Ideas to minimize disruption of family life while training for #Ironman #Triathlon #LegionofBoom

Most Ironman Triathlon athletes or hopefuls with spouses and kids at one time or another struggle with the healthy balance of life, family, work and training.

I recently stumbled upon a post from Fit Old Dog that sums up some good points, and I thought I would share some of his points and a few of my own ideas.

1. Explain and re-explain the race season. - This is all good unless you have more than one Ironman or long distance endurance race.  I've packed in my fair share for 2014 with the fundraising efforts, and I try to explain to myself and my family that this is not how every year will be.  Heck, I was even going to take this year off from full ironman distances.  Life changes...  :)
2. Replace selected 6-hour road rides with 3-4 hour trainer rides. - The premise is that trainer rides work you harder than road rides.  They can, but you can't slide in a DVD of Kona 2010 and spin your way through it.  You have to get higher intensity on the trainer if you want it to do anything for you.  Fact is, trainer riding is more safe than road riding and you have the sense of being home should you be needed in a moment's notice.
3. Try to minimize worry for your family -  Check in on long rides and runs.  Don't go off the radar for hours on end and let them know what your schedule is.
4. Substitute intensity for volume. - I like this idea.  I HATE junk miles.  Don't do them unless each workout has a reason or objective.  If you're looking for fitness, fine.  If you're looking to finish an Ironman on 10 hours a week, you better get running HARD!
5. Get buy in. - At this point, it probably goes without saying, if the family isn't on board, training and racing will be miserable for everyone.  Get buy in before you even sign up... and yes, that may be a year down the road for an IM event.  Don't spring it on your spouse 6 weeks before, "oh ya, signed up for Ironman Chattanooga.  No biggie, just a few more miles in the workouts."
6. Include your family in your workouts. - What 5 year old isn't entertained by a walk on a treadmill at 1 mile per hour while you spin on your trainer for a 60 minute ride?  Get creative.  Kids love to be active.  Carry them around for some weight training.  Drag them around the yard.  Get them in there with you.
7. Be completely present when in the family. - Guilty of this one.  I need to do a better job myself, but it's oh so true.  What time you do schedule for family activities, BE THERE!  Don't be on your phone surfing triathlon tips or checking out ebay for a bike seat.  Get triathlon off the brain and focus on the task at hand.  The family deserves as much attention as your training.

Do as I say, not as I do... trying out X2PERFORMANCE ASAP #triathlon #recovery #Illness #teamX2 #spon

So, last week was a doozy...

Not in regards to having a monster week of training, but in regards to be sick.  And I mean sick.  Nasty cold came on Monday night and is just now letting up.

Screw you cold virus!

So you may ask yourself, surely Ryan took it easy, got proper rest and got over it and didn't do anything as stupid as training through it... right?  WRONG.

I pretty much did everything wrong before, during and hopefully not after this last round of illness to sweep through our house.

It kicked off with a business trip.  Flying can be the quickest way to two points and it can also be the quickest way to getting sick.  High paced traveling adds stress.  Traveling can short you on quality sleep. Traveling can squeeze out healthy exercise.  Traveling can lead to poor food choices.  Traveling can introduce you to a small sardine can filled with people hacking and sniffling less than a foot away from your face.  It's a cesspool out there people, and I paid for it.

But, I wasn't sick, yet.

I tried to recover on sleep, but I also tried to get morning workouts in, cutting off much needed sleep time.  I kept my training schedule as much as I could.

Then, it hit.  Kids... stomach flu... up all night... I'll spare you the gory details.  Mysteriously I had it a week before and they chimed in when I got back.  Don't be fooled if you think I covered every gag and heave, my wife was a saint, but I was still up with everyone else.

I already had it, so I wasn't getting that stomach flu again, but I was deeper into the sleep deficit.  So, I eased up on the training to compensate... or so you may think.  Hell no!  I hit the road for 2 hours on a beautiful Sunday and got in 15 miles running on a beautiful Monday.  Best. Run. Ever.  But Monday night it hit me head on.  The worst head cold / night sweats / cold shiver fever fest I have had in a while.  It was bad.  I suffered and my wife even more with me flopping around in bed all night trying to get comfortable.

It sucked.  I paid the price for a critical endurance athlete recovery mistake all week long.

Recovery is king.  You can do anything your body will stay together for and come back for more the next day, if you treat yourself right.  At LEAST 8 hours a sleep for proper muscle repair and immune system support.  If you're not getting that sleep, no amount of supplements will prop you up.  You're a ticking time bomb.  Looking back on my last few weeks, it's easy to see I had been shorting and cheating myself.

The other leg of recovery is nutrition.  I don't obsess about every nutritional fad and idea out there, but you have to feed your body a minimum to sustain volume and intensity.  Without the proper fuel, you're body will fall apart or (ding ding) you're going to get sick, a lot.  I hate it when I'm right and I don't listen to myself.

In response to the latest medical nightmare fueled by SUDIFED and ZYRTEC, I'm vowing to be more diligent about sleep and workout nutrition.  Don't get me wrong, I eat, and eat well.  But, the timing of a long or particularly intense workout should include proper pre-workout, during workout and post-workout nutrition or supplements.  Without it, your immune system suffers and puts you at added risk and vulnerability to bacteria and viruses.  With a busy schedule the past few weeks and training mostly indoors, I had not planned workout nutrition as well.  I was either away from home to make something or on the run without enough time to get something before running out the door somewhere to workout or after a workout.

Well my friends, that ends now.  I need to get back to basics and planning my fuel just as diligently as my workouts.

For the 10's of 20's of you that might stop by my blog (ok you got me, the MILLIONS of you!), you might know that I'm all about trying out the latest product or gadget out there.  With that, I am now in cahoots with X²PERFORMANCE to try them out and write up a few posts about them.  They are a mainstay in the Ironman Triathlon world and have worked with several other online triathletes in the past.  And, get this, they invited ME to join in on their blogger campaign and help spread their message (ya, I get paid for this!).

I'll be honest, I've never used them, but I'm game for a challenge.  I'm hoping to get my hands on a supply to finish up LA Marathon training and to get me through Ironman Texas and Chattanooga in 2014.

X²PERFORMANCE claims they are a revolutionary sports nutritional supplement developed to help all athletes achieve their best potential, safely and naturally.  Leveraging leading scientific research, it targets the essential biological processes to fuel the body's natural energy generation capabilities without excessive stimulation or sugar inherent in most alternative products. X²PERFORMANCE is a pre-activity supplement delivered in a convenient liquid form. 

