How to Get the Most Out of Your Swim on Race Day

We are re-posting this blog because a lot of athletes could use some tips and a little confidence boost with open water swimming! Read on to get some ideas about how to succeed in the first leg of your race.

How come my open water swim times are slower than my pool times? Have you ever asked yourself this question, or suffered this on race day after practicing  ton in the pool?

 There are a few things that can cause your pool times to be faster than your open water swim times.

Let’s address those first:

 1. The walls - most of us swim in a 25 yard or meter pool, which means that in the course of swimming a 2000 (around the distance of a half ironman swim) we push off the wall 40 times. That push allows us to streamline and glide and more importantly reset body position and form. This alone can account for the discrepancy.

2. You need to sight when you swim in open water - picking up your head (if you lift too high) can change your body position and cause you to slow down.

3. You swim off course and add yardage.

4. You get disoriented in the water which causes you to pick up your head and sight too much.

5. You panic or have open water anxiety.

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These are the most common issues we encounter as coaches. And in some cases athletes can suffer from more than one.

 So what is a triathlete to do?

 a. The obvious cure is to swim in open water as much as you can. But that alone will not do it - you will need to vary your swim pace and include some race pace intervals. You should also practice swim starts and if possible passing and drafting others.

 And if you cannot get in open water…

 b. One trick you can use in the pool if you can get into a lane solo, is to swim around the T at the top of the lane without pushing off the wall. This will force you to create momentum without the push from the legs.

 c. You should include sighting in the pool during some of your sets. This will allow you to work on breathing and body position while moving at race pace.

 d. Again if you are alone in the lane, you can take a few strokes with your eyes closed and see how you tend to drift in the lane. This will bring consciousness to how you tend to swim when you think you are swimming straight. Please just be careful of hitting your head or arms on the lane lines.

 e. There are several causes of disorientation - it can be due to poor goggle choice, worrying that you need to get a picture perfect view of the buoy,  or not having a clear idea of the course prior to starting the race. Make sure you have a few goggles with you on race day. We would advise that you do not worry about having a clear sight - you just need to see a glimpse of the buoy - better yet you can use large landmarks to sight off of instead if the venue has them. You should stake these out on the days prior to the race. We would also suggest that you take time prior to the race to count the buoys and study the course (Ironman does a great job of numbering their buoys and using different colors to designate the course - yellow on the first half, red at the turns, and orange on the back half).

 f. This one is a tough one to cure and is very individual, but we have some tactics that we like to use with our athletes. Make sure that you get in as much open water practice as you can leading into the race in similar gear and conditions if at all possible. Arrive with plenty of time to the race site - this is a big one. If you are rushed, you will be anxious which can heighten your unease about the swim. If the race allows, you should get in and do a swim warm-up. This is essential to prevent the initial panic that can set in when people first enter the water. If you cannot get in a swim warm-up due to the venue, then a light jog or swim bands are an excellent warm-up. Just make sure that you have used the swim bands prior as a warm-up. Once in the water there are several tactics that you can put in place, one of our favorites that we often advise is counting your strokes, this can distract the mind and allows you to focus on the work. It is also helpful to break the swim up from buoy to buoy - your only goal is to get to the first buoy. Once you are there you can move to the next. Small goals can ease the overwhelming feeling of being in the open water. Also, remember that you are able to hold onto a boat or race support if needed as long as you do not make forward progress. In some cases, pausing and collecting yourself might be the best tactic to put in place.

Whether this is your first season of racing triathlon or you are a veteran, any of the above suggestions can help you to improve your swimming come race day.

Fit it in: 5 strategies to implement to (almost) never miss a workout – with Coach Katie

1. Be honest about your availability

Almost all of us love our training so much that we want to devote as much time as humanly possible to it. But one of the worst  things you can do is overestimate the time you have available train during the week. If you’re working an 8-hour shift with a 1-hour commute and also have a family or social life, it’s not realistic to tell your coach that you can fit in 3 hours of training on a work day. While you might be able to make it happen for a week or two, you will not be able to handle it in the long run and consistency is what counts in endurance sports. Remember that you still have to prepare food, sleep, do laundry- you get the idea. My advice is to be conservative at first when budgeting time for training- then you and your coach can adjust if you find that you have more hours. If you find that you’re losing sleep, getting emotionally drained, are sore 24/7, or your relationships are suffering, it’s time to re-evaluate your schedule.  

2. Wake up when your alarm goes off – no snoozing

This is a tough one for some people. The siren call of a warm bed in a dark room is hard to ignore, but research shows that hitting snooze reduces the quality of your sleep and makes it harder to wake up fresh and alert. When the alarm beeps/rings/buzzes, open your eyes, sit up, and put your feet on the floor. It’s time to get moving. If you want to take this a step further, try to wake up at the same time each day. This will allow your body to get accustomed to a schedule (our bodies and brains love consistency) and will help you feel ready to wake up, rather than groggy and wishing for 10 more minutes in bed.

3. Make a date with a training partner

Sometimes it’s easy to make excuses about why we can’t make it to the trail or the gym or the pool. If we don’t get our workout in as planned, who cares? Well, I’ll tell you who cares: your training buddy (and your coach)! People are more likely to show up to a workout, and will work out harder and longer, when they have a partner or a group to train with. Plan to meet up with someone who will support your training. Make sure you both understand beforehand that you might have different goals, and therefore might not stay together for the whole ride (for example). Having this piece of accountability in place could be just what you need to get your butt out the door on an  early morning.

4. Schedule your workouts

This is pretty straightforward. When you have a meeting, you block off a portion of time on your calendar where you won’t be interrupted. You (and others, if applicable) understand that this time is already spoken for, and other needs will have to wait. Why wouldn’t you do the same for your training? It’s an important part of your life, and having sessions already scheduled in your calendar will alleviate decision fatigue.

5. Eliminate obstacles by preparing in advance

Speaking of decision fatigue, let’s acknowledge that most of us don’t want to be fumbling around deciding which shorts to wear at 4:30am, then deciding what to eat before your run, then deciding which route to take, then deciding what to eat for breakfast, then deciding what to wear for work… you see where this is going. Make the most of your precious time by preparing in advance as much as you can. Lay out all the workout gear you’ll need the night before. Program your intervals into your watch. Know where, when, and what you’ll be doing for your workout. Have all your fuel ready to go. If you’re going to be crunched for time after your workout, have your work clothes and food for the day ready, too. Just this preparation could save you a ton of time in the morning, and makes it that much more likely that you will have a great session.

