Kelowna and onward

Happy with a solid race, I sat on the porch of my home stay in Kelowna, overlooking the lake. I couldn't help but admire the beautiful view and feel incredibly fortunate for the opportunities this sport has provided me.

My race this past weekend was a step in the right direction. After racing in Monroe when I wasn't quite ready, I spent two months time out in California, training at sea level and enjoying the summer with Chris. Over those eight weeks, I saw continued improvement and experienced training sessions that gave me confidence in my fitness and the plan that my coach and I have established. I am happy with how far I have come, and most importantly, thrilled to be racing and having FUN. Something extremely valuable I have learned the past few months is that you really do have to listen to your body, and even though it may not always cooperate, if you listen to it, you will be rewarded. My reward has been my ability to toe the start line and really race again. Sure, there is work to be done (and a lot of it!), but I am patient and have the support of a very wise coach and my incredible family and friends.

Up next will be Elite Nationals in Buffalo, NY. I can't wait to see my family when I head back east and I also can't wait to race again! Thanks to TIMEX for all the support, and I can assure you I will be racing my heart out on my new Orca next month.

Hugs and Smiles!

Jess

"How to get started" Article

This was my second article, forgot to post it before.

With proper equipment, guidance from training partners or a coach, and a realistic goal, triathlon is a sport that is certainly rewarding. It attracts individuals with various backgrounds- collegiate athletes who want to take on a new challenge of three disciplines, children who are inspired by watching their parents compete, middle aged men or women using training as a social outlet and break from work , or those who swim, bike and run just to stay in shape. The great thing about triathlon is that it can be whatever you want it to be. For me personally, I was influenced by the experiences of watching my mother compete, and began training just for fun. Now, four years later, it is evident that the sport is a direct reflection of what you put into it as my progressive hard work and dedication has allowed me to compete at a higher level than I ever thought possible. Whether taking on a sprint triathlon, or working towards completing an Ironman, triathlon offers an active lifestyle and introduces you to a unique community.

If you are interested in trying a tri, there are three components to focus on. First, having the equipment to train with is important. The essentials to get started consist of a swimsuit, cap and goggles, a bike and helmet, and running shoes. Getting involved with a local triathlon club, or finding a bike or triathlon shop in town can be helpful in assisting you in purchasing a bicycle, getting a tune up, finding the right running shoes, or meeting people to train with. The Waterbury YMCA triathlon club is a great place to get started and meet athletes of ranging abilities and commitment levels. When I began training more seriously for triathlon, I joined the Bethel Triathlon club and was fortunate to meet some more experienced athletes who offered wisdom at every turn. A great deal of equipment selection comes from experimenting individually with different choices through training and finding what works best for you. As triathlon continues to grow, and more fancy products appear, it is important to stick to the equipment that feels most comfortable to you so you can continue training, injury free, and perform at your best on race day.

The second key ingredient to getting started is finding a form of guidance through a coach or training group. A local triathlon club or shop can be very helpful if you are a beginner. Coaches or training partners can offer insight on what a weekly schedule should look like, ways to take care of your body outside of training such as massage or stretching, nutritional guidelines, or just suggest a nice trail to run on or safe loop to bike. Ninety percent of what I have learned about the sport of triathlon has come from peer athletes, coaches and friends. Taking tips from those who are more experienced, while blending in a regime that works for you will create the perfect formula for success.

The third and final part of getting started with triathlon is to create a realistic personal goal. Triathlon can be a way to stay in shape, a place to train and meet new people or a platform to compete, whatever you choose. If your goal is to be able to swim twenty laps in the pool, bike ten miles and run two miles, then devise a plan that will progress you towards your destination in a reasonable fashion. As a beginner, it is key to stay rooted in your individual ambitions since you will find athletes of ranging abilities and experience around you. As a triathlete, I believe that goal setting has been invaluable in my development over the past four years. With necessary training equipment, guidance from coaches and training partners, and a personalized goal, you too will reach your destination in triathlon.

Article 3- Injury Prevention

Unlike the majority of sports, triathlon is unique and consists of three disciplines. With this variety in training, being a triathlete provides new challenges daily, stressing and strengthening different muscles and always providing for a refreshing experience. Being a triathlete too, demands maintenance- taking care of your body as if it were a machine needing a fine-tuning to operate properly. There are several ways to prevent nagging pains from developing into injuries that hinder your ability to train consistently and put you on the sidelines come race day.

Many triathletes believe that it’s truly the “little things,” often behind the scenes, that keep them healthy and improving. A training regime is invaluable, as it can allow you to measure your fitness gains week to week and move you towards your ultimate goals. However, elements of being a triathlete that are just as important are nutrition, massage and stretching, careful attention to equipment wear out, and the often overlooked benefits of rest.

