My week with RokitFuel

     Fuel for Humans is the claim made by RokitFuel. Humans is what we are; right? That is how we excel and how we have gracefully climbed to the top of the food-chain. A claim that I feel is made correctly.
As humans we have the ability to make choices. Choices that will show just who we are and what we are made of. What we are made of has been quoted time and time again as; "You are what you eat." Another claim that is more true then you may know. Our bodies will rebuild themselves by the nourishing and healthy foods that we put into them. I use nourishing and healthy very lightly. Since the FastFood craze these days is so HUGE that it is making those that partaketh' in the food that is fastly served out of a drive-through window 24 hours a day just as huge. Not just the cost of the food that is very expensive over time, but the toll that it plays on our body's over that time as well is even worse. We need to slow down for one second and take a look at what we are doing. The rise in Insurance premiums and Health Care are due to us as humans being unfit and very unhealthy. All I ask is that you think about it and let's get together and DO something.


 Ok, now that I am done lecturing everybody I want to share something with all of you. As stated above in the Title, I spent one week eating RokitFuel for breakfast and a mid-snack.
I was given the opportunity to try this amazing product and I just have to write about it. Between 9 and an amazing 19! total whole foods are used in the RokitFuel cereals and energy mix pouches. 19! That is correct. Wussies need not apply, unless you are ready to handle it. A fun little fact stated on the front of all packages. "NOT FOR WUSSIES" *Wussie (noun) A person whose pursuit of excellence is eclipsed by a total lack of discipline and drive. - A bold statement but true none the less. Now not to throw in some TMI about myself, but I have been stricken with a very sensitive stomach. Things I eat can make for good days and some very uncomfortable afternoons. With this issue I have no choice but to keep track of everything I eat and what is in the food that I eat. The fine folks at RokitFuel have all that separated out in plane English for humans like us to understand. No ingredients that are used in RokitFuel have had any negative impact on my digestive system. That in itself has sold me on this product. I can eat something good, that is also good for me; very important, and it also has NO upsetting affects on the belly. All top notch in my book. One of my training days involved a lengthy ride on a spinning cycle. Half way through this set I started to get burned out and it just so happened I had a Energy Mix of Stud Muffin RokitFuel. So far this was my favorite. During the ride I ripped the top off, added a bit of fluid, and ate it right down. Back to training with only a 5 minute slower break for refueling, and, no upset stomach. The issue, if it is going to flare up does when my intensity goes up as well. That is not the case with RokitFuel.
     I have every intent to keep eating RokitFuel during my training days. Heck! I will keep it on my bike during a 112 mile IronMan bike ride if I can. With just the right amount of calories, plus the ample amount of Butt-Kickin' carbohydrates that I need to keep my racing performance "Top Notch." RokitFuel most definitely has produced a product that will always have a place on my shelf as well as a spot in my IronMan fueling regiment.
     Thank you to all the great people at RokitFuel for giving me the chance to try out your SuperFood!! It was amazing. Not knowing the fact when I was going into this trial, but finding shortly after; RokitFuel is made right here in the great state of Utah was only slightly reassuring. When I was looking over the directions on how to properly eat the energy mix, (silly I know) there are a few images of this guy showing you how to "Open", "Hydrate" and "Refuel", I couldn't help to say to myself; "Self, that guy in those images has a striking resemblance to Heath Thurston." Crazy huh? I soon realized that since RokitFuel is made here in Utah, it would only make sense that they use amazing (I use the term amazing very lightly) athletes such as Heath Thurston and World Record holder James Lawrence, as their sponsored athletes to promote such an amazing (I use the term amazing very lightly) product. Heath would be the Cherry Almond Cereal guy and James is the Stud Muffin Mix guy, where I am sure he thought that name up himself since James is a "Stud Muffin". The fact that these guys eat it, as well as how good it made me feel when I ate it, should be enough to convince anybody else still reading this blog to eat it as well. So if nothing else, you will get some whole food nourishment from giving RokitFuel a try. I tried it, and I love it.
I think that about sums it up!
Thank you all for reading.

