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Navigating "Food Indulgence" Season....

Thursday, 19 December 2019 23:10

By Lauren Mitchell (usatriathlon.org)

The holidays are right around the corner, which means parties are springing up almost every weekend. Thanksgiving – the most notorious holiday for food indulgence – is upon us. It’s hard to navigate the holidays, with hundreds of food decisions every day, and stay on track with our health and training goals. How do we pick food without feeling guilty or “bad about ourselves” when we are wanting a special dish or dessert?

Rather than engaging in conversation with our friends and family, what we are going to put on our plate becomes the highlight of the meal. Let’s get back to the notion that the holidays are more about spending time with one another rather than the over-indulgence of food. Here are 5 tips to navigate the holidays the right way:

Tip #1: Plan and prepare
Understanding there will always be a special event around the corner will take away the excuse for potential over-indulgence – treating these events as normal occurrences will prevent over-indulging. This takes planning and preparation, and a keen eye on controlling your blood sugar throughout the day for an evening event. Do your best by preparing foods with carbohydrate, protein and fat until the event, and then choose wisely during. Allow yourself to have a “miss” or two.

2019 Team Minnesota: Men...

Tuesday, 17 December 2019 23:10

MINNESOTA MULTISPORT HONORS - As with the women's list, the men's Team Minnesota roster did not resemble those of past seasons. Missing from the 2018 team were WADE CRUSER and MATT PAYNE, who took the year off, TED TREISE, who turned pro, and KEVIN O'CONNOR and SAM HAUCK, whose racing volume was insufficient. This left plenty of room for other athletes to, as they say, "step up."

As with the women, high/low ranking numbers are included parenthetically.

1. PATRICK PARISH, 34, Minneapolis (1-1) - Five wins, including a National title, and thre MMHs made Patrick the clear choice for the Top Spot here. He was not beaten by a fellow Minnesotan in 2019.

2. JOSH MORK, 36, Lino Lakes (2-2) - Two of his three wins were at the half IM distance, both breakout performances. Nipping Andy Zabel for the Most Improved honor, Josh rose from an 11th-place ranking in 2018 to 2nd this year.

3. JOSH BLANKENHEIM, 39, Duluth (3-3) - Winner of three of the six regional triathlons he entered in 2019, plus podiums at Heart of the Lakes and Lake Minnetonka made Josh a slam-dunk TOY nominee, and a Top 4 Team Minnesota selection.

4. SEAN COOLEY, 33, St. Paul (4-5)- On the strength of his win at Buffalo Olympic and his POY-nominated victory at High Cliff Half IM (4:07:34), Sean was able to claim the final TOY nomination and a spot in the Top 4 of Team MInnesota....

2019 Team Minnesota: Women...

Sunday, 15 December 2019 23:10

MINNESOTA MULTISPORT HONORS – This year's women's Team Minnesota list looks much different than in prior years. Notably absent from 2018's roster are DANI VSETECKA, ELAINE NELSON and NICOLE HEININGER, who didn't have sufficient racing volume, and SUZIE FOX, who has retired, hopefully not permanently.

Thanks in part to the return of CATHY YNDESTAD, and the emergence of talented young triathletes, like RACHEL ZILINSKAS, PAIGE SCHULZ, who did earn spots in the Top 10, and CARYN HERRICK and JENNA HORNER, who came darn close to doing so, the 2019 women's team is as formidable as ever.

Unprecedented is the fact that half of the team are masters.

Next to each name in parentheses are the athletes highest and lowest ranking. For instance, next to HANNA GRINAKER's name is (1-2), which means that at least one of the five-member Committee ranked her #1, and at least one member ranked her as low as #2. In Hanna's case, four Selectors ranked her #1, and just one ranked her in 2nd place.

Finally, athletes are supposed to be ranked by resume alone, and not by “how good” they are generally perceived to be....

"A PERFECT Race"...

Friday, 13 December 2019 23:10

By Ruth Brennan Morrey

2:43:41! 2020 Olympic Trial Qualifying Standard at age 44! See you in Atlanta!
Twenty years ago I ran 2:48:17 at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Today, 20 years later, I smashed my PR by 4 1/2 minutes. I don't know how I did it, but I do know a few things:

1) Today's California International Marathon was a PERFECT race. It was easy. No rough patches. Smart execution. I ran the last 5 miles at 5:55-6:10 after 21 miles of rolling hills at 6:17/mile. I cannot believe how effortless it felt. I am so thankful for a GREAT day!

2) Never lose hope in training. After Grandmas marathon, I became frustrated at the heaviness and difficult effort it took during my typical run paces. I thought it was old age. I became frustrated, but never relented. Turns out, I required patience and perseverance. I kept running, I then became peppy, energized, and invincible.

3) Focus on COURAGE. Full disclosure....I cry over courage. I am inspired by courage. I am inspired by my kids and my 12 year old soccer players who show me what courage REALLY looks like. They were my deepest lesson today. I'd imagine their examples throughout my run today, and repeat George S. Patton's quote "Courage is fear holding on for one more minute." ...

Thrice-Honored: Patrick and Hanna...

Wednesday, 11 December 2019 23:10

MINNESOTA MULTISPORT HONORS: Here are all of the 2019 MMH recipients. Note that next to each name are parenthese bracketing the number of 2019 honors followed by the athlete's total career honors). With three honors apiece, Patrick Parish and Hanna Grinaker were the big winners in 2019.