Kate O'Brien's Road to Rio

If you haven't heard who Kate O'Brien is we recommend you read up on her and keep an eye out for her this coming Olympic year. A former bobsled athlete recently turned track-cyclist, O'Brien is making a push for an Olympic spot and it all started with an awesome performance at the World Cup 2 weeks ago. Kate's on the blog today to recap her most recent competition. 

"We went into this World Cup aiming for another top eight, with the hopes for higher, ideally a top six performance. We were still in a bit of a precarious position for Olympic qualification. Another solid race here would hopefully widen our lead over Mexico and close the gap on Colombia. After a few nerves, we rode our race and ended up 5th with a new personal best time and closer than we have been to the top countries in the world. Not only did we beat Mexico and Colombia, but we beat a number of other countries that have always been miles ahead of us, finishing about 3/ 100ths out of the finals. It was more than we had thought by far. Again, we're not quite out of the woods as far as qualification goes, but it's pretty incredible to think that one day soon we may have a real shot at being among the top in the world.

I think the ticket for us this time was to really keep our heads in what WE wanted to accomplish, rather than worrying about uncontrollable things like how the other teams would go. There is still more work to do (there always is!) but I think I speak for both of us when I say that we are really excited for what's to come. We still have a lot of improving that we can do, which is a great thing as it means that with more training (and a bit of luck ;)) we can be among those coveted top four by the end of this season. Tonight I felt such gratefulness, not at the result (though I was grateful for that!), but for the fact that we were put in the position to have to fight. After our disappointing continental championships, we really had to rally our bodies and our minds. We were put in a position of fight or flight and thanks to some great people supporting us we have been able to fight. In all honesty, I don't know that we would have finished where we did today were it not for the fire that was lit inside of us. We were able to aim higher than just "beat who we need to beat", and move into "let's try to be the best we can be".

On Saturday I competed in my second ever World Cup sprint tournament. As I mentioned following Colombia, I was a bit disappointed, finishing 25th in the qualification and not getting into the tournament (24 went through). This time around, that was my goal- top 24 in the qualifications and then getting into the rounds. I always feel a bit of trepidation when I'm in a sprint tournament- like I don't belong or am too new. I have really been trying to work on that and at this World Cup, I felt that my competitive head was in the best place it has been for a while. The field was immensely close in times, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had qualified 12th which was a few hundredths off of some of the top girls. I was stoked to move up 11 places from last World Cup and I finally felt like I had a real opportunity to show my stuff in the match sprints! I was matched with a girl who was pretty much the same speed as me, nearly down to the thousandth. Unfortunately I was knocked out in the first round. That said, since I started sprints, I have really felt like a fish out of water; there are so many tactics involved, kind of like playing chess at 60km/ h. Though I didn't come out on top on Saturday, and I still have a lot to learn, I felt like I took a pretty big step. I managed to wrap my head around things a bit better and come closer than I had before. I am looking forward to the next World Cup in Hong Kong where I'll hopefully get another shot to show my stuff, this time deeper into the sprint rounds!

At the moment, we have been given a few days off before getting back to training in Milton pre- Christmas. I am staying in New Zealand a bit longer and will return to Milton on Thursday. Then back to it on Friday with a double day- whew! I feel really hungry for the next chapter- stay tuned!"

Stay hungry Kate - we are so excited to keep you fuelled and hydrated on your Road to Rio! 

Lionel in the News - Chatting Nutrition and Ironman

Bob Bellacicco from CTV Windsor stopped by recently to chat with Lionel and ourselves about sport nutrition and ironman racing. The full interview can be found here: CTV Windsor: Preparing for Ironman.

The face of a champion - Lionel winning the 2015 Ironman Arizona.

CrossFit WHL - Where I Work & Play

Late in 2013 we decided that we wanted to see if we could effectively fuel CrossFit athletes.  After working with some regional level athletes and coaches we found out that we certainly had a place in CrossFit.  Little did I know I soon would become a fixture at one of our local boxes.  I believe it was in May of 2014 that I drove by CrossFit WHL - I didn't even know it existed until that day.  Later that afternoon I dropped by the box and met Bobby Tran, owner/coach of The WorkHorse Lifestyle.  Almost instantly we connected and we both thought it would be a good idea to trial the products with his members and our Infinit Strength blends took off.  With the business relationship strongly in place by late summer of 2014 I was now very intrigued with CrossFit and wanted to be involved.  I became a member in August 2014.

