Fun fact #2: The Aztecs believed the avocado to be an aphrodisiac and therefore, unless you wanted to be the topic of scandalous gossip, you simply didn’t buy them. Who knew an avocado could cause so much drama?

Anyway, moving on. I am thankful the avocado is considered a nutritional powerhouse. I am on a serious avocado kick and have had it as a part of my lunch for the past week. It is the high amount of monounsaturated fat in avocados that makes them so good for you. Oleic acid is the type of monounsaturated fat found in avocados and can possibly reduce your chances of developing heart disease and cancer.

For one cup of cubed avocado there are 240 calories, 14.7 grams of monounsaturated fat, 2.7 grams of polyunsaturated fat, and 10 grams of fiber. Also, you get the following percentages of these vitamins and minerals…

• Folate 30%
• Potassium 21%
• Vitamin K 39%
• Vitamin E 16%
• Vitamin C 25%

Not only does the avocado provide you with a plethora of good for you vitamins and minerals, it also has the ability to help your body absorb other nutrients. For example, in one particular study a group was given a green salad with chopped carrots while another group was given the same salad but with added avocado. Blood taken from these two groups after the meal showed that the group who ate the salad with avocado  absorbed 8.3 times more alpha carotene and 13.6 times more beta carotene than the group who ate the salad without avocado.

While avocados are wonderful for you, they are pretty dense and pack a good deal of calories. Can you eat some every day? You bet. Should you eat a vat of them? No, probably not. I usually stick two or three slices in a wrap or on top of a salad. Guacamole is also one of my very favorite ways to eat this wonderful fruit (yes, it’s a fruit!) but you’ve got to be mindful of how much you eat. Guac is one of those ridiculously delicious foods that I could, in fact, eat an entire vat of.

Check out these other tasty avocado recipes! Enjoy!

Grilled Avocado with Fresh Tomato Salsa from Fitness Magazine

Pesto, Mozzarella, Baby Spinach, and Avocado Grilled Cheese

Avocado and Eggs Breakfast Pizza

The post Superfoods 101: Avocado appeared first on ICEdot Athletes.

The 2013 race season is a mere few days from kicking off. I wanted to write something up to outline my plan for the season, my goals and to offer my thanks to those who have supported me in getting to where I am.

The season will kick of on the 18^th of May with the Early Bird Triathlon in Ottawa, Ontario. This will be my third time racing in Ottawa, however it will be the first time where it is not a race of significant importance. This season, my goals are loftier than this race and therefore, the plan is to train right through it, without any tapering or rest.

Next up, the Tremblant Olympic Triathlon on the 8^th of June. This will be the first taper race of the summer, where I ease off the training in the week leading up to the race, but again, this is far from my target race. The aim and purpose of this race will be to nail down my nutrition plan for the Olympic distance and to practice my pace times for the run.

Now comes the absolute best part of the summer and my target race. On July 14^th, I’ll be leaping into the Hudson River (yes, THE Hudson) in Manhattan New York, for the New York City Aquaphor Triathlon. As a huge fan of New York City, racing in up and down the West Side highway and finishing the run in Central Park will be a dream come true. This race represents the first of two target races for the summer.  It will include a full taper, a detailed race place and a huge amount of preparation and planning.

The very next weekend, we’re back to a non-target race which I will train through, the Verdun Triathlon, a mere 15 minutes from where I grew up.

My performance in New York will define one of two possible pathways. Pathway one: a finish outside the top 5 in my age group. Pathway one will lead me to the Magog Olympic triathlon in mid-August followed by the Montreal Triathlon as my target race for the end of the summer. Pathway two: a top five age group finish and qualification for the Hy-Vee 5150 Championships. If I managed to place in the top 5 in my age group in New York, I would strongly consider accepting my qualification spot for the Hy-Vee Olympic Triathlon in Iowa.

The opportunity to compete in Hy-Vee, at one of the most prestigious triathlons, would be not only incredible but a tremendous honour. Needless to say, that race would most likely become my focus.

Someone asked me what my end goal for the summer was. I have extreme difficulty determining what it is, because I’m not entirely certain where my fitness is. I know that I have put in an immense amount of work and I have seen some of that work pay off, particularly in the pool and on the bike. Needless to say, I hope to do my very best and perhaps I’ll be able to compete for a top five spot in my target races.

