FEATURES
Driven to Lead...
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Sunday, 11 February 2018 23:10
From Securian.com
As a college sophomore, Heather Lendway pondered whether to stick with the swim team for a second year. She had no idea of how greatly the decision would impact her life.
Heather had been swimming almost her entire life – she was three years old when she first entered the pool and began competing at age eight. Propelled by the excitement of consistent victory and her naturally competitive spirit, she continued on through high school and her first year in college. ...
Are You Sabotaging Your Running?
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Friday, 09 February 2018 23:10
The surprising habits that get in the way of running well, and how you can get back on track.
By Jonathan Beverly (triathlete.com)
Your body knows how to run—smoothly, efficiently, injury-free. What’s more, the way it runs is tailored to maximize your specific dimensions and preferred movement patterns. Why then, do runners often fall into an inefficient and injury-producing running form? Believe it or not, the blame may lie outside of your training hours. Our modern lifestyles, full of comfort and convenience, conspire to compromise our flexibility, strengths, and balance. Here are five things you’re doing to sabotage your running form, and how to counteract them.
You sit too much.
The most insidious alteration of runners’ form stems from the posture we’ve been forced into most of every day since pre-school: sitting. Sitting keeps the hips in a permanent flexed position, with the thighs in front of the torso. Eventually, our hip flexors in front become short and stiff and the glutes in the back turn off and get weak, throwing off the alignment of our hips and making a natural, powerful, backwards-driving stride impossible....
Triathlon is for Every BODY...
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Thursday, 08 February 2018 23:10
By Adam Sczech (usatriathlon.org)
“Why not?”
I have uttered that phrase many times when talking with someone about triathlon. Like most people that have been doing triathlons for a long time, most of my wardrobe is made up of race T-shirts, and they are often a conversation starter. So often I hear “Oh, that’s amazing” or “I could never do that,” which are untrue. Just about anybody — with any body — can do a triathlon.
Triathlon is about doing the most with our unique body, no matter the size, shape or abilities. Short, tall, lean, muscular, young or wise, there is a place for each of us! Our sport includes physically challenged athletes, and I’ve raced with athletes with quadriplegia, skeletal dysplasia and visual impairments. When I hear someone say they could never do a triathlon, I tell them about my first triathlon....
Empowerment & Back-Having...
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Wednesday, 07 February 2018 23:10
By Ruth Brennan Morrey (ruthbrennanmorrey.com)
Mid-July, two enthusiastic players from my U10 girls soccer team excitedly set off to a 5-day local day camp. Improving ball skills, preparing for the fall season, and having fun was the objective. After the second day, however, one player had a mysterious stomach ache and was picked up from camp mid-morning, while the other player erupted into tears the moment she buckled herself into the back of her mom’s car upon noon pick-up. Both players, independently, stated they never wanted to go back to camp. “We hate it” was the message—their shared attitude was the antithesis of what “Coach Ruth” grew to admire. As it eventually surfaced, ‘mean kids’ were having a great old time targeting the two girls with incessant verbal teasing and distracting them from camp enjoyment. The 20-year old camp coach was oblivious to the dynamics....
Getting Sick After Races?
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Tuesday, 06 February 2018 23:10
By Susan Lacke (triathlete.com)
You’re most vulnerable to falling ill 72 hours post-race. Here’s how to avoid it.
When you crossed that finish line, you had never felt stronger. But less than two days later, you’ve never felt sicker. What gives?
“If you’ve raced and developed an upper respiratory tract infection the following day, you’re not alone,” says Dr. Leah Roberts, emergency room physician and co-founder of SteadyMD. “You’re most vulnerable to getting sick 72 hours post-race.”
When the body is stressed, it produces increased levels of cortisol, a hormone that suppresses many of the body’s defense mechanisms against germs. This happens whether the stress comes in the form of a pressing deadline at work or an argument with a spouse. Race day, however, takes stress to the max...
