• All weekly workouts are jamming!
• Our two, open-water swims rock
• Hotter than Hell 100 training program has more riders than EVER!
• Dallas Athletes rocked the podium at the June Wounded Warrior Half Marathon and 10K
• A bunch of finishers at Ironman CDA and Ironman Austria!
• Dallas Athletes represented at the Buffalo Springs 70.3 event!
• Bottom line, as an organization we are BUSY and GROWING! We would LOVE to have you join us!

Here are some Dallas Athletes members celebrating in Oceanside, CA!

Carlsbad 2010 Athletes

Here’s a complete list of Dallas Athletes Workouts

DA/DSU, “Helping YOU Reach YOUR Goals.”
In our 9th year, we are nearly 400 strong helping the beginner and intermediate athlete blend work, family, and fitness while keeping it FUN!
Workouts Seven-Days A-Week!
Membership has its benefits! We hope you’ll join us!

Results and Photos Posted!

www.stpatrickstriathlon.com

Texas Man from JET Productions on Vimeo.

"The Blue Monster": Athletes Kryptonite

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself! And long-lines at the Port-A-Potty.”

I will be brief on the relief from “portaphobia.” Portaphobia: fear experienced when ones “GI” track requires immediate attention before a sporting event; fear of “one-square” left on the toilet paper roll; visual trauma experienced with long lines in front of a port-a-potty.

So what to do?

Like you plan for your fueling, clothing and pacing, plan for a “nature call.”

First, know the facts.
1. Caffeine increases intestinal muscle contractions. What that means coffee drinkers is the caffeine you are ingesting is best to be taken two-hours prior to your event. Caffeine taken immediately before an event can move things along you might not want moving, if you know what I mean!
2. Carbs can move quickly. I tell all my athletes on the day before a race to eat a normal breakfast; make lunch their largest meal of the day and eat a light dinner 10-12 hours before race time. This may surprise you, I suggest avoiding the Uber Pasta Feast! A little pasta is fine, but too much is not a good idea. Our bodies carry carb and fiber heavy foods through our system (GI track) in approx. 12-hours. Foods with higher percentages of fats can take up to a day and a half!
3. Know YOUR body! History is a good indicator of what to expect. Know your bodys intestinal speed can be as helpful as knowing your pace per mile!

Lastly, as the great John Wooden says, “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” So bring some extra toilet paper!

Looks forward to the end of each period and each day; sustained by the thought of next holiday. Holiday means no work and grades.

Pat, Teenager: Accepts values of adults-grades are THE measure of success. When he/she does well, parents and teachers compliment him, and his classmates-who have also been indoctrinated-supply envy.

Pat has learned the “Formula of Success,” SACRIFICE PRESENT ENJOYMENT IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY IN THE FUTURE. NO PAIN, NO GAIN.

Pat, who does not enjoy schoolwork, is driven by the need to amass titles, honors, and when pressure becomes overwhelming, tells himself that the fun begins in college.

Pat Goes to College: Accepted to a college. Joyful and relieved; can finally be happy!

Relief is short-lived. Within two-months gripped by the same sense of anxiety felt for years. Fearful to be unable to compete with other students; how will Pat get the job he/she wants?

College Years: Built impressive list of accomplishments, i.e, student organizations, volunteering in homeless shelter, participating in athletics. Careful to enroll in classes that will look good on his transcript even though they offer no excitement.

Experiences moments of enjoyment; relieved of a burden, are short-lived; work builds up again resulting in anxiety and pressure.

Start of Career: Receives a job offer from prestigious firm; accepts. Now Pat can finally enjoy life!

OOPS: Realizes he does not enjoy 60-80 hour workweeks. Tells himself that, once more, he must sacrifice for the time being, just until he is established in his career. Once in a while Pat feels good, receives a raise, promotion; impresses people with his job title.

Sense of fulfillment soon disappears; drudgery returns.

