Hurricane Sandy survival guide for Endurance athletes

There is a lot of talk the last few days about the incoming hurricane Sandy, and how much of an affect it will have on life as we know it, for possibly everyone east of the Mississippi. This storm has the makings of something perhaps not ever seen before historically, with its intensity, mass, and reach.

Below are a few additions to the standard recommendations for emergency rations/supplies, and is NOT meant to be fully comprehensive. These are some last-minute items that you may be able to attain, to help make your storm wait-out a little more nutritious and perhaps even more comfortable.

If you are unsure of what the Standard recommendations are, please visit the American Red Cross website HERE. For a more detailed, or comprehensive list, you can contact your local Red Cross Chapter, or the head to the FEMA website to learn more.

REMEMBER, YOUR SAFETY AND YOUR FAMILY SAFETY IS THE NUMBER 1 PRIORITY, NOT YOUR TRAINING!!!!!!!

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN/RIDE/SWIM IN HEAVY RAIN, WINDS (above 10mph), OR STRONG CURRENTS/WAVES!!!!!!!

There is only 1 YOU, there are plenty of races and events that you will be able to do! Use this time to read a book, bond with your family, or review your year.

For those HVT athletes who may be worried about stocking up and having supplies for the incoming storm/hurricane/ridiculous weather, here are a few ideas that can give you a big return on investment, and help keep you safe and fed in the occurrence of power outage/prolonged isolation: High calorie foods, that store well, and can keep you going:

 Chocolate (calorie dense, and has high fat)--eat this in moderation, but it can hold you over if everything else runs short (I learned this from one of the mountaineer I coach, when she told me how much chocolate she ate on her summit of Kilimanjaro!)

 Powdered milk- great and easy to store. all you need is a little water!

 Dried Fruit- while most have "expiration dates", they usually last past that date, if stored properly. 

Nuts- Very Calorie dense, if you have a can of beans, and a hand-full of nuts, you'll be feeling very full, and have the energy to do what may need to be done.

 Canned beans- Cheap, full of fiber to keep you full, and protein to feed those muscles

 Canned veggies- these are a great way to get your vegetables in year-round, but especially so during foul weather! 

Apples, Oranges, other citrus fruits- these store incredibly well (for up to a week or two), and are packed with vitamins, fiber, and phytonutrients

 Aside from food, we of course need water. You want to generally think along the lines of about a gallon of drinking water a day, for each person. While this is a high estimate, it's always good to have more, than less. If you think you'll be safe enough to train, you want to add another gallon a day to that, for each workout you plan on being able to execute.

If the water is gone, think soda. While not at all the best, it is a fluid that doesnt need to be refrigerated, and will last.

 Make sure to not only have enough water to drink, but also enough to flush your toilets 1-2x a day (fill up pots/ water bottles with tap water). Take a look at your toilets, and only use the lowest Water-per-flush toilet, if at all possible.

 As a back-up for more water, and also to keep your fridge and freezer cold, you can purchase bags of ice, and leave them in your freezer, until needed. Should the power go out, you can take each bag, and dump them into large pots, and leave them in the fridge and freezer, thus reverting your modern day fridge, into something similar to the original "icebox".

Keep the fridge and freezer door closed as much as possible (smallest amount of time with the door open as possible!), and try to remove items that absolutely dont need to be refrigerated, like fruits and vegetables. This will allow the food in the fridge to have a little bit of cold, so ensure to eat cooked meats, cheeses, and products with these in them first. WHEN IN DOUBT, DON'T EAT IT/DO IT!!!!

 If you're not sure about anything, throw it out. The frozen fruits and veggies can be eaten as they melt, as long as they are edible without heating.

 Other Items you may want to think about having offhand (it may be too late now) -Battery operated radio with the 24 hr weather channel available on it
-A solar charger for your Cell Phones and laptop/iPAd
-Water tablets (to make water safe to drink)
-That shiny "crinkle" blanket you got after your Ironman/ HIM/ Marathon that helps keep heat in
-Flashlights and batteries
 -Warm, DRY clothes in tupperware/waterproof containers
 -medications that you may need
-A small camping stove for outdoor use, that you can heat food with

Remember, above all else, get somewhere safe, and have your families Emergency Action Plan handy, and well practiced.

REMEMBER TO RATION!!! Don't eat large amounts of food in the first few days, but rather, just enough to keep you going each day (training takes a backseat!). To help you stay full, try not to drink anything 15 minutes before you eat, and 30 minutes after you eat. This allows the stomach to stay fuller, and you to not want to eat as much.

Stay Safe, Use your head, and keep dry!