For any individual, athlete or not, having a healthy balanced diet is a fundamental component of well-being. In taking on the multisport lifestyle, triathletes often find themselves with fierce appetites and a constant need for fuel. Since nutritional choices are very personal, influenced by allergies, specific diets or taste buds, an individualized plan will ensure success and allow you to recover properly and feel energized for tomorrow’s challenges. Certain nutritional supplements can be helpful pre and post workouts for energy or muscle recovery, but real food can provide these benefits as well. It is important to evaluate your nutritional intake as a triathlete to make sure you are getting the proper blend of protein for recovery, carbohydrates and good fats such as Omega 3 for energy, as well as fruits and vegetables for antioxidants and prevention of illness. As endurance athletes, proper nutritional focus can greatly assist in continual thriving and onward momentum in achieving your goals.

Massage, as well as stretching or yoga, can serve in preventing the onset of injury. Often, with more than one session a day, a triathlete’s body can be delayed in feeling the workload and muscular stresses from training. Even if you are able to proceed from one day to the next with no nagging pains or evident stresses, your body could use some self-care through light self-massage or stretching post workouts. This addition to your daily training regime can be the specific ingredient that keeps your muscles happy and your body flawlessly functioning. If you have the time and can afford the costs, massage from a therapist can be beneficial in severing the physical and mental stresses of training, and of life!

Just as your body can feel the wear and tear of miles of swimming, biking and running, your equipment will also provide evidence of the hard work over time. Although it is exciting to see that you have literally ran until your shoes have holes in them, your body will eventually not appreciate the lack of cushioning and support. It is valuable to evaluate the wear out of your equipment to ensure that you are providing your body with the proper foundation to train safely and efficiently. When you begin using a new pair of running shoes or biking shoes, writing the date in permanent marker on the shoe can assist in recognizing when it may be time to invest in a new pair. Running, of the three disciplines, takes the greatest toll on your body with the constant impact, so it is most critical to keep a close eye on this component of a triathlete’s wardrobe.

A word that a triathlete dreads hearing or tries to remove from their vocabulary is rest. The lifestyle of most multisport athletes includes squeezing as much as possible into a twenty-four hour day, and the constant motion becomes addicting and enjoyable. As if triathlon isn’t enough of a challenge in itself, training three disciplines is often blended with daily appointments, being a full time student, spending time with family or a full time job. A day off from training is vital for both physical and mental health. Although it may be difficult to get through a day without an endorphin rush, your body will appreciate the break and reward you in performing as you desire in training and racing. A day of rest can be the perfect time to evaluate what triathlon has brought to your life- friendship and fun, challenge and adventure, health and wellness.

Article 2- Training Indoors

Let’s face it, not everyone has the luxury of stepping outside twelve months of the year to train in seventy degree, sun filled conditions. Also true is the fact that lots of individuals don’t have the liberty to train during a lunch break from work, or even find time during daylight to fit in their workouts. This is where training indoors becomes essential. Triathlon, with its three disciplines, provides flexibility and variance in training, which can allow those with busy work schedules or tough weather conditions to fit sessions in.

Swim training for the bulk of triathletes is completed in a pool. Whether swimming on your own, or joining a Masters group, training in a pool allows you to focus a great deal on technique and pacing. Since swimming is so technique based compared to biking and running, spending time in a pool where someone can evaluate your stroke can be beneficial in your progression and improvement, especially if you are new to the sport. Through perfecting your stroke in the pool and fine tuning your movements for efficiency, you will notice that you’ll be swimming faster and conserving energy that you’ll need come race day for the bike and run. Swimming outdoors, in open water, most closely simulates what you will experience in a triathlon race. However, open water swimming can be resembled in the pool by swimming continuously for twenty to thirty minutes at a time or incorporating open water swim drills such as sighting (raising your head above the water to see in front of you). Lastly, if you race triathlon wearing a wetsuit, you can swim in your wetsuit in the pool to get your body used to the feeling. Swimming outdoors in open water will help you most closely replicate the swim in a triathlon race, but there are several alternatives in the pool that will get you ready to make the plunge.

Many triathletes argue that bicycle training indoors is tedious. However, cycling indoors is safer, can be social in the form of spin classes, and gets you strong with the lack of coasting- something that you constantly experience while riding outside. Perhaps even better is that riding indoors can be done at anytime of the day. If you have a bike trainer, is it easy to set up and you can ride your own bike while watching a movie or hanging out with the family. Also, spin classes are popular for early risers and provide a great workout on stationary spin bikes with upbeat music and a motivating instructor. Riding outside is important for development of bike handling skills and experience of varying terrains from flat roads to challenging climbs. However, in the thick of the cold winter or in battling a hectic schedule, cycling indoors can be easier logistically, safer, and will give you strength and conditioning to succeed in triathlon.

