Ironman Kona Race report- Coach Jen Vogel

Right now I am feeling the 4 hours of sleep and the 3 Mai Tais much more then the Ironman but it was all worth it to hang out at Huggos with some great friends and then cheer on the midnight finishers.

Great cover band at Huggo's on the Beach

I have not gotten a chance to talk with many of the Jacksonville crew about their races but I am sure race reports will be rolling in soon. To the best of my knowledge we all finished upright in what was the nastiest bike ride I have ever done, racing or otherwise.

Velocity Multisport: VMS Athlete Spotlight

Velocity Multisport: VMS Athlete Spotlight: Meet Velocity Multisport athlete Lisa Broadfield.  Lisa is new to VMS this year and we are very happy to have her.    Lisa has been in the US Navy for over 10 years.  She works in the aviation field at HSM-48 NS Mayport.  She has been in Jacksonville almost 4 years and hopes to stay here and make it her home.  Lisa is a 4th year PhD student at Walden University where she studies Organizational Psychology.
She has competed in numerous swim events, Sprint and Olympic distance races and running races.  She is interested in getting more involved in mountain biking and off road races.  Currently she is training for her first 70.3.

  

Her most impressive achievement recently was a local swim fundraiser.  This month Lisa swam for Up the River Downtown.  

"Up The River Downtown was a 10k river swim from the St. Johns Riverkeeper headquarters at Jacksonville University to the Riverside Arts Market on Saturday, September 7, 2013, in Jacksonville, FL. The ten swimmers in the event were surrounded by a flotilla of boats, kayaks and stand up paddlers. The swimmers collected donations which benefited the Special Olympics Florida." - Bruce Lipsky

 

You can read all about Lisa's swim here:  http://velocitymultisportjacksonville.blogspot.com/2014/09/vms-athlete-spotlight.html

 

 

Congrats to you Lisa!  We welcome you to VMS!  You are definitely an asset to the group!!!  I look forward to training with you this year.

-Coach Katie

In the Kitchen with Dawn and Jen- Snickerdoodle spread

This "In the kitchen with Florida Coastal Cooking" is coming a little late as I have been busy with Kona build but better late then never! 
This recipe is one that I always have on hand during big builds. It tastes so much like a cookie spread that nobody would believe that the main ingredient is chickpeas. Its filled with healthy carbs, fats and proteins to help keep the body strong during intense training. Its great on pretty much anything.  Try it. I promise you will have no idea its beans.

Snicker-doodle spread:

• 15oz can chick peas
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 1/4 cup ground cashews
• 1 tsp vanilla
• local honey to taste
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Blend it all together until smooth

And here you can watch me make a big mess in Dawn's kitchen

K9 for Warriors

Velocity Multisport is proud to support this amazing foundation that saves dogs from local shelters and matches them with suffering warriors. The house where the K9 and the warrior go to receive training is located in Nocatee, our cycling playground! For more information: http://www.k9sforwarriors.org/ 

~ Coach Katie

VMS groups for the fall 2014 triathlon season

 Velocity Multisport is offering the following group training programs for the the fall 2014 triathlon season. For more info or to sign up please contact us HERE

Group 1- HOT "Sprint" Triathlon:

The first group is for beginners.  Want to do your first triathlon and not quite sure how to get started?  Love the social aspect of working out in a group?  This is the team for you.  The only prerequisites for this group are that you have to own or have access to a bike for the couple months of training and you have to be able to swim 100 yards without stopping.

This group will train together for the HOT "Sprint" triathlon on September 28th.  For those of you not familiar, a sprint triathlon is the shortest triathlon distance. This race consists of a 750 meter swim, a 20k bike and a 5k run.  Coach Katie will be putting together a 8 week training plan (2 month) for this race starting on August 3rd.  The price for this 8 week group is $149

Group 2- Ironman Miami 70.3:

The second group is for beginners to intermediate triathletes.  Maybe you have done a couple sprint races before or possibly an Olympic distance and want to step up to the Half Ironman distance?  Or you have competed in a half already  and want to improve your time?  This is the group for you.  The prerequisites for this group are that you have to be able to finish a sprint distance race: swim 750 yards, bike 20k and run 5k.

This group will train for Ironman Miami 70.3 on October 26th.  Coach Katie will be putting together a 12 week training plan (3 month) starting August 3rd. The price of this 3 month group is $225

Included in this training plan you will be encouraged to race the HOT "Olympic" Triathlon as a build up race for the Miami 70.3. 

What's included in both:

-Personalized athletic assessment, background and goal setting. 

