Noa Deutsch

The not so new anymore blog...

2010-11-05T22:56:00.000-07:00

This blog still seems to be getting some action, although it has been inactive for months now...

Want to keep following my blog? Please go HERE!

See ya on the new blog,

Noa

2010-05-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

Buddy returns... Some random thoughts.

In other news - GOOD LUCK to everyone racing in Ixtapa tomorrow, especially Leif - it's his first ITU race :)

Noa

Fennel & orange salad recipe

2010-05-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

I managed to remember to post this recipe on my new blog, but figured I would post a link here too. So here is my Fennel and orange salad recipe, plus a bit more related information :)

Noa

Moving to a new home!

2010-05-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Not me - Im not going anywhere, mainly because I really don't like packing and unpacking... This blog is in the process of moving. I will not delete it, but I will not post anything new... Unless of course I forget that I have a new blog and post here out of habit, which has happened a couple of times already!

The new home is here. Its still a bit of a work in progress, and I will tweak things gradually.

I may or may not have celiac disease...

2010-05-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

The question is: will I ever find out?!

I started reading/learning more about celiac disease about 5 years ago, when I was tested for everything on the planet to figure out what is wrong with me. At that point, I was REALLY hoping I had celiac because it seemed like a much easier thing to handle compared with the alternative, and what ended up being the actual diagnosis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). I have written about that previously, so you can read all about it here.

The tests came back negative and my hopes of a somewhat easy fix and a quick return to racing were shattered. I'm not saying that celiac disease is 'easy', but I really don't think following a gluten free diet is that big of a deal. An adjustment? Sure thing! A really tough thing to do? Not really... especially when you compare it to the 'fix' for CFS, which isn't as clear cut and simple (read: a 'fix' does not exist. Yet?).

About a year ago, I started experimenting with eating a lot less wheat and gluten, realizing that it doesn't really agree with my stomach. I can't say I have been following a strict, 100% gluten/wheat free diet. Probably more like 90%. I mean, I didn't worry too much about the wheat in the soy sauce when I had sushi, and I would sometimes use spelt for baking, along side other occasional slips. After all, I don't have celiac disease, so a bit of gluten every now and then won't cause any harm, right? Things were going OK, stomach was feeling pretty good and I didn't have issues with energy levels.

About 2 weeks ago, I had a bit more gluten/wheat than normal, and my stomach has not been the same since. NOT fun at all, and that is all I am going to say! You don't want the details anyways, trust me. I had some tests done yesterday and got partial results this afternoon. Apparently the tests show some sort of an allergic response, to something. To what, you are asking? Well, I asked that too. The answer I got was that it could be seasonal allergies or asthma. Not likely, because I never had either! When I told the doc that he said we should wait for the rest of the tests and then I should talk to my GP, who is (lucky me) out of town right now.

I am fairly certain more tests will reveal celiac. The problem is that to test for celiac and get accurate results you need to eat that stuff on a regular basis. That means I will need to eat 1-4 slices of bread or equivalent every day for a few weeks before the tests (blood and/or biopsy)! I know my body will not respond well to that and I hesitate putting it through it for that amount of time before getting tested again. So the way I see it, I have two options:

Bite the bullet, eat gluten (sigh) for a few weeks and then get the tests done. At least I will know for sure and won't justify eating a little bit of wheat/gluten every now and then saying 'it won't cause too much harm because I'm not celiac' like I have so far...
Just assume I have celiac and stop eating gluten all together, pretending I was really diagnosed properly. That way I will save myself the pain (and it will be painful) of eating that much gluten before the tests.

I'm sort of leaning towards option #2, but on the other hand I just want to know for sure... so I will have to sleep on it (and wait for the rest of the test results too).

As a side note, I think limiting gluten in ones diet is a good strategy, regardless of whether you have celiac or not. More on that later.

TC10K

2010-04-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

This morning, the streets of downtown Victoria were filled with thousands of runners participating in the TC10k.

Among those thousands, were 7 of my athletes: Leif, Derek, Kamal, Adam, Nick, Myke and Mark, who did pretty well despite running on very tired legs. It went something like this:

Adam O'Meara: It was a bit of a last second decision for Adam to enter the race, but I am glad he did! His last 10km was a while ago, so we were both pretty curious to see where he is at right now. Well, he appears to be right where we want him clocking 33:09 (PB). Not bad for a long course triathlete at the end of a tough 3 week build, eh? Oh, Adam is also getting married next Sunday! Congradulations are in order :)

Derek Westra-Luney: DWL destroyed the Tri Canada 1500m world cup swim standard, clocking 18:04 (LC) a few weeks ago, and the goal for today was a sub 35 min 10km to go along with that. That was accomplished with 34:38 (PB). Obviously it is not the world cup standard, but since a year ago he was running about 3 minutes slower for a 10km, I think we are on the right track. The funny thing is that in the fall, Derek applied for a TriBC elite card and was rejected because he didn't race enough triathlons last year. Hopefully his swimming ability and constant improvements on the run (and bike too, obviously) will get him an elite card so he can gain some valuable experience racing a few continental cups (including kewlona) this summer.

Leif Baradoy: Leif was kind of MIA this week... His days and nights were filled with several assignments, packing (they are moving today. Talk about a sense of timing... haha) and getting some graduate grant applications in. Among all that caos, he still managed to run a PB of 34:52.

Kamal Rae: Kamal learned the importance of pacing several times in the last year or so, and that was something we really wanted to get right today... That goal was achieved with a significantly improved pacing strategy! The goal time wasn't achieved, although with a time of 35:21 he managed to get a new PB running over 2 minutes faster than last year... The Sun Run is up next!

Myke LaBelle: Running a 10km sick on little training always hurts... 35:58 will do for today, and I really look forward to seeing him run significantly faster soon! Kids, don't try that at home...

Nick Gottfried: Another PB for Nick, running 37:12. That killer instinct isn't there yet but once it is - I am very certain that time will drop significantly... Nick has come a long way in the year we have been working together, improving consistently.

Mark Ritchie: Mark missed a PB by mere seconds! He has been running really well lately and his time of 37:19 shows that.

Well done to everyone who raced this morning! Here are a few pictures from our team group session at Beacon Hill Park on Thursday. The boys worked pretty hard!

Eggplant & sweet potato curry

2010-04-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

I made this curry a long, long time ago, but never got around to posting the recipe. I wrote it on a random piece of paper and made the mistake of placing it somewhere where I though was safe, so I don't lose it. Well, of course I lost that piece of paper... but I found it this evening! Yay for small victories :)

Since I am on a bit of a roll here with posting stuff, there is no time like the present to post this one, especially because it is very likely that piece of paper will be lost again pretty soon! Plus, since my recent recipes all included meat, it is certainly time to post a vegan friendly recipe :)

1 medium eggplant, cut into medium sized pieces
1 medium sweet potato, cut into medium sized pieces
4 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped
2 cm fresh ginger, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 can coconut milk
4 dates, pulsed to a paste in a food processor
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 portabella mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp coconut oil
Salt & pepper, to taste
Chili flakes, to taste (how much heat can you handle?)
1.5 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1.5 tsp paprika

Sprinkle the eggplant pieces with a bit of salt and set aside in a drainer for ~10 minutes.
Peel and cut the sweet potato.
Heat 1/2 tsp of coconut oil in a big pan and cook the eggplant over medium heat. Work in small batches and remove from pan when golden brown to drain on a paper towel.
Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan and saute onion until translucent.
Add ginger, garlic, all of the spices and cook for 2-3 minutes to release the flavors.
Add the lemon juice and coconut milk. Stir and bring to the boil, then add the sweet potato.
Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the eggplant and mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Add the date paste and stir for about a minute so it gets mixed in properly.
You can add some spinach/kale/chard leaves at this point if you like, and cook quickly - just until they wilt.

Bacon & leek stuffed acorn squash

2010-04-04T22:23:00.000-07:00

I wrote this recipe on a tiny piece of paper right after I made this dish... and since I am pretty sure I will lose said piece of paper pretty soon, I figured I better post it asap! Besides, I am on a bit of a roll here too...

So here it is: my latest kitchen experiment... one that was actually double tested! I made this on Wednesday as some sort of a test run. I had a butternut squash lying around and I used it for experiment #1. It turned out great! Then I used an acorn squash on Friday for experiment #2 (Andrew was kind of bummed out he didn't get to try experiment #1...) and it was even better! I recommend that you use acorn squash, but at least now you know there is another option too.

You will need...

2 small acorn squash
1 onion
4-5 cloves garlic
1 leek (just the white part)
12-14 small brown mushrooms
1 tsp coconut oil
6 strips bacon (FYI: Red Barn has great bacon!)

How?

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
Cut squash lengthwise by half and scoop out the seeds. Place in a roasting dish and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Roast for ~20 minutes or until tender (not too soft though!)
While the squash is roasting, chop the onion, slice the leeks, crush & chop the garlic. heat the coconut oil in a pan and saute everything for ~10 minutes.
Cook the bacon in another pan. When cooked, cut into bite size pieces and set aside.
Slice the mushrooms and add then to the leeks/onions/garlic. Saute for another 5-8 minutes. Add the bacon.
By this point, the squash should be ready... Take it out of the oven and stuff with the mixture. Place back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or so, or until the squash is soft.

I am out of ideas of what vegetable I should experiment with next... other than a pepper, which is kind of ordinary. Any suggestions?

Coaching, running and cooking - this afternoon/evening in pictures!

2010-03-31T19:46:00.000-07:00

Stuffed eggplant recipe

2010-03-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Following the success of last weekend's stuffed fennel bulbs, I decided to experiment with stuffing another veggie: eggplant! (or aubergine, if you happen to live in Aus/NZ/UK...).

It turned out pretty tasty, Andrew gave it two thumbs up :-)

I might start experimenting with stuffing a different veggie every weekend... next up = squash?

What you need

1 large eggplant
~350g ground turkey
1 white onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
2 medium size tomatoes, diced
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tbsp almond flour
2 tsp coconut oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

The process

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the eggplant in half, length-wise. Scoop the eggplant out, but be careful to leave enough of a 'wall' so you can stuff it later.
Dice the scooped eggplant to small pieces and set aside.
Heat a pan with 1 tsp coconut oil and brown the ground turkey. Drain and set aside.
Saute onion in coconut oil until translucent.
Add the garlic, ginger, allspice, mustard and salt & pepper. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
Add tomatoes and the scooped, diced eggplant. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Add the cooked turkey and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Stuff each eggplant halfes with the mixture and sprinkle with the almond flour.
Bake at 400 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, or until soft and brown at the top.

Serve with a huge salad like I did, or with some greens (chard or kale)!

Stuffed and roasted fennel bulbs

2010-03-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

Andrew is putting the pressure on... he keeps bugging me post that recipe for the stuffed and roasted fennel bulbs... so here it is!

What you need (makes 4)

4 large fennel bulbs
2 chicken breasts (~350g), cubed
4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 medium sized while onion, chopped
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
handful of almonds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tomato, diced
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp honey
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup water (or white wine, if you have it)

How its done

Pre heat oven to 450 degrees
Scoop the inside of the fennel bulb (we used the inside for a salad...). be careful not to carve it too much, or it will fall apart.
Rub the fennel bulbs with a bit of salt and pepper and place in a roasting dish. Cover and roast for 25 minutes, or until slightly tender.
Set aside and decrease the over heat to 425 degrees.
While the bulbs are in the over roasting, add the butter to a pan and saute onions till translucent, then add garlic, mushrooms, chicken, tomato, water, honey, nutmeg and lemon juice. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat.
Remove the lid, add the cranberried and almonds and simemr uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Stuff the fennel bulbs with the mixture and back uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the bulbs are lightly browned.

We made a pretty great salad to go with these, with some greens, avocado, goat cheese, the fennel that was carved out of the bulbs and some pepper.

Picture credit to Andrew...

Silent auction and casino night for youth development

2010-03-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

Triathlon BC is hosting a Silent Auction and Casino night in Victoria on April 24^th in support of youth development. The event is from 7 pm to 10 pm at the Strawberry Vale Community Hall at 11 High Street, Victoria. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5.00 for kids. As you might know this is our 2^nd annual event and we are anticipating it will be bigger and better than last year. There will be some great auction items, great fun at the casino tables, good food and members of the National Development Team will be running the casino tables, which last year proved to be a big hit. In addition Giant has donated this great looking Tri bike for the event, to be auctioned, with minimum bids starting at $750.00. Retail for this bike is around $3,000 !!!

100% of the proceeds go to youth development in the Province.

I have to say, Barb Sharpe is doing such an awesome job supporting the triathlon junior development in BC and our sport certainly need more people like her involved. I donated a couple of gift certificates too, one for a bike fit and the other for race day nutrition assessment and strategies.

I hope to see LOTS of people there!

Noa

Some pictures are worth a thousand words...

2010-03-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

AKA I am too lazy to write an actual post!

Although we got back just a few days ago (on Sunday), Tucson seems so far away already. Back to the normal grind, and to good coffee! We couldn't find any good coffee shops in Tucson... I drunk more Starbucks coffee than I have in years, and I wasn't very happy about that at all.

Derek, Kamal, Tyler and Matt & Amber all updated their blogs with summaries and pictures (still waiting for Adam to do that too), so I don't really feel the need to post a long summary of my own, other than to say that although the weather didn't really cooperate - it was such an awesome camp! Everyone put in some very solid days and worked pretty darn hard. It was awesome to have a small group of very dedicated athletes train harder than they thought they could... I was proud to see everyone get the work done with no complaining, no shortcuts - just a lot of hard work and a high performance attitude. Well done, boys! Keep it up :-)

Now on to some pictures!
The Oro Valley pool made a mistake. They put the lane ropes the wrong way... Short course yards made our head spin!

