Getting Clean, Merkur Vision

Shaving is a pain, razors are expensive and in my mind a waste of money. Using a straight razor can be tricky and life threatening. Then there is the Merkur Vision a butterfly safety razor built to last. Merkur's Vision adjustable razor, known to many as one of the great wonders of the shaving world, is unquestionably a crowning achievement in engineering. This state-of-the-art razor is designed with full adjustability, so that the blade angle can cater to the unique contours of your face, as well as a slight slant bar that offers a boldly close but still forgiving shave. The remarkable Vision razor is as much a work of art as it is an instrument of precision.

Bikes and Coffee, They Go Together

Ok, this is just great, what a way to use old lever's. Another I wish I would have though about that.

The Coffee Brake
A sturdy mug for sturdy folk.
Created by a world traveler who dared to ask the question:
"What good is a sturdy metal mug with a flimsy plastic handle?"

Whether you're a hardcore coffee drinker or a dabbler, this 14 oz. double-walled insulated stainless steel mug is what you're after. Non-skid bottom and snug-fitting plastic lid.

Necessity is the mother of addiction...er, invention.

Scallywags

VitaCoCo, Amazing!

You son't have to love VitaCoCo I sure did not, then I tried the Peach & Mango, wonderful with all the energy of the original stuff. Trying all different stuff, FRS, Hammer Nutrition, even My Vega (which is great) and the Vita Coco beats them hands down.

The downfall to the VitaCoCo is the price. $2.50 to $2.99 is a bit steep, now you know why people drink cola.

Wikipedia says this:
Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young coconuts (fruits of the coconut palm). As the fruit matures, the coconut water is gradually replaced by the coconut meat and air. A very young coconut has very little meat; the meat it does have is very tender, almost a gel. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics, especially in Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands such as Hawaii, Africa and the Caribbean, where it is available fresh, canned, or bottled.
Coconuts for drinking are carefully packaged and sold in many places. These are typically Asian coconuts whose outer green husk has been removed, and the remainder wrapped in plastic. In Central America, particularly in Costa Rica and Panama, they are found and sold in strategic highway stops and on beaches. Coconuts are cut in front of customers to ensure the coconut water's freshness. Coconut water can also be found in ordinary cans, tetra paks, or plastic bottles (sometimes with coconut pulp or coconut jelly included). It is also being marketed as a natural sports drink because of its high potassium and mineral content.
There have been cases where coconut water has been used as an intravenous hydration fluid in some developing countries where medical saline was unavailable.

Now Goya has some amazing products at an incredible price, I have not tried the coconut but if it is like their other products then you can't loose.

Last is Costamar Cream of Coconut Milk, wonderful stuff and $1 for the can, dump into shakes mix and go.

Training Your Brain

This is a guest post from Renegade Triathlon Psychology coach Stephen Ladd (pictured right), who has taken a somewhat unorthodox path to becoming one of most sought after gurus in the world when it comes to training your brain for peak performance. His formal education in the States included undergraduate studies in psychology, religion, and philosophy, and Graduate studies in Comparative Religions. He then ventured outside of the US to experience the cultures and mind practices of Southeast Asia and Japan. In addition to this guest post and article below, Stephen will be featured on next week’sBenGreenfieldFitness.com podcast episode.

The concepts you are about to learn can be applied to marathoning, ultra-running, cycling, or any endurance sport, but we are going to use the example of triathlon for today.

I consider a triathlon (of any distance) to be the “toughest sport on earth”. The amount of time and effort required to train for three separate sports is unparalleled in the world of athletics.

But what is often overlooked are the extreme mental and emotional demands of triathlon training and racing.

For a triathlete to consistently perform at peak performance levels, they must have the ability to control their mental and emotional states, especially prior to and during the actual race. Imagine being able to instantly evoke a supreme state of “confidence” in yourself instead of having pre-race anxiety, or evoke a state of “determination and focus” when you start to feel fatigued and have another six miles to the finish.

It is important to understand the difference between what is labeled these days as “Positive Thinking” and what I am talking about when I refer to controlling your mental and emotional states. The “Positive Thinking” protocol (at least how it’s commonly taught) is to simply ignore how you feel (anxiety) and tell yourself, over and over again, that you feel confident, or happy, or focused or whatever it is you’re desperately trying to convince yourself that you are.

On the other hand, accurately and properly controlling your mental and emotional state is a way for you to literallychange your subconcious mind, so that you’ll actually be confident, instead of just telling yourself that you are confident. See the difference? When you do what I am about to teach you properly, there will be no need for you to try to convince yourself that you are confident – instead, you will actually be in a supreme state of confidence and able to perform closer to your peak potential.