Fast Forward: Top student in college; partner in firm; he and his wonderful family live in a large house in an upscale neighborhood; drives a luxury car; plenty of disposable income. Others regard Pat as the archetype of success.

• RAT RACER:
  -Inability to enjoy what they are doing
  -Maintains persistent belief that once they reach a certain destination, they will be happy
  -Eyes the prize that “one big break” will finally deliver happiness
  -Learned to focus on the NEXT goal rather than PRESENT happiness.

BOTTOM LINE: One of the biggest challenges I face as an athlete, parent of two daughters, husband, business owner, and coach is rebelling against “The Man.” ”The Man” is myself. I am often times my worst enemy who wishes he would “hit the lottery,” be fitter, be … MORE, MORE, MORE, BETTER, BETTER, BETTER!

As a coach, I seek to add balance to my athletes lives. My toughest job is not supplying workouts, but rather the strategy and support; to fight off the RAT RACER!

In American society, we are NOT rewarded for ENJOYING the journey itself but for the SUCCESSFUL completion of a journey. Society rewards RESULTS, not PROCESSES; ARRIVALS, not JOURNEYS.

For my life and the life of my athletes, family and career alliances, I find simplifying the toughest challenge!

Much of this article is taken from a wonderful book, Happier. It is written by Tal Ben-Shahar, Ph.D.Dr. Shahar teaches the most popular course at Harvard University called, “Positive Psychology.”

NOTE: I am about to cut through all the BS, so please remember, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING PRIDE, A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT, SHARING YOUR DREAMS & GOALS, TRASH TALK WITH FRIENDS AND FELLOW COMPETITORS.  But when an event or sport DEFINES who you are, well, here I go!

It is my opinion sport should inspire and enhance your life. All to often I see athletes more RELIEVED to finish an event rather than REJOICING!

Have you seen Olympic gymnastics this week? To me it seemed that 99% of the gymnists felt so much pressure! Looking at their faces prior to their events appeared nervous and stress out! I had to dig deep to see a look of confidence and relaxation! When they finished, if they did okay, the were happy! If they had a bad event, it looked like they had been told their parents had died! I just didn’t see the thrill of sport. Rather I saw stress and pressure. But it makes great television, right!? 

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE SPORT! LOOOOOOOVE IT! But smack me upside the head if I ever seemed to be defined by it!

Signs You are DEFINDED by Your Workouts, Races or Events

-You wear a race shirt 90% of the time
-Everyone knows you’re working out
-The U.S. and China knows you’re training for a particular event
-If your sport is off limits in a conversation, you have nothing to add
-When you miss a workout, your stress level is higher than an audit letter from the IRS
-Your heart rate monitor or speedometer malfunctions and you get so mad Charles Manson is freaked out!
-You know how to work every function of a heart rate monitor, speedometer, power meter, and training log

Suggested Cures for IAMDEFINEDBYMYATHLETICADVENTURES-ITIS

• Do an event with a friend and finish at the back of the pack
  Volunteer for local events
  Don’t map your run or ride mileage. Just exercise for the fun of it!
  Turn off your bike speedometer
  And most important, never forget you’re a good, old-fashioned amateur athlete. Just a person trying to better themselves through health and fitness.

WARNING: If you let your miles per hour, race times or prestigious events define you, sport will no longer be fun! Sport will become a job!

See ya!

Tom

I believe most athletes whether they are training for a 10K or marathon; sprint or Ironman triathlon, over-train. They put in tons of mileage, which taxes the body, yet they neglect the one area that allows them to enhance performance-REST! Many coaches prescribe workouts that over-train the athlete simply because they think since a person is paying them, they need to devise workouts Einstein cannot figure out! Pu-lease!

Think back to the last time you were on an airplane. Whether its noon or midnight, people are falling asleep like they’ve been drugged!

Ever heard this load of BS? “I only need four-hours of sleep per night.” Yeah, and I found $5 in Liberace’s piano!

