Elizebeth Inpyn Workout Wednesday

Where shall I begin? Elizabeth Inpyn is an all around amazing athelete and person. Her passion for the sport is contagious and you cant help but want to lace up your running shoes, hop on your bike or jump in for a swim when following her instagram page. It is hard to come across women who share the same passions and are just as ambitious about training as you are. I am honored to call her a friend and to have her here on my blog. Get a glimpse into her 5 hour plus training day and find out how she fuels her day!Hi Running On Veggies Readers!

What a privilege to be guest posting.  I’m Elizabeth Inpyn – a former collegiate swimmer turned triathlete and sports nutritionist. I’m a huge fan and follower of Lottie and her amazing healthy and delicious recipes. It’s hard to highlight a typical ‘day in the life’ of a triathlete – 3 sports plus strength training and recovery days mean the plan is always changing. I focused on my Saturday session because it provided the most interesting and realistic training and food mix.

4:00am- Buzzzzzz: Alarm goes off and I just can’t believe it’s morning already. I swear my head just hit the pillow. I can’t eat before swim practice – but I’m already looking forward to breakfast. Swimming makes me ravenous. I do have a small glass of water and take my Sound Probiotics and L-Glutamine pills. Gotta keep that gut healthy!

5-7:00- In the pool: I’m getting my swim on today and usually three days a week. Depending on what part of my triathlon season I’m in determines the workout. These days I don’t have a race on the calendar so it’s all about maintaining fitness. Swimming is an amazing cross training workout for runners, yogis and cross fit fans. It’s gentle on the joints and still provides one heck of a workout.

 If you want to give it a try- look up local Masters swimming clubs in your area or find a community/gym pool with ‘open swim’ hours. You can do laps or aqua jog – don’t laugh! Aqua jogging is harder than it looks and something I used religiously during my series of stress fractures to stay in shape. Elite runners use it all the time!

7:30am – My first cup of tea: I’m almost always cold after practice so this is such a treat. I love any and all kinds of tea but most mornings its Yogi Green Tea Kombucha w/ stevia and French vanilla creamer. I know- horrible chemical laden beverage but it’s my one indulgence and I’m just not willing to give it up. Plus I truly believe they put something addicting in there; my first sip and I was hooked.

8:15am – Recovery Green Smoothie: My body craves these in the morning, I swear. I pack mine with soooo many nutrient dense foods that it becomes more meal than beverage. I mix things up daily based on training, taste, vitamins and minerals I think my body needs etc.

Today’s mix is 1 c unsweetened cashew milk, 1 scoop Vega One French Vanilla, 1 Tbsp collagen, 2 Tbsp ground flax seed, 1/3 c frozen dark cherries, 2 Tbsp MCT oil, 2 Tbsp Maca, 1 Tbsp Chlorella, a huge piece of peeled fresh ginger (maybe the size of 2 cherry tomatoes). Blend it all in the good old Vitamix and enjoy.

 I also take a high dose Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 pill – I had a DEXA scan that showed low bone density so if I want to keep running and hopefully have kids someday I need to constantly monitor and keep my levels in check. If you’re taking Vitamin D be sure to take it with K2 – helps absorption.

9:30am-1:30pm – On the bike:  It’s time for my long ride. Since I’ve just eaten I won’t be hungry or need refueling for at least 2 hours. Hydration however is another story. The biggest nutrition lesson I’ve learned over the years is how much being properly hydrated effects my performance. When I’m hydrated I can run faster, ride longer and feel 100% better than if I’m not. I’m a heavy sweat-er… I mean a serious sweat machine. I can lose 3-6lbs on a hot run or indoor trainer ride. Since I know this about myself I start hydrating immediately. I use SOS Rehydrate for all of my long or hard sessions and races. For this 4hr ride today I’ll go through 2 bottles of SOS w/ water and 1 bottle of pure ice-cold water.Bike Workout:

Tip – make sure your hydration beverage of choice is ice cold; faster uptake of electrolytes into your system. For food on the bike I’ll have 1 bottle with water and Generation UCAN. Today this is all I need – longer rides I’ll add in PocketFuels nut butters or Picky Bars or Health Warrior Chia bars. At 3 hours in, I take about 5 Perfect Amino pills because I know my muscles are depleted and I still have 2 hours of training. By taking these now I’m already beginning to help my body recover.

1:30-2:30pm – Run:  This is what triathletes call a ‘brick’ session, where you combine 2 workouts back to back to mimic race day. I’m home visiting my family and my mom is the sweetest training buddy. She’s always worried I’m overheating or starving so when I jump off bike there she is standing in the driveway with an ice cold wet towel and a bowl of freshly sliced watermelon. How do you turn that down… oh so tasty and refreshing (the temperature is well over 100). I’m off and running and really won’t eat or drink anything until I’m done.Run Workout:

10min easy running – I have a tendency to burst off the bike and run a crazy fast first mile so we are practicing slowing things down and easing into the run. 6 miles at the slow end of my 70.3 pace trying to keep heartrate down below 150. Its really hot out so that proved challenging. 