One valuable tool for achieving this true change in your mental and emotional state is called “Anchoring”, which comes from the world of Neuro-Linguistic Programing (NLP).

Continued on Endurance Planet

Cannondale SuperSix, Great All Around Bike!

Slowtwitch.com has this great review of the Cannondale SuperSix, summed up light and fast. One of the biggest things that I noticed was the Tune QR road skewers reach an astonishing 33g for the set, that is nuts. If you are looking for an all around road.tri bike well then the SuperSix, will get it done, I am not talking full Ironman's but sprints with a full areo kit would do the trick.

SlowTwich article

Natural Running Efficiency: Using Elasticity in the Lower Leg

Natural Running Efficiency: Using Elasticity in the Lower Leg

This is What's Wrong!

You wonder what is wrong with the US, why we are so unhealthy, well from the photo I am sure you can guess. Yes they are unhealthy, try buying 3 donuts, they will quickly upsell you to 6, they are cheaper if you buy 6. WOW, that does it hooked, extra set of calories, these are the things, as nice as they are you get sucked into the vortex and it is hard to come back from. The best way to combat this process is local shops. EAT LOCAL

Best Triathlon Car, So Far!

Not sure much needs to be said, the Counrtyman All4 (cooper s) it is AWD, fast and gets great gas millage. Fold the rear seats down and you have more than enough room for your wetsuits, wheels, even an extra set of cloths. Get the installed load bars on-top and off you go.

Very much like a tri bike, except it can corner. Remember how you felt when you drove your first go-cart, imagine that but much, much faster. Not to mention the aftermarket stuff, trade down your SUV, move up from Honda.

MINI USA

Nothing Needs To Be Said!

Smaller Events Need Better Coverage! Bloggers, Twitters and Facebook Unite..

What does it take for smaller venues to be recognized. Banding together, yes it is nice to do the IM events, it cost you plenty. The smaller events usually in your back yard can be as much fun or more. Going to local event you build friendships, meet training partners and even start a friendly rival. The cost is a fraction of the big events without the hassle. Drive in the morning of the event, compete, hand, go home.

So I am not sure why more local events are not covered by TV or Radio, even streaming. The marketing impact of local events is overlooked, having a booth orjust ground support show community involvement and professionalism that frankly more brands need.

So get on the band wagon, Twitter, Facebook, blog or podcast local events, who know a pro might just show up.

Chrissie Wellington, Just Plain FAST!

Chrissie Wellington is just plain fast, getting faster, scary to see what she might do in Kona this year, I think she held back when she broke the record a couple years ago.

Seems the story was the same, come out in first after the swim, extend the lead on the Bike and be blazing fast on the run.

The fifth man is a woman
The world sensation was completed by three-times Hawaii-winner Chrissie Wellington, who won for the third time straight at Challenge Roth - and again with a new world record. The best female triathlete in the world was able to once again improve her own record from last year of 8:19:13 hours by one minute and crossed the finish line after exactly 8:18:13 hours. Almost as incredible: Wellington finished fifth overall and can now rightfully claim to belong among the top 5 men. The 34 year-old athlete, who presented herself in excellent shape led the race from start to finish and can currently only beat herself.

After Chrissie Wellingtons finish the 180,000 spectators had to wait for a while for the ladies in the second and third places. With a time of 8:56:23 hours the young German rookie Julia Wagner was able to make her dream come true and cross the finish line in the second spot, followed by Rebekah Keat from Australia with 8:59:22 hours.

Truly a inspiration to all, smiling all the way.

My Vega, A Natural Replacement

Vega training: part one of four from Vega on Vimeo.

If you are a vegan and are looking for that edge as a performance athlete than Vega could be the product for you.

The Vega Story

Told from the onset that a plant-based diet wouldn't cut it on the professional Ironman circuit, Brendan Brazier's nutritional journey began with unpromising results. Several months of chronic hunger, the need to constantly eat and a decline in energy culminated in a decline in athletic performance.

Brendan's stubborn curiosity persevered however, and after many years of research, trials and tribulations, he created a plant-based whole food diet that worked better than he had ever expected. Since then, Brendan has become one of the top professional Ironman triathletes in Canada, crediting his diet for his success competing in one of the world's most demanding sports.

For years Brendan has packed plant-based whole foods into a daily blended shake to supply his body with premium fuel in liquid form for easy digestion. It worked great at home but when he traveled it became troublesome dragging around a blender and shopping for or packing along his favourite whole foods. Brendan began searching for a convenient healthy, plant-based whole food meal replacement but was disappointed in his findings.

