Gift the athlete in your life MOTIVATION this year. How do you accomplish that? In the form of new gear, a ground-breaking new fuel source, an exciting new race, or even a new coach.

1. Race Entry: give your triathlete the gift of motivation this holiday season! Nothing keeps you going to the gym like having a race on the schedule. A fun race entry to consider gifting is Challenge Daytona in December 2020. At this event, held at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, there are sprint, Olympic, and half distance races, and even a pro-am relay where you can compete alongside your favorite professional triathlete.https://challenge-daytona.com/race-information/entry-fees/

2. XRCEL: introduce a triathlete to a new race fuel source for the 2020 season by gifting an XRCEL Athlete Fuel 6 pack. This is the gift that will keep giving and giving all year long…in the form of bonk-free and mentally charged racing and training. https://xrcel.com/product/xrcel-orange-6-pack/. USE Code XRCEL4U for 30% off. Offer valid through 12-30-19.

3. Fleece Cycling Jacket: make winter riding outside that much more bearable and have the perfect thing to thrown on for those chilly race mornings (or dog walks!) https://wynrepublic.com/collections/keep-the-peace/products/thermal-cycling-jacket-joni

4. Private Swim Instruction: whether your triathlete needs a complete stroke overhaul or some minor changes, private swim lessons will give the gift of faster swim splits. Everyone’s dream, right?? In the New York area, contact Asphalt Green to set up a lesson with pro triathlete Laurel Wassner http://bit.ly/LWSwimLesson Thinking your triathlete could also benefit from some added inspiration and motivation to super charge your New Year, check out elite cyclist, personal development coach, and XRCEL ambassador Christine D’Ercole https://christinedercole.com/

5. Garmin Forerunner 945: this is the gold standard in endurance sports watches. It has a built-in heart rate monitor, accurately tracks miles in the bike and run, yards in the swim, and even will track your sleep. You can also listen to music and receive text messages through it. https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/621922

By Laurel Wassner, Pro Triathlete

Racing a triathlon is not an easy endeavor on its own, but throw in a rainstorm, or brutal heat? Well, things become even more difficult. But, you’ve signed up, paid the entry fee, hotels, done all the training… so there’s no backing out now!

Here’s a few tips on how to carry on when unexpected weather or other changes happen:

1) Keep calm. 

Don’t let the change in events rattle you. Remember, you have put in the training, you are fit, you are ready to go. Stay positive and carry on.

2) Be flexible and adapt.

You wake up race day and it’s pouring rain, these things happen.  Go on with your routine, BUT make some changes based on the weather. Don’t be afraid to pack some extra clothes to put on for the bike ride. Take a little pressure out of your tires. Be a bit more careful around the corners. Be mindful of the little changes that will carry you far.

3) Rethink your nutrition strategy.

Have the temperatures soared above 90F? Or, have they dropped below 50? These are times when you are going to have to look at your nutrition plan and make a few changes. When the weather is extreme you must make sure to get enough and in some  cases even more fuel than you think. Did your swim take longer because the waves were really big? Add an extra bottle of XRCEL when you come out of the water. When it’s very cold, your body is using energy to stay warm, so make sure you have enough fuel on board the bike to adapt for that. Pack more XRCEL than you normally would. When it’s hot? Well, you may not feel like eating. That’s where XRCEL is handy – it’s easy to get down (and stays down!). It’s better to have too much than too little in these circumstances.

4) Stay steady all day.

If you have made the adaptations in your fueling plan, you should be able to have the energy to stay strong throughout the day. Keeping a steady pace, rather than going out hard and fading, is a good strategy for racing in extreme conditions. You want to be the one who is still going when the race gets tough. If you stay steady, you will find yourself passing people who went out too hard.

5) Be smart.

Extreme cold, heat, wind, etc can be dangerous. Be smart about it, race accordingly. Adjust your paces, add 20-30 seconds a mile to your goal running pace and be ok with that. 

6) Don’t quit. 

