by Pro Triathlete Alex

The leaves have fallen and, for some, snow is on the ground. For many athletes, the off-season is in full swing. And you deserve it—spending most of the year on a rigorous training regime can leave even the most type-A athlete depleted. November is finally a time to kick back and catch up on all those forgotten parts of your life: friends, dirty garages, pets, family, work, and social life.

But where to start… and how? After all, you most likely became an athlete because you enjoy the challenge each workout brings and the structure it provides in your life. How do you function now that this has been taken away from you?

It’s common for athletes of all levels to experience some level of withdrawal and depression during this downtime period. Physically, your brain is no longer receiving a healthy dose of mood boosting endorphins, and mentally, you may lack the feeling of completing a challenge. So how do you combat this and come into next season stronger than ever?

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by Pro Triathlete Alex

For many, a tropical race/vacation combo can get the whole family on board with long hours of training and help you stay motivated. You don’t want to travel all that way for no reason, so best get out of bed and get at it!

Whether you’re going to a beautiful race venue that you just have to experience, in need of a warm weather training camp, or flying to a faraway championship level race, somehow you and all of your gear will have to get there.

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by Pro Triathlete Alex

The San Juan ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup was my final draft-legal race of the 2013 season. After not being able to race to the potential I believed I had the weekend before in Cozumel, I was eager to end my draft-legal season on a high note.

I spent the week between Cozumel and San Juan in Miami. It kept the travel easy and allowed me to stay in the heat. I had the bonus of my mom taking a vacation in Miami and deciding to come with me to the race. It’s always great to have some family around and it made the race more of a vacation for me too.

Landing in San Juan I put my bike together for the third time in less than a week.

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by Pro Triathlete Alex

I had my eye on another Life Time Tri series race for the first weekend in October. I even already had my ticket purchased for Dallas. But then I got an email.

Two spots had opened up on the start list for the Cozumel World Cup and guess who was number two on the waiting list… After changing around some tickets I had a fun race trip put together for myself. Twelve days, four flights, three airlines, one ferry trip, and two hot and humid races, oh yeah!

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by Pro Triathlete Alex

The run leg during a triathlon is where I find myself most comfortable—not because I come from a running background, but because it’s the part of the race where I feel I can really push myself past my limits. Something about the pure exertion of running combined with the race effort coming to its climactic end really lets me unleash all I have left within. So when it comes to a weapon of choice on the run, I tend to be a little picky.

The Saucony Virrata is a speedy, lightweight, training/racing flat. There isn’t much to this 6.5 ounce, super-flexible, breathable shoe.

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by Pro Triathlete Alex

Life Time Tri Chicago was my first profitable race!

First a little recap of what's been happing in my life leading up to this race… After a successful race in Minneapolis, Kelli and I loaded up the van and headed west to Colorado Springs to find a place to live. We settled in a kick-butt townhome with lots of windows and open space at the base of Cheyenne Mountain. A couple weeks later we were desperately trying to catch our breath as we hauled stuff upstairs into our new bedroom. I'm sure all of this living at 6,300 feet will eventually pay off!

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