Sandario loop. We ended up getting a bit lost and got stuck in the dark. Ooops. It was still a great ride!

This is why trips to the grocery store took way too long...

Ah, Vitamin D!

Um, I don't really know what to say about these ones, other than to point out the obvious: Derek is funny. There is also a video coming, I just need to sort out the music and finish editing it.

I am kind of surprised Tyler and Kamal didn't get kicked out of the pool, in light of this last pool rule...

Epic run at the Catalina State Park, including lots of elevation gain and 4 river crossings. The boys didn't want to get their feet wet, but I couldn't care less and just run right through, getting a head start after every river!

There was SO much snow up Mt. Lemmon! It started at about 11 miles. The boys rode all the way up to the ski hill and Tyler was crowned king of the mountain, except he was too tired to care and talked about himself in the 3rd person for the rest of the day.

Sunny (except for today) Tucson

2010-02-22T14:20:00.000-08:00

I am in Tucson with Kamal, Tyler, Derek, Adam, Matt & Amber for a training camp. The flight was OK, and so was the drive from Phoenix to Tucson, until Adam and I got kind of lost looking for a Trader Joe's... Good thing we wrote down the instruction to get to the house because my phone (with the GPS) died and we didn't have a map.

The training camp started yesterday with a good day of training, easing them into it. It has been raining on and off all day today... Lucky for me it started after the swim, so I didn't get totally drenched while standing on pool deck! An easy run followed the swim and they are headed out for another (hard) run very soon. Hopefully the sun will come back out, as we are all in desperate need of some vitamin D.

I forgot to charge my camera before the camp started, so I don't have any pictures of day one. Kamal took a bunch of them though, so I am sure they will make an appearance on his blog at some point (he already uploaded them on facebook!). Here are some pictures from day #2.

Kamal & Derek before this afternoon's run...

25 yard pool...

The barefoot running bandwagon...

2010-02-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

If one more person asks me about barefoot running because of all the media attention the topic received lately, I am going to throw a tantrum. I am absolutely serious. Its not ground breaking news people... and I'm getting a bit sick of hearing about it like its a new concept.

We started running barefoot on sand dunes when I was 14. That was 14 years ago... and I suspect that wasn't a new thing at all back then either. The main reason was for strength development. To a bunch of 14-16 year old kids, the barefoot part was because it was more fun... It was all about having fun and running fast!

I think that too many people run in shoes that have excessive support. I think most people have allowed their feet to become weak and lazy. I think a lot of people have pretty bad posture when they run. Does all of this point towards running barefoot? Not necessarily... There are many pieces to this puzzle and you need to look at the whole picture and consider individual variability/circumstances before you jump on the barefoot running bandwagon because of some recent media hype and a recently published book (which is, I would admit, a well written one... something that may add to the danger of everyone jumping into something they may or may not be able to handle).

There are so many factors that come into play... you can't read an article as take it as is. Be critical. Think. Ask for help. I didn't think I would have to say this again so soon, but here goes: IT DEPENDS...

The bad, the good and the great

2010-01-26T23:54:00.000-08:00

Think back, reflect on the best teachers or coaches you ever had. Chances are, it wasn't what they taught you that made you love learning from them... It was likely their personality, unique way of delivering information, ability to lite a fire in your belly and make you work harder than you ever though possible.

I had many coaches between the ages of 5 and 22. Some were bad, some were good, and a few were great.

The Bad

Lets start with the bad coaches. They didn't necessarily write a bad training program and it wasn't their inability to deliver a training session. In general, what made them bad coaches was their lack of passion and dedication. It was all about ego, all about them, and not about developing great athletes.

The Good

The good coaches were kind of in between. They wrote a good program, had a lot of experience and knowledge, they cared about the team and loved coaching. But something was missing. It seemed like they facilitated an environment that catered for mediocre results. It was OK if someone didn't show up for a training session, it was just fine if athletes were always late, and the athletes never got to have any input in the general program, races or training sessions. There was no commitment, no connection, no high performance attitude. It may work for some, which is why I classified them under the good, not bad category. It didn't work for me though, as I was seeking greatness.

The great

I had a handful of great coaches while I was racing, but there is one that made the most impact. When I was 18, a running coach told I can keep doing what I was doing and be a good runner, or I can make some changes and become a significantly better runner. I didn't really think twice - I jumped with both feet into a training program that completely took me out of my comfort zone... and it payed off.

That coach had this amazing ability to get the most out of me. He gave me feedback without sugar coating anything and without BS. He was passionate about running, coaching, going faster, and he was tough: It was either GO time, or GO HOME time. He didn't only make me a better and faster runner, he continuously made me step out my comfort zone, he innovated and he engaged me in the process, which is something that made a world of difference. He had a 'go out there and WIN' mentality that I loved, and I ran faster and faster as a result.

Now, go back to the top of this post and read the first paragraph again. If you are an athlete, what kind of coach are you looking for? Obviously, a coach that I classified as bad or good may be classified as a great coach by another athlete! If you are a coach, what kind of attitude do you have towards coaching?

One thing to remember though, is that there are no right or wrong answers here. For example, the coach I classified as great, had the same attitude towards training and racing as me, which is why it worked, but I am pretty sure he would have scared away a beginner runner and they would have classified him differently than I have...

Take home message here? If you’re an athlete looking for a coach, do your homework to find the right coach for you. Ask a prospective coach the right questions and find the right coaching fit. The same thing applied if you're a coach!

Coconut/banana cookies

2010-01-21T22:55:00.000-08:00

These little cookies are grain & gluten free, but so good! The recipe that follows is my second try at making these. The first try tasted great, but the texture wasn't right... so I went back to the drawing board, added a few things and viola! A significant improvement! Try them and let me know what you think :)

What you need

1/3 cup coconut flour
2 tbsp almond flour
1 ripe banana, mashed
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp non sweetened almond milk
1 tsp hemp hearts
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cocoa powder
Unsweetened shredded coconut, for rolling

How to

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees
Combine wet ingredients well and add to the dry ingredients. Mix well
Create little balls with the dough and roll in the shredded coconut
Place on a cookie sheet and flatten with your fingertips
Bake for ~10-12 minutes

Mine looked like this:

Back on the bike!

2010-01-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

I took a Stevens cross bike for a test ride today. I decided it would be a great idea to try out a cross bike while coaching the boys (Leif, Kamal, Derek & Nick).

It was awesome!

I haven't been riding much (OK, at all) for a few months because I was trying to pick up my running miles, but last week I jumped back on my trusty Scott for a very short ride. It felt awful! I felt uncoordinated and just couldn't get comfortable. It felt like it has been too long since I rode my bike: kind of a wake up call! I really love riding bikes, so I decided that I need to find the balance between achieving my running goals and my love to anything with 2 wheels and no engine.

On Tuesday morning, I headed to Horus Bikes in Vic West with Leif as they will be helping him out with a bike, and there it was. A beautiful Stevens cross bike (you may have seen Katie Compton ride one of those), their top of the line model... all shiny and pretty... in my size too! You can't go wrong with German engineering, right? So I took it for a spin today and rode some of the Mt Doug trails with the boys, while they were warming up and cooling down. It was so responsive! It did everything I wanted it to do and since I haven't done cross riding or mountain biking for a few years, its not my technical skills, its definitely the bike! I will take it for another spin tomorrow and then take it back... :( I really want to get it, but my bank account might not be able to handle that one right now!

A recipe for gluten free/grain free coconut cookies coming in the next post...

N

Questions, questions, questions...

2010-01-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

Every now and then I get a random email from someone I don't know very well asking training related questions, or get asked questions when I run into people at a race, at the clinic during a bike fit, etc... The questions are typically along the lines of 'what should I focus on leading up to my Ironman race?' or 'how many hours a week should I run?' and 'what intensity should I train at?'. My answer is typically 'I don't know', solely because I don't have all the information I need about the person.

I have said it before, and will say it again, this time in bold & capital letters:

IT DEPENDS

Obviously, some principles remain the same. The human body adapts to stress in a similar way, you are not as unique as you may think you are... In saying that: the other stresses in your life may not be the same as your friends/training buddies.

Someone who does not work and has all the time in the world to train & recover from workouts will get a different answer than someone who has to juggle work, family and other commitments. Than there is age, goals, schedule, family, priorities, training & racing history, health issues, etc...

All these factors are things I need to know before giving you an answer. I don't like making assumptions and you don't want to get an answer based on assumptions (Oops, this is an assumption too. Maybe you do want to get an answer based on assumptions? If that is the case, post your question on a chatline/forum instead of emailing me...).

I have written a couple of similar posts before, here and here, and something tells me this is not the last post on this topic... I don't do anything generic, not training plans and not answers to questions. I will, however, answer your questions if you answer mine first :)

N

Update & running training camp!

2010-01-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a week since I posted my Do-Not-Do-List for 2010, and so far I have made some progress. For example, instead of checking my email every 5 seconds, I have managed to reduce the frequency to only every 10 seconds. Progress, even small, is a good thing, right? and old habits seem to die hard. I calculated that if I reduce the frequency by 5 seconds a week, I might check my emails at a 'normal' frequency by the end of the decade. Hmmm... Haha.

I will also resume the work on the new & improved website this week. I contacted the company that started the work last fall and we will pick thing off where we left them. I'm pretty excited about it!

As for everything else? Its in the works...

If you have set some running related goals for the new year, we have the camp to get you jump started! Scott Simpson and I are running a technique focus running camp in two weeks. For more information, either email me or go here! It will be a great camp!

Noa

My Do-Not-Do-List... for 2010

2009-12-28T23:59:00.000-08:00

About a week ago I got this RSS feed via email... and then, a couple of days later, I got this one too. I like Danielle LaPorte's ideas, writing and the energy that they seem to generate... If that sort of thing is your cup of tea (and even if it may not be...) her website, White Hot Truth, is worth a visit. I sure am glad I found it!

Her first blog post kind of got me thinking. She posted these following questions:

1) What are you deeply passionate about?
2) What are you are genetically encoded for — what activities do you feel just "made to do"?
3) What makes economic sense — what can you make a living at?

Hmmm... kind of makes you think, right? Ideally, you should answer these questions with a yes in relation to your work. But how many people do you know who can do that? I am lucky enough to answer all these questions with a big yes and also surround myself with plenty of people who can do that same, something that makes me very grateful. If there is one thing I can't stand, is people who dislike their line of work, place of work, etc... If you don't like what you are doing - Change it & stop complaining! I realize it is not an easy thing to do, but it can be done with passion, creativity and hard work. It's a process, and it is worth it.

Another thing that caught my attention was the Do-Not-Do-List. It was an interesting change from the traditional To-Do-List, which is pretty easy to create, and always seem to go a mile long and then multiply. Or maybe it's just me?! :)

So, without further adieu, here is my Do-Not-Do-List for 2010 (with some suggestions from that 2nd blog post)!

1. I will stop checking my emails every 5 seconds. I know. Can you imagine me without checking my blackberry every 5 seconds?! Hard to do... I only checked my emails a couple of time a day when I was in Nanaimo over Christmas and the email gods didn't punish me for neglecting them... so it's all good. It won't be easy, and I will likely go through a withdrawal period, but I'm sure I will make it!
2. I will stop trying to do things I do not know how to do properly. And by that, I mainly mean I will get my websites professionally done asap. I have tried fiddling with things on my own and the results have been basic at best and disastrous and extremely frustrating at worst. I will continue doing what I am good at, and let web designers do what they are good at. As far as I'm concerned, it is a win-win situation.
3. I will stop leaving twitter/facebook/email open while working. So much time can be wasted browsing facebook and twitter... Its sad how addictive these sites can get!
4. I will stop doing excessive amounts of free work. This one comes with some sort of a disclaimer - I volunteer my time and knowledge to help several athletes. I enjoy doing that, and that will not change. However, I can not do that all the time, for everyone... I need to eat too, right? The problem is: I LOVE what I do and it just doesn't seem like work, so I find it hard to invoice people for my time and knowledge. Silly, right? Well, it stops now. Although I will be the first to admit I still have a lot to learn (who doesn't have a lot to learn?!), I am good at what I do and should get paid for doing it.
5. I will stop traveling with a knapsack. I actually managed to bruise my shoulder pretty badly carrying a 20kg knapsack around Paris and Oslo this year... Never again! I think it is time to buy myself a real suitcase... One of those with a handle and wheels. Yap, the grown up kind ;-)
6. I will stop putting others needs ahead of mine. This one kind of relates to #4, but goes deeper than getting paid... I do have the tendency to try and help those around me before I help myself... For example - replying to a million emails right away instead of going for a run. I mean, what will happen if I reply to an email a few hours later?! Nothing. If anything, I will be more productive after a great run! Also, it will ease the stress... which again - will increase productivity so I can help more athletes. I like this one :)

I think that is about it for my Do-Not-Do-List. I could share my To-Do-List, but since it is pretty long, I bet everyone who actually made it this far reading this blog post would fall asleep. I have several FUN projects on the go, and I will share them all as they materialize. Please feel free to share your Do-Not-Do-List for 2010!

Happy New Year!!

Noa

PS. Here are a couple of pics from Nanaimo!

Some recipes as posted on my other blog...

2009-12-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

I figured it might be a good idea for me to link my two blogs in some way... so below are the recipes I posted on my other blog thus far.