In case you were wondering if they are at all hokey or devious in their claims (maybe another 5-hour energy drink setup with a different marketing strategy???), they recently received two widely recognized and coveted product quality certifications, so athletes can be confident that what they’re taking is clean, safe and effective. X²PERFORMANCE earned the NSF CERTIFIED for SPORT designation, demonstrating the highest levels of product quality and approval for use by professional athletes.  So rest assured that SOMEONE out their is minding the store and making sure we're not loading up on PED's or just plan crap.

Like I said, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on their product and testing it out.  I have a few 18 to 20 mile runs left for LA Marathon and I'm going to need all the energy I can get!

While I'm testing out my batch, you can take advantage of this limited time offer and receive a free trial of X²PERFORMANCE and try it with me! You will need to select a subscription plan and pay $5.95 shipping charge, but you can cancel the subscription (even before your first shipment) at any time and still receive your free trial.

Disclosure

I am participating in a sponsored campaign for X²PERFORMANCE. I received compensation for this post, but the opinions are my own.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

Goal setting tips from Coach Kastor #LAMarathon #betteryourbest #Tri4aHandUp

I thought I'd share some advice from Coach Kastor for the upcoming LA Marathon and 2014 in general...

Hopefully I'm not sharing top secret information, but Coach Kastor (the coach for the ASICS LA Marathon Blogger Challenge Team) shared a tip on how to get the most out of 2014, whether it be running, triathlons, work or personal life.

I found it interesting and thought some of you out there might benefit from it.


"Sit down today or tonight and imagine it's already the end of 2014. Write your future self a letter, congratulating yourself for all that you've accomplished over the past year. And don't hold back!

Once the letter is written, put it in an envelope, fully addressed to yourself, and stash it somewhere sacred, perhaps where you'll see it regularly.

Create a reminder in your calendar for 12/31/14, telling yourself to find your letter and read it. (Be sure to make a note about where it’s hidden!)"


Good luck with your endeavors for 2014!

Ironman triathletes, learn a lesson from Basketball star Hank Gathers

Through the years, I've learned the importance of taking care of yourself through exercise.  But, just because you are looking and feeling great doesn't mean you won't have complications or surprises lurking in the shadows.

With my road to Ironman Chattanooga 2014 traveling with Ride to Give and Mended Little Hearts, I have made pit stops along the way enlightening me that heart disease and complications aren't just for those that are out of shape or don't treat their bodies right.

It hit home watching a recent ESPN 30 for 30 about Hank Gathers.  He played college basketball and had a promising career in the NBA waiting for him, but a heart-muscle disorder, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, eventually lead to his death.

His death might have been avoided had he not played at LMU with their run and gun style of fast break play.  The practices were intense and the games were non-stop running.  He initially passed out in a game from exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia, was prescribed medication that affected his athletic performance, speculated to have cut the dose to play better and then died during a game.

Could he have played with the medication and accepted a lesser athletic performance?  Could he have played in medication and not been at risk for a sudden death?  Should he have listened better to his doctors?  Theirs a lot of sepculation around his death and lawsuits to go with them, but the moral of the story is that for anyone putting their bodies through intense physical work loads, like Ironman Triathletes, it's a wise move to stay on top of your heart health.

You may have underlying conditions that under normal circumstances may not effect your life, but riding and running for hours on end and training for 20 hours a week could cause exercise-induced ventricular tachycardia.  The very training that may make you look and feel invincible may be killing you without you even knowing it.

Word to the wise, check with your doctor, get an EKG to at least have a baseline if nothing is detected.  You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to make sure you know your body.  Mine is scheduled this December.  Get with the program.  :)

Check out the 30 for 30 video.  It's almost an hour, but very interesting.

Can too much body hair be a bad thing?

Yes, no one likes excessive hair growing in your nose or ears...
... but as I have grown older (maybe not more wise or mature) I've seen the transformation of hair placement from nature.

It's migrating from my hairline to my ears, nose and back.  I can get the ears and nose, and my wife helps me with the back, thank goodness.  No guy wants to be the dude at the pool where kids point and ask "why is he wearing a sweater at the pool?".

But, what about the spots that are just natural?  Sure, women take care of the other body hair that's considered acceptable by society, but what about the dudes?  Is it acceptable for a guy to shave legs, arms and chest?  Arm pits?

It's widely known in the triathlete circles that men shaving down body parts is a widely accepted and used practice.  It has many perceived purposes that benefit performance and increases comfort.

I read over a LinkedIn post and listed the ideas that people posted of why they would shave or why others they know shave.

• Easier post training/racing wreck clean up of road rash/cuts. Hair in a wound will slow healing.
• If (or when) they wreck on their bike... the individual hair do not grab onto the asphalt or cement and hold on to it... causing a greater rip of 'chunks' of skin off one's legs (and arms) as one slides along the surface. 
• Post training/racing messages better.
• Some perceived benefits when swimming due to newly exposed nerve endings.
• Aerodynamics.
• Keeps you cooler.
• Also helps with putting on and taking off a wetsuit.
• It really does feel better. 

I can buy in to some of those.
It does suck when you pull on a wetsuit and it pulls on the leg hair.  That would be eliminated.

Shaving off body hair is not going to make the difference between winning Kona and not, for me.  Maybe a few minutes that could be justified to wind  resistance from no body hair could geta win for Crowie or Macca, but lets get real for the age groupers.

Massage, yes... but if your massage people are doing it right, there should be no issues with the oils and lotions they use.  If they are pulling your leg hair, then find a new massage person.

I've had a few rug burns and rashes from playing indoor soccer on turf, and having hair getting stuck in your scabs sucks.  I can see shaving down for road rash, but here's a thought; ride safe and don't crash.  ;)

It is an odd sensation after losing the arm and leg hair when out on the bike or swimming.  You don't get the wind through your hair feeling, but you do get a new heightened sensitivity that wasn't there before. It's a unique feeling, but I'm not sure how it would improve training or racing.

The cooler comment is interesting.  As it heats up here in Kansas City, if you're out after 10am working out, you will be tackling 100 degree and higher heat index.  Any advantage to keeping cool you can get, you had better find it.  I'm not sure if less body hair = cooler body temps.  Worth some scientific studies, I think.