Just a few days out I want to say an immense thank you to my sponsors; ICEdot, Timex and Vega. I understand that offering up sponsorship to amateur athletes is not necessarily the most profitable venture on their part, but I believe it is a huge part of the sport. I’m excited to be racing for and representing some great products, and I hope to do them proud. I’d be foolish if I didn’t thank my family, specifically my parents who have been nothing but supportive, despite my griping about various aches and pains. The McGill Triathlon gang has been a source of inspiration and support during the long (and painful) winter and I wouldn’t be prepped for the season without the coaches and the athletes alike. I’ll thank Jason B., my comedian of a swim coach, specifically, at the risk of inflating his ego even more. His patience with my moaning and his encouragement in the pool has me swimming better times than I ever have in my life, no small accomplishment for a coach. Finally, my friends, who keep me grounded, who roll their eyes at me when I say I’m waking up at 5:30 for a workout and who are often more enthusiastic about my results than I am: you’re an incredible group and I wouldn’t be able to do the things I do without you.

Here’s to a glorious and successful 2013 race season, SEE YOU OUT THERE!

Twitter: @ScottyHarm

The post 2013: The Gameplan appeared first on ICEdot Athletes.

I was thinking the other day about my life as a triathlete.  I’ve met a lot of triathletes in my years.  Pretty much all of them get into the sport and after a few years stop racing.  Maybe it’s because they start having children, maybe it’s because they’ve met all their goals, maybe it’s because they just burn out.

That’s not me.  I’m a lifer.  Granted, I don’t have kids so it’s been easier to continue my triathlon lifestyle over the years.  I know I will continue to train and race until my body just can’t take it anymore.  Lifetime triathlete.  I love this sport.

Maybe I continue on because it is something I found that I do well?  I’ve found that at 52 I don’t race against my age group anymore.  My goal is set on placing in the top few overall women at the races.  It’s fun seeing the number 52 by my name in the top 10 overall women.  I wonder how much longer I can remain towards the top.  I wonder how many more years my poor knees have in them.

I decided years ago that once my knees don’t allow me to run or ride anymore that I will take up golf.  At least that way I can be outside for hours on end enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.  And… I will always swim.  I want to be one of those little old ladies who are at the pool regularly swimming Masters.

In 2015, two years from now I will have been racing triathlons for 30 years.  I’m a lifer.  Are  you?

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Garlic is one of my favorite ways to add a little pizazz to a variety of dishes. When in doubt, add some garlic! That’s my theory anyway. Garlic is a powerful food for several reasons. It acts as both an anti-inflammatory and as an antibiotic. In fact, garlic is used as medicine in most cultures throughout the world. Pretty neat, huh?

Garlic and its health benefits has been studied thoroughly. According to Delia Quigley, author of The Everything Superfoods Book, a significant study was published in Toxicology Letters indicating that the inclusion of garlic in one’s diet can help reduce the formation of plaque and thus prevent arteriosclerosis. Additional studies have shown that daily garlic intake can help to lower blood pressure. Even further, a study preformed at The University of North Carolina found that daily garlic consumption can help to prevent both colon and stomach cancers.

The Nutritional Breakdown

One head of garlic has roughly 98 calories, 8 grams of protein, and 16 grams of carbohydrates. It also contains potassium, zinc, calcium, selenium, iron, magnesium, vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin B6.

How Does Garlic Heal?

Quigley lists a plethora ways in which garlic acts as a healing property. From arthritis to food poisoning, this magical plant can treat it all.

Arthritis – reduces inflammation in the joints

Cancer – as noted above, helps reduce risk of colorectal and stomach cancers

Heart disease – sulfer compounds hinder the development blood clots

High colesterol – lowers your LDL

Recipes Using Garlic

Make sure you click on the recipe title and check out these wonderful blogs/sites!

Tuscan White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup by Skinnytaste

Roasted Baby Carrots with Garlic

The post Superfoods 101: Garlic appeared first on ICEdot Athletes.

Warming Up in the ‘Bay Area’ weather.