ROKITFUEL For Humans 

Happy Holidays from Now I Can Foundation

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	Friends of Now I Can Foundation, We appreciate all the support you give to Now I Can. We have partnered with a service that is going to help out Now I Can, and save everyone a ton of money!!! It's called "DealsThatMatter." Everyday a they deliver a really remarkable offer for a group discount from a great locally-owned business. It could be anything and everything, from 50% off fresh yogurt to 90% off spa retreats. For a limited time, 100% of DealsThatMatter's proceeds are being be donated to Now I Can Foundation! As one of our supporters, you already have a $5 credit with DealsThatMatter waiting on you! (so one of the upcoming $5 deals will cost you nothing!) Click the link below to see today's great deal! This is a great opportunity for Now I Can Foundation, and a fun way to give you something back for your support in the past Please take a look: http://www.dealsthatmatter.com/causes/152 Merry Christmas! - Now I Can Foundation

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Improve VO2 Max

The Fitness Motivator. 

Motivated to run faster, many athletes focus on ways to improve VO2 Max levels. VO2 Max is the maximum amount of oxygen that our bodies can uptake and is measured as the quantity of oxygen per body weight over a set period of time. VO2 Max is affected by our heart’s volume per stroke, the total volume of blood in our system, and the hemoglobin’s ability to carry the oxygen.
So why would we care about improving what seems to be an arbitrary number? Our VO2 Max is a tell-tale sign of our level of conditioning. And while there are genetic factors that are not in our control, there are plenty of things we can do to improve VO2 Max and our level of performance along with it. By increasing the duration and intensity of our training, we will strengthen our heart, promote the growth of more capillaries in our muscles, reduce body fat levels, and increase our ability to perform better.

Levels of VO2 Max in a sedentary person can range from 20 ml/kg/min. to 50 ml/kg/min. Many elite endurance athletes have VO2 Max levels between 70 ml/kg/min and 90 ml/kg/min. Studies have shown that someone who is just starting to run can improve VO2 Max levels from 20-25% by building up their running routine to 25 miles per week. Runners that increase their weekly mileage from 25 miles per week to 50 miles per week can see an increase in VO2 Max of up to 10%...and the increase percentages get stingier from there for the advanced runners that increase their mileage above 50 miles per week. And while increases in mileage will continue to enhance our performance, it’s the speed workouts that will have the most lasting impact on VO2 Max levels.
Testing actual VO2 Max levels is done by taking blood and air volume samples at various points of exertion and exhaustion from an athlete during exercise. This can be expensive, tedious and unnecessary unless you’re a scientist or student with inexpensive access to a lab. It’s not critical that we know our actual VO2 Max “Number”, but figuring out our interval pace that will improve VO2 Max and performance level can be a definite benefit. So for the rest of us, here are some ways to determine our VO2 Max level & pace:

• VO2 Max Self Assessment – Balke Test
  Many approximation tests like the Balke test involve a 15-minute time trial to determine our maximum oxygen uptake. On a calm and cool day, go to the nearest 400-meter track and run as many laps as you can in 15 minutes. Your estimated VO2 Max will equal 6.5 ml/kg/min + 5.0 ml/kg/min for every 400m lap that you can run in 15 minutes. So, for example, if you’re able to run 10 laps (2.5 miles or 4000 meters) in 15 minutes, your VO2 Max would be 56.5 ml/kg/min. You can use fractions (i.e “8.75 laps”) if interested in getting a more accurate approximation. This test and formula are deemed fairly accurate for those of us that run over 16:00 in the 5k…but please keep in mind that this is an approximation of your VO2 Max level only.
• Pace Estimation from 5k Race
  Many workout and training guides will recommend that to improve VO2 Max levels, you should run intervals at a pace that’s 15-30 seconds faster than your 5k race pace. This can be a good indicator of your 100% VO2 Max pace if you have some recent race data to work with. Let’s say, for example, that your best 5K time is 21:42…that’s exactly a 7:00 per mile pace. If you want to run a VO2 Max interval workout, you’ll want to run at a pace of approximately 6:30 – 6:45, which for an 800-meter interval would be a goal time of 3:15 – 3:22 per interval (for this example).
• Correlation of Heart Rate & VO2 Max
  If you regularly run with a heart rate monitor, this too can be an effective tool to find the right level of exertion to improve VO2 Max. It’s estimated that we reach 100% VO2 Max when our heart rate is in the 90-100% range of our Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). MHR can be estimated by subtracting our age from 220. Keep in mind that MHR is influenced by gender, conditioning, and other factors so it may vary. For example, I have never recorded a HR in any of my workouts over 95% of my MHR…so please don’t try to sustain an arbitrary heart rate for your workouts. Use good judgment. Compare your heart rate to that of some previous workouts at known paces, and hopefully you can decipher that heart rate that puts you in the 100% VO2 Max range. Personally, I’ve found my long easy distance runs are in the 70-80% MHR range, my lactate threshold runs are usually in the 80-88%MHR range, and my VO2 Max workouts are in the 88-95%MHR range. If your results differ, don’t worry. Everyone is different…don’t try too hard to fit the “text book” mold….it’s just a number ;-).
• Perceived Effort Scale
  Many people use their relative perceived effort to gauge whether or not they’re running at the right pace. I find this to be a tad too subjective for my analytical liking, but it’s another means to help you refine your VO2 Max pace. The pace that will improve VO2 Max should feel like an 85-90% effort…not an all-out sprint, but a strenuous enough pace where conversation is near impossible. If your fastest interval time is the first one and your times get steadily slower as you run more repetitions…than you’re probably going too fast. If your times are consistent and you don’t need much of a recovery…you may be going to slow. Again, this is a difficult way to determine your VO2 Max pace, but when used with the other tools above it can serve as a good validation method.

