the research as there are studies done on patients with Multiple Sclerosis, psoriasis, lupus and other auto immune diseases. A study published on the August 2018 issue of Frontiers in Immunolgy found “our studies suggest that CBD may constitute an excellent candidate for the treatment of MS and other autoimmune diseases.”
Of course there are studies that show CBD does very little to help with various conditions, so the jury is technically still out. However the National Institutes of Health has awards millions toward cannabis and specifically CBD research. Anecdotal reports are plentiful.

Should I try it?
Because CBD is not regulated from the FDA there is not clear dosing information. In studies the dosing is typically quite a bit higher than what companies marketing the products would and do suggest. As with any supplement you want to know if it has an potential interactions with current medications.

Who should stay away? Medical experts say women who are breastfeeding or pregnant. The known side effects are tiredness, diarrhea and change in appetite and weight (typically not the direction everyone wants).

The biggest issue is that since the supplement market is not regulated you have no idea what is in the product. You should look for products with CBD (not just cannabinoids) and have the amount of CBD per serving. Better yet are products that have third party testing. In states where marijuana is legal the CBD products are regulated. In states like NY it is not, so the CBD oil you got at the gas station may just be coconut and essential oils. Since this is a fast growing industry it is better to understand where and how the hemp is grown. You also want to know what else is in your oil or lotion. Look for a full spectrum CBD oil. If the company is saying that their product will cure everything then steer away. Again there hasn’t been enough research to prove conclusively that CDB will provide pain relief in all patients. However the research is promising enough that you may want to add it into your health protocol.

How much do you need?
More is not better! Any reputable company will tell you to start with small doses. Appropriate dosing depends on the product, body weight, gender, metabolism and body chemistry. Many of the CBD oils come with a stopper. You can start with a drop or two under the tongue. Hold it there for at least 30 seconds before swallowing. Effects can be as quick as 30-90 minutes. You will also find CBD in capsules, gummies and lotions.

The tinctures that you put under your tongue is the fastest way to get CBD into your system. The capsules and gummies tend to be lower concentrations and get absorbed into through your digestive tract. When CBD is administered sublingually (under your tongue)  absorption is achieved within 10‐15 minutes, which is generally much faster than when ingested orally. From a value standpoint, sublingual is more cost effective since the percent of each dose absorbed is generally higher than that achieved by oral ingestion (capsules). If you are interested in a slower release then maybe capsules or gummies are the right option.

Another delivery mechanism for CBD is the largest organ - your skin. Many of the pain relief lotions include menthol in oil or cream bases. These creams deliver CBD to a localized area and are typically used for pain and inflammation. Many athletes have turned to CBD lotions to help with muscle soreness and inflammation due to training.

The World Anti Doping Agency removed CBD from its list of banned substances in January, so now more athletes turn to it for pain relief instead of ibuprofen and related drugs. However you want to know how you metabolize substances especially if you are potentially being drug tested. Unless you are using a product that has been 3rd party verified and tested you may be getting more than trace amounts of THC.

Final Thoughts
While it would be nice to get to the route of anxiety and stress and rid our lives of it. That likely won’t happen easily. Stress often leads to less quality sleep which can lead to greater levels of inflammation in the body. Why not try CBD to stop the cycle as you try to alleviate stress and work on anxiety? Athletes aren’t going to stop pushing the bodies and while we need to know pain and now how and when to recover. After a heavy training session a little CBD cream might help with pain so that sleep comes easier. CBD is a better option that NSAIDs that are incredibly hard on the stomach.
Find products that are third party tested. If the company is saying their product will cure every ailment you have then walk away, quickly.