Fruit & nut bites
Beets & oranges salad
Breakfast quinoa #1
Breakfast quinoa #2
Butternut squash & roasted red pepper soup
Zucchini & kale soup
Home made muesli

There are many more to come to visit Fueling Endurance Performance every now and then :)

Noa

I can't really think of a fitting title!

2009-12-12T21:11:00.000-08:00

I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) ~5 years ago. I haven't had a relapse for around 9 months, until several weeks ago. It took me until today to realize what was going on, but induced by some stress, I have experienced some of those all too familiar symptoms... Not a lot of fun, a little disturbing, but in the end - I am OK with it. Over the years, I managed to come up with my own way of dealing with relapses so they don't last for very long before I am back to my usual self.

The diagnosis was made in January 2005. Prior to that, I was waiting for an appointment with an endocrinologist for about 1 month (they got me in FAST), and that was after far too many visits to the doctor's office for countless blood tests and urine samples. My cortisol levels were off the charts and my doctor (who was a very accomplished sports doctor) said he had never seen anything like that before. Hmmmm.... not a good sign.

At that point, I wasn't training at all anymore: my doctor made me stop so I didn't cause further damage and my days were filled with sleeping for ~16 hours/day anyways... Kind of backwards, eh? I could have slept for longer as I was always extremely tired and in pain, but couldn't afford to take the time off work. Thank goodness it was summer (I lived in New Zealand back then!) and I was on break from school until late Feb.

CFS is also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), which is a more fitting name in my opinion as it means nervous system inflammation involving muscle pain. Whatever you want to call it, it wasn't fun at all, and I had symptoms for well over 12 months before the diagnosis and then for over a year afterward... For more information, you can go to Canadian CFS/ME site.

I recovered with the help of some very light exercise (I had to lie down after 30 very easy minutes on the trainer. Kind of depressing because I used to train for 25+ hours/week and race at a high level...), proper nutrition and some therapy. I can say I am at about 85%-90% of where I was before CFS/ME and these are actually considered really good odds!!

My story goes well beyond the above info, into some of the reasons why I ended up with CFS/ME (eating disturbances, training with chronic cold/flu and some over-training), but I will not get into all of that as It does not make a very exciting read. A sad read perhaps, but not an entertaining one.

I would like for CFS or ME awareness to increase. Most people don't understand what it is and how people's lives are affected. In addition, I am sure I am not the only athlete who's athletic career ended because of CFS/ME (in my case, before it really started - I was only 23 when I was diagnosed). If you know anyone, especially athletes, who suffer from CFS/ME please leave a comment. I would like to connect with others who have experienced something similar.

Strength & technique training camp

2009-12-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

I have teamed up with elite runner (former Canadian 10km champion) and physiotherapist Scott Simpson to deliver a running specific training camp designed to help runners and triathletes of all ability levels and age groups.

Dates: January 15th – 17th 2010

Location: Victoria, BC

Camp Focus: Injury prevention, core stability, Strength, Endurance, technique and efficiency

Camp Features: Personal video analysis (including CD and Dartfish analysis), 4 coached running sessions, 1 strength & conditioning session, 3 education workshops and more!

Coaches: Noa Deutsch & Scott Simpson

Cost: $220 by December 2oth

$250 after December 20th

Space is limited! Contact me for more information and/or download the information poster.

Today at Cedar Hill... in pictures

2009-12-03T15:52:00.000-08:00

The boys are getting the work done. I met Kamal, Derek, Nick and Leif for a run session at the Cedar Hill recreation centre this afternoon and had them run a timed lap around the golf course, just to see where they are at right now. It's not the easiest lap to run, to say the least, but they are all right on track.

Then they did some hill reps... I wanted to see what happens to their form when they are tired. I am pretty sure they did not like me all that much by the end of the session, but I will take that as a compliment :)

Conserving Madrona Farms

2009-11-25T19:22:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to write a post about this topic for some time now, but I haven't been very good with the whole blogging thing lately and AdamO beat me to it... Click here to learn a bit more about how you can help save this awesome place...

I buy my veggies there when I can and their produce is definitely superior to what you get at the grocery store! If you don't believe me, try it for yourself... :)

A blog post with some updates coming soon.

Noa

A new adventure

2009-11-04T15:58:00.000-08:00

So school is done. The exam went pretty well and it is starting to sink in that its all over. It feels a bit odd not having to write assignments anymore... but it is now time to continue applying the knowledge and experience I have gained. I look at it as a new adventure :)

As mentioned previously, I started a new blog/website and finally managed to update the services page… I still have to work on the “presentation” (ie. add more pictures, etc…), but all the info is now posted.

As a special treat, I am offering 15% off all sports nutrition services during November and December. Since team members get 15% off as it is, you guys will receive 20% off. Contact me for details (pt_performancetraining@yahoo.ca)

Noa

The waiting game...

2009-10-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

I am waiting for an exam. I know, it is kind of a random thing to wait for, right? The exam will be emailed to me between 3:25 and 3:35pm on Sunday afternoon and I will need to complete it by 3:30pm on Monday.

It will be a long day... yet I am still both nervous and excited for it. I guess it is because it means I will be done with my post graduate studies in sport nutrition! I doubt I will take a significant break from school. In fact, I already know what my next school related adventure will be (Likely starting in May 2010).

But I am not just sitting around waiting for my exam... I am also working on a few pretty exciting projects right now and I will post updates as they take shape.

1) The first one is the new sports nutrition blog mentioned in my previous post...

2) The second one is the new office space. I had an interesting meeting with my realtor today and he had an exciting idea. He told me it may be a long shot, in an attempt to keep my expectations low so I will not be disappointed if it doesn't work out, but I am still excited about it! I can't help it... maybe its because I am an optimist? Maybe it is because I believe everything will work out as it is intended to... Time will tell.

3) The third project is a new team! We are keeping it on the DL right now, but that will change in the next few weeks.

Until next time,

Noa

A new blog!!

2009-10-17T20:03:00.000-07:00

A second blog, this time on sports nutrition related topic only! Visit www.endurancenutrition.wordpress.com.

This time, on WordPress. I figures I might as well give it a try after using Blogger for a while... for the purpose of my new blog it is better having the ability to create several pages; so far so good.

I am in the process of getting it up and running properly. I still need to get the ’services’ page updated and the hosting up and running (it will be fuelingenduranceperformance.com). In the mean time, I copied and paste one of my previous sport nutrition related posts from this blog, just to get things going…

Comment are welcome!

Noa

I have to run with this brace from now on...

2009-10-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

And it's a bit annoying...

But I am OK with it now - Im pretty happy to be running again after 2 weeks of being unable to do so. A lot of people have been asking me what is going on with my foot, so I figured it may be blog post worthy. I even attached a picture of the brace for your viewing pleasure!

It all started about 2.5 years ago, when I damaged some ligaments in my right ankle. I did a pretty good job at it too, because I was still unable to walk properly 2-3 months afterwards! I did my fair share of stability and rehabilitation exercises and everything seemed to be OK... But then a couple of weeks ago Andrew wanted to go for a swim at Thetis and I really wanted to go for a run around there while he swims... and I twisted that foot again. It didn't seem too serious at that point, I figured it will be a few days of RICE and I would be back at it. However, I got super physio Linda to take a look, just to be on the safe side, and it was pretty apparent that I damaged my calf too... To add insult to injury - my foot seem to have a lot of movement back and forth (which is not really a good thing) and it all started with that injury 2.5 years ago. Luckily, lateral stability is all good.

I started running again on Saturday, with the lovely brace pictured below. Annoying, but it's holding the talus bone where it belongs, because the ligaments around that area aren't doing that very well anymore. The part that got to me at first was the fact that it's not a temporary thing - I will need to use the brace all the time, especially when trail running. If it wasn't for the fact that it affects my running, It would actually be kind of cool having that much movement through the foot!

Butternut squash, apple and cranberry muffins - the recipe

2009-09-28T21:45:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I now only have 700 words to write. I have made pretty good progress during the day and am taking a well deserved break, until tomorrow morning. All that is left is tidying things up a bit, writing the abstract and the conclusions and I am DONE. I am pretty excited and eager to start applying what I have learned. I have a little related project that I can't wait to start... but more on that later :) For now, here is the muffin recipe mentioned in the post below.

Butternut squash, apple and cranberry muffins

1-2/3 cup spelt flour (I use spelt because it doesn't upset my stomach. I can't stomach whole wheat flour...)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp honey
1/8 cup cane sugar
1 cup butternut squash (Peel, cut into cubes, boil until soft & throw in the blender)
1/2 cup almond milk (I used vanilla flavor)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 granny smith apple (peel and coarsely grate)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Handful of dried cranberries

Well, thats it... pretty simple, and they taste great... Well, in my opinion they do :)

Butternut squash put to good use :)

2009-09-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

After an awesome breakfast at Mole post coaching at Crystal (for some, after swimming at Crystal), I made some pretty good progress on my assignment, and a little break was needed... So, what did I do with that break? I put a butternut squash to good use and now there are some butternut squash/apple/cranberry muffins baking in the oven and I have a steaming bowl of butternut squash and apple soup in front of me! Not bad for a little study break, I think :) Recipes to come, if you are interested!

Time to eat, and get back to that assignment! Only 1300 words to go...

Click on this title... a must read!

2009-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Seriously, read Jairus's latest blog post... its pretty awesome! Just go to: www.jairusstreight.blogspot.com

I need to get back to my assignment now... the LAST ONE for grad school!! I will blog after Wed, as I realized I have not done so in over 3 weeks!

IMC 09

2009-09-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Ironman Canada was a tough day this year. The heat and the smoke made things a bit tough... Most of my athletes achieved their goals, 10 out of 11 finished, all within 15 hours. Well done guys!

Kudos to both winners, Jordan Rapp and Tereza Macal who seemed to race smart and completely dominated the race. A shout out to Jasper Blake who ran through most of the pro field to claim 4th. That was pretty awesome to watch Jazz!

A friend who raced (congrats Kim!!), mentioned that she saw one of the pro women grabbing a phone from a spectator and calling it a day at OK Falls. Her comment was that she did not realize it was even a possibility to phone someone and stop if your day is not going according to plan... Her comment hit the nail right on the head. I think that unless you are going to cause harm to yourself, you should get to that finish line. The pro athletes set an example to the AG racers, weather they like it or not. There are so many age group athletes that have a bad day and end up walking the marathon, but they get the job done and make it to the finish line...

33 out of 40 pro men finished the race this year. I am certain that many of them had a very good reason to DNF, but I saw a few of them after the race walking around looking pretty fresh... it made me wonder why they did not get to the finish line? Was it because they were not having a good day and decided to cut their losses and call it the day?

On the other hand, 2 young rookie pro athletes from Victoria had a pretty rough day out there, but they finished. They showed courage, heart and dedication and I am certain that there are great things ahead for those two. As Adam's coach, I am very proud of him for never giving up and getting the job done. It brought me to tears to see him on the run, as I have never seen him suffer like that. But he just kept going, knowing that it was not his day... he finished his first Ironman as pro athlete and proved that he truly deserves to race in that division. Same goes to Steve (who I do not coach) - keep doing what you have been doing so far... There is no doubt in my mind that when all the pieces of the puzzle slide into place you will be unstoppable.

Grain free banana blueberry loaf

2009-08-19T22:28:00.000-07:00

I have a freezer full of bananas. I always seem to get more bananas than I can eat, and they end up in the freezer doomed to be used in baking (not that there is anything wrong with that...). I also happen to have a fridge full of blueberries, because kamal gave me a pretty big box of them before he left for Kelowna on Saturday.

So I decided to try something a bit different. I could have baked a "normal" loaf. You know, that kind with sugar, flour and eggs... but I try and avoid wheat products as much as I can (although I have to admit I do not avoid it 100%...), so I was looking for something a bit more creative.

What you need:
3 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup honey (I used 1/4 Babe's honey, 1/4 blueberry honey)
1 1/2 cups almond meal
3/4 tbsp baking powder
3/4 tbsp baking soda
1/4 cup organic shredded coconut
1 cup blueberries
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cinnamon
I also threw in some white chocolate chips, for good measure :-)

The end result turned out VERY tasty, but I made a few mistakes along the way...

1. To start off with, I should have used a bit more almond meal, perhaps closer to 2 cup.
2. Since I really do have A LOT of blueberries in my fridge, I kind of just threw them in without adhering to my initial planning of 1 cup. I measured everything else properly, but not the blueberries... and I added too many. Oh well... they are rich in Quercetin, which shows strong anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-pathogenic effects and a relationship to improved endurance performance. But enough with the science talk (even if it was pretty brief) - back to the loaf...
3. I should have baked it as bars, not a loaf...
4. I guess I can try adding a couple of eggs as well...

The above mistakes aside, there is hope for this recipe - I am sure my next try will turn out a lot better. At least I know it will taste SO good once it is perfected. I will try again when I get back from Kelowna/Salmon Arm/Revelstoke/Penticton at the beginning of September and keep you posted.

In the mean time, if there are any bakers out there reading this blog, please feel free to make some suggestions :-)

It depends.

2009-08-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Last year of Uni at Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand. Degree program - sports coaching. A professor introduces students to a case study about an athletes' racing performance. Limited information is provided, but the professor is asking the students for their thoughts on the matter...

You would think that the students will start providing suggestions to help the athlete in question, right? Well, you guessed wrong. The students are smarter than that... they have stepped into that trap before by the same professor, and they will not make the same mistake again. The correct answer is "it depends". Since only limited information was provided, it is very hard to see the complete picture and a lot more information is needed before any kind of suggestion can be made.

