full circle coaching

  • Blogs, Mindset, Race Specific

    Post Race; What Should I Do the Day After a Race?

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    Post Race; What Should I do the Day After a Race?

    What’s up Triathletes?
    What you do the day after a race can be a little confusing. It depends if the race you just completed was a long, hard effort, an “A” race or just a training race – meaning you are still training for a faster or longer race in a few weeks or months. Most races will take more out of you than a normal training day due to getting up early and all the mental and physical fatigue regardless of how hard you raced. It’s a call you must make based on how you’re feeling when you wake up, how long your race was, and what you’re training for.

    Sleep – Please take the day after the race to sleep in or at least take a nap the same day of the race. There is no better recovery tool than sleep.

    Complete DAY OFF – If this race was your “A” race and you’re ready to take a break, take a complete day off. Take the time to analyze the race results while they are fresh in your mind by writing a post- race report. Go through all the details of the race exactly how you remember them and write down what you struggled with and what worked well, along with all the race data. You can use the information for strategy and planning for future training and your next race. If you have a coach you would want to review the notes with your coach sometime during that week again while it’s fresh in your memory if you wait too long you won’t remember these things.

    Active Recovery – Another option is to do a little active recovery. That means training for 1 hour or less at a very aerobic pace, with low heart rate. Some examples:

    – a 45- minute easy spin at 90 rpms with HR under 120.

    – A yoga class or some mediation and breath work

    – 45- minute swim with fins

    – 30-45 min low heart rate run and 15 min stretch and foam roll session

    Massage – Heat and Ice bath- getting a post- race massage can really help speed the time of recovery along with sauna/ hot plunge and cold plunges. All this just helps to improve circulation and move the lactic acid out of the muscles so you can get back to regular training without feeling the fatigue in your body from the race.

    The mistake I see a lot of athletes make is going right into a hard training session the day after a race and by the end of that same week they are exhausted or sick because race day can be very taxing on the body if you don’t allow one or two days of easy training to ease back into your routine you can end up getting sick or really tired by the end of the week. So even though you may have tapered or gone easy the entire week before the race I still recommend taking one or two days very easy after the race and by the end of the week get back into your training program.

    Nutrition – The last thing to consider post race is a good nutrition plan. Hopefully, you rewarded yourself somewhat after the race with a treat that you would not normally eat – like ice cream or pizza. If you are working on your power to weight ratio sticking to your nutrition plan post race can really help you get a big jump on your calorie deficit because you burn so many calories on race day. If you continue to eat healthy that day you will feel so much better the next day. I also really believe in a special reward for race performance, so if you’re craving that pizza or beer or some kind of celebratory food, that’s the day to do it. It’s always your choice.

    Then, the next day after the race get back on your nutrition plan of clean eating and drinking tons of water to recover and it will help make you feel so much better going back into your training program.

    I hope this article helps you in some way!

    Feel free to ask me any questions or leave a comment.

    Wishing you well,
    Coach Erinne
    Full Circle Coaching
    Where Performance Meets Balance

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  • Blogs, Mindset

    Life Savers- 6 Steps to Total Transformation

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    bookHow do we stay on course with training, family and work when so much of life gets in the way. If you really want to make triathlon training a part of your daily routine I have found an awesome resource from the book, The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. It was a total game changer for me especially when I started getting busier and busier with my daughter, work and a few health setbacks. It’s an incredibly easy read and I listened to it in the car in a week on Audible.com  I immediately started implementing the 6 Life S.A.V.E.R.S. Hal describes in the book. I have never accomplished so much in such a short time. Below is a recap of the book, but reading it will clarify a lot of details.  Hal also has a ton of resources on his website for free that you can download.

    #1 Silence – Practice Silence Daily. The benefits of meditation are undeniable and scientifically proven. It really is simple and the benefits are tremendous. Improve concentration, immune function, reduce and manage stress. In as little as 2 min/ day but ideally 10-20 minutes you can have all of these benefits. I wake up and include it every morning and it completely sets up my day in the best way. Some Apps to try are Address Stress; Deepak Chopra 21 day meditation (Perfect Health is a favorite); Insight Timer, are just a few.  The Release Technique by Brendon Burchard is a very simple way to start. I also incorporate my breathing exercises while meditating, so I am actually improving lung capacity and CO2 tolerance at the same time. Try Box Breathing – inhale for 4-6 seconds, hold your breath 4-6 seconds, exhale 4-6 seconds and hold your breath out 4-6 seconds- keep repeating for as long as you have time.

