Need a Massage?

Need a massage? Sage Pullman knows her stuff! Give her a call at 801-510-9867, you muscles will thank you! Regular massage has made a world of difference for me. Thank you Sage!

Product Review: Lock Laces (elastic shoe laces)

Elastic laces are one of those things I wish I had known about at my first triathlon. These little gems make transitions super quick. Literally they can shave a minute or more off your transition times! With elastic laces you can just slip on your shoes without having to tie them and there is no risk of them untying during your event. Besides if your hands are cold from the open water it’s really hard to get your hands working enough to tie your shoes anyway. When ever I lecture at a triathlon clinic I like to tell everyone about these great laces and they are really inexpensive. You can even order them on-line and they have a lot of colors to choose from. They are also easy to put in.  Click here to purchase some

Book Review: The Accidental Athlete by John “The Penguin” Bingham

Book Review: The Accidental Athlete by John “The Penguin” Bingham

What a delightful book full of humor. I can appreciate people that can laugh at themselves and find the positive in every experience. The author John “The Penguin” Bingham does a great job sharing his experiences in the book An Accidental Athlete. It was great to journey with him from an athlete wanna-be child perspective to developing the athlete in himself as an “adult-onset athlete.” I think everyone can identify with John’s experiences in some way or another as we all feel inadequate at times, fail at something or want to believe we are more capable that we really are. He states, “If you accept the labels that others put on you, if you accept that because your pace is slow or your body is ponderous or you are not athletically gifted, you can’t enjoy the grandeur of being an athlete, then you are wrong. You can. I know. I have.”

John takes himself from overweight, uninspired, middle-aged smoker to a marathon as he discovers the joy of being active and teaches us that you don’t have to be good at it to do it and be successful. He also shares this kernel of wisdom; “I also discovered that, for many of us, the seeds of our later success can be found in our early failures.” If we fail, we can try again, even if it’s years later. We have the power to get ourselves off the couch and discover the athlete in ourselves.

He answers the question we often ask ourselves, “Can you enjoy something you are not good at?” The answer is undoubtedly YES. You can also find success in little things and just because you don’t have a chance to win – you can still be competitive. Be competitive with yourself. Allow others to help push you to reach new goals. I often teach participants of my running classes that it’s important to remember that you should just compare yourself to you. Do the best YOU can do, and this way your experiences will be more positive. Isn’t this why we run anyway? To see what we are made of? To push ourselves to reach a goal? For self-discovery coming face-to-face with our own beliefs about what we are capable of? To place mind over matter?

I think at times we all question why we run. I love John’s explanation of what he likes about running and why he runs. He states, “What I knew for sure was that even though I was awful at it, I liked running. It was pure. It was honest. It was simple.” He further explains, “I am literally running for my life. I am running because, for me, the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits of running far outweigh the struggles, setbacks, and challenges. I am running because, for me, not running is unthinkable. I am running because I am a runner. It’s that simple.”

I would have to agree with him. I run because I am a runner! Thanks for a great read John and for reminding us to enjoy the journey that running brings us.

This is another great book to add to your athlete library.

Get your own copy of the book.

Velo Press puts out a lot of other great books for athletes.  Click here to take a look.

New Emergen-C FIVE – free shipping

As you know, I am a big fan of Emergen-C.  Great stuff.  They have a new (very new – it’s not even out on shelves) low calorie FIVE out.  You can order it at www.emergenc.com and use the code  EMCFIVE and get free shipping on any three Emergen-C Five flavors.

Great website: Athlinks.com

I really like the athlinks.com website.  If you have not checked it out yet, you should.  I have found it to be one of the most comprehensive online race result databases out there.  It gathers results from triathlons, running races, cycling event, mountain biking, swimming and adventure racing.  Check it out.  Here’s my link:  http://athlinks.com/racer/32271657 Let’s be friends.

Intermountain Sports Medicine: The Running Lab

As I indicated in a previous post – I am happy to be working with Intermountain Sports Medicine to help athletes get healthy and stay healthy. Recently I participated in the Running Lab they have to offer and I must say I really love the information provided and I felt like it can really benefit athletes. And as a coach I love to use the lactate numbers the testing provides to train my athletes. I highly recommend this analysis for any level of runner (beginner to advanced). Let me tell you a little about how it works and what you can expect.