Start with a low dose and see how you feel. For systemic inflammation, auto immune conditions, anxiety, depression or sleep issues then I would go for the full spectrum CBD in a dropper bottle. A couple of drops under the tongue for 30 seconds and then swallow. If you are looking for relief from muscle pain or arthritic pain then I would look at the rubs or salves. If it is a skin condition like psoriasis or rosacea then a lotion would be a good option. Typically those conditions are related to your gut health, so dietary changes are needed as well, but you can get topical relief from lotions.
We need to get through daily life so let's do it with the best products out there and really help ourselves. I've teamed up with Power Surge Wellness  (grown in Oregon, processed in Florida and 3rd party tested) to provide you with some of the products that I think are really good and a couple of my favorites are the Freeze Rub and the Full Spectrum Tincture.

Check out Hislop Coaching to try some today.
Questions?

What is your goal? Many people use diet and exercise to get to those goals. But are they actually doing what their body needs? You might be cutting calories and watching your macros to lose weight. But how many calories do you need a day? Are you actually under eating or eating the wrong ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates?

You might be trying to gain muscle and get a better body composition, but if all you are doing is burning your sugar stores then you might not get to your goal!

If your goal is better health then would it be amazing to have a starting point. I agree to a point that how your clothes fit is a better gauge than the number on the scale, but even better is knowing how your body uses the fuel you put in each day. Are you burning the 70,000+ calories of fat you have stored or are you churning through the mere 2,500 calories of carbohydrates? I believe most people want to be burning fat when they are sitting watching a good movie, or doing errands, or most activities during the day. If you are an athlete and looking to do events longer than an hour, then you really want to know what your fuel mix looks like at rest and then as you work progressively harder. A resting metabolic test will give you that data at rest and a VO2 gives you the information as you start to exercise and move to your anaerobic threshold (and beyond).

I talk about the value, but sometimes pictures can really help. I had hoped to do a resting metabolic test before a class this morning, but ran out of time. I did an Orangetheory class in a fasted state - not a great idea for women, but wanted a clean slate for the RMR test post workout. Since I broke my toe earlier in the week I used the elliptical and was able to row, but with a little less power on the leg drive. It was a workout divided between row, elliptical and floor. When there is a lot of down time my HR plummets, so between that and the broken toe it is not surprising that I eked out only 1 coveted splat point. From an aerobic standpoint this should have been a great fat burning session. (stay tuned for a calorie burn analysis with the 4 different devices I have!)

I had to pick Jack up from track before I could get the first RMR test done, so I was 1 hour post workout for the first test. My base REE - resting energy expenditure - what I need to stay alive - was 1397 calories. Yup pretty much a bummer with what I consume daily. But I digress.  My RER or respiratory exchange ratio was .87. RER is the ratio between the amount of CO2 produced in metabolism and O2 used. An RER of .7 means you are using predominantly fat as your fuel source. A value of 1.0 means you are using all carbohydrates (remember we only have 2,500 calories of carbs stored on our bodies at any one time). An RER of .85 will put you in the 50/50 mix realm. When you get to .9 you are predominantly burning sugars and affectionately named a sugar burner by me! At .87 I am higher than I would like to be. I would prefer to be burning through more fat stores when I am sitting in a chair with a nose clip pinching my nostrils closed.

How do you get there? Well nutrition is a HUGE component. Yes, exercise is important and should be a part of everyone’s lives, but it is nutrition that plays bigger role in our overall health. I tell people that to get their body burning more fats they need to change their fuel mix. I tell them that it is important to get protein and good fats in post workout. I tell them that they should strive to get protein in their mouth first at a meal before any good carbohydrates. And guess what - the proof is in the charts.

