Finding Optimal Nutrition

Learn More @ FoodnSport

Since November 2010, I've been on a health and nutrition journey to heal my asthma that has plagued my athletic potential since the age of 4. After many changes, many mistakes and many lessons learned, I came across a high carb, high fruit, vegan lifestyle this past spring; however I didn't do that right either! But since mid July, when I finally sat down and read the book, I learned exactly what I needed to do to make this lifestyle work. Since then I've experienced incredible changes in my performance and general health. Yes it is too short a time for me to act as a representative of this lifestyle, but if you are interested you should learn more yourself. Watch Dr. Graham's short video now.

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Kristen's Adventure

Kristen

"13,000 ft, gravel climbing, single lane and unknown distance" was the message I received two months ahead of the Rapha Women's Prestige last winter. An old skiing friend was in need of fast legs to keep up with her fellow tarmac crushers as they competed as a team in the 2nd annual event on and around the slopes of San Francisco's Mt. Tam.

Rapha Film: "The bird's still remember what we have forgotten".

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Kinesio Majo w/ demo video

Majorie Lauzon

Well I'm two weeks into the off-season and I'm happy to report that the CT Scan on my scapula came back with good news. The fracture I suffered on  Tour of Alberta's windy Stage 3 to Drummheller did not extend through to the socket of the shoulder, which makes sense because if it did I would have been in a lot more pain than I was already. Fortunately I was able to suffer through the last two days of the tour and finish in downtown Calgary with my teammates. Throughout the week's effort, the team scored two top ten results and spend 2 days in the all-day breakaway so it was a moderate success, one in which to take confidence but also many lessons learned into the off-season. The atmosphere in and around the event was everything I hoped it would be and I hope to get a chance to go back! Click for CyclinginaToque Episodes.

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Witnessing Transformations

A testimonial

I remember the moment well. Sitting across the table, surrounded by old cycling memorabilia and the scent of dates squares and cappuccino, is a driven yet uncertain young man dressed in a tight-fitting neon green superman costume.  No it is not the Green Lantern having a mental breakdown or some kind of prehistoric merman attempting an evolutionary epiphany to the world of "da landlubers", but a new coaching client who I, at the time, had no idea would push me to become the coach I am today.

Seemingly indecisive, his eyes dance between the white espresso cup in his hands and a far off land in his mind. Having surfed his way out of an ocean in indecision and scaled a rocky perch, he now sits on the edge of his chair more in realization as opposed to contemplation.  A vast land of foreboding challenges, adventure and danger lie ahead, the thunderous crash of the waves upon his rocky perch push him to step away from the requiem of his past life, boldly charging into the future. He looks up with a smile, relaxes his shoulders and is ready to go. 

This is his story. Thank you Dan.

Toque Torque: New Client Bonanza!

Chris Uberti & I gravel it up in Athens. GA

So whenever I stop blogging it usually means one of two things, I'm either cracked or just overwhelmed. Fortunately recently the latter has dogged by writing time, which is especially important since I better not be cracked...the season is only 20 days away! Why have I been so busy? Fortunately Toque Torque Coaching has welcomed a few new clients as the online registrations open for summer gran fondos and races.

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Skillz

Manual For Speed

π Challenge 5:
Cycling is a combination of physiological talent (ability to utilize oxygen and go up hill) and skill (ability to manoeuvre one’s bike along the course and through the pack). One cannot improve one’s talent; one can only develop their physiological and psychological potential over a long period of time.  However, one can improve one’s skill set very quickly; therefore it becomes a rider’s obligation to become as skilled on their bicycle as possible prior to racing season.  

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Toque Torque: Dan Gronross

This week's Toque Torque Coaching update comes from one of my newer clients, Dan Gronross of Vancouver, Canada.  Since last September, Dan has been able to discover great balance in his life through cycling and after a very successful cyclocross season (both on and off the bike), he is really starting to gain momentum as the days lengthen and the spring approaches. Like all of my clients, Dan has embraced the challenge of asking himself the big questions to which only he knows the answers, these are the questions that we all must ask ourselves when we are deciding to pursue a new sport, a new career or a new passion. Can I sum those questions up into just one sentence? I'll try.

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Ain't no time like the present!

Daffy

It's the holiday season again and everyone likes to give themselves a present right? Well then try the gift of a caffeine-free lifestyle. A number of my coaching clients have recently challenged themselves with this journey of detoxification and are now, just two weeks later, realizing large improvements to their health and fitness.


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1 Step Forward

Don't be frog...become a ninja turtle!

We've all heard it before, the old frog in the well story: "2 steps forward, 1 step back". Similar to the ancient Japanese Proverb "Fall seven times, get up eight", it inspires one to be patient  and persevere. This time of year it is all about avoiding the flu, and if you could strengthen your body to the point where you no longer took those inevitable steps backwards, would you?

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Mini Camps

Ride till it's dark

December is a tricky time of year for cyclists with too much time on their hands. How hard should I train? I don't want to burn out! But I don't want to waste my time! What to do?

Step 1: Look at your race season. How many days of stress are you going to be dealing with? Multiple days in a row?


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Clear your mind

Ask yourself and listen,
especially before listening and asking others

Trends are cool, patterns are powerful, fractals are fundamental and so is meditation. If you haven't tried meditation yet..."it sounds hard, I don't get it, sounds boring", then I would strongly suggest you invest some more time in yourself.