    #2 Affirmations – Say them OUT LOUD! When you say affirmations out loud you are literally reprogramming your brain’s subconscious or operating system. Use them for every area of your life. And say them every morning out load after your Silence.

    Use this template: I am committed to (insert behavior or activity) so that I can (goal you wish to achieve) by (deadline you wish to achieve by). So, for example- I am committed to running 4 days/week, every week by the 30th of November using a speed work training program so that I can run a 23 minute 5k by August 1st, 2017. Or, I am committed to doing 5 minutes of yoga and box breathing every morning for 5 minutes by the end of the week. You get the idea. I include an affirmation for every aspect of my life: Spiritual, Relationships, Family, Business, Fitness, etc.

    #3 Visualization – See your end result exactly how you want it to be. Tap into emotions, smells, physical feelings and visual displays of your exact outcome- this works for everything, not just sports! Make a vision board.

    #4 Exercise – I would bet almost everyone reading this already exercises and knows the benefits. Something to consider is if you have a balance between working out and working in. Or applying an intention and or purpose for every training session. I find the more intentional I am in my training and recovery the better my results.

    #5 Read – There are definitely times when I find it harder to read since I became a mom and entrepreneur, but with Audible.com this becomes SO much easier. Every car drive I am listening to a book. I also listen to podcasts and videos as well. All count towards reading and learning and bettering yourself. If you commit to 5 pages every day, that adds up to 1,825 pages or over 9 books a year!

    #6 Scribing or Journaling but the S is better on the end of the acronym SAVERS. It’s great to just record your thoughts every day. Some days I write longer than others. I can self -reflect and get thoughts out of my head. I usually write down all the things I am grateful for everyday. Even the struggles because this can allow you to accept things as they are and move through them. “I am so thankful and grateful for my foot injury because it has allowed me to slow down and appreciate when I am pain free, what could have caused the injury and how to get better”

    Get the book today and start your transformation. It is absolutely amazing how well this works and you won’t be disappointed. Try the 30 day challenge at TMMBOOK.com.

    Wishing You Well,

    Coach Erinne

    Remember to reply and comment below and share with anyone you think would like to read. Also feel free to email me at Info@fullcirclecoaching.co to ask me to write about anything triathlon or health and wellness related.

    Thanks for reading!

  • Blogs, Race Specific, Run

    How to Take Minutes Off Your Triathlon Transition Time Instantly

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    It’s all about the socks

    Socks or no socks???
    I don’t recommend wearing socks for short course racing or training (sprints and Olympic distance triathlons) because it slows you down.

    Not wearing socks can  save you tons of time in your transitions.  Putting dry socks on wet feet while balancing on one leg is no easy task, especially when your heart rate is at 160 or higher. So, why not learn to race with no socks. It’s simple really!

    Powder and JellyMy trick to not wearing socks is using baby powder and some kind of non- petroleum type lubricant.

    Put your run shoes on and walk/run for just five minutes.

    Notice areas on your feet where you feel any chaffing or rubbing around your heel or anywhere on your foot.  That is the place you want to take your foot out of your shoe and add a little dollop of lubricant.  Then continue running for just five more minutes, then put socks on if you are running longer.

    Watch How to Video Here

    Next time you go running do the same as above but run for 10 minutes. Continue adding five minutes duration onto each run with no socks.  The baby powder helps absorb moisture in your shoe from the swim and or sweat. Using a squirt of baby powder in each shoe with a little lube on all the rubbing points will help you stay blister free and allow for a super quick transition. Of course make sure you are using Riplaces to make your transition even faster. Riplaces are elastic, no tie laces that allow you to slip your running shoe on like a slipper, no tying needed. Use fullcircle to receive a 10% discount on a great pair of laces.

    Happy Transitioning!

    Remember to comment if you liked this blog and or have any questions you’d like me to answer regarding triathlon training, racing or heath and wellness.