Reality Check

Even us type-A triathletes are going to miss workouts. Besides occasional illness or, running gods forbid -  injury, life will get in the way of our neatly planned training schedule. We can mitigate interference by planning in advance around travel, work and family commitments, appointments, etc.- but we aren’t fortune tellers. Things are going to come up. That’s when flexibility becomes a valuable skill. At Evolve, our coaches customize our athletes’ training specifically for their goals and lifestyle, so it’s not a progress-killer to have to adjust or eliminate a workout here and there.

Which leads me to my final point: don’t try to make up workouts. Just don’t. Unless you discuss with your coach a way to intelligently restructure the rest of your week, it’s counterproductive to try to cram in that long run you missed because your kid was in the ER. Look forward, not backward. If you missed a session, it’s in the past. Proceed as planned to keep your body and mind healthy.

Leave a comment below telling us your favorite strategy for fitting in workouts- is it something we listed here, or a different tactic that works like a charm?

Ironman Boulder Race Report - with Coach Scott

I have been racing triathlon for a long time now, and never really felt the urge to race a full distance. For many years, I loved the challenge of the 70.3 and the fact that you still have time to lead a normal life. However, once I started to coach at Evolve, I realized that I wanted to experience the joy and pain of a full Ironman. And so I decided to take the leap and sign up!

Step one was choosing a location. As I started the search for a race, my first inclination was to sign up for Ironman Texas – not a location that calls to my heart or a course that fits my strong points. I thought the timing of IM Texas was perfect, but that was before I realized we would have a wet/snowy winter and spring. Even Coach Sam told me that Texas didn’t play to my strengths, so the search continued. My schedule was going to require an early season race; Ironman gear with the Colorado logo brings an instant smile to my face; and my heart was in agreement. I chose Ironman Boulder.

As was the case for many, this past winter and spring were not ideal for training and I spent many hours on a bike trainer or riding in the rain, or worse starting in the rain, and finishing on the trainer. These days made me stronger in the end, it was just a little hard to see that at times when I was freezing or on my fourth hour on the trainer.

 This spring, I felt like multiple things were “off” and hadn’t gone right. But no matter what, I kept charging though the training. It was incredibly lonely at times, riding 2 to 3 hours with teammates and then still having another 3 hours of riding. The hard part was controlling the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) in my head. This lingered in my head up until about 2 weeks before my race. That weekend I had 115-mile ride. Teammates, coaches and friends stuck with me for the day. At that point, I began to realize I was ready. I then spent a week in Boulder to wrap up training and knew I was totally prepared.

 I approached this race unlike any other race. I have plenty of experience at altitude and understood how to counter the effects as best I can. I texted Sam to tell her I was going out early and sleeping in a tent prior. Her response: “Perfect – Love it – you are Rich Roll.” (Rich Roll sleeps in a tent on his roof.) Needless to say, packing for a camping trip on top of an Ironman pretty much fills your vehicle…

 I camped at 8500 feet for 5 days and then went into Boulder for 4 days to acclimate. While being at altitude was a great perk, the best part was that I got to train during the day on the race course. I was able to swim at Boulder Reservoir 3 times and biked 120 miles on the bike course on multiple days. It was a great advantage to know the course really well going into the race, but also, I wasn’t stressed out trying to get things prepped pre-race. I basically was living the life of a Boulder triathlon pro. The only thing on my plate was my workout each day. I absolutely loved each day leading up to the race.

 And just like that it was race day!

On race day, the swim in the Reservoir was amazing. I took the swim conservatively and I think it went as I would have expected. A few times breathing/sighting, I would get a glimpse of the mountains and think how amazing this is. I found this to be a nice, calm swim. I brought an extra set of goggles for the swim that I had on my leg as a just-in-case backup (this is a staple at Evolve for Ironman). I was surprised with how many comments were made about them. In fact, another athlete signaled to his family and did the same thing. It was a small preventative measure (I wear contacts and cannot swim without goggles) that cost me nothing in terms of time or hassle, but would have been invaluable if I had needed the goggles. I got out of the swim and thought that it went slower than I expected, but in the grand scheme of the race, the extra minutes on the swim didn’t matter.

 Transition at an Ironman is significantly different than a 70.3. You have volunteers helping you put on your gear. I had made arm warmers out of some long argyle socks where I cut off the toes. I figured that if I got too warm, I would rather toss those at an aid station than my $50 arm warmers. Colorado is cold in the morning and I needed these throughout most of the day. The guy helping me in transition said that that was the most ingenious thing he has ever seen. I wish it was my idea… Thanks, Coach Sam.

 The bike is where I knew I had the ability to really shine. Just as with the swim, I took the bike conservatively. The goal was to have a solid ride but not cook the legs. In retrospect, I could have hit the bike harder as my HR was low. But I knew that success at an Ironman is just consistently moving forward and slowing down the least. I moved up around 500 people on the bike course. With only 1009 people finishing, that is a lot of the field to pass.

 My second transition was pretty uneventful. Again, the volunteers in the tent were amazing. Ironman does a really great job. This is where my Naked belt really was helpful. I was able to load it up with everything for the run, but it feels like it is not even there.

 As I entered the run, I approached a hill that Sam had remarked on the day before: “Oh, shit you have to run up that.” My attitude was that hill was nothing and I just kept charging. Keep in mind that prior to this race training, the longest I had run was 15 miles. Ever. Did I mention I love the 70.3 distance and short course? I just have never embraced long course (140.6) or marathons. So, going into this marathon I really had no idea what to expect. I just knew after Florida 70.3 in April that I had suffered a lot and would need to focus on running and moving forward.

 I approached the run 1 mile at a time, which was the perfect way to attack it. Trying to break it into larger chunks can be too much mentally. I just remembered, “1 mile at a time,” and suddenly I was at mile 18 taking my last salted caramel gel for the day… Hallelujah! No more gels! At about mile 18 is when I could tell I was slowing down, but still running. I just kept moving forward despite a long climb. The thing that kept me going is that Coach Sam, Lauren (My Wife) and my sister, brother-in-law and nephew were on the course. Seeing their faces would just keep me pushing until the next time that I knew I would see them.