When trying to conduct workouts that improve VO2 Max, try to sustain that pace for approximately 3-4 minutes, which can equate to intervals of 800-1000 meters. Using the example above (if your 5k PR = 21:42), you’ll want to plan your VO2 Max workout to run 800-meter intervals at a 3:15-3:20 pace. Initially try running 3-4 intervals that are 800-1000 meters long at your VO2 Max pace to start out with. As you progress, work up to 5-8 intervals. Take a 3-4 minute recovery walk/jog between intervals and make sure that the intervals, themselves, are run with some intensity…but not all out (use above rules-of-thumb for pace guidance). Because of the intensity and your body’s recovery & rebuild time needed, be sure that you limit VO2 Max workouts to once per week
If you are new to speed work or are just starting out in a running program, improving VO2 Max should take a back-seat to just building up of weekly mileage. In other words, focus your efforts on running comfortably for 30-45 minutes 4-5 times per week for several weeks before you start any serious speed work.
Because VO2 Max is measured as the actual maximum oxygen uptake per unit of body weight, we could also significantly improve VO2 Max by decreasing our body fat percentage. Notice that I didn’t say “decrease our weight”, because the loss of water and muscle weight will not benefit our performance…it will hurt it. So the silver lining of slimming down, could be some faster times! Keep that in mind when you reach for the cookie jar ;-).
Add mileage and intensity into your workouts once a week to improve VO2 Max. By increasing your aerobic capacity, you’ll see an improvement in your conditioning and your race times. See you at the track!

Happy Thanksgiving From Now I Can Foundation

Now I Can Superstar Spotlight Tessa recently finished her first session at Now I Can.  While she was here, Tessa made some great progress.  She is starting to have a much more relaxed body and is able to place her hand on the floor demonstrating emerging protective reactions.   She now responds easily to cues to correct her posture.   She is no longer pulling her hands tightly to her chest and she opens her hands on command as well as voluntarily.  Tessa is also reaching with both hands at the same time and her Mom says, "She is already holding her head up and keeping her back straight when she is riding in her wheelchair."  Here Mom also says, "I like that when she is finished with therapy she is so relaxed with her arms down and her head up."  Tessa likes Barbie Dolls and My Little Ponies.  Her eyes light up when she sees any member of her family. Tessa is a wonderful girl! www.nowican.org Thank you to Now I Can's 2010 Sponsors Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors We know there are many worthy causes and Now I Can is grateful that many local companies have been generous donors during 2010.  We want to recognize them here, and hope you will show your support to them: Zions Bank O.C. Tanner Axiom Home Loans Xlear (makers of Spry products) Check City APX Alarm Key Bank Sealsource and KD3 How you can support Now I Can At this “most wonderful time of the year”, many look to share their blessings with others.  And many times, we just can’t  give as much as we’d like to.  At Now I Can, we appreciate the generosity of our supporters and your choice to give to children with special needs.  We want to share a few ways you can give that won’t stretch your budget too much--and will still make a tremendous difference to the children at Now I Can. Make a $10 donation.  (donate online safely at www.nowican.org or send a check. Sign up on GoodSearch to use their search engine during your usual internet use to benefit Now I Can. http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/now-i-can-foundation  For every search, Now I Can will get a penny! Sell some items on ebay and donate some or all of the proceeds to Now I Can! (find us on the preferred charity list) Charity 5K for Now I Can set for May 14, 2011 Start burning off that stuffing and pie now by training for Now I Can's 5K and fun run on May 14, 2011!  Register at www.runtowalk.com  We hope to see you there! If you know of a company who would like to be involved as a sponsor of this event, please visit the above site for sponsor information. Sponsors receive great branding opportunities, as well as wonderful exposure at a great price! A few of our favorite things... Hey, we're not Oprah, but here are a few of our “favorite things” for children--especially those with special needs.  Maybe these sites can be a resource to you all year through. --Memo Orthotic Shoes.  They are spendy, but high quality orthotic shoes made to provide excellent support without a brace.  They come in sandals and boot styles, too! www.ablegaitor.com --Myself Belts!  Fabric belts that Velcro for easy on and off.  These belts come in children and adult sizes and are perfect for those who struggle with fine motor tasks for any reason. www.myselfbelts.com --Dr. Christopher’s Herbal Drops—tasty and formulated just for children.  Kid-e-Reg (helps avoid constipation) and Kid-e-Mune and Kid-e-Well (help to keep kids healthy!).  Get them on the www.nowican.org website at a discount!

