ATHLETE CLOSE-UP: BECKY LAVELLE Becky Lavelle is a seasoned professional triathlete and member of the USA Triathlon National Team since 1999. She took the bronze medal at the 2003 Pan Am Games, but was sidelined due to injury for most of 2004. In 2005, she returned to the triathlon circuit winning the USA National Championships, St. Anthony's Triathlon, and Chicago Triathlon and was voted as Triathlon Magazine's "2005 Comeback Athlete of the Year." In 2006, she continued her dominance defending her title at St. Anthony's and capturing Escape from Alcatraz, while taking an impressive 2nd place in the prestigious Life Time Fitness Triathlon. Preparing for a Race like a Pro Becky shares her training and nutrition leading up to the Chicago Triathlon in August, where she was set to defend her 2005 title. She also includes her favorite swim, bike and run workouts. We hope that you will take away some tips that you can apply to your own training and nutrition plans in the future. Monday, August 21st: 6 days to race [Last night's sleep: 10 hours] My day begins with my morning coffee, followed by checking emails and running errands. Today is my day off of training, so I tried to get a lot of stuff done around the house... cleaned the floors, bathroom and kitchen. I love to cook too, so I made dinner and ate with my husband while we watched a movie. I was in bed by 9:30pm. Breakfast: 2 cups coffee w/ skim milk 2 cups Organic Morning Lite cereal and 15 blackberries with 1 cup skim milk Add 1 scoop vanilla protein powder Lunch: 1 crumpet w/ mustard, 1/2 avocado, 2 slices turkey meat 10 sesame thins 10 green grapes 1 can Fresca (I hardly ever drink soda, but I felt like treating myself!) Mid-day snack: 1 Amino Vital Fit Bar (Chocolate Peanut flavor) 2 handfuls honey sesame sticks Dinner: 2 glasses of chardonnay 4 garlic stuffed olives 1 grilled chicken breast (w/ soy sauce) 1 cup rice-a-roni Small salad with spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, avocado, gorgonzola and honey mustard dressing Evening Snack: 1 grape popsicle Tuesday, August 22nd: 5 days to race [Last night's sleep: 8 hours] This is a typical training day for me a few days before a big race. The alarm goes off at 5:20 am and by 6, I was in the pool swimming 4500m. Then I went for a bike ride from 11:30 to 1:30pm. I try to get a massage every couple of weeks and at least a few days before a big race, so I had a massage session from 1:45 to 3 pm. I coached the local Triathlon Club, TRIbe, from 6:15 - 7:45pm, which I always do on Tuesday nights when I'm not traveling. Ate dinner, watched some TV, did a few core exercises and was in bed by 10 pm. Breakfast: 1 Mint Choc Chip Clif Bar 2.5 cups coffee with skim milk 2 buttermilk pancakes with protein powder  1/2 cup mixed berries 1 tbsp natural peanut butter 1/4 cup pure maple syrup Lunch: 6 Clif Shot Bloks 1 Peanut Butter Clif Bar 10 Wheat Thins Dinner: 1 large piece of homemade pizza - thick crust, tomato sauce, spinach, sausage, chicken, mushrooms, onions, soy cheese 12 oz beer Evening Snack: 2 handfuls M&M's 1 Amino Vital Fit Bar (Chocolate Peanut flavor) Wednesday, August 23rd: 4 days to race [Last night's sleep: 7 hours] Another typical training day leading up to a big race. Up early again at 5:20 am and off to the pool. Swam 4200m followed by a run on the treadmill for 50 minutes (6 miles total with 3.5 miles: 8 x 1:30 at 5:40 pace). I went for an hour session to the chiropractor for an adjustment and Graston therapy. Ever since my injury in 2004 which caused shooting pains in my knee, Graston therapy has been the only thing keeping me from being sidelined again. It helps my knee by breaking down the scar tissue around it and promoting the growth of healthy new tissue that I can strengthen to support my knees. The therapy sessions are painful, but definitely worth it if I want my body to be in top shape. I biked 1 hour 40 minutes at moderate pace and called it a day. Started to pack for my trip to the Chicago Triathlon, ate dinner and was in bed by 10:30 pm. Breakfast: 1 Mint Choc Chip Clif Bar 1 Venti (half decaf) Starbucks coffee with skim milk 1/2 Starbucks maple scone 1 Starbucks sandwich - egg, wheat English muffin, reduced fat bacon and cheese. Mid-morning snack: 8 Clif shot bloks 1 Nutz over Chocolate Luna bar Lunch: 2 c veggie chips 2 handfuls of animal crackers 2 dill pickles 1/2 turkey sandwich w/ 1 slice bread, mustard, gouda cheese and spinach Dinner: 1 large piece of homemade pizza - thick crust, t. sauce, spinach, sausage, Chicken, mushrooms, onions, soy cheese 1 glass of chardonnay Small salad - spinach, iceberg, carrots, broccoli, 1/2 avocado, gorgonzola w/ balsamic vinaigrette. Evening Snack: 3 chocolate chip dunker cookies 1 c skim milk 1 orange popsicle Thursday, August 24th: 3 days to race [Last night's sleep: 10 hours] My training is lighter than usual because it's 3 days before the big race. It consisted of an easy 35 minutes run with a few pickups, followed by a swim of 2000 yards easy with some short efforts. I spent most of the day packing for my trip to the Chicago Triathlon, where I hope to defend my 2005 title. The bike takes the most time to pack because I need to make sure that I have all the tools to put my bike together when it arrives at the race. I also try to pack a lot of other gear with my bike... run shoes, helmet, wheels, wetsuit, etc. I'm also traveling on to Switzerland from Chicago, so I really had to plan ahead and pack everything I needed for 2 weeks. I know I have an early start on Friday, so I was off to bed by 10 pm. Breakfast: 2 cups coffee with skim milk 2 buttermilk pancakes with protein powder  1/2 c mixed berries 1 tbsp Natural peanut butter 1/4 c pure maple syrup Lunch: 1 Chocolate Peanut Butter Clif bar 2 handfuls of M&M's (need to get these out of the house!) 