A few of my favorite things

With the hype of the new year and the jump to get back to training, we often time find ourselves creating this list of things we want (we need!) to buy to help faciliate those training goals. I too fall into this little trap and over the holiday season find myself looking for deals and seeing how I can update my current collection. Some of my favorite things to buy to help "Motivate" my training goals are:

1) bathing suits

2) running shoes

3) anything cycling related

4) Food. 

Since training is back in full fashion, a few of these items have seen quite a bit of action. Heres a list of a few of my current favorite things:

Swimming:
Blue Seventy training gear and Kiwami Bathing suits.
Since my first session of the day generally starts in the pool, I pull out my trusty bathing suits, goggles, and swim gear to wake the morning up. Slipping into these bad boys leaves me comfortable, stylish and most importantly fast, with little to no drag. Use codes MHCB70 at Blueseventy for a 30% discount and LIZBSAVE20 at Kiwami for 20% off!

With all these hours in the pool, I also love on a few other products from SBRsports. Foggies help to keep my goggles from fogging with a quick swipe of the lens. I also use my foggies and wipe down all my sunglasses. SBR also has some wonderful bath products such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and my favorite post-swimming lotion. The products are designed to strip the chlorine right off you and leave your skin and hair hydrated and nourised. Ask me for a sample if you want to try!

Biking: 

Cycling related purchases seem to be the most expensive of the three sports, but its always worth it when you are 1) comfortable and 2) fast. My trusty Aussie Cycle Work just received a whole overdrive to prepare for the new training and racing year. A good friend always said "A clean bike is a fast bike". So, people take care of your bikes!

For my holiday season, my one big Christmas present to myself was the WahooKickr. I had a few questions from friends over the last month since I Used to ride a Kinetic Rock and Roll. I loved my rock and roll but so far I can say that I am extremely happy with my purchase. The ability to train "smart" allows me to reach gears and "hills" that I Wasnt able to on my past trainer. Also, saving my rear wheel but using a cassette-based trainer is hopefully a way to cut back on tire purchases. I havent tried it yet, but the series of interactive riding programs such as Zwift, leave me with endless possibilities to counteract the trainer boredom. In addition I upgraded my Garmin from the 500 to the 810 and the bluetooth capabilities have saved me endless of hours of trying to upload my data and then sadly deleting it all.

My not so pro set up!

Lastly, I invested in a new racing helmet. The Specialized Evade. Most of you know I love pink and I used to race in the Rudy project wingspan. After some aerodynamic testing, I was sad to say good bye to my beloved helmet but know that the Evade will suit me better. Not to mention how light it is and it seems to fit my head just right. The helmets run big and I ordered a Size Small, just for reference to anyone looking. 

I have ALWAYS loved my Rudy Project Noyz sunglasses in hot pink, but I decided I need a pair with clear tint for days that it is overcast. I just purchased the new Spacegirl Rubin with photocramatic lenses. If the sun does peak out, I am ready as they will tint with the conditions. Plus they still have a little bit of pink on them!

Running:

 After an extremely long year of a total of 6 months of missed running, I am happy to report I am back to logging the miles, getting the speed back and settling into a bio-mechanical efficient pace. Lukes Locker in the Woodlands   was gracious enough to help me find some good fitting shoes for my foot and I have never been more comfortable. The New Balance Vazee Pace is light and fast but stable enough it supports the foot in all movement planes. In addition to the Vazee, I also got a pair of the Altra 2.1 and though it is a very different feel from the New Balance, my foot also likes these and I am able to alternate between the two pairs.

After years of telling myself I would never do it-- I joined Strava and Instagram (@lizbaugher) at the encouragement of my dear roommates.  I always said I didnt need another "thing" to look at, but I am actually really enjoying the motivation these apps give to the athlete. A little trash talk here, and a lot of QOM stealing later...Its really kind of fun. 

Food/Recovery:

Well, If you know me at all you know that I am a food/beer/coffee/wine fanatic. I am not aftraid to eat but I also love to try to new things. As an athlete, we sometimes think we can eat whatever the hell we want, but we have to remember that you are what you eat. I recently just completed the "Whole 30" diet (no sugar, no alcohol, no grains for 30 days). I was not trying to lose weight or anything, I just wanted to try something new. It was a huge challenge at first and for the endurance athlete I dont necessarily encourage it, but you do learn ALOT about how different foods effect your body. One in particular--sugar. Ah. Sugar is toxic and even if you think you eat healthy, just wait till you take it out of your diet and see how you feel (I was miserable for 4-5 days, talk about detox!).  

One thing I did notice while on the diet though was the inflammation response of the body. Putting whole and healthy foods into it always, leaves the body very happy, lean, and "de-stresses" it. When the athlete is not training, the sole purpose of the rest of the day becomes "How fast can you recovery". 

Klean athlete is my go-to nutrition products for keeping my body healthy, immune system strong, and body recovered.

My general routine everyday starts with:

- 1x probiotic pill when I wake up + 1xelectrolyte 

- Klean Chocolate (yum!) recovery on the way home from the pool (or a scoop of plain isolate in my oatmeal for breakfast) + 2x multivitamin. 

- Ill add a VitD if my training will be mostly indoors for the day.

-Depending on my "Load" that day, I may add 2x more multivitamin later in the day to help my immune system bounce back fast. Also electryltes taken as needed.

- Dinner I conclude with my Omega supplement.

Like I said, treat your body good and it will treat you good.

In between sessions I also always travel with Oatmega Bars. www.givebar.com

My rule of thumb is to basically never leave the house unless you have a bar with you. I get hungry alot and try to reduce the amount of time "hangry". Oatmega bars deliver 14g of grass-fed whey protein, omega 3s, 7g of fiber and only 5g of all natural sugar per bar. There are 8 delicious flavors to choose from so I never get bored. In fact, I find myself usually wanting 2-3 bars a day because they are so tasty. If you havent checked them out before use my code "Liz50" for a discount and order some!

Finally, at the end of the day I like to cuddle up with a good book and slip into my Elevated Legs for a good squeeze. 30 minutss and my legs feel fresh. Sometimes I will even use them for 10 minutes before a workout to just get the juices flowing. On very long training days I am very thankful to have my own "self massage" to come home to every night. Some people will ask me how Elevated Legs compare to Normatec and other compression devices. To be honest, the products are the same and these are half the price. Enjoy 10% off with "LIZELEVATED" and find out for yourself. In the same corner as the recovery boots, my house hold also has a variety of foam rollers, tennis balls, massage sticks and bands. I spend at a minimum 30 minutes a day with all of these tools, and sometimes 2-3x a day just to do some "pre-activation" exercises. Its important to keep the body loose. Just like a clean bike is a fast bike, a happy body is a fast body!

Hope you enjoyed reading about some of my favorite things. Do you have any similar products?

Goodnight! Ultimately, SLEEP is the best recovery!