Active Lifestyle: Looking Ahead to Spring

With Spring just around the corner, our triathlete Heather has increased her training regimen with Coach Barry Stokes that will steadily increase over the next few months.  She has been feeling strong and motivated during her twelve hour per week training that includes weights and long runs.  Heather is looking forward to warmer weather so she can start her outdoor bike rides.

Heather’s LASIK surgery was an essential piece to her active lifestyle, and I wanted to touch on another crucial piece to her rigorous training-healthy eating.  Working out twice a day and incorporating three different sports requires planning and organization when it comes to grocery shopping.  Once a week Heather purchases the same rotation of foods-fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, low-fat dairy, pasta, etc.  She always has the food prepared and packed the night before with her workout gear so nothing is left behind.

She rarely eats out because she prefers natural foods without preservatives and is also a vegetarian.  It’s easier to for her to bring breakfast, lunch, and snacks to work, and if she doesn’t eat properly her training suffers due to lack of energy.  All it takes for healthy eating is a little planning, and Heather usually treats herself to something chocolate or home-baked as a reward for her hard work.  Springtime also brings many local race opportunities and ways to stay active here in Louisville- stay tuned for more information!

Active Lifestyle: Vision for 2013

Last time we checked in with Heather, she was in recovery mode after Ironman Louisville and taking some down time to focus on her training plan for the new year. She recovered from her Lasik surgery with no problems and her 20/20 vision was the envy of relatives during the holidays. She’s looking forward to having one less expense this year, and with long hours of training ahead she doesn’t have to worry about losing a contact or keeping extras with her.

Heather recently met with Barry Stokes to begin training and planning out her year. In addition to Ironman Louisville she is doing a half Ironman in Muncie, IN and just signed up for an adventure: Ironman 70.3 in St. Croix this summer. The race is referred to as “Beauty and the Beast” and consists of biking up a giant hill. We look forward to documenting Heather’s journey and all the exciting things to come!

Active Lifestyle: Fall Season

Now that Ironman is behind us, it’s time to focus on staying active in the off season.  Meet Heather Wilson, another Barry S Coaching athlete and resent LASIK patient at John-Kenyon.  We will be following Heather through her fall training and show how getting LASIK a little later in life can still have a huge impact on your lifestyle.

Heather started running 10 years ago and since then has done about 60 road races, including 8 marathons. She completed her first triathlon in March of 2011 and has done 6 total, including one half-Ironman in Florida and Ironman Louisville. Louisville was her first full IM distance and it also happened to fall on her 40th birthday!

She didn’t think much about Ironman until 3 years ago when she watched a friend finish the race at 4th Street Live. At the time she had never swam a lap in her life and had only ridden a bike as a kid.  However, seeing the race sparked her interest and inspired her to be an Ironman, even though it seemed completely impossible at the time.

IM training requires a lot of time spent outdoors, discipline, and organization. It’s somewhat solitary, and seemed to fit Heather’s quiet personality and gave her confidence and fulfillment.  She took swimming lessons, bought a bike, and did some training on her own for a couple of years.  After signing up for Ironman Louisville, she  knew it was serious business and she would need some expert help.  By working with Barry Stokes for 9 months, she learned and worked very hard and always tried to enjoy the experience. Thanks to Barry and swim coach Mike, when Ironman day came she was 100% confident that she would finish the race because she was prepared for every minute of the 14 hours and 45 minutes it took. Without a doubt, Ironman was a life changing experience for Heather and she looks forward to continuing to challenge herself daily and share her journey!