 Around mile 25.5 I could suddenly hear music and the voice of Mike Reilly, and it is amazing how the run just seemed to pick up. This is the point when I realized I was that close to finishing my first Ironman! As I was running down the chute, I realized it is still solid daylight out and could see my cheering squad. The hugs and tears all came out. I finished and thought – wow that was hard… But felt amazing. I felt totally prepared for the race. I think it surprised people, but I know that is what differentiates Evolve from so many other training options. You will be prepared for your race. I know I was.

 As I look back on my triathlon journey, I had always avoided the Ironman distance race. I had a number of reasons why, but ultimately, I am glad I did the distance and specifically Boulder. When I finished I thought to myself that I am ready for the next one, and can build off of what I learned at this one. I really didn’t care what my time was; I just wanted a solid day that I could learn from. I also knew racing in Boulder would be different than many other courses. Clearly, others felt the same way, because this was the last year for this race due to low numbers.

 For those that have avoided the distance, but are considering jumping in to a full Ironman, I would encourage you to sign up with a trusty training partner. “Misery loves company” is one of my training partner’s mantras. As I look back on my journey, the things that went wrong this spring were just small blips along the way. I have to agree with the sentiment that there is nothing like finishing your first Ironman. If you are doing an early season Ironman distance, your training partner will be the key when you are stuck indoors on the bike for 3 to 4 hours on the trainer. My wife and family were amazing support during the training and race day, and the support of Coach Sam and the amazing work of Dr. Lauren Hendrix is what made it possible. So what are you waiting for? Go sign up for an Ironman!

Are You Ready for An (other) Ironman? - with Coach Samantha

Today the WTC announced the new Ironman race for North America in 2020 - Ironman Tulsa-  and many Evolve athletes will be in attendance as it is one of our two Team events for next year (Augusta 70.3 being the other). There will surely be a good amount of social media buzz, peer pressure and even some FOMO that will drive people to hit the register button and start their journey to the finish line.

But should you?

Here are some considerations that we chat with our athletes about before signing up for their first or 40th 140.6.

Ironman takes time

Logically, you will spend a lot of time training, with the greatest amount of time being spent on your bike. This is something that we all need to consider when we register for an Ironman. Do you have enough time to get in your long bike rides and runs? Our coaches are wonderful about working with their athletes to create a schedule that works with their life - but there are some general time requirements that are necessary to ensure that the athlete gets across the line in a safe manner. While an over trained athlete is never good, a seriously under trained one is also problematic. You need to remember that a solid training plan builds gradually, so while you might only have one weekend where you put in a 6.5 hour ride, all of the weekends leading up to that will also take time.

Ironman takes support

If you want to get to the finish line with the least amount of stress possible, it is important to make sure that you have a strong support team. I would never recommend the surprise Ironman sign-up if you have a partner or family. Instead, sit down with your family and figure out what race makes the most sense for all. I personally have never brought my daughter to a race longer than a sprint. But if you would like your family to attend, do a little course recon to make sure that the course is easy to navigate and that there are some activities for them to attend while you are in race prep mode.

There is never a perfect time

I kinda feel the same way about Ironman as I do about having a kid. Sure, there are times when it is more ideal than others; but any way you slice it, it will upset your life in some way or other - so carpe diem. All you really need to consider is whether or not you are willing to put in the work and do what it takes to get it done. I did my last full Ironman a few weeks after my daughter turned two. It meant a lot of early mornings and taking a lot of naps when she was napping. I put everything in my life in place to be able to get it done even with a toddler. At that point in my life I was really willing to go to the lengths needed to get it all in. The only question you must ask yourself before you sign up is - how bad do I want this? Once you answer that, then get to work on putting in place all the things that will make crossing the finish line a reality.

Training can be lonely - or not

Ask yourself if you are a person who likes to go solo or who needs others to motivate you to train with. For my last full Ironman, I trained exclusively with one other athlete. This worked because we were very close on the bike and had an understanding that we would not wait or hold one another back in our workouts. We worked really well together and it was wonderful to know that I had an accountability partner. While we did not do all of our workouts together, we did have another person to lean on and motivate us when it got hard to get up for one more workout. If you are not wanting to go at it all solo, then it makes the most sense to find your tribe and sign up for a race that they are also doing.

Ironman is hard. If it wasn’t, why would we want to do it? But let’s face it - once you cross an Ironman finish line, all your blood, sweat and tears will be forgotten!

So! Ironman 2020 - who’s in?

A Calm Approach to Your First 70.3 - with Coach Tori

Now that you have registered for your 70.3 and logged all the training hours, it's time to get ready for race day.  Having a plan for race day is essential to keep you calm and get you to the finish line as fast as possible given what the day brings. At Evolve all of our coaches send our athletes a fueling plan and race plan that is specific to them and includes a few backup plans just in case. Whether you are coached or not, it is best to write down your A, B and C plan to assure that you are ready to arrive at the race with confidence. 

Pre-Race:

But before we even make it to race week - let’s get some essentials covered. Make an appointment with your local bike shop to have your bike checked out within 2 weeks prior to the race.  The week before you leave, start getting your stuff ready.  Begin by making a list of all the things that you must have on race day, from gear to nutrition.  Next, make a list of the items that you plan on taking in addition to race day.  If you are flying, sometimes it is easier to buy some personal items when you arrive.  If you are driving, then load up your car knowing that can still buy what you forget or might need when you arrive.

 Once you have your travel bags and triathlon bag set out, review your list and start laying out everything you will need on race day.  USAT has a checklist of items for race day.  Start with your swim gear, then your bike gear, and finish with the run.  This will include your race day kit and nutrition.  You will still need some of these items for training, but when you start to pack you have a visual of what all you need along with your checklist.  You can start to pack up your non-race day items on your checklist.  For those of you with special dietary restrictions, make sure your grocery shopping is completed, or you know where you can find food once you arrive at the race site. Many of our athletes will pre-cook and travel with food if possible.

 Race Week:

You have gone over your checklist 100 times, packed, and arrived at your destination - race day is almost here! Whatever you plan to do -add in additional time. For some odd reason, everything on the days leading up to a race seems to take longer than usual. Allow for extra time to drive the bike course.  If you spent many hours driving, the last thing you want to do is drive more to preview the bike course.  Depending on when you arrive, wait until the next day to drive the course.  If you like to shop at the expo, allow extra time for this. Don't try to check-in, shop, drop off your bike, and drive the bike course all in the same day.  It adds additional stress that is not necessary.  There are sometimes circumstances where you can’t arrive as early as you’d like due to work/family, but try to give yourself two days before the race.  Remember that you will still have short workouts to do and we always stress that if the race allows that you will also want to get in an open water swim in - as you can see - the tasks quickly add up.  

