Representation Matters                These are pictures from 2021 Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga. These pictures were taken on the same day, of the same body.  I share these pictures side by side as it's a reminder how the media and advertising has brainwashed athletes to believe that there is an ideal body type for sport. And without good self-esteem, body love and confidence, it becomes normal to be ashamed, embarrassed and disgusted by the body on the left. As a result, your body becomes something that you need to "fix" ofte ..read more

  Many diet plans follow a restrictive eating model with specific 'good' vs. 'bad' foods. This type of restrained eating demands rigid control. Food is an essential requirement for survival. When you diet and feel hunger, this isn't a lack of willpower, it's a biological drive to protect you. Interestingly, there is no drive for eating too much but rather, if the body senses extreme weight loss, it will kick in physiological mechanisms to slow down your metabolism (and energy) or the brain will send signals to get you to eat as soon as possible. Stomach growing, irritability, inability ..read more

  When Karel was selecting what type of  Cannondale bike he would be renting from the EF Coaching Team, he wanted his bike to be as close to the professional riders as possible. In other words, Karel wanted to experience the Roubaix cobble sectors with a true race bike to get a better appreciation of what the professional riders experience at Paris Roubaix.  Karel is riding:  Cannondale Super Six Evo Lab71 EF Pro team bike (it's Rigoberto Urán "spare" bike) Groupset Shimano Dura-Ace 12sp Cranks FSA SL-K Vision wheels and cokpit Gearing 54/50 front and 11-34 rea ..read more

Day 2 of the EF Coaching Paris-Roubaix camp started early, around 9am. Sadly, the weather was not ideal and the ride was cut short due to cold and rainy conditions. Karel said he was so cold from the wet conditions. The group rode ~27 miles to the Arenberg Forest and got shuttled back to the hotel in the team vans.  According to Cycling News, "The Trouée d'Arenberg is infamous for being the first five-star cobbled sector in Paris-Roubaix. The path is technically called the Drève des Boules d'Hérin, and the 2,300 metres (1.4 miles) of rough cobblestones are some of the worst in all o ..read more

  A year ago, our good friend Joe emailed us about the Paris Roubaix EF Pro Race Camp from April 4-7th, 2024. Immediately, as soon as I read the words Paris Roubaix, I knew this was something that Karel had to do.  Since a very young age, Karel has loved the sport of professional cycling. He got this love from his dad. Karel watches all the grand tours and classics and knows a lot about the sport and the riders. He also loves anything bike related so he regularly stays up on bike tech by reading various websites. Having grown up as a cyclist, he also knows a lot about the 'early da ..read more

  Every endurance (and ultra distance) athlete wants to show up to an event/race feeling physically prepared. But what about being nutritionally prepared?  A long distance event places a lot of stress on the human body. Extreme environmental conditions further exacerbate the physiological (and mental) demands during physical activity. While physical preparation can improve the chance of completing the event or setting a personal best time, gastrointestinal issues are likely to cause the body to underperform. Or even worse, you may not be able to complete the event due to a nutritio ..read more

I consider myself a happy and positive person. I can usually find the bright side in almost any situation. I love riding my bike outside.  However, during our bike ride two weekends ago, I was filled with negativity. It was windy. And I can't seem to quiet my mind when I bike in the wind.  While I could rationalize that the strong headwind was incredibly challenging to ride through, my mind found it incredibly easy to tell me how horrible of a cyclist I was, how slow I was riding, how much my legs were hurting and so on and so on. The negative thoughts wouldn't stop until we tu ..read more

  I recently heard/read some rumors that at the upcoming Ironman Texas event, Gatorade Endurance will be replaced with Mortal hydration at the bike and run aid stations. The Gatorade Endurance Formula has been on all Ironman and 70.3 U.S. race courses since 2015. The exclusive multi-year partnership took effect on January 1, 2015. I have never been a big fan of Gatorade Endurance as I feel there are better, well-formulated products on the market. I've only used Gatorade once on race day. It was 2017 Ironman Chattanooga and two of my three bottles bounced out of the cages as I rode of ..read more

The way you feel about your body can fluctuate over time. So can your body shape, weight and size. It's normal for your body to change throughout your lifespan. However, at any one time, more than 160 million Americans are on a diet. The human body is designed to protect you from extreme weight loss and starvation. Losing weight is not easy because it is a complex and multi-faceted journey.  I am a anti-diet, body positive sport dietitian. I accept all bodies and I never tell athletes that they need to lose weight in order to improve performance. Even if an athlete comes to me wanting ..read more

  As the weather gets warmer, I often get emails from athletes asking me about my recommendations for sweat testing or if I can review sweat test analysis. Interestingly, almost every time I speak with an athlete in regards to sweat rate and sodium loss, they give a lot of focus to sodium. While sodium is important and plays a role in sport drinks (and in your daily diet), you can't load your body with sodium and expect your body to perform well if you are exercising in a dehydrated state. The sweating response is a thermoregulatory mechanism designed to help cool down the body ..read more