Tempus Fugit Individual Time Trial - Race Report (spring)
My morning started quite early, I crawled out of bed at 3:20 am, drank some coffee, got my water bottles prepped and packed, loaded the van and off we went (my wife Robin & I) at 4:30 am. First stop 30 minutes into my travel was a Starbucks just off the highway in Sacramento for fresh coffee. Another two hours to drive to get to the race course in Castro Valley, CA. I eat breakfast and hydrate on the way to Castro Valley. When we left Yuba City the temp was in the mid 60’s, when we arrive in Castro Valley the temp was in the high 40’s. It’s a good thing that I pack everything in my gear bag. We arrived before registration was open so I drove the course to get a good idea what the curse was like since I have not raced this particular course before. One of my main concerns with every out and back time trial is the turnaround area. This course’s turnaround area was nice and wide. After getting back to the parking area I started to unpack my time trial bike aka ‘P2’ and other needed gear. The registration area was less than a quarter mile from the parking area so I took a stroll up and checked-in and got my bib number. After getting back to the van I pull out the cold weather gear: arm warmers and knee warmers and get them on for my warm-up on the trainer. The trainer warm-up is one of my favorite parts about racing time trials. I put the ear buds in and listen to Blue Man Group’s ‘The Complex’ as I warm-up and get into the ‘Zone’. Meanwhile Robin is out of the van by this time taking photos of the event and me, my wife does a great job. After my warm-up the jersey and bib number go on and I take off the knee warmers but with the super chill in the air I decide to leave the arm warmers on. I also make a sunglasses lens change to amber lenses. Castro Valley is just south of the San Francisco Bay so the marine layer was still in, this is what causes the cold morning and makes the sky very overcast, hence the sunglasses lens change. As I ride up to the start staging lane I’m wearing fingerless gloves and I decide to ride back to the van in the parking area and dig out my full finger gloves due to the cold. As I am waiting in the start staging area I change gloves and give them to Robin. What a ‘Domestique’ Robin is, I can’t have better support. Rider by rider and minute by minute I work my way to the start house. I even got to see a racer argue with the USAC Official about what time it was. That rider needs to remember that the only time that matters is the Official’s time, lol. It’s my turn in the start house, I get set on my hot rod and truly getting into the ‘Zone’: me, the bike, and the course. 3, 2, 1, GO…I get a good start out of the house…I settle in smoothly….knowing what is ahead of me, big climbing, I don’t push too hard right out of the gate. It takes me a few climbs to get my climbing rhythm but once I do I’m in it for the long haul. Within the last few miles of the 5 mile outbound leg I start to catch and pass other riders that went out ahead of me. As I am approaching the turnaround I am pulling my full finger gloves off with my teeth and putting them in my jersey pockets, my hands were getting warm. I get to the turnaround and it went very smoothly.

After crossing the finish line

I knew from here on out it was mostly downhill. I switch the gearing on P2 to descending gearing and I started to push my body to its limits after 5 miles of climbing. The Descent was wicked, fast and very technical. The last 2 to 3 miles of the descent were full of ‘S’ turns and switchbacks. I’m in my aero bars the entire descent so I can’t reach my brake levers. The one thought that kept going through my mind was “I hope these tires stick”, the tires did a great job and held the road very well. I come to the 200 yard sign and I put the hammer to the road. I keep on accelerating and then the finish line comes into view and my legs and bike go into another gear, overdrive, and I push as hard as I can to the finish line. What a ride and what an adrenaline rush that descent and finish was. What a great feeling, to put 120% into a race against the course and the clock, and to beat your goal time by 5 minutes and take a 7th place in your category. After driving home 2 and half hours, unpacking the van and putting some gear away I took a well-earned nap.

The post Tempus Fugit Individual Time Trial – Race Report appeared first on ICEdot Athletes.

Elite runners were calling this race “Mile for mile, the toughest on the east coast. And possibly tougher than Leadville.”  That says a lot about how tough this race was.  And in it’s first year.  A sign of things to come.

The journey started Friday night as I left right from work and headed up to Leatherwood Mountains (Ferguson NC, in the Appalachian Mountains) for dinner.  We ate with all the other runners as guest speaker  Jennifer Pharr Davis. (Record holder for Fastest woman to hike the Appalachian Trail) spoke about her trials and tribulations on the Appalachian Trail.

It was a buffet style dinner in the stable turned cafeteria with, you guessed it, pasta being the main course.  We got our fill of food and then headed to the hotel.  It was about a half hour drive.  Once we got to the hotel, it was time to lay out all our gear and make sure we were ready to go in the morning.  Then it was bed time.  Of course I didn’t sleep much.  Tossed and turned all night in anticipation for the big day ahead.

At 5:00 AM the alarm goes off.  Of course I was already up before that, excited and nervous about the long journey I was about to embark on.

We arrived at Leatherwood Mountains about 6:20 AM.  The race wasn’t going to start until 7:00 AM, and there is no such thing as warming up for an Ultra.  That’s what the first 5 miles are for.  So we had plenty of time to kill.  We got to look at the mountains we would be climbing.  We didn’t get to see them the night before.  They don’t look so big when you’re not climbing them.