When making suggestions without knowing an athlete inside and out, you are making assumptions. The word 'assume' can be broken down as followed: ass-u-me. Don't assume anything, you will not be helping anyone.

Thanks Lynn... best prof ever :-)

In other news, Myke posted his Stormy 50mile race report!

Myke at Stormy 50 mile...

2009-08-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

Myke run the Stormy 50 mile event today - his first 50 mile race. 6000 ft of elevation gain on the trails of Squamish... in a time of 7 hours and 48 minutes (Thats 5:48 min/km!). At 22 years of age, he was the youngest racer and with only 2 ultra's under his belt that is a pretty amazing achievement.... I am a very proud coach right now :-)

I am sure he will post a race update on his blog in the next few days...

2 posts back to back!

2009-08-06T23:04:00.000-07:00

Translation - I am procrastinating... ;-)

Even though things have been insane in the last few weeks, I have been running on a regular basis. My right calf has been bothering me a bit in the last few days, so I have taken a couple of days off running and used the torture device, aka Trigger Point. It feels a lot better, but I'll book myself an appointment at the clinic tomorrow, just to be on the safe side. Its pretty handy working at a physiotherapy clinic, I'll definitely miss that!!

I will likely put my ego in my back pocket and enter some road running races next winter, just for fun. I am starting to really miss racing and I think I'm OK with being a non competitive athlete. Im saying that now, but at the back of my mind I know I am way too competitive for the whole 'racing for fun thing'... and I will likely try and get closer to some of my old PB's, which will not be an easy task as I used to run A LOT and wasn't too bad either... haha. We will wait and see how things unfold!

Oh yeah, I have a blog? I almost forgot...

2009-08-06T20:07:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since my last blog update. Too many people have dropped hints that this blog needs some serious updating, so here goes! I apologize if this is a bit all over the place...

The last 3 weeks have been busy (But what else is new...) The Penticton training camp in the middle of July went very well and everyone got some solid training in. About a week after coming back to Victoria from the camp, my mom was here visiting for a week. I only get to see her once a year, so thats always a very full on visit. It was so good to spend some quality time with her, but now that she's gone it is time to play some more catch up and start working on my next project.

Here are some pictures from the camp:

A few days ago, someone asked me when I am moving to the US of A. Well, for those interested, I am not moving anywhere any time soon. I will be graduating with a post graduate diploma in sports nutrition at the end of October (official graduation is in Switzerland at the end of March), and was thinking about doing an MSc conversion, as that will only take less than 1 year. My first choice for that was the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, but I am not ready to leave Victoria at the moment... so instead I will be enrolling at a pretty different program, on a part time basis, here in Victoria. But more on that later... Instead of moving to the US of A, I will be moving from my current office location in Brentwood bay to another, yet to be decided location. I am in the process of looking for some commercial space, which is pretty exciting! The process will likely take several months but I am looking forward to it.

Till next time...

Apparently I look pretty tired

2009-07-14T16:57:00.000-07:00

A short interaction with the receptionist at my office this afternoon as I walked thorugh the door:

Her: Noa, I think your makeup has smudged under your eyes a bit.
Me: What? But I'm not wearing any make up...
Her: Oh... Are those black circles under your eyes? Are you tired?

Hmmmm.... Despite sleeping in this morning (8:30am is a sleep in for me!), I guess I was still looking a bit tired! Feeling tired as well, but I didn't think it was that bad... haha. Back to replying to emails and coaching later this evening :-)

Some pictures from Paris and Oslo...

2009-07-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have been back in Victoria for a week now and it has been a bit overwhelming; I am still playing catch up! On top of the normal coaching/bike fitting/consulting work load (including a couple of days doing bike fits in Comox), I had an assignment due on Friday. Add in jet lag and lack of sleep and you get one exhausted me! I think things are back to normal now, which is good.

Some pictures from my day in Paris

Some pictures from Oslo

From sqwracing

2009-07-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Support two very important charities... visit Simon's blog at www.simonwhitfield.blogspot.com for more details!

Oslo trip... quick summary!

2009-06-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am in Oslo for the ECSS (European College of Sport Science) annual conference at the moment... This is just a really quick summary of events so far. Too tired for all the details at the moment. More to come, but a bit is better than nothing.

Victoria 1/2 IM & sprint - team did SO well!

Flight to Paris was OK, didn't get too restless and even managed to get a bit of sleep (I am usually unable to sleep on planes).

Wondered around a certain Parisian neighborhood for a few hours (I can't remember the name right now). It was pretty cool. Took lots of pictures (will post some soon).

The Paris airport REALLY sucks.

It is still light out at 11:30pm in Oslo.

The accommodation we booked was pretty messed up. There was no one there to give me a key to the apartment and I only managed to get in at 3am. That place was bad. Very bad... got a hotel room instead, but it was too far from the congress centre... so moved to another hotel this morning.

Bruised my right shoulder from carrying my 20kg bag around Oslo. Yap, it is bruised... I really need to get myself one of those real suitcase, and stop overpacking!!!

The sun is shining at around 3am.

Cab driver from hell this morning. Seriously. Got out of that cab after he only drove for about 50m because he kind of scared me!

Good presentations today - started at 9, finished at 18:30. Pretty full on!

I like Oslo. It has a good vibe. Too bad it is so expensive (at least I was warned...)

Norwegian Olympic training centre visit tomorrow evening, after another full day of presentations.

Thats it for now... more details to come at some point :-)

N

Leaving on a jet plane tomorrow...

2009-06-20T23:10:00.000-07:00

Well, packing is about 90% done, other than some odd and ends that will be taken care of tomorrow morning. I am seriously an over packer and I have decided that is OK! No point in fighting it, as it seems to be a losing battle anyhow. Every time I travel, I am determined to pack light only to find myself taking too many things. I think it might be better to be an over packer than an under packer, so it is all good. Almost everything on my to do list is done too, which is awesome! There are some things that I didn't really get to, but thats what the flight is for :-)

Tomorrow is a busy busy day. About 10 athletes from the team will be racing the Victoria 1/2 IM (and sprint), so that makes it a pretty early start to a pretty long day. After the race, I will be heading home to get my bags, then head to the ferries to catch the 5pm ferry to Vancouver. My flight leaves at 11pm from Vancouver to Paris, then I have 1 night and most of the next day to wonder around Paris before I catch my charter flight to Oslo. I am scheduled to arrive in Oslo around midnight (on the 23rd) and we have a workshop with a prof from Otago University in NZ at 8am the next day! Ouch! The conference registration starts at 10am (I think) and then we will get a few hours of free time before the first symposiums/presentations start that afternoon. For the next few days after that, it is about 9am to 5pm of cramming knowledge into my brain. Exciting stuff!! If you have any questions, especially in the area of sports nutrition, feel free to post a comment and ask them as I will have access to some smart sports scientists with lots of experience in their areas of expertise. I definitely plan on asking lots of questions while I am away.

Well, time to get some sleep... I will do my best to post on a somewhat regular basis while I am away (pictures, as the bare minimum...).

N

A really good post -

2009-06-15T15:18:00.000-07:00

From the guys at the Science of Sport blog. The paragraphs below are taken directly from that post. I think they hit the nail right on the head with this one!

"The value of science lies not in the content it brings to the coach and athlete, though this is of course still valuable if applied correctly. What is infinitely more important is that the person who is applying content appreciates HOW they know what they know, because this gives them the ability to develop hypotheses and critically evaluate their observations.

And that is what good science TENDS to deliver and create in people - the ability to ask questions, measure variables and then answer the question. This SHOULD be a quality that good science adds to the athlete. Sadly, as we show in South Africa, it doesn't happen often, and the sports science we have created rather tells elite athletes that they are average because their VO2 max is not as high as it should be".

Is our attitude in Canada different from the attitude in South Africa? Unfortunately (generally speaking), it probably isn't.

Take what you wish from these paragraphs. On a personal note, they highlight why I chose to focus on coaching after university rather than focus on sport science (i.e.. Working in a lab). I had a choice - I could keep working in a lab doing lactate, V02max tests, etc all day long, or I could keep working with athletes directly. I would like to think I have the ability to ask questions, measure variables and then answer the questions to improve the performance of the athletes I work with.

To read the full post, go here: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2009/06/sports-science-and-management-strategy.html

A random update...

2009-06-13T22:23:00.001-07:00

I am heading to Oslo on the 21st, for the European College of Sport Science conference. On top of the normal conference schedule, we have additional sports nutrition workshops scheduled and get the opportunity to pick some of the most brilliant brains in the area of sports nutrition. I can't wait... only 8 more sleeps! Yes, I said it before and I will say it again: I am a geek. Might as well just admit it, right?

Running has been going pretty well and I have an idea of what races I want to do. I still feel a bit uncoordinated and heavy compared to where I used to be when I was racing and it is pretty hard to just put that at the back on my mind of focus on here and now. The reality is that I just don't have the strength to hold good technique at the moment, but it will come with consistency and patience. I am progressing things very slow mainly because I have had the tendency to do too much too early in the past... I don't really get injured when I do that, but I do seem to get a relapse of CFS and thats really not a lot of fun!

I have been thinking a bit about CFS lately and the fact that it is still an illness that very few have any idea what it is all about. It is significantly more than just being extremely fatigued all the time!! I have been thinking about ways to create a bit more awareness and support for CFS patients and have come up with a couple of ideas. Implementing those ideas might have to wait until I am done with grad school at the end of October, but I will dedicate a post to explaining what CFS is all about and how it has affected me (and still does) sometime soon.

My team is as awesome as always. The latest race report - Myke ran the Great Walk 64km (Gold River to Thasis) last Saturday and won it by about 20 minutes in a time of 5:13:58, which is the fastest winning time in 6 years. Thats an average of ~4:58 min/km... not too bad for a 22 year old, eh? Kamal is racing Wasa tomorrow and then there is the Victoria half ironman on the 21st.

Did I mention that there are only 8 more sleeps till Oslo?! Not that I'm counting or anything... ;-)

N

Sunny Victoria!!

2009-06-01T21:26:00.001-07:00

3 runs in a row... haven't done that in a LONG time... they were all pretty short (~30 mins), but since I haven't run at all for almost 2 weeks (and not a lot at all before that...), it is a good start. I should have spaced them out a bit more because my right calf was starting to go... its my weak spot as I tore 3 ligaments on that ankle 2 years ago. In my defense, the plan was to go for a bike ride, but Andrew dragged me out for a little run instead. He is A LOT faster than I am, so the pace was probably seriously slow for him, but he persevered :)

It was nice to run in the sun around beacon Hill park. I don't run there often enough, so it was a nice change of scenery. Other highlights (aside from the great company and fantastic weather) were Matt and Amber driving by (probably shocked to see me running!) and giving a little friendly yell, the sighting of Kyle and Lauren looking super strong on their run and the yummy Ethiopian food from the Cook St food court.

We also went to the ocean, for some ice time... I lasted a total of 45 seconds, if that. Andrew did much better than me. Its not fair though, he has more practice... haha! The ocean is freazing!! I guess thats the point, right?! I'll get my mental toughness back sometime soon, I promise!

A busy day of racing on Vancouver Island

2009-05-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am still around... I am now determined to re-surface and post some semi regular updates, at the very least. Lets start with yesterdays racing... 14 team athletes races at different locations on the island. 8 athletes took part in the Shawnigan Lake races, 4 competed at the Oak Bay half marathon and 2 raced the TriK in Comox.

Shawnigan Lake
Sprint - Kamal was 2nd, after a bit of a rough weekend... (his race report can be found at www.kamalrae.blogspot.com) and Dave won his age group.

Olympic - Matt and Amber both had solid performances, and Matt didn't complain (too much) about the fact that he had to ride his bike home after the race... Andrea (coached by Carolyn) is new to triathlon, so that was her first Olympic distance race and she did great!

Half Ironman - Nick had a solid swim and bike, and posted a new PB (His race report can be found at www.gotaero.blogspot.com). Mike's hard work has been paying off and he posted a new PB as well. I am sure he will post a race report on his blog too, at some point... (hint, hint Mike!!). Sara (coached by Carolyn) is new to the sport and had a great race in her first go at the half ironman distance.

Oak Bay half marathon
Adam's decision to race was a bit of a last minute one, and he had a very descent run clocking 1:16, after a few tough weeks. Melissa (who I am coaching in cooperation with Jim Finlayson), had a solid run, and Pat finished with a new PB. Myke and the Peninsula Runners relay team won the relay division.

TriK
In Comox, Bert had a solid race, and Pascale was crowned the fastest chick in the Valley, winning the OA title and her AG.

Good day... I was pretty shuttered by the time the day was done, and I wasn't the one racing! However, the racing bug may have been caught. We will see how things unfold this time around :)

Time to dust the cobwebs off this blog...

2009-05-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

And post something. Anything. Preferably something interesting... the only problem is that nothing really interesting happened in the last couple of weeks! It has been a lot of the usual stuff, with a typical day being compromised of the following:

bike fittings
Coaching
Program design
Athlete meetings
Video analyzing
The occasional run or bike ride
Spending time with friends
School work

Oh, yeah... I occasionally get some sleep and a few bites to eat too... ;)

I have been working a lot, in an attempt to pay my tuition and book my trip to Oslo for the European Sport science Conference at the end of June. Its pretty expensive to fly there and to stay there. It was cheaper to fly to China last August! I do feel like I have finally found some balance, so I am pretty excited about that :)

I do have a few informative posts (in my opinion...) in the works, all in the area of sports nutrition. I should probably add 'informative blog post writing' to the list above... Hopefully it will take me less than 2 weeks to post them!