3:00pm – LUNCH!! Late time for lunch I know but it’s a Saturday and this is the reality of a 5+ hour training day. Things just get pushed back and you adjust. It isn’t always like this but most triathletes have long workouts at least once a week and I wanted to share a real glimpse of my life. Today’s lunch consists of a big sandwich – toasted gluten-free bread, hummus, lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, hemp seeds, marinated and grilled tempeh and a whole avocado sliced on top. I was so hungry I ate about a quarter of the avocado while making the sandwich. I should buy an avocado farm like Jason Mraz- I eat one every single day- no joke… EVERY day = 1 avocado.Along with the sandwich I slice an apple and eat a big handful of sweet potato chips. I’m a chip girl- our house always has at least 4 bags of different varieties of Food Should Taste So Good chips. Our favorites are the sweet potato, lime, olive and jalapeno. And last but certainly not least is Diet Peach Snapple. If you live in the greater Atlanta area chances are you’re never able to find it in stores because I have stockpiled every bottle like I’m preparing for armageddon. We have a large lower cabinet just for Diet Peach Snapple. I limit myself to 2 glasses a day but with two of us in the house this stuff goes fast and heaven forbid I run out.5:00pm – Hydration and social media checking: – It’s time to drink.  Nope, not that.  l fill one bike bottle with ice water and a Nuun tablet. This doesn’t have enough sodium for an actual workout hydration beverage but it’s an awesome everyday ‘keep your hydration levels up’ drink. I play a little game with myself – I have to finish the bottle before I’m done reading through Instagram posts.

 7:30pm – Dinner time:  Usually I like to eat around 6:00 but on the weekends we dine like normal people. I often think I’d be happy with the senior citizens eating at 5:30 and then being in bed by 8… maybe someday. To put it mildly, I absolutely love to cook – it’s my unwinding time at the end of the day. I look forward to it; especially now that I have someone to cook for other than myself. My usual routine looks like this- turn on music, sing along with the music, dance around the kitchen, realize I’m out of breath and start chopping. Tonight it’s a BAS (big ass salad) with grilled wild salmon, blueberries, grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, snap peas, raw pistachios and a mix of 2 cups arugula and spinach.

New obsession – homemade croutons! I know this isn’t anything new to most of you but I just never took the time to buy bread and bake my own. My mom made some for a salad and they were the best croutons I’d ever had. I don’t usually add them but tonight I was feeling “chef-like” and knew the salad needed a little crunch. To accompany the salad I had a glass of wine – one of my swimming buddies works for Taft Wines and he sent a few bottles as a ‘we miss you’ gift. I have maybe one glass of wine a week so sharing it with my family was the perfect opportunity. I highly recommend them – superb.

9:00pm – Tea or Water and my Normatec Recovery Boots:  Before bed, I almost always have a cup of tea – it soothes me, and puts me right to sleep. The ‘secret to my success’ aside from really focusing on nutrition are these Normatec Boots – they are like a giant TIGHT hug for my exhausted legs. You zip these things on and let them do their magic. I will fall asleep so usually Alex wakes me up or I set an alarm.

They are quite pricy but there are other great tools I couldn’t live without that you can use anywhere (when I was traveling for work I always had a lacrosse ball and mini foam roller in my carry-on). A little tip- never just sit and watch TV – use that time for recovery – foam roller, lacrosse ball in digging into the hips, dynamic stretching… anything to loosen up the muscles and joints.

And there you have it… a day in the life of a regular triathlete. Just to keep things interesting I wanted to share a few of my non-food favorite training essentials:

1. Oiselle run shorts – I know everyone loves Lulu but these shorts are designed by runners, for runners and are by far the best shorts I’ve ever run in.
   
2. SMASH gear – yes, I’m captain of their race team so I’m a bit biased but I wore their stuff long before I was asked to join the team. I always have on one of their trucker hats, get complimented every time I wear their bold cycling kits and for those of you who aren’t into triathlon, the water bottles are bright pink and perfect for the gym!
3. Plaid Lab Studio jewelry – I always, always, always have one of Ginger’s bracelets or necklaces one. It’s my one touch of ‘girl’ and her designs are just beautiful. When I’m working hard I look down and feel motivated – I pretend they are my warrior cuffs (think Super Woman).
4. YurBuds earphones – I’d be lost without my music and podcasts. Due to the aforementioned sweating problem I go through normal headphones about every other month… but these babies stay put, handle the sweat and put out great sound quality.
5. Coconut Oil – I’m out in the sun a LOT! (and the chlorine) – my skin takes a beating and this stuff works wonders. I’m sure there are better products out there but I just don’t have the time or money to find out. Plus… who doesn’t love smelling like a tropical vacation all the time?

Hope you enjoyed reading – I’d love to connect with all of you through social media:

@inpyn on Instagram/ Twitter ; @INPYNCoaching on Facebook and, of course, my blog at Inpyn.com (although its nothing as nice as Lottie’s… but I’m working on that).

 Be Humble! Be Fearless! Be Kind!

Elizabeth