I did a second RMR test after having 2 eggs with some cheddar cheese and a dollop of guacamole. I had three bites of just the eggs first (and no I am not normally so good at doing what I tell my athletes to do!). The second RMR test was about a half hour after first and just a few minutes after eating. My REE was now 1301 calories. That means that yes there is an after burn effect - however it is small (80 calories) and only last a couple of hours for women. If I had gotten more time at a higher heart rate I would have seen a bit more, but when I did the test a few months ago the extra calorie boost was short lived. The studies on the awesome after burn have been done on men. Sorry ladies don’t count on churning through hundreds of extra calories post workout. The bigger news is that my fuel mix changed. I ate breakfast and then went to do the 2nd test. It was not enough time to get to my stomach and be digested, but during the first phase of digestion your saliva moistening food helps to create a food bolus, so it can be swallowed easily. Saliva contains enzymes that break down some starches and proteins. So you are already digesting before food reaches the stomach. Your brain will receive messages about the food you are eating and allows your body to react. Did you know that if you swish a glucose solution in your mouth your brain will think that the body is going to receive the sugar and will allow the body to react as if those sugars are already circulating in the blood stream.

For the benefit of my athletes I do test things on myself. I did the glucose swishing for a marathon and had great energy until I didn’t because I was dehydrated from not drinking enough! So, while you can trick the body you do need to be smart about it!

Back to the 2nd RMR test. My fuel mix did indeed change. Down to .85. That still is not optimal. I would prefer to be under .8 so I am burning more fats at rest. I know what I need to eat, but I'm still a carb loader/sugar lover. So I am going to work on a more metabolically efficient nutrition plan and in a month test again to see how much I can change my numbers.

If you are interested to see where you are then schedule a Resting Metabolic Rate test. For $50 you can learn a lot. Email [email protected] for more information or to get any questions answered.

Head to your grocery store and pick up a food item. Look at the ingredients and you'll see calories, fat, protein, sugars and more. You assume the nutritional information is right, but it turns out it's not really that valid.  When food products are tested in a lab the results can vary by up to 20%. What? Those numbers can be a guideline, but should not direct your choices.

A little history lesson to understand what 200 kcal means. Nicholas Clément introduced calories in lectures on heat engines that were given in Paris between 1819 and 1824. We talk about calories in food, but there are actually two calories - with little and and capital C. The small calorie or gram calorie (usually denoted cal) is the amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celcius. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilocalorie (Cal or kcal) is the amount of heat needed to cause the same increase on one kilogram of water, so 1 kcal = 1000 cal. When we talk about food Calories it is the big C (but I will use calories in this article, since that is how most people think).

One gram of fat in food contains nine calories, while a gram of either a carbohydrate or contains approximately four calories. Today caloric measurements are made by adding up the calories provided by the energy-containing nutrients: protein, carbohydrate, fat and alcohol (7 Kcal/g). Because carbohydrates contain some fiber that is not digested and utilized by the body, the fiber component is usually subtracted from the total carbohydrate before calculating the calories. This is the Atwater system and here is an example:
A  food that contains 10 grams [0.35 ounces] of protein (10 x 4 = 40) and 5 grams [0.2 ounces] of fat (5 x 9 = 45), then the total caloric value is 40 + 45 = 85 calories.

The Atwater system has been used for years, but now more scientists are questioning the validity. For example a 2012 study (1) looking at the Atwater system to calculate caloric content for almonds found it overestimated calories by 32%. The study found that the introduction of almonds to a diet (testing feces and urine) led to a reduction of 5% in energy digestibility. That just means that less calories were absorbed by the body than would be calculated using Atwater's system.

If you pick up an energy bar made with almonds and it says 230 cal it could be 250 cal it could be 200 cal and your body might actually only use 180 as energy. More studies are being done on other foods and as you might imagine the combination of foods also has an effect.