1 turkey sandwich - 2 slices Orowheat bread, mustard, 1/2 avocado and spinach 1 dill pickle 10 veggie crisps 16oz Amino Vital Endurance drink Dinner: 1 piece of honey whole wheat bread w/ olive oil 1 glass syrah wine 2 pieces of flatbread w/ artichoke, spinach cheese dip 1 small pizza - thin crust w/ smoked salmon, olives, goatcheese and dill Evening Snack: 2 chocolate chip dunker cookies 1 c milk Friday, August 25th: 2 days to race [Last night's sleep: 6 hours] I was off to San Jose airport to catch my direct flight to Chicago at 4:40 am. I always take a day off 2 days before the race, so I won't train at all today. Once in Chicago, I attended an interview and Q&A session organized by the race committee for the media. I unpacked, relaxed and had a late dinner once my husband (also a professional triathlete) flew in. In bed by 11pm - which is 9pm for me. Breakfast: 1 Egg and Cheese breakfast bagel 1 Luna bar 2 cups trail mix - almonds, sesame sticks, M&M's, raisins 16oz Recovery drink Lunch: 1 Focaccia chicken salad sandwich with tomato and lettuce 1 cup wild rice soup 1 decaf coffee 1 chocolate chip cookie Dinner: 1 grilled chicken breast sandwich with fries Saturday, August 26th: 1 day to race [Last night's sleep: 10 hours] I biked 30 minutes and swam 600 yards in the morning. This is my training routine one day before the race to wake up my muscles and get blood flowing, but I am careful not to tire myself out. After lunch I did an autograph signing at the expo, then attended the pro info meeting. I had dinner with my family, who came to watch me compete from Minnesota. I relaxed for a few hours before bed, watched TV, and was asleep by 10:30pm. Pre-workout snack: 1 Choc Mint Clif bar 16 oz Amino Vital Endurance drink Lunch: Egg white scramble with mushrooms, cheese, tomatoes, onions and potatoes 2 cups coffee Midday: 1 Luna Bar 16 oz Recovery drink Dinner: 1 bowl of pasta with grilled veggies and chicken breast 3 pieces bread with olive oil 1 glass of red wine Dessert: Small scoop of sorbet Sunday, August 27th: Race Day! [Last night's sleep: 10 hours] My warm up before the race includes 10 - 15 minutes on the bike, 5 minute run plus the 1 mile walk to the starting line of the race. As for the race, here is how it went: They decided to make it a wetsuit swim, even though it was right on the cut-off -- about 71.5 degrees - so that made for a very warm swim. I got behind about 4 women and came out right where I wanted to be. It's almost a 1/2 mile run to T1, and I managed to work my way up to 2nd leaving T1. Once I was on the bike I just tried to get in a rhythm and push the pace. I had a hard time finding my legs though as I felt a little flat. On the second lap, I started coming around and ended up passing the leader with about 6 miles to go. I also got the $500 bike preme, because I was first off the bike. On the run (with about a :30 lead) I just tried to stay relaxed and steady. I ended up getting passed by 2 women, but held on for a strong 3rd place finish. My race times: Swim 1.5k (22:36), Bike 40k (1:01:39), Run 10k (39:59). Pre-race meal: 1 Choc Peanut Butter Clif Bar 1 small cup of coffee 16 oz Amino Vital Endurance + EmergenC 30 min prior to race start: 1 Clif Shot + water Post-race meal: 1 Amino Vital Fit Bar (Chocolate Peanut Flavor) Pizza and salad at the famous Gino's East (I usually go for a burger and fries, but anything that's salty and tasty will usually do) BECKY'S FAVORITE WORKOUTS: Swim: 2x100, 2x200, 2x400, 2x200, 2x100... first 2.5 sets are on 1:20/100 base, last 2.5 sets are on 1:15 base, and I make the second one of each set faster than the first. It's a good strength set with minimal rest, but consistent intensity. Bike: A group ride I do on Wednesday evenings during the season. 43 miles total, 30 miles are pretty intense with a high sustained heart rate. I try to stay at the front or as close to the front as possible. At the end, I always feel like I just did a race! The changes in speed and terrain make it very challenging too. Run: 4-5 x 1 mile repeats with 1-2:00 recovery. I alternate doing this on a treadmill, track, or marked asphalt trail. I like doing it on a trail best because it simulates a race better, but the treadmill is great for leg turnover and consistent pace. When training for 10K's I try to hold 5:40 pace. I'll also warm up 2-3 miles and cool down 1 mile. The short rest makes it tough, but really builds endurance and strength. Thanks for reading my training log. I hope you enjoyed it. You can also check out my personal website to learn more about me, follow my results, and read my race journals at www.beckylavelle.com. See you out at the races!