The day before the race, plan for the day.  Know if you are going to be at the race site for the athlete briefing. Try to get in a swim. Complete a quick bike ride to go through your gears. Drop off your bike. Make sure to bring your water bottle to sip on all day.  If it is hot and sunny out, add electrolytes (i.e., Nuun).  Pack a cooler with your sandwich/lunch, snacks, and extra water. Stay out of the sun and off your feet as much as possible - we suggest you get in and get out - so rather than heading to swim at 10 am and drop the bike at 3pm - schedule it to make it one trip.  Once you have all of the business done, head back to where you are staying and set aside time to work on visualization and re-visit your race plan. Many of our athletes also love to do a pre-race chat or text with their coach. Do what makes you calm and happy, avoid all stressors.

 The morning of the race, make sure to follow your planned morning routine.  This will help alleviate any potential issues that may arise during the race.  Arrive at the race site early.  Walk through transition and know where swim in, bike in/out, and run out are located.  Some transition areas are set up where you can only go through one direction; you need to know this - do not rely on the volunteers.  Walk through transition to know how it will go and know where your bike rack is located.  Find a landmark or count the racks.  I like to have a bright towel that may stand out because by the time I'm out of the water, I do not remember how many racks I have to count.  Know that your bike is racked by your saddle showing your race number. If the bike next to you is racked wrong, DO NOT MOVE IT.  Get an official if the bike’s athlete is not around, as they will move the bikes.  Make sure you have applied plenty of sunscreen.  Lay out your transition items by your front wheel.  The fewer items you have in your transition area, the better.  Don't put stuff that you might want, only what you will need.  The aid stations have water, ice, nutrition, and food.  Allow enough time to get to transition and be calm during your set-up. There are a lot of steps here and also usually a million trips to the bathroom!

When you have gone over your transition one last time, head to get in a swim warm-up or a light jog if there is no swim allowed. This is crucial! We never want an athlete starting a race without raising the heart rate before the gun goes off.

Then it is time to make your way to the beach- this can also be a good time to check the swim course one last time and know the buoy count. It is also a time to do what makes you calm and focused. This could be joking with the people around you, a quick moment or two to yourself or listening to music. Whatever it is, make sure that it what works for you!

And just like that - you will be at the start waiting for the countdown to get the day going.

Finally, no matter what happens on race day,  remember that for the majority of us, this is a hobby. Regardless of how competitive you are, we want to have fun.  The better prepared you are going into the race, the less you have to think about, and your body will do what it has been training to do for many months.  Swim. Bike. Run and maybe even crack a smile or two!

5 Takeaways from My First Oly - with Evolve Athlete Chris

We love to hear from our Evolve Athletes, especially when they don’t mind sharing insights with the rest of the Team. Chris A is kicking a$$ this season, so read on for his summary of learning experiences from his first Olympic triathlon.

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This last weekend was full of firsts for me: my first open water race, my first wetsuit race, the first race on my first road bike, my first season with a coach, but most notably it was my first Olympic distance triathlon.  I signed up for the St. Louis Triathlon the day registration opened, and I knew that I wanted to be able to do the Olympic distance in preparation for my ultimate goal of completing my first Ironman 70.3 later this year.  I honestly didn’t really think about the challenge of that distance until about 2 weeks out when I started reading my race day strategy and fueling plan.  At that time it started to set in that this is actually a pretty good haul for a first year triathlete.  After setting out all of my gear the night before, and reading over my plan for the 300th time, I was confident that I was as prepared as I could be. I went to bed around 8pm and finally fell asleep around 12:30am.  It was a 4:00am wakeup call to be there when transition opened to get set up, so I dragged myself out of bed and started fueling and packing up to go.  When the race was over, I was confident that I had left it all on the course, and I was very happy with the result.  As with anything in life, there should be lessons learned in order to improve upon your successes and failures.  The following are some of my takeaways from my first Olympic Distance Triathlon.

1 - Conditions Will NOT Be Ideal

For several days leading up to the event, I was checking the weather every 5 minutes.  I kept telling myself it wouldn’t rain and it wouldn’t be hot.  The night before the race a friend texted me something along the lines of, “I was just kayaking on Creve Coeur lake, and I was fighting the wind and white caps, I hope it dies down for you tomorrow morning.”  So here I am standing in my wetsuit at the swim out ramp trying to see the turnaround buoy FAR in the distance, and trying to figure out how I am going to swim into a 20ish MPH headwind and deal with whitecaps and waves.  I was used to swimming in a pool, where it’s 100% visibility, and no turbulent water what-so-ever.  After fighting through the asses and elbows of the first 300m, and finally settling into my stroke, it wasn’t so bad (other than slow going).  I chugged my way through the swim and got through transition relatively fast, only to turn the corner south on my bike and hit THE SAME 20MPH headwinds.  Great, now I have to do two laps of this basically in slow motion.  I just remember thinking, “I’m not the only one dealing with this suck right now,” and powering through the wind.  Again through T2, I set out on the run.  It was much more humid than I was ready for (and I had forgotten my salt tabs, see takeaway 2).  I now know that practicing in less than ideal conditions is key, and assuming the water will be flat, the bike will be smooth, and the run will be cool will make for disappointment on race morning.

2 - You WILL forget something

I had just gotten a brand new carry bottle for the run, and was looking forward to giving it a try (I know, don’t try anything new on race day).  I had it all packed up in my duffel ready to go with Gatorade Endurance.  When I came around off of the bike at T2, I got ready for the run in exactly the order I had practiced.  Helmet off, gloves off in helmet.  Hang the helmet on the handlebars.  Slip out of my bike shoes and grab my race belt.  Slip into my running shoes and grab my…water bottle that isn’t there…crap.  I’m supposed to drink 20oz of Gatorade during my run, now what do I do?  I remembered something that Coach Samantha said during our transition clinic the night before.  Part of a triathlon is troubleshooting on the fly.  Either you get a flat tire, your goggles fly off during the swim, or whatever else could possibly go wrong.  Part of the challenge is figuring out how to deal with the issues on the fly.  So, I grabbed what was left of one of my bike bottles and took off on the run.

