Life of an Age-Grouper

As a teacher I have the luxury of long breaks from work.  As a triathlete I can't imagine there being a better job, other than being a professional triathlete of course.  I can't tell you how much I look forward to these breaks because they present me with an opportunity to act like a professional triathlete.  My only concerns during breaks are to eat, sleep and breath triathlon or at least until 4:45 when my wife gets home from work.  The Spring break that just concluded was 10 days long and I wasted no time jumping into my training. Leading up to the break Matt put together one hell of a "staycation" training camp. Each session was new in every sense of the word whether it be a longer distance, longer duration, greater intensity, unique format etc.  I looked forward to every session and to see how I would respond to the new, unique, physical and mental shocks to my body.  Despite having been disappointed about my two prior training sessions before this ...

Since getting involved in endurance sports I have had an unspoken rule of no supplements that enhance athletic performance.  I believe that endurance sports should be totally natural and should be a pure test of ones' abilities.  Truthfully I don't even like to drink Redbull before training or racing because I feel that I'm cheating.  I do admit I drink Redbull (often) but usually because it helps me to get the bowels moving race morning and injects a little caffeine to jump start the excitement.  I once (maybe a few times) had 5 Hour Energy and that hit me more than Redbull.  5 Hour Energy provides a long lasting spike of energy that is definitely noticeable.  I caught myself grinding my teeth because of the amount of "energy" it provided.  My 5 Hour experience was not related to training or racing rather trying to stay awake on long car rides.  If you need to drive from Timberman, after being awake all day and cheer...