Now think about gyms telling you to look at big picture macros. That means counting carbs, fat and protein calories and overall percentages. Here is an example:
A lot of people shoot for 40% carbs, 35% protein, 25% fat.This means that, if your daily calorie need was 1800 calories, then 40% of those would come from carbs, 35% would come from protein, and 25% would come from fat. Then you would just need to plug in a little math! Here’s an example:
Carbs: 40% x 1800 calories = 720 calories from carbs
Fat: 25% x 1800 calories = 450 calories from fat
Protein: 35% x 1800 calories = 630 calories from protein
Once you know how many calories you’ll want from each macro, you’re almost there! Just one more step to figure out how many grams of each macro you’ll want to aim for. Using the numbers from the previous section, you could calculate the following:
Carbs: 720 calories ÷ 4 calories/gram = 180g carbs
Fat: 450 calories ÷ 9 calories/gram = 50g fat
Protein: 630 calories ÷ 4 calories/gram = 157g protein

So how do you get to the number 1800? A lot of people use online calculators. These calculators rely on thousands and thousands of people and determine on average if someone is a certain height and weight they will burn X calories without doing anything and then they'll burn additional X calories with normal activity. If I enter my data into one of these calculators (all will give you a slightly different number) it might say I use 1700 cal a day to stay alive. Then I head off to exercise and the machine or screen tells me I have burned 600 calories in an hour. I would have another 300 or so in general activity, so according to those calculations I should be eating 2600 calories a day to maintain my current weight. If I decide I want to lose weight I cut calories. Unfortunately many people cut drastically even though all research shows that doesn't work! 

Here is the kicker. I have tested my resting metabolic rate and it is - big surprise - not 1700. The last time I tested I was around 1300 (up from 1125)!! So now go back and look at the calculations. They are all off. My resting is lower, my burn during exercise is lower and my normal activity will be lower. If you want to count calories and figure out your macros then you really should be testing your resting metabolic rate (RMR). It is a simple and reasonably priced test ($50). You fast overnight, no caffeine and just water in the morning. Then you sit and breath into a machine for about 20 minutes. The results are your RMR and projected daily caloric needs.

I would argue that the more important data from the test is your fuel mix. Let's go back to those of you counting macros. Our example above was 40-35-25. Where did you get the percentages you are following? Wouldn't it be cool to follow a plan tailored to you? When you do the RMR test you also will learn your fuel mix. That is the mix of carbohydrates and fats you use at rest. Most people would probably say they burn primarily fat at rest. After all at a low heart rate you should be burning fat (at the low end of the aerobic zone - what they call the fat burning zone). The key word there is SHOULD. The reality is that most people I test are not burning through the 70,000+ calories of fat while at rest. Many are burning a lot of the around 2,500 calories of carbs (sugars) we have stored. Then you head off to the gym and burn through the rest (in many cases) - that will be another article on VO2 testing.

News flash - we are all different. Why would you think that a program that works for 25 other people in your class would be perfect for you? When you test your resting metabolic rate you'll start to understand how you're different and you'll know your daily energy needs. It isn't as easy as calories in and calories out for SO many reasons. The more information you have the better choices you can make.

RMR testing will let you know if you are a fat burner or sugar burner. Our goal is to be fat burners as long as possible into exercise. If you are at rest and already burning through your sugar stores you can make nutrition changes. Stay tuned for another article on fat burning, sugar burning and VO2.

For now get signed up for RMR testing.

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3396444/

* you can look this attractive while you test :-)

The half marathon continues to grow in popularity. Athletes put in the long runs and figure out how to fuel for 13.1 miles. The half marathon can be social. People are willing to travel to run 13.1 or 26.2 and tend to do it with a group. It becomes a mini vacation with a road trip, hotel, group meals and of course the race. 

What makes it so appealing? The distance of course. Long is hard, right? You have to train. You put in the hours, figure out your nutrition and make sacrifices. Then that finish line is glory. Too often you hear people, after having completed their first 13.1, refer to other events as 'just a 5K'. What? I wonder what they would say about the mile. Likely they would say it is too short, barely a workout, or not enough of a calorie burn. No - I challenge them - - those are the real reasons. The real reason people don't run the mile is that it is hard.. Yes it only takes a few minutes, but those minutes are way harder than any 1 minute in a 13.1 mile run.