3 - You Probably Aren’t Going to Win, so Manage Your Expectations

I set out several goals for myself, ranging from totally doable down to really difficult.  The ones I completed were things like:  finish the race, don’t drown, don’t crash, don’t trip.  The ones I didn’t complete were things like:  place in your age group, beat 30 minutes in the swim, beat an hour on the bike.  There were a couple of goals that I was pleasantly surprised to have completed.  I PRed the run distance, and technically I PRed the swim and bike also (first oly, I’ll take it).  I didn’t even look at my swim time when I got out of the water I was so focused on takeaway 4.

4 - Practice Everything

The most important thing I did was practice.  I practiced my fueling plan, I practiced getting in and out of transitions, everything.  I knew that I would get too hung up on progress during the race, so I even had my Garmin set to displace only HR, since that is how I have trained for months.  I didn’t care what my speed was, what my pace was or how far I had gone.  I knew that if I trusted in my heart rate training, and followed the plan, I would have a successful race.  I ended up finding out about my run PR after the fact when checking the unofficial results!

5 - Take Mental Notes

During your race, make sure to take mental notes of things that you have learned, or things that you can improve on in the future.  For instance, I know I need to do some small things in transition to make it easier.  When I got off the bike, I tried to slip out of my lace up bike shoes by putting my toe on the heel and pulling my foot out.  Big mistake, instant cramp in my calf.  Now I know that is probably a good idea to loosen them up prior to trying to get out of them.  Having a mental inventory of everything that went wrong, and things you can change prior to future races, will only serve to improve your experience and times in the future. 

Expect Mistakes at Your Triathlon - with Coach Scott

At my first 70.3 race this year, I made a major blunder and it became a wakeup call. I was racing Florida 70.3 and was 27 miles into the bike, riding at a good clip. Beside me all of the sudden was a Honda Goldwing and an official. As I looked over, I realized I was getting my first penalty in my triathlon career. It was really windy that day, and about that same time, my front tire caught the edge of the road and I went sliding down the pavement at 21 mph. Upon reflection, I realized I was caught in a pack and was about 4 bike lengths back. But this really messed up my day. Blood, bruises and some scraped up bike parts…

Post crash helmet - time for an upgrade!

It would have been easy to quit that day. I could have made a million excuses why I quit. But I realized I could make a choice: the mistake could define me, or I could move on. I decided that finishing and struggling through a painful run would mean more to me than getting hung up on a slow-for-me 70.3, my second slowest to date.

While this mistake was major, there will be some degree of a mistake in every race. These are the things that define us, good or bad, and mentally can become our mantra or nemesis. The key is moving on not dwelling on it.

The perfectly executed race in long-course triathlon is primarily a myth, but if you do execute perfection that is great. Some athletes can let a little thing ruin their day, but the greatest races are those where you recover from something that didn’t go your way. It is much like Daniela Ryf’s experience at Kona last year. She was stung by a jellyfish, and many predicted that was the end of her race. But through mental toughness, she just kept charging and pushed a bike that may have been on the edge for her, but she had a plan and it worked that day. This all comes from experience, support and mental toughness. She also knew that she had nothing to lose.

At Evolve we prepare our athletes to perform at their best ability, but we also help them get past the things that inevitably can go wrong at your race. At the end of the day, many of the situations are out of our control. All we can do is prepare to minimize the problems, and when they do happen we move on. We don’t want the issue to define our race. Otherwise the energy those legs will need on the run are lost on unnecessary stress that drains your glycogen levels. 

We could write a book on all of the things that could go wrong at a long-course triathlon. The thing we can’t stress enough is that whatever is happening in that moment can often be overcome. In triathlon, your body and mind can go from defeat to triumph in as quickly as 10 minutes. Visualization is a critical practice that can get you out of a defeated mindset. This is a simple technique where you envision a positive outcome and then start breaking the courses into pieces. For the swim it can be each buoy, which is essentially 4 laps in the typical pool. On the bike it could be breaking it into 5-mile increments. On the run it can be ignoring your data for a while and just eyeing landmarks ahead. If I am having a tough training run, I have found this is a great way to get another few miles knocked out. I will tune out my data for a while and suddenly I am back on track.

While we discuss the mental aspect, you also need to be ready for the equipment failures. Goggles break and get kicked off, so tuck an extra pair in your wetsuit or around your leg. Flats and thrown chains are always a possibility at a race. Make sure you have the equipment to fix a flat and practice changing your tire if that is new to you. We have witnessed some crafty engineering by Evolve athletes at Ironman races, and the athletes have preserved a great race with a quick fix. On the run, shoe laces and zippers can break. Just think through how you might address this. It can be dealt with. An extra minute in transition beats walking halfway through your run due to an issue.

Invariably, the best thing you can do is smile, get mentally tough, and be prepared for things to pop up. At Evolve, we are always impressed with the way athletes bounce back from adversity. Often times when athletes think it is over, they realize the race has just begun. Block it from your mind and share the story at the finish.

As much as I think I have mastered triathlon and visualizing the day, things will still go wrong. But aside from your first long-course race or your PR race, the most memorable race is the one where you keep charging forward after a mishap or hardship. Because as I have learned, when things are easy, everyone can be successful. The real challenge is to grind it out when things get hard. Florida 70.3 was a tough day for me and I wouldn’t change a thing- well, other than the scars…

Six Race Day Tips for Your First Sprint Triathlon - with Coach Katie

Signing up for a race can be a lot of things: exciting, motivating, expensive, overwhelming, terrifying, etc. But just like having a training plan to follow each day, having a race plan is key to executing your best race and in many cases this means a plan A and B or even C, and the plan starts with knowing what you need to get the job done. At Evolve, one of our core values is to differentiate between factors you can’t control and those you can and then, intelligently plan to control the controllables, such as what you need for the race from your gear to your attitude. Doing so will alleviate a lot of the mental stress that comes along with a first race.

Make a Checklist

Trust me on this one. Mentally go through the day of your race, starting with waking up. This is especially important if you’re traveling, because there are lots of little things you won’t want to forget (like your extra pair of goggles.) On the checklist, include your pre-race foods like your breakfast, gear needed pre-race (like a jacket and hat if it’s cool), swim gear, transition items, bike gear, run gear, and fuel. A strategy that helps me a ton is to draw an aerial view of my transition area and how I want to set it up.

