5 Awesome Tactics To Help You Win The 2010 B.O.T.B

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

photo by U.S. Army

If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.   –Sun Tzu, The Art Of War

The holidays are here in earnest, and it’s sure to be a smorgasbord of great food, drinks, and all kinds of treats.

It’s a war zone out there. The opening salvo was fired on Halloween. You may have survived that first strike of Hershey’s kisses and Snickers bars, but don’t let your guard down just yet.

The main attack force is nearly here. Those of you who choose

How To Have A Great Run In The Rain

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

photo by James Kirby

“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”
–Gilbert K. Chesterton

Most of the time when you hear about rain in your local forecast, your instinct tells you that it’s going to be an “indoor” week.  It means that you’ll be running fewer errands and reducing your trips out and about in order to avoid the inclement weather.  For exercise, it may mean that you’ll be doing a lot of gym workouts.  Treadmills and stationary cycles are great alternatives, but nothing beats being out on the open road.  Unless the forecast calls for some serious storming, you don’t have to let a little rain put a damper on your outdoor pursuits.

Running in the rain is just like running in the sun.  Actually, I’d venture to say it is better than running in the sun.  When you exercise, your core body temperature rises and this causes your heart rate to increase which in turn makes you tired faster.  The sun beating down on you only adds to this effect.  On the other hand, running in the rain serves as a natural radiator effect, as the water can help to dissipate heat via you skin.

Training in the rain can be a joy.  You just need the right attitude and follow a few key considerations:

Aid Stations And How Your Life Depends On Them

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

photo by RosaSay

“All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hours toil. The fight to the finish spirit is the one characteristic we must posses if we are to face the future as finishers.”

–Henry David Thoreau

Average Read Time:  4.5 minutes

The race is over. You’ve crossed the line. You’re happy, excited, relieved, exhausted, and after the particularly long races you might even be in pain. A long endurance race literally takes everything we’ve got and spits us out on the other end with nothing left to give.

Some athletes report a feeling of emptiness after the lengthy buildup of months and months of training comes to an abrupt end. It’s called the

A Few Key Ingredients For An Enjoyable Race

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

photo by prakhar

Earlier this year, Lance Armstrong was gunning for a possible 8th Tour De France title after his second year comeback from retirement.  Alas, he crashed twice during the early stages, which pretty much ended his chances of winning the Tour.  Forever a sportsman, Lance made it a point that he would still stay in the race and enjoy it.

“My Tour is over.  But I will stay in the race. I will enjoy it, I’ll try and take some pleasure out of it, to support the team. I’m not complaining.”

–Lance Armstrong

In these few words, Mr. Armstrong outlined

The 7 Deadly Sins Of Racing

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

photo by LZcreations

Race in enough events, and you gain experience  that pays off big when you apply it to your “A” race.  What is an “A” race?  It’s the one race in the year that really matters to you.  Sure, you might have a sprinkling of different events scheduled in your season…a sprint triathlon in June, a 5K in August, a relay in September.  But your “A” race is the big one that you’re gunning for.  It’s the race that you lose sleep over because it matters so much to you that you don’t want anything to go wrong.

Murphy’s Law tells us that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”  In racing, that adage is so true.  Any given day, a whole host of problems can pop up that can derail even the best laid plans. You’ve spent the last 4 months preparing for your big day.  You’ve made sure to do all your workouts, you’ve kept your nutrition solid, and you’ve pretty much made training a religious endeavor.  The body is a temple, as they say.

Well, if your “A” race is just around the corner, now is the time to focus and prepare so as not to commit any of the 7 deadly sins of racing:

On Learning To Fly Again

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

photo by Wolfpix

“Should my end come while I am in flight, Whether brightest day or darkest night; Spare me your pity and shrug off the pain, Secure in the knowledge that I’d do it again; For each of us is created to die, And within me I know, I was born to fly.”  –Gary Claud Stokor

In Welcome To Mile 9, team member Julianne inspired us all by highlighting one of our great success stories here at Team Abisia…Fred, aka bionic man.  While his story highlighted the incredible achievements he’s made to date since his knee injury, what most of us don’t realize is that the true obstacle that lay in his path came much earlier, even before he joined the team.

Our team is now past the

Renew Your Vows, And Cross The Finish Line!

Editor’s note:  This is a guest post written by Julianne Kanzaki of Fusion Nutrition.

“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” 
—Art Turock

photo by DrSam

Heidi Klum and Seal celebrate their anniversary every year by renewing their wedding vows.  Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott recently renewed their vows in May, at a private home in Beverly Hills.  And here I was, on a gorgeous Sunday morning, renewing mine.  Except, I wasn’t surrounded by film crews, dolled up in an expensive white gown and staring lovingly into the eyes of my husband.  Instead, I was wearing a pink dry-fit shirt, salt collecting on my cheeks, and staring at the seemingly endless trail paved in front of me.

I had already completed 12 miles.  My body did it’s best to remind me of that fact. 

Welcome To Mile 9

Editor’s note:  This is a guest post written by Julianne Kanzaki of Fusion Nutrition.

“Above all, challenge yourself. You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish.”  —Cecile M. Springer

It was our first run together and I remember Fred telling me, “I’ve never ran more than 8 miles without getting pain in my knee. My body starts to hurt once I go past 8 miles.”  The cool, crisp breeze cooled our faces and some silence passed as we both listened to the rhythmic patter of our feet hitting the pavement.

While beads of sweat were forming on our brows, most people were still warm and cozy in their beds on this Sunday morning. Even the birds were quiet, and the fog was still thick, groggy, and lingering. Today we had 12 miles planned,

How Our Lenses Are Liabilities…(and what we can do about it)

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

photo by kwerfeldein

“You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” –Mark Twain

This day was like any usual Sunday here at Team Abisia.  We had two groups of athletes, an early group for the half marathon and an earlier group for the full marathon.  They did their runs as prescribed, and everyone finished strong and successful.

On this particular Sunday, however, I witnessed some amazing miracles. 

Sleeping Your Way To A Top Performance

This post is an original article written by TeamAbisia.

 

photo by pea

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream.”

–Anatole France

Determined athletes like you and I follow our training plans diligently.   We run when it says to run.  We do our core-strengthening exercises on the days prescribed.  If we are triathletes, we swim and we bike as prescribed.  Our programs dictate the mileage, frequency, and duration we are to perform our workouts.  In theory, if we follow the plan as outlined, we should expect our top performance on race day.

Suppose I said to you that we are being sold