INSPIRE ME #7: Kim Tyssen

This is Kim ~ she is awesome.

I have had the privilege of training with Kim for a long time now.  She is extremely inspiring and works unbelievably hard in every class.  Kim is one tough chick!  I also was lucky enough to do the Reebok Spartan Beast Race with her last Fall.  She is someone you love having on your team because she encapsulates what it means to be a team mate.  Her positive, outgoing, enthusiastic and preserving personality is infectious!  As a working mom of two she for sure is a role model to me.  Thank you Kim for being so inspiring!

Here's her interview:  

1. What is your health/fitness history?

I have always been active in some way.  My family was really into the outdoors (downhill skiing, hiking, waterskiing) and I think that love of being active started young.  This continued when I joined an outdoor school program called Earthquest in Grade 11.  The program involved lots of outdoor activities.  Earthquest is where I learned to have a love/hate relationship with running!  I started going to a gym in University when I got a part time job at a gym.  Working out while going to school helped keep me from getting too stressed out.  Sometimes I think it was the only way I was able to stay sane during University.  Now I train because my body expects it and it continues to keep me balanced.

2. How long have you been a member at Excel?

I joined Excel just over a year ago.  I was also a part of Rhonda's original Outside Alive bootcamp classes in Lumby before Excel existed.  Those classes were awesome!

3. How often do you exercise?

Usually 5 or 6 times a week.

Making it look easy!

4. What is a typical set of meals/snacks throughout the day for you?

My diet is a little more strict than it used to be.  About a year ago I found out I was intolerant to dairy and wheat, so I've had to make a lot of changes.  Now a typical day consists of:
Breakfast: fruit, coconut yogurt and a mixture of chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and sliced almonds.
Snack: Apple and/or granola bar (I like the Kind granola bars or else I'll make my own energy balls)
Lunch: Soup or a salad with nuts
Snack: Some kind of fruit or smoothie made with fruit and almond milk
Dinner: Any combination of veggies with either brown rice, quinoa and fish or chicken.  Although it really depends on what the kids and hubby are eating.  If it's spaghetti night I will use sliced zucchini instead of noodles.  If its fajitas I will use a brown rice wrap instead of a tortilla.  I'm a working mom, so I try to make simple meals that are easy to modify to gluten and dairy free for myself.  I definitely have a sweet tooth, so I will throw in a treat at some point of the day.  Everything in moderation...right:)

5. What would you say is your biggest strength in fitness?

I think my biggest strength in fitness is probably my commitment to it.  My family comes first.  But my fitness is also very important to me.  And I think it's an important message to my kids that I need to have time to keep myself healthy and strong.  That way I can keep up to them!

6.  What would you say is your biggest weakness in fitness?

STRETCHING!!!!!  I know I need to do more but it's the first thing I cut short in a workout.

7.  Is there anything in particular you are training for? 

I am doing the Beast again this year at Sun Peaks with some amazing ladies and that definitely keeps me motivated, especially with my running.

Reebok Spartan Beast Race September 2013

8.  What would you say is your favourite work out?

My favourite classes are high energy classes that push me beyond my comfort level.  And at the end when its over I am D.O.N.E!

9. How do you keep motivated day-to-day?

My motivation comes from how I feel when I don't do it, which is grumpy and tired (I also have trouble sleeping the days I don't work out).  It doesn't matter how tough of a day I've had at work or with my kids, I always feel better after a work out.  It sounds cliche, but it's true and that's what motivates me.

10.  What would be your biggest advice to someone just starting out on his/her journey to improved health and fitness?

Nobody ever said it would be easy, but no one says it isn't worth it!  You are worth it!  Start with the changes that are easiest for you to make first and then build on those.  Over time it will come.

11. If you could be any superhero you wanted who would you be and why?

My favourite superhero has always been Batman because he kicks ass without any superpowers.  But if I could actually be a superhero I'd want to be Wonder Woman for a couple of reasons.  I would still be a girl so my kids wouldn't be too confused, she's pretty hot, and she flies an invisible jet which would be awesome!

21km, 28+ obstacles in snow & mud = BEAST! 