Plan your fuel

Plan what you’ll eat for breakfast on race day and have it ready the night before. If you’ve been training with a certain product and it won’t be available on the course plan to carry it with you. For a sprint distance triathlon, you only need a couple of gels and maybe 1 to 2 bottles of your sports drink (think one bottle per hour on the bike). Do NOT try anything new on race day. It’s worth the tiny bit of extra bulk and planning to have your familiar products on hand. Many people will go carb overload crazy. You will not need to do this for a sprint. You should taper off any foods that can cause GI distress in the day prior, but we would not recommend you stuffing your face with oodles of pasta the night before a sprint race.

Prepare for the swim
-        Lube up. Underarms, thighs, neck, any point on your body where friction may occur. More is more with lube. If you’re wearing a wetsuit, don’t forget wrists and ankles.

You will need:

-        Your swimwear of choice - make sure that you practice swimming in it prior to race day.

-        Swim cap - most races will provide you one.

-       Goggles. Tinted or clear depending on the sun and conditions.

-       Ear/nose plugs if you wear these.

-      Timing chip - provided by the race.

Set up for T1, the swim-to-bike transition area

-        Towel to quickly dry yourself off after the swim if you want, or to wipe your feet off on.

-        Sunscreen to avoid horrific tan lines and UV damage (for a sprint you should be able to do this prior to the swim)

-        Your bike. Make sure tires are aired up how you like them, it’s in an easy gear so you don’t get stuck grinding out of transition, and it’s been recently tuned up and safety checked.

-        Helmet because you won’t be allowed to leave T1 without it. Hang the helmet on your handlebars for quick access. Or place it ready with the strap unbuckled if it cannot go on bars due to aero bottle.

-        Sunglasses open and inside helmet so you can quickly put them on. These provide protection from the sun and road grit, so don’t leave home without them.

-        Cycling shoes loosened and ready to be put on. Talc powder or similar sprinkled inside shoes if you’re going sans socks.

-        Socks unrolled and ready to be put on if you’re wearing them.

-        Fuel. A bottle should be on your bike already. Stash a gel or two in a pocket or if your bike has a bento box, put it in there on race morning.

-        Bike gloves if you wear them, but these are far from necessary on a shorter race.

-      Spare tube, CO2, tire tools (in case of a flat). Oh, and know how to change a flat.

Set up for T2, the bike-to-run transition area

-        Hat or visor.

-        Keep your sunglasses on.

-        Socks if you’re wearing them.

-        Running shoes loosened and ready to be put on. I HIGHLY recommend you have elastic laces on your running shoes so that you don’t have to fumble with the laces. Make sure you have run in the them prior to get the correct tension. Again, if going sockless, some powder sprinkled inside makes this a better experience.

-        Race number on race belt.

-        Fuel if you’re carrying. A bottle and a gel should be plenty.

Adopt a TAKE NO PRISONERS attitude

You’ve trained hard, visualized your race, and actually made it to the start line. You have nothing to lose by embracing the day ahead! Even if you have to fake it ‘til you make it, be CONFIDENT. This is YOUR DAY. You’re out here to get sh!t done. You don’t have time for second-guessing, self-pity, doubt, or fear. Because of the distance of a sprint triathlon, you are free to fire on all cylinders from the second the gun goes off until you collapse after the finish line. Pay no attention to anyone else’s performance – this is about you and the course. LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND. If you feel like your muscles are screaming, lungs are burning, heart is jackhammering, mind is protesting – great job, you’re almost working hard enough. Now do it for real.

Remember that there will always be some things you can’t control - the weather, course profile, technical issues, other people - but that’s part of the fun of racing! The only thing that you can do is control yourself! A race is nothing more than a chance to test our limits and learn a ton on a supported course. Go out there, have fun, test yourself, learn a ton, and smile for the camera when you cross that finish line.

Ironman Florida 70.3 Race Report - with Coach Samantha

When I first started this endurance sport business, long before tracker and weather apps, I would fret and freak out about each race. Back then my freakouts were centered mostly around the burning desire to have every one of my races be a PR. At some point, my freakouts gave way to checking weather apps, course profiles, starting lists, times for the course - these were added to my desire to get my fastest time EVERY TIME I raced. While I did race my first Ironman at Lake Placid and have raced a ton in what I have come to realize are hard courses due to growing up in the Northeast, I would worry about terrain as well. A hilly course would have me up at night thinking I was going to be walking my bike or crawling on a run. So basically racing was a total freakout from the time I hit the button to pay for the race until I got in the water, all due to a very intense focus on my times.

And then somewhere along the way, perhaps due to becoming a mom or a coach, or most likely a combo of the two, my perspective on racing shifted. I let go of times, of places, of weather, of terrain fears and now have switched to just doing the best I can with the course that I am on. I actually now welcome the hills, and the heat, and see any challenge as a new way to test my mental fortitude. i still get nervous AF, but now that is more about being mentally weak when I am tested on the course. And in that spirit, two weeks before Ironman Florida 70.3, I decided to test myself and sign up.

Here are some important things to note - it has been a cold and awful winter for most of the country, which meant that I had ridden outside exactly twice before the race since September of last year. I had swam open water once, and up until the race I was running in the cold with a ton of layers.

If you have never raced in Haines City, it is not the flat and fast course you might think of when you picture Florida. The swim is in a tiny lake which requires many turns, the bike has some rolling hills (for me there was no need to ever get out of my big chain ring - so nothing terrible), and the run is a three loop hilly course - which was a little different this year as they decided to add a few more little hills before you got to the real hills. To be honest, I cannot think of a hillier half marathon that I have done to date - perhaps Vegas back when that existed, but those were steady climbs and Haines City is either up or down.

Oh and the weather - it turned out to be 91 and full blown Florida humidity! And I guess I should also mention it was very windy  - I think winds were steady in the teens with gusts a little higher.

So I was certainly in for a test!

Pre-race I stuck to my usual routine. I like to lay very, very low and minimize any human contact in the days leading up to a race. One of the best parts of this race is that you are not required to drop your bikes off the day prior, so I was able to hang out at the condo and read and wait for the hours to tick by after finishing my workouts.

Race morning, as it always seems to, came quickly and I made my way down to the race start. We had about a 15 minute drive and were able to park very close to the race venue. The transition was super packed and after a less than friendly human and I had some words about how she had her stuff sprawled all over the place and that was somehow okay, I decided to get the f out of there and head to get a warm-up swim in. The cool thing is that there is a pool right by the lake and you can hop in and swim for a few. I think this is one of the most important things you can and should do as an athlete, it allows you to raise the HR, and lower the nerves. At the pool I ran into coach Scott and we both hopped in and swam in the dark. I still had my transition bag with me and didn't really want to trudge back to the car, so I ditched it behind a row of shrubs and made my way to the lake. The sun was coming up and there was that wonderful feeling of all these humans ready to get the day started.

