For those not in the know, from the Merriam Webster dictionary- Main Entry: lo·ca·vore Pronunciation: \ˈlō-kə-ˌvȯr\ Function: noun Etymology: local + -vore (as in carnivore) Date: 2005
: one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible
In the interview, Bill discusses the concept of locavorism and the principles of maintaining an adequate training diet as a vegetarian (as well as a host of other random issues). Listen to the complete post here and feel free to contact us directly if you have any questions related to your diet and training for triathlon.
Listen to Bill’s interview with Rockstar Triathlete:
I recently attended a Grand Rounds lecture at a prestigious ivy league medical institution. The topic of the lecture was medical treatment for obesity. I wasn’t out of place in the audience as obesity treatment and prevention has long been an interest of mine. The lecturer, a very highly respected authority on the topic, eloquently highlighted all of the medical (and some surgical) treatments we have in our arsenal. The one he failed to mention is training for a triathlon.
When the concept of Tri2Lose came to me on my morning run in Central Park in 2005, I was melding some of the areas I am most interested in: nutrition, exercise and triathlon. I was, and continue to be, involved in academic research of a range of obesity treatments but Tri2Lose made the most sense as I know that adopting the triathlon lifestlye can be an effective means of inducing long-term, durable weight loss (for the right person). The (for the right person) part is not too much of an issue as the scores of people who have contacted Trismarter.com about the Tri2Lose program have already been flirting with the idea of doing something about their waistline and their sedentary lifestyle. As ridiculous and sensational as it is, television programs like “The Biggest Loser” have awakened obese individuals to the idea that it is possible to turn their lives around and improve fitness and lifestyle. In fact, I blogged months ago in a previous post about some of the exercise contests on that television program. Recently, the show’s methods have been brought into question for realistic medical concerns. The Tri2Lose program, unlike The Biggest Loser, however, is a reasonable and sound method of inducing long-term, durable weight loss. Our clients are neither starving themselves nor exercising 12 hours a day on national television. These are real-life men and women becoming part of an active community and re-learning how to eat, how to think about food and how to exercise in a way that prevents injury and allows them to cross the finish line of their first triathlon. And when we say “triathlon”, we are not talking about the ironman. It may be walking a 5k the running a 5 k, then a 10k then a sprint triathlon. It’s a gradual progression across the spectrum and it works (for the right person).
Sure, if you struggle with your weight and are considered obese you can take a medication that might lead to 10% weight loss for a year or two (and then most likely gain it back) and you can probably find a surgeon to do a bypass or banding and lose lots of weight… or you can give it some serious thought and consider changing your lifestyle for good and turning yourself into a new person.
Just back from a run in beautiful Boulder, Colorado and it reminded me of a talk I attended last week given by the ultramarathoner Scott Jurek. In his talk, at Jack Rabbit in Union Square-NYC, Scott hit on three basic principles of endurance training, those being specificity, periodization and recovery. Which brings me to my run. Altitude, at least for a flat-lander, forces you to slow down. Given that it was my first run at altitude, I intentionally backed off and just went out for a relaxed easy run. I’m looking forward to adapting to the conditions and being able to get in some good runs and bikes while I am here. For those of you who don’t know, Boulder is a mecca for triathlon.
While Scott’s talk was chock full of great images of him running in some breath-taking locales, the main points about training and nutrition were nothing new. Perhaps evidence that the elites really don’t do much that cannot be applied to the average joe? I do, however, take issue with Scott’s advice that one can train for ultra-distance events on 50-55 miles per week. Maybe some of the more gifted endurance athletes can but I think the majority of athletes require greater training volumes. In fact, Trismarter.com Eat2Win Sports Nutrionist Bill Nadeau and I were discussing this point last night. Bill was particularly interested in Scott’s talk because Scott is a vegan and Bill has been a practicing vegetarian and competitive runner himself. If you’re interested in vegetarianism and triathlon training or the concept of “locavore” check out Bill’s interview tomorrow night with rockstartriathlete.com- it is sure to be interesting.
“National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the American Dietetic Association. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Registered Dietitian Day, also celebrated in March, increases awareness of registered dietitians as the indispensable providers of food and nutrition services and recognizes RDs for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives.”
In the spirit of National Nutrition Month® and Registered Dietitian Day® (March 10, 2010), we’re excited to offer $100 OFF any of our Eat2Win Sports Nutrition Services including the popular Comprehensive Training Diet Analysis, Meal Planning Solutions and Weight Managment for Peak Performance Program. This $100 OFF offer is applicable to the first month only of any of our Eat2Win monthly services and only new clients are eligible. This offer expires at midnight on March 12, 2010.
Trismarter.com Triathlon Coach Lee Gardner pointed this unique and informative module out to us on Fi’zi:k’s website. For any cyclist or triathlete that takes performance and comfort seriously, this is a must-see.
