And with that comes every single person resolving to eat better, sleep more and train harder. I am guilty of this thought process as well. And as cliche as this will sound, I am going to totally kick 2017's ass.
I mean, cmon, I have PR's to crush, Half Ironmans to dominate, and one big A Race called Ironman Madison in September to finish. I have no excuses as to why I can't have my best performances this year. I am committed, focused and super motivated. But year after year I come back to that nagging sensation that I am missing a giant piece of the multisport puzzle. Nutrition.
Like most of us who are athletes, I think sometimes we fall into a mentality that, because we spend hours biking, running or swimming, that we have somehow earned the right to put total garbage into our bodies. Over the years I have absolutely made this justification time and time again. Every race was followed up with a burger, lots of beers, and some sort of sweet to top it off. Not exactly the best recovery tools. Unless you count chocolate milk. That stuff is liquid gold after a race.
And don't get me wrong, I am never going to be that person that is capable of having total self control all the time. I believe that this life is short, and if I want to eat a cupcake, I am going to eat the damn cupcake. And I am going to enjoy the hell out of it. But there has to be a balance in life. I want to optimize my performance, which means it's time to get serious. By no means does that mean I am cutting out cupcakes completely, but there will be a time and place for those sweet, sugary, amazing, frosting covered cakes that dreams are made of. (Ugh, even talking about sweets makes me crave them. ADDICTION ALERT!)
This year I came across a little business in Minneapolis called FlyFeet Running. And oh boy, they have changed the game for me. The mix of high intensity running, coupled with high impact strength work, I have made gains in my strength and speed that can only come with going to a group fitness class that pushes you past your comfort zone. I have always found that strength training on my own was never as successful as I would like it to be. I get distracted and bored very easily. Especially if I am doing the workout in my home. Cue the magicians at Flyfeet. The instructors are knowledgable, and supportive. And one of them is even a MN Record holder for the 10k!! How badass is that? I want her to teach me allllll the things.
And now, to add a cherry on the proverbial sundae, they are hosting a 21 Day Challenge within the Flyfeet community. It will include recipes, workouts, and the support of all the members and staff.
So since I wanted to try and switch my nutrition game up anyways, I figure now is as good of a time as any! I will embark on my no dairy, grains, sugar and processed food journey on January 8th. I will be posting recipes as I go, because as I have found in the past, there will be many successes, but just as many trainwrecks.
Stay tuned to see what happens! I will post a recap as soon as it is done as well. Then time will tell if this change will bring about all the podiums I am hoping to top this season.
Cheers!
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