    Wishing you Well,
    Coach Erinne

     

  • Blogs, Erinne

    Coach Erinne Guthrie Bio

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    Erinne out of water Circle

    Coaching Philosophy
    I have been coaching triathletes and working in the fitness industry for nearly 20 years and with each athlete, I work with I learn how individual every person is.  There is no textbook method to coaching if you look at each person as an individual. They each have different strengths and different weaknesses.  What works for one may or may not work for another.  My goal when I work with an athlete is to improve their limiters and strengthen their skills to help them achieve their athletic goals.

    Each athlete I work with adds to my knowledge base of coaching, a give and take relationship is naturally developed.  I work with the most basic beginner to the most advanced athletes taking them to their next level of fitness and triathlon goals.  I cover every detail that needs attention.  I require each athlete to give as much feedback as possible throughout their journey.  I have seen hundreds of athletes achieve their goals successfully and I look forward to working with you too.  I advocate a balanced approach to training that helps endurance athletes reach optimal performance through the perfect combination of training, recovery and nutrition. 

    My Personal Story:

    I’m a mom, I’m a coach, I’m an athlete and I’ve spent time on both sides of the race as well as, the business and academic side of the industry.  This gives me a pretty unique perspective on training and all the possibilities.

    The feeling I got from swimming through the waves in the crystal clear blue ocean, riding my bike with the wind in my hair and running hard using my body to cross the finish line was so exhilarating.  I fell in love.  I was hooked.  In 1999, I started training and joining every race I could find, this led me to become one of Miami’s first USA Triathlon certified coaches. I quit my corporate fitness job to start my own triathlon coaching company determined to coach others to success.  Triathlon is more difficult than other sports; there are three disciplines to manage and I wanted to learn for myself and my athletes how to do it best.

    Burn out:

    Wake up at 4:30am to train clients and myself, hand off the baby to the sitter; work on the computer; take a nap if I was lucky; get the baby; take care of the family and in bed by 10:30pm. It was a lot but worth it; I was a triathlete!! (being facetious).  That’s when it all came crashing down-it happened, my body just quit.  I was all set to win my favorite race and instead of waking up to compete and win I woke up with a fever of 105 degrees and sicker than I had ever been.  I missed the race and battled sickness for the next 18 months.  I was depressed. I could not do what I loved or even have the energy to play with my daughter or live life normally.

    The doctors said I had Adrenal Fatigue- a disease of over stressing the body where your adrenal glands, which release cortisol (the fight or flight hormone) are out of sync with your body’s needs and don’t produce enough cortisol in the morning, but produce too much near the end of the day. They wanted to put me on prescription drugs but I knew there had to be a better way; so I started educating myself on natural healing methods and hired a holistic lifestyle coach.  Everything I learned was simple, easy to implement and I regained the energy and vitality I had lost. It was simple and it worked!

    I spent the next 6 years studying to become a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Level III. These holistic guidelines are incorporated into the Full Circle Coaching method to promote performance and balance.

    It is with great passion that I share my knowledge and expertise with each of my athletes.  Together we develop a balance between working in and working out, avoiding injury and burn out.

    Are you ready to join Full Circle Coaching and receive the best and most complete triathlon coaching package there is? I look forward to working with you and motivating you to achieve your “TRIATH-LIFE” dreams!

     

  • Blogs, Mindset

    Go Be D.U.M.B Today!

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    What an amazing year 2015 was. I like to take this time during the holidays when I actually have some down time and sleep in, spend quality time with my family and also make some alone time to really think about all that happened this year. The good the bad and the ugly.

    I, like many others had struggles. Some couldn’t train or race due to injury, some had great comeback years after being injured or sick, some had other priorities that led them away from themselves. Others had great successes and personal records in sport as well as business or family. I hope each one of you takes the time over the next few days to do a recap and review of the last year.

    Did you achieve the goals you set out to accomplish? Did you miss on a few? Maybe look at the hardships you had to face to see if there was some lesson to be learned on how you handled it or what was brought to light because of that struggle. Or, really acknowledge all the hard work that went into your big successes and how you can repeat them this coming year and make even bigger and better wins for next year.

    I have a constant quest for learning new things to see where I can improve my relationships, health, life, coaching, and business so I am always listening and reading up about new ways to improve and pass on good stuff I learn to my athletes. During this time of year everyone is talking about resolutions and setting goals for the New Year. I have written about and used S.M.A.R.T. goals in the past and I’m sure most of you are familiar with them:

    I know many of you have heard of SMART Goals:
    SPECIFIC
    MEASURABLE
    ATTAINABLE
    RELEVANT
    TIME-BOUND

    This year, I would love to you to set some D.U.M.B goals! I love these as a precursor to the S.M.A.R.T. goals and I learned about them from Brendan Bruchard check out his video about them at this LINK. 

