Guest writer
Katrina Evans is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives because she sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Katrina also likes running, reading and listening to cool podcasts.
Interested in leading a more active healthier you? Eating healthy plays a fundamental role in maintaining a strong immune system to naturally ward off cancer. A healthier lifestyle through diet and exercise is key to promote growth, replace tissue and keep everything from organs to cells healthy.
Good nutrition becomes even more essential for people who have already been diagnosed with cancer. What you eat and don’t have a powerful effect on your overall performance. It is important for cancer patients to maintain healthy eating habits before, during and after cancer treatments. Besides the cancer itself, treatments can leave it’s mark and wear out the body where patients often feel fatigue or nausea. So it is more important than ever to get enough essential nutrients into the body to not only help cancer treatments be more effective, but to raise your natural defenses for recovery.
It is not always easy to maintain a healthy diet when battling cancer or going through cancer treatments. Since cancer diagnosis, especially aggressive ones like, pancreatic or mesothelioma cancer, call for more intense treatments, patients may experience side effects that occur which diminish a person's ability to maintain a healthy diet. Some cancer patients will experience problems such as mouth sores, trouble swallowing, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as a direct result of the cancer itself or a treatment used to eradicate cancer cells from their body. If a patient does not get proper nutrition under these circumstances, it can lead to malnutrition.
As many as 35 percent of cancer cases can be connected to poor nutrition according to the National Cancer Institute. So when putting together a nutritional guideline that works for you, do your homework. Find out specifics like, what is mesothelioma, thyroid cancer, or the cause of kidney cancer and what foods can have a protective effect against them, how can green tea help prevent heart disease, or is garlic really considered a “super food?”
So, what are some essential foods that can keep cancer at bay? It’s all about the greens baby! Scientists believe that the combination of foods in a predominantly plant-based diet can make all the difference. There is evidence that minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals in plant foods boost anti-cancer effects in the body. Foods rich in protein and other nutrients needed to maintain a healthy body can restore energy and give your immune system the boost it needs which can include lean meats such as chicken or fish, soups, eggs, yogurt, whole milk, fruit smoothies, beans, nuts and even ice cream, yum!
Katrina Evans is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives because she sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Katrina also likes running, reading and listening to cool podcasts.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Winterize Your Nutrition Plan in 3 Simple Ways
1.Focus on high quality carbs – we spend more time indoors this time of year, which often leads to more snacking, and most processed snack foods are made from refined flour which has very little fiber and nutritional value. These snacks rarely satisfy hunger so we end up eating more, ratcheting up our total caloric intake and adding another inch to our waistline.
But carbs are important for maintaining a high energy level so what to do? Focus on whole grains, veggies, and fresh fruit. Make sure the label lists “whole wheat” instead of just “wheat flour”. Whole grain foods are higher in B vitamins and iron than those made with white flour. And contrary to what many people think, whole grain breads and pasta are not likely to cause weight gain; several studies have shown that people who eat lots of whole grains are almost always thinner than their grain-avoiding counterparts. Other high-quality carbs include sweet potatoes, squash, quinoa, beans and legumes, and oatmeal.
2.Pay attention to vitamin D intake – Vitamin D burst onto the nutrition scene a few years ago when a Cornell study found that most Americans were deficient in vitamin D. A barrage of other studies soon ensued showing that low vitamin D levels are associated with everything from poor muscle function to colon cancer.
Why is it especially important in the winter to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from our diet? Because D is the only vitamin that our bodies can make with the help of direct sunlight and most of us don’t get enough sunlight in the winter, especially those of us living northern latitudes. Above 35 ยบ latitude, the angle of the sun is so oblique during the winter months that it’s nearly impossible to make enough vitamin D from sunlight. One recent study found that 32% of healthy adults aged 18 -29 were deficient in vitamin D at the end of a winter spent in Boston.
Vitamin D levels are important for calcium absorption too. Without vitamin D, the small intestine absorbs no more than 10 – 15% of dietary calcium intake. Thus, if you take calcium supplements, make sure they contain vitamin D as well. Milk and yogurt are excellent sources of both nutrients but during the winter months it may be difficult to meet your calcium and vitamin D needs with food alone.
