Qualifying for the World 70.3 Championship Athletes gain entry into the Ironman World Championship 70.3 one of two ways: by earning a qualifying slot at one of the qualifying events held worldwide or through the Physically Challenged Lottery........ Read more....

Training with and through an Injury It started out just feeling funny. You know, a little tweak on the outside of the knee. I figured I�d give it a day and it would be fine. I�m a runner. Runners get these things sometimes. I tried running again and it felt about the same, although it hurt a little more this time. I gave it two days the next time, and then I tried again. And again. And again...... Read more....

Food as Medicine A close friend of mine found a lump in her breast seven years ago. She learned a few weeks later that it was stage 4 breast cancer, and that the cancer had moved into her lymph nodes. That lump changed her life. She has two children who were five and seven years old at the time and even now I feel my heart tighten up at the disaster that could have ensued....... Read more....

What a difference a year makes What a difference a year makes. In 2011 after having my first child, (that was 2010) I decided it was time to move off the road and do something new and different. I had started �mountain biking� way before I got into triathlon, but I would not have called myself a mountain biker. I would occasionally venture out onto the C&O Canal back when I was living in Arlington. Then upon moving to Reston, I found Lake Fairfax and started riding single track.... Read more....

Triple T Race Summary I had my hesitations going into the Triple T race, starting with a 7 � hour drive each way. But it�s not a bad drive, and once you�re there, Shawnee State Park and Shawnee State Forest are beautiful. 2012 was amazing weather to compliment the gorgeous natural surroundings, too..... Read more....

Ready for an Ironman? One of the key races that some of our team members have chosen to participate in this year is the Lake Placid Ironman. It is a race that many FeXY team members have been challenged to do; both novice and seasoned Ironman athletes. Below, is an interview of two athletes preparing for this particular Ironman race.... Read more....

Swimming with the Masters I think most people experience the same fears I had before attending my first masters swim practice. Despite growing up swimming on a swim team, I was nervous. What if I wasn�t fast enough? What if I couldn�t finish the workout? What if I looked stupid or had the wrong equipment? I almost talked myself out of it, but knowing that I had my first triathlon coming up and getting to the pool on my own was not happening..... Read more....

The Pregnant Triathlete�s Guide to the First Trimester It�s been an interesting transition going from training and racing triathlon to preparing my body and mind for motherhood. As I have learned, the competitiveness and intensity that have made me a solid athlete have made me a terrible pregnant lady. The last 14 weeks have been a whirlwind of emotions and physical changes. It�s interesting that with as commonplace as pregnancy is.... Read more....

Should I or shouldn�t I drink? Only you can answer that question. It�s so personal. And it�s a choice you�ll make too many times to count. And I won�t tell you what you should � or shouldn�t do - since we live in (or close to) D.C. where our lawmakers are supposed to debate important and sensitive topics and issues, to make sure they consider all sides, let�s follow suit and take a look to help you make an educated choice..... Read more....

Destination Cozumel As most people were waking up on Thanksgiving and starting preparations for a feast, Brad and I were boarding a plane bound for Cancun. The destination was Cozumel and after a full day of travel with nearly all modes of transportation, we arrived at our all-inclusive resort in the late afternoon. The island was packed with Ironman competitors and spectators from all over.... Read more....

Time to go off road You should put an XTERRA event on your schedule this year. Here�s why: XTERRA will allow you to mix things up and will add some variation in your racing and training. Instead of spending hours in someone�s garage this winter, sneak out into the woods, let the trees block the wind and improve your bike skills..... Read more....

The Importance of TEAM Before I joined Team FeXY in early 2011, I had not been on a competitive sports team since my high school days. While, I was part of many amazing groups during college, I incredibly missed being part of a team that was there for the common purpose of striving to be the best while pushing each other beyond their perceived physical capacities.... Read more....

Racing Kona 2011 No matter how many Ironman races I�ve completed, the pre-race feelings never seem to change. The combination of nerves, excitement, determination, and countless other emotions that come and go in the moments before the start..... Read more....

My Road to Multi-Sport and Transitioning from Duathlon to Triathlon I call myself a triathlete, but triathlon isn�t my �real� job. It certainly doesn�t pay the bills. Actually (as you well know!) triathlon is the biggest bill I have besides my rent. So, when I am not coaching my lovely group of adolescents on the cross country course (sarcasm) or teaching my dear Montessori children in motor skills, I am.... Read more....

The Time Zone Challenge Do you find yourself painstakingly assessing your training in number of workouts, ounces of food, speed, watts, hours of sleep, body weight, and heart rate? We submit this information into tools like Training Peaks ^� or GarminConnect^� ..... Read more....

The Rules of Rest One of the most difficult codes to crack in any triathlete�s athletic career is the secret to optimal recovery. Using the right recovery strategy after daily workouts, races, and from season to season ensures that you get the most from your training and will enhance race performance. ...... Read more....

The Learning Curve For the past few years, I�ve been in love with the marathon. I�d sign up for another marathon weeks after finishing one, and rarely allow myself any sort of �off-season.� After finally qualifying for and running Boston, I had to admit to myself that I had hit a bit of a plateau. ...... Read more....

Ironman Lake Placid Race Suggestions Lake Placid is a gorgeous, hilly, scenic, challenging and forgiving course. Having familiarized myself with the area in my first ironman last year, Lake Placid and what helped and what would have helped going into the race is still fresh in my mind, much like a car crash, where every detail is remembered clearly and in slow motion. ...... Read more....