You will hear varied opinions on what CrossFit is.  For me, number one is CrossFit WHL is a community.  Daily you enter this gym where ego is left behind and you challenge yourself along side your friends.  You give it everything you have; you do not want to disappoint yourself or your community.  The box has been referred to as a lab, it is a place where we find our limitations and understand what limits us, and then work to overcome that limiter to truly improve.  I, as an example coming from 10 years of endurance racing had some crazy tight hips, hamstrings, back and ankles.  During foundations Bobby assessed me doing a body weight squat and identified that the first areas of focus would be ankle and hip flexibility.  Did this mean that I wouldn't perform a squat until I had adequate flexibility - no!  We would scale the exercise so that my strength could increase as my flexibility increased.  As an example, I started doing back squats down to a 24" box, then down to a bench, then down to a wall ball on a plate....  Today I am able to do a squat with my thighs going down below parallel.  As they say in yoga - that position may not be available today, implying that with consistent practice what is not available today, can be in the future.  Same goes in the box.  You are never without a limiter, there is always something that is preventing a better performance,

whether that is a heavier lift, a better time or more calories/reps performed within a given time.  Being able to identify these limiters and then working on them results in us becoming better; it is truly a human performance lab.

Convenience of having your gym across the street!

I was always intrigued with the CrossFit style of workouts.  I would have never dreamt that it would have become such an important part of my daily routine.  I have a new community; a community that I visit most days and leave everything I have; each and every time I come out stronger.  I am grateful after our move to our current location - I can look out my window and see my lab!

Thanks Bobby for creating such a great environment.

- Darcy Haggith, President, Infinit Nutrition Canada

Day in the Life of Brent Fikowski

Monday, November 30th/ 2015

04:40 Wake up and have a small snack, drive to training at Kelowna CrossFit.

05:20 Begin warmup then hit the following training session. This is a larger than normal session for me, so I will be having two scoops of Infinit Xcite. 

       Accumulated 18 strict muscle-ups and 45 strict handstand pushups for skill and strength

       20 sets of 1 deadlift on the 30 seconds @ 70% of my 1 rep      max

       4 rounds of bench press and bent over row supersets with structured rest

       Conditioning TABATA style intervals with slam balls, kettlebell swings and airdyne sprints

       Squatting for technique staying below 60% of 1 rep max for sets of 5

As always I finish with Infinit Beta Alanine & Creatine and Infinit Recover. Of course a banana too.

Brent putting in work! 

07:50 Drive to chiropractor appointment for an adjustment, laser therapy and traction.

08:40 Arrive home and eat breakfast! My favourite meal of the day. It always consists of three eggs, one piece of bacon, grilled vegetables, oats, yogurt and berries.

09:40 Bike 10 minutes to work. This bike ride is starting to get pretty cold!

09:50 Arrive at work. I am an accountant at an advertising company. I have a stand-up adjustable desk and a very relaxed work environment with a lot of great people. We mostly make Facebook advertisements on your news feed. You're welcome.

10:30 Fibre Optic internet from Telus cuts out. This is not ideal because all of our company's business is done online. Wait on hold with Telus on and off for 90 minutes to resolve the issue. It was a clerical error and they are sorry. We are not impressed.

12:00 Eat first lunch while at my desk. It consists of sweet potato, beef, veggies, and nuts.

13:10 Discuss with my co-worker the upcoming Star Wars movie and the recent Jar Jar Sith theory we read about online. 

13:20 I continue my bean counting.

14:20 Eat second lunch, basically the same as the first just pork instead of beef

18:00 Finish work and bike to Shopper's Drugmart to buy white athletic tape and Rock Tape. They are sold out of both.

18:20 Arrive home hungry and cold. I have a cup of warm bone broth and re-heat some home-made pumpkin soup.

18:30 Fry a pork chop with some greens and serve with cold cooked beets.

18:45 Eat food then stretch while watching last night's "The Walking Dead". Rick Grimes needs to take action and start biting necks again if he wants his kids to survive. Just my two cents.

19:30 Hang up laundry, clean kitchen, answer some emails, book a hotel for my upcoming competition in Miami and prepare clothing for tomorrow. The plan is to bike to training instead of drive so I need my winter garb.

20:20 Chat with my girlfriend about our upcoming trip home to Alberta.

20:40 Say goodnight.

20:40:30 Fall asleep immediately.

Pretty exciting! Right...?!...

Winning an Ultraman on Infinit Nutrition!

Long time customer Mike Coughlin recently just achieved a feat he has been aiming for since 2011, and it was done all while fuelling on Infinit! Back in '11, Mike, who is the head coach at Discomfort Zone Performance Coaching, had a near miss runner-up finish at the Ultraman World Championships in Hawaii. Since then, he made it his goal to get back to the World Championships and this time come out on top.

Well, he did just that.

“This was a 10-year dream for me,” said Coughlin, “Ever since I crewed here in 2005 for Michael Hanrack, who finished second, and since I finished second myself in 2011, I dedicated myself to winning this great event.”

Mike with crew member Lauren getting his bike suit on after the swim!
Mike came out of the swim portion in 11th place.  