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Cobb Saddle Review

When I was handed a simple black box with the words; "SPEED + COMFORT" I could feel my heart beat increase. I took another look and the simple black box also had the words; "COBB CYCLING". For those of you not familiar with the cycling world, COBB is a leader in innovation and world class products. I was one of only three athletes chosen by The Triathletes Edge to be a tester on the new COBB racing V Flow Plus  saddle. It was a very exciting thing for me since this being my first year as an athlete and already chosen as a tester, well it is hard to beat that.
So on to the review.

My bike is a CycleCross race bike I had worked into a road race bike by replacing it with new S-Work slicks and Profile Design Aero Bars, both purchased form the awesome guys at Bingham Cycle shop in Sandy Utah. All I was missing besides a full carbon fiber frame was a new seat. A new seat I now have in my hands!!!

I met up with one of the other testers and took it off his hands and brought it home to be installed onto my sweet baby. She was in need of something new and I think this was it. I had to take my bike and my new seat to Boise with me since that was where I was heading. In my moms living room I strategically placed this marvel of engineering design onto my bike. Going over and over the instructions as to make very sure I had installed it correctly was key to a most accurate review.

It's on and we are ready to ride!!! The first time out I had the saddle mounted at a 0' degree tilt. Since the directions call for an average tilt of 1.2' degrees I took my tools with me and set out on the open road all along thinking to myself; "what is up with the two raise pads in the front?"  It didn't take me very long to pull over and readjust the seat. Since I ride mostly in the Aero position I figured I needed the saddle to be tilted down a bit more. 2' degrees down is where I set it. This time it was much better and I made it 20 miles with no problems. Still, this amazing saddle could use just a bit more adjusting to make the ride that much more enjoyable.
Day two came about and another 20 mile ride was ahead of me. This time I readjusted the COBB saddle down to 5' degrees and brought it forward just a millimeter or two. Making sure my knee-to-toe alignment was perfect. In the sitting up position the saddle was fantastic and as comfortable as anything I have ever sat on but it still was not completely to my liking in the Aero. I figured I would need to make a trip to Bingham to get it perfect, but all and all I think the COBB racing saddle is just an amazing work of art.

Since us cycle junkies will spend countless hours atop a saddle, I think the proper set up is the most important thing to a rider. I must be honest when I say as much as I loved the saddle, I do not think I had it to its most perfect position which led to some hours of riding that could of been a little more enjoyable. I had to ride in a more up right position to make everything feel better. Let me tell you all from experience to make absolutely sure that everything with your new saddle is properly set up by a professional cycle setter-upper and you will be thankful for that. Since I was in Boise I was not able to have this done and is where I believe my fault came in to play.

If, and only if there is any possibility I am the lucky one who ends up with the COBB saddle, the first thing I am doing is making a trip to Bingham and seeing my good buddy J'. He will hook me up and get everything fit correctly so when Te Koi says; "Hey!! Lets go for a little 100 mile jont around the lake", I will be there ready to roll. 

A time for a change. Soy is linked to infertility, breast cancer, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and many other disorders.