A positive mindset will help get you through even the worst conditions. Remember everyone else is going through the same thing. Be the one who doesn’t quit!

By Scott DeFilippis, Pro Triathlete and Head Coach, KIS Performance Team

When I first came into the sport of triathlon I was extremely lucky to run into the world’s best coach, Brett Sutton. I spent 5 years under his tutelage as an athlete and budding coach. The lessons I learned from this man are invaluable and so many of them stand out like a sore thumb. But the one that continues to ring in my ear day in and day out was him hammering away to his squad of 20+ all hailing from different countries, speaking different languages, and coming into the sport with varying sporting backgrounds…I can remember his words like it was yesterday, “The term, ‘overtraining’ is the most misused and overused term in our sport! Do you know how hard it is to over train a human being?”

 This was during my first heat camp in Subic Bay, Philippines. For 3 months we lived on the former U.S. Army Base training day in and day out all the while he used himself as an example of just how hard a human being can work. Running sometimes 3 x per day Brett would show up to our training sessions dripping in sweat after running under the hot tropical sun for 1,2, sometimes 3 hours, “Look at me, this fat old man, logging 40kms today. If I can do it, so can you! Don’t tell me, you are tired or over trained. The human body can handle so much more than you think it can,” Ready for this…”As long as there is fuel in the tank! Put the petrol in and you can go all day long!” Wise words from the crazy Australian!

Over the years I have done a ton of experimenting on myself much like the great Australian run coach, Percy Cerutty (Please note I am not comparing myself as being at the level of a coach as the great man himself).  I’ve trained in all sorts of environments, hot places, high places, wet places, and perfect places (like my current home in Southern California). No matter what environment you are faced with, the constant lesson learned is, keep putting the petrol in the tank! There is a current fad going around, ‘low carb, high fat’. If not done correctly and under a physician’s guidance, it will prove to be a very slippery slope! This sort of diet is very, very extreme and although it may work for the very few, it will no doubt leave athletes burnt out in 18-24 months, if not sooner!  A warning to all age group athletes, YOU DO TRIATHLON TO ENHANCE YOUR LIFE, NOT TO CONSUME YOUR LIFE! TRIATHLON IS NOT WHO YOU ARE AS A HUMAN BEING SO PLEASE STEER CLEAR OF SUCH FAD DIETS!” 

Keep it simple! Eat normally; when your body is craving something, you are most likely missing something in your diet…Craving meat? You are low on iron. Craving cheese? You are low on calcium! Craving fruit or vegetable? You are low on Vitamin C or magnesium…LISTEN TO YOU BODY!

But, back to my point…When one is over trained or under fueled, the feelings can be very similar. The difference is, if someone is really truly over trained, they would need a serious reboot, I’m talking months of off any kind of aerobic work other than a brisk walk will only set you back to where you started.  If, however, someone is feeling similar symptoms (weak, unmotivated, high heart rate, achy) Chances are, they have strung together too many days with way too many calories put out without being replaced. A simple way to fix this problem is pull up to a McDonald’s drive through and order a Happy Meal.  If you don’t eat meat, order the fish combo with a milk shake!   

Most people training for an ultra-endurance event of 4 + hours are most likely burning the candle at both ends. What do you think gets overlooked first? Yep, eating…we forget to eat as we are too distracted with work, errands, picking kids up at school or sport activities. All the while trying to balance their own personal endeavors in sport…Thus, most endurance athletes are already riding that slippery slope of not having enough fuel in the tank. 

This is why I personally always carry an XRCEL with me for any training session over 1.5 hours, just in case I start to feel that bonky feeling in the brain.  

Within our own KIS Performance Squad based in San Diego we try to swim first in the day at least 3 x per week. Why? Because in triathlon we swim first so it makes sense to get your body used to being horizontal while forcing it to be in a hypoxic state before trying to ride a bike or run. Just like on most race mornings, before swim training it is hard to eat and if we are carrying fatigue of a heavy load of training, for example a Saturday long ride, Sunday long run, Monday am we might be under fueled. This is a great time to carry an XRCEL or other carb source with you at the pool. You will notice that during the warm up you might start to feel a bit bonky in the head. If, so…take an XRCEL gel before the main set… You’ll save yourself from getting the week off to a bad start and most likely save your next session.  