Obstacles
Wife and friends.

Simply put, your wife (or life partner - equal opportunity here) has to put up with the grow-back.  If you don't keep after it every few days, that stubble you get on your face translate to your entire body after shaving.  Most women don't like to be stabbed in bed by leg hair.  You have to convince your toughest critic that you will either shave every few days to keep it under control or that losing the body hair will get you a Kona slot.

And then there's your friends.  Mancard. WTF.  Pick your response.  You have to be able to take the criticism from your "friends" about doing that to yourself.  Manly construction workers may not understand and if your crew is a "manly" bunch, you may not live it down.  Maybe if you wore jeans all of the time, you could slide it by.

In conclusion...
Do I really think shaving your legs, arms and chest will get you ahead of the competition, no.

Would I do it?  Yes and I have.  Why, I can't really say other than that's what the pro's or other triathletes I know do.  It looks fast?

It's a pain.  I use the wide trimmer and opt to not mess with the actual shaving cream and razor.  That's going to result in quick grow back, but I'm not really interested in shaving cuts and trying to get around my knee to make sure I got it all.  It's an odd notion that just one of those triathlon mystique things.

More tradition than science.  Do what works for you.

Ironman released Altitude Performance Tips for Ironman Lake Tahoe participants

...and I'm not all that impressed.
As you may or may not know, I'm signed up for 2013 Ironman Lake Tahoe.  It's in September and on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, CA.  It's at elevation, but it's nothing to freak out about.

I've been to Boulder for the Boulder 70.3 triathlon.  The elevation wasn't as much an issue as the heat without the humidity.  Being a Kansas boy, in the summer you just walk around and cannot help but sweat and feel the heat and humidity.  It makes you take notice and prepare for races in this area for extreme water loss and electrolyte loss.  When you're racing in heat at altitude, you fail to notice how much you can lose just from breathing.  Yes, I lost a lot in sweat.  But, it evaporated so fast that it wasn't obvious that I was losing so much.  The result was cramping and GI issues.

Lesson learned.

But, I don't think you need to find altitude tents, training masks or spend thousands on altitude training camps and arriving a week early for an event.

I plan on showing up 3 days before the event and hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more.

I did want to visit Ironman's suggestions and chime in with my 2 cents.

1. Train at altitude

It's important to get real practice in the months before your race. Whether on your own or at a training camp, experts recommend making at least three trips so you can gain familiarity with the altitude's effects on your body. Squaw Valley, the Official Training Destination of IRONMAN for the Western United States, hosts IRONMAN training weekends throughout the summer months that will include specialized itineraries for high-performance athletes in a high-altitude environment. 

That's a nice plug for their training camps.  Really?  3 trips?  Who has that kind of money?  When you charge $650 just for entry and then have to pay for travel, lodging and everything else, visiting 3 more times just to train at elevation is a little ludicrous for the average triathlete that does not have endless funds.


2. Arrive a few days early

When making travel arrangements, be sure to give yourself a few days at altitude before your event so you'll be sure to be over any side-effects you might experience. Drink extra fluids during that time, too, which will help your body adjust. 

I actually buy into this.  I'm getting their a couple days early just to get my bearings and get a little used to altitude.  I am hoping to get a few quick workouts in, but nothing that will make me more efficient at altitude.


3. Stay hydrated

As soon as you get to a higher altitude, your kidneys work overtime for the first few days, which makes hydration very important, as does the fact that the air is typically very dry and loss of fluids and electrolytes through sweat is not as obvious. For at least two weeks leading into your event, be extra mindful about staying hydrated. The best way to be sure you're drinking enough? Urine should be pale yellow. 

I agree.  Drink LOTS of water.  That was my achilles at IM 70.3 Boulder. I didn't realize what I had lost at 90+ degrees since it felt drastically different without humidity from Kansas.  The true key, I think.


4. Start easy on the swim

Of the three events in a triathlon, the swim can be the most challenging at altitude. While you can simply breathe faster or deeper while biking or running, it can be difficult to coordinate your breathing pattern in the water. So ease into the swim and focus on controlled, rhythmic breathing—and if you start to notice your breathing becoming rapid, stop and rest until it regulates, then make the necessary pace adjustment.

Hmmm... I'd say this goes for any triathlon.  If you go out too hard and get in a breathing deficit, then you will have some serious issues.  Sure, you can have issues with altitude, but if you use common sense, it shouldn't be a problem and I don't think you need to drastically change your swimming strategy.  Calm, cool and collect just like any other triathlon.


5. Monitor your heart rate

On race day, it's common for athletes to experience a rapid increase in breathing and heart rate. If you do, back off your pace and effort a bit until you get it under control. 

Again, that's what I would say for any event.  The same can be said for training and racing in humidity. If you train by heart rate, use common sense and adjust your race to what your body is telling you.  Altitude isn't some mysterious dark force that's going to wreak havoc on your body.  Stay calm and under control.  Start each leg under your intensity goal to see how it goes.  You can always expend more, you can't get it back if you burn out too soon.


6. Back off on bike gears

As you climb to higher altitudes, your power output decreases. On the bike, this means you'll want to ride in an easier gear than you would over similar terrain at sea level. In other words, you'll want to ride at a higher cadence than you would normally. 

I ride at a high cadence anyways.  I believe it's a better utilization of power and gives you more to work with on the run.  That being said, not everyone trains that way.  Go with what you know.  Don't suddenly change your style on race day.  Now, you may get to the pain cave and need to back off anyways.  Remember, after the 112 miles biking, you still have 26.2 miles to run and the legs to do it. But, if you don't train at high cadence, then why do it on the one day it really matters?  If you plan to use this strategy, start training that way NOW!


7. Pass on the Personal Best

In addition to the altitude effects, many races at altitude also offer hills, which means you’re not likely to set a best time. Mentally adjust to a slower pace and pay attention to your body, rather than adhering to expectations from a lower altitude. When you get to the run, you may also find that you are breathing harder than usual. You may want to take walking breaks to ensure that you can properly fuel and hydrate. Those breaks will help regulate your breathing, too. 