3.Get familiar with seasonal produce – we all know that winter is the cold and flu season and while you can’t cure the common cold with nutrition, you can lessen the severity of cold symptoms with adequate amounts of vitamin C and other nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Try experimenting with produce that’s in season this time of year: pomegranates, oranges, cranberries, and purple grapes, all of which are packed with nutrition. Frozen fruit is even higher in nutritional content because it is picked and frozen right away, preserving almost all of the vitamin content. Canned fruit, while lower in nutritional content, is better than no fruit and is often less expensive than fresh or frozen.
Cindy Dallow, t2coach, Ph.D, RD.
But carbs are important for maintaining a high energy level so what to do? Focus on whole grains, veggies, and fresh fruit. Make sure the label lists “whole wheat” instead of just “wheat flour”. Whole grain foods are higher in B vitamins and iron than those made with white flour. And contrary to what many people think, whole grain breads and pasta are not likely to cause weight gain; several studies have shown that people who eat lots of whole grains are almost always thinner than their grain-avoiding counterparts. Other high-quality carbs include sweet potatoes, squash, quinoa, beans and legumes, and oatmeal.
2.Pay attention to vitamin D intake – Vitamin D burst onto the nutrition scene a few years ago when a Cornell study found that most Americans were deficient in vitamin D. A barrage of other studies soon ensued showing that low vitamin D levels are associated with everything from poor muscle function to colon cancer.
Why is it especially important in the winter to get adequate amounts of vitamin D from our diet? Because D is the only vitamin that our bodies can make with the help of direct sunlight and most of us don’t get enough sunlight in the winter, especially those of us living northern latitudes. Above 35 ยบ latitude, the angle of the sun is so oblique during the winter months that it’s nearly impossible to make enough vitamin D from sunlight. One recent study found that 32% of healthy adults aged 18 -29 were deficient in vitamin D at the end of a winter spent in Boston.
Vitamin D levels are important for calcium absorption too. Without vitamin D, the small intestine absorbs no more than 10 – 15% of dietary calcium intake. Thus, if you take calcium supplements, make sure they contain vitamin D as well. Milk and yogurt are excellent sources of both nutrients but during the winter months it may be difficult to meet your calcium and vitamin D needs with food alone.
3.Get familiar with seasonal produce – we all know that winter is the cold and flu season and while you can’t cure the common cold with nutrition, you can lessen the severity of cold symptoms with adequate amounts of vitamin C and other nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Try experimenting with produce that’s in season this time of year: pomegranates, oranges, cranberries, and purple grapes, all of which are packed with nutrition. Frozen fruit is even higher in nutritional content because it is picked and frozen right away, preserving almost all of the vitamin content. Canned fruit, while lower in nutritional content, is better than no fruit and is often less expensive than fresh or frozen.
Cindy Dallow, t2coach, Ph.D, RD.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Training Plan
Training Plans
Not ready to work directly with a coach or need as much accountability that coaching offers?
Not ready or want the expense of having a custom plan developed for you?
Maybe you are an athlete that just wants to become faster and stronger and finish. Placing in your age group is not a goal. If you are wanting an 8-16 week base plan or 8-12 week build, taper and peak plan I can do that for you.
You might find the following budget friendly training plans to be a good fit for your training goals.
The training plans utilize a common sense approach that of all levels can use to improve upon their strengths and weaknesses. So if you want to get fitter, stronger, faster these new and updated training plans are semi costumed. I have a basic template that I use and will adjust according to your weekly schedule. For example if you swim masters M/W and Saturday then I will make that adjustment to the plan. If you run with a group on Sundays then I will add that run to your plan.
Your prepay for the entire plan and I upload it onto your basic training peaks account in 8-16 weeks depending on how long you want the plan to be. You make adjustments to this training plan. I send you a monthly feedback form to make adjustments once each month.
Refer to here for prices.
If you are someone that wants daily, weekly, more accountability then refer to this link for more information about Coaching.
Not ready to work directly with a coach or need as much accountability that coaching offers?
Not ready or want the expense of having a custom plan developed for you?
Maybe you are an athlete that just wants to become faster and stronger and finish. Placing in your age group is not a goal. If you are wanting an 8-16 week base plan or 8-12 week build, taper and peak plan I can do that for you.
You might find the following budget friendly training plans to be a good fit for your training goals.
The training plans utilize a common sense approach that of all levels can use to improve upon their strengths and weaknesses. So if you want to get fitter, stronger, faster these new and updated training plans are semi costumed. I have a basic template that I use and will adjust according to your weekly schedule. For example if you swim masters M/W and Saturday then I will make that adjustment to the plan. If you run with a group on Sundays then I will add that run to your plan.