Here’s another example. 9 months out of the year our San Diego squad typically does a long aerobic brick (BIKE/Run) on Wednesday. We then back that up with a long fartlek or steady run on Thursday. Because the Wednesday session is relatively easy in intensity it’s sometimes easy to overlook fueling. (Please note that such sessions its best to try and consume half the amount of energy or carbs that you would in a long distance event.) This is a way of teaching your body to be more fat adaptive without the use of an extreme diet.

But, sometimes we get lazy or if the weather is bad in the winter months we push on and don’t stop for fuel…slowly a hole is being dug…Then we get up the next day for our run and bam, like a ton of bricks, you have very little left in tank and struggling to put one foot in front of the other.  Again, this is a perfect situation to carry a carb source such as XRCEL with you so you can save your session. I can’t tell you how many times XRCEL has saved stopped sessions such as these from going sideways…

Please note I am not a physician but through experienced based coaching, I’ve seen enough athletes come and go to recognize when someone is under fueling and not over trained. There are ways to make you more fat adaptive, which will help you in your long distance racing but only follow the advice of a trusted sports doctor who also has plenty of field experience advising endurance athletes!

Happy Training

It is no secret confidence comes from being prepared, and by failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.

In endurance racing we train ourselves every day to prepare for race day – what we eat, what equipment we choose, what physical and mental training we do. Everything we do prepares us for how we will perform when race day comes. But, there are some things we just cannot prepare for through our training, things that are out of our control, things that we aren’t expecting, things that happen in a split second that can ruin our hard work and leave us feeling completely shattered. Things that come to mind, for me personally in my racing experiences and for which I have not been prepared for, have been as small as simply going off course, to more significant like leaving my entire bike nutrition in transition, to catastrophic events such as crashing my bike in Embrunman 2018. Sometimes, I will admit, things happen that we cannot recover from, and all that can be done here is learn, don’t dwell, and look forward to giving yourself another opportunity to test yourself. But many times, we can recover, do our best problem solving in that moment, and still have a great day – perhaps an even better day because you know you went beyond what you had prepared for and challenged yourself in a way you have never done before.

Here are a few tips to remember if on race day you find yourself in a position you may not be prepared for:

Stay calm.

The best way to be able to make rational decisions is with a calm mind. Remove emotion from what is going on in that moment and then make your plan to move forward.

Act, don’t react.

Or react, then go back to step one, and act again in a better state of mind.

We all quickly react with emotion when something happens that is out if our control. But it is important to not get caught up in just reacting to the situation, but to ACT, and fast. If you find yourself wasting valuable time simply reacting to what happened to derail your race, stop, breathe, take a moment, and when calm, make your plan to move on.

Be positive and confident. Back yourself.

This can be a hard one when things go pear-shaped. Most of our confidence comes through training, but when things go wrong, it is easy to forget everything we have trained ourselves for, and react in a way we would not usually plan for. This is a time when you need to trust your instincts, even trick yourself to be confident, be positive and when you carry on, do so with confidence and don’t look back.

Be present.

Everything I have just mentioned about how you can navigate an unknown situation really comes back to being present. Not letting your emotions carry you away into thinking of outcomes that you can control in that moment if you deal with them IN that moment. Your race is not over, you have not failed, you can still do this. Take the emotion out, stay calm, bring yourself back into the moment and SEE what is happening. Deal with it with a calm mind. And move on.

When it is all over, reflect, learn and know you are a better athlete and person because you were able to take something out of your control and make lemonade out of lemons. In endurance racing you can NEVER be prepared for everything. It is impossible. So, don’t try. Train, prepare, be confident and ALWAYS trust your instincts.