He found most meal replacements on the market were whey protein based "“ off limits for a vegan. Though some vegetarian options existed, they were all soy protein based, an ingredient Brendan was trying to cut back on due to concerns regarding GMO's and phytoestrogens. All meal replacements he found were deficient in essential fatty acids, especially Omega 3's and most contained large quantities of low quality carbohydrates (eg. maltodextrin), artificial flavors, colors and sweeteners.

Brendan realized there was a need for a meal replacement that did not compromise food quality for convenience. He approached several nutritional supplement manufacturers but everyone told him it wouldn't work "“ "you can't put whole foods into a commercial meal replacement" , they said, "too short a shelf life, low product demand, poor taste and texture, too high a cost" they said. There were too many negatives and not enough positives to warrant such a product. So Brendan put his idea on the back burner and continued to lug his trusty blender and cooler full of whole foods wherever he traveled

A couple of years later, Brendan was struck by a car while training on his bike and injured his leg. Told by his doctor to take 6 months off from training and competing, Brendan sought alternative options. He underwent intense physiotherapy and began taking a product his naturopath recommended called ChlorEssence, hoping the high level of growth factors in it would help heal his injury. At the same time, Brendan also began taking a supplement called MacaSure, for adrenal support, helping him deal with the physical and emotional stress of his injury.

Within 8 weeks of rehabilitation, all the while taking 10g of ChlorEssence and 10g of MacaSure a day, Brendan made a full recovery. Though he was not in his top form, remarkably, he was able to compete professionally again participating in the Ironman Canada triathlon event and finishing the gruelling race despite his recent injury. Brendan was so pleased with his rapid recovery that he contacted Sequel Naturals, makers of ChlorEssence and MacaSure, and shared his success story with Charles Chang, President of Sequel Naturals.

Brendan and Charles also discussed the concept of producing a complete whole food meal replacement that was made from 100% plant-based ingredients. Only now, Brendan wanted to have a full dose of ChlorEssence and MacaSure in every serving of this meal replacement as well. Charles was intrigued by the passion of this young athlete and he loved the idea of the whole food meal replacement. Aware of the many challenges that developing such a product would present, Charles was confident that together they would be able to overcome them.

Brendan was given the job of product formulator and Sequel Naturals would take care of the ingredient sourcing, production, packaging and marketing. They agreed that this product would be made without compromises and had to meet several key criteria, including:

1) Complete meal, meeting all Canadian meal replacement guidelines when mixed in plain water
2) Made primarily with whole foods in their freshest, least processed form possible
3) Made with all natural, plant-based ingredients (absolutely no animal products)
4) Target nutritional profile of 40% protein, 30% carbohydrates, 30% essential fats
5) Proteins must come from a diverse variety of vegetarian sources, including a minimum of one third raw protein
6) All carbohydrates must be naturally occurring, complex and low glycemic with no added sugars or simple carbohydrates
7) Essential fats must be of high quality, with the majority being Omega 3's; no trans fats or cholesterol
8) No common allergens such as dairy, gluten, soy or wheat
9) No artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners and GMO & pesticide-free
10) Must taste good with pleasant texture and flavor

After a year of product formulation and testing, Vega is a replica of Brendan's favourite shake. All the ingredients in Vega were chosen by Brendan to work synergistically to nourish the body and reduce nutritional stress. And now Brendan doesn't have to lug his old blender with him when he travels anymore.

Providing sustaining energy, enhanced mental focus and increased aerobic and anaerobic capacity, Vega Sport Performance Optimizer beverage also replenishes electrolytes and reduces inflammation, joint and muscle pain to assist recovery. Sporting a synergistic array of organic plant-based ingredients and free of common allergens such as gluten, dairy and soy, Vega Sport will help take you to the next level, safely and naturally.

Vega Sport was formulated by Brendan Brazier, professional Ironman triathlete and bestselling author, to significantly enhance physical and mental performance for anyone seeking athletic improvement.

Vega Sport Performance Optimizer provides a complete array of key performance enhancing benefits including:

• Immediate and sustaining energy
• Increases endurance, aerobic and anaerobic capacity
• Enhances mental focus and motor performance
• Reduces stress and enhances immune system function
• Replenishes electrolytes lost during exercise
• Reduces inflammation, joint and muscle pain
• Improves body composition and reduces body fat
• Supports healthy weight management

Vega Sport Performance Optimizer is available in lemon-lime and acai-berry flavours in convenient single serving pouches and economical 30 serving bottles.

How to Survive Cold Water Swimming

Dave Erickson filed this report from Boise after he took a very frigid dip in Lucky Peak Reservoir.

The 4th Annual Ironman 70.3 Boise triathlon is Saturday, June 11th. The water temperature in the Lucky Peak Reservoir as of Thursday was 53 degrees. That’s cold by any definition for a triathlon. Now imagine swimming in it for 1.2 miles!? Not my idea of a good time but as my coach told me today, swim like your being chased by a shark and you’ll be out of there in no time.