When was the last time you pushed yourself. I mean pushed to the limit. Really tested to see what you could do? That is the mile. No time for mistakes, or to fuel or to contemplate your why. You are in the moment for the whole race. You are present enjoying (or maybe not) every step around the track or on the road. You are pedal to the metal, well that is if you want a medal.

People gravitate to the longer distances. The conquer the 5K and decide to aim for a 10K and then the 13.1. Some start right out of the gate with their eyes on the big prize - a half marathon or if they are really loopy 26.2. Absolutely an awesome challenge, but for another milestone goal how about the mile? I am writing this just after a series of road miles and then the USATF Night of Miles on the Shenendehowa track. After seeing who shows up for the mile events I think it is time for more people to choose a mile race. Now, since we just had them all and we are headed to the half and full marathon season I am going to cut you some slack! You have 9 months to train for a mile! We have 2 new mile races in the area. The Malta Mile is in May. The Route 50 mile is in June and the Clifton Park Freedom Mile is on the 4th of July. Then you can put the road miles to the test on the track at the USATF Night of Miles, a July event. So pick your race(s) and let's see how fast you can go. How hard can you push?

Want help and inspiration? Come to the Shenendehowa track in Clifton Park on Tuesday mornings at 5:30am for a track workout. It is a different workout each week and most are getting ready for longer events in the fall, so perfect timing. Track workouts are great because no matter your pace you never get left behind and I'll guarantee you'll see improvements in your times at any distance. Did you know that Marisa Sutera Strange smashed the National record for the 55-59 age group in the mile at the USATF Night of Miles. She ran 5:27.08 (record is pending certification, prior record was 5:32). The Shen track is FAST - come see for yourself.

Marisa with local incredible Masters runner Renee Tolan after the record breaking run.

Heart rate training has become more mainstream over the past few years. It used to be primarily endurance athletes who cared and tracked their workouts. I like to use heart rate (HR) to gauge a number of things with my athletes - effort, recovery, pacing, and progress. There are definite drawbacks to heart rate training like the fact that in short interval work your HR will lag your effort and the fact that stress, heat, cold, caffeine and illness can affect your heart rate.

It also used to be that you could only get your heart rate off of a strap around your chest. Now many devices offer heart rate in the wrist or on the forearm. Chest straps measure the small electrical impulses given off by your heart as the muscles contract. You need good conductivity for a chest strap to work - that means moisture between the sensor and your skin. The wrist based monitors are optical heart rate sensors that actually read your blood flow. Bone, fat and blood will all absorb light differently, so blood flow can be detected and an algorithm determines the heart rate.  Readings can  be compromised by light leaking in and affecting the sensor, the motion of your arm and even the movement in your wrist.

This study - which you need to pay for to read - says that "depending on the type of activity, the wrist devices were up to 34 beats per minute off". Another study published by the American College of Cardiology done at the Cleveland Clinic had similar findings. "We found these devices can equally over- and underestimate heart rate. The error ranged from +/-34 beats per minute to +/-15 beats per minute, depending on the type of activity." This study included 50 volunteers, mostly Cleveland Clinic employees who were 38 years old on average, They were fitted with some of the most popular devices. They found that same that I found in my sample size of 1. The more vigorous the motion the bigger the difference in reading between the chest strap and the watch.  When I was running faster on the treadmill there was a greater variance between the wrist and chest strap and at times it was up to 30 beats!

If you want a good reading on the wrist you need to make sure you have the watch on tight, so that it won't move around. I would tell you I did have it on snug since I had marks on my arm when I took it off, but maybe it was still moving around to create the different reading.

Because I find all of this interesting and I like to educate I am providing the data off both devices (see below) for an Orangetheory class. Jen told me that this class's results were postable as it was the most splat points I have amassed to date. Certainly not what most people get, but when I go to the rower or floor I just can't keep my heart rate high (and of that I am happy).