Triathlon training , as we all know, is very physically demanding. As such, hydration is an important factor in alleviating the stress of training and to aid in recovery.
A recent article on competitor.com highlights new research concerning the relationship between fitness level and the effects hydration status in terms of cardiovascular (heart rate) and thermoregulatory (rectal temperature) strain. This study, published in Acta Physiologica, compared trained and untrained individuals (in terms of VO2 max) and how their hydration state, either euvolemia or hypovolemia (1.5-2.0% dehydrated based on baseline body weight) affected heart rate, rectal temperature, plasma osmolality and power. Briefly, the results demonstrate that trained individuals fell victim to increased heart rate or temperature to a lesser degree than untrained individuals when dehydrated. However, these results also indicate that “performance power” was reduced in both trained and untrained athletes during the dehydrated arm of the study with no difference between the two groups. That is, both had lower power.
While interesting, this study has many flaws. Just to mention a few: The cross-over design is good but the sample is so small that it’s hard to say that these results really hold when applied to larger populations (all too common in the exercise physiology literature). Furthermore, the duration of the test was relatively short (40 minutes) so it is also hard to extrapolate even to an olympic distance triathlon, let alone something like 70.3 or Ironman.
The bottomline? For many physiological reasons, trained individuals just might be able to tolerate mild-moderate dehydration better than untrained counterparts but doing so would not be recommended at higher intensities or longer durations than those studied here. Keep drinking!
Trismarter.com coach, Lee Gardner, was interviewed last night by Rockstar Triathlete’s Ben Greenfield and Kerry Sullivan on triathlon lifestyle design. We have the interview available for you to listen to below, free of charge. However, over at Rockstar Triathlete, for only $1, you can gain access to this, and a whole catalog of other interviews with top coaches and athletes. It’s a pretty sweet deal!
Listen to Lee’s interview with Rockstar Triathlete:
In the interview, Ben Greenfield makes reference to one of Lee’s previously written articles about key items to consider when planning your training and racing season. If you haven’t read the article, find it here on Trifuel.com.
Trismarter.com is very excited to announce its new partnership with the Performance Center at Knapps Cyclery in Lawrenceville, NJ. For those of you who don’t know, Knapp’s Cyclery is the place to go for all your road, mountain and triathlon needs and is a 2009 Bicycle Retailer Top 100 shop.
The Performance Center at Knapps (PCK) is a specialized testing and performance facility for cyclists and multisport athletes of all levels. The goal and motto of The Performance Center at Knapps is to “turn riders into cyclists.” PCK does so by providing riders with an inclusive array of services both for greater performance and as a means to test their unique cycling ability. These services include lactic acid threshold tests, Indoor Computrainer classes and Yoga specific to the cyclist. Classes run 5 days a week. Additionally, private coached sessions are available both one-on-one and for private groups.
The Director of the Performance Center at Knapps, Christopher Draper, RD, LDN, CSCS says, “…as a registered dietitian, conditioning specialist and avid Ironman competitor myself, I have firsthand knowledge and experience about the imperativeness of a sound periodized training and nutrition plan. Combining efforts and expertise with Trismarter.com is a perfect means to offer athletes this complete package consisting of both the nutritional and physical aspects of training.”
Read the entire press release for this partnership here.
We’re psyched to be working with one of our newest clients: CEO, entrepreneur and adventurist Peter Shankman. Peter is also widely known as the founder of HARO. Check out Peter’s interview on Fox News recently regarding the Tiger Woods apology.
Peter has chosen to work with the Trismarter.com team as he prepares for Ironman Cozumel, and, more importantly, as he embarks on an adventure to become a fitter, healthier version of his former self. Peter will be working closely with his dietitian and triathlon coach in our Tri2Lose Program. Check back for regular updates on Peter’s progress.
As of today, his weight is 225.4 pounds, courtesy of withings.com (a must see if you haven’t already heard of it).
Over the years, we’ve talked to hundreds of triathletes that are looking to either improve their performance by working with a triathlon coach for the first time or to find a new triathlon coach to jump-start their training program. Others are tired of being “just a number” and want more personalized or professional services. It seems the only obstacle has been the price of our personalized triathlon coaching services. Not anymore!
Earlier this week we announced a very special promotion to allow more triathletes to benefit from our services: Victory Triathlon Coaching for only $5 for the first month. We hope that this promotion will allow many to give our triathlon coaching services a try and decide for themselves if it is worth it to continue. We also hope this offer will motivate other triathletes to consider working with one of our triathlon nutrition experts on our Eat2Win services.
Read more about the $5 Victory Triathlon Coaching Promotion here. Contact us today!
This press release from the 
Trismarter.com coach, 