Thinkin on your feet, for yourself

Life can be so trying. but the key is, to keep trying. As you have all noticed, I'm sure, this is my first post in over a year. In that last year, I have added a number of National Championship Qualifiers and racers, a downhill National Champion, and a few more first-timer Ironmen and women breaking into the sport with top-30 results, in very competitive age groups, with large number of competitors. On a personal side, I have added just a mere 50 miles of riding in that time, numerous hours of Physical therapy, a couple of MRI's, and a broken date with the surgeons knife. What an incredible 15 months. I've learned so much more about myself in that time, and the true effect on performance, in and out of sport, that ones psychological abilities has. While I can say that my mental strengths before this life adventure was matched extremely well to the "normal" training cycle for a competitive basketball season (for a coach) of 10 months, I can also say, that I found out a lot about myself I didn't know....like how much I truly LOVE cycling, running, and the active lifestyle that accompanies it, and while I THOUGHT I was eating a truly healthy diet, I was just a product of the advertising and mainstream media that we have all become. I don't mean this to say I've gone off the deep end and only eat things that have roots (which for a little while I did, just ask my girlfriend), but rather to say that all too often today, we just take what we hear and see as fact, and don't question it. Some of the best athletes that I coach, are ALWAYs out there, reading, researching, and looking for more information and knowledge, which they then in turn pass along to me, and challenge how I as a coach think, and change how I coach all of my athletes. I think we all need to start opening our eyes, challenge the information pushed to us, and shoved in our ears and eyes, and figure out what works for us, and WHY. There are over 7 BILLION people on this earth. What makes YOU different? Are you thinking for yourself? Are you working WITH your coach, or just taking letter as law?

Recently Crossed off of our reading list....

Looking for some solid reading to get the most enjoyment out of your recovery time?

Check out these two, awesome, inspirational reads:

Life's Golden Ticket By Brendon Burchard

Wooden on Leadership By John Wooden














Finish your training sessions for the day, grab an ice cold glass of water and a piece of your favorite fresh fruit, and crack open a book that will help you, find you.

Enjoy!

Music makes the striders go faster/ pedals go faster

What's on our Ipod for some of our workouts?




Some BB King for our 3x3 min Fast pedals, and our 4 x 1:30 striders





A little Van Halen for the 4 x 4min Vo2 Max efforts





Keeping it classy with Tribe Called Quest for our rest periods between our Striders





and some Audioslave for the 4:30 Hill repeats!



Whats on YOUR workout playlist?

Phantom in the wings

There have been a growing number of HVT athletes who have achieved a wide variety of personal, and professional accolades with the help/guidance of HVT. I've really come to both appreciate, and relish the feeling I get of not having the spotlight, and being that "X" factor behind the scenes.

I've come to not mind when people overlook the seemingly small contributions that have been made by either my company, or myself. I've grown to realize that there are many individuals out there who don't realize that sometimes, it's that little pin, that's keeping the whole house from falling down.

But you know what? I truly enjoy being able to sit back in my shiny new beach chair, and reflect on what has been accomplished, and being able to say: "I had the knowledge, skill, adeptness, and consciousness to know when/where to put that little pin, and because of that, I can enjoy the huge building that is now towering before us all. And the best part is? Only I knew it, and still do. What an incredibly positive impact, on so many people, such a small act was able to have!"

Make a small difference in someone Else's life. Hold a door open, pass along a smile, help someone open the car door when their hands are full with their kids and groceries, make a behind the scenes/anonymous contribution to a group you care about, and marvel at the impact that your small good deed, had for so many others.

Practice RAK, and the world will be better for it.
Even if they don't know it :-)

sometimes the best ideas,....

Occur at the oddest of times.

When that happens, one needs to take a step back, and take a moment to gather oneself, and ensure that they capture these ideas, in written, or electronic form.

After all, didn't Thomas Edison wake up one night with the moon cloaked by the clouds,realize he was out of matches, stub his toe on the spinning wheel on his way to count out his 67 beans for his perfect cup of coffee, and have the idea for an "electronic candle"?

Thank you Mr. Edison, Thank you.

Some lead, others follow

"It's the simple things in life that turn the peasants into leaders..."

what is it that turns on our switch to become a leader? Is it a single event? Afeeling of responsibility? Or perhaps knowing that we are the ones who possess the knowledge or experience for that situation?

Regardless of what may turn that switch on, there can be times after we have elected to make ourselves leaders, that we may forget the role which we are in.

Too often it seems as though today's leaders forget that leaders need to lead, not only in words spoken, but in actions taken.

It's not easy to know and realize that one needs to take time out of their sport, in the meat of the season, in order to continue to make progress. While it absolutely sucks to be off the bike, and not running (although only 3 -5 miles a week, trail running is my other release), I have found, yet again, that leading by example has brought out more positives in the athletes I coach.

What actions, small or large, do you NEED to take in your life to lead by example, and will you commit to doing the right thing, or the easy thing?