Swim, Bike, Run, Eat! » Uncategorized

Jenna:1, Pam: not so much

Pam Nisevich — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:51:47 +0000

If you’re like me, when you hear that a friend, relative, nemesis, or even a complete stranger has competed in a sporting event, you get curious. You start to worry; what if they’re faster than me? No… no, it can’t be possible. To ease your fears, you begin to stalk them- I’m talking on-line race results stalking (only). You know the drill; you go to the race website, click on results and either ease your worries or confirm your greatest fear.

That’s exactly what I did when I heard that Mitch and Jenna had competed in the 2010 Elkhart Lake Olympic Triathlon this past weekend. I stalked them both. After all, we’re all competing at Ironman WI and I need to know what I’m up against. After stalking, I mean researching their times, my greatest fears were confirmed; I’ll never be as fast as either of them in the water. In fact, when I checked out Jenna’s Eat Right Around Chicago blog detailing the entire experience, I nearly lost my lunch when I saw the picture of the treacherous water (I know, I know, but don’t be fooled, it only looks calm in the photo.). And while I would suggest she practice the run just a wee bit more, I shut up when I remember the fact that I bought a wetsuit but have yet to wear it. And my longest bike ride has only been…. well, it’s nothing to be proud of. But instead of working on my weaknesses, I keep on running, because it suits my ego. I only hope I survive the first parts of the Ironman in order to get to the part I’m good at.

To see what that seemingly benign water looks like, check out Jenna’s blog @:

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/eat-right-around-chicago/2010/06/eat-right-after-exercise.html

Oh, and true to form, she’s added in some great nutrition advice!

Need some inspiration?

Pam Nisevich — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 13:49:04 +0000

You think you’ve got it easy and then, when you’re near the end of a 20 mile run, or a 15 mile run (or even a 6 mile run) you feel terrible. You feel like giving up and walking home. You take on a “woe is me” attitude and the run ends up being much less spectacular than anticipated. Somedays runs and workouts are hard because you may not have eaten well the day before, or you’re too stressed out with work or bosses, or because of something a friend said, or the fact that you forgot to order new shoes (and now the knees hurt), or whatever. The possibilities of “things that can ruin a run’ seem endless.

When this happens to me (as it often does) I try to think of the fact that I, like so many athletes out there, have the innate ability to run. I simply slip on my shoes (regardless of how many miles they have on them), take a swig of water, and slip out the door. And I run. I don’t have to worry about the health concerns that some athletes struggle with. I don’t have to worry about whether my prosthetic leg is gong to perform as I intended it to. I don’t have to worry about who’s watching my kids while I embark on a 70 mile training run. I’m lucky in that I can simply run- anywhere and anytime I choose to. Unlike world-famous and hard-core Amy Palmiero-Winters (www.seeamyrun.com) who’s been running and breaking records on a prosthetic limb for over a decade, following a tragic motorcycle accident. Amy has overcome more obstacles, injuries, and surgeries than most of us dare to think about. She just took home the well-respected and much deserved AAU Sullivan Award and this May she will be competing for the US National Team at the Ultrarunners’ 24-hour World Championship on May 13-14 in Brive, France.

At Swim, Bike, Run, Eat! we’ve been fortunate enough to be part of Amy’s team and we’ve been working on developing a fuel plan to get her over those French hills and around the looooong course, so she arrives at the finish line in blazing speed (like we know she will). Stay tuned for the 2010 World 24-Hour Run Championship results and check out http://www.usatf.org/ for more info.

And while we all wait for race day to arrive, check out the recent New York Times article featuring Amy and detailing all that she has endured and all that she hopes to accomplish. But one word of caution, the article just might make you think twice (or eat your words) the next time you feel sorry for yourself on a 20 miler, a 15 miler, or (if you’re like me) a 6 miler.

Click here for the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/sports/26vecsey.html?scp=1&sq=amy%20winters&st=cse

Why Tri?

Pam Nisevich — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:04:08 +0000

Sometimes, when we get stressed out and bogged down in life and in training, we wonder why we are even out there and why we even bother pushing ourselves from day to day (while the rest of the world seems to sit by and watch). Sometimes it helps to pause, step back, and reflect on why you make the sacrifices you do for your sport. What’s the reason behind all of your hard work? What are the rewards? What is your inspiration?

And sometimes it helps to consider what keeps other people moving forward. Take a moment to check out Jenna’s blog on Chicago Now for some new inspiration, some entertainiment, and to remind yourself that you as an athlete (and all athletes) should be proud of how far you’ve come and never underestimate how far you can go.

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/eat-right-around-chicago/2010/04/10-reasons-to-do-triathlon.html

Or click here to cruise the reasons, along with photos!

On the road again… soon?

Pam Nisevich — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:53:55 +0000

This morning I watched my dog chasing deer and I was jealous. No, I don’t have a burning desire to hunt or run after wild animals, I was jealous that she could actually run. I’m injured and I’m grumpy and irritable because of it (just ask my family and friends). I’ve been afflicted by my nemesis, patellar tendinitis, and it’s caused me to be sedentary for weeks. I can’t tolerate biking, don’t even dream of jogging, and to be honest, I don’t swim because I find it intimidating and a chore. The pain has gotten so bad that I’ve put my goal of running 2009 miles off until 2010 (when I will run 2010 miles) and have even sought out medical advice. The doctor told me what I already suspected - it’s an overuse injury- but I needed to make sure it wasn’t more serious.

So what did the kind sports med doc say I do to recover and how might you recover from whatever pain ails you this season? Here’s what the pros told me to do:

Icefor 20 mins at a time; 20 mins on, 20 mins off, for a few hours a day.
Stretch–repeatedly. Apparently I’m getting old and now need to actually stretch whereas I used to just head out the door for a run. I now stretch my quads, hamstrings, ITBand, and calves 3 times a day.
Pop an anti-inflammatory pill regularly (while under the doctor’s care of course). I decided to one-up my doc and have also added in an Omega-3 supplement.
Rest- aargh. I hate this necessary evil. I will remain at 0 miles a week until he tells me otherwise. At least my dog benefits from the fact that I now have plenty of time to take walks and throw a stick. Glad I can make somebody happy in my misery.
Do the above list for 24 hours and you should be good to go… no, they didn’t actually say this but I was wishing they had. I have to sit tight for the rest of this week. I’ll let you know how it goes in a few days (if I’m still sane at that time).

Happy trails friends (to those of you who can run anyway!)