Wetsuits are strongly recommended for this body of water, heck, booties and neoprene caps are highly encouraged too. Since the water isn’t going to swim itself, an athlete must have a plan. So, how can you survive a 1.2 mile swim in 53 degree water? Harold Frobisher is a ‘Performance Physiologist’ and ‘Triathlon Coach’ in Boise, Idaho. His own athletic career includes seven Hawaiian Ironman races. You can find him at Tri TOWN at 1517 1/2 N. 13th Street in the Hyde Park district of Boise.


Harold explains how to best acclimate to cold water swimming as quickly as possible, how the body reacts when your face hits frigid water, how your heart reacts and tips for athletes who’ve never raced in water this cold.

The barefoot running debate: Born to run, shoes & injury: the latest thinking

The barefoot running debate: Born to run, shoes & injury: the latest thinking

One of the more interesting, and certainly topical presentations at the recent meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Denver was a symposium on barefoot running. It was led by Irene Davis and Daniel Lieberman, both advocates for barefoot running and top scientists in this field. Lieberman in particular is something of a 'legend' in the field, and two years ago, he gave the prestigious keynote address at the ACSM meeting.

Since then, the area has moved on, thankfully. Most recently, Lieberman's group did some fascinating work on the barefoot running concept in runners accustomed to shoes or running barefoot, and that's the focus of this post, along with some thoughts on the concepts underlying barefoot running. A lot of the time, I'll play devil's advocate, because I believe in Lieberman's findings, and the theory behind barefoot running is sound. But there are some "loopholes", and I'll end with those.

Not just a fad, and certainly not only for the niche

There are more than a few people who have dismissed barefoot running as a fad. And many will have labeled it a niche concept, practiced by a very small percentage of runners. That's only partly true. If you think that barefoot running has nothing to do with you, think again. You may not have discarded your shoes, but the truth is the the shoes you are running in have already been influenced by the concepts that drive the barefoot running movement.

That is, the last decade, which has seen more and more evidence come out AGAINST shoes, has also seen a shift in the shoe industry. Gone are the heavy, bulky motion-control shoes, replaced by shoes that are now marketed to simulate barefoot running. Nike were apparently the first to do this, though I remember Adidas bringing out "feet you wear" in the 1990s. But it was the Nike Free that was the first "barefoot shoe", and Irene Davis, in her ACSM presentation, told the story that a famous college coach in the USA was responsible for this because he told a Nike rep who had come to watch his team train that his runners were more comfortable being barefoot.

The rep rushed back to HQ, reported on the athlete's preference, and it heralded the shift. Now, almost all the companies are focusing on the 'minimalist concept' of shoes. There are even new companies (Vibram, Newton). Of course, there are a few stubborn survivors, but the whole market has shifted, there is no doubt about it. Why? Because of the current thinking around running, and the role of footstrike, and our feet, in injury risk during running. So we're all affected, even if we run in shoes, and here's the theory.
MORE>>

Route 29 36KM TT(T)

Get in shape and get fast for the tri season. The Route 29 36km time trail, fast and relatively flat.

About PA/NJ Bike Racing

After living in Indiana for a number of year’s, I decided to move to central PA to raise my family. If you drive with three kids in the car from IN to Philly to visit family, you would understand the desire to live a bit closer than 10 hours. Within a relatively short period of time, I was able to find some excellent time trial venues. I had experience putting on bike races back in IN and felt that PA needed a structured monthly TT series. The Carlisle TT and SMHC venues were easy to find as these were my old training routes when I went to school at Shippensburg University. A great place to get started bike riding btw. I met Joanne there and we biked all over Cumberland County together.

The Carlisle TT has a great flow to it and has been well received and the South Mountain Hill Climb is one of the best climbs in Central PA…Nothing too steep but the climb with its long distance takes its toll on you…The Clarks Valley venue is simply awesome. A road that goes on for 25 miles without a traffic light or stop sign is ok by me. The new proposed state tt venue is even better, hopefully I will be awarded that event.

The Route 29 35 KM TT(T) is a sweet place to ride your bike and to TT on. I originally wanted to do a tt on the PA side of the border near New Hope, PA as I typically ride around there when I get a chance. I took some bridge across to the NJ side and I stumbled across Route 29. It was like are you kidding me, shoulders that are wider than most bike roads and fairly flat terrain begged for a long TT to happen here on a monthly basis. It was a natural fit. A bit of drive from Carlisle, PA but we get a great turnout and the riders have been so supportive and nice. I also get a chance to see my family and all which has been a positive experience for me and the kids. We look forward to them each month.