Until net time...

Noa

back to posting...

2009-04-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

It is definitely spring in victoria... I was introduced to a beautiful spot along the water, that I had no idea actually existed... I was pretty glad I brought my camera along! A few pictures below.

Kate ran the Boston marathon yesterday. It was her 2nd marathon and she finished in a time of 3:38:54 and a ~10 minute PB. Well done! She writes pretty funny race reports, maybe she will let me post her report here sometime this week...? TC 10km is this Sunday, should be a good race for the team!

I also know where I will finish my masters degree... I think it deserves a separate post when I have more information.

I love running in the rain!

2009-04-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

I love running in the rain, pretending I can run in between the drops, so I don't get wet. I also love jumping in the puddles and pretend I am still a kid. But what I love most, is how running clears my head. Its my time to think, reflect and come up with new and creative ideas and plans.

Tonight was no exception... I jumped in puddles, run between the rain drops (it didn't work, I still got pretty wet!) and did some thinking. What was I thinking about, you may ask? About racing an ultra. Im not entirely sure why I was thinking about that... I still don't think the timing is right, but then again my fitness level is no where close to where it needs to be for running 50 miles anyways... so the plan is to enjoy the process of getting fit so I can start training for an ultra. I call it my pre ultra running plan and Im pretty excited about it! Now lets see what the process will bring :)

What I have learned in March...

2009-03-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

And a few things I would like to learn in April! So, here is what I have learned in March:

1. I am not superwomen. I know, what a shock, eh? I wish I could just be ON 24/7 but does not seem to be possible... so I have learned to be kind to myself and take a bit of down time every now and then

2. Short hair is so much better that long hair!!!

3. I still remember how to swim... and everything is coming back pretty fast too :) (thank you A for dragging me to the pool at the beginning of the month)

4. I love coaching and bike fitting! I am reminded of that on a daily basis... and I am grateful for having the ability to make a living of something I enjoy so much. I also love my grad school studies, I just don't really like paying tuition... haha

Things I want to learn in April:

1. The April lectures for school are about nutrition strategies for track and field athletes, so I want to learn more about that!

2. I want to know who actually reads this blog! I know my parents, friends and most of my athletes read it, but who else?! Make a comment, say hello if you read it :)

3. I want to continue learning how to balance work, friends, swim/bike/run, hobbies, etc... It's an ongoing kind of thing :)

Im not sure what else... but I am certain opportunities to learn new things will come up... they always do :)

What's new?

2009-03-27T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Comox half marathon was a great race for Audrey, running 1:43:10 and placing 9th in the F45-49 AG. Thats a PB by over 4 minutes! It definitely gave her a confidence boost, and I was a very happy coach when I got her message :)

Next weekend, Gord and Adam will toe the start line at the New Orleans 70.3. It will be Adam's first race as a pro, which is pretty exciting! The mens field will be very strong, so it will be a great experience.

Next up, towards the end of April, Kate will be heading to the Boston marathon and some of our athletes will be racing at the Delta triathlon.

Things have been pretty busy this month and March is just flying by! I have done 22 bike fits so far this month, and I have 4 more booked between now and April 1st. That is in addition to coaching 20+ athletes, and staying on top of my school work. Im doing pretty well on the school work front, which basically means that I am not too far behind on listening to my lectures, etc. Sometimes I wish I had actual classes to go to, instead of doing everything online, but most of the time I'm pretty grateful for the flexibility of distance learning.

I have been swimming a bit more (I swim every week, rather than once every 6 months!) and running and cycling, for fun. I have no racing plans... I get asked about my racing plans so often! My last race was about 5 years ago, and I don't know when my next one will be. I still have ultra-running aspirations, but the timing has to work, which hasn't happened yet. It will one day... in the mean time I am having fun working with athletes and finding balance in my life :)

Ok, time to log off and head to the office... bike fits to do :)

N

Bikes fits in Vancouver and Comox

2009-03-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

I plan on packing up my bike fitting gear and heading to Vancouver and Comox for some bike fits during the month of April... The dates are as followed:

Vancouver: April 3rd - 4th (Friday & Saturday)
Comox: April 17th - 18th (Friday & Saturday)

Cost: $75/hour
Typical duration: 1.5 - 2 hours

If you would like to book a bike fit with me, or ask questions about the bike fitting process, my approach, background, etc... please email pt_performancetraining@yahoo.ca.

Noa

No title post

2009-03-20T08:57:00.001-07:00

I think its time to update the blog! This week has gone by pretty fast too... seems to be the trend these days. Nothing too exciting happened during the week, which partially explains the blog silence. Besides, Twitter comes pretty handy for those small updates that are definitely not blog entry worthy.

The other reasons are because I have been busy (as usual) and have been battling with some fatigue too. I get pretty paranoid if I am feeling very fatigued for more than just a few days, worrying that it is a relapse of CFS. That was the case mid Feb, but it was not as disabling as 5 years ago! I was able to push through and feel like things are OK now. I feel pretty good today... I sure am looking forward to a (relatively) relaxed weekend though, before some busy times next week. My bike fitting roster is pretty full for next week, I might be able to fit another one in if you are quick to email me. If not - there is always the week after that :)

Gotta log off and head to some meetings... I got the pics I took in AZ from kamal this week, so here are some of them (oh, the sun and warmth... how I miss you!)

Happy Friday...!

Last weekend's racing...

2009-03-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

I have NO idea where this week went, it just flew by! I seriously can not believe it is already Friday...

Last weekend some of my athletes were racing at the UBC triathlon and the Bazan Bay 5km. It was a good weekend of racing... Myke already posted a report on his blog (look for it on my blogroll...), so I will only say that he had a great run finishing 2nd in the 20-24AG. 16:19 after the training I made him do that week is pretty respectful, especially for an ultra-runner! To top it off, Martin and Dean both posted PB's. It also seems like I missed the sprint of the year between Simon W and Scott S... maybe I should have gone to Bazan bay instead of UBC?!

Off the island, at UBC, Adam came in 2nd OA. I am sure he will post a race report on his blog soon (nudge, nudge Adam...), so I will not expand on that. Matt, Mike, Andrew and Amber had good races despite of freezing temperatures... Amber also came in 2nd in her AG :)

I spent the bike portion doing what I normally do while watching races: analyze athletes' bike fits, of course... (oh, and cheer people on too!). There were some good positions, some bad ones and a few that simply looked painful... I have done more than enough bike fits to know not to jump to conclusions without knowing the full story, but I sometimes get really frustrated when I know I can help someone but I can't exactly go up to that person and tell them they should let me fit them on their bike, right? (or maybe I can??). In one particular case, I know what issue that athlete has, and after seeing him ride his bike - I also know what needs to be done to fix that issue... so what do you do? Since I don't really know that person all that well, do I do nothing? Or let them know they should come see me? Hmmmm..... or maybe I should just stop analyzing athletes' bike positions while watching triathlon races? (yeah, right... like that is going to happen...).

I have 3 bikes fits to do over the weekend, so I'll just make sure those athletes are happy on their bikes, and stop worrying about fixing everyone else's bike fits, unless they want me to do so. I am slowly learning that I can't help those that do not want to be helped...

Until next time, have a great weekend!!

Noa

Just a few pictures from AZ...

2009-03-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pictures from the Arizona camp (taken using my camera). There are MANY more, that I took using kamal's camera, but I don't have those pictures yet... Hopefully I will by the end of this week!

Its sunny in Victoria, and Im looking forward to even more Vitamin D in AZ...

2009-02-19T16:50:00.001-08:00

We are heading to Arizona on Saturday morning... I have been waiting to head to a sunny location for a while now, and as a bit of a preview, the weather in Victoria has been AWESOME this week! So sunny and beautiful...

My dad was visiting this week, and I dropped him off at the ferry this morning (his flight leaves from Vancouver). On my way back into town I stopped by Trek Pro City Cycle to say hi to the boys and pick up some new bar tape. I swap my bar tape often not because it needs to be swapped, but because I get bored with the color pretty fast... Haha. I know, kind of random... but I figured it might motivate me to get back at it after taking a long break from my beloved bike. What do you know, IT WORKED! As soon as I got home, I swapped the bar tape, and headed out for a spin. I now have bright blue bar tape on my bike... I love the Fizik bar tape... it is so awesome and it comes in some GREAT colors. It was tight between bright green and bright blue... and blue won (maybe I'll get the green one next time!).

The ride was pretty awesome. Just a light spin along the water front... Felt pretty good even though I am no where near proper riding shape. I guess that is all relative though... My legs and lungs will get used to being on the bike again, and by the time I get back from riding in sunny Arizona, I am sure things will feel much better.

Well, time to get back at it... things to do and athletes to coach!

N

Cool stuff! Click HERE

2009-02-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across the blog post linked in the titled line earlier today. I think its a pretty cool idea... Unfortunately that is all I have time for on the blog front right now.

N

I miss NZ!

2009-02-12T22:36:00.000-08:00

One of my friends is flying to New Zealand for some biking around the South Island in a little bit over a week. Since the South island of New Zealand was my stomping ground for about 3.5 years, I helped her map out some routes after swimming on Sunday. The problem is, I have been NZ sick all week long!

I mainly miss the Port hills around Christchurch... so awesome for training! The best part was that I used to live less than a 10 min jog from the base of the hills. In Victoria, I have to drive to the trails. Maybe I should just move closer to some trails, that will fix it :) I am starting to think that I might just have to plan a trip to NZ. This time, not as a poor student... I guess I will have to wait at least until November, when I am done with my post grad course work. It will actually work really well, because it will be spring/summer in NZ then!!

In the mean time - here are a couple picture taken from Rapaki trail (the one closest to where I lived), overlooking the city. I really need to scan some pictures... almost all of them were taken using one of those non digital camera! WOW! Hahaha :)

Bike fits in Vancouver anyone?

2009-02-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Due to demand, I will be heading to Vancouver to do some bike fits during the month of March, and possibly for a day or two between Feb 10th and Feb 14th. I will bring the Retul 3D dynamic bike fitting tool (which I have been using for over a year) and my experience fitting hundreds of athletes, from recreation cyclists to Olympic level athletes. All you have to do is bring your bike :)

If you would like to work me to dial in your bike fit, or to get more information about me and/or my approach to bike fitting, send me an email (pt_performancetraining@yahoo.ca).

Noa

OMG... Compression garments!

2009-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ah, compression garments. A must have in every running/multisport/bike store around. Apparently they are great for the clearance of "lactic acid". That right there has put me off the idea of those said garments. My athletes keep using the term "lactic acid" now just because they know it is such a pet peeve of mine... even though they know better than that... (its not "lactic acid", its lactate... I have written enough about that topic, so I won't get into that whole debate right now. If you haven't read what I have to say on the matter, and you would like to, either browse through this blog, or just drop me a line. I will be more than happy to provide information!). But I digress... I have always had a hard time focusing on just one thing at a time!

I have seen so many athletes racing and training in compression tights and socks: it seems to be THE piece of equipment to get right now. The main reasons include comfort, increased recovery and injury prevention. This research area is relatively new, and most research related to athletic performance was done on sprinting, throwing and jumping performance, with very few studies were done on the effectiveness of compression garments on endurance performance. Early reports from the medical field indicate that compression socks and tights improved venous circulation, reduced blood pooling and enhanced fluid transfer within the lymphatic system.

Compression tights may help athletes in the propulsive phases of sprinting and may be effective at reducing some impact forces, which is important for contact sports like Rugby (I miss watching good rugby games! I'm definitely in the wrong country for that. Again, I digress...). It seems to be common thinking that compression garment (socks, sleeves...) will aid in post exercise recovery. However, very little evidence is available to support this hypothesis. There is some evidence to support that recovery after eccentric exercise (e.g. excessive downhill running) may be improved when wearing compression sleeves for 5 days post exercise, in addition to reduced swelling, and decreased perceived soreness. This pretty much means that maybe it does, maybe it does not... take your pick! It appears however, that ice baths are the most effective recovery modality. Not the most pleasant, but who said proper recovery is easy?! ;)

Studies done on endurance performance show that performance over 1 hour TT may improve with the use of compression tights, with VO2max not affected (surprise, surprise there...). Without getting into all the nitty gritty details (I am worried you might fall asleep), this may be due to increased circulation to the working muscles.

After doing a lot of reading about dehydration, weight loss during endurance events and cramps (school stuff....), I have come to the conclusion that there may be some anecdotal evidence suggesting that compression garments may have an effect on “dehydration exhaustion” during ultra-endurance events, such as Ironman. The cardiovascular effects of dehydration are apparent only during exercise in upright position. This helps to explain why the effects of “dehydration exhaustion” are rapidly reversed by lying down and are due to an inadequate peripheral circulation – impaired venous return in the standing position. This might suggest that lower body compression garments may be effective in the prevention of this condition. Please note that there is no formal research to back up this statement – just a thought.

So your next step is to way the pros and cons. Is it worth sporting those goofy looking socks? Apparently, according to Dave, if they have argyles on them in the Garmin-Chipotle colors - they are way cooler than any other kind... ;) The bottom line, in my humble opinion, is (wait for it... ) IT DEPENDS. The phrase 'it depends' was our answer to pretty much every single question we were asked by the time we reached our final semester at uni... and even though that was over 3 years ago - that is still the way I look at things. Things always depend on many factors, and nothing is black or white (see previous post...). But, once again, I seem to get off topic!