Again, don't do different things on race day.  If you want to use high cadence, use more breaks, etc, then start incorporating that in training NOW.  Don't wait til race day. Altitude doesn't mean you have to settle for a second fiddle race goal.  You will have to put more into your race training leading up to the event, but altitude isn't a dirty word that's going to rape you of any and all ability you had.  Don't forget, humidity will be lessened at altitude.  Allergies will be lessened.  Heat should be minimized at altitude.  For all the detriment altitude may bring, it also has advantages.



In conclusion, unless you are gunning to place pro or age group qualify for Kona, you are probably not going to tax yourself to the point that the altitude will create a huge deficit for you.  If you have trained right and mixed it up a little to get a little more threshold, then there's no reason why you cannot go out and have a great race without spending too much time, money and drastically alter your plan.

I think too much is made about altitude and creates a huge panic and anxiety in athletes that it really won't affect in an extreme manor.  Don't waste tons of money trying to go out and train at altitude.  Adjust some of your workouts to get some more intensity in there and drink lots of water.  Figure out a plan for the race you are doing and get the key points incorporated into your training.  That's the key.

Sometimes you have to be creative to get your workouts in...

Last big week before IM 70.3 Kansas...
And it was the largest volume week yet, which is good and bad.

Good that I hit pretty much all of my workouts and peaked with volume and intensity for my per-competitive phase for 70.3 Kansas.

Bad in the fact that this will be a smaller week in the grand scheme of things for IM Lake Tahoe.

After an intense bike-run-bike-run-bike session Friday, I was spent.  Then, I hit a cross-fit type of workout with Em on Saturday, and then a high Z2 3 hour ride Sunday.  Sunday was toast after that.  Luckily all that was on the docket was a casual driveway gathering in the cul-de-sac and then bed.

I was and am still feeling the week.  It's time to keep intensity and back off of the volume.  Keep recovery time short while maintaining the fitness level.


The numbers.
This is the week I had been looking for.  It was a delicate game of balancing kids, work, house responsibilities and time management in general.

Some of the intense runs (no, not the GI type of runs, get real) came from dawning a weight vest and running to pick up the kids from daycare.  It's a 4.5 mile round trip, but it's always windy and running with a double stroller, even when empty, is a pain.  It's a tough workout even at slow speed.  Add a headwind and 90 pounds of kids, and you have an high heart rate blood pumping run in 40 minutes.  Great afternoon jam session.  I highly recommend it.  If you don't have access to kids and a stroller, use a tire tied to your waist and run sprints.  Then, you might feel the pain.

At least a couple of people enjoyed the run.

Here's the run down:
Cycling - 115 miles
Running - 25.5 miles
Swimming - 3.91 miles
Total Time - 13:57 hours
Total Miles - 144 miles

Don't misread that.  These weren't miles and time just to train.  The objective is to train to race, not train to train.  Every workout had a specific goal and reason.  Sometimes they didn't get done in the order I would have preferred, but it fit within my schedule as best it could without disrupting my family and other obligations.

Don't get me wrong, I could have spent more time like one guy rode 72ish miles and another rode over 90 yesterday training for the same event.  That's great if you have the time, and they will probably kill me on the bike.  But, if properly structured, the workout time could be much less with greater results.

More miles don't always equal better results.

But then there's the point that they love to ride and the events are inconsequential compared to the satisfaction they get from going out for long rides.  Far be it from me to discourage a good suffer fest on the bike.

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and kept the real reason for the holiday in perspective.  Tomorrow, we get back to it.

2013 5150 Kansas Olympic Triathlon Race Report - 5/19/13

Before we dive into the nuts and bolts of the race report, lets deviate for a minute...

Life is full of choices.  You can choose to work the same job that doesn't inspire you, or you can let your satisfaction supersede your possession driven lifestyle and do something you have a passion for.  You can choose to hit the snooze button in the morning and skip an early workout, or you can choose to get going at first alarm.

No, I didn't oversleep and miss the race... but where am I going with this?

Triathletes have a choice to do racing and training.  Ultimately the world will still go on if triathlons didn't happen and triathletes didn't "tri".  If cops and fire fighters chose to do something else, we would be screwed.  I may have chosen to be a triathlon and endurance coach, but life goes on if it doesn't succeed. I have other skills.  The point is, I try and not take the triathlon "hobby" so serious that it clouds my judgement.

The matter of choice dictated my race performance Sunday.


The weather was not cooperating.

2:30am started off with a flash and bang.  Some nice thunderstorms with hail rolled through KC, but by the time I was in the car to pick a friend up for the race, conditions improved and pavement was drying.  It was looking like we may catch a break and race on.

Nothing out of the ordinary for this race morning.  I was eager to get the first race in and anxiously looking forward to test my training and diet improvements to see if there were any measurable race day gains.

Well, 6:30am hit and so did another round of light thunderstorms.

View of the rainy lake.  It was darker than this came out and the light is from the portable spot lights, not sunshine... sadly.

Race was suppose to send off with the pros at 7:30am.  After a consistent downpour and lightening the RD postponed to 8am start to allow the storm cell to pass.

Then, around 7:45am, the RD chose to eliminate the swim and start the bike time trial with the pros at 8am.

There's the decision point.  5 minutes before the pro start, it was still raining pretty good and standing water on the pavement.  Transition was set up, wetsuit was on (I put it on before the swim was cut and left it on to stay warm) and I was ready to race.

Ultimately there were many points to consider and pro's and con's to racing or packing it up.  I have no issue with no swim.  I started in endurance sports in duathlons, so had it been dry and no swim, I would have been all over it.

But, I decided personally that I did not want to risk a bike wreck, damaging my bike or hurting myself on wet pavement.

Props to the RD for finding a way to salvage a portion of the race.  It's always nice to have choices.  A lot of people stayed and raced, but a fair amount hit the road.

Ironically I was wondering how the KC Tri on the other side of town was faring.  Two races in KC area on the same day... but were they experiencing the same weather?  The sites were around 60 miles a part.  There's a high probability that the could have had sunny skies.  Turns out, they didn't.  Their race was cancelled all together.  I guess technically 5150 KS won on the finisher count.

Hopefully next year the races are on two different days if they both happen again.  That way, if one gets rained out, you can sign up for the other one.


And, in a smart move by the RD's for Jackson County and Midwest Meltdown triathlons..

They offered $15 any or both of their races for those that didn't get to race or got shorted.  Just an FYI for any of the racers reading the blog in the KC area.

