We are very excited to be heading down to the Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville,TX as the nutrition sponsor of Austin Rattler, for our first big event of the 2014 season . What is even more exciting, is two of our team members (present company included), plan on pushing our limits with some enduro mountain bking!
By Bea Dormoy, Klean Team USA Ambassador – Sponsored Athlete
The Valley of the Sun 2014 Stage Race (Feb 21-23) was on my training plan since last Fall as my first A race of the season. It’s a 3 day race with a Time Trial in Buckeye, a Road Race in Mesa Grande and a Criterium in downtown Phoenix, AZ. It’s always a very exciting and challenging event because it attracts elite athletes from all over the country.
Participating a Team Captain and Mentor
This year, the event was especially meaningful to me. One of my goals, as a team captain and mentor of the San Diego Bicycle Club women’s team, was to use this race as a racing boot camp for my new development team. This is a great opportunity to learn a lot about racing for women who are new to the sport of cycling since this event offers a separate Category 4 race in addition to the Women Pro 1/2/3 race. Four of my new team mates decided take on the VOS stage race challenge. Including Debi Foli who introduced me to the Klean Athlete line of nutritional supplements and encouraged me to become a Klean Team Brand Ambassador.
Skeletal muscle holds nearly 60% of the total body protein in humans. Increased protein breakdown and decreased protein synthesis is commonly seen during strenuous activity and exercise, while protein building occurs during the recovery period. However, the rate of protein turnover is dependent upon the type of exercise performed. For example, endurance exercise, defined by training 10 hours or more per week, induces different levels of protein degradation as opposed to resistance/strength training exercise. Athletes want to be in positive protein (nitrogen) balance and this state has been reached at a protein intake of at least 1.2 g/kg per day bases on clinical experiments in various types of athletes. 1
Featuring Balazs Csoke, Klean Team USA Ambassador – Sponsored Athlete
Q: How early did you arrive to Kona to get adjusted? What are the weeks prior like? Does your training or nutrition change much?
A: I arrived in Kona two weeks before the race. This gave me enough time to get settled in, get my body adjusted to the time difference and a chance to familiarize myself with the course. I pretty much did the same training I’ve been doing the whole year and using the Klean Athlete products as a part of my daily routine worked so well for me there was no need to change anything for Kona. Using these products played a major role in toe to the line at the World Championship.
Featuring Balazs Csoke, Klean Team USA Ambassador – Sponsored Athlete
Coming back from the holiday weekend, we had the opportunity to catch up with one of our sponsored athletes, Balázs Csőke. Rested and relaxed, he shared some great insight on 2013 Ironman Texas, what’s ahead this season and how he ended up as professional multisport athlete!
Q: What are you beliefs regarding nutrition? Do you keep a low fat percentage-body weight ratio? How do you stay lean? There are a lot to talks about this lately: https://triathlon.competitor.com/2013/05/nutrition/how-the-pros-stay-lean_76179
A: I personally believe it is important to have a wide variety when it comes to nutrition. I try to avoid junk food and eat as organic as possible. Yes, I do keep a low fat percentage-body weight ratio. With my training, it is hard to keep weight on.
Featuring Balazs Csoke, Klean Team USA Ambassador – Sponsored Athlete
PART 2: Balazs Csoke, Klean Athlete Sponsored Athlete and friend, gives us a few pointers on how he’s preparing for the upcoming Ironman Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Leave your questions in the comments and Balazs will respond in another blog post soon!
Q: Looking ahead, what are you next steps to prepare for the championships?
A: I am going to try and focus on what is going to determine if I will have a good race or a bad race. Meaning, the first 15 min of the swim, the first hour on the bike and mile 15-23 on the run. The big part of my training sessions are going to focus on building up strength for these parts of the race. I believe I have a good general fitness and endurance but to be successful at Kona you need to be in outstanding shape and know how to handle critical race situations very well. And that’s not even mentioning being mentally tough and staying very focused every single second throughout the race.
Klean Athlete Sponsored Athlete, Balazs Csoke, took a few minutes out of his busy training schedule to reflect on his last Ironman in Lake Placid. His fourth and final race, which qualified him for the championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Q: With your last race being a few months ago, how were you feeling for IM Lake Placid?
A: I went into the race very confident about my general endurance. However, I wasn’t sure if I was fit enough to race well. I knew my main goal was to secure my spot for Hawaii, and to do this I had to race very smart. I needed to stay calm throughout the day and try not to leave too much on the course. Ironman is 50%, so self confidence and focusing on the race is critical.
I am a Klean Athlete.
I am not an elite athlete. I am not the fastest athlete. I am an Ironman.
I decided to become a runner over 15 years ago and it actually took me a year to purchase my first real pair or sneakers back then. I was signed up for the Quebec City 10k and it was going to be EPIC. Little did I know that years later I was going to compete in the ‘Super Bowl’ of endurance events by finally pressing the Register Now button. The Ironman race in Arizona was my “Turning 40-44” gift to myself. Funny how my age has become an age-group over the years now.
I embraced a challenging journey; the highs and lows of training mixed with life, moving and an injury in the Mid-Atlantic region where road/weather conditions are less than ideal, and a forever Winter. It was going to be tough. As the saying goes: If it were easy…
Electrolyte Balance: An Overlooked Key to Sustained Athletic Endurance and Performance
By Stephen Clouthier, DC
While there is ongoing debate about how much electrolyte support athletes need there is NO DEBATE that electrolyte balance is a key factor in sustaining athletic performance and maintaining proper fluid levels within the body. I find most athletes I work with don’t really want to worry about electrolytes. They (electrolytes) are like the pesky little details of training and exercise that most of us would like to ignore. The problem is that electrolytes are the cement that holds the bricks together in the training wall. If this electrolyte mortar is not present the wall quickly breaks down or becomes unstable.
By Lava Magazine Editor Susan Legacki
“The Klean Athlete line of nutritional supplements is geared toward athletes’ unique nutritional needs, as well as ensuring that nothing they put inside them contains a banned substance. There have been a few high-profile cases in the triathlon world of a pro athlete consuming a product and then testing positive because it had something in it not listed on the label that was in fact a WADA-banned substance. In order to meet the tough standards of the NSF Certified for Sport label, which is recognized by the NFL, MLB, NHL and PGA among other major sports organizations, Klean Athlete products undergo meticulous testing to ensure each ingredient is up to snuff.