Your prepay for the entire plan and I upload it onto your basic training peaks account in 8-16 weeks depending on how long you want the plan to be. You make adjustments to this training plan. I send you a monthly feedback form to make adjustments once each month.
Refer to here for prices.
If you are someone that wants daily, weekly, more accountability then refer to this link for more information about Coaching.
Monday, January 9, 2012
New Year Health Tips
Hi Everyone! I hope you are all having a spectacular New Year. I know many of you lead busy lives, and are constantly running from one thing to the next. We try to squeeze in workouts and work full-time and be good to our families and friends. We want time to ourselves and time for our hobbies. Quite honestly, it's exhausting. With the end of the holidays and a return to reality, we are bound to feel more and more busy.
To make matters worse, the temperatures are dropping and cold and flu season is upon us. Below are some tips to help you all stay healthy!
Get Lots of Rest.
I know, I know, your to-do list is longer than usual because you’re catching up on work during you missed or put off during the holidays. Take the time to let yourself rest. Relax for 20 minutes or so before turning off the light and heading to bed. Read, but don't try to tackle your to-do list. Allowing yourself a chance to relax and de-stress helps you sleep better. Sleep is our body’s chance to recover, both mentally and physically. You'll likely be more productive after a good night's sleep!
Stay Hydrated.
With so many cold and flu viruses going around this time of year, it's easy to get sick. Drinking water or tea will help your body function properly and will keep toxins moving out. If you're a runner, a yogi, or just hit the gym a few times a week, this is important for you. Our bodies lose significant amounts of water during workouts, and it is vital to replace and replenish it. Being even the slightest bit dehydrated will cause you to experience symptoms like headaches, tiredness and possibly nausea, and who needs that during the New Year?! For more detail on hydration, contact Dr. Cindy Dallow, Ph.D, RD.
It's Okay to Say No.
Don't increase the stress in your life by committing to too many projects or social events or training workouts. It's okay if you need to stay home for a night to catch up on rest or let your body recover if you're feeling down.
Wash Your Hands. Often.
We hear this one all the time, but it is important to staying healthy.
Think about all the things you touch throughout the day. Money, the bathroom door handle, the kitchen counter, counters at the checkout, handrails, your desk. All of those surfaces have germs, viruses and bacteria on them. Wash your hands often to kill the bacteria and germs you pick up. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and face with dirty hands. This gives the bacteria and virus a better chance of entering your body.
Keep Warm.
Don't head out in to the cold without being properly prepared. Cold feet and hands make it harder for our bodies to keep us warm. This, in turn, can weaken our immune system. A strong immune system is the key to staying well.
Exercise.
Working out regularly keeps our bodies healthy and our minds strong. Be sure to schedule time throughout each week to go for a run, get to yoga class or hit the gym. It will help your body de-stress, which will keep it strong. Keeping yourself moving will help you lose all that dreaded holiday weight. It is has been proven in studies that those who were exercising before they experienced illness often had fewer symptoms and were sick for fewer days than those who had not been exercising! Releasing those endorphins produced during exercise will help ease your stress and beat those post-holiday blues!
Eat Well.
This is vital to staying healthy. Our bodies need nutrients to keep us moving and healthy. While it was great to indulge here and there last month during the holiday season, you certainly cannot do it everyday. With Thanksgiving and Christmas over now, it's best to skip meals that are high in calories and fat. Stock your fridge with fresh fruit, vegetables and lean protein like chicken and fish and fill your cabinets with whole grain. These foods will keep your body strong, fight illness and give you the nutrients you need. For more detail on nutrition, contact Dr. Cindy Dallow, Ph.D, RD.
Take Your Vitamins.
Taking a multi-vitamin each day will ensure your body is getting what it needs. Most multi-vitamins have calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C, and iron, just to name a few. All of these will help to keep you healthy. When you are feeling the onset of a cold or flu, give your body some extra vitamin C to help boost your immune system help your body to rid itself of any illness much quicker. For more detail on vitamins, contact Dr. Cindy Dallow, Ph.D, RD.
Relax and Have Fun.
This is my favorite piece of advice. This New Year, try to relax each day. Enjoy your family, your friends, your home, your job, your training.
To make matters worse, the temperatures are dropping and cold and flu season is upon us. Below are some tips to help you all stay healthy!