This year the race had returned to an Age Group Wave start and I think I was in the 7th or so wave to go off. Which meant that we had a ton of work to do to get around the slower swimmers in front of us. This is a notoriously slow swim, and it proved to be so as I had to make my way through the previous waves and navigate the many turns on the course. Here’s a strategy that I use and most of our athletes do as well - I count. It starts in the swim - before I get in the water I count the buoys - my swim is simply about getting from one buoy to the next and working to the best of my ability as I navigate from one to the next. I never got clean water but I swam the back half a little harder. When I finally could see the swim exit arch, I swam until I hit the ground - walking through water is way slower than swimming, so I always try to swim as far as I possibly can. Which when you are 5’ 3” is pretty close to shore. When I exited the water I felt like the swim had been slow. If I had time on my watch I would have known that it was indeed slow in comparison to my usual non-wetsuit legal swims. 36:4x was my time. Why no time on my watch? Well I have found that my reaction to times can set me up for a long day. The swim felt slow, technically for me was slow, and if I was in my old mindset of chasing a clock then I would have already been in a deficit and a negative head space. The truth is that the swim was slow for all, and my time was good enough for 3rd in AG which I would not know until after the race. Something I don’t think I ever thought was capable when I first started this sport.

Off into T1 - nothing eventful there other than the fact that my rack was super far and I had a very long run with my bike.

I mounted my bike and off I went. Again, on the bike I ride only with HR, power (no power at this race as my meter never paired with my watch) and RPE. I know how my lungs and legs should feel and I got to work. The course was really crowded and I spent most of my time navigating past other cyclists. It was cloudy and I knew that staying on my fueling plan would be key - The number one rule of a cloudy bike is that it will surely be full sun on the run. Many athletes underfuel in these conditions and pay for it on the run. The roads on the front half of the bike are windy and at times pretty tight and unlike my last few races which were not Ironman branded I was surrounded by cyclists. Which meant that I was often playing leapfrog with a few men who I could out climb and then they would pass me again on the flats. This went on and I did my best to ride legal, and I remember being worried about being too close to others, but also feeling like I was trapped on the narrow roads with so many people who were riding at times side by side and then on one of the windier roads where we were all bunched up, I was given a blue card. I remember thanking the ref as if I had just been given a gift and was kinda in a fog. I was not the only one who was too close, but I was the lucky one that day. Plus, I like to have refs on a course and to know that people are being monitored. I want a fair ride - so I had mixed feelings about the penalty. And after about a minute, I felt all of the energy drain out of me and thought that I should just call it a day after the bike. Then I decided that I would run, but not really focus on the race. Then I decided that I was being dumb and I better get back to being focused and get to the penalty tent and stop the self sabotaging. I think somewhere around mile 25 you come to a town where there is a steady incline, and it was there that I passed one of our athletes who I told that I had gotten a penalty and he would see me real soon!

I was the first of a huge bunch (but none from my pack) to arrive at the tent and yelled out my number and the timer started. Five min seems like a lifetime, but I made sure to use the time well. I decided it would be best to turn my back to the road so that I wasn’t aware of all of the people passing me and instead I filled my aero bottle, stood in the shade of the tent and made sure to not be tempted by looking at the time on my watch. The reality is that if I over-biked the back half of the course I was going to be in for a very long run.

The time ticked by very slowly, but I did get to make friends with a sweet older gentleman who told me that he hadn’t gotten a penalty in 37 years of racing and I told him that this was my first in 20, and so we commiserated  in our mutual penalty sorrow. And then like that I was released from prison, but not before Eric rode by and yelled to me with a big grin - hope you’re enjoying your time out.

The back half of the course flew by until about mile 52 when I hit a very exposed and open windy section and it was pretty desolate. I knew it was close, so I just tucked in and stayed strong until I was back to town. Which after the fact I was reminded by coach Nick’s mom who was there spectating that I was nearly hit by a car when the car failed to stop for a police officer - I don’t even really remember this, so I guess I was in the zone.

Back to transition and I suited up for the run -  put my shoes on, stepped through my naked belt, pulled it up and grabbed my cooling towel, hat, and fuel and off I went. The first few steps felt awful. My legs felt heavy and I felt like I had never run off the bike before. This feeling is pretty natural for the first 70.3 of the season, so I shrugged it off and off I went. The course was a little different from years past, as we went around the pool area, hit two little hills, and then hit the infamous hills on the front stretch. I had made myself a promise - I would not walk outside of aid stations. I have walked two hills in two 70.3s in my life and they still haunt me to this day. The hard part is that I knew that most would be walking - the bike was hot and windy, and the run was going to be hot and hilly. This tends to lend itself to walking on the run for many, which can be tempting to join in on. The first big hill hurt, but there just happened to be some really awesome penis graffiti on the middle of the hill, so I just said to myself - listen you stupid dick of a hill, I will not give in - I am strong and I can handle this. At the top of the hill, I was a little surprised to see that they were having us go into the little neighborhood that was part of the Full race in November - this added another little bitch of a hill, before we headed back up the second part of the hills on the front of the course. The good part was that after I realized this I also realized that one of my Tri friends Tom was standing there and as I approached him, I threw my watch to him. He told me I looked strong, which probably was a lie, but lifted the spirits. It is never good when you pass people you know and their cheers contain things like - okay, okay, you can do this. Or - are you okay?

Why take off my watch? I knew at this point that this was going to be a slow run. My legs felt horrible and the heat and humidity were coming on strong. I also knew that if I got bogged down by metrics, I would set myself up for an even longer run. I run with HR and cadence on my watch, but I know that if my cadence is low than I am going slow. Over the years, I have found that nothing good comes from negative self talk and it was best for me to just let go of data and move as fast as I could.

Out of the neighborhood, we hung a right and hit the second of the big hills. When I crested the hill, I was flooded with memories of standing on that corner when the rains came during the Full in November. I was able to use the strength of the athletes who ran in that awful rain to power me through the next neighborhood part of the course and then to the final 1.5 miles of the first lap.

My goal for the first lap was to run steady, the middle lap was to  stay strong, and the last lap - do what I could with what I had.

