Training Peaks, defined as “the ultimate training and nutrition software,” is said to help motivated individuals and professionals achieve health, fitness and peak athletic performance.

The software makes it seamless for individuals and training groups to plan & log workouts, track results and monitor data such as heart rate zones, mileage, pace, elevation. It has downloadable GPS and power meter compatibility with most popular brands and devices. It also allows athletes to more easily communicate with their trainers and teammates.

While the software is available to anyone, Sara believes that it is of the most benefit to triathletes, cyclists and long-distance runners. For more information or to sign up for the program, visit the company’s website at http://home.trainingpeaks.com.

Sunday (11/6) was a beautiful day in New York City with great weather and an even better atmosphere of people showing support and cheering on the runners. I know that all of team enjoyed themselves as much as I and the rest of the Physical Equilibrium staff enjoyed watching them compete. Please visit our Facebook page to view pictures by clicking here.

Looking forward to training the team again next race season!

Physical Equilibrium charity partner Gilda’s Club NYC has a few spots remaining for its 2011 NYC Marathon Team. Those who sign up to participate will receive guaranteed entry into this year’s sold out race!

The mission of Gilda’s Club NYC is to create welcoming communities of free support for everyone living with cancer – men, women, teens and children – along with their families and friends.  The organization maintains over 5,000 members within the New York metropolitan area.

Those interested in joining the team will be required to raise money to benefit the organization. Last year the team raised over $100,o00 and it has set a goal to surpass that number this year. All Gilda’s Club Marathon Team members received personalized training from Physical Equilibrium coaches, fundraising assistance and pre and post race day preparation and guidance.

Only a limited number of spots are available and the marathon date is quickly approaching. If you are interested in joining, please click here to download the application.

What are you waiting for – sign up and run for a great cause!

To ensure that I could run on race day, I had to taper down to no running, get two massages, tape my calf, and resort to pool only workouts. I rested and took care of my body as much as possible to heal the injuries. This proved to be the right course of action as on race morning, I felt as good as I had felt in a while, which added to my confidence that I would compete the race.

I was positioned in the last wave that started at 10:40am. Waiting on Staten Island to begin the race, I congregated with other Gilda’s Club Charity runners and we took in the chilly, sunny morning and race atmosphere. At 10:15am, we ate our last snacks and took one last bathroom break before going to our corral.

I got off to a great start over the Verrazano Bridge. I was positioned in the first corral of the last group and with the new three-wave race start, I didn’t feel that crowded as I began my run across the bridge. However, as I headed into the bridge’s decline, I felt a few disconcerting knee tweaks that freaked me out! It was only in mile 2 and I had knee problems!

I quickly did an assessment and figured I could be over striding and causing extra knee strain on the downhill.  When I started taking smaller steps the pain went away so I was happy I figured that problem out because I had a long way to go!

After crossing the bridge we arrived in Brooklyn, which was my favorite borough of the marathon.  Each neighborhood was so different from the people in the crowd, to the architecture and buildings to the bands that lined the streets. At this point, I was striding at 15 seconds faster each mile than my goal pace. This, along with seeing my friends along 4th Ave., gave me a tremendous boost; although I think they were more excited to see me then I was them being how focused I was.

As I made it into Queens, I started to slow down a bit but still held a good pace while enjoying the crowd.  I stopped for an extremely fast (90 seconds!) emergency bathroom break at the half marathon mark.

Next up was the 59th St Bridge, which proved to be my slowest mile of the morning, although it did not affect my overall pace or goal time. When I crossed into Manhattan on to 1st Avenue, I was a bit disappointed.  I did not think that the crowds were as large as people had told me – or were as loud as everyone talks about.  Maybe because I was in the last wave and most spectators had already seen their friends?  Was everyone heading to the bars already?  There were people out, but not as many as when I had gone to 1st Avenue to watch the race in the past.

