Debbie continues to give her thoughts on nutrition. Click here to listen.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Debbie shares her thoughts on nutrition. Click here for part 1.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Age: 35
Favorite Food: Anything from the Athletes Food Pyramid and chocolate chip cookies
Preferred Race Distance: To Be Decided
Number of years racing: 5
First Race you won:
Sprint-Bountiful
Oly-Spudman 2002

What has been one of the largest contributing factors to your success?
Always setting goals that would spark my passion and then falling in love with the journey.

How do you balance training, three boys, and work? Carefully scheduled quality based workouts, having plan B and C when plan A doesn’t fly, letting some workouts go, reminding myself that if I never raced again that I would always workout and that keeps me passionate without being obsessive.

What first inspired you to do a triathlon?
I saw it as a chance to rebuild my life on many levels. Triathlons have the ability to make you see the truth about yourself because it is you against yourself, no excuses or false claims allowed.

How do you stay continually motivated?
Like I said before, I am in love with the pursuit of self betterment and that is a quest that will never end and will always keep me motivated.

Are there days when you don’t want to train? And if so, how do you get through them?
First, I will try changing the workout to something that I feel I can get excited about. Then, if I really don’t want to go, I don’t. It usually means I need a break either physically, spiritually, or emotionally. Otherwise, with built rest days and rest weeks, I am usually ready to go.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Each Utah triathlete has a different view of Debbie Perry and it mainly depends on your gender. If you are a female triathlete you may think of Debbie as someone you aspire to be like, raising three boys and finding the time to train yourself to running sub-seven minute miles after a punishing swim and a quick bike. You may be one of the few women posing a competitive threat and respect her as an athlete and competitor. Men, on the other hand tend to think differently. If you are a male triathlete you undoubtedly pray she doesn’t catch you. This may be the mindset for most male triathletes in Utah, even at the sharp end of the field. Everyone can agree that she is fast and dedicated to the sport. Her dedicated approach to triathlon is how she lives her life. Debbie’s story shares a theme similar to our Dave Ference report in that triathlon is not her top priority. Her devotion is first given to her family and faith.

When the Tri Hive asked Debbie what a typical workout week looks like she answered, “Swimming through never ending piles of laundry, riding my way around Ogden in my van far too often delivering children to different activities, and running up and down the stairs countless times a day putting away everyone else’s stuff, cleaning and other motherly things. And then to top it off I constantly work on transitioning from wife, to mother, to family historian, to church song leader, to bookkeeper, to sport nutritionist, to strength trainer, to coach, to PTA and, OH YEAH, to triathlete.”

Her strong presence in triathlon may lead you to believe she has been involved in the sport for many years. However, this is not the case. Debbie did come from an athletic background, having run in high school in Virginia. She later ran at Weber State University on the cross country and track teams. The athletic journey continued after college until a car accident in 1998 derailed her. Debbie was 27 years old at the time of the accident and was left with 18 months of chronic back pain, which later developed into six months of severe back pain. A surgeon told her that back surgery would limit any fitness pursuits to walking. She prayed for alternatives.

“For six months all I did was lie on the floor and cry everyday,” said Debbie. “I had three boys under the age of four at this point and knew that I either had to find a way to heal or go through back surgery.”

After countless prayers she was led to individuals and resources permanently healing her back. Debbie then went from walking to swimming. Swimming was one form of therapy leading her back to running. She eventually ran her first marathon, “dedicating it to the few people who believed I could make it back and to my testimony of answered prayers.”Debbie was ready to give triathlon a try.

“It took another two years of consistent training, patience and a whole lot of faith to really get back into the shape I was in college.”

Triathletes following the Utah tri scene have witnessed her rise to the top. Below are a few of her recent victories.

2005

Echo Challenge Triathlon (Sprint Champion)
Cache Valley Classic Triathlon (Champion)
Jordanelle Classic (Sprint Champion)
Ogden Valley Triathlon (Olympic Champion)
St. George Triathlon (Sprint Champion)

2004

Jordanelle Classic (Olympic Champion)
Echo Challenge Triathlon (Sprint Champion)
Utah Summer Games Triathlon (Olympic Champion)
USA Triathlon National Championships/Shreveport, LA (5th in the 30-34 age-group)

Debbie qualified for the 2005 World Championships with her top-five age-group performance at the 2004 USA Triathlon National Championships but later passed on the opportunity. The event was later moved to a Sunday. She has made greater life commitments leading her to choose not to race on Sundays. Debbie is optimistic about getting back to “Worlds” in the future.

Tri Hive (TH): How do you manage working out with the other aspects of your life?