Get Lots of Rest.
I know, I know, your to-do list is longer than usual because you’re catching up on work during you missed or put off during the holidays. Take the time to let yourself rest. Relax for 20 minutes or so before turning off the light and heading to bed. Read, but don't try to tackle your to-do list. Allowing yourself a chance to relax and de-stress helps you sleep better. Sleep is our body’s chance to recover, both mentally and physically. You'll likely be more productive after a good night's sleep!
Stay Hydrated.
With so many cold and flu viruses going around this time of year, it's easy to get sick. Drinking water or tea will help your body function properly and will keep toxins moving out. If you're a runner, a yogi, or just hit the gym a few times a week, this is important for you. Our bodies lose significant amounts of water during workouts, and it is vital to replace and replenish it. Being even the slightest bit dehydrated will cause you to experience symptoms like headaches, tiredness and possibly nausea, and who needs that during the New Year?! For more detail on hydration, contact Dr. Cindy Dallow, Ph.D, RD.
It's Okay to Say No.
Don't increase the stress in your life by committing to too many projects or social events or training workouts. It's okay if you need to stay home for a night to catch up on rest or let your body recover if you're feeling down.
Wash Your Hands. Often.
We hear this one all the time, but it is important to staying healthy.
Think about all the things you touch throughout the day. Money, the bathroom door handle, the kitchen counter, counters at the checkout, handrails, your desk. All of those surfaces have germs, viruses and bacteria on them. Wash your hands often to kill the bacteria and germs you pick up. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and face with dirty hands. This gives the bacteria and virus a better chance of entering your body.
Keep Warm.
Don't head out in to the cold without being properly prepared. Cold feet and hands make it harder for our bodies to keep us warm. This, in turn, can weaken our immune system. A strong immune system is the key to staying well.
Exercise.
Working out regularly keeps our bodies healthy and our minds strong. Be sure to schedule time throughout each week to go for a run, get to yoga class or hit the gym. It will help your body de-stress, which will keep it strong. Keeping yourself moving will help you lose all that dreaded holiday weight. It is has been proven in studies that those who were exercising before they experienced illness often had fewer symptoms and were sick for fewer days than those who had not been exercising! Releasing those endorphins produced during exercise will help ease your stress and beat those post-holiday blues!
Eat Well.
This is vital to staying healthy. Our bodies need nutrients to keep us moving and healthy. While it was great to indulge here and there last month during the holiday season, you certainly cannot do it everyday. With Thanksgiving and Christmas over now, it's best to skip meals that are high in calories and fat. Stock your fridge with fresh fruit, vegetables and lean protein like chicken and fish and fill your cabinets with whole grain. These foods will keep your body strong, fight illness and give you the nutrients you need. For more detail on nutrition, contact Dr. Cindy Dallow, Ph.D, RD.
Take Your Vitamins.
Taking a multi-vitamin each day will ensure your body is getting what it needs. Most multi-vitamins have calcium, vitamin D, vitamin C, and iron, just to name a few. All of these will help to keep you healthy. When you are feeling the onset of a cold or flu, give your body some extra vitamin C to help boost your immune system help your body to rid itself of any illness much quicker. For more detail on vitamins, contact Dr. Cindy Dallow, Ph.D, RD.
Relax and Have Fun.
This is my favorite piece of advice. This New Year, try to relax each day. Enjoy your family, your friends, your home, your job, your training.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
2011 Resolution Run
Great end to a FAST 2011 season....beat my 2010 New Year's resolution 5k by over 90 seconds!! Yeehaw! Very happy with that since I have not been running about 6 miles a week since my Run Rabbit Run Ultra the past 90 days. Solid baseline now to start training. Thank you for all your support Timex and Powerbar. I am looking forward to representing the 2012 Team Timex family.
Three Nutrition Resolutions That Will Nourish Your Body and Soul
By: Dr. Cindy Dallow, Ph.D. RD
Resolution #1 – Dare to ditch dieting
I’m hoping that most of you are not dieting, being the turbo-charged athletes that you are, but some of you might be tempted to jump on the bodyfat-is-a-killer bandwagon. Before you do, consider these facts:
• Dieting does not produce lasting weight loss. It only produces temporary weight loss. Most people who lose weight by dieting gain it all back (plus some) within 5 years.
