Listen to Your Body

This was not my next intended topic, but considering that I'm currently out with whiplash, I thought it would be a good to cover injuries as my next topic while I work on recovery. Injuries suck. They are a part of life. Minimize the time spent recovering, so you can get back to quality training as quickly as possible. It's easy for athletes to want to train through the pain because of the mentality of not wanting to get behind. This can cause the injury to last longer! As coach always says, "Listen to your body." You know yourself better than anyone else. If any particular activity or exercise is worsening an injury, don't do it!

If you are hurt, remember RICE- Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. The goal is to reduce inflammation as quickly as possible. Resting is absolutely key in this. It's better to miss a few training sessions and come back ready for training strong. Pushing through the pain not only leads to mediocre training sessions, but can also exacerbate the injury or extend the length of recovery time. Ice, compression and elevation are especially important in the first 48 hours to reduce inflammation.

Once the injury has had some time to heal, rehabilitation is the next step. If you have access to a physical therapist or athletic trainer, they can help teach you how to properly stretch and strengthen the affected area safely while monitoring your progress. If you're on your own, again, listen to your body. Increase the intensity as your body and pain levels allow.

Stay positive! This is one of the hardest parts, but definitely one of the most important. You will get through this. You will come back. You will be stronger for it. Use the time to visualize how you are going to race. Think about how it's going to feel when you are back in the gym, back on the bike, back on the track and crossing the finish line. Be smart about injuries and you will be training again in no time.

Bike Safety

I feel that this topic is very important to address. Cycling is a lot of fun, but there are risks, so it is imperative to be as safe as possible. A few weeks ago, as I was finishing up a long, hard ride on Santiago Canyon Road, I noticed several cars stopped in the bike lane. I thought something must be very wrong, so I slowed down. As I got closer, I saw that there was a cyclist down with several people around him to assist. I stopped and asked if I could help, but they had it as under control as possible and the paramedics were just seconds behind. I kept going and noticed that there was a car nearby with a smashed windshield. I don't know what happened, but it didn't look good. I couldn't help but think about how many cyclists were out there, since that's where most of the locals go for hill training, and that this could have happened to any one of us. Two weeks later, I was back on the hill and passed by a ghost bike- a memorial to a cyclist who was killed by a driver. I was not sure if this was a result of the previous accident or a more recent accident since it was a couple miles away from the first accident that I saw. I was very saddened and also very nervous to be on the road knowing that a cyclist had recently lost his life.

There are not a lot of areas in the area to get hill training in. Accidents happen. Whether it is the fault of the driver or the fault of the cyclist, unfortunately the result can be devastating. We can't eliminate accidents completely, but we can take easy precautions to reduce the number and severity of accidents while training on roads and bike trails.

#1 NEVER get on a bike without wearing a helmet properly. It doesn't matter if you're just going for an "easy" ride, just wear a helmet. You never know when something can happen, so make sure your head is protected. This means having a helmet that fits properly, and the chin strap is buckled. The helmet does not do any good whatsoever if it's strapped to your handlebars. Also, make sure your helmet is in good condition. Replace it any time you fall and the helmet contacts the ground (yes, even if there are no visible defects- a helmet is good for one fall only), or every 3-4 years.

#2 If you are riding on the road, you must adhere to traffic laws. Stay in your lane (preferably a bike lane). Stop at stop signs and red lights. You can't just run a red light and expect that cars are going to see you in time. Signal before  you turn or move to a turning lane. Drivers and other cyclists can't predict your movements. You have to tell them what you are going to do.

#3 Beware of riding in limited light. Yes, I know a lot of people ride as transportation to or from work and this often means riding near sunrise, sunset or in the dark. It is a lot more difficult for drivers to see cyclists during these times. If you are riding with limited or no natural light, make sure you are as visible as possible. You can put a blinking red light on the back of your bike, a spotlight on the front, wear reflective clothing and have reflectors on your bike.

#4 This goes along with the previous one, but is applicable during daylight hours as well. Make yourself visible! You want to ensure that drivers and other cyclists can see you. Wear bright and/or reflective clothing. You want to be seen. Ride in groups. It's easier to see a group of people than one solo rider. I know this isn't always possible, but when you can, it's definitely helpful.

#5 Do not ever wear headphones while riding your bike. I know a lot of people want music to exercise, but this is not the time or the place for that. You need to be able to hear what's going on around you. Listen to traffic. Listen for sirens. If you're on a bike trail, you need to be able to hear someone saying "passing left" so you know to hold your line and not turn suddenly.

#6 This one goes for drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.: Always be aware of your surroundings. Look to see who is around you. You may be able to spot the potential for an accident and take precautions to avoid it.

#7 If you're getting ready to pass other cyclists on a road or trail, let them know. It's more safe and polite to simply let people know you're there.

Feel free to comment with any other safety tips that I may have missed!

My first blog

Hi everyone! I am new to blogging, but I wanted to start as a way to share my training and racing journey and encourage others who enjoy triathlon or want to try a new sport. Hopefully I can provide some good advice for anyone who is interested in swimming, biking, running or all three!

My ultimate goal for this year is to earn my elite card. I have qualified for 2014 Age Group USAT Nationals in Milwaukee, WI, in August and plan to race in Chicago, IL, two weeks later. The season is kicking off with Wildflower Triathlon on May 4th.

Thank you to my family, friends, coach and sponsor, Gu Energy Labs, for your support!