Running is perhaps the easiest of the three disciplines to train outdoors for. If you can stand drastic weather conditions, and have a window of thirty to sixty minutes in your day, it is simple to strap on a pair of running shoes and get out the door. It doesn’t take long for your heart rate to increase and for the endorphins to kick in, leaving you satisfied for the rest of the day. Training indoors for running can be beneficial for a few reasons. Running on a treadmill is great for trying to build strength endurance. For example, if you are working towards a goal of running eight minutes per mile, you can easily set the treadmill and work to stay at that pace, while pace fluctuates more regularly running outdoors. Treadmills are great for speed work as well, and you can simulate short and fast intervals while focusing on turnover and form. Often times, there are mirrors around training equipment in gyms, which provides you with a vehicle to evaluate your form while running. Lastly, the treadmill can be a successful outlet to running when dealing with some pain or an injury, as it provides a flat surface, different from the steeped roads or uneven trails.

Not only does triathlon have three disciplines, but also many variations of ways to train for each. Indoors or out, the blend of swimming, biking and running will be sure to keep you fit and challenge you in news ways each day.

Article 1- Pre Rev 3 Middlebury

This was my first published article which I wrote as a preview for the Rev 3 that was in Middlebury (my home town).

So, what’s a triathlon? A sport that combines three disciplines of swimming, biking and running has become a passion of mine since I began competing at the age of 15. Here in the greater Waterbury area, where my triathlon career commenced, I see it has become a passion of many others.

In returning back home to visit, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at just how many people I see out biking and running, the growth and excitement of the Waterbury YMCA triathlon club, and the several kids camps promoting health and wellness. It is evident that the sport of triathlon has changed our community and the lifestyle of many individuals. Triathlon is on the rise.

Whether an outlet to staying in shape, a platform for competitive racing, or a way of meeting new people and traveling, triathlon gives something back to everyone. Athletes from various backgrounds and avenues jump into triathlon to take on the challenge of mastering all three sports. Since I began competing, through many experiences and much guidance from coaches and peer athletes, I have been able to develop a regime and continued education of how to carefully balance the training for swimming, biking and running. Each year I have made the commitment to stay focused on my personal goals and enjoyed the many varied challenges. Like many, the sport of triathlon has airlifted me to a state of fulfillment and continues to be the air under my wings.

We will be welcoming some of the world’s most seasoned triathletes to the Quassy Amusement Park in Middlebury, CT as the venue for the Rev 3 triathlon festival this weekend. Saturday will provide an Olympic distance race- a .9 mile swim, 24.9 mile bike and 6.2 mile run for the athletes competing. Sunday will be what some believe is the ultimate test of endurance, even for the professional athletes such as Olympian Matt Reed and 2010 Ironman world champion Mirinda Carfrae. The half-ironman distance race will encompass a 1.2 mile swim in Lake Quassapaug, a challenging 56 mile roller coaster bike course and a 13.1 mile run to the finish.

Both events on Saturday and Sunday will allow hundreds of athletes to participate and experience a variety of accomplishments, ranging from finishing their first triathlon, winning their age group, or grabbing the tape for the prize purse. Whatever their goals are for this weekend, all athletes will have their own unique experiences, have some fun competing and for sure feel compete gratification in seeing their commitment to hard work come through in their performance. Then, the celebration of wellness that triathlon embodies can continue!

Back in Colorado

I have had the MOST incredible summer. Driving across the country was quite the adventure, and I absolutely loved visiting my family back in CT, as well as spending the past two months in Santa Barbara with Chris and his family. I have been surrounded by wonderful people and this summer has been filled with sunshine and smiles. It is great to be back here in Colorado, and I can't believe school starts in less than two weeks. WOW! Time flies when you are having fun.

My training has been going really well. I am enjoying each training week and the challenges they present, and feel like I am getting stronger and more confident in where my fitness is at. Sure, I would have loved to have been racing a bit more this summer, but I am glad that my coach and I decided that there was no rush, and it would be smarter to invest my time in training and getting race ready before toeing the start line again. I have decided to go back to Kelowna to race this year, and am excited to see the incredible home stay family that took me in last year. It is a beautiful venue, and a well run race, so it should be great to go back to a familiar course.

Besides training the past few months, I have been writing articles for a newspaper in my hometown- the Waterbury Republican American. I am going to post a few of my articles here on my blog for you to enjoy! These articles are directed towards individuals who are new to the sport of triathlon, with advice on how to get started and ways to prevent injury, train for specific race distances etc. I hope you enjoy reading these, although they may be a bit boring for those of you more experienced triathletes. Anyways, I am excited to have been given the opportunity to write for this newspaper, as the area where I grew up is booming with triathlon fever, and the sport is surely on a rise. It is so exciting to see more and more people getting involved and adopting the triathlon lifestyle.

I hope you are all healthy and happy! Put a smile on.

Jessica