The THRILL of the HILL

Austin, TX is an amazing place to live and exercise. We are soooo lucky that everything here is either uphill or downhill!! I hear it all the time, How do you run those hills with a smile on your face. First of all it isn't a smile, but a grimace!!! Hills are like anything else in life, the more time you spend on them, the better you get. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!! So when I tell people that I ran up Ladera Norte twice yesterday, they look at me like I'm INSANE!! There is an art to ascending and descending those Austin hills. One effective trick is to train on them regardless of what mode of exercise you choose. Hill repeats or intervals are another great trick. This will improve your form and mental toughness as well. Practice on the downhills as well. Good controlled form and body positioning can reduce the risk of injury. Body weight is a huge factor. It is no fun to pack those extra pounds up the hill, then have that extra weight pounding on your bones, tendons, and joints coming downhill. Spend time in the gym with resistance training for those legs. A strong core is a big help as well. Last but not least, Flexibility!! Stretching on a daily basis will be huge positive. So what are you waiting for? Get out and embrace those hills!! CHEERS, TRAINER TODD

REDEMPTION

HELLO ALL!! After that horrible Nike Human Race 10k, I decided to run the Casa for Kids 5k the following weekend. I'm not a big fan of competing back to back weekends, but I needed to test myself. I was looking for a little redemption. It helped that the temperature was in the low 80's at start and that it was a short race with only a few hundred competitors. I felt good and raced well. I finished second overall with time of 18:11 @ 5:50 per mile. I let a 15 yr old kid beat me. It wasn't my proudest moment. This goes to show that sometimes you will have great workouts and sometimes have bad ones in the same week or month. Stay positive and realize that you will always have a better workout or race!! The body does weird things to us throughout the year. You will have peaks and valleys. Enjoy the roller coaster and keep chipping way at it!! Quitting is easy, finishing is an accomplishment!! So walk or run that extra mile this week. Spend that extra day in the weight room, on the elliptical or yoga class. KEEP AT IT!!! Trainer Todd

Nike Human Race Recap

WOOOOOW!! It was a long, hot 10k on Sunday night!! I made my way down to Congress Ave with fourteen thousand of my closest friends. I hopped a barricade with a few other brave souls to inch my way towards the front starting line. I looked up at the start clock as it was counting down from fifteen minutes. That seemed like forever in the hot crowd. I didn't get a chance to warm up before due to the controlled chaos. As the start approached the temperature was pushing 95 degrees. As Evil, the race announcer, introduced Lance Armstrong and Mathew McConaughey the huddled masses squeezed closer in to get a glimpse of star power. Olympic swimmer Aaron Peirsol counted us down and boom. Everyone darted across the stat line to catch up to Lance. As I passed by Mathew McConaughey, I wasn't feeling to strong. My goal was to keep Lance in sight. I hung around for the first 2 miles then lost him. I made one of the most common mistakes in a race, I started to fast plus the heat factor. This was getting ugly quick. By the half way point I had settled into a rhythm. I was getting passed by runners and I couldn't do anything about it. This was new territory for me. I'm usually the passer not the passe! At mile 4 a familiar face passed me. My old rivalry Chris. I tried to hang with him, but didn't have the legs. As I made to turn onto Congress Ave, I had the finish in my sights. With the cheers from Austin, I found that extra kick I had been waiting for. I finished with a respectable time of 39:49. A painful 6:25 mile pace. I managed 43rd overall. I made bad decisions throughout the race. It started with no warm up, to starting off to fast in the first two miles, to not consuming enough water on the course, to mentally quitting. Good lessons learned!! TRAIN SMART, RACE SMART, Trainer Todd

WORKOUT, FIZZLE OUT!

Do you get bored with the same workout routine and exercises? I often lose that drive and desire to get in the gym and hit the weights, treadmill or elliptical machine. Sometimes 30 minutes can seem like an eternity on that piece of cardio equipment. So what do we need to do? Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try a new activity. Instead of that treadmill day after day get out and hit Ladybird Lake Trail or one of Austin's many paved hills. A good way to get that cardio in is to meet with a local club or group. Most of these are fairly cheap and provide a variety of times and locations for their activity. Accountability can be a good motivator. You will also get a more intense workout in a group setting. Also, mix up that gym routine. Switch your exercises and workout days. Ask Trainer Todd for some of these exciting exercises. Your workouts should be balanced, like everything else in life. Don't be afraid to take an extra rest day or week off from training every so often. Your body goes through cycles, so should your workouts. GET OUT THERE!!!

Rest Days

One of the toughest things to remember during our training regiments is the importance of rest days!! Yes, those days away from the gym, off the bike or away from Lady Bird Trail. We need to rest and recuperate at least one day a week. Don't feel guilty for enjoying a margarita, chips and queso instead of a 5 mile run in the Texas heat. That means letting those tired muscles regenerate from the stresses we place on them without any physical activity. Your body may react in different ways to these rest days. You may feel tired and lethargic that first workout back or you may be totally refreshed back at 100%!! Try to have a plan for this. Chronic fatigue is a good sign of over training. Some ways to combat over training are to have a plan, set goals, keep a log, sleep, and rest. By implementing these easy steps you can avoid the negative affects of over training. Rest days are key elements in this cycle. The body needs the adequate time to mend the damages placed upon it. GOOD LUCK!! REST UP!! Trainer Todd

Nike's Human Race 10k

Are you ready? Yes, OTEF will be represented at the Austin version of the Nike Human Race 10k. As a faithful Nike supporter from Oregon, I just have to do it. You can find the link to register for this event @ runtex.com The race is approaching quickly. This will be your chance to run with Lance. That's Lance Armstrong kids. He will be hosting our Austin race. The race is on Sunday Aug 31st at 6:30p. This should be a HOT one. I will be down there to torture myself to represent OTEF. I will try to make us proud with a respectable finish time. Please join me for this event. Remember as Lance Armstrong once said "Pain is temporary, but quitting lasts forever!" Train on!! Train on!!! TT

Mornings vs. Evenings

HELLO ALL!!! Yes, It is the age old battle of morning workouts versus evening ones. Most of us have battled through those morning workouts in agony of that 5 A.M. wake up call with a certain trainer telling you two more, two more! We have also struggled through those evening workouts, tired and wore out from the stresses of everyday life. Just trying to hang on for that last 30 min until Trainer Todd says enough!! Well, what is more effective and beneficial? Research has data to support both arguments. Let's start with the benefits to mornings. Early exercisers are more likely to stick with exercise over the long term. You can beat the heat during those dog days of summer by rising early. You can kick start that metabolism and burn more calories earlier in the day. Your body will have increased energy levels through the morning and afternoon. Most important, All of the daily life commitments won't burden that early workout. Well, How about those evenings workouts? A major benefit is that your body is most alert between 4 P.M- 5 P.M. This means that your strength and stamina is 4-5% higher during this time. Your body temperature is at its highest during this period as well. This all helps to reduce injury. Research also suggests that sleeping patterns are more consistent with evening workouts. With valid research to support both arguments, it is best to know your body and what works best for you!! Keep pushing it!! Trainer Todd