-An individualized daily training plan that will be reveled a week at at time via TrainingPeaks.  These plans will be tailored to each athletes strengths and weaknesses.  Workouts are based on perceived exertion and heart rate zones.

-Once a week group meetups.  This will come in the form of swim/bike/run training as a group. Additionally there will be social gatherings to discuss training, nutrition and race specific questions.

-Discounts from local sponsors 

-Daily communication via in-person, phone and internet

Additionally,   you will be encouraged  to become a member of the Hammerheads and attended their monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of the month.  

Breakfast of Champions

Training camp season is in full swing over at VMS and Dawn from Florida Coastal Cooking is on hand to help with one of our breakfast staples Oat groat cereal. This is great for the convenience because all of the ingredients are pantry staples and it does not need refrigeration until mixed. You need to make it at least 24 hours in advance and it will keep up to 4 days. 

Oat groats are the least processed kind of oats. They are the whole oat kernel with the inedible outer hull removed and the bran layer left intact. Because of their minimal processing, they have the highest nutritional value of all oats. Since this essentially a "raw" breakfast it is important to start by soaking the groats for 8 hrs to remove phytic acid (an organic acid in which phosphorous is bound) in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption. I soak a large quantity and then keep it in the freezer for quick use in this recipe. A basic soak for 1 cup is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw, groats
• 2 cups warm water (room temp, and enough to cover and have room to swell)
• 1 Tbsp acidic medium (coconut keifer, keifer, yogurt, buttermilk, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar).

Preparation:

1. Soak for 8-24 hours (the longer the better)
2. Drain and rinse real well.

For the breakfast use  1/2 cup of groats to 1 cup of almond milk. From there its game on as far what toppings you put in. Just keep in mind they need to be up to the task of soaking for days. Fresh fruit is not advised.

For jar #1 I added:
Raw hemp seeds-  provides a rich array of minerals including zinc, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and iron.
Goji berries- supports immune system and inhibits oxidative stress
Raw Almonds- healthy fats
Dried unsweetened mango-  tartaric acid, malic acid, and a trace of citric acid found in the fruit help to maintain the alkali reserve of the body.
Maca powder- helps balance hormones in men and women

Jar #2 has:
Dried unsweetened cherries- rich in two important flavonoids, isoqueritrin and queritrin, which act as antioxidants and work to eliminate byproducts of oxidative stress
Raw Cacao nibs-rich source of antioxidants such as procyanidins and flavanoids
Raw Almonds

Skin care for Athletes

Before we dive into July's training camp recipes, Dawn and I wanted to go over a few skin care issues since athletes and non-athletes alike will be out this weekend celebrating 4th of July. Most important to touch on is before and after sun: sunscreen and moisturizers. We go over our favorite brands and what we really dislike.

First thing about aerosol cans: It goes without saying but,  DO NOT use near flame  http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/0703/fda-looks-into-safety-of-aerosol-sunscreens.aspx

Second the Environmental Working Group released the following on sunscreens:

EWG's "Hall of Shame" features sunscreen products that embody the worst of the worst when it comes to sun protection. You can spot these products by being aware of these four red flags:

1. Contains Oxybenzone
Sixty-five percent of non-mineral sunscreens on the U.S. market contain oxybenzone. This chemical penetrates your skin in large amounts, potentially triggering allergic reactions. Oxybenzone is also a potential endocrine-disrupting chemical that can cause hormone disruption and cell damage.
It's been found that 97 percent of Americans are contaminated with oxybenzone, and researchers have specifically advised against using this chemical on children, who are especially vulnerable to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Writing in the journal the Lancet, researchers noted:


"It would be prudent not to apply oxybenzone to large surface areas of skin for extended and repeated periods of time unless no alternative protection is available. There may be an additional concern for young children who have less well-developed processes of elimination and have a larger surface area per body weight than adults, with respect to systemic availability of a topically applied dose."

2. Contains Vitamin A (Retinyl Palmitate)
The sunscreen industry uses vitamin A in its formulations because it is an anti-oxidant that is thought to slow skin aging. However, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study found that a form of vitamin A, retinyl palmitate, when used in sunscreen and therefore exposed to sunlight may actually speed the development of skin lesions and tumors.
This conclusion came from EWG's analysis of the findings released by the FDA and the National Toxicology Program. As EWG stated in the 2011 report:


"EWG analysis of product labels finds retinoid ingredients in hundreds of sunscreens, skin lotions, lip sticks and lip sunscreens—all of which pose safety concerns for sun-exposed skin. At this point, the NTP [National Toxicology Program] and FDA have invested more than a decade in studying retinoids, concluding in January 2011 that both retinyl palmitate and retinoic acid speed the development of cancerous lesions and tumors.
A year after EWG sounded the alarm about retinyl palmitate, there is still no FDA position on the safety of retinoids in cosmetics. Sunscreen industry trade groups continue to dispute EWG's warning. Most cosmetics companies have not removed these ingredients from sunscreens and other skin and lip products.
EWG recommends that consumers avoid products containing vitamin A, retinyl palmitate and retinol."

