Save Time in Transition

Recently I raced my first sprint triathlon of the summer. Last summer I was pregnant, so this was my first race back after having our third son. It was a perfect day for racing. Even better, I improved my time at this course. I was thrilled!

My friend Stephanie and I attended a race preview of this course a few weeks before race day. (That's us peeking over the shoulder of a Clydesdale athlete.)

Coach Cindi Bannick runs a series of race previews of the Wisconsin Triathlon Series events. At the clinic we:

• Swam, biked and ran parts of the course,
• Practiced our transitions (swim to bike, bike to run), and
• Talked about race day preparation.

Cindi suggested getting special laces for our shoes to save time in transition. I had seen these before, but hadn't tried them. I bought some after the clinic and now really enjoy them. There are many options out there including:
Yankz!

SpeedLaces

Easy Laces

What works for you?

Have a great workout!

Reverse Crunch, My Favorite Ab Move

This Yahoo Health article claims the bicycle is the most effective ab move.

A San Diego State professor compared 13 common ab moves and determined the bicycle is the most efficient. When you use the bicycle move, you're moving continually, and you work abs and obliques at the same time.

Find more ab resources at these sites:
10 Most Effective Ab exercises
Flat Abs Fast
Celebrity Abs
Best and Worst Ab exercises

My favorite, the reverse crunch, is #7 on the 10 most effective ab list.

Keep moving, it's worth it.

Sports Devotionals

For some inspiration in your training and your faith check out the daily sports-themed devotionals from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

In today's e-mail, the author discusses a scene from Chariots of Fire. In it, Eric Liddle explains his passion for running. He tells his sister, "Jenny, you've got to understand. I believe God made me for a purpose—for China—but He also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure."

Each devotional includes three parts:

• Ready (the scripture),
• Set (a story or example), and
• Go (the application questions).

Check it out. And keep moving!