• Weight cycling can harm your health. Losing and gaining and losing and gaining weight is worse for you than if you never lost weight in the first place. Studies show weight cycling can raise your risk for heart disease and high blood pressure.
• It’s very hard to train for an endurance event while dieting. Your body needs calories (especially carbohydrates) and without adequate amounts of either, you’re not likely to do very well. If you’re a junk food junkie, then yes, cutting back on the sweet/fatty stuff is a good idea. Just don’t restrict your calories so much that you have no energy to train properly.
• Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the strongest women I know are “women of size”. Be proud of your body and what it can do regardless of what the scale says.
• Lastly, many diets are not nutritionally-balanced. They are usually lacking in vitamins or minerals, such as calcium, iron, and zinc. High protein diets are usually low in B vitamins which play a key role in energy production. Sure, you can take a supplement but did you know that many supplements do not contain the amount of nutrient it claims to have on the label? (More on that one in a future article!)
Resolution #2 – Try a new food each week (or month)
Most people eat the same foods over and over again. Resolve to buy one new food (preferably something from the produce section) each week and experiment with different ways of serving it. How about trying chopped yellow peppers (high in vitamin C) on your homemade pizza? Or stir-frying some tofu with your favorite veggies for a high protein, low fat meal? Or serving up some couscous or quinoa with your grilled chicken? Be adventurous and your body will love you for it.
Resolution #3 – Practice mindful eating
Mindful eating is not about eating less, it’s about self-care. When you eat mindfully, you are more aware of internal cues for hunger and fullness, making it easier to eat when you are physically hungry and stopping when you’re comfortably full. This takes some practice but it’s well worth the effort. Mindful eating also helps you to savor each bite and truly enjoy the taste of the food you are eating. By slowing down and savoring each bite, it’s easier to stop when you’re full and feel satisfied. Have you ever ate a food so fast that you didn’t even taste what you were eating? That’s mindless eating which almost always leads to excess calories and negative feelings about food (or yourself).
Taking small steps to improve your diet (or your relationship with food) is the best way to make lasting changes to the way you eat. Resolve to make these changes now and make 2012 a banner year for a healthy mind, body, and soul!
Resolution #1 – Dare to ditch dieting
I’m hoping that most of you are not dieting, being the turbo-charged athletes that you are, but some of you might be tempted to jump on the bodyfat-is-a-killer bandwagon. Before you do, consider these facts:
• Dieting does not produce lasting weight loss. It only produces temporary weight loss. Most people who lose weight by dieting gain it all back (plus some) within 5 years.
• Weight cycling can harm your health. Losing and gaining and losing and gaining weight is worse for you than if you never lost weight in the first place. Studies show weight cycling can raise your risk for heart disease and high blood pressure.
• It’s very hard to train for an endurance event while dieting. Your body needs calories (especially carbohydrates) and without adequate amounts of either, you’re not likely to do very well. If you’re a junk food junkie, then yes, cutting back on the sweet/fatty stuff is a good idea. Just don’t restrict your calories so much that you have no energy to train properly.
• Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the strongest women I know are “women of size”. Be proud of your body and what it can do regardless of what the scale says.
• Lastly, many diets are not nutritionally-balanced. They are usually lacking in vitamins or minerals, such as calcium, iron, and zinc. High protein diets are usually low in B vitamins which play a key role in energy production. Sure, you can take a supplement but did you know that many supplements do not contain the amount of nutrient it claims to have on the label? (More on that one in a future article!)
Resolution #2 – Try a new food each week (or month)
Most people eat the same foods over and over again. Resolve to buy one new food (preferably something from the produce section) each week and experiment with different ways of serving it. How about trying chopped yellow peppers (high in vitamin C) on your homemade pizza? Or stir-frying some tofu with your favorite veggies for a high protein, low fat meal? Or serving up some couscous or quinoa with your grilled chicken? Be adventurous and your body will love you for it.
Resolution #3 – Practice mindful eating
Mindful eating is not about eating less, it’s about self-care. When you eat mindfully, you are more aware of internal cues for hunger and fullness, making it easier to eat when you are physically hungry and stopping when you’re comfortably full. This takes some practice but it’s well worth the effort. Mindful eating also helps you to savor each bite and truly enjoy the taste of the food you are eating. By slowing down and savoring each bite, it’s easier to stop when you’re full and feel satisfied. Have you ever ate a food so fast that you didn’t even taste what you were eating? That’s mindless eating which almost always leads to excess calories and negative feelings about food (or yourself).