Shamrock Marathon Race Report 2011 Pushing my aching body down the VA beach boardwalk, finish line in sight��Pain is Temporary� I muttered under my breath��pain is temporary.� One foot pushing off from another, arms pumping, face scowling, I pass mile 26, reality hits�I really did this�I turned my short lived dreams into reality. ...... Read more....

Goals A look back at your season�s accomplishments can be rewarding. Goal setting provides a way to measure your success throughout a period of time. More importantly, goals help us to maintain a focus on the future ...... Read more....

My Year Long Lesson on Mental Toughness Something in my life was missing however and for the longest time I couldn�t put a finger on it. I actually knew what it was all along yet hesitated in pursuing it.... Read more....

�So, which one is the best?� There are plenty of people who have been racing Ironman for longer than myself and I certainly haven�t done all the Ironman races, but I have reached a point where I get asked a pretty common question:...... Read more....

Giving Back: The common thread in our volunteer t-shirts Look up the word Volunteer in any dictionary and you�re likely to find the definition you want. You�re also likely to find the definition you don�t want.... Read more....

Ironman Lake Placid At the end of the day it is all about racing and finishing an Ironman. Even triathlon �newbies� harbor desires of some day completing an Ironman...... Read more....

View from the Back Today at track I heard the coach from Reston Runners calling out pace times. 6:40-7:00, 7:00-7:20, etc. Then instead of saying 10:00-whatever, she just called out slowpokes. Yep, that�s my group. We don�t get times, we get a name!.... Read more....

Running smart or how to recover from an injury and PR About eight months ago I received an injury that became a turning point in my training. this article is a retrospective of my training/racing since that injury. .... Read more....

Rumpus in Bumpass In some ways those dark, early morning hours heading to FeXY trainer sessions in the snow seem so long ago. In others, they feel like they were just yesterday. It�s the classic triathlon season time-warp.... Read more....

Carbohydrate Cocktail Since initially being proposed in the 1920�s, consuming carbohydrate during exercise can lead to an improvement in performance for an endurance event like cycling or running by offsetting the body�s usage of it�s own limited carbohydrate stores. However, your body can only absorb and utilize so much ingested carbohydrate at a time. BUT, what if it could absorb and utilize more? Would there be a performance benefit?.... Read more....

Rocking at the 2010 Shamrock Marathon This year there were over 6500 finishers in the half and over 2600 finishers in the full marathon; enough runners to know you aren�t suffering alone but not so many to knock you out of the zone!. You can maintain your rhythm because you aren�t trapped in a mass of people.... Read more....

The Upside of downtime The off-season can be a funny thing. By definition, it�s known as �a time of suspended or reduced activity.� It�s a good time to put your feet up, clear some space on the DVR, and flip through the pages of every Runner�s World, Bicycling, and Triathlete magazine that has been left to collect dust on your coffee table... Read more....

FeXY Fun - Shamrock Marathon 2010 It is all about having fun. I was at Bonzai today helping with the clinic they were putting on for the Reston Sprint Triathlon. This particular one was geared to first timers and the word that was said the most was �fun�. If we aren�t having fun, why do it? Read more....

Bags, Bags Everywhere Making the leap to Ironman is a daunting task for any triathlete. The distance seems impossible and the training requires months of dedication and sacrifice. Once the training is complete and race week approaches, the first time Ironman faces a new challenge... Read more....

Team FeXY Concludes the Season with Success Rewind seven months to a chilly weekend in April, and Team FeXY had two members shivering under a tent in Bumpass, Virginia, for an early season triathlon. Read more....

Luray Race Weekend The weekend of August 15 will be an action packed weekend for Team FeXY. Over twenty-nine Team FeXY members will be racing and volunteering in the Luray Triathlons in scenic Luray. Read more....

Gearing up for Philadelphia
The last official Team FeXY race event of the year will be the Philadelphia Marathon held on November 22, 2009. In addition to the marathon, there is a Half Marathon, 8k and Kids Fun run. This is a fast course and ideal for going for that PR or taking that shot at qualifying for Boston. Read more....

Transitioning Between Triathlon Seasons
With the triathlon season winding down, for most of us in North America, with the exception of a few late season races like Ironman Florida, Beach to Battleship and Ironman Arizona, it's a good time to think about what to do next Read more....

Long Distance Physiological Stresses
Expenditure for participants Ironman events can range from 7,500 to 12,000 kcal over the course of the day. In order to intake this amount of calories in a day while performing exercise is a true balancing act. Read more....

Running the Right Pace
The marathon is 26.2 miles of patience and pacing. You will have your best marathon results if you run the second half of your marathon at or faster than your first half pace. In fact the marathon should be 26, 1 mile repetitions at the same pace. Read more....

Rest Today to Train Tomorrow
Most athletes that participate in triathlons are competitive by nature; type A if you will.During the season they often find themselves exhausted from work, life commitments and training. The term "off season" is really split into three parts: Recovery, Maintenance and Base. Read more....

Miles to Race Day
Training for 50K will not differ much from what you would do to be well prepared for a marathon. The exception would be is that most people training for a marathon do not actually do enough long runs over 20 miles and even fewer do any at 22 or more. Read more....

Working on the Swim As I have said often, most triathlete�s can�t swim and do not know the basic fundamentals of swimming. Regardless, a person will become faster by swimming more despite form because they become more proficient and fit doing what ever they are doing. However, for the most part, people get tired after 1500-2500 and form deteriorates. Read more....

Offseason Workout Tips
Whether you are a man interested in beginning training or continuing your training so that you can compete during the sport's season, having a proper triathlon offseason workout is critical. Read more....