But I did not let that phase me. I approached mile 19 where I had stationed my group of 5 friends – for what we renamed “Kit Kat Mile.” When I was passing – my friends were going to hand me a Kit Kat!  By that point I had eaten enough gels, Gatorade, and Coconut Water so I wanted a different taste.  That Kit Kat was on my mind!!  I was so happy to see them, their crazy signs, and eat a bite of that Kit Kat.

Feeling a boost from my friends (and the chocolate), I continued in to the Bronx via the Willis Avenue Bridge.  I personally was still feeling pretty good (although a bit slower) but lots of runners were dropping off to stretch and take a walking break.

Then I saw the Rhino.

That’s right – a guy in a Rhino suit.  He had run just as far as me in this crazy costume.  He actually looked pretty good too, having maintained a good and consistent pace.  I thought to myself “I cannot let the Rhino beat me!!”   But just around that time, as I approached mile 21, my knees began to send shooting pains throughout my joint during every step that I took.  I had to slow down a bit and walk/shuffle to avoid the pain.  “Damn”, I thought, “the Rhino is inching ahead!!”

So for the next two miles, I played cat and mouse with the Rhino guy. I was supposed to see people at mile 23 and then at 24.  But I couldn’t find any of my friends!  Where were they??  At this point all I wanted was to finish and stop the pain so I kept shuffling and going as fast as I could.  I don’t really remember the last 5 miles so much. I do remember kind of getting annoyed with people shouting my name (because it was on my shirt) when I would stop to rub my knees and stretch or walk.

But somehow, while running the last miles across Central Park South, I was able to jog a bit faster than I had the last few miles so I knew that my adrenaline was kicking in and the end of the race was close.

Crossing the finish line, I took the Kit Kat out of my pocket and held it up! Fun photo finish!  I had to do something fun! Post race, my knee was in really bad shape and I was freezing even with the foil blanket.  I could barely walk up my stairs to my 3rd floor apartment.  But once back inside I was greeted by my friends who had been cheering me all day!  I took a hot shower (there was no way I was getting into an ice bath at that time!) and then plopped myself on my couch with ice packs on my knees and a glass of champagne!

My first marathon was a good one.  It was a great learning experience for my body, my training, and for when I coach other athletes for endurance races.  I can’t say if I’ll do another marathon at this time.  I need to heal my knee and get my body recovered first.  I think I prefer triathlons and the cross training aspect.  It certainly is a bit more forgiving on the body.  But if anyone wants to run a marathon, I do suggest the NYC Marathon.  It is a great experience, with the crowd being so supportive and the course it offers an amazing trip through all the 5 boroughs.

An unforgettable experience! I have the photos and medal to prove it!

Kim Wittig and her friend David are about to complete their first marathons and have spent the past four months training diligently.

Kim and David are both members of the 2010 Gilda’s Club Marathon Team. We recently had the opportunity to ask Kim a few questions about her experiences training and her expectations for this Sunday’s race.

1. Is this the first marathon you have trained for?
Yes, this is my first marathon

2. How long have you been training?  What has been the most difficult part of training for you?
I started training in July. The most difficult part were the summer long runs in the heat.

3. Were you able to reach your fundraising goal? How long have you been a member of Gilda’s Club?
Yes, I met my fundraising goal.  I have been involved in the Gilda’s Club for about 2 years.  I am on the Associate Board and do  volunteer work for them.

4. What are your expectations for this race?
To have fun and finish within my personal time goal.

5. Do you enjoy running or are you competing specifically for the cause?
I enjoy running but am also happy to be running for a great cause.  When I signed up for the marathon, I had recently met Dave and did not know that his mom is an ovarian cancer survivor.  Over the past couple of months I’ve gotten to know his mom, whose strength and positive attitude are a true inspiration.  So running the marathon with the Gilda’s Club team is much more meaningful to me now than I knew when I signed up.

We wish Kim and David the best of luck this Sunday!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.