May is all about Movement Snacks

Hi Athletes!

Phew I have had a week (or two perhaps!). Every newsletter I want to start out by saying sorry for the delay, and I feel like I am adding a day or two every time. Perhaps instead of a weekly newsletter, I should be calling it a “every 9 days or so” newsletter. Hmm not quite as catchy I suppose.

Let me catch you up on what I had going on which kept me away from my writing.

First off, I want to say HOW PROUD I am of all my FitRIders. Combined, we have achieved 100,000 minutes of activity since January 1st! That’s about 1,666 hours of activity. This group is pretty phenomenal and I am so happy to have them to help motivate and inspire me… plus share challenges, wins, and the things we have been learning along this journey. If this sounds good to you, its never too late to join in on the action as we have monthly prizes and challenges happening. Just join FitRider and start logging, and I will be there receiving your stats, pumping my fists, and cheering you on!

Next, the photo above is of 2022 Mongol Derby rider Nancy O’Neil (better known as Mama Nancy or @canamnightmares) who came in from Kelowna BC last weekend for bootcamp training. I put her through a RUS ride where she got to learn how to take her balance to a different place. She is no slouch having done many years of classical dressage, search and rescue, trail guiding and more… but getting up on top of a saddle really changes how you use your body and it is an amazing tool to add to any trail riders toolkit. She remarked several times on our 40km ride on Sunday how well the RUS prepared her for better riding the trail at speed and balancing the horses over terrain. She was such a joy to have and a refreshing break from my day to day.

The 40km ride was also a good test for my own fitness as I prepare for the Marcha which I leave for in one month and 10 days. Both Nancy and I came out with our own todo list of things we still need to do before our respective races.

As for what is happening inside the FitRider portal, the month of May is all about fitting small movements into our day. We are focusing on movement snacks - little exercises or stretches that you can do when you only have one single minute - because everyone deserves to treat themselves to movement. In fact, as soon as you hit the end of this email, I want to you to go do 1-2 minutes of ANY movement. I am working on a few more digital downloads to this extent, but that will be announced in a little bit still.

Right now the sun is shining and I am getting ready to get mounted and take full advantage!

Cheers!

-Sarah

When was your last deload?

Hi Athletes!

I want to talk a little bit today about training and deload. What is a deload? It is an intentional rest week where you greatly reduce your activity. Those who do any kind of distance racing might know this as tapering before your race, but it has a place outside of competition as well and it can benefit all athletes - human and equine.

I bring this up because I am in this phase of my training AND I was just covering this topic with a Mongol Derby trainee.

When it comes to a training program, I have noticed how much people are attracted to the 30 day programs. It’s a special magic number. You see it on the magazines, online challenges, books, and gyms. It is a nice bite size number which can encourage us to get started when we are feeling a little overwhelmed.

The problem is health, fitness and life in general isn’t done in 30 days. It is a continuous endeavor whether you are training for a big event or not.

If the 30 day program was successful, you are feeling motivated to get started on another, and another, and another. At some point in time, you have built in habits and a mentality that you need to be constantly working out and progressing in order to be successful. That’s when it all falls apart.

Does this sound familiar?

Here is the thing… if you don’t give your body the chance to deload (think rest and recover), it is going to force one upon you with injury or exhaustion. More is not always more… BUT if you take the opportunity to do a deload, you are almost guaranteed to be able to do more on your return.

So what is the magic recipe for a deload? How often and what does it look like?

Well… that is a difficult question because everyone is going to be different. However, here are two tips you can use to get started. Make sure to check in frequently with your body and energy levels to see if you need more or less.

Follow a 5 week schedule: 4 weeks on, 1 week deload

Deload = 50% of a regular week (either in intensity, frequency, duration/mileage, or all)

Remember, we still have rest days in our “on” weeks. The deload is an extra chance for your body to recover. It can be a big mental step to scale it back when you are used to going hard, but trust in the process and the value of rest in your programme.

So if you have been enjoying those 30 day programs, perfect timing! Take a week, then get back at it. Trust me, you won’t be losing out!

Cheers!

-Sarah

Welcome to the team Twang!

Hi Athletes!

I had an exciting weekend. Twang arrived at our farm. He was originally supposed to come back in March, but he had a slip in the field (which anyone in Southern Ontario knows was sheet ice this year) and had an injury which delayed his arrival.

He is all recovered now, and ready to get into the bootcamp that I have planned for him.

Now before I get into those details, I will put out there that I am NOT allowed to keep Twang. I have already made that promise to my spouse lol. While I know horse people say that a lot, I am doing the mental hurdles to make that actually happen. In fact, I have become super excited to prepare him for his new home (wherever that might be).

I have to say in the last few years I have been more focused on getting new riders into endurance sport. I am less excited about myself entering and completing endurance rides, and more about the people who I can support on their first endurance ride. So it feels natural to now be excited to produce a really lovely horse to help someone else fall in love with horse sport. While no doubt it will be hard to say goodbye whenever that happens, I truly am excited to be in this role for him.

That being said, he’s getting the same treatment that he would if he WERE mine, and even more important to this discussion he is getting the same treatment as if he were one of my human trainees.