Check out the website folks. This is not a good thing. http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/

Team TELOS Timp T3 Triathlon was my first of many.

My first encounter with the Triathlon bug was an eye opening experience way back in the beginning of just this year. Yes I know it is hard to believe I have only been racing for one season. (insert funny face here. ;P )
When I finally decided to muster up the guts to actually register for my first Tri I made the choice to do it in my home town of good ole' Boise Idaho. This race was the first in a series of 4 I believe. The Tri was supposed to take place in the pond behind the Clocktower apartments just west of down town Boise. This apartment complex pond was a duck pond. Question: What do ducks do all day? That's right sports fans, they poop. So we were to be swimming in an open water duck toilet. I tell you, that is really exciting.
To make a long story short, they had to move the race to another time and location due to an early construction of a water park going to be built there. Needless to say, the thought of NOT having to swim in a duck pond made me feel a little better, but the fact that my FIRST Tri I registered for was moved and I would not be able to race there, was a little upsetting to say the least.


Now I told you that story so I could tell you this story:

I received word from a fellow coworker that there was a group of individuals in Orem Utah that put on a few races each year and the first race was coming up quick. I got online and registered for it right then!! Boyd, (the fellow I work with) and I were going to do our first Triathlon together. Boyd is an older gentlemen that was looking for ways to stay in shape and have some fun, and one really good way to do that is to train for a Triathlon. I will have to give Boyd kudos on this race since he trained much harder then I did.
I think I was too much into weight training and let me tell you I was served a real big slice of humble pie by the end of the race. This first Tri opened my eyes to a much different style of race training. I guess I needed to learn how to swim, go figure.
Being that this was my first race, Tri or not, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into besides a very expensive hobby. This is where I learned the importance of trial by experience, and what I am talking about is the dinner the night before as well as the pre-race food. I am one of the lucky members of society with a very sensitive stomach and I need to watch what I eat. I learned very quickly into the first leg of this race which happened to be the run portion, that two large servings of oatmeal along with toast and peanut-butter and protein mix and some more stuff I don't really remember all, but that was not the best idea for breakfast.
The stomach pains and gas came on quickly in the beginning and never went away throughout the entire race time. Luckily enough it was a mini sprint race and was not supposed to take very long to complete; bring on problem number two.
As many of you know during a Triathlon that the volunteers work very hard to keep everybody safe and on course. I have seen this time and time again. This particular location of the bike leg where the racers were supposed to finish the two laps and then turn down the side street and head back to the transition area to prepare for the "IN POOL" swim leg, well, somebody was not paying attention at the time of my second lap and since I was a Tri-rookie I really had no idea what was going on. Needless to say, I kept on riding right past the turn off area and right back around the 5 mile block as well as back up the wicked hill. The 3rd lap counts for 15 miles instead of the previously imagined 10. The 3rd track up that hill was a little harder then the first 2, but I made it just the same. Coming back to the course worker for the 3rd time I slowed and asked her; "Is this where we turn?" "Have you finished your second lap?" She says. "No, I have finished 3, so can I turn now?" She said yes. As I slowly headed toward the transition area to ditch my bike and jump in the water, I felt like I was going to burst from the insides out. The pain you get when you kick up endurance really sets my stomach in knots. "I will just hit this pool fast and get this done so I can spend the rest of the day in the can." That is what I was saying which would have been fine, IF I only could swim fast enough to get out of my own way; which I could not. So a very poor quality of dog-paddling followed by walking from one end of the pool to the other is the only thing that my poor beat down body could provide to me at this point.
I had caught up to Boyd by the bike transition and we hit the pool at he same time. He beat me to the finish line by one minute. I think I finished in 1:27:00 and Boyd finished in 1:26:00. Good job Boyd!!
So if you were wondering, I made it out of the pool without any, well, lets just say they didn't have to evacuate the pool due to my poor choices for breakfast. :)
After this most upsetting hour and a half of my life I made the decision to most drastically redesign my training regimen. It now consisted of swimming, biking, and a lot of running. Who would of thought that would of done better then spending most of my time in the gym throwing around weights all day.

So in closing, that first race was just the beginning in a long line of racing. The cool thing is that the sweet folks at TELOS TIMP T3 are re-running this Triathlon in November and I will be there to demolish my previous finishing time by at least 27 minutes. Come on out and see what you are missing.

                                                                        Boyd and I.

Felt like I was going to die.