First Race of 2014--UCSD's Tritonman!

Off to a solid start in my Vendetta-thanks XTERRA!

The 2014 season has officially begun! Last weekend University of California, San Diego (UCSD) hosted a two-day triathlon event.  The weekend started with a draft legal race on Saturday (that's what I competed in!) and finished up with a non-drafting race on Sunday.  UCSD did a fantastic job (once again) putting on a great race, I highly recommend checking it out next year--thanks again!

As with many early season races, you really never know what you're gonna get on race morning.  I can't say I felt terrible on race morning, but I definitely felt rusty and not quite up to a "race ready performance".  I didn't think too much about it though because half of the game is mental, and that is one thing you absolutely have control over! So I attacked the race as if I felt like the queen of triathlon and let the day play out.

After [almost] two laps solo, I got swallowed by pack of 10 for lap 3!

                                                                                    It was an off day, no great excuses like "I'm injured" or "I have bronchitis", just wasn't my best day! I made a few crucial mistakes that led to a less than desirable result, but it was the first race of 2014 and an incredible learning experience to prepare me for the rest of an exciting season, so, to be honest, I'm really happy about it. Congratulations to all the racers who competed, it was a competitive field of women and a fun race!

I'm gearing up for another draft legal sprint

Almost to T2!

in two weeks--PATCO Sprint Championships in Sarasota, FL and I will bring every lesson learned at Tritonman (and all previous races) with me--can't wait to toe the line again and see what I've got!

Until next time :)
@nicoletruxes

Show Yourself Some Love

In honor of Valentine's Day I thought I'd write something having to do with love--no this is not going to be some mushy post about fairy tale romance, it has to do with showing yourself some love!  Many times, as athletes, we beat our bodies to the ground and don't respond when our body is crying for attention--this is where illness and injury are created!  I have written before about being patient when you're injured and doing the right things to come back strong, but I think it's important to acknowledge the signs far before you ever acquire an injury or illness.

Taking the time to do the "little things" right makes all the difference in preventing illness and injury!

Six easy things you can do to Show Yourself Some Love:

-Monitor your resting heart rate when you wake up each morning--if you notice a jump in numbers, take some Vitamin C and maybe skip a workout until it returns to normal (how do I get my resting heart rate?)

-Drink hot, non-caffeinated tea before bed time--take an extra 10 min to relax and soak in all the awesome things you did for yourself and your training that day (my fav. is Celestial Seasonings, Sleepytime tea!)

TP Pain Session--hurts so good

-Wear compression--it may not look very attractive but it does aid in recovery, so throw some socks on when you get out of the shower and you could be saving yourself from future injury--or at least some soreness! (Grab some at TRIBE)

-Roll out! Foam rolling is amazing for not only preventing injury, but helping you recover faster so you can kill your next workout (my fav. roller is Trigger Point Therapy)

Our new pup, Caeli, is the queen of Beauty Sleep!

-Bundle up--when the temps drop make sure to wear enough layers on rides and runs so that your core temp stays nice and high--forcing your body to fight the cold can break down your immune system and make you more prone to illness (Arm Warmers, Vest and Jackets!)

-Get your beauty sleep--when you're catching zzz's, your body is hard at work repairing your muscles, metabolizing your food and fighting infection/inflammation so be sure to allow your body the rest it needs when you're challenging it daily!

None of the things I've mentioned are groundbreaking, but making yourself do these little things right on a regular basis will make a world of difference!

So go, show yourself some love!