I've done both triathlons, and Jackson County is the same location as the KC Tri, but different bike route.  The Midwest Meltdown is an awesome flat course.  It's a PR maker and is contained around a small lake, eliminating a lot of traffic hassles.  Both quality events worth considering.

Use RAINYDAYDISCOUNT13 at checkout.

You know you need to eat better, here's some ideas.

USA Triathlon published an article about processed foods.

As an avid triathlete, and now a coach (www.SetThePaceMedia.com) (in training, USAT level 1 certification on May 17th and 18th!), I'm always striving to eat better.  Not only as an athlete, but to set a better example for my kids as they grow up to get the proper nutrition they need to grow a healthy body and healthy brain.

Our family falls into the trap most other family in the country falls in to.  Too little time to invest in fixing dinners, planning meals, buying natural ingredients and always on the go.  With both parents working full time jobs and two kids just starting to get into extracurricular activities, it's very easy to just grab a taco bell dinner between work and soccer practice, or hit Applebees for a juicy burger after the gym.

All those excuses and in the meantime, I'm always looking for ways to improve on the triathlon course.  Fitter, faster, stronger and leaner are my top mottoes.  Every one of those depends on food.  If you're fueling and recovering with crap, you won't improve.  If you're eating processed foods that lack proper nutrition or contain insoluble fats, then you're never going to reach "race weight" without pouring in excessive amounts of aerobic training to counteract those fats.

It's all unnecessary.  There are options.  Whole Foods has a great selection.  Even your regular grocery store has options.  You just need to know where and how to look.

That's what the USAT article misses out on.  They only give a glimpse of a good meal and don't really say how it fits into real life.  How do you plan that around daycare and work?

Here's how.

You have to have a plan, just like a training plan.  Pick one night a week to sit down and plan out your options for healthy meals for a week.  This is your blueprint on the foods you will need to get from the store.  From that list, you can divide the foods into the items that can be bought at the regular grocery store and which you will need to hit whole foods for.  Whole foods isn't cheap, so if your budget is strapped, making better use of your standard grocery store whenever possible is the best move.  Give yourself options so you are not eating the same thing every day.  If you do that, you'll burn out fast and start craving crap food for a change of taste.

Suggestions of foods;
Apples
Bananas
Whole uncut carrots
Broccoli
Strawberries
Plain low fat natural yogurt
Skim milk
Low fat cottage cheese
Natural peanut butter
Almond butter
Tuna fish
Whole wheat spaghetti with protein
Eggs
Low fat ranch for dipping veggies
Sweat peas
Lima beans
Green beans
Corn
Chicken breasts
Old fashioned oatmeal
Frozen fruits
Flax seed
Splenda
Brown rice cakes
Granola
and the list goes on.  Yes, some of these may have been treated with pesticides and raised on a non-organic farm, but they are more basic than the per-prepared meals that you stick in the microwave. It's better for you than the tv dinners and grease laden cheeseburgers from Wendy's.

From that list you can mix and match for meals and snacks.

Breakfast - 2 cups of oatmeal with a banana mixed with flax seed.  This should help with plant sterols that help with heart health.  I add a teaspoon of brown sugar and splenda to give it some flavor.  Add 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites.

Snacks (have 2 small snacks a day) - you can mix and match carrots with 2 tablespoons of ranch, boiled egg, cottage cheese, apples, natural pb on a brown rice cake, no-sugar applesauce, plain yogurt smoothie mixed with a cup of skim milk and a cup of frozen veggies.... the list goes on and the goal is to get one protein and carb serving per snack.

Lunch - Tune fish sandwich.  Single serving of mayo and mustard for flavor.  Tuna salad sandwich.  The goal is to get that on one piece of bread to minimize starches that get stored in your body and are very hard to break down for immediate use - depending on your activity level.  I'm a big fan of tuna fish as it's loaded with protein and has more up side than down.  It's the staple of my lunches.

Dinner - this can be a little more open.  Tacos you make at home, spaghetti with meatballs, chicken breasts, and even hamburgers - but try and find organic meat with little fat (no pink slim).  The point is moderation.  Eat a sensible portion sizes and do not go back for seconds.  If you are still hungry, load up on green veggies - all you want.

Dessert - yes you can still have ice cream or other naughty foods.  Portion size is key.  Stick to around a cup or less and savor it.

WATER - the big key is water.  Some studies suggest that the hunger pains you feel are actually the signs of dehydration.  Get around a gallon of water a day in.  Don't like drinking plain water?  Use the new drink mix add-ins like Mio or others.  They work great and don't add any calories.  The jury is still out to see if they have any negative health side effects.

Sports drinks - save them for workouts only.  Even with the lower calorie gatorades and other "low cal" drinks, those extra 50 calories per bottle can add up over a day outside of the workout window.

NO POP - Sure, diet pop has no calories, but it has some chemicals that studies declare to be possible cancer causing to just jacking with your body chemistry.  If you want peak performance or at least to make progress, don't mess with the factory's energy source.  Regular pop doesn't have the chemical additives to the extent of the diets to keep flavor while ditching calories, but you'll be taking it in the shorts at 150 to 200 calories PER CAN and more if you drink from the larger bottles. Some studies even suggest that receptors used for protein could be occupied by carbonation from pops, thus limiting the effectiveness of the receptors and your body's ability to correctly process protein.  These studies could be bunk, but in reality pops and sodas are not natural occurring substances used for proper hydration.  That's why humans drink fluids, to hydrate.  We aren't meant to drink pop.

Like chocolate milk?  Sure, it's a great addition for recovery, but if you're like me, then it's hard to have just one glass full.  I'm talking about those big ole cups, not the wimpy 8 oz glasses.  Too much is not a good thing.  Save the chocolate milk attack for after workouts, use skim milk and only use one 8 fl oz serving.  Any more than that and you're asking for all of your hard work to go down the toilet with too much sugar.  still thirsty?  See the comment about water.

All this goes into figuring out what your body needs.  You need to figure out where you are at and where you want to be.  Maintain?  Drop weight?  Add healthy weight?  It all changes the caloric intake, but the foods should remain the same.

You will have to devote time to the effort.  Fixing meals should not require inordinate amounts of extra time, but packing your snacks and lunch rather than hitting Subway will be a challenge.  I can knock it out with an extra 10 minutes in the morning, or pack it the night before.  The point is, if you really want to do it right, you will have to put energy and effort into it.

When I wrote up this post, I was on day 5 of our family's new mission, and it's not easy.  Speaking of... I need to go get a water refill!