Summer produce is hitting its peak in upstate New York’s Hudson Valley, where Laurel and I have been training for the last several weeks. We often plan our runs to end at the local farm stand so that we can refuel with just-picked peaches alongside our Peach Tea Xrcel. Or we’ll make pit stops while riding to fill our bike jersey pockets with enough vegetables to create a big salad or pasta dish. 

Here are some of the recipes we’ve been fueling our training with this summer. 

Try this for breakfast, lunch, post-workout snack, or as a no-cook, no-fuss dinner. 

Tomato Toast

Here’s how to make it:

On a slice of whole-grain toast, layer the following:

whipped cream cheese

sliced tomatoes

sea salt & pepper

drizzle of olive oil

Corn And Peach Salad with Mini Peppers and Mint

Serves 4 as a side dish

3 large ears of corn, kernels cut off (*the fresher the better)

2 firm, but ripe peaches, skin on, diced (or 3 donut peaches)

8-10 small “snacking” sweet peppers, chopped (or 1 regular red pepper)

1/2 small shallot, minced

juice from 1 lime

pinch of sea salt

10 mint leaves, chopped

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Or, put all ingredients in a container with a lid and shake.

Note: For more of a meal-sized salad, add cubes of fresh mozzarella. For a kick, top with a few slices of fresh jalapeno. 

Pasta with Peas and Ricotta 

1 box of penne pasta

1 cup of reserved pasta water

Olive oil

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 cup (or more) peas

red chili flakes

Salt & pepper

1 cup ricotta

1/4 fresh mint, chopped

Boil large pot of salted water. Add penne and cook, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Drain pasta and put in large bowl. Add a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together (especially for #glutenfree pasta).

Return pasta pot to stove and heat up 3 tbs of olive oil. Add shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes until they are soft.

Add peas, salt, chili flakes and pepper to taste. Cook until the peas are bright green and still crunchy.

Add pasta back to pot. Add ricotta and reserved cooking water and combine. Heat up will pasta is warmed and coated by all the ingredients.

Remove from heat and add the herbs and lemon zest and mix well.

Put in bowls with more herbs on top and eat!

Fancy Fruit Salad

Cut a rope cantaloupe in half and remove the seeds. Use a melon baller to scoop out spheres of fruit. Return balls to scooped out cantaloupe, along with blueberries, strawberries, and whatever seasonal fruit you have on hand. Top with plain yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, and fresh mint leaves. 

Training for a long distance Triathlon (half ironman to ironman) can be exhausting at times and requires a reasonable level of commitment to make the event an enjoyable experience. Looking back over years of racing and training, and also now coaching athletes who are training for multiple distances, I believe there are 3 main areas where you can hone your skills which will help you in your quest for success at your next event.

1. Time

Be realistic with how much time you have to train, and then base your goals off that. Consider all things outside of training (work, family, friends, regular commitments etc) that will impact your schedule and then be honest with yourself with how much you are able to train outside of that, including some time in there for recovery. Then set yourself a timeline (a coach can help you with this), and start training with purpose. You can do any distance you set your mind to – but always remember the best way to get fitter and stronger faster is to be consistent. A training schedule that is manageable with life balance will be your key to success and in remaining injury free.Nutrition

2. Nutrition

Learn to eat for better training and recovery. The best times to fuel your workouts are before, during, and immediately after. For workouts 1hr or less, if we have properly managed our glycogen reserve, we don’t need to consume many (if any) calories, but over that we need to start to pay attention. And, if we fuel ourselves correctly during the workout, we tend to eat less later which helps when trying to maintain a leaner body weight. Anywhere from 30-60g carb/hr is a good guideline for longer workouts (over 2hrs) in combination with your choice of electrolyte. I choose 1-2 XRCEL per hour plus water or electrolyte for longer sessions. Promote recovery after key sessions by eating a carbohydrate and protein mix as soon as possible. If you don’t have your next meal waiting for you soon after you finish your workout, have an XRCEL.  Because it’s made with glucose, it is super-efficient at replenishing depleted glycogen for faster recovery.