I have used the words 'may' or 'might' 8 times in this post, and that wasn't exactly by accident... Its pretty simple - compression garments MAY or MAY NOT do all those things they are claimed to do. They are certainly not going to cause any harm (other than making your wallet lighter...), and if you believe they are helping you - they probably are. After all, the placebo affect can not be overlooked...

In addition to excessively using (abusing?) the word 'may', I have also side tracked about 3 times. ADD?! Me?! NO WAY... Hahaha.

Arizona training camp

2009-01-31T11:14:00.000-08:00

Only 2 spots are available for our Arizona training camp... The dates are Feb 22 to Feb 28 (inclusive). Send me an email (pt_performancetraining@yahoo.ca) and I will forward you all the details!

Noa

Black and White? (slightly revised)

2009-01-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

I used to draw a lot a few years back. I still do, but not as much as I used to. The drawing below was created after taking A LOT of pictures while visiting Venice, Italy during the fall of 2001. I was there for the mountain running world championships, and had to check it out, as the race venue was only a few hours north of Venice. When I got back home, I edited a few of the pictures I had taken and drew 3 of them (this one is my favorite). I have always preferred black and white drawing over painting, and I think everything I ever created with a pencil is much better than anything I have ever created with a paint brush. I love the detail I can achieve and the depth I can create with just a few pencils. The detail of the drawing always seem to relax me, and the only thing that would keep me sitting still for more than 30 minutes!

I think it is pretty clear that the drawing above is NOT black and white... even though it may appear to be a black and white drawing, it is actually full of various shades of grey. Since I am passionate about both drawing and coaching, I would like to compare the two for a second (really, just a second :). Coaching, just like drawing, is not black and white... there are many shades of grey in there too! I have heard many coaches say that either a qualitative or quantitative approach should be taken when it comes to coaching (it is the same with sport science too...), and that things should be done in a certain way vs another way, etc... old school vs new school... analysis vs not analyzing at all... but how about combining approaches? What about everything in the middle? What about the individual approach? What about using experience, education and intuition? When you look at things in black and white you risk losing the grey... With any photo editing software, you can change the setting of a picture to 'grayscale' or 'black and white'. If you have never done that before (which I doubt, in our digital age...) - try it! It will become clear that when you look at things in black and white, many details disappear... those details are important to create a detailed, complete picture... in drawing and in coaching. Regardless of what approach you take, what 'camp' you associate yourself with, etc... try to open your eyes and use your experience and observation skills to see both the big picture and the small details, and listen to what your athletes have to say too... you might learn a thing or two ;)

I promised I will only compare drawing and coaching for a second, and I believe I used up that second... (I also need to get to a meeting...), so I will leave you to ponder this. Comments are welcome, as usual.

Noa

Whistler weekend

2009-01-19T18:34:00.000-08:00

5 of us ventured to Whistler for a weekend of snowshoeing (and running and swimming). Here are some pictures. Stories to follow... We got to watch the nordic combined world cup (the ski jumping part). It was AWESOME!

Some other news and rambling...

2009-01-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

The other news part of this post
The PT Performance Training coach mentoring program is now officially on its way... 6 coaches will start working under my guidance this month. If you would like to learn more about this program, send me an email!

The rambling part of this post

I don't frequent triathlon/cycling/running forums very often. In fact, I am not a big fan of them at all... but sometimes, I do stumble across them, and today was one of those times. There was one post, by a triathlete who has been experiencing tight calfs. He has an appointment with a sports doctor in two weeks and in the mean time he is posting on a triathlon forum, asking other athletes for their opinion...

I think this is a bit of a funny situation. To go on a forum/chatline and ask questions, share experiences, etc is one thing, but when it comes to injuries, etc - a forum is just not the right place! Any physiotherapist or chiropractor should be able to diagnose this athlete and give him/her exercises to treat and prevent this situation in the future (and this could have been resolved a lot faster than waiting for the doc appointment). Going to a sports doctor is nice, but not needed (in this case). I have worked with so many athletes with tight calfs... it is pretty common among triathletes and runners, and all of them got treatment and started doing some specific exercises and their calfs have been pain free ever since...

This is just one example and this is, in a nut shell, why I am not a big fan of forums... go talk to someone who is trained and have the experience to diagnose and treat injuries instead of wasting your time posting on forums, hoping that someone will have a magic pill for you to swallow and make everything all better... Besides, with all the time some athletes spend posting and following treads on various forums, they could have gotten more training in...

So, turn off your computer right now (after you finish reading this and making a comment, off course...), and go get some training in... ;) Which is exactly what I am going to do! My bike is calling my name...

Let the good (and fast) times roll!

2009-01-11T14:48:00.000-08:00

The Pioneer 8km was held today... the first road race of the season, and the first in the Island road running series. It also happened to be the 30th anniversary for the race and some of the province and nation's top runners were in attendance. I think the top 5 speaks volumes of the quality of the field: 1. Richard Mosley (23:35). 2: Jon Brown (23:38). 3: Steve Osaduik (24:17). 4: Ryan McKenzie (24:27). 5: Scott Simpson (24:34).

Our athletes did well. Since many of them (with the exception of Wayne, Lisa, Myke, and Kate) are triathletes, they definitely showed those runners how its done :) A total of 14 PT Performance Training athletes raced. Their results are as followed (alphabetical order):

Bate Suzanne: Was sick of being sick and decided that bronchitis and the flu are no match to her... and I agree :) (1:02).

Brown Kate: Over 1 minute PB from last year's race - 36:21 (36:07 according the her watch, as results are by gun time not chip time). Another great race on the road to Boston 2009!

Comisso Amber: Is getting faster and faster with a time of 40:19

Diamond David: A cyclist recently turned runner - 36:35

Enright Wayne: Yet another PB for Wayne, with a time of 37:17.

Everett Kim: right on Dave's feet with a time of 36:38.

Lisa Feeney: Took Martin's place and ran 45:03. Well done Lisa!

Harris Mark: Has been MIA recently, but finally resurfaced today to run 52:35.

LaBelle Myke: I'm pretty sure this ultra runner was hoping the race will change all of a sudden from 8km to 80km! 28th overall and 4th in the 20-24AG at a time of 27:23.

MacMillan Matt: A bit of a tough weekend... bike testing yesterday, race today... good work! Time was 35:45

O'Meara Adam: 18th overall and 6th in the 25-29AG with a time of 26:22. Nice one!

Rae Kamal: Is new to Victoria and to our team. He crossed the line at 32:13, which is a great start to the season.

Ritchie Mark: has been running well this season, and today was no exception, with a time of 29:16.

Weaver John: 33:58. Great race after a tough week of training :)

A great day for everyone!

Till next time,

Noa

Warning...

2009-01-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

This post is a bit on the cheesy side! Below are a few of my favorite quotes. They appeal to me because they are in-line with my way of thinking towards everything - coaching, training, life... read into them what you wish, and apply them to anything you like :)

"Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of the fools" (Napoleon)

"Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles" (Alex Karras)

"Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude" (Ralph Marston)

"Defeat is not bitter unless you swallow it" (Joe Clark)

"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction" (John F. Kennedy)

"Everyday may not be good, but there is something good in everyday" (Unknown)

"Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality" (Ralph Marston)

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it" (Michelangelo)

Now step away from your computer and go train :)

Noa

5 coaching related points that just don’t make sense to me…

2009-01-06T14:52:00.001-08:00

1. Imagine the following scenario: You finished a really hard running session. You are sore. The next day, your legs are still sore and you tell your coach that your legs are full of lactic acid. Now, if your coach happens to be me – I would tell you not to be silly… Why? Because lactic acid is not present in your body… what you are really referring to is actually called lactate and it is not responsible for your sore muscles, especially not the next day. Unfortunately, this is very likely going to be lost on most coaches…

2. Athletes buying expensive HR monitors so they can train at a certain zone. The only problem is that have no idea what zone trains what and where their zones are anyways. Hmmmm… Same goes for power meters… Which is worse because those are significantly more expensive!

3. Coaches making up new definitions for well established, basic exercise physiology terms, causing confusion. Sport scientist spend a lot of times making sure that there is consistency among certain definitions in the literature, and then some coaches just make stuff up! Well, how about coaches and sport scientist start working together? Wow, what a concept ;)

4. An athlete walks into a bike store and spends $9000 on a high-end bike. However, a professional bike fit is simply too expensive, because it will cost $120-180, and it doesn’t matter anyways because the bike will make him/her so much faster! Yeah, sure…

5. Drills, drills and more drills to become a better swimmer. Are they actually helping you improve your technique? It takes a lot of strength and fitness to hold good technique, and that’s mainly going to come from SWIMMING, not from doing a million lengths worth of drills (which is boring anyways!). Actually, the same goes for cycling and running…

Its almost 2009...

2008-12-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

Every year, towards the end of December and into January, I start playing the previous year in my head... look at what was good, bad, and ugly, draw some conclusions and move forward. I try not to think about past events for too long and just learn from both my mistakes and my successes.

This year is no exception...

I have been thinking about what was in 2008, but I am finding it very hard to wrap my head around all that has happened. Too much good, bad and ugly... Mostly it was good, with some bad thrown in there for some balance, and not a whole lot of ugly (just a bit...), which is good.

As I type, things become more clear and the pieces of the puzzle start sliding into place. At the end of 2007, I predicted that 2008 will be a bit of a roller-coaster ride, and it was. Perhaps I took a bit too much on, but GBGH, right? (see Dec 16th post!). I have learned who I can trust, and who I can't and since I always try to learn from my mistakes, I now have a sense of where my boundaries are. I will continue to push them in 2009, but a bit more gently this time around.

I have set some goals for 2009, and they are as big as always... In a nut shell, I will be traveling a bit more than last year and I will actually race too (running). There are more workshops, clinics and training camps planned, more coaches working with me, new partnerships, new website, and as always - a great group of dedicated athletes that are a pleasure to work with!

Happy 2009!!

Noa

Cool stuff!

2008-12-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

How sweet is that... 2x Ironman World Champion testing the outdoor Retul motion capture bike fitting system. Pretty cool, I definitely want to upgrade to that one when it is released... Until then, the normal Retul system will do very nicely :)

Watch it on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxPOxqGiRpU (watch it in high quality)

GBGH

2008-12-16T23:27:00.000-08:00

I have been looking for an abbreviation/phrase that sums up the way I coach... something short and to the point... I haven't really thought of it too much in the last few months, But while going over some of the initial templets for the new website with Carolyn earlier today, she mentioned that I should check out urbandictionary.com for a bit of inspiration and a few laughs... and she was right!

Go big or go home
I often say that I strive to go big or go home, and add that its mainly due to the fact I am not entirely sure where home is. Is it Israel? Since I grew up there, most will say that is my home. But I am not sure it feels like home. New zealand felt like home during the 3.5 years I spent there, but now I think Victoria is my home. Hmmm... But I digress!

These are 2 definitions, according to urban dictionary:

1. an expression the speaker says to the listener to encourage the listener to be extravagant, to go all the way, and do whatever you are doing to its fullest - and not flake out.
2. A phrase describing a Champion's lifestyle. A way of life. An attitude. We never go home.

So there you have it, I found my abbreviation!

GBGH.

Nice.

4 things you should sweat about :)

2008-12-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

The previous post covered 5 examples of things you should not sweat about in training. But there are a few things that are too often overlooked and that is a bit of a shame...

Bike fit
Some may say I am a bit biased as I am a bike fitter. However, I have examined the effects various bike positions have on multisport athletes' VO2max and thresholds as part of my undergraduate thesis and my results showed that even though a lot more research is needed (thats the conclusion of ANY research paper though...), different bike positions have the potential to have either a positive or negative affect on performance. Not to mention the fact that an improper bike fit can result in injury...

What really puzzles me is the fact that some athletes choose to spend more money on the latest and greatest equipment in the hopes of getting faster and more efficient, but will not devote a couple of hours to get a proper bike fit. A couple of hours with me (using the Retul system) will only cost $140, which is significantly less than the physio/chiro bill they get if they get injured and significantly cheaper than most of the parts that can make their bike lighter. A bike fit should be done on a regular basis, as things will change through out the season... So in 2009 - start thinking about your bike fit...

Season plan
It is one thing to know where you are going, but how are you going to get there? Imagine that you need to get to a specific location, but have no idea of the best route to take you there... so you try a few roads, find out that they are not right, then have to back track and try another route. This takes time and sets you back. How about planning ahead? After you come up with some goals, create a plan so you can achieve that goal. If you are not coached, don't be afraid to ask the help of a coach you trust, and if you are coached - make sure that your coach is actually planning properly.

Note that a season plan is never fixed. It is flexible and will change constantly as things come up.

Consistency
This is very important when it comes to training. The off season is very important to allow for full recovery, but taking 4 months completely off between seasons? Thats a bit too long in my opinion... However, this is very common; athletes that don't even maintain a healthy level of activity and then get back into training in January and expect to significantly improve their times from the previous year. This kind of goes back to my point about that season plan...

Nutrition
It seems that everyone is all about nutrition these days... but most end up falling into the traps of various "diets". I will not go into my thoughts about some of the common diets, I will simply say that too many athletes either pay too much attention to their nutrition (over-complicating things) or too little attention. The fact that there are so many so called nutrition experts around does not help either. A personal trainer is likely not going to have the ability to help an Ironman triathlete with his/her nutrition, and many coaches do not have the education or experience to do so either. To make matters worse, many registered dietitians do not have the training and/or experience to work with athletes. There are too few education programs in Canada (none?) that offer comprehensive sports nutrition education, separated from dietetics, which is a shame.

