Core Matters

Archive for the ‘Marathon’ Category

 
 
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Physical Equilibrium Training 2010 Gilda's Club Marathon Team

Physical Equilibrium Training 2010 Gilda's Club Marathon Team

Saturday July 17th was our first group run for the 2010 Gilda’s Club NYC marathon team.  This is the second year that Physical Equilibrium has partnered with this tremendous non–profit organization to help them raise money by competing in one of the world’s most challenging athletic competitions.

This year’s team is comprised of 30 dedicated runners, 8 of which were in town this weekend to join us for the run. Additionally, several of the team members are spending their summer months training at different locations across the U.S.

Just as we did with last year’s team, we split the runners into two groups before starting our first run along the reservoir.  We chose this path to stay in the shade and avoid overheating on our first day.  Whenever running in hot temperatures, it’s critical to stay hydrated.  Allison Lurey from Gilda’s Club met us at the Engineer’s Gate at 90th street with some COLD Gatorade and water – we were all very glad that she was there! Physical Equilibrium - hydration break

Our goal for the first run was for every runner to complete a 9 mile course.  Not only did everyone complete the course, but some runners went above and beyond and finished a few more. Over the next few weeks, the runners will be focusing on developing consistency and a slow build.

Our next run is scheduled for August 15th where we will tackle a 2 hour or 12 mile run! Great job runners.

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

mikaelhansonPhysical Equilibrium is pleased to announce that Mikael Hanson has been hired as our new marathon/triathlon coach.  Mikael brings tremendous experience, having previously coached athletes of all ages and abilities – from first timers and nationally ranked athletes to a couple of World Champions.  In 2007 and 2009, Mikael represented Team USA at the Duathlon World Championships.

Mikael is a certified Level 1 USA Triathlon coach, a Level 2 USA Cycling coach and a Schwinn indoor cycling instructor.  He is working towards completing his USA Track and Field certification.  n 2002 and 2004, he was the New York Flyers (NYC’s largest running club) multi-sport athlete of the year.Prior to Physical Equilibrium, Mikael worked as a banker in New York City.

Mike will initially help Sara  coach this year’s Gilda’s Club New York City Marathon team.  For more information about Mikael, or to schedule a session with him, please contact us at 917-744-6627.

Tuesday, July 13th, 2010

michelesfinishpic

Physical Equilibrium personal trainer and marathon/triathlon coach Michele Solomon recently completed two races in remarkable time.  Last month, she finished third place of the female division of the 2010 Jerseyman Sprint Triathlon.  The race took place at the Spruce Run Recreation Area in Clinton, NJ. It included a 6 mile swim, a 19.5 mile bike ride and a 5K run. 

As if that wasn’t good enough. last weekend Michele conquered the Rhode Island 70.3 Half Ironman competition.  Michele placed sixth in her age group, finishing with a time of 1 hour, 43 minutes and 5 seconds. This race consisted of a 1.2 mi. swim, a 56 mi. bike ride and a 13.1 mile run. 

Congratulations to Michele on all of her recent success!

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

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Physical Equilibrium registered dietitian Sarah Currie recently authored an article for the Web site Livestrong.com entitled A Meal Plan for Triathletes.  Livestrong.com is a blog dedicated to being “the  most valued online source of inspiring, relevant and useful health-related information.”

In the article, Sarah states that, “Whether you are preparing for a sprint, Olympic, half ironman (70.3 miles), or ironman distance triathlon, your nutrition plan should take as high a priority as your training plan.”  Additionally, Sarah provides readers with an easy way to calculate how many calories an athlete should consume daily while training.  For all of Sarah’s triathlon training nutritional tips, click here to read the full article.

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

The newest heart rate monitor from Garmin, the 310xt, is designed specifically for the multi-sport athlete. This models upgrades include a GPS-enabled trainer that is water-resistant to 50m, tracks bike and run data and sends it tirelessly to your computer.  To meet my distinct needs, I opted to purchase  the cadence and distance sensor for my triathlon bike in addition to the watch/ heart rate strap.

garmin

Now I have to say – this watch is basically a small computer so don’t expect to simply strap the heart rate monitor on and go out for a run.  It took me some time to read through the entire manual and to set up the accessories and my preferences online, which differ for each sport (run, bike etc.). As those of you that know me are aware, I’m not the most computer savvy, so others might have an easier time with the setup process than I did.  Nonetheless, I grade the product with an A-/B+ for its “user friendly” appearance.

Once setup, I quickly noticed how awesome this device is.  I initially used it in my apartment for a 90 min bike ride and it was great with measuring all my most important statistics (cadence, speed, heart rate, pace, total miles, even gave me updates of my mile splits!)

The first time I used the GPS was during a skiing day trip to the Pocono’s Camelback Resort. I had no worries that the 20 hour battery life would outlast my endurance on the slopes. When I returned home, I easily uploaded the data to the Garmin website and sent the results to my coach via the Training Peaks software I use for triathlon coaching and my training. In the end, I totaled 10.3 miles across varying terrain in just over 3 hours while burning almost 500 calories (I thought skiing burned more…). My boyfriend, who has never seen  data readouts before on a device like this, pointed out that my heart rate spiked towards the end of the day when a snowboarder almost took me out!

My initial conclusion is that the 310xt is a great training tool to help athletes understand and analyze workouts. It’s not cheap – but well worth the money if you are a serious athlete who wants to look at, log and analyze data from training and racing. In the end, I believe that this device will make me a better athlete.