Spring Fever

Dear Friends,

Spring, don’t you just love it? The days are longer. The sun is brighter. Lush green hillsides with blossoms of every shape and color. Rebirth.

It’s sunny spring days that make us rejoice that the cold days of winter are behind us. But would it be so without the dark days of Winter? Would we appreciate the smell of a warm rain or explosion of color? For me, Spring also brings a cornucopia of races from Sea Otter to Wildflower, and a different place to play every weekend.

Much like spring, racing is a celebration of life. It’s a celebration of all the hard work and dedication it takes to make it to the starting line. And whether we finish first or fiftieth, it doesn’t matter. It is the training process that purges the feelings of entitlement and promotes catharsis that living in a capitalistic consumer centric society evokes. Racing allows for an appreciation for all the little things that we often overlook. It adds back the color and the texture that the constant barrage of advertising robs us of by dulling our senses.

I remember my first Sea Otter way back in 1992. I crashed multiple times, was covered head to toe in mud, and finished back of the pack shivering with soaked shoes and a soggy, gritty bottom. Post race, I remember washing the trail off my body, feeling the hot water rinse down my back as it created a stream of soot flowing to the drain. I remember the sensation of how dry the towel felt and the sensation of feeling coming back into my toes as they thawed. Later, sitting down to have a beer, I thought, pure liquid gold! I was just so happy to be clean and dry. I felt so lucky, I felt so ALIVE.

For me, like winter is to spring, racing is to life. I believe to truly appreciate comfort you must sacrifice all that is comfortable. Racing allows us to relish in the “sufferfest” of competition; all the while celebrating our physical and mental health. So check out the rest of the newsletter. There are a ton of events coming up and we are offering specials on all sorts of services to help you get to the starting line in race ready shape. And remember, if you really want “add” more to your life, put down your credit card, because money can’t buy the important things.

-Joel

 

Spring Specials

Purchase a complete bike fitting and receive one month of unlimited Performance Cycling classes free! (a $250 value)

Purchase a VO2max test (cycling or running) and receive one month of unlimited Accelerator small group training or Performance Cycling free! (a $250 value)

**Not to be combined with other offers or discounts. Promotions and e-coupons are valid only for new and returning inactive clients.

 

Save the Date!! Friday, April 26, BreakAway Performance is celebrating our Grand Opening of our new Pro Lab within Studiomix (1000 Van Ness). There will be free demo classes, open bar, small bites, music, and tons of chances to win awesome prizes. Studiomix will be celebrating their one-year anniversary as well, and they know how to throw a rockin’ party so you won’t want to miss this! Bring friends and come experience the next level of BreakAway Performance.

GRiT Training Returns Saturday group rides and Sunday swim/runs are back now that the sun has returned for good. Look out for email announcements detailing times and meeting locations.

New Race Kits Are In! I spent a quite a while to get the new kits just right and I think they look AWESOME.  Even if your not fast, you can still look fast!  Perception is reality! Take a look at the attachments to see the new design. Pre-Order now and get a FREE set of arm warmers. Same PRO level Louis Garneau quality as last time with full zip. Buy 3 items and save 10%.

Race Training Programs There are some amazing races and events coming up. Join us at the nation’s best, Sea Otter in April, Wildflower Tri in May, and the SF Marathon in June. These are fantastic California events. Let us create you a fully customized training plan and get you to the starting line race ready raring to go. Email angela@breakawaysf.com for more details. Training programs include:

• Customized periodization program based on your goals
• VO2max test to determine HR and intensity zones
• Running gait analysis to identify imbalances or weaknesses
• 2 weekly workouts– Accelerator strength training class and coached weekend long run or ride

 

Athlete of the Month

Nancy Raabe is our athlete of the month! She has worked extremely hard to get where she is today. See her success story below.

This is my fourth season participating in triathlons. I have been using different training groups for the past 2 seasons to help with my transition skills. This year I decided I needed more individualized attention, as I have had injuries in the past, and didn’t want to get hurt during training.

Training with Joel is like nothing I’ve ever done before. The sessionsare all about me and my individual needs. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and has put together a plan to help me succeed. My most challenging times with Joel are the strength sessions. I am pooped by the end of the warm up. I always thought I was a healthy eater, but Joel has revamped my diet and nutrition, and it is helping me get to race weight. In just one month I have lost 12 pounds and 5% body fat!

My goal for the Olympic course at Wildflower is to beat my time of 4 hours last year. Joel is helping me by making me leaner, fitter, and stronger which will translate into speed. I am planning on another Olympic a month after Wildflower, but depending how good I feel, I may attempt a half Iron distance instead. I have to say that Joel’s philosophy of “everything is simple, but not easy” rings true in everything from training to nutrition. I feel stronger and fitter, and believe that if I continue on this path I will achieve my goal of staying injury free.

 

Coach’s Corner

HIIT it hard! High Intensity Interval Training gives you all the same benefits of endurance training: increased fat utilization, increased muscle oxidative capacity (more mitochondria), increased insulin sensitivity, and more! The key is putting in a very hard effort that leaves you gasping for breath, but you should feel recovered by the beginning of the next interval. The most effective interval ratios are 1:1 or 1:2 (for example, two minutes hard and two or four minutes recovery).

Coach Angela’s favorite HIIT workout:
Warm up for 5-10 minutes at an easy pace. For the next 20-30 minutes, alternate one minute hard (8-9 effort out of 10) with one minute recovery pace. Cool down for 5-10 minutes after the intervals.

Upcoming Events 

• April 15- Boston Marathon
• April 21- Sea Otter Classic
• April 28- Big Sur Marathon
• May 4- Wildflower Triathlon
• June 16- San Francisco Marathon
• June 22- Mount Diablo Hill Climb TT
• July 13- Death Ride
• July 14- Vineman 70.3

 

BreakAway Performance Newsletter Archive

Here are some of our recent email newsletters.

04/12/2012 -Spring Pulse: The Pure Life

12/06/2011 – Merry Fitness

10/20/2011 – Off-Season Training: October Pulse

06/09/2011 Summer Pulse: Humble Pie

4/26/2011 - Bike Tune-Up

3/15/2011 – Spring Pulse

1/18/2011 – January Newsletter