Sprint interval running indoor vs sprints outdoors

I've always touted the benefits of running prescribed workouts in the controlled environment at your local gym.

You can control the weather, the treadmill, speed, incline and the only variable is your body.  Treadmills can be more forgiving on the joints and it's better situation for controlled training.

But, there's something to be said for training in the elements.

Yesterday was a glorious near 80 degree day in Kansas City, and so much of a good day, I took off for the jr high track near my house for some sprint intervals after dinner.  It's not the most ideal time, but with two small kids and mommy and daddy working full time jobs, AND the weather was FINALLY cooperating in Kansas City, you take the time to train when you get it.

I waited out dinner for around an hour and left the house after kids went to bed, but that still didn't ward off a little heartburn during the workout.  Taco Tuesday is always better going down, and not up.

It was also possibly the last day for a few days that the temps will cooperate allowing me to get a solid workout in outdoors without wearing 3 layers of clothes.  Tomorrow takes a turn and snow showers might be hitting Friday.  What a crock!  76 to 42 for a high.  That's not right.

But, back to the workout.  It's been a long time since I was on a real 1/4 mile track.  I've either been on the treadmill at the gym or on a indoor 1/8 mile track.  I'm not complaining, but running sprints on a 1/8 mile track with walkers and other odds and ends on an indoor gym track is not optimal conditions.

The treadmill is great for dialing in a speed and forcing your body to maintain that speed.  With the outdoors and especially on a track, it's up to you to push your body to its limits.  The track situation is great because they are usually level, so no inclines and no traffic intersections to deal with when you run on the sidewalks or streets.  School tracks are also usually built from a composite material that's more akin to hard rubber, which lessons the impact on joints and avoids cracks and uneven surfaces that could be a tripping hazard.

I've also just ran to time in the past, while this session I ran at 200 yard intervals.  200 yards sprint, 200 yards recovery.  Time wise is was around 40 seconds of sprinting to 2:10 of recovery.  Pretty spot on.

With a 15 minute warm-up run to the track, I was off for a set of 8 before trotting back home.

As you can see, I ranged from 35 to 40 seconds of sprinting over 200 yards.  It was a completely different experience than the indoor track or treadmill.  By the 175 yard mark, my legs wanted to give out and my lungs were on fire.  It was nice to push myself to the limits in a new setting.

What's sad was at the last sprint, I wanted to get a sub 37 seconds, and produced my second to worst interval.  Go figure.  I was toast.

Keep your eyes open for better weather and hit the track for some speed work.  I highly recommend it!

Check this post out if you use your iPhone or Andriod phone for music

I'm sure a lot of you out there have already found this... but just in case

I've had issues in the past with what I think about people running and listening to music on headphones.  I wrote about how people should ditch the headphones on runs for safety and for a better workout.

But, that's also not holistically realistic... what?  Yeah, I just made that up.

Recently I have explored the Bluetooth capabilities of my truck and realized a whole new world has opened up to me to play music through the Bluetooth connection from my phone.  I have an iPod shuffle, but it's a pain to sync with iTunes and I don't have iTunes on my computer.  I use my wife's account and it's just a hassle to get it updated.  I use the USB on my radio every now and again, but the battery runs out on the iPod or I'm bored with the music.  Same goes for running with it.

Well... when I finally bit the bullet and tried to sync my phone, I realized I'm missing out.  After 10am, my radio show is off the air and there's a little music with a lot of commercials during the day if I'm out and about.  Add that in with the fact I ditched trying to get music going for workouts since it was so difficult to get the iPod set up, updated and charged.

Well my friends, I found an awesome solution.  I know I recently found it, but it may be old news to everyone else.




Amazon Cloud Player

Way back almost 2 years ago I bought a song off of Amazon.  I didn't think anything of it.  I downloaded it and moved on.  Then one day I received an email from another purchase with some credits for another song and thought, cool.  After checking it out, I found the Amazon cloud player.  At first I just downloaded it to my computer to allow me to play it from the "cloud" rather than download the file and take up space on my computer.  The beauty is that you can access the cloud player from any computer with your account and play your music.  No need to drag your phone or iPod everywhere.

Then, I found the app on for my Android phone!  GLORIOUS!  I'm free of cables and cords.  I can play it at work with headphones, in my truck on Bluetooth, in my wife's care on Bluetooth so I don't have to suffer with her music (it's not all that bad), and on any computer.  As long as you have a signal you can access your songs, make playlists, buy more songs and best of all if you switch phones or your computer dies, you don't lose the files!  They are all on the cloud that you just add the app and you are off and running!

Best of all it's free!  You just pay for the songs and you can still download them for other uses. I have yet to have issues with the quality as well.  It plays flawlessly with less than perfect reception.  Great app!

How did we live before smart phones?


So, yes I think in certain circumstances you need to ditch the headphones...

But if you are grinding out a 2 hour zone 2 run on the indoor 1/8 mile track at the gym on a winter day, it could pass for a good reason to break out some music.

Enjoy this nugget if you haven't found it already!

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Have you been training for @RuckusSports Ruckus Kansas City?

Did you know the race is coming up?
April 6th... are you signed up!  You better SIGN UP!

It's going to be epic!

I've ran it the past 2 years since it came to Kansas City and it's been awesome!  They have improved from year to year.

One big secret is that if you are at all competitive, you need to get in the early waves.  That's less people on the course and it's less torn up earlier in the day.  Plus, if the weather in KC continues like it has, it might be a soggy course.  That gets torn up in a hurry.

I have tips below I learned from 2011 and 2012, and next week I will be publishing tips for 2013.  Stay tuned to find out what's the best way to tackle Ruckus from a 2-time KC veteran.

Check out some tips about obstacle course racing.  I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.

• Tips from 2012 
• Tips from 2011

I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year.  Read up to see the highlights for each race!

I will be there racing as an "ambassador" of sorts on a comp entry for helping spread the word.  I've raced every year they have been here, and it's always been a good time!


The first year I worked out specifically for the event...
I attended Rev Gym's x-camp class on a consistent basis to build endurance and strength without the bulking up part.  It was a kick ass workout, but it has been difficult to get in this year.  It didn't fit the schedule while I was working the cube life, but now that I'm ventured into self employment and triathlon coaching, I'm hoping to get back into it.  It's a GREAT workout and a good supplement to the traditional triathlon training to keep us from training one dimensionally that could lead to overuse and repetitive motion injuries.