Here are some “brass tacks” for all athletes. They are culled from sleep expert, Dr. Krishna Polu, National Sleep Foundation and plain old common sense.

1.There is ZERO, ZILCH, NA-DA upside to sleep deprivation, i.e. being tired. Sleep debt can impair motor function, delay response times, diminishes mental function, raises blood pressure and precipitates mood disorders such as depression and the desire to watch re-runs of Golden Girls, 24-7.
2.Sleep deprivation hinders the body’s ability to use glucose. This will not only hurt athletic performance but can also hinder recovery and affect the body’s ability to build glucose stores for future use.
3. Most athletes need 8-9 hours of sleep per night.

What am I doing? You and I know all this stuff! We know that we have our best workouts and races when we’re well rested. We know life is less enjoyable and more stressful when we’re tired. We know Madonna loves A-Rod!

Here’s my advice. When you’re tired, sleep in; take a nap; take a few days off during while training. The by-product of rest has no downside. Doing a ride, run and/or swim when you’re tired offers very little upside.

Repeat after me, “You’re getting sleepy, sleepy; You’re eyes are getting heavy …” Coach Tom. Coach Tom can be reached at tom@dallassportsuniversity.com

So I searched for more expert advice. Like you, I, and all athletes, want to know “HOW MUCH!” How much running should I do? How many calories do I need during exercise? How much sodium do I need?” Just give me the numbers and let me go!

First of all, how much sodium do I need? Registered dietitian, Leah Perrier write, “The actual sodium need varies slightly from person to person, but a range of 1800-2400 milligrams, or one teaspoon of salt, is considered to be a healthy daily dose.” Leah, I need MORE information! How much sodium do I need during exercise,? “For the athlete sweating 1.5 liters per hour sodium loses may be about 750 milligrams. This means in one-hour, you lose 1125 milligrams of sodium. If you train for three-hours your total sodium sweat losses are 3,375 milligrams.”

Okay, how much do I need to replace? Perrier recommends, “Aim to consume 100-250 milligrams of sodium for every eight ounces of water ingested during endurance training and racing.”

For me, the information from Ms. Perrier is only a start. So I visited “Hot Topics” at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. There I found information from Dr. Larry Kenney, professor of physiology & kinesiology at the Null Laboratory at Penn State University. His current work focuses on the cardiovascular consequences of prolonged exposure to exercise and heat stress.

Okay, doc, talk to me! “The amount of sodium we lose in sweat has a strong genetic influence.” Outside of genetics, what can I do? “Of all the things we can control, heat acclimation may be the largest determinant of sweat sodium losses. The more heat acclimated we become, the better the body is at conserving sodium.”

One last question, Dr. Kenney, how reliable is thirst as a trigger for hydration? “By the time we feel thirsty during exercise, our bodies have typically lost 1-2% of our body weight in sweat, and that’s more than enough dehydration to potentially impact athletic performance.”

In next weeks update (Part Two) I am going to dig into how sodium loss affects performance.

Looking for sodium replacement? I have tried Endurolytes, Succeed and other brands. I found a new company right here in Dallas that makes what I feel is a wonderful sodium replacement! I have tried it and I now use it, Shark Salts. You can find out more about Shark Salts at www.enduroshark.com

In reviewing recent metabolic fitness reports of athletes from Darvin McBrayer, B.Sc, A.P.S, U.S.P.T.A, owner of fitlab.us, his reports states, “As temperature and humidity climb, allow 1 bpm (beat per minute) for every 2-3 degrees above 72 degrees. For example, say your BASE PACE top is 138. At 85 degrees, it’s okay to increase your BASE PACE heart-rate to 143.”

Daren goes on to write, “You will still be metabolically in tune.”

So as the heat climbs and our heart rate increases, we now know it’s okay to adjust our heart rate accordingly!

That is PRICELESS information!