You have probably heard me say it before, I believe the humans deserve to treat themselves as well as they treat their horses. Part of being an athlete (and the basis behind my brand name Ride Like an Athlete) is that we want to develop holistically, its not just about working out or adding more to our programs. It’s about considering all aspects of our lifestyle and how it can contribute to our athletic performance.

So when Twang arrived yesterday, he got the spa treatment that every athlete deserves. He got his hooves trimmed by my farrier (humans, when was the last time you replaced your running shoes or had your stride assessed?) then he got a massage and diagnostics on this musculoskeletal status (human, have you been cleared by a doctor or physiotherapist to begin an exercise program?).

My two experts helped me build the game plan for what the first month of his training will look like. Same as my humans, the first month is about rebuilding the body frim any issues that are present from lifestyle and previous injury - things that could potentially get in the way of success down the road even if they aren’t screaming at us now - those little nagging things that we tolerate but maybe aren’t best long term. Its also about building good habits and getting used to the routine of consistent work. Its about giving him the skills and awareness in his body to be able to complete the work in good form BEFORE we add any load or intensity.

Yes, all my humans get that too. It’s a program that I trust to build a lifelong love for movement. It’s something you can use for yourself and your horses as well.

Next time you are wondering where to go, whether starting a new fitness program or reviewing your current one, ask yourself… “If it were for my horse, what would I do?”

Would you seek help from professionals? Would you go back to the basics? Would you spend the money on bodywork or better equipment?

If you believe your horse deserves it, you deserve it too.

-Sarah

What did I learn from my root canal?

Hi Athletes!

Well I promised that you would hear more from me… looks like you are going to see more of me too! Lol. How is my tooth looking? Fabulous right?

I had meant to make Monday’s my regular email day but I had a portion of a root canal yesterday that knocked me down for the better part of the day.

The fun thing about the root canal (yes I said that), is I have nothing to do but lay back and let my mind wander for 1-2 hours and think about all the things I want to write you about. It’s been a crazy week and there are so many things going through my mind and lessons learned. It is definitely a good problem to have a busy mind when there are bright lights, scary drills, and bleach going down into your face.

I had so many different topics that I had thought of to write you all and now I have totally forgotten them. Seriously, I have a bit of an idea of what was going through my head but no one clear and concise topic for today. So let me know what I DO know from this little exercise…

Letting your mind wander can be super helpful for your body. I know you hear lots about meditation and clearing your thoughts and how good that can be for you. I have never been able to do that. I just CANT sit and do nothing AND think about nothing. I am just not programmed that way.

I DO zone out down long sections of trail in an endurance ride or on a particularly intense run or lifting session, but that is the closest I have ever felt to a meditative state. Moving my body settles my mind.

The dentist was the opposite, I needed to move my mind to settle my body. Believe it or not, my heart rate was consistently at least 20bpm below what it was during my drive to/from the dentists office.

So if you are like me and antsy, excitable, curious and just can’t seem to find a way to BE still, why not try what I did? Try one at a time. Pick which you want to settle (based on your current situation and feelings) and move the other.

I like to say, sport is 20% physical and 80% mental. Let yourself wander and see where the amazing interaction between the physical and mental will take you.

-Sarah

PS extra bonus of being at the dentist, I am forced to take long deep breaths through my nose and concentrate on that. This is your reminder to take a few moments to BREATE today!

Spring is in the air

Hi Athletes!

I don’t know about you, but with spring finally getting serious about commitment to our cause, I have renewed energy and enthusiasm for all things movement and outdoors… even talking (or in this case writing) about all things movement and outdoors. I want us to get back in touch with each other this season and not just let you know what promotions we are having at RLA, but what we are actually getting up to while practicing what we preach.

So today’s email is a bit of a blog from me about my first run outside of the season.  I love my treadmill, but the sun was out, the streets were clear of ice, and the dog was giving me that “look” that he gives me when I run on the treadmill. “Human, you know you could just take me for a walk right?”

I had also purchased a handy new gadget from Amazon that I was keen to try out - a running belt leash for the dog.  Just band it around my torso and get running.  

The first part of our run was what you could expect, I ran and with the instructions of my reactive dog trainer in mind, I did not stop to let him engage in barking at other dogs, lifting his leg to mark every fence post, or any other distractions.  We were getting down to business.  I ran like I meant it!

I ran down the road to this little wooded park with some trails that makes a nice 30 minute loop. Perfect little lunch break run. Knowing how well traversed this park is with dog walkers, I was expecting MANY distractions. So many things to smell.  Game face on. No distractions dog!

So I continued through the parking lot and straight to the trail as the dog began to linger behind me, until I could feel that resistance. Yup, here it is. Focus Sarah, he will snap out and come along. Remember, this is good core conditioning too!

After probably a dozen strides with the drag behind me, I turned to look and there he was… skiing along behind me in a squat with a trail of poop you could use as a passing lane marker on the highway.

Oops!

So lesson learned… some distractions ARE worth stopping for.

-Sarah

PS. The rest of the run went well and while I seemed to last longer than the dog, we very well may make this a regular part of our training.