Here’s a little bit about my experience. It was really quite the adventure with my first test schedule the morning after a big wind storm hit our town. Wow was it windy! The storm toppled trees and downed many power lines in the area and unfortunately the clinic was effected. As we started the test the power kept going out and after stopping and starting several times we determined it might be best to try it another time when the power was fully restored.

After arriving at the Bountiful Clinic for the second attempt, I first did a Functional Movement Screening by Dr. Dayton MSPT, the clinics physically therapist. The screening is a series of movements and muscular tests designed to assess core strength, balance and flexibility. After those tests were complete they moved me to another room where they had me run barefoot (well, with socks) on a treadmill while they recorded me from many angles. This was the Video Gait Analysis portion of the test where they are able to look at my running form in motion. At this point they are able to evaluate any biomechanical abnormalities or muscle imbalances while running. They also determine cadence, and evaluated my foot strike, etc. They can detect sources of chronic injuries or possibly provide areas of weakness to remedy in order to prevent injuries through this assessment. After this portion they had me put my shoes on and begin the Lactate Testing portion of the analysis. If you have never done this before it’s really not too bad. (I must say this test is much better than VO2max testing where you are hooked up and breathing through a tube). For this test they have me strap on a heart rate monitor and run on the treadmill while they prick my earlobe/finger to test the lactate levels in my blood at certain intervals. They also had me rate my perceived exertion on a scale of one to ten. Every few minutes they would take a quick blood sample and increase the pace/incline until finally it was too difficult to continue. Here I am smiling at the start of the test.

(yes, as you might has guessed by now, my four-year old daughter had the camera and took the pictures of the event. As you can see she got a great shot of her feet below. LOL)

Here are some other great shots she got. LOL

(Actually not too bad for a 4-year-old).

A few weeks later they gave me a call and I was able to pick up my results. I especially loved the lactate testing results that determine my various training zones based on my blood lactate accumulation at different speeds. As a coach this information is very valuable to set up an effective, individual customized training program for my athletes! Love it!

The results provided feedback on my foot strike, stride rate etc…and specific exercises to meet my needs. They also included some basic nutrition and hydration information and I can’t argue with the summary they provided:

“Overall Lora, you look great. The above findings are fairly subtle, but all in all much better than what we see in most runners. I don’t see any major reason to change anything. You’ve obviously been running competitively for several years, and have found your most economical form. I could not find any significant outward deviation of either foot. Congratulations on all the hard work you’ve put in up to this point.”

All the information they provided was great and again I would highly recommend it to any athlete any level (beginner to advanced). You can contact the Bountiful Clinic at 801-298-2495 They also have clinics in other locations such as Riverton, and Salt Lake (The Avenues). To learn more visit www.SportsMedGroup.org

They add some pretty educational posts on their Facebook page too. Check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/sportsmedgroup

Thank you Dr. Richards, Dr. Bell and Dr. Dayton for your support of Team Blonde Runner (TBR)! To learn more about Coach Lora’s coaching programs contact her directly at lora@blonderunner.com

Emergen-C – great product!

I use this stuff regularly and find it is helpful for recovery especially before and after hard workouts and races. Endurance athletes simply need more antioxidants like Vitamin C. The flavors are yummy and the B vitamins are a bonus. Some of my favorite flavors are Super Orange, Raspberry, Cranberry Pomegranate, Tangerine, Blue Berry and they also have a great one Vitamin D & Calcium – Mixed Berry that is “nummy.”  They also have a lot of specialty stuff like Immune Plus System Boost, Joint Health, Bone Health, Heart Health and more – all good stuff!  Thank you Emergen-C for supporting me in my own personal athletic endeavors, as well as supporting the races I put on (Race for Infant & Pregnancy Loss & Save Your Skin 10k) and your support of my clubs and Team Blonde Runner (TBR)!  Great product!
Thank You!
Coach Lora Erickson

“Blonde Runner”

www.BlondeRunner.com

Book Review: The Feed Zone (cookbook for athletes) by Biju Thomas & Allen Lim

Book Review: The Feed Zone (cookbook for athletes) by Biju Thomas & Allen Lim

(please note this is not a diet book – it for athletes training at high levels and some of the recipes are high calorie to refuel the athlete)

I have always been a believer that fresh and simple is better when it comes to cooking. This book really brings this concept to life. The Feed Zone lives up to its claim as a cookbook with “fast and flavorful food for athletes.” The recipes envelop the use of fresh whole foods and locally grown produce. As with most of my favorite cookbooks, it includes a lot of colorful mouth-watering pictures. I love pictures for garnishing ideas!