 Drink or snack within 15-30 mins of exercise, and then continue on with your nutrition plan. 

3. Training

Make your easy days EASY! Stringing together moderate/high intensity sessions without low intensity, aerobic, strength building days will only end in burnout, injury, fatigue and a performance plateau (which are all part of burnout) because you will never give your body and mind a rest in order to push to new limits. All of the best athletes follow the stress and rest principle. They alternate between cycles of stress and rest. Rest days don’t have to mean a complete day off. They can be easy training and active recovery, so long as whatever workout you do is EASY. Spinning on your bike, shuffle during your run and even walk the hills, use pull gear while swimming. Whatever you have to do to keep your heart rate as low as possible.

After almost 15 years of Triathlon training and racing I will be honest and say I still make mistakes in these areas, but being aware has definitely improved my overall health and longevity in the sport. Being smart while you are putting in the training day after day will result in a consistent training program and from that I guarantee you will see the results in your progress and racing performance.

Do you ever get stuck in a rut with swimming and that training feels monotonous and boring?  It doesn’t have to be like that!  I have been swimming since I was five, swam through college at Division I George Washington University, and I still don’t get bored.  The key is mixing up your swim sets and getting creative.  Keep things interesting by switching paces, adding drills, sprints, and kick.  Make things harder by doing a lot of repetitions and tight intervals. And, don’t forget to add in some recovery days.  Swim workouts with purpose and intent, not just to get in lots of yards.

Here are three swim sets to try.  Each has a purpose.

Workout #1: This is a race simulation.  It is a test set and should be a big challenge.  Get some friends together to motivate each other to do this one.  If you can nail this workout, you will gain the confidence and fitness to crush any triathlon swim. 
Warm-Up:
400 Free
300 Pull
200 Kick
100 drill swim
5×100 (50k/50s) :10 rest
8×25 (1 hard, 1ez)
Main Set:
20×100 on a very challenging interval (1:10 for yards is expert level, but if 2:00 is a challenge for you, then try that)
4×50 (25 backstroke/ 25 free) cool down
Try this set when you are in good shape and about 3 weeks out from a race.  You can also build up to this by doing rounds of 10 one week, then 15 the next, etc

Workout #2: 5k Friday. Every Friday my training partners and I gather for 5K Friday. This is usually my longest workout of the week and it is great to have company. Since we have various levels of swimmers we tend to make this a “strength swim” where intervals are less important and the focus is more on building strength through pulling and kicking.
    Warm Up:
    200 free – 50k 
    200 free – 50 back
    200 free – 50 k
    200 free – 50 back
    4×75 (25k no board/25 drill/25 swim)
    4×25 1/2 hard, 1/2 easy
    4×150 band only (this will be a challenge and requires good form and focus) Do these on 15 seconds rest.
    6×50 kick (descend 1-3, 4-6) on :60
    100 25 back/25 free x2 recovery
    5x 150 pull (no paddles) – these should be aerobic with an interval that gives you :5 seconds rest
    5×50 kick (1-3-5 hard, 2-4 easy) :60
    100 25ba/25 fr recovery
    6×150 pull +paddles – these should be slightly harder so make the interval 5 seconds faster than the last round of 150s
    4×50 kick (desc 1-3, hold 4) :60
    100 25ba/25 free recovery
    6×50 breathing pattern:
    2 rounds of: 
    1- 4 breaths per 50
    2 -3 breaths
    3- 2 breaths

Workout #3: Recovery Monday.  Most triathletes put in a lot of work over the weekend.  Usually long runs and long rides that fatigue the legs.  The point of this workout is to flush out the legs.
    500 free
    300 pull
    4×50 drill/swim
    8 x 100 (50k on back /50 swim) * with fins* – you can do these without fins, kicking on your back
    400 pull with paddles moderate
    8x 75 as (25 kick on left side/ 25 kick on right side/ 25 swim) 
    300 pull moderate
    8×25 (odds swim with over kick, evens swim easy)
    200 pull moderate
    100 easy cool down

Always make sure to fuel properly for these swims. For the race simulation – workout #1, I like to have a race type breakfast and then an XRCEL on my way to the pool. 