If you're unfamiliar with Ultraman, it is a 3-day, 515km race that is held annually in Hawaii. The race is divided into 3 stages; day 1 is a 10km swim followed by a 145km cross-country bike ride, day 2 is a 276km bike ride, and day 3 includes an 84km double-marathon to conclude the race. Each stage must be completed in 12 hours or less, with the swim being finished in 5.5 hours or less.

Last climb on the bike!

Mike getting his Infinit in.
Props to his team member running alongside in sandals!

At this year's World Championship, Mike just missed breaking the Ultraman World Championship men's race record by 2 minutes and 56 seconds. He defended his Day 2 lead with a 2nd-best double marathon time of 6:48:02. His overall finish time was 21:44:18, 27:27 ahead of the second place finisher and a whopping 1:44:30 ahead of third.

421km later and all smiles!
Mike had the fastest bike split, propelling him to first place after Day 2. 

Running to a first place finish! 

After chatting with Mike post race, he had so many great things to say about his custom Infinit formulation. His base calories were supplied through Mike's Bike Blend, fuel that was designed based off of his specific needs. He supplemented his custom blend with jetfuel for the swim and run. We are thrilled for Mike and look forward to continuing to fuel him throughout his future training and races.

Simply awesome!

(Images and quotes from Tim Carlson at Slow Twitch - Thanks Tim!)

Our Reviews Say it All!

Besides providing athletes with top-notch sport nutrition, one of our favourite things to do is read our customer reviews. We've compiled some below - do you love your Infinit blend? Make sure to leave us a comment letting us know what you like best!!

Infinit CUSTOM

Chris: "... I now have one product to quench my needs during the run and bike and no longer carry any gels."

Eleanor: "... I have suffered with digestive issues with other products, but not this one."

Read more CUSTOM reviews here. 

Infinit REPAIR

Eric: "... 132km of bike and 13km run on a hilly course, followed by one bottle of Repair... the results are clear! I was top shape the next morning and even now two days after!! Beats anything I have ever tried so far!"

For more reviews on Infinit REPAIR, click here. 

Infinit RESCUE

Chrissy: "This is by far the best post workout shake I have ever had..."

Erica: "Best fuel on the market. Taste is clean and not overly sweet like most powders on the market. The name really sums up the feeling you get after you take it... Recovered!"

Click here to see why others love Infinit RESCUE. 

Infinit RAW

Andrew: "... I recommend the RAW for all my athletes! Love this stuff!"

Garth: "The gold standard for whey protein is right! So easily mixed with anything that the options are limitless for ways to get extra high quality protein!..."

Infinit RAW reviews here. 

Infinit RIDE

Melonie: "I have had some of my best race results fuelled by Infinit. It has helped take my performance to another level."

More RIDE reviews found here on our website. 

Infinit JETFUEL

Angela: "We are really happy since we switched to Jet fuel, I love that I can make it anywhere and how affordable it is too."

See what others have to say about JETFUEL by clicking here. 

Check out the rest of our product reviews by heading on over to our website! 

Infinit RUN 1, Infinit RUN 2, Infinit X-CITE, Infinit MUD

Talking Nutrition with Lionel Sanders and Chris Uszynski on RunningFlat Radio

Got a text from Chris Uszynski of the RunningFlat Radio around 7 pm Tuesday night.  He asked if I could call into the show and chat with he and Lionel.  They were talking about some of the changes he made since Ironman Texas that propelled him to a sub 8hr victory at Ironman Arizona.  I hopped on the show remotely for a few minutes; we had some great dialogue. If you missed it here is a link to the show: RunningFlat Radio - Lionel Sanders.  The interview with Lionel gets going around 10:30 into the podcast.

In my opinion the most important take away from the conversation is the ability we have to train our digestive system to take on more fluids and fuel.  This is a concept that was first shared with me by Mark Linesman from Loaring Personal Coaching at a Tri-Clinic a couple of years ago.  Mark talked about training our system to take on more carbohydrates, fluids and electrolytes over time; somewhat like other training where we stretch to create an adaptive response.

There is no question that the more calories we can ingest during exercise while maintaining our electrolyte and hydration levels, the better we can perform and ultimately the better we recover so we can do it again tomorrow.  The caveat of course is ensuring the ingestion of the fuel does not result in gastric distress and ultimately affect your performance.  That is truly where the training of the system comes in.

The off-season for endurance athletes is great time to use the base training periods to tune your digestive systems to take on more fuel.  You will get more from your workouts and recover stronger; we may not get you to a sub-8hr Ironman but I know we will get you closer to your potential.



- Darcy Haggith, President, Infinit Nutrition Canada

SWEAT Fitness and Performance now fuelling on Infinit!