It strengthens muscles not always used in swim, bike and run, but support those types of workouts and keeps us injury free.

But, back to 2013.  I haven't made it much and strength training has been minimal at best.  The schedule just didn't allow for it consistently.  I do make it to Pilates reformer sessions at least once a month, but that's not going to cut it to make great improvement.  I've focused on strength workouts in swim, bike and run.  Hills, sprints, zone two and other drills to get the cardio system taxed and ready.  It should be interesting to see how the strength element holds up.  I'm more trained up for running this year at this point, but when you get past the first 10 or so obstacles, it takes a toll and you just slow down.

I'll have to either decide to be conservative to stay consistent through the whole race or just go balls out and let the chips fall where they may...

Check back for pre-race and race reports!

Winter indoor long workouts, how do you suffer?

This is your pain. This is your burning [calves and hamstrings]. It's right here. Look at it. 

I'm going to my cave. I'm going to my [TV] and I'm going to find my [trash shows].

No! Don't deal with this the way those [coach potatoes] do. Deal with it the way a living [Triathlete] does.

As I was riding out a 90 minuter trainer ride in the basement pain cave due to 6 inches of snow that came this past Sunday (what spring?), I found myself needing to multitask.  Going the self employment route requires a lot more elbow grease than the majority of 9-5 gigs.  When you work for yourself, you're only as successfull as the effort you put in.

So, I needed to do some biz work AND get the ride in.  What was a Newbie Triathlon Coach to do? 

Multitask.

I'm the first to admit, I cannot just drone away on the trainer without some sort of entertainment.  DVR has been my friend.  I still have the 2012 IM world champs on DVR that I re-visit now and again.  I have movies in the DVD player and I use that time to catch up on the trash TV shows I like to keep up with.  It's somewhat embarrassing to admit to some of the shows I like to keep tabs on, so I won't advertise it here.  I digress...

Luckily trainer rides provide a good chance to catch up.  Depending on the types of workouts you are doing, you can catch up with phone calls, emails and a few other items.  Those nice little tablets are great for getting on the web and getting things done.  It's uber handy in the aero position to hold it out front with one hand and peck and type with the other.

But, I bring that up to point out that it can be a trap.

In 2011, I was king of catching up on reading and watching tv shoes while droning on the trainer.  What I wasn't cognisant of was how I was training.  At that time, I was more focused on speed than cadence.  I was in the big chain ring holding on to 20 mph as long as I could and shifting down when I couldn't hold up any more.  Even though I had almost doubled my winter bike training time, my speed actually went down for the season.  Try as I might, it stayed pretty set for the summer.

Now that I'm more aware of heart rate and trying to increase my riding cadence, a zone two ride could be a target of 145 bpm at the 90 to 95 rpm range.  That's a good clip, and if you're off thinking about your power animal, you could be missing it, man.

It's easy to slide into the 85 rpm range and the 120 bpm while you are focusing on 2012 mortgage interest and mileage reports.  Do'h.

It's all good if you need to watch TV, multitask or find some sort of distraction to make time pass quicker for a long workout, but be careful that you don't zone out and forget what you are really there for.  If you're not going to get the most from your workout, then you're better off getting your stuff done and coming back later to focus on the ride and ride for a shorter period of time.  For some, it may not be a big issue.  Quantity does not equal quality.

Just use your best judgement and don't be surprised if your speed drops for the season even though you spent more time on the trainer in the winter.  If you're not riding to improve, you've essentially wasted the miles as it applies to improving performance.

Also, don't forget to hop on over to my Triathlon Coaching site - www.SetThePaceMedia.com and check it out!  Like the Facebook page as well!

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Ruckus Run, Kids and Coaches - oh my

Ruckus Run obstacle course race fees are going up.
Get in before Friday!  The prices are going up and it's a good time!

Bring your kids for the mini-ruckus!  Sign up and save before the price increase this Friday!

Come Out and Play April 6!

Check out some tips about obstacle course racing.  I'll be writing a few more up in preparation for the 2013 event.

• Tips from 2012 
• Tips from 2011

I also reviewed and compared Ruckus to Warrior Dash last year.  Read up to see the highlights for each race


Kids, they're good, they're bad, they're good...
As our oldest turned 5, we notice wild changes in obedience, attention span and overall emotional control.

The week leading up her birthday parties, she was all sweet, complient and it was a great week in the dealings with a 5 year old girl.

Immediately after her parties and off-and-on every day since, she's defiant when we ask her to do something, starts crying at the drop of a hat and can't remember what we asked her to do from the living room to the kitchen trash can.  Oh something shiny!

We love our little girl to pieces, but it's like she went from 4 to 13 this birthday.  Yikes!

Coaching
I've been on touch with Coach Bob and we are getting a true game plan going for the year.  IM KS 70.3 with Hines Ward and IM Lake Tahoe are the highlights.

I've been working up the aerobic base and we are looking at turning up the heat.  This will also relate to what I foreshawdowed in yesterday's post.  I've sent him videos of running and swimming so he can tell me how bad I really am.  I'm interested to see what he has to say.  Will it be a 30 minute run down or a couple of calls worth of drills, critique and "no way you are reaching your goals with that form".

BIG things happening on the home front that will be a positive change and allow me more freedoms to focus on what really matters, like family.  ;)

Pinched for Swimming, found a solution

When switching jobs, the new gig allowed for flex time...
And I signed up for the 9-80 program.  80 hours in 9 days and get every other Friday off.  It sounds good in theory, but it kind of backfired.

Chalk it up to trial and error.  I thought, hey, a WHOLE Friday to get crap done!  Maybe tick off a long training workout and then get some items done around the house.

It was ok at first, but since I was working 9 hour days the other days of the week and taking 30 minute lunches, I couldn't get any workout in over lunch and in order to get sleep, I was opting to work out after the kids went to bed.  I don't know about you guys, but the last thing I wanted to do after a long day is pack up for the gym across town to get a swim in.  So, swims suffered.  My workouts overall suffered.  What I did get in was limited to after the kids went to bed and I was not getting that break from work to allow my brain to rest for a little bit before getting back at it.

What looks good on paper may not be the best option.