Taking small steps to improve your diet (or your relationship with food) is the best way to make lasting changes to the way you eat. Resolve to make these changes now and make 2012 a banner year for a healthy mind, body, and soul!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Racing on a Budget
Each year, many endurance newbies discover just how cool the tri world is – and how expensive it can be. Between the basic gear (running shoes, a bike, helmet, swimsuit, cap, goggles), without all the bells and whistles (road bike, tri bike, aerobars, aero helmet, wetsuit, and race wheels, to name a few) plus race registrations (generally around $150-$650 vs. $50-$90 for running event) even folks like me who have been doing this for 20 years are opting out of some triathlons for running events to save some money.
As with all tough budget decisions, you should evaluate and answer the "want" vs. "need" question. I've found there are very few "needs" in the tri world, but a whole lot of wants. I also see people spending lots of money to buy themselves speed and weight savings. In some classes of athletes, or for those with the money to burn, this can be justified; but for the average mid- to back-of-the-pack crowd, "investing" time and effort in training, rather than buying the latest, greatest gear can produce results you can be proud of.
There is no shortage of ways to spend money, but there are always alternatives that are good enough or that will work to get you through. This applies to all areas, from equipment to nutrition. Personally, I like to keep it simple and basic and I've saved a lot of money and still manage perform at a level I am very happy with.
I suggest examining your gear budget before your race fee and nutrition budget. Between wetsuits, bikes, trainers, heart rate monitors, and all the other stuff you can easily get caught up in the early-adopter/gadget-obsession frenzy and spend a fortune outside of race fees. To save on gear, look for used gear on eBay, Craigslist, and Slowtwitch. Along with off-season specials at your local tri store.
Gear budget:
• When choosing road or tri bike, if you can’t afford both, road is more versatile. No matter what people tell you, you don't need a bike with a five-figure price tag.
• When looking at a less-expensive aluminum bike vs. a more-expensive carbon bike, both are light, and fit is more important, not the cost of the bike.
• If you really want race wheels, borrow or rent them instead of purchasing them.
• Choose a race with a pool swim over an open water swim if you don’t want to rent or buy a wetsuit.
• Choose a warm-water open water swim vs. a cold-water swim to save on wetsuit rental/purchase.
• Running shoe fit is most important, not the brand of shoe. Remember, pros are sponsored and don’t pay for their shoes, so you don’t need to choose your shoe based on what the pros are wearing.
• Don't buy specialized clothing you don't actually need. For things you do need, look to Target or other stores for options that will be "good enough" to do the job.
• If you join a tri club, they may have negotiated discounts you can take advantage of as a member.
• If anyone asks what you want for your birthday, Christmas, your anniversary, etc., ask for tri stuff that you need.
Race fee budget:
• Volunteer at an event. Many times you will earn a free entry.
• Be sure to register early to avoid fee increases closer to race day. Many events increase registration fees in January, March and May.
• Participate in smaller races (Sprint and Olympic distances). Look on trifind.com or active.com to find the local races.
• Look at non-branded races. You can spend $625 a year in advance for one race or spend the same amount to race three events, and wait to register two months before the race if you go to non-branded races.
• Plan your race calendar early and research when fees go up.
• Find a club that puts on "training races." These are often pretty competitive and are free, or very low cost.
• Doing races closer to home means no airfares, less gas, no hotel costs, and no need to eat out.
Nutrition budget:
• If you are going to use top-name nutrition products, buy in bulk and only use them during training, not as meals or snacks. It gets expensive not on race day, but while you consume these products during training.
• If your workout lasts less than two hours, don't bother with energy product nutrition. Just eat normally throughout the day and you will have enough fuel to go the distance with no ill-effects.
• Skip the brand-name energy programs and try “real” food. Fig newtons, peanut butter sandwiches, fruit, etc. are cheaper alternatives.
• Try chocolate milk for recovery.
• Consider water+electrolyte tabs for hot/humid days (which tend to be less expensive than bottled drinks).
I also suggest spending some time thinking and evaluating why and what you specifically like most about tris. If it's being with the people or the training or living the healthy lifestyle, those are things that don't cost money. If it's all about the racing and winning for you, you'll probably spend more money. As a coach, my experience is that most age groupers get a lot more out of their training experiences and the social scene around their club than racing.
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