For the longer swims, I bring an XRCEL to the pool deck and take one after the warm up. I also keep an extra in my bag in case the swim goes long and I start to feel like I need extra fuel.

XRCEL: How did you first get started in running?

Maggie Poniatowski: I started running later in life at the age of 32, shortly after giving birth to my first child.  I had been struggling with weight gain and postpartum depression when my older brother, John, promised me that I would feel better and get in shape quickly if I tried running.  This sounded easy enough until he dared me to sign up for a marathon.  At the time, I couldn’t fathom running one mile, let alone 26.2, but I can’t resist a dare and I signed up for the Ocean Drive Marathon on one condition – John would have to run it with me.  I’m proud to say that six months later, I completed my first marathon in 4:17, which was five minutes under my goal.  Admittedly, it was more painful than giving birth, but crossing the finish line was amazing!  Happy as a clown, and 50 pounds lighter, I was a running addict.  I kept running and  competed in my first of many triathlons and even signed up to run the Philadelphia Marathon.

How did you morph into participating in triathlons? 

 I was a competitive swimmer in high school and college, but triathlon wasn’t a big sport back then.  At the start of my first marathon, I was chatting with a group of women who were running the race together.  It was my first encounter with a “running group” and I was surprised to hear that in addition to running marathons together, they also competed in triathlons together. They laughed when I asked, “don’t you have to be an elite athlete to enter a triathlon.?”  Back then, I’d never heard of a triathlon shorter that 140.6 miles.  I quickly learned about sprint and women-only triathlons and they assured me that if I could swim, a sprint triathlon would be a walk in the park.  Within a week I bought an inexpensive road bike and signed up for a three local sprint triathlons; Vincentown, the Philadelphia Women’s Sprint, and She-Rox Philly. In true beginner fashion, I bought a Book called The 12-Week Triathlete and followed a beginner’s training plan. My first event was Vincentown and I ended up placing in my age group.  I knew right away that I wanted to try a longer distance, so I signed up for two Olympic distance races. After the tri-season, I ran the Philly Marathon, but soon after, I ended up taking time off from racing to have another child.  I had my second son in September of 2010 and signed up for a half Ironman in May of 2011.  It was a great way to hold myself accountable to training and to getting back into race shape.

How do you balance racing triathlons and running races throughout the year?   

 I have a hard time saying “no” to pacing gigs and destination runs.  I am fortunate and blessed to have no concerning injuries to hold me back and I generally recover fast from ultras by incorporating a lot of yoga and strength training.  I am disciplined when it comes to Iron distance triathlons and 100-mile ultras because I stick to my rule of “one a year.”  Once my Ironman and 100 are scheduled, I will race just about any distance,as long as it’s not right before or after one of the main events.  Sometimes I feel lost on the few weekends I’m not participating in a race.  

How do you think racing triathlons has helped your running? 

I am fortunate to have found triathlon because the cross training keeps me free from injury.   After an ultramarathon, I can easily recover my legs and keep cardiovascular fitness by swimming and cycling.  For me, swimming and cycling drills are just as effective for my running speed as track-work!

What prompted you to run your first ultra race?

In 2015 a friend offered me a free race entry for a back-to-back marathon called Two Rivers in Lackawaxen, PA.  I would be running the same marathon twice in the same weekend.  I really didn’t think it was possible, but since it was free, I thought I’d give it a try just to see if I was capable of finishing. To my surprise, I ran the same time for both marathons (4:08 on Saturday and Sunday) and walked away feeling fine. I called my brother to tell him what I’d done and he said, “that’s great, now it’s time for an ultramarathon.”  He had already run several ultra’s, including the Rocky Raccoon and he assured me that a 50-miler in one day would be easier than back-to-back marathons. I started searching for my next challenge and ended up running a fatass in Phildelphia call the Turtle Trail 50 that started on the Philadelphia Art Museum steps and took the Schuykill River Trail 25 miles out to Valley Forge and back.It turned out to be one of the best experiences and when I called my brother to tell him about my experience, he asked, “ which 100-miler are you going to sign up for?”  And so, my search began for a good “starter” 100. 