If you choose to figure out your nutrition needs on your own, try and read something a bit more advances that 'triathlete' magazine or VeloNews (very good magazines, but perhaps not appropriate for this purpose). If you decide to ask for help, there are better resources out there than online forums... As with anything else - choose the person you are working with wisely, according to their education and specific experience.

Just some food for thought... just in time for the new year :)

Don't sweat the small stuff...

2008-12-02T21:53:00.000-08:00

In training.... 5 points :)

1. Consistency and dedication are very important for your progress. However, if you did miss a day of training, its OK. Nothing is going to happen... the ground underneath you will not open and swallow you all of a sudden, the skies are not going to fall, and things will be just fine... so don't worry about it too much and don't try to play catch up. Just move on to the next workout and try and stay as consistent as possible!

2. If you had a 2 hour ride planned, but you were out for 2:10, it will not mess up your program. The same applies if you only rode for 1:55...

3. Imagine this - you forgot your HR monitor at home, and you end up running without it... many athletes I know will be pretty annoyed that they could not monitor their HR during their run. Same as point #1; nothing is going to happen because one session was done technology free... besides - what if you had a "no technology day", where your HR monitor/power meter, don't work all of a sudden on race day? Its important to get the feel for your pace and effort without the aid of technology...

4. Recovery and a bit of down time are important. The off season is the perfect time to clear your head, get your batteries recharged, and relax...So why do so many athletes stress out because they are not in peak condition during that time of the year?! You can't possibly be in peak condition all year round, so what is the point of stressing out about it...??

5. Control what is within your control. Since you can't control everything, there is no point in worrying about the things that there is nothing you can do about, right?

These are just a few examples of things that you should not sweat too much about. But there are also a few things that many athletes pay very little, or no attention to. Things that do make a difference. More on those later :)

N

10 random facts about me!

2008-11-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

1. I get bored very easily. I need to find new challenges on a regular basis, otherwise I get kind of edgy, and I'm not very good at hiding it.

2. I don't go to the movies because I can't sit still for 1.5-2 hours... I'm OK if I watch movies at home, where I can just pause the movie for a while. I don't actually own a DVD player though.

3. I'm great at multi-tasking. In fact, I am unable to focus on just one thing... if I don't have a few things on the go - nothing gets done. Go figure!

4. I'm a huge coffee snob and I refuse to drink bad coffee. Its very easy to find great coffee in Victoria, but it has proven to be quite a challenge in Toronto...

5. I was actually planning on doing a bachelors degree in fine arts, and move into sports science after that. Why? I really don't know. I never went to art school, so I guess I came to my senses after all.

6. I'm really not a morning person. I think it has been getting worse since my retirement from the sport of triathlon (as an athlete). At least back then I was used to swimming at 5:30am... I'm usually OK if I have (good) coffee though :)

7. I'm not a big fan of spiders. I am not really scared of them, I just don't like them very much.

8. One of my favourite beers is Leff, even though I don't drink it (or at all) very often.

9. I always try and think 'out of the box' and do things a bit different than others. That essentially means that I take a lot of risks, some of which pay off, some that don't...

10. I don't like cleaning my bike. I used to do minor adjustments and clean it on a regular basis, but not anymore...

Ouch!

2008-11-24T07:39:00.000-08:00

I spoke too soon... a few hours after my previous post, where I stated how happy I was I didn't fall while running on the slippery sidewalks of Toronto, I slipped towards the end of my afternoon run... I was trying to avoid a patch of ice, so I hopped to a spot that looked ice free (I know, a rookie mistake...) but instead of landing successfully on both feet, I landed pretty hard on my hip and right elbow. My hip is fine (I think) and there is a big gash in my elbow and it is black and blue... Ouch!

Its cold here!

2008-11-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

My younger sister just moved to Toronto from Israel 3 weeks ago, and since I haven't seen her for about 4.5 years, I hopped on a plane forgetting that it is the worst possible time of the year to head to the east coast of Canada... during the winter! Its pretty cold here, and Im not used to it. My sister however, is very excited about all the snow; its a first for her :) My Newton runners don't seem to like the sliperry sidewalks very much and I am lucky I didn't fall flat on my behind yet ;) It makes me realize once again how lucky we are in Victoria. Even though it has been great to see my sister, some famlily and one of my best friends, I am looking forward to getting back to the west coast on Tuesday... where I have endless trails for running and I can bike outside without turning into an ice cube ;)

Just a thought...

2008-11-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Are elite athletes so great because of what they do, or despite of what they do...? Just something to think about... :)

Coaching mentoring program

2008-11-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

I am not entirely sure why now, and why me, but I have been getting several enquiries from athletes who want give back to the sport and start coaching.

I believe coaching is the BEST profession, which is why I chose to take that path at a very young age (14 years old...). I recognize that as a coach, I take on great responsibility in helping athletes and I constantly seek opportunities to learn more, which is unfortunately a rare thing in multi-sport coaching. Too many coaches coach from their own personal experience, which is not a bad thing, but there is a need to remember that even though our systems are the same and as humans we will adapt to stress in the same way, there are many other things to take into account...

With that being said, due to demand, I will be starting a coaching mentoring program for interested individuals, who are dedicated and passionate about helping others achieve their goals. My goal is to provide ongoing mentoring and coaching opportunities for those who have a 'can do attitude', the willingness to listen, learn and think outside the box.

Email me if you are interested... :)

Noa

Long time no post...

2008-11-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

This past week simply flew by... I have been reflecting about the previous season... and thinking about what I want to do this coming season. Here are my top 10 moments/events/things I am thankfull for/etc... for the 07/08 season, in no particular order :)

1. Going back to school for post graduate education in sports nutrition. It is one tough program, but I am enjoying it! Half way through... Graduation is in Dec 09, at the Olympic museum.

2. Quitting my job and having fun coaching full time (and doing bike fits, testing, consulting, etc, etc...).

3. Flying to China for the Olympic sport science and medicine conference.

4. My athletes doing very well this season. I will put together some stats for another post... Many accomplishments, podiums and personal bests were achieved :)

5. Playing around with the Retul bike fitting system... what can I say, Im a geek and I love numbers!

6. My athletes racing. When my athletes race - it is as if I am out there racing too... I experience the same emotions they do: the anxiety, anticipating and excitement before a race, the feeling you get when you are working really hard, and then the feeling of satisfaction and joy at the finish line... That will probably be in my top 10 moments for next year too!

7. Surrounding myself with a great team of coaches, athletes, physiotherapists and massage therapists. You are all awesome!!

8. My family and friends, helping me out when things got a bit tough. Thank you.

9. Learning my strengths, weaknesses and limits...

10. Having fun while doing what I absolutley love!

Arizona training camp - more details...

2008-10-27T23:08:00.000-07:00

Goal: 7 days packed with training and seminars, with an emphasis on BIG miles. Aimed at advanced half Ironman athletes and intermediate to advanced Ironman athletes.

When: February 22nd to 28th 2009.

Where: Phoenix, Arizona

Cost: $550 USD, per person. Team athletes get 10% off.

For more information, send me an email and I will send you the full schedule!

Noa

Custom cycling clothing

2008-10-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand (especially the winter jackets!!)... custom cycling clothing will be ordered by November 20th.

Shorts, jerseys, jackets and hats are available. If you would like to get an item (or two), email me and I will send you a price list!

Noa

New blog

2008-10-23T13:59:00.000-07:00

A new blog for one of the PT Performance Training team members. Training and racing thoughts and experiences of rookie pro Ironman triathlete Adam O'Meara of Victoria, BC. Show your support and follow his journey towards becoming an Ironman champion!

http://adamogreenrebel.blogspot.com

Arizona Training camp

2008-10-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

Details are not 100% confirmed yet, however the dates and location are set!

February 22nd - 28th 2009, Phoenix Arizona. A week full of swimming, cycling, running, learning and fun... full details, including the training schedule and pricing will be posted early next week. In the mean time, if you are interested, please email me at pt_performancetraining@yahoo.ca

Noa

Salt intake and cramping. Are they really related?

2008-10-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

Warning - this is a long (yet interesting!) post... ;)

Water and electrolyte balance are important for the function of all organs. Water provides the medium for biochemical reactions within cell tissue and is essential for maintaining an adequate blood volume. Each body water compartment contains electrolytes. Sodium chloride is the main electrolyte in sweat, with potassium, magnesium and calcium also present in smaller quantities.

Exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMC) are one of the most common problems encountered by medical staff at endurance events, such as marathons and triathlons. EAMC is defined as a painful spasmodic involuntary contraction of skeletal muscle that occurs during or immediately after exercise. Several researchers claim that ‘heat cramps’ or ‘sweat cramping’ and EAMC are defined differently, defining heat cramping as sustained, spreading, sharply painful muscle contractions, describing the end of the continuum of EAMC.

Several theories have been proposed to explain the cause and course of treatment of muscle cramps during exercise. However, it does not seem that there is conclusive evidence to support any of the proposed arguments and the area remains under controversy and misconception. Two main theories are proposed:

Dehydration and serum electrolyte theory

Muscle cramps related to exercise, were first reported over 100 years ago in laborers working in hot, humid environments such as mines and steamships. These laborers added salt to their drinks to relieve EAMC, leading to the electrolyte and dehydration hypotheses. However, these reports were based on anecdotal evidence alone and no mechanism was proposed to explain how serum electrolyte imbalances can result in muscle cramping. In addition, hydration status and electrolyte balance were not measured.

Mechanisms in cramping remain unclear. It is proposed that large sodium losses in sweat contribute to cramping by contracting the extra-cellular fluid space and may change ion channels to make neuromuscular junctions or muscle units hyper-excitable, causing involuntary and sustained contractions. A study by Stofan et al in 2005, tested the hypothesis that NCCA football players prone to heat cramps lose more fluid and sodium through sweating. 10 football players were recruited for the study; five of them had a history of cramping, while 5 served as controls. Sweat loss, sweat electrolytes and fluid intake were measured during a pre season two a day practice session. Athletes in the cramping group did not incur a larger fluid deficit than the non cramping group, their sweat rate was higher, and their sodium intake greater. During the season, the cramping group experience several cramping episodes despite high sodium intakes. The researcher’s results did not fully support their hypothesis, yet they indicated that sodium supplements are needed to prevent cramps.

Although EAMC is often associated with exercise in the heat, cramping has also been reported in cold conditions without an increase in core temperature. In addition, extreme cold has been associated with EAMC in swimmers, passive heating alone does not result in cramping, and cooling does not relieve muscle cramps. On the contrary, cooling can make muscle cramps worse.

Sodium levels within the extra-cellular fluid should remain within a range of 130-160mmol/l to keep cells, tissues and organs functioning properly. The body has appropriate defense mechanisms to protect against the development of a sodium deficit during exercise, releasing sodium from internal body stores. Contraction of the extra-cellular fluid volume by as little as 1L (~7%) can release 140mmol of sodium.

It has been argued by several researchers that EAMC has not been associated with a significant change in serum electrolytes and hydration status in triathletes and runners. A research study by New-Butler et al in 2006, examined whether athletes who ingest additional sodium during an Ironman event maintain higher sodium than those that do not. 145 athletes competing in the 2001 South Africa Ironman took part in the study, and were divided into an experimental group and control group. The experimental group was handed 40 tablets with 620mg sodium chloride each, while the control group was handed 40 placebo tablets. Athletes were advised to consume 1-4 tablets every hour. The sodium supplements did not change serum sodium response, indicating that additional sodium supplements are not needed during Ironman events to maintain sodium within the normal range. Clinical measures of dehydration were not different between groups.

Muscle fatigue theory
Skeletal muscle cramping is an abnormality of skeletal muscle relaxation. It has been suggested that EAMC is the result of altered alpha-motoneuron activity, possibly resulting from an imbalance between muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organ discharge associated with fatigue. With high intensity muscle activity and fatigue, muscle spindle output is increased, leading to an increased motoneuron activity.

It is suggested that EAMC occurs only in muscles that were involved in repetitive contractions. The majority of runners with complaints of EAMC report a subjective feeling of muscle fatigue before the onset of cramping. This suggests that EAMC is a result of an abnormality of neuromuscular control at the spinal level in response to intense, fatiguing exercise. Muscle fatigue disrupts the functioning of the peripheral muscle receptors by causing an increased firing rate of type Ia and II muscle spindle afferents, as well as decreasing the type Ib afferent activity from the golgi tendon organs.

It is documented that the muscles prone to cramping span across two joints, and it has been observed that cramping can occur when muscles are in a shortened position. This will decrease the tension in the tendons of the muscle during contraction and further decrease the inhibitory afferent activity from the type Ib afferent of the golgi tendon organ. Passive stretching is the most effective therapy to relieve acute muscle cramping as it increases muscle tension.

A survey of 1300 marathon runners found that older age, longer history of running, higher body mass index, shorter daily stretching routine and a family history of cramping were all related to EAMC. In addition, high intensity running, long duration, subjective muscle fatigue and hill running were identified as specific conditions associated with EAMC.

It is suggested that hydration and electrolytes may help prevent EAMC’s up to a certain threshold of muscular fatigue. It is hypothesized that beyond that specific personal threshold, hydration and electrolyte supplements will not be an effective strategy to prevent EAMC. Those that support the dehydration and sodium electrolyte theory aim to differentiate between heat cramps, or sweat cramps, and exercise associated muscle cramps. However, the definitions provided do not seem to differ significantly, creating confusion.