Debbie Perry (DP): Working out while being a parent requires a lot of planning on my end. I have realized that if I don’t set a schedule then forget it! I would always find things “I just have to get done” instead of working out. So I have to plan ahead and stick to it. I do some workouts early before the kids are up and others while they are at school. My three boys are now in school all day so I’m much more flexible than I used to be. I know I am very lucky on this training issue because I am able to be a stay at home mom. The bookkeeping I do for Salt Lake Running Co (Debbie and her husband, Guy own the SL Running Company), I do from my home office so I don’t have any driving. The hardest years were when all the boys were young and the little two were not in school. I did a little of everything (club nursery, early workouts, late workouts, Guy and occasional babysitters) to get by. But through it all, Guy is really the one who has made the difference and been so emotionally supportive and given a lot of his time so I could do what I have needed to in order to get in exercise time. And I gratefully return the favor.

TH: What do you feel has taken you to the “next level” in triathlon?

DP: Several years of injury free and illness free training as well as a belief that I could be a better athlete now than in college. So many athletes don’t realize what consistency can do for a person’s progress. It is huge. Every lifestyle decision I make is one that will help me remain healthy on all levels. I am doing all of this to become the most I can be and be in a position to express myself in an athletic way (since I can’t sing, dance or draw.) I have already learned the hard way that illness and injury are best to be avoided at all costs! Knowledge is power and wisdom is priceless.

TH: What kind of volume have you done as a successful sprint/oly athlete during the season?

DP: Basically, my general year round routine gives me about 9 hours a week. Of course everything is methodically periodized and changes often which is why it is hard to describe a typical week. But for the most part, when it is time to get ready to build up to racing, then I make sure I do each sport 3 times a week with some maintainence lifting and plyometrics. I make sure to do at least a hard interval day in each sport once a week and then a long endurance day.

TH: How has your bike fit improved your cycling?

DP: As far as the bike goes, it has taken a lot of work to bring that along. I did about 3 years of hard/power leg lifting in the weight room to help develop appropriate strength and then did my fair share of threshold intervals. I hated the bike the first 2 years I rode it. But, hard work and persistence pays off. Before the 2004 season, Guy insisted I get a Tri bike so we both went to San Francisco for our 11th Anniversary and got bike fits with Christopher Kautz at PK racing. I ended up with a custom bike. After a ton of dedicated hard work, the Tri bike was icing on the cake. The right fit is what finally enabled me to be able to use the power I had developed in an comfortable aerodynamic position. Most people lose a ton of power when they are on bikes that don’t fit quite right. Now I like to bike and I really LOVE my tri bike. I was really happy with my 2004 bike progress and all I attempted to do in 2005 was maintain what I had earned and then work on my run which I had not done since college. But, alas, all good slacking must come to an end so I will put another big push for the bike this year.

TH: What are your goals for 2006?

DP: Get ready to run a fast Half Ironman. I am registered for the Steelhead Ironman 70.3 with the hopes of qualifying through to the new world Championships for the Half Ironman distance (70.3) So I will obviously have to have some weeks higher than my 9 hour average.

Thank you for your time, Debbie!

Popularity: 8% [?]

In general, triathletes have the best of intentions to eat like champions. This is pretty easy to do when you’re preparing your own meals. It’s harder to do when you have to eat out. What do you do when you go out to dinner and you find yourself immersed in a sea of unfamiliar choices without a wetsuit of knowledge of the menu items to keep you afloat? Well, you pretend like you are eating at Chuck-A-Rama! Really! I am not kidding about this! During the winter, my six-year-old son, Jansen, decided he REALLY wanted to go to Chuck-A-Rama for dinner. My husband and I were way too tired and hungry to argue with Jansen and his brothers so we found ourselves dishing up dinner on the nice warm plates associated with the all-you-can-eat buffet. Ironically, it was easier to eat healthy than I thought it would be. I learned a few things from that experience that I feel are worthy to pass along. So, grab a plate and follow me through this perilous course one buoy at a time.

Buoy #1 – GET YOUR GREENS

When you eat at any restaurant, your first thought should be how am I going to get my raw vegetable? The most obvious answer is the salad bar and the salads on the menu. Even if you are not fond of salads, it is very wise to get a big salad anytime you eat out because not only is it essential food that is packed with nutrients you need to repair your trained body. It will also fill you up quite a bit so you don’t overindulge in other items. Try your very best to get a salad that is made with dark greens like spinach, spring mix and maybe some romaine lettuce. Stay away from salads make from iceberg lettuce. There’s very little nutritional value in iceberg lettuce. If you go through the salad bar, load your salad with as many other raw veggies as you can stand. Avoid the croutons, other crunchy bits of bread products and shredded cheese, but feel free to include beans, nuts and seeds. With a good foundation, it is okay to top your salad off with a vinaigrette dressing of some kind. If you must, then you can go with a “lite” creamy dressing, but remain cautious here. Starting off with a robust salad will set you swimming in the right direction in no time flat.