What do you do to properly prepare  for a 100-mile race?

I don’t have a specific training plan because I generally run long every weekend. However, Twelve weeks out from an ultra, I aim for a 70-mile week and run B2B long runs on weekends with limited sleep.  For instance, I’ll run a marathon on Saturday, but eat as if it was a normal 2000-calorie day, sleep five hours or less, and run 20-plus miles on Sunday.  I think it’s important to simulate the feeling a fatigue to prepare for the big event.  I follow an 80/20 diet – 80% clean, natural, and plant based and the other 20% isn’t perfect as I enjoy my post run beer, pizza, and chocolate!

How do you use XRCEL when you race an ultra?  

I use XRCEL during every race, regardless of distance and take my first bottle ten minutes prior to the start.  For 5Ks and 10Ks, one bottle is all I need, but for longer distances, I have enough on hand to take about one bottle an hour to keep the effects going.  I carry a 16 ounce flask of XRCEL during marathons and usually have a friend planted on the course with extras. For ultramarathons, I have a few bottles in every drop bag and carry a bottle in my vest at all times.   

What benefits does XRCEL have for you when you are racing and training?

At times I forget to take nutrition, which can be dangerous. Other supplements take a while to hit the bloodstream and are difficult to digest, but XRCEL is the opposite. It hits me quickly and is longlasting.  I almost feel the energy instantly and it lasts. The best part is that it digests easily, so there are no tummy issues with XRCEL!

What attracted you to racing the Devil Dog 100-miler?  

I wish I had a clever response, but I picked the race because it was close drive and I read that the course was challenging, but not sadistic.  I like to be able to “run” during ultras and there are a lot of races out there that make it impossible to run due to the technicality of the course.  Devil Dog turned out to be a lot harder than expected. It took  me 31 hours and every ounce of willpower to complete.  It is by far my best endurance accomplishment yet. The freezing cold, contsant downpour throughout the night nearly broke me. By the last 20- mile loop, the course had turned into a deep muddy swamp!

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced while racing or training for such tough races?  

 My first 100-miler prepared me well for future ultras.  I thought I was prepared in 2016 for the Pine Creek Challenge, but I went out way too fast and ended up with a knee injury at mile 62. It was also 100 degrees with no shade and I’d been unable to hold down food (my pre-XRCEL days). Determined to finish, I limped for 15 hours/38 miles and finished the run in 27 hours. I wouldn’t have finished if my brother hadn’t flown out from Washington state to pace me those last 38 miles.  He was the reason I signed up and finished the race. That whole experience tested my mind, body, and soul.  Luckily, I recovered from my injury, but any right-minded person would have probably stopped at 100km.  My challenge is my stubbornness and I’m afraid I’ll never know when I truly need to quit.  

What does your family think of your racing and how do they play a part in your success? 

My kids don’t quite get it yet because they are only eight and ten and they just know that I like to run. My husband understands that I need endurance sports to live. I cannot start my day without a run, swim, or spin class. Cardio has and always will be my drug of choice.  I get my training done before my family gets out of bed so that I can be there when they are awake. My husband is the most supportive person and even though he may not come out to all my races, he allows me the time the “do my thing.” If I’m traveling for a race more than two to three days, I bring my family with me and we make a vacation out of it!  My eight year old is starting to become interested in running, so I may have to give up some weekend races in the future to support him. Nothing would make me happier than to have another runner in the family!

How do you balance and juggle your family and personal life with your training and racing? 

To be honest, I get 6 hours of sleep on a good night. I have a bit of insomnia and I do a lot of cleaning and email catch-up in the middle of the night.  I don’t watch TV and I’ve swapped reading for audiobooks that I can listen to while training.

 What advice do you wish you had before you raced your first 100-miler?