    D.U.M.B Goals
    D – Dream/Destiny Driven goals – I love this because it is asking you to think way outside the box and truly get excited about something BIG for yourself. Something that may not seem attainable at first thought but that you really want to achieve but are maybe too scared to even fathom. Brendan talks about the vision of landing on the moon or curing a disease. How did those people ever achieve those amazing things without dreaming about them 1st!

    My business coach Sean Greely always says if your dream doesn’t scare you, it isn’t big enough. And my mentor Paul CHEK says your dream has to be bigger than your distraction. So, start with the dream and the how will come later! Think about something that would make your life magical and make you feel alive. Have fun with it.

    U. Uplifting – Choose something that you want to GAIN not lose. Instead of I want to lose weight, how about I want to be a sexy beast and have an amazingly successful body that is strong and capable to carry me across the finish line of a triathlon, Ironman, 5k, ultra- endurance, feel alive, you fill in the blank __________________.

    M –Method friendly – A goal that you can create a practice around. A map that makes it happen more easily. If the goal is to feel vibrant and passionate about your life, to get there you need a practice, map or method that will lead you to your success. For example, 3x a week you are going to fuel your body with healthy breakfast and then go to the gym or walk/run/swim/cycle for 20 minutes. Use a set of practices that you repeat on how you wake up, cook your food, meet with an accountability partner or whatever you choose. This is where I highly recommend that Miracle Morning book again, it has a blueprint for the method of your morning practice. The repetition of the practice makes it easier every time you do it. I also incorporate this in creating more successful athletes by implementing the dynamic warm up before every workout to help prevent injury, or having the athletes perform the skill driven drills for swim, bike and run to improve their performances at any level.

    B- Behavior driven with triggers set up to help you be successful – Every time I do this than that. For example, every time my alarm goes off in the morning I say my mantra and start my morning routine, which includes all the SAVERS (silence, affirmations, visualizations, exercise, reading and scribing) from the Miracle Morning Book. And sets me up for success. Using these behavioral driven triggers helps motivate you to stay the course and go for the big DREAM!

  • Blogs, Erinne, Mindset

    The Scariest Thing That’s Ever Happened to Me

    By Coach Erinne Guthrie

    I have had my share of life’s ups and downs Divorced parents Failed marriage Successful birth of my daughter Death of a soul mate My fathers suicide But none of those scared me the way waking up one morning seeing only black in my left eye did.

    I don’t have good eye sight to begin with (-8.50!) but wearing contacts has always allowed me to see 20/20 and do everything I ever wanted to do.
    But waking up seeing black was so scary for me because it really threatened the active lifestyle I live and love.

    Interestingly enough the week before this happened I had been introduced to a book called Miracle Morning and had started adding helpful elements recommended in the book to my normal 20 min meditation at 4:20 am every morning. The 6 elements of the Miracle Morning are silence, affirmation, visualization exercise, reading and scribing or journaling.

    Although I was already implementing 3 out of 6, it is amazing how implementing all 6 helped me get through this challenging period in my life. Even though I did allow for exactly 2, 24 hour pity parties,
    that was really all I needed.

    I got through retinal re-attachment surgery with a scleral buckle around my left eye with the best doc in the world Dr. Smiddy. Luckily, I have an awesome team and coaches and no sessions were canceled. My team of coaches stepped up I kept training as soon as doc gave me the green light. And although my vision is not back to 100%, I raced in my 1st ever draft legal sprint triathlon to try and qualify for world championships.

    I was very tempted to skip the race for fear the warped vision in my left eye would cause issues in my performance. Would I get hit in the eye during the swim? Would I be able to draft safely? Did I Lose too much fitness in the weeks I had to take off leading up to the race?  I didn’t want to talk about it to too many people for disgrace of total failure, so with the encouragement of my FC TEAM and a few athletes and friends as well as the implementation of the 6 elements of the miracle morning book I decided to race. So even if I came in last I knew for me it was about being there and participating and how I decided to respond to my situation instead of react to it!