Active Lifestyle: Seeing The Future

Lynsie was really hoping the third time was a charm with this Ironman.  After being coached by Barry Stokes for a full year and feeling as fit as she has ever been coming into a race like this, her third ironman distance race was the toughest ever!  Due to the water conditions, headwinds on the bike course and boiling hot temps on the run, commentators dubbed Ironman Louisville 2012 to have handed the athletes some of the harshest conditions this race venue has seen in 4-5 years.  The silver lining to the heat was that for all of the curve balls Lynsie was thrown on race day, none of them involved contacts or eye problems!  Just a month post-LASIK, this was the first triathlon in which Lynsie didn’t have to worry about leaky goggles affecting her contacts or losing a contact during those treacherous headwinds on the bike.  She reports back that her eyes felt great the entire race.  And although some LASIK patients report some minor problems with vision at night, she took time to notice  that she had no vision problems as she was running to the finish line at 4^th Street Live in the dark with only the bright lights of the bars and the finish line fanfare to guide her.  She also suffered no other side effects from the procedure, including dry eyes, and hasn’t had to touch her eye drops in weeks.  Given the race day conditions, Lynsie can’t decide what she’s most excited about – her new eyes or the fact that Ironman Louisville 2012 is over and in the books!

Active Lifestyle: Race Vision

Ironman weekend is finally here, and Lynsie has been mentally rehearsing race day for the past several weeks.  She is in a big taper week, meaning she has had two days off. Her other workouts have been short with some intensity to continue fitness gains. On Wednesday  evening she reviewed her nutrition, pacing plans, and “Plans B & C” should “the wheels come off”.  Tomorrow she will swim on the course for about 15 minutes, complete a 10 to 15 minute bike ride to insure bike is working properly, and run about 10 miles.  Meals, sleep, and staying off her feet are the main priorities this week.  Coach Barry Stokes and the rest of his team convened for dinner on Wednesday to help calm the nerves and answer any last minute race questions.  Best of luck to all the athletes on Sunday, all your hard work is about to pay off!  For more training information and ways to get involved this weekend, check out Barry S Coaching.

Active Lifestyle: Ironman In Sight

With the Ironman just around the corner, our resident triathlete Lynsie is on the homestretch.  Her recovery after LASIK went smoothly and she was up and running three days later (pun intended).  Among other smaller workouts, she completed a 15 mile run and 110 mile bike ride within a week of the procedure, all without incident.  She took a full week off swimming to prevent infection from public waters, but has been back at it with no issues.  Lynsie is feeling race ready for Ironman Louisville on August 26th, and the LASIK procedure did not cause any hiccups in her training with Barry S Coaching.  We’ll be back next week to document Lynsie’s pre-race preparation as we get closer to the event.

Active Lifestyle: Setting a New Pace

Meet Lynsie Gaddis, a local Louisville attorney by day and endurance athlete by night.  After graduating from law school and beginning her career as a civil trial attorney eight years ago, Lynsie was looking for a way to manage the high stress that comes with practicing law.  She signed up to train for her first marathon has been doing it ever since.  Her resume includes finishing ten marathons and many triathlons. She just returned from completing the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon in San Francisco and is set to compete in Ironman Louisville August 26th under the supervision of Barry Stokes, owner of Barry S Coaching.

Training for a 140.6 mile race that involves three different disciplines is high maintenance enough, and Lynsie spends as much time packing her car as she does training.  She is so excited to have one less thing to have to worry about after her LASIK surgery-the dreaded issues with triathlon training and contacts.  No longer will Lynsie have to worry about cramming contacts into her eyes at 5 am before a swim workout, losing a contact in the river, or something irritating her contact while riding her bike.  The procedure will no doubt be a benefit to her active lifestyle, and we will continue to document Lynsie’s training journey and every day life after LASIK.

Active Lifestyle: A Visionary Partnership

We recently had the opportunity to create a unique partnership with Barry Stokes, a triathlon and endurance coach and owner of Barry S Coaching here in Louisville.  After hearing Barry’s story, we were truly impressed with his program and the athletes he represents.  These people embody an active lifestyle and continue to be an inspiration to others daily. This blog will focus on local athletes and how LASIK has changed their lives as well as document their training along the way.

Next week you’ll meet local triathlete Lynsie Gaddis, a recent LASIK patient and Ironman competitor. You can learn more about Barry S Coaching by clicking on the image below.