A few things jump out at me:
1. calories - Garmin says 489 while Mio (OTF's device) says 548. I do have my resting metabolic rate entered in the Garmin, so I am more inclined to believe I was in the mid 400s range.
2. My average HR on the Garmin was 137 and on the Mio it was 143. About 1/2 of the class is on the treadmill and the other half is primarily strength.
3. This was an 'endurance' class. Treadmill time is a ladder going down in interval time with base pace (10:00/mile), push pace (7:30) and all out (6:30-6:40). On the push and all out my HR was in the 150s with one punch up to 166 on the Garmin. Looking at the monitor on the wall the Mio had me up in the 170s and even 180 (I never get there even racing hard). Hence the difference in the zone charts. I did manage to hit a 5:15 pace on my Garmin, but certainly not enough to register even 1% in the red. Both said I was in the green for the greatest percentage of time and I would agree based on how I felt.
4. Caution: I know that the calories listed are not really what my body burns as I happen to know exactly how much fat/carbs my body utilizes at different heart rates. That will be different even than the Garmin reading. What I worry about (and I do worry about these things) is that people who take a class and look at all the red and orange will think woo hoo I burned all those calories and now I have an after burn, so let me go eat. STOP. After burn as many like to call it is excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) or the number of calories expended above resting values after a workout. You may hear you'll get a greater burn for 24 or even 48 hours after an intense class. Well guys you might get a better burn, but that all depends on your fitness. Ladies not so much. Research shows that energy expenditure in women at rest and during exercise varies with the menstrual phase and is much shorter than for men. Typically, resting energy expenditure is lowest 1 week before ovulation and highest during the 14-day luteal phase following ovulation, affecting EPOC accordingly. Other research has shown that the window is much shorter in the range of 1- 8 hours. In this study the effect was a mere 30 minutes of acute response. Some good news? Most classes are an hour and this study found that EPOC was 2x that of a 20 or 40 min workout. More on this to come!

Bottom line? You need to understand the device you are using, how your zones are being calculated and what you hope to get out of the data. More on heart rate zones here.

Our family has a favorite protein powder made by Power House Athletics. Sometimes you run out and then what? You can actually make your own.

Start with a protein base. Casein is a great protein for the before bed protein shake. Research shows that muscle recover better with casein a night (slow release). So for a milk based powder use whey or milk powder.  Bob's Red Mill makes both. For plant-based protein, you can also use whole nuts or seeds, like almonds, sunflower seeds, or hemp hearts. You can also use protein rich flours like pea or quinoa. You can use a couple of protein sources. Put a 1/2 cup in a blender or food processor and blend. Then add 1/2 cup oats (source of fiber, carbs and some protein). It will also help thicken the smoothie. To add even more fiber and protein you can add 1/3 cup chia seeds, ground flaxseed or wheat germ.

If you are adding fruit or veggies you may not need additional flavor. But most of us like some flavor base. For chocolate protein powder, toss in 2 tablespoons cocoa (or cacao, or carob) powder. For vanilla, use the scrapings of ¼ of a vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon vanilla powder. For coffee, 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder.

After you add the flavoring to the food processor then process until you get a powder—depending on the ingredients you used, it may not be perfectly powdery, and that’s OK.

Transfer the protein powder to an airtight container or jar and store in the fridge, For a smoothies, use about 2 tablespoons protein powder in a your favorite smoothie recipe.

Alex's evening protein shake
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 small banana
1 cup frozen fruit (berries and kale)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk

His order is critical :-) banana, frozen fruit , cinnamon, protein powder and milk. He uses the nutribullet for a well blended smoothie!

What is your favorite protein shake recipe?

It is time to get blogging again and what better reason than a new product (well at least to me). I have had my eye on the Icebug run shoes for a while.  I noticed that Road Runner Sports was carrying them - that and a coupon and a few hours later they were on their way! I received the Anima5 just a couple of days before a nor'easter slid by. We really did not get hit hard, but enough for school to be closed.