    Guess what?
    I qualified! This has always been a dream of mine and now I am headed to CanCun, Mexico with 2 other Full Circle athletes to race against the world! Wow, who would have thought this was possible given my situation. Although I did not have a great race by any definition, with 5 girls pacing me on the run, I did get 9th place and the top 10 in each age group qualified. It was a tough but really fun race and the draft legal element of the bike made it completely different. I highly recommend a draft legal race if you can enter one. Here are the race results and more info on the USAT Website.

    So if you are still reading because this is a kind of long post The big things I wanted to share is that It’s not what happens to you in your life it’s how you respond. I can easily decide that after this happened I needed to quit triathlon and racing because it’s just too risky but what I realize is that is just not an option for me. I love swim bike run too much to say goodbye!

    Also having a daily practice like the Miracle morning was definitely introduced to me just in time to help me keep my eye ( no pun intended) on the big picture of my life which is:

    To motivate triathletes to break through the obstacles holding them back from their ultimate triathlon performance. On that note, please watch out how you can be involved in having your Ultimate Triathlon performance after attending our 6th Annual Ultimate Triathlon Camp in Clermont FLorida. Registration is opening up this week! And

    Look for upcoming details in the next week!

    Thanks for reading!
    Namaste

     

  • Blogs, Mindset

    What’s your Big Why?

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    What’s Your Big Why?  Do you know?

    Knowing the answer to this simple question can make everything in life a little easier.
    So many times we get lost in the day to day activities; going through the grind with no goals, no purpose no focus and wondering where the day went, how time flies and you haven’t gotten anything done.  Nothing is as you want it to be.

    Next, you start to get cranky and ask yourself why am I even doing this?
    • Why did I sign up for this Ironman®?
    • Why do I want to become a triathlete?
    • Why am I doing my 1st triathlon?
    • Why do I want to get in shape, lose weight, get healthy?
    If you don’t have an answer to these questions, it’s not likely for you to stick to a plan or program or schedule. But, when you do know the answer, you spring out of bed ready for the day’s training and find ways to fit it all into your day.  It becomes a healthy priority 2nd or 3rd to other items in life but still in the top 5.  It can be tough sometimes, especially when we get knocked out of our routines.  This is a completely normal part of life to have to make adjustments to get back on track.  But get back on we must!

    A few of my current athletes are struggling with this as we speak and I am just reminding them to take some quiet time to go within and ask yourself what your big why is again.  Your kids, your partner, your parents, a deceased loved one’s, a friend, brother or sister.  Everyone has a why, you just have to find it!

    Last weekend, my 9 year old daughter Kaia was doing her 8th triathlon after not racing at all for over a year.  She has 2 parents who love and live triathlon so it’s hard for her not to be involved and want to do triathlons, but I don’t push her.  The morning of the race she was having major anxiety about racing; Would she be as good as she was before?  Would she be last? All the same issues we all think about at some time before a race.  So, I started asking her if she wanted to race, and she said yes but all these other feelings were taking over so I asked her to think about a few things, like maybe doing it for someone else, so it wasn’t about her and her outcome, but more about just getting out there because someone else couldn’t.  The other thing I reminded her of was how great it felt when she had crossed the finish line of her last race.  She was all a glow, cheering for friends and happy just to be out there.  We looked at some of her race photos and she was reminded of those post-race feelings of success and accomplishment.  Although she struggled right up to the start, she did the race with a huge smile on her face and even saying at one point “This is the best day of my life!”

    Another example of a good why, is being a part of Team Thumbs Up.  We were asked to be included and help Brett Anderson who has Cerebral Palsy complete a sprint triathlon.  I was so proud of my team for stepping up and giving this man the experience of flying through a triathlon as fast as we could carry him. He was ecstatic and so thankful!

    These are just 2 examples of a why and I have a bunch more I turn to when I am finding myself out of my focus.  All I know is when I am committed and training regularly, everything else in my life is better.  I commit to more sleep, eat healthier, work harder and with more focus and really plan my fun stuff as the reward for all the hard work!  Although the race is always the reward for me!

    Of course, I can’t leave without mentioning that if you have your why and still no energy to train it could be a nutrition lifestyle issue and of course I have a program for that!  So, now its my turn to ask you; “What is your big Why?” Id love to hear about it and how it motivates you to get out there and TRI!!!