To hit the sweet spot of energy balance, an endurance athlete should have a proper fueling plan to ingest enough calories. Athletes and elite athletes generally do not consume enough calories to meet the demands of their sport. However, as studies have shown, when energy intake and micronutrient intake were adjusted to the athletes’ training schedules, performance and race times improve. 

INFINIT’s CEO Michael Folan had the opportunity to chat with Olympian and pro triathlete Ben Kanute, a captain’s pick for Team USA in the 2022 Collins Cup. We talk mantras, “dad strength” and how Ben balances his growing family with the demands of training. Plus, what a typical 30 hour training week looks like, how he eats and drinks to keep “feeding the fire” throughout the race season and beyond.

The word “diet,” by its definition, describes any food that a person consumes. A diet of Cheetos and soda is still, by definition, a “diet.” But over the years this word has come to represent the idea of losing weight, and often using some sort of restrictive eating plan. We dive into the ins and outs of these popular diets, and what might be the best for your individual needs.

While you may not be sweating as intensely when the cold weather rolls in, remaining hydrated is just as important. Drinking an adequate amount of fluid before, during and after a workout is crucial to achieving optimal performance.

The key to keeping yourself accountable is knowing what you’re trying to achieve and setting goals to help you get there. Goal setting has long been known to be an important part of achieving success or accomplishing your goal. When you “wing-it”, more often than not, you will lose focus at some point along the journey and fall short of achieving whatever it is that you set out to accomplish. By creating specific goals, you can revisit your goal(s) when the going gets tough or you fall off track to help you refocus and get back on track. 

More than a passing trend…plant-based diets have gone mainstream. A recent study found that, over the last 15 years, the number of Americans who report following a plant-based diet has increased from 290,000 in 2004 to a whopping 9.7 million in 2020.

Since 2012 Frank and Stacey DeJulius have owned and operated Fleet Feet Cincinnati. They have three locations and a devoted following with runners, walkers and triathletes alike. When COVID-19 hit, running stores were deemed non-essential. Stores all over the country were scrambling and trying creative ways to make ends meet. Frank's passion for his community, the sport and his customers, helped him weather the storm during these extremely difficult times.

Every Memorial Day, INFINIT teams up with a charitable organization that works to support our active servicemen and women, retired Veterans, and their families. It’s an annual tradition that we are proud to continue, and this year we're excited to be teaming up with Ride It Out MTB to help support their mission of empowering Veterans by giving them positive outlets for stress and anxiety through mountain biking.

By now you’ve probably had a race that has either been postponed to a later date this fall or otherwise cancelled until next year's event. For me, 2020 was supposed to be an exciting year of racing as a member of the USA Paratriathlon National Team as a guide for blind triathlete Brad Snyder as we looked to qualify and race at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Just like the Olympics, the Paralympics were pushed back a year to 2021 along with most (potentially all) of the ITU races this year.

here’s no doubt that we are living in unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our lives have drastically changed over the past week or two with races being canceled or postponed, our kids’ schools closing down, and the challenge of trying to navigate working from home while figuring out your and your families’ new daily schedule. Many of us (including myself) were gearing up for our first big “A” race of the year only to hear that it had been canceled. This leaves us with a lot of uncertainty, asking ourselves questions like, “When will my next race be?” and, “ Is that one going to get called off too?”

Mass start, dust up the nose, endless climbs, stretches of desolate scenery, clock ticking. Gravel races are sweeping the hearts of cyclists across the country for the opportunity to complete something epic, try something new, enjoy beautiful scenery, and challenge oneself. As one of the newer disciplines of cycling, racers are figuring out how best to approach these races and prepare for them — Do I want to be a finisher, or do I want to try and win? Should I go for the 200mile or stay with the 100mile?

Strength training is not just for building strength and bulky muscles. More and more studies are coming out showing that there are a wide range of benefits associated with resistance and weight bearing exercise, beyond just athletic performance. While strength and weight training has traditionally had a reputation for being a male-centric type of exercise reserved for those trying to bulk up and gain mass, it is now transitioning to a popular activity and tool used for weight loss, cross training, and overall general fitness.