Reading countless research articles and talking to many athletes led me to support the muscle fatigue theory. One athlete mentioned that he got cramping in his hip flexors transitioning from cycling to running while racing. After reviewing his bike fit, it turned out that his saddle was too far forward, causing those muscle to over work. Other athletes mentioned they get cramping towards the end of an event, once again supporting the muscle fatigue hypothesis.

Unfortunately, there are no suggested prevention methods or treatment options for fatigue induced EAMC. It seems that incorporating an adequate stretching routine in the athletes’ training program and perhaps strengthening of the muscles that are susceptible to cramping may help as a preventative measure.

Just because I do not believe muscle cramps are related to sodium levels, does not mean that sodium replacement during endurance events is not important... However, you get all the electrolytes you need from your sports drink and there is no need to take sodium pills as well.

The next related questions are how much sodium is needed during endurance events? How much water? How much weight is it safe to lose? Is it normal to gain weight during an Ironman event? All materials for future posts...

Comments and questions are more than welcome :)

Sorry...

2008-10-20T18:20:00.001-07:00

My accountability was not that great... and I was reminded of it. In my defence, I had an assignment and an exam during that week, and the normal work load... So perhaps it was a bit ambitious of me to make those promises and I apologize for that. But, better late than never, right?

I am going to coach my run group right now, but when I get back I will post my conclusions and thoughts about salt supplements and cramping. Stay tuned... :)

Noa

Adam O'Meara in Kona...

2008-10-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Overall pace, including pros: 97
M25-29: 11th place
Swim: 58:55 (30th)
Bike: 5:18:16 (32nd)
Run: 3:05:29 (6th)
Total: 09:28:26

Just for comparison, here are his results from Ironman Canada, only 7 weeks before Kona...

Overall place: 36
Swim: 55:42
Bike: 5:20:13
Run: 3:16:59
Total: 9:38:37

WELL DONE ADAM!!

Accountability!

2008-10-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

We all need someone else to hold us accountable from time to time... This week, I would like who ever reads this blog to keep me accountable, so I publish the following posts by October 19th:

* Athlete race updates - Triathlon long distance worlds, Huntsman games & Kona.
* Salt supplements and muscle cramps
* Arizona training camp, End of Feb 09

Thanks for your cooperation :)

Noa

Busy weekend ahead...

2008-10-08T21:54:00.001-07:00

2 days and 8 hours until Ironman World Championship, held in Kona Hawaii!! (not that I'm counting or anything...). I am as nervous about this race as if I was racing myself... but I am obviously not. However, one of my athletes is... Adam O'Meara of Victoria, BC will be competing in the 25-29 age group. This will be his first and last time in Kona as an age grouper, as he will be turning pro next season. Send him good vibes on Saturday please!!

I will be at the Royal Victoria Marathon expo all weekend, which will make it a bit harder to follow Adam in Kona, AND I have an assignment due on Sunday. Luckily it is the last assignment of the year (still have the final exam to go)...

If you are around the RVM expo, come and say HI! I will be in booth number 30 from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon... :)

Noa

Sodium and fluid intake during endurance events. Your thoughts?

2008-10-04T16:44:00.001-07:00

I just realized it has been a while since my last blog update... I have been a bit busy with current athletes getting back into the swing of things and new athletes joining the team. I have also been buried behind piles of research articles about exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMC) and the effectiveness of salt and water supplements as treatment. That assignment is due in a week.

I'm curious to hear the thoughts and experiences of those who read this blog... What are your attitudes towards fluid and sodium intake during endurance exercise? What are your fluid and sodium intake during half Ironman, Ironman races and/or ultra running events? Why? Is it because of direct advice you received from a sports nutritionist? advice from a friend? a magazine article you happened to read?

It would be great to get some comments and different perspectives... My research will be done by October 12th and I will post my conclusions shortly afterwards :)

Just a thought...

2008-09-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Does a great coach have to be a former athlete at that sport?

I used to think that was the case. I was positive that the only sports I could ever coach would be triathlon, or its sub sports. I remember a (heated) discussion I had with one of my lecturers at university during the first few months of my first year. My argument was that there is no way someone who have never competed in a certain sport could coach it. The discussion came to an end when the class ended, after both of us tried to make our point, much to the amusement of the rest of my classmates :)

Needless to say, I was wrong and he was right. By graduation, I even admitted it out loud... especially because I managed to land a job with Yachting NZ as their coach development manager. I have never sailed, even though I was eager to learn. I never ended up taking that position because of immigration rules. Its a bit of a long story... so lets just say that I couldn't get a work visa in time and ended up in Victoria, BC instead. Funny how things turn out...

The first time I realized I can coach a sport I never competed in, was when I started working with 5-14 year old kids as a track & field coach at the end of my first year in university. Since my education consist of a sports coaching degree, I spend a lot of time coaching... we had to spend a significant amount of time coaching U14 teams.

I have always supplemented my triathlon training with cross country racing and road running. I was a part of the national development track and field team, as a middle distance and cross country runner, but I never did any of the field events. When I started coaching the kids at the Sumner running club, I coached them for ALL track & field events, even those that I never competed in, and I was coaching them with a lot of success... out club was growing rapidly and we were well ranked in the south island. I liked it so much, that I stayed for the cross country season and then for another 2 full seasons. The only reason I left was because I moved to Canada!

I work closely with endurance athletes on a daily basis. I have coached marathon and ultramarathon runners, even though I never ran either myself ( I will this year though). I have coached countless Ironman triathletes, even though I used to be an ITU girl, that dabbled in the 70.3 distance every now and then.

Does my experience as a high performance triathlete help me as a coach? Yes. Do I consider it the main factor that makes me a good coach? No. If I did, I would not fly across the world to New Zealand for coaching and sport science education...

My point? With the right education and coaching experience, you can be a good coach in a sport/discipline within a sport you never competed in. It may be an advantage, but not a prerequisite. In addition, elite athletes do not always make good coaches. Some do, but many don't... So what does make one a good coach? That is material for another post :)

Critical Analysis #2

2008-09-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

Check out the links below... The Science of Sport is a great blog... these guys are critical in their thinking and they have the guts to break some myths and say it like it is, which I am still learning how to do ;)

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/09/coyle-and-armstrong-research-errors.html

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/09/coyle-armstrong-research-installment-2.html

This links pretty well to one of my previous posts from earlier this month, Except I was not too blunt in it...

The Triathlon Book blog, is another excellent display of critical thinking and excellent writing style. It is well worth the read!.

Struggle is good for you

2008-09-16T23:05:00.000-07:00

"Nothing in life just happens. It isn't enough to believe in something... you have to have stamina, to struggle... to meet obstacles and overcome them" Golda Meir

Things don't come easy; to achieve your goals you have to put in the hard work and be prepared for struggles, as they are an integral part of racing and training. Things do not always go as planned and you have to be tough to overcome obstacles... I think it makes you stronger, keeps you on your toes and helps you appreciate success so much more...

I'm sure this quote will mean something different to you than it does to me. I hope it will teach you something and inspires you :)

Endurance and Fitness Weekend

2008-09-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

I have teamed up with Linda Walker, of Brentwood Massage and Physiotherapy clinic to deliver an interactive weekend of seminars and active workshops to educate and deliver evidence based information to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be!

Day 1 - Saturday, October 25th 08
Sports nutrition for endurance athletes during the winter
Running biomechanics workshop
New tools for injury management and prevention workshop

Day 2 - Sunday, October 26th 08
Injury prevention strategies
Compression socks - the exercise physiology perspective
Core stability for endurance athletes workshop
Training with running zones - pace vs heart rate

Location - Brentwood Bay Massage and Physiotherapy Clinic
Time - 10:00am - 3:00pm
Cost - $70/ one day
$100/ both days

For more information, call 250-652-6515 or 250-686-8827
email pt_performancetraining@yahoo.ca
lindawalker@shaw.ca

Download the poster below (or email me at pt_performancetraining@yahoo.ca to get a copy of the poster emailed to you) and feel free to spread the word :)

Critical analysis

2008-09-09T02:59:00.000-07:00

My latest assignment as part of my post grad studies in sports nutrition was a really interesting one, but a really hard one too. We were given a recent scientific research article to critique. As not all scientific research actually has value, our task was to read the paper and find its strengths and weaknesses. Sounds simple, right? Well, it wasn't. I read the article inside out around 5 times, and in retrospect I should have read it a couple more times, for good measure.

I will not get into details about the article itself (unless someone is actually interested in the effects of GPLC on aerobic and anaerobic performance?!), but I will say this - most endurance athletes actively seek knowledge, which is fantastic. However, do not believe everything you read... even if you read a scientific research paper that was published in a pear reviewed journal, it may not provide you with appropriate advice... and it may have no scientific or practical significance at all.

A few basic key things to consider...
1. Who are the researchers affiliated with? Who did they receive research grants from?
2. Who were the participant? Trained athletes? sedentary individuals?
3. What was the study design? Was the research done in a lab? field setting? time trial? during a race? etc...
4. How recent is that paper?
5. Read a few more articles on the same topic... don't just go by one research paper...
6. Seek professional opinion. If you have read an article that you think may be of value to you, ask a professional in that field to read it and evaluate its content...

Have a great Tuesday... I have to get back to reading research papers about water and salt supplementation and cramping... that's for my next assignment. As this is an area with a lot of controversy around it (that is basically the point of the assignment...), I will likely share my conclusions here as soon as I am done :)

N

IMC 08!

2008-09-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Ironman Canada was an action packed day, as usual... Cold water, really strong winds, and rain. Not ideal, but you do your best to work with what you get on race day... I guess how you deal with it is what separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls, or something like that!

10 PT Performance Training athletes jumped in the water and 9 crossed the finish line. The one that did not cross that line, made a very good and smart decision not do so and I truly admire him for it. Sometimes, it takes more guts to not finish, than to finish at all cost, especially when that cost can be high. But I digress... that can be a topic for another post! On top of those 10, another 10 have worked with me to refine their bike position during the season and had great bike rides.

Here are the results of our athletes!

Mark Ritchie - (M40-44) 11:59, first Ironman, second triathlon ever (first one was a sprint tri!)
Karmen Jongewaars - (W30-34) 12:36, over 20 mins PB, second Ironman
John Weaver - (M45-49) 12:50, first Ironman, second triathlon ever, just learned to swim a year ago!
Sabrina Boechler - (W25-29) 15:13, first Ironman, despite a crazy paramedic work schedule, surgery (tonsils) in June and illness on race week...
Chris Selenz - (W50-54) 15:30, second Ironman within 6 weeks, after a PB in IM Germany!
Mark Harris - (M35-39) 15:52, first Ironman and he is already signed up for IMC 09!
Bert Heeringa - (M50-54) 16:22, first Ironman... well done :)
Suzie Cutt - (W40-44) 16:34, 3rd Ironman, after a 9 year break from the sport.
Suzanne Bate - (W35-39) 16:47, first Ironman, after a fantastic year of training.

Each and every one of these athletes had a different goal coming into this race, and in a day this long, things don't always go as planned... but all of them finished happy with what they have achieved, as they should... :)

Well done! YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!

"It doesn't get easier, you just go faster"

2008-09-06T16:18:00.001-07:00

A great quote by the great Greg Lemond. If you do not know who that is, chances are you stumbled across this blog by accident and you will never make the same mistake again... or perhaps you are interested in learning who that is? In that case, go do your homework and come back afterwards... ;)

I think that quote is a great reflection on the kind of athletes I attract... the kind that a quote like that puts a smile on their face and makes them nod their head in agreement... the kind that wants to push their limits and take it to the next level.

Not all of us are born with the ability to become an elite level athlete... so the mindset I refer to means different things to all of us. For some it will be to move from participating, to competing. For others it will be moving higher in classification in their age group, and then perhaps placing in their age group too. Then there are those who progress from competing at the age group level to the pro level and from rookie pro to seasoned pro...

So if your goal is to get faster, it does not get easier; not at training and not at racing. You work hard, then you race just as hard :)

Noa

THANK YOU!

2008-09-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

I love my athletes. I really enjoy working with each and every one of them, and apparently it goes both way. We had a team party on Sat eve and they completely surprised me with some goodies. They went to the troubles of getting me a swimming parka jacket and got my logo embroider on the back and front. I haven't had one of these jackets since my swimming days, and that was a while ago... it will keep me warm and dry during those winter track sessions, where I nearly freeze to death! THANK YOU :)

I also got a Lululemon gift certificate (I will definitely put it into good use!) and a couple of cards that made me cry (yes, I wear my heart on my sleeve). I was lost for words, and that is something that does not happen very often...

So this is to all the athletes I have worked with this season - THANKS. YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!!!!!

Help an athlete get to Kona!

2008-09-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

Adam O'Meara had a great day at IMC this year. He finished second in his age group (25-29) and got a Kona spot! Go to Peninsula Runners and buy a raffle ticket (or two) to make his trip to Kona possible... :)

The fastest man on no legs

2008-08-29T00:45:00.000-07:00

I was reading one of the abstract books from the Olympic conference (yes, GEEK) and came across the summary from the symposium about the Oscar Pistorius case. I did not attend this session, even though it was on my list and I can't remember what session I went to instead...

I find this story truly amazing. If you have not heard about the South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, aka 'the fastest man on no legs' or the 'blade runner', here are a few pictures, that simply speak louder than words....

It is pretty late. I will get into more detail tomorrow...