Destination Races and Adventures Offer Unique Experience

Contributed by: Brenda Phillips of Race for a Reason

As co-owner of a travel company specializing in physical fitness adventures of a lifetime at faraway destinations, I know firsthand about partnering dream vacations with fitness goals and aspirations!  More and more, new travel destinations are being introduced that are geared towards healthy active lifestyles and offering events and destinations that appeal to singles, couples and families alike.

Now I’ve completed full and half marathons myself, both locally and at national and international events, and as much as any finish line is amazing (and I don’t ever sell short the power of that!), doing so somewhere exotic and away from home and outside of what is familiar to you, is even more exciting and empowering!  Try to imagine finishing 100 yards from the turquoise Caribbean waters where you can jump right in and soothe your tired muscles!  Picture your final mile coming off the side of a goat path extending from the Great Wall of China, looking behind you and in awe of where you just ran!  Or dream, if you dare, of high fiving with a team of fellow Canadians as you descend a mountain together in Patagonia, or cycling your last 10k of 300 in Spain and arriving to meet up with your teammates.  It’s all there, these out-of-the-box adventures…waiting for you to stretch your imagination and just experience.

Not only will you live and breathe all that the destination has to offer…doing an event this way, with a team of like-minded individuals and soon to be lifetime friends, is an additional reward that you mightn’t achieve at an event at home.  You and your new found friends will train together, likely travel en route together, and spend the time on site getting to know each other’s stories, why they came, what motivated them and likewise, you will share your passion (and your fears).  Stories will be told of past experiences and you will grow and learn from those words as you work towards a fitter you.  You will spend your days with people just like you, people committed to becoming or keeping fit, people who understand the importance of physical activity in every day and people with a love of travel as well! 

Don’t sell yourself short, take the leap.  Do it for your reason, whatever it may be, but do it because you can!  Do it yourself or with your family.  Spread your wings and fly, listen, learn.  Combining your love of fitness with a dream vacation is a perfect pairing.  My experiences have led me to this reality and I spent a lifetime to get here.  I am sharing that knowledge with you so you don’t have to wait, you can just take my word and run with it, pardon the pun!  Give it a try, begin creating memories.  You will discover how rewarding it can be. 

What are you waiting for?

Off Season Training for Triathlon

Contributed by: Eric D’Arcy, Multisport Coach at Absolute Endurance Training and Therapy

As I started to write this, there was an unusual chill in the air, and then I realized that there are only a few weeks left in the Canadian triathlon season....eek, it can’t be, it seems like it just started last week.  Yes, these are the words uttered by many, if not all, triathletes at this time of the year.  But that’s okay, because it will give us a chance to regroup, refocus and get our energy back to face the next season.

The off season is a time of mixed emotions.  It’s a time when we wish we could continue racing and focus on hard training, but it’s also time when we can analyze our past season and say “That was amazing!” or “I am going to focus on improving this sport” or “Now I can spend some quality time with friends and family.”

So what do you do now?  Now is a time to take a well-deserved break from not only the intensity of racing, but the build you did into the race season and for some of you, that may have started last December. This is a great time to relax, sleep, catch up and spend time with your friends and family, who supported you through your season, or who (not necessarily on purpose) got ignored.  This doesn’t mean sitting on the couch for the next 5 months with a bag of chips and catching up on your favourite shows (although a bit of that would be good for you), but it does mean minimizing the number of hours training.  It’s time to get out there and do something different.  Go hiking, try yoga or a Pilates class, do a short distance fun run (start by checking out Get Out There's calendar for upcoming races in your area), go for a non-structured bike ride with the family in the country to watch the leaves change.  As the snow starts to come down, go skiing, snowboarding, skating or snowshoeing. 

Work on your weakness(es).  The off-season is a great time to focus on your technique, be it for swimming, biking or running. Don’t feel you have to swim big distances, work on getting that technique down instead.  Short technique/drill based sessions in the pool will give you bigger gains at this time, rather than putting in big distance with a sloppy stroke.  Have your run gait analyzed by a qualified person.  Working on a more efficient stride and higher cadence, will not only give you a faster run, but could minimize the chances of injury.  For biking, more time in the saddle at a lower intensity, working on pedalling technique and/or cadence work may be the answer.  This may also be the time you want to get a bike fit done at a reputable bike fitter or bike shop. 

Get pumped up!!! This is a great chance to get into the gym and do some strength training.  Now I'm not talking Arnie style here, but specific triathlon strength training, that will build the muscles that you are using, especially your core, which will help you swim smoother, stand taller and drive those legs on the run, and, hold a better position and breathe better while in your aero bars.

Plan, plan, plan!  Now is the time to plan out your next season’s racing schedule.  Maybe this is the year you plan on attempting a new distance, more races or going for gold!  Put a good plan in place, generally with shorter races leading up to your bigger distances.  This could also be the season where you find a coach who can not only help you plan your season, but help you achieve your goals in a strategic, logical and safe way. Not only do you want to work on your race season, but take a look at the often overlooked nutrition plan.  I'm not talking only your race day nutrition, but your day-to-day nutrition that helps build you into the machine you are or want to be.  For this, I recommend finding a good nutritionist who understands you and the sport.

Whatever your off-season plans are, relax and enjoy....Now, I think this is the season I FINALLY learn to snowboard!

Happier Transition from Open Water Back into the Pool

Contributed by: Marissa Schroder, Publisher of Get Out There Magazine

Now that the summer triathlon season is mostly over, many of us will be transitioning from open water swim training back into the pool. Here are a few of our favourite products to make the shift into off-season training a little less depressing.

Swim Caps

 

Put a smile on the face of fellow swimmers when you hit the pool deck with a new swim cap that’ll get you noticed. For early mornings when you just can’t bear the thought of diving into that cool water, throw on Tyr’s Have a Nice Day silicone swim cap. With a face like this, how can you not smile?

Just in time for Halloween, we love this skull and crossbones cap from Canadian company Whoosh Heads. In addition to their range of stock caps, Whoosh Heads accepts custom orders as well. Order early so you can impress all your friends at the pool with your holiday-themed cap!

 

 

 

 

Hand Paddles

 

Fall is a great time to get back to basics – working on stroke technique and building strength. Tyr’s Mentor Hand Paddles help you improve conditioning by adding extra resistance with each pull through the water.

 

 

In-pool Music

Tune out your coach with H20Audio’s Interval 4G Waterproof Headphone System for iPod shuffle (4th Gen). They also have products available for all manner of iPhone, Droid, etc. For surround sound during your next set of 4 x 100s.

Pool Parka

Yeah, we said it…POOL PARKA. Now you can suit up for the 50 step walk from locker to poolside and look as cool as Phelps at the Olympics. Aside from looking cool, this parka by Speedo is mostly useless (unless you’re standing by at a swim meet), but hey, looking good is half the battle!