While the boys were sleeping I decided to give them a go. I probably should not have walked across the hard wood floors in them, but no damage so all is well. I stepped out on to the deck and immediately hit ice. I didn't budge! Awesome. The
19 carbide tipped studs are strategically placed so you get a great grip. I am super tentative on ice and quickly found I had sure footing. Enough that I ran down the driveway.

The design of the studs is pretty cool. They are placed in the 'right' position to give you the most traction. The studs actually move, so when you put weight on them they push in. This means that the studs adapt to the ground. So when I hit pavement the studs retract, but in slush and snow they don't. I was not able to try on solid ice, but did get snow, slush and pavement.

It sounds like spikes as you run on pavement and I worry a bit that I could wear them down, but they don't hinder your run. There is no slipping on the pavement. I usually run in a minimal drop shoe, so we will see how the 8mm drop feels on a longer run, but for 3 miles it was great.  I thought the fit was good. I usually wear a 10 in women's and these were right on. I was walking through slush and my feet stayed dry. Later in the day the boys and I were out shoveling and I wore my Anima5. I had traction while my boys were slipping in their Bean boots. I would guess if I had been out over an hour my feet might have gotten wet, but today they were dry.

We are supposed to get more sleet and snow overnight and now I am actually looking forward to it!!

The leaves are changing, the days are shorter, and there is that unmistakable crispness in the air. So what do triathletes do? Why sign up for a ton a fall road races and a century ride or other fall cycling event of course! In the midst of enjoying the fall weather we should also take a minute to look back. While the summer season is fresh in your mind jot down the highlights. What went well in your races? Were there any clusters and if so what happened and why? What was out of your control (like the weather at many races this year) versus in your control (like a bad attitude!)? How did your body hold up this season? What about your mind? Were you in the game through the end or were you just looking for that last race to be over? Being honest and answering these questions can set you up for a great 2017.

Our masters swim group has been back at it in the pool and we are abysmally slow! We had all made real progress last year into June and now we are back to square one. Why? Well we either took the summer off or spent far too much time in open water without a variety of good interval workouts. I spent a lot of my time in open water this summer swimming with my athletes. That would have been fine if I also had been getting in a couple or even just one good pool workout a week. So looking back and the season we all decided it will be a different plan for next summer. 2017 will include masters swim workouts through the summer!

Once again this year I was frustrated with my cycling. Once again I did not spend enough time training on the bike! Knowledge is power peeps, but then you need to take action. Spring of 2017 I need to be out riding and not just once a week. My plan over the winter is to get stronger and increase my mobility so that riding is more comfortable and I am more efficient. I am currently participating in a cycling study to look at the effect of carbohydrate and caffeine on performance (more on that to come). Each week I start with a 10 minute warm up followed by a 20 minute steady state effort. This allows me to warm up well and tackle a 10 mile time trial. With all the data staring me in the face I am hellbent on improving my numbers each week. Just the consistency of this ride each week WILL allow me to improve. Variety in your plan keep it interesting, but have those benchmark workouts can really keep you motivated.

Balance is always a challenge. For me it is being present at family events, working with athletes, work, and then training/racing myself. This summer I raced less but spent two long weekends away from my family. I was at Ironman Lake Placid and Ironman Mont Tremblant as an Ironman certified coach. I was able to be at the IM booth answering questions, on the stage for the athlete briefings, in transition in the morning with my athletes, on the beach at Tremblant, and all over the course. Being on the course with my athletes was invigorating and inspiring. It was awesome to be part of so many peoples journey, but it was exhausting too!   A little more planning in store for 2017, so the scales stay in balance.

A great way to create your best plan for 2017 is to get feedback, guidance and potentially even a plan. I love sitting down with athletes to discuss a solid plan and to create a workable roadmap. Just an hour of time now can set you up for a more balanced, successful, and fun 2017. Contact me today to set up your season planning session.