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Toque Torque: New Client Success

It's early December so that means that training is starting to get a little bit more focused. On the coaching side, the last few months have involved a lot of cyclocross work and some weightlifting for my clients at Toque Torque Coaching. I'm happy to share with you some of their recent insight and successes.

Molly and Lizzie @ Marymoor Velodrome

From the collegiate side, Molly and Lizzie got a chance to try out track cycling this summer and have since transitioned into their first experience at cyclocross. Although they have both been busy with senior year, their have been able to find a great balance between their racing and training. Neither of them had no idea that they would love cyclocross as much as they have.



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The Toque Torque Experience: By Don Harlan

To sum it up; “The Coach Who Cares”!  Every thing I read said to find a coach who cares.  Where else will you find a coach who cares about an OLD Masters rookie, has the patience to coach a novice, reads every training note you care to write, provides a weekly one on one personal training review, offers a comprehensive training philosophy and all the training plans, logs, gym workouts, stretching exercises, general health articles etc, etc etc:  It’s a long list.  And; do all of that while having a fantastic 2012 season and becoming the Canadian National Crit Champion -- That would be “Coach” Ben Chaddock, Toque Torque Cycling!




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Toque Torque Coaching: 2013

So with Gran Fondo season winding down and the leaves starting to fall, you might still be enjoying some of that 'super form' you experienced during your fondo adventures.  If so, nothing beats the effortless pedaling sensation of peak fitness, especially when free of pre-event performance anxiety.   But if your summer training and Gran Fondo experience didn't work out as well as you hoped, have you considered working with a personal coach?

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Killer Tomatoes & Gran Fondos

The end of the summer is almost upon us which means that it's THE ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES...I mean Gran Fondos! If you have been training for such an event, I wish you sunshine, good sensations and no flat tires! One of my former ski racing coaches, Andrew Lambert, is also currently preparing for a summer's-end bike ride in Revelstoke, BC. The route is a 27km hill climb along the scenic road up Mt. Revelstoke.  I thought Andrew's training blog would a great way to introduce some of
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Pass the Sea Salt

Spidertech: For Recovery & Travel

As the summer creeps up, this week's Toque Torque Coaching training tip discusses cramping! After a bad episode of cramping at the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston, Alabama, I reassessed my electrolyte education. And after seven cramp-free races at Speedweek, here is are some of the tips I've picked up.

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Need a Coach?

2011 Canadian Nationals

Well you are in luck because as the collegiate cycling season winds up with Nationals this weekend, I have a bunch of openings with the Gran Fondo season just on the horizon!

I have been coaching for two seasons now and have helped a wide variety of riders reach their goals. If you are interested in learning more about training for your next century ride or looking to top up your form before the local race series kicks off, get in touch and we can start right away.

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Asthma Solutions

MFS: The Only Way to Survive

Over the past six months I have made some significant headway in narrowing down what affects my asthma. After years of spontaneously suffering from tightness in the chest, I could no longer afford the possibility of my asthma negatively affecting my job performance. I went after every information source I could from journals to websites to anecdotal accounts and everything in between.

The results in brief:

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Taking it to the Wolf

MUSIC

Discovering the factors and methods behind successfully building one's fitness is a fulfilling adventure that takes years, but helping other athletes make those same discoveries is much more satisfying on a daily basis. You can see it in their eyes, you can here it in their voice; they are accomplishing their goals faster than they thought possible, they are feeling better than they thought they would, they are making the 2012 season their own.
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Bricks = House...right?

Music: La Maitresse Aux Yeux D'Or

It's long been said that building fitness is like constructing a house. So whether you are just gearing up for a summer of Gran Fondos or washing the bike for this weekend's opening race, take a moment to consider just what it is that you're building. What materials are you going to use? How fast do you intend to build? It is made to last your family 80 years or just serve as a toolshed? Are you responsible for every nail and board or do you have someone helping with the tricky bits? If so, do you understand why those tricky bits are tricky and could you complete those bits yourself is required? But perhaps most important is who are you building the house for? You, your parents, your spouse and family, or the local guys at the bar just to show them you really could follow through and get 'er done all this time that you've been shooting your mouth off.

The first race of the season is over. The roof is on, the plumbing is in and the electrical circuits haven't burnt anything down yet. But there are still some very important parts to be finalized, like all the pieces of the house that make it a home. That make living on a daily basis more comfortable, that make it easier to go out into the real world and earn that paycheck. March racing is like the first two weeks. You find out the little details...are the pots, pan and cooking utensils in the wrong spot? Did you totally blow the wall colors and will eventually need to repaint? Is it a relaxing space that also accommodates a stress-free commute to work?  These opening races can be used productively to fine tune your routine and form if gone about in the right manner, or you can let them run you into the ground. They are an opportunity to craft your home from that of a sturdy, rain-repelling structure to a functional and productive living space, a sanctuary for the many unforeseen stresses of the months ahead.

This week I am staying with my good friend Ysbrand in Palo Alto, California to complete my final preparations before the NRC season kicks off in earnest next weekend at San Dimas and Redlands. The weather is gorgeous and the roads pristine, just what I need to fine tune my racing nutrition and interval training after picking up some good insights at Merco. Fortunately the reactions have been very positive and I lend that entirely to the clean burning fuels I've been providing my mind, body and spirit with since early November under the tutelage of my coach @Generic Nutrition. And since a lot of these changes have moved against the grain of traditional sports nutrition, I guess you could say I haven't been building with brick at all!

Speaking of unconventional nutritional, my friend from Jessie shares the latest from Minneapolis' fight for small urban gardens. More info here.