Coach Cary's Blog
Thoughts, Opinions & Inspiration
My quest to rejuvenate my run. Week 0: The good, the bad and the downright embarrassing.
I have had this book for several years but I have finally reached the point where I am actually ready to use it. Said another way, I’m desparate. If you want to follow along, Ready to Run by Kelly Starrett is a great resource for any runner. Dr. Starrett knows his...
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Feeling great but ready for some solid food.
Juice cleanse day 5 today. Day 5 of 5. Almost there! I feel great; this was definitely the reset I was looking for. My energy has been good and my body and mind feel so much better. Mission accomplished. I know that I feel best when I eat just enough to support my...
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Back in the Butte after a whirlwind Denver trip. Now let’s talk about nutrition…
I’m glad to be back in Crested Butte after a whirlwind weekend in Denver. It was a great weekend mostly because I got to hang out with my mom, sister and nephew. Not enough but I’ll take what I can get. Not enough sleep either. Plenty of wine though! Ouch. Two nights...
read more![Happy Birthday Puck! 4 years old, still a [lovable] brat.](https://www.coachcary.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Happy-Birthday-1-400x250.jpg)
Happy Birthday Puck! 4 years old, still a [lovable] brat.
Puck is 4 years old today – in some ways it seems like just yesterday that I drove from Duluth to Denver with a petrified 9 month old Puck in the back looking at me like I was the Devil incarnate. In other ways it feels like he has always been my lovable brat; we’ve...
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Does your bike need some bling? Yes, yes it does.
When I first saw this fuzzy pink saddlebag made by Krieg, I had to have it. And the fact that there was a food bag to go with it was a real bonus. Clearly I love pink and these items match my bike’s flowers. But there is something doubly wonderful about pink AND...
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Wildflowers make me happy! And why I occasionally do a juice cleanse – it’s not why you think.
The wildflowers are out in force in Crested Butte. Let’s hope we get some rain soon so they don’t all die early. But for now, we just try to enjoy them as much as we can. How can you not smile when standing in the middle of a swath of brightly colored wildflowers?...
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Heart Rate Variability & why you should track it.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is one of those training tools that is too simple not to use: all you need is a compatible heart rate strap, a smartphone, a free app and 1-3 minutes every morning while you are drinking your coffee. I have been tracking my HRV every...
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I KNOW it is 4th of July, not Thanksgiving. But I’m feeling thankful.
Specifically I am feeling thankful for all the positive people in my life. It is amazing how powerful positivity and optimism can be. I am not talking about the always chipper fake-itivity; I’m talking about genuine people who love life, embrace life, and radiate that...
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Here they come again: The good ol’ post race blues.
I suspect you know what I’m talking about. Even if you don’t race, you have had something in your life that you invested yourself in. It took me many years to realize this feeling of post race (or post season) blues was normal. That it actually makes a lot of sense....
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Has anyone seen my cats? & My latest kitchen experiment: Cauliflower Hummus & Paleo Naan.
It’s good to be home. The last couple of months have been a wonderful whirlwind adventure, but I’m ready for a couple months of normal. Not that normal is boring here in Crested Butte, Colorado. But first, has anyone seen my cats? Seriously. I am worried they are...
read more![A love letter to [Extra] Dark Chocolate & some of my favorites for you to try.](https://www.coachcary.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/2016-12-10-13.59.03-1-400x250.jpg)
A love letter to [Extra] Dark Chocolate & some of my favorites for you to try.
My life would not be complete without dark chocolate. I have always loved chocolate. Over the years I have gone from milk to darker milk to sort of dark to dark to extra dark and finally to chocolate labeled wicked & extreme. Let’s get it straight right off the...
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After the race comes the recovery
Rest and recovery is critical through all your training cycles. It is in the recovery that we give our body a chance to adapt to the stresses we place on it in training. Bottom line: training without recovery will not result in the gains you are looking for. Your body...
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Confessions of a CBB: 70.3 Coeur d’Alene race recap.
Chip dubbed this CBB: Coach Behaving Badly. That was just too accurate not to steal! I will start with my confession. I violated my number one rule, which I think I was pretty clear about: NOTHING NEW on race day. In my defense, I didn’t have much choice. And on the...
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The slacker’s guide to Cd’A. And thoughts on a low stress race week.
I’m all set for race day: Toes coiffed. Good coffee found. Post race beer & burger location chosen. Race gear organized. Random thoughts written. Someday I will come back to Coeur d’Alene to play on the trails. But for now my knowledge of the place is limited to...
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Back in Idaho and it is heating up.
It seems like I was just in Idaho. Ha ha, I WAS just in Idaho. So now I find myself in lovely Coeur d’Alene. Harder to spell than Sun Valley, and a completely different vibe, but it is a cool place too. I have vowed to stop looking at the weather forecast because...
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Technology: An invaluable tool. Not a magic elixir.
Technology has radically changed how coaches work and athletes train. Heart rate monitors, GPS, power meters, gait, stroke & cadence monitors, analytical software – the list goes on. As a coach, I rely heavily on technology to guide and monitor my athletes. But...
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A quick trip recap. And the small matter of a half-Ironman this Sunday.
In my defense, I made this year’s race plans well before I knew I was going to take off on a crazy RV trip for a month. More on that later. We made it back to Denver yesterday; it was a whirlwind day. We were on the road by 5:15, back in Denver by 2:00. I spent the...
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Bike! CrossFit! New Friends! SUP! Coffee! Beer! Living it up on our last day.
After driving from Sun Valley to Park City yesterday, we had a full day in Park City today. I made the most of it. And I’m still going! We had to hit the trails even earlier than normal because it was quite warm (60 degrees! Gasp). I really wanted to ride a fun 8 mile...
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