I was given this advice many times and I didn’t take it initially, but don’t go out too fast. I know this now and live by it!

What is next on your race calendar?

I’ve signed up for the Georgia Jewel 100-miler in September 2019 in Dalton, GA.  The course is challenging as there is more elevation than Devil Dog and their swag is super cool. I will sign up for any race if they have a cool trucker hat!

What’s your proudest accomplishment to date and why?  

The Devil Dog 100-miler! Just finishing that race took everything out of me.  

What’s your favorite part about training or racing?

Every day I get a sense of accomplishment after my workouts and I always give it my all.  The endorphins are a nice bonus, but the best part is that I get to train with my best friends. Triathlon and running may be individual sports, but training with my best friends is a blast!

 How does your mental toughness play a role in training and racing for a 100 miler?

 I owe my mental toughness to my mom. I was never coddled growing up and grew up with her motto “suck it up buttercup.” I was raised with a mindset that nothing comes easy. While this may not be entirely true, I believe that ultimate bliss only comes from earning something. When things get rough, I envision the reward at the end whether it’s a medal, beer, pizza, massage, nap, or a hug from my boys.  All of these little things are so much more enjoyable after accomplishing a difficult task. Work hard, play hard, and enjoy the spoils when they come.  

FL – “Little Kid Big Body” first came into existence during my sophomore or junior year of high school. Growing up I was always the smallest of my friends but once I grew into the frame and size I am now, I was then the biggest of most of my friends but wasn’t used to it quite yet. In my head, I was still a little kid, but now I was in a larger body and couldn’t jokingly horseplay or “play fight” anymore because I was stronger than my peers. Once I got to Wofford and started playing college ball, I used the phrase or hashtag “#LittleKidBigBody” as a reminder to myself to not lose sight on why I started playing soccer in the first place – because it was more fun than anything else in this world and everything I laced up my boots it felt like I was a little kid on Christmas. And that feeling still resonates with me today. 

XRCEL – How would you summarize your soccer career to date? When did you start playing, and who was your biggest influence?

FL – Simply put, a roller coaster. I first started playing when I was 3 or 4 years old so essentially as long as I can remember. I had a handful of influences growing up. Some I knew personally, some I just knew of, and even some I just watched on television. But one of the most influential people for me during my career thus far has to be my assistant coach from college, Joel Tyson. I genuinely believe that without the advice, direction, and lessons learned from Joel during my 4 years at Wofford, my career would’ve never gone in the direction it has since graduating from Wofford. 

XRCEL – What are biggest accomplishments in soccer? Is there a particular award, game or play that stands out in your mind as being “epic” for you?

FL – That’s tough to say. I’ve been extremely blessed to have had continuous success since pursuing a professional career. If I had to pick a few I would say earning All-American honors my senior year of college, scoring my first professional goal my rookie year during the conference playoffs to send our team into the next round, earning back to back All-League first team XI honors in the USL, or earning the USL Defender of the Year award this past season. 

XRCEL – How has the move from Charleston Battery to FC Cincinnati been?

FL – The move has been excellent. Extremely easy. Everyone from the front office, to the operations team, to the fan base, and community made the transition a breeze. They embraced and supported me from day 1 and made representing the city natural. Cincinnati is home. 

XRCEL – How would you describe your playing style?

FL – I would say I am extremely physical, defensive tone setter who likes to play out of the back/keep possession while also keeping things simple with no risks. 

XRCEL – How has XRCEL helped you in your performance?

FL – XRCEL for me has been huge in my performance. I started using XRCEL in college, at Wofford. In college I took XRCEL strictly before games. Professionally, I take one XRCEL prior to warm ups, one prior to kickoff, and one at half time. I usually take one XRCEL prior to training days as well when the work load is heavier than usual or when there are extreme temperatures. XRCEL, for me, keeps me consistently fueled without the fear of cramps or any mental or physical fatigue. 

XRCEL – Do you have any specific words you live by?

FL – I have a few sayings that I live by but those stories will have to be shared another time.