The Fridays off turned into "cram-in-all-in" days.  Every Dr appointment, errand, bills, and whatever else I didn't have time in the day for on my 9 hour work days got shoved to the Friday off and it was impossible to balance it all by putting it off until 1 day every two weeks.

Yes, I know a lot of people work 50+ hour weeks and what not and make it work.  For our situation and for me to keep my sanity and stay married, it wasn't working.

I was stressed out, things weren't getting done and my workout time was sad.  I was only able to squeeze out little less than 6 hours a few weeks ago.  Yes yes, there are bigger problems in life, but I was feeling like I couldn't even get the basics managed.  And, that's with relatively healthy kids and healthy wife.  Things should be manageable.  I've either bitten off too much (I know who will agree with this) or the plan wasn't as good as I thought.


So I changed it...
I am now back to the 5 day a week program.  8 hours a day but I adjusted start, finish and lunch hours to allow for lunch workouts and leave the door open for mornings and after the kids go to bed.

I must say, it's been working better.

It's a brain break for the middle of the day.  If I'm good on workouts or have an off day, I can do other things with my lunch time.  There's time for work, personal stuff, family and workin out.

Sure, I'd love to train more, but it's about moderation and reality.  Plus, I'm not into over training.  I like to train smart, not just add junk miles or workouts for the sake of working out.  Goals people, goals!


Training went from fitting it in to finally working... with some inflated numbers from snow shoveling...
From last week, we have:
BIKING - 80 miles
RUNNING - 18.5 miles
SWIMMING - 7286 yards
TOTAL MILES - 103.3 miles
TOTAL TIME - 10:53

There was an 1:30 of strength training which included some snow shoveling, stretching and pilates reformer work.  But it looks like I'm actually training for a half Ironman in June.  Imagine that.


So the moral of the story....
is what looks good on paper may not be the best solution.  Don't be afraid to try something new and then don't be afraid to change it back if the new way isn't effective.

If you are not meeting your family obligations, friend obligations and personal satisfaction, take a step back and re-adjust.

When life hands you lemons, freeze them and add them in your chili?

Everyone gets them... the email forwards with some obscure claim from an uncle that you're not 100% sure knows that everything on the internet is not real.

And I got one yesterday.  It was about lemons... and it actually pertained to healthy and fitness.  Read below:

Amazing frozen lemons All it is.....is a frozen lemon

Many professionals in restaurants and eateries are using or consuming the entire lemon and nothing is wasted. How can you use the whole lemon without waste?

Simple.. place the washed lemon in the freezer section of your refrigerator. Once the lemon is frozen, get your grater, and shred the whole lemon (no need to peel it) and sprinkle it on top of your foods.

Sprinkle it to your vegetable salad, ice cream, soup, cereals, noodles, spaghetti sauce, rice, sushi, fish dishes, whisky.... the list is endless.

All of the foods will unexpectedly have a wonderful taste, something that you may have never tasted before. Most likely, you only think of lemon juice and vitamin C. Not anymore.

Now that you 've learned this lemon secret, you can use lemon even in instant cup noodles.

What 's the major advantage of using the whole lemon other than preventing waste and adding new taste to your dishes?

Well, you see lemon peels contain as much as 5 to 10 times more vitamins than the lemon juice itself. And yes, that 's what you 've been wasting.

But from now on, by following this simple procedure of freezing the whole lemon, then grating it on top of your dishes, you can consume all of those nutrients and get even healthier.

It 's also good that lemon peels are health rejuvenators in eradicating toxic elements in the body.

So place your washed lemon in your freezer, and then grate it on your meal every day. It is a key to make your foods tastier and you get to live healthier and longer! That 's the lemon secret! Better late than never, right? The surprising benefits of lemon! Lemon (Citrus) is a miraculous product to kill cancer cells. It is 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy.

Why do we not know about that? Because there are laboratories interested in making a synthetic version that will bring them huge profits.

You can now help a friend in need by letting him/her know that lemon juice is beneficial in preventing the disease. Its taste is pleasant and it does not produce the horrific effects of chemotherapy.

How many people will die while this closely guarded secret is kept, so as not to jeopardize the beneficial multimillionaires large corporations?

As you know, the lemon tree is known for its varieties of lemons and limes.

You can eat the fruit in different ways: you can eat the pulp, juice press, prepare drinks, sorbets, pastries, etc... It is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting is the effect it produces on cysts and tumors.

This plant is a proven remedy against cancers of all types. Some say it is very useful in all variants of cancer. It is considered also as an anti microbial spectrum against bacterial infections and fungi, effective against internal parasites and worms, it regulates blood pressure which is too high and an antidepressant, combats stress and nervous disorders. The source of this information is fascinating: it comes from one of the largest drug manufacturers in the world, says that after more than 20 laboratory tests since 1970, the extracts revealed that It destroys the malignant cells in 12 cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas... The compounds of this tree showed 10,000 times better than the product Adriamycin, a drug normally used chemotherapeutic in the world, slowing the growth of cancer cells.

And what is even more astonishing: this type of therapy with lemon extract only destroys malignant cancer cells and it does not affect healthy cells. So, give those lemons a good wash, freeze them and grate them. Your whole body will love you for it!!!!!

So I'm not ready to follow the leader and start shredding frozen lemons, but I did check it out on snopes.com.  Read HERE.  It actually has SOME validity that it helps clear out toxins that could cause cancer and boost immunity.  Now, do you have to eat 1 or 20 a day?  I'm not sure, but at least there's actual proof out there that frozen lemons could actually be worth it!

Turns out that uncle that knows enough internet kung fu to be dangerous was on to something!

Let Heritage Chiropractic Share the Valentine's Day Love

PATIENT APPRECIATION DAY VALENTINE’S DAY at Heritage Family Chiropractic

Let Heritage Family Chiropractic show you and your guests some love at this special day where the focus is on you, the patients.

JOIN THEM : Wed 2/13 – Thurs 2/14
LOCATION : Heritage Family Chiropractic 784 N Ridgeview Rd, Olathe, KS 66061

Enjoy complimentary food and beverages. They will be offering a $20 examination for the guests of patients. This includes a complete history, consultation, exam, and Thermal Imaging Study and any necessary X-rays.

CONTACT Heritage Family Chiropractic TO REGISTER.
www.heritagefamily-chiropractic.com



Heritage Family Chiropractic is a partner with Man Versus Triathlon and discounts services in exchange for uninfluenced online content about their experience.