Back by transition I got the much needed boost that comes from the crowds. One of my awesome athletes had made the drive from Tampa to cheer and I was boosted by seeing him. And then seeing a few other friendly faces on the course. My family always jokes that seeing me for 15 seconds is the worst thing ever after waiting all day, but I cannot tell you how much energy it gives me to see people I know.

Onto loop two, up the dick hill, back through the neighborhood  - at this point, I made a deal that I would walk the aid stations on the last loop and drink all the coke. My legs felt like mile 24 Ironman legs and I knew that my whole meditation had to just deal with picking my legs up and putting them down. My run at this point was still faster than the power walkers and I was passing a few men who had passed me on the bike or run so I knew that I just had to power through the pain.

At the start of lap three I saw Tom and Nick’s mom again which gave me a boost, and then I spotted coach Scott. I hit the first aid station and grabbed a coke and ice and hit the hills again. If I could go back and do this again, I would remind myself to stand tall. I know that my form had gone to hell at this point and I was slouching - not good for race photos or for running well. One last time for Mont Dick - I think this time I actually said aloud - see you never DICK. A little after this point, just after leaving the neighborhood, I caught up to Scott and we exchanged a few words. He had also gotten a penalty and had crashed his bike. Scott and I hit the second aid station together - grabbed some more coke and ice, and then I think I said to him, I can’t talk  - so you do you! The remainder of the run was pure quad pain - I assume from all the downhills on the run. There were two more aid stations - at the next one I grabbed more ice and went on and I ran through the last one. Remember when my plan was to do all that I could on the last loop. Well in my visualization, that involved some speed, but in reality, that just involved moving faster than a walk.

And as always, just like that I hit the final stretch of the run and hit the turn into the chute as the skies opened and started it started to pour.

So if I lay out the times - it was one of my slowest races. And in fact my slowest 13.1 ever - that seems to be a theme lately.

Swim: 36:43

Bike (with 5 min penalty): 2:47:44

Run: 2:09:09

Total time: 5:40:47

But if I look at my placing then it wasn’t awful.

Swim: 3rd AG

Bike: 7th AG

Run: 11th AG

Final Placing: 7th

So my point is - the times and paces tell one story. But the end result left me feeling like I had done what I set out to do - test myself, learn, and live to eat some vegan ice cream.

There are of course some things that I wish I had done better -

1. Not get a penalty

2. Concentrate more on form on the run - STAND UP TALL!

3. Run harder - I say this because I was able to pick up my pace in the last half mile stretch - which means that I was physically capable of more speed, but was limited by my mind.

My wish for myself and for my athletes this season and beyond is that we can focus less on times and pacing and more on working hard every second of the race. This type of focus is actually really hard, and I am far from perfecting it - but I love that I am able to keep plugging away each year at learning to suffer more and embrace the feeling of pushing myself and finding new limits.

Oh, and if you are still reading this - my tri bag was safe and sound tucked behind the hedges when I went to retrieve it :)

Thanks to all of my athletes and colleagues who inspire me to be a better version of myself each day - you are constantly on my mind when I race and for that I am beyond grateful.

Exercise in Pregnancy - with Evolve Athlete and OBGYN Dr. Anita Schnapp

One of the coolest things about Evolve is the variety of humans who make up the fabric of the team. At Evolve we have coached many athletes during and post pregnancy and we are lucky to also have an amazing OB as an athlete. If you have ever wondered about what do when you go from training for one to training with a baby on board, Dr. Schnapp has the answers.

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Every day, I am grateful for the internet.  As soon as my patients have a positive pregnancy test, they consult every mom group they can find.  By their first visit, they know they shouldn’t get a manicure (false), the gender of the baby based on any of 17 different methods (50/50), and that they should not raise their heart rate over 140 bpm during the pregnancy (absolutely false). 

 Historically, pregnant women have been treated differently in various cultures.  In Victorian England, pregnant women didn’t do anything physical for fear of “the vapors.”  I am not sure what “the vapors” are other than an excuse to lounge around for nine months.  I can’t imagine that a pioneer woman was too concerned about the vapors when survival depended on getting crops planted.  And of course, everyone has heard stories of women squatting in the rice paddy to deliver and going right back to work.

As with most things, the reality of exercise in pregnancy lies in the middle.  There are tremendous benefits to exercise in pregnancy.  Exercise increases blood flow to the placenta, which leads to good fetal growth.  Women who exercise are less likely to develop diabetes and high blood pressure during pregnancy, both of which can lead to early delivery and complications for mom and baby.  Exercise helps with sleep in pregnancy, which can be a challenge.  Women who exercise are more likely to have a vaginal delivery and a better recovery.  Perhaps the most important benefit is that exercise just makes you feel good.

 The flip side of exercise in pregnancy is that you can overdo it. Women can continue any activity for which they are trained.  But the changes of pregnancy will affect how you feel and your endurance.  First trimester, the hormonal changes can make you exhausted.  Nausea can be a limiting factor as well.  Changes in sugar metabolism partially drive nausea of pregnancy, making it critical that you have some kind of nutrition on longer workouts.  In second and third trimester, you need to be cautious with exercises that have you flat on your back.  There isn’t a specific cut-off or limit, you just have to watch for feeling light-headed or dizzy.  Breathing can become more challenging as your lungs are squashed.  Resting pulse increases in pregnancy as well, so if you train by heart rate, you will need to adjust.  Dehydration and overheating are real concerns due to the increased fluid demands in pregnancy and the personal furnace that you are carrying around.  As you hydrate, remember that your bladder is getting smashed by the baby so peeing on yourself is a definite possibility, but not at all worrisome. 

There are special considerations for triathletes.  Swimming is a wonderful exercise for pregnant women.  It almost makes you feel not pregnant to float in water.  Breathing can be the challenge.  Running is fine, but again, listening to your body and cutting runs short or decreasing pace as your body demands are important.  Cycling is the discipline most affected.  Your center of gravity is off, and your balance may suffer.  Spills during pregnancy can be more serious if you hit your belly.  Finally, getting comfortable on the saddle as you start to have more lower body swelling might be impossible.  In third trimester, your body makes a hormone called relaxin.  It allows the pelvis to open a little during delivery to give baby more room to get out.  It also makes it easier to overextend your joints while stretching or doing yoga. 

Of course, there are some women for whom exercise in pregnancy may be an issue.  If there are any complications like placenta previa, twin pregnancy, high blood pressure or multiple other considerations, your physician may give you other instructions or restrictions.  If you are in doubt about something, you can always consult the internet.  I’m sure you will find reliable answers there!