As an athlete I have discovered that nutrition is very individual and what works for one may not work for another. The authors recognize this and encourage athletes to “become keen observers of their own bodies” and put the science of nutrition into practice embracing individual variability. There is a certain amount of common sense that goes into eating as well. I especially loved the part stating “if something you eat makes you feel like crap, then, all things being equal, stop eating it.” (My 12-year-old son really got a kick out of this line). If only eating were that simple. But I feel like understanding the “why” and “how” is certainly helpful and makes eating better a little easier.

What I especially love about this book is the explanation at the beginning, “Feed Zone Lab” & “Feed Zone Kitchen” sections. They cover the ‘why’ and ‘how’ we should eat. The authors explore pre-workout, workout and post-workout foods as well as how to use macronutrients and cooking basics to help those that may feel help-less in the kitchen. This book can inspire even the most poorly nourished athlete to learn how to cook with healthy and simple ingredients. I also especially love the portables & après sessions for those of us always on the go or trying to optimize our recovery nutrition. There are some really great and yummy ideas. I love it!

As I thumbed through the recipes marking all the tempting ones, I have discovered that I have marked the majority of the book. I can’t wait to dive into these recipes and give them all a try! These recipes really seem simple and very doable even with limited time.

If you are looking for some great motivation to start eating better and fuel your body I highly recommend this book. You might even find your mouth watering as you read and view the colorful recipes and pictures. This book is hot off the press. Click here to purchase your own copy.  This is a must-have for any athletes kitchen library!

Velo Press puts out a lot of other great books for athletes.  Click here to take a look.

Underwater Swim Video Analysis

Coach Lora Erickson “Blonde Runner” will now be offering Underwater Swim Video Analysis. If you are looking for specific feedback to help you improve your crawl stroke for triathlons then you will want to have an analysis done. This is a two-part assessment starting at the pool with filming and immediate feedback. An additional individual session (included) will be set up to review the results and review proper technique etc. Swim analysis is offered once a month in the Davis County, Utah area. There are limited spots. If you are interested contact Coach Lora Erickson directly at lora@blonderunner.com

Testimonials:

“The swim video analysis was very helpful. It was especially nice, after having had two shoulder surgeries and not having a swimming background, to have some direction on simple things to do to improve my form. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for some great coaching advice to become a better swimmer.”   ~ Emily H. – January 2012

“I loved the video analysis because I could actually see what I was doing wrong. It was definitely worth the money and time. Thanks so much Coach Lora! ” ~ Brit. G. – January 2012

“I just did my first two swim workouts after the swim analysis. Yesterday and today, I finally get what I’m supposed to do. I’m SO EXCITED because it felt like it really clicked today. I worked hard on stretching between strokes and I’m happy to report that I shaved four seconds off my 50 meter time just by making a few tweaks. There’s still a lot of work to do, but I felt like I finally found the sweet spot I’ve been looking for. Now, I just have to un-train my body from the ineffective swimming it’s been doing for the last 25 years. I thought the swim analysis was VERY beneficial. It really helped to see what I look like when I’m in the water. It’s hard to visualize what you look like when you’re swimming, but I could see instantly how inefficient my swimming was in the video. I look forward to faster swim times.” ~ Sandra H. – January 2012

Product Review: Elete Electrolyte

I love to customize my own beverages – this way they don’t have the sugar and colors that other products contain.  I like to use Elete for this.  “Elete lives up to its claim ‘performance without the sugar coating’”.  Or are having problems with muscles cramps?  I highly recommend using Elete Electrolyte.  Use the code “blonderunner” and save 15% off your first order.  http://www.eletewater.com/

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