7:00 AM we line up and off we go.  The Race Director warned us that the first 7 miles was the toughest part of the race.  He wasn’t kidding.  The trails never seemed to stop going up, up, up, up.  And just when you thought you were about to turn a corner and level off or go down hill, it went up some more.  And they were steep trails.  This was not just a trail race.  This was a Mountain Race.  Some of the trails were sooooooo steep that you could almost reach out touch them with your hand as your were climbing them.

The Race Director originally said 10,000 + feet of elevation change.  I’m pretty sure it was much closer to 15,000′.  A look at the Elevetion Chart will tell you how tough the day would be.  Luckily, we couldn’t ask for better weather.  It was about 40 degrees at the start and it was only supposed to get up to the low 60′s.  Perfect for running.  And it rained the day before, which made it much more tolerable for those of us blessed with Pollen allergies, but also made some of the downs treacherous.

I was doing well for the first lap.  Lap one was 25 miles, lap two was 15, and lap three was 10.  I got a great opportunity to run with a legend, Charlie Engle (Thanks again Charlie, you are truly an inspiration).  You can see him in “Running the Sahara” on Netflix or “Running America“.  I ran with him for the last 5 miles of Lap 1, and got some great tips.  Also, that will give you a good idea of how well I was doing.  He finished the race in 2nd place.  So anyway, we finished the first 25 miles in 4:40.  I felt pretty good considering how challenging the course was.  About 5 miles into the 2nd lap, I was running out of juice.  Up until this point in my short running career, I had only completed one 50K, so I had no idea what to expect.  I hit the bag drop and decided to change my shoes and socks.  I took about 10 minutes to rest and eat as much as I could stomach.  The aid stations were awesome.  They had PB&J, crackers, potato chips, salt tabs, pretzels, M&M’s, Gummy Bears, water, heed, BACON, etc.  They were well stocked.  Absolutely AWESOME.  And the volunteers were incredible.

So after a ten minute break, my legs felt great again, and I was off.  We would run the “Lollipop” loop and head back to the aid station again.  The loop was about 7 miles.  That would leave approx 4 miles back to the start of the 3rd loop (36 miles behind me at this point for those not keeping up).  As I was resting at the aid station, my friend Derek Oliver would catch me, and drag me away from there.  But I needed that.  I was hurting pretty bad at this point.  I managed to stay with him for about the next 3 miles and couldn’t hang with him any longer.  It was at this point, that I knew completing 50 miles was not in the cards.  The 40th mile was the longest mile of my life.  My Quads were absolutely destroyed, making the downhills dreadful.  I had to turn sideways and shimmy down the hills.  My jog was reduced to a slow shuffle.  It was all I could do to try to get to the Start/Finish area.

Upon my arrival, as I’m walking with my head down, the volunteers and family members were cheering me in.  I made it to the Check point and told the Race Director I was done.  It was actually embarrassing, but a smart move.  If I would have gone out for the last ten miles, I would have been risking major injuries.  Not worth it.  He offered me a pint glass (for the finishers).  I turned it down, and told him I would be back next year to earn it.  And I will.  I plan on destroying that course next year.

I completed 40 miles of a mountain race in 8:30:00, which is not bad, but it is UNFINISHED.  I’m not happy with my DNF.  See you next year Leatherwood.

If you are an Ultra Runner and think your a BADA$$, this race is for you.  This race will sell out quick next year, so be on the lookout.

22% Drop Rate on the 50 Miler.  They also have a 50K and 10 Mile option.

Hope to see you there next Year.

The post Leatherwood Mountains 50 Mile Ultra Trail Race appeared first on ICEdot Athletes.

Aguas Frias 10-Mile Time Trial 4-25-2013 – A New Personal Best

Last evening’s Individual Time Trial was a great event for Team Garage Studio’s Matthew Timoszyk. The Aguas Frias 10-Mile Time Trial was located in the farmland of Durham, CA. I arrived at the course early to get myself prepared and warmed up with plenty of time to spare to get into the zone. The start went off without any problems and I started off really strong and settled into a good rhythm/pace. Miles 4 & 5 were not my best but I knew I had a slight tailwind going into the 2nd half. After the turnaround I put the pedal to the metal and made up the time that I lost. I kept on accelerating throughout miles 6 through 9. At mile 9 I let my legs go for all they could muster. The last 1/4 mile I pushed myself even harder until it ‘hurt’ until I knew I was safely across the finish line. I came in with a time of 28 min. 20 sec. That put me in Third place for the event. The 28:20 is a personal best for me on this course by just under 3 1/2 minutes. With the points I gained I am now up to 3rd from 7th in the overall 2013 Chico Time Trial Series. Overall it was a Great race for Team Garage Studio’s Matthew Timoszyk. Onto my next Time Trial tomorrow in Castro Valley, a USAC Sanctioned Time Trial.