Tips on Pre-Race Prep

Come Sunday morning, I, along with 300+ others, will be at Kalamalka Provincial Park running our hearts out!  The North Face Dirty Feet Trail Run Series is coming to town!  The options are 8km, 25km and an intense 50km Ultra Run.  This time around I have decided I will try the 8km race with a goal of completion:) in under one hour.  Back in February when I ran the 10km I finished in an hour so looking to beat my time.  It will be interesting to see how road vs. trail plays out.  I know I enjoy the varied landscape of trails more than straight paved road so it should be a good one!  I am excited!

10 km in February 2014

Over the past week or so I have been researching pre-race preparation.  I will list a bunch of the sites at the bottom of this post for you to take a gander at if you are interested as well.  I narrowed the tips down to the items that I was really curious about and though some sources provide differing views on certain subjects, overall most were very similar.  So what I have for you here are nuggets that I took away from all my reading!  Here we go:

1.  Race-Day Breakfast:  aim for 75-100 grams of carbohydrates 3 hours prior to the race.  Your breakfast should be a high energy, easily digestible, low fat, low fibre meal.  Eat 2-3 hours before race starts so that you give yourself plenty of time to consume and digest.  Some sources recommended a sports drink to provide you with electrolytes.  Also advising that the sports drink and food be something you have consumed before to know for sure that there was no negative reaction to it.

2.  Water Intake:  double your water intake the day prior to the race and drink 16oz of water 2 hours before the race.  Hydration is extremely important.  A sign of dehydration is more yellow in your urine and if you are worried about your hydration levels, some suggested adding salt to your food the day before the race as salt helps the body retain water.

3.  Exercise Day Prior to Race:  a short, easy workout the day before the race can keep your body primed for race mode.  Going for a 20 minute light jog is one idea that was prevalent throughout the articles I read.

4.  Sleep:  try to get 8-10 hours of sleep the night before the race (and even better try to get many good nights sleeps in the days leading up to the race).  Plan to get up a minimum of 3 hours before the start of the race for optimal performance.

5.  Warm-Up:  start your warm-up about 30 minutes before the start of the race.  Begin with an easy jog then do some dynamic stretches such at toe touches and walking lunges.  Then finish with a few 20-30 second bursts at race pace.  You don't want to start warming up too early as you don't want to expel more energy than needed.  Try to have your warm-up completed about 5-10 minutes before the horn blows but keep moving during those pre-race minutes.

6.  Food Day Before:  eat carbohydrates 1-3 days leading up to the race.  A rule of thumb if you need something more specific is 4.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight.  You also don't want to consume new foods the day before the race just in case it has adverse effects on your body.  A few elite runners shared they thought the best strategy is to eat smaller meals & snacks that you know your body easily digests.  Taper down the amount as you get closer to bed.  I found this article about carb-loading very useful http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/fill-er?page=single

7.  Other Jems:

• Have a mantra for when times get tough ~ and they will somewhere along the line.  For example, "Think strong, be strong, finish strong"  "Run fast, go past" "I got this" 
• Ignore all the speedsters at the start of the race ~it's easy to get caught up and before you know it you are running your neighbour's pace and not yours ~ focus on your pace ~ start conservatively and build throughout the race.  Ideally, this will lessen the chances of fizzling out soon into the race.  And, hopefully, you will have more energy to complete the race.
• Visualize your race and visualize completing it.  Mind over matter.
• Have your clothing all laid out day before and gear all packed.  Don't wear new items of clothing or new shoes ~ go with ones you know you are comfortable in. Gear to think about is I.D., camelback, energy shots like Stingers or energy bar, tunes with buds if permitted on the race, race package.  Read over fine print and race details and familiarize yourself with the area you are racing in ~ check out the maps provided on-line, etc.  
• Wear good running socks! *Side note:  I am in love with Smart Wool running socks!

Here are the key sites that I found most useful if you find you want more detailed information.  Like I said I simply took what I considered to be nuggets of good information.  

• http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/pre-race-preparation-rest-fuel-and-warm-up
• http://www.active.com/running/Articles/10-Race-Day-Preparation-Tips.htm?page=3
• http://www.active.com/running/articles/what-to-do-before-your-5k?page=2
• http://jeffgalloway.typepad.com/jeff_galloways_blog/2013/05/preparing-for-race-day-5k-10k-131-262-or-ultra-distance.html
• http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-runners/fill-er?page=single

*Disclaimer:  As with everything, there are many differing opinions out there and finding out what works for you will come with time.  Talking to a trainer would be worthwhile to get some more informed opinions:)