Our sunscreen used to have vitamin A in it, as at the time it was felt to be a benefit, but when we learned of its potential health problems we immediately removed it. However many other brands still include it in their formulas, so beware, and always check the labels when shopping for sunscreen products.

3. Inadequate UVA Protection
The EWG analysis found that more than 60 percent of products reviewed provide inadequate UVA protection, and are actually so ineffective that they would not be approved in the European market. There are two primary types of UV rays from sunlight that you need to be concerned with, the vitamin-D-producing UVB rays and the skin-damaging UVA light.
Both UVA and UVB can cause tanning and burning, although UVB does so far more rapidly. UVA, however, penetrates your skin more deeply than UVB, and may be a much more important factor in photoaging, wrinkles and skin cancers.
Since UVA's are inherently more damaging AND persistently high during all daylight hours, wearing a sunscreen that doesn't protect you from UVA is going to give you virtually no benefit and be detrimental to your overall health. So it's important to understand that if you're using sunscreen, you need to be certain you are actually getting UVA protection.
Europe is taking a far more stringent stance to ensure that consumers are protected against the damaging UVA light when they use sunscreens, but in the United States sunscreen standards fall short.
As EWG reported:


" … Europe's proposed standards for UVA protection are far more stringent than FDA's. The agency has spent years finalizing a rule that would merely require disclosure of UVA protection levels, while Europe has proposed that sunscreens provide UVA protection at a level at least one-third as strong as the sunburn protection level (SPF).
This means the minimum UVA protection in Europe would be roughly equivalent to FDA's proposed three-star protection level. Requiring balanced protection across the UVB and UVA spectrum has the secondary effect of limiting sky-high SPF values, ensuring that sunburn protection isn't out of step with protection from other health problems, such as free radical damage and skin cancer.
Very few sunscreens on the U.S. market would meet the baseline UVA protection standards proposed in Europe."

4. Too High SPF or in Spray Form
Higher SPF sunscreens (SPF 50+) are not intrinsically harmful, however there's evidence that the higher protection level gives people a misleading sense of security, encouraging them to stay in the sun longer than they should. In reality, research suggests that people using high-SPF sunscreens get the same or similar exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays as those using lower-SPF products.
Spray-on sunscreens (or powders) were advised against because potentially toxic particles are released into the air, making them easy to breathe in.

Given the trans-dermal nature of lotions, sunscreens etc, we will share ingredient lists from  "big brand" sunscreens and ALBA

Bannana Boat Sport:
 Active Ingredients: Avobenzone (3%), Homosalate (15%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (10%), Oxybenzone (6%). Inactive Ingredients: SD Alcohol 40, Isobutane, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Acrylates/Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Fragrance, Caprylyl Glycol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopheryl Acetate, PEG-8 Dimethicone, Sodium Propoxyhydroxypropyl Thiosulfate Silica, Octyldodecanol, Silica.


Alba: 

100% Vegetarian. No: Animal Testing, Artificial Colors, Parabens, Phthalates, Oxybenzone, PABA, Nano-technology, Vitamin A, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Myreth Sulfate

Active Ingredients: Homosalate -12.0 %, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate -7.5 %, Octocrylene -7.0 %., Ethylhexyl Salicylate -5.0 %, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane -3.0%. Other Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Glycerin, VP/Hexadecene Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Dimethicone, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice(1), Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract(1), Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract(1), Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract(1), Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Cetyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Sodium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Alcohol(1), Benzyl Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate. (1)Certified Organic Ingredient 

We showcased ALBA because it is readily available at heath food stores but any with zinc or titanium minerals as the main active ingredients are a good call. You can find EWG's list HERE .  Also, always consider a light weight SPF rash guard or arm sleeves while cycling. 

For after sun or racing to help heal skin, I recommend....Surprise.... COCONUT OIL ! Bet you did not see that one coming!!

Here are Banana Boat after sun lotion ingredients just for comparison sake :

 Purified Water, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Mineral Oil, Stearic Acid, Coconut Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Aloe Vera Gel, Cocoa Butter, PEG-75 Lanolin, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Vitamin E, Sorbitol, Triethanolamine, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, FD&C Yellow No. 5, FD&C Red No. 40, Fragrance.