The post Aguas Frias 10-Mile Time Trial 4-25-2013 appeared first on ICEdot Athletes.

Greetings to Everyone!

I’m Matthew Timoszyk,
I’m the latest addition to the ICEDOT Sponsored Athlete program.

I started my amateur bike racing career at the young age of 12 racing BMX in the Detroit, Michigan area. At 14 I moved over to Road Racing until I went off to college where I continued to train and race. After moving to California, by the way of the United States Air Force, I continued to race as a USCF Senior Cat 4 Road Racer until I was 22.  I truly never got off the bike or away from the sport of cycling. I continued to ride and train with clubs most of my adult life. I was off the bike due to health reasons from about 2005 until 2009. In May of 2009 I had major cartilage replacement surgery on my right knee. At the time of my surgery I weighed over 250 pounds. During my recovery from surgery I decided to get back into bike racing. I always loved time trialing when I was younger so I decided to dedicate my training and racing to being a ‘Time Trial Specialist’. When I was able to get around better with my knee I completely rebuilt my road bike from the ground up and built my time trial hot rod shortly after. I was a member of a large team my first season then a smaller team my second season. During the 2012 season I decided that because of my discipline being a ‘Time Trial Specialist’ I really didn’t need an organized “Team” and the teams that I rode for were both located an hour drive from my home. My goal over the off season between 2012 and this season was to form my own USA Cycling Team, Team Garage Studio was formed and sponsors gathered. I have a full 2013 racing schedule and I am looking forward to every minute of the training and racing in the coming months. I’m also very proud to be a member of the ICEDOT Sponsored Athlete program.

My weight is now 175 lbs! I get asked many times over how I lost the weight, I always answer: eating correctly and riding is how I lost the weight. It also helps that I am a Personal Chef with an emphasis on nutrition.

Sincerely,
Matthew Timoszyk
USAC Masters 35+
Time Trial Specialist
Team Garage Studio

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The post 2013 Field of Dreams Time Trial appeared first on ICEdot Athletes.

I was in the library when I read some tweets about “explosions” at the Marathon finish line. My immediate reaction was that of dismissal, I assumed that it was just a group of rambunctious teenagers who set off firecrackers or something analogous. But as more information came in, and I began to see pictures, it became very apparent that these were no firecrackers. I sat in shock as I frantically searched for any details I could about what was going on. The rest of the day was spent in a bizarre state of confusion and an emotion that bordered on anger but was closer to resignation.

I have many acquaintances, teammates and good friends who have run Boston. I don’t even have to use the word marathon and any endurance athlete would know what I’m talking about. Attacking an event like this one is something the echoes to the core of endurance sports, because much like Kona, it’s an event that so many of us aspire to one day complete, myself included. It’s a race that represents everything incredible about endurance athletes, their passion, their sacrifice and their incredible accomplishments. When those bombs went off, it wasn’t only an attack on the city of Boston or the United States. Rather, it was an attack on individuals around the globe who challenge their limits and push themselves to achieve great things.

The following days were ups and downs with false reports circulated of suspects being arrested and details released about the victims. Yet, through all the tragedy, loss and pain, there was an overriding truth and that was that people have the capacity to do incredible things. Some marathon runners finished running 42.195 kilometers and kept on going to donate blood. So much blood was donated in the hours following the explosions that they began turning people away, which is unheard of. First responders and volunteers worked into the night to help all the victims. The police, FBI and ATF worked around the clock until the final suspect was apprehended and I don’t believe anything I can write in a blog post will properly express just how amazing I think they are.

It was an act of terror, and acts of terror are meant to shake your faith in humanity, leave you in shock and make you afraid to resume normal life. This had a different effect. I now want nothing more than to one day qualify for the Boston Marathon, to prove that evil will not prevail because we will not let it. When the gun goes off for the start of the 118^th Boston Marathon, it will undoubtedly be an emotional and incredible race. My faith in humanity has not only be reaffirmed, but strengthened, and that would not have been possible without the incredible people of Boston.

I’ve never visited Boston, but I have close friends and teammates who are Bostonians and I was to speak directly to them when I say that you are all remarkable people and you all represent the inevitable triumph of good over evil. There is nothing more to say other than that you have all shown the world the definition of strength and I admire you all to no end, I hope that you never, ever change.

Twitter: @ScottyHarm

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