Buoy #2 – THE MEAT OF THE ISSUE

Your next priority is getting lean animal protein and a small portion of healthy carbohydrate. Getting lean protein is relatively easy at most restaurants. Chicken, fish or turkey are all great choices as long as they are not breaded or friend. If you end up at a place like Squatters, that serves wild buffalo, other game meat like venison or lamb, those are other good lean protein choices as well. Since you are eating out, go ahead and get something you wouldn’t normally fix yourself. I know several people that will order meats at a restaurant that they don’t like cooking at home because of smells or weird raw textures. That’s a great idea. Another tip about meat is to order your red meat and fish as rare as possible. Overcooked protein is damaged protein and your body can’t absorb the protein in damaged tissue very well. Sushi is another great protein option. So, if you like it, go for it!

Buoy #3 – CARB WITH CARE

The carbohydrate serving at restaurants should be kept within reasonable size limits. Most of the time, when you are out for dinner, you haven’t worked out for a while, so you won’t need to eat a ton of carbs. Remember that you should be eating the majority of your carbs during and after your workout, not six hours later. As a rule, you won’t need to get too caught up in what you pick for a carb source as long as you don’t eat a ton. Keep your carb portion to about the size of your fist, and then if you are working out more than 90 minutes a day, you can double that. If you just finished a workout within the last 90 minutes or so, then you can even eat a triple serving, and probably should if you worked out for more than an hour. The smartest carb choices are potatoes, brown or wild rice, fruit and steamed high starch vegetables. A pile of broccoli, or other high water content vegetable, won’t count as a carb source, so you can eat as much as you want and it will keep you regular. Pasta and bread is okay to eat as long as you are careful with how much you are eating. Sometimes getting a big salad with chicken on it and then splitting a pasta dish with a friend works out well.

Buoy #4 – WHAT ABOUT DESSERT?

Sometimes, a great dinner out with the family and friends only gets better with a great dessert. So you just have to get dessert! If you ate a big salad, lots of protein and the right amount of high quality carbs, you should be pretty full. Luckily, this gives you a perfect excuse to share a dessert. If you are going through the line at Chuck-A-Rama, you will end up with a very small dish to put your dessert in. That’s really a good lesson to learn from. You can have your dessert and keep your waistline as long as you avoid overindulgence. I believe the only dates you should make an exception on are race days and your birthday. On those days you deserve and should have as much as you want. In general, if you keep your dessert reasonable, you won’t sink right before you hit the swim finish.

Buoy #5 – HYDRATE

Hydrate all day, every day, but especially when you’re eating out. When you drink water, filtered is still the best choice. If you absolutely have to have something else to drink, then add it to the dessert category. Get a small glass of whatever it is and don’t refill it. Or you can tell yourself that if you eat everything else you are supposed to and then you’re still hungry, then you can get some more. When you’re out on the town, don’t feel bad about brining your own filtered water. Sometimes it’s the only way to ensure that the contents are indeed pure.

Buoy #7 – EXERCISE GOOD JUDGEMENT

If you follow the counsel given above when you eat out, then it will be easy to pick through all the menu choices and find items that will fit your eating requirements as an athlete. You have to learn to order creatively, share, and get used to saying the phrase “No cheese, please.” But you can do that. It is easy to add items to salads and pastas to get enough protein, fruits and vegetables. Luckily for us, many fast food places are becoming more fresh-food oriented restaurants like all the fresh-mex restaurants and sub shops. Wendy’s also has a workable menu. At least the low carb craze has paved the way for more fruits and vegetables in the fast food industry. You are not stuck with only fried foods and refined breads anymore.

Buoy #7 – QUALITY IS WORTH PAYING FOR

Do everything you can to pick eating establishments that offer the freshest food possible and cook with real ingredients. The higher the quality of food, the better you will feel about eating out. Eating high quality food may require you to spend more tie and energy but, spending more on your food will help you spend less at the doctors office in the long run. Your eating habits can be compared to the difference between triathlon swimming in a water skiing wetsuit and one swimming in a tri suit in an open water setting. Both wetsuits work, but the higher quality open water suit will be more comfortable, last longer, keep you afloat and yield a far better performance. Most people would agree that a good wetsuit is money well spent. And since the long-term health of your body is even more important than your swim time, it should be easy to justify buying the best food you can even when eating out.

Wherever you end up, the most important thing to remember is to focus on the first two plate examples. Make sure to eat salad, lean protein and smart carbs. Pick the best quality food you can. If you do that, you will be able to make the best of most any eating out situation, survive the splashing and come out ready to transition into the rest of the day’s rat race.

Debbie Perry is a Certified Sports Nutrition Advisor (CSNA), Certified USA Triathlon Coach and Certified Colgan Power Program Trainer. For more information on Debbie’s consulting services or to ask specific questions regarding nutrition, contact Debbie directly by email at deb@saltlakerunningco.com

Popularity: 9% [?]