We are excited to announce that SWEAT Fitness and Performance is now fuelling on Infinit! Sweat is located right here in Windsor, ON and owner Mike Patella understands the importance of  a high-quality nutrition to supplement your everyday workouts - a match made in heaven! SWEAT specializes in providing personal training, semi-private, and athletic development and team training to it's clients.

Mike is just as excited to provide his athletes with top of the line sport fuel. "Choosing Infinit Nutrition has been pivotal in enhancing the well being and health of my clients as well as taking their fitness to a new level.  Infinit Nutrition has given me the peace of mind needed when it comes to high standard in quality products as well as excellent customer service."

We are thrilled to begin working with Mike to bring his customers the best sport fuel there is!

Fuel Like Lionel did at Ironman Arizona!!

This past weekend Lionel Sanders travelled south to compete in the Ironman Arizona on Sunday, Nov. 15th. We worked with Lionel to tweak and dial in his nutrition for this race following the World Championships in Kona back at the beginning of October. Check out the blog post we wrote about the road leading up to Ironman Arizona here: Lionel's Infinit Fuel Dialled in For Ironman Arizona!

Lionel's nutrition and training regimen proved to be effective as he raced Ironman Arizona in sub 8 hours on his way to his first full-Ironman victory (Lionel won Ironman Florida as well, but the swim portion was cut due to weather).

The face of a champion who gives it his all out on the course. 

Lionel finished the swim portion of the race in 54:04 which placed him in 18th in his division going into the bike. Quick work on the wheels launched him to 3rd amongst the PRO men, completing 112 miles in 4:13:38 at a pace of 26.50mph. Looking to capitalize on the run he pushed a pace of 6:22/mi - the second fastest run of the day. He finished the race in 7:58:22, 2 and a half minutes faster than the second place finisher, fellow Canadian Brent Mcmahon. This was Lionel's first race for the season that would count towards the 2016 Ironman World Championships - we think he's made a GREAT start and are looking forward to fuelling him through the rest of his journey.

Interested in hearing Lionel's stories from the race? Make sure you're at the McMaster Tri Clinic on December 5th! More info here: Infinit Nutrition Presents the Personal Best McMaster Tri Clinic!

Want to Fuel Like Lionel? To celebrate his victory we are running a sale on our custom nutrition. If you aren't aware we helped Lionel customize his sport nutrition to meet his own training needs and we want to help you do the same. Order your PRO Custom Consult for 50% of the retail price now until Friday, Nov. 20th at 11:59pm.

Happy training!

Infinit Nutrition Presents the Personal Best McMaster Triathlon Clinic!

We are excited to announce that we will be at the upcoming Personal Best McMaster Triathlon Skills and Seminar Clinic! The event, which features a day of skills sessions and lessons with some of the top athletes, coaches and researchers in Canada, will also include the Trisport Subaru Race Series, Multisport Canada Race Series and Triathlon Ontario Banquets. The Tri-Ontario banquet will feature the presentation of MultiSport Canada's Recharge with Milk Series Awards. 

This clinic presents a unique opportunity for young Canadian athletes to learn from Olympic swim-bike-triathlon coaches, world class lecturers, and top Canadian elite athletes and researchers. 

The event will take place beginning at 7:45am at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario on Dec. 5th, 2015. Every participant will have the opportunity to customize their own daily schedule to attend the seminars and banquets that they please.

Clinic Speakers will include: 

Lionel Sanders: 4 x Ironman 70.3 Champ and Kona Rookie, Team Infinit

Andrew Cole: Olympic Swim coach

Mirek Mazur: Olympic cycling coach & mentor to World Cycling champions

Barrie Shepley: Hall of Fame Olympic Tri Coach

Sean Bechtel: Elite pro triathlete & experienced age group triathlon coach

Caron Shepley: World Age Medalist & Yoga – Core-Injury prevention specialist

Dr. Leith Drury: Sport Psychologist for endurance athletes.  Past World Tri Champ.

Taylor Reid: Pro Triathlete.  Recent Winner of 70.3 Ironman Vegas.

Andrew Yorke: Pro Triathlete - 4th Place 2014 Commonwealth Games
Cody Beals: Pro Triathlete and 3x podium athlete in 70.3 Ironman

Kristen Marchant: Pro 70.3 Triathlete & 2x World 20-24 Champion

Sheryl Ross: Nutritionist Specialist & Infinit Nutrition Consultant

Bob Knuckey: World Master Tri Champ

Varsity Mac Runners and swimmers  

Olympian, World Champion and Pan Am Silver Medalist and Team Infinit athlete Melissa Bishop will be a keynote speaker at the event during the Triathlon Ontario Banquet. 

Three Banquets: 
On December 5th, Subaru Tri Series has their year-end Breakfast Awards Banquet from 9-11am and the Multi-Sport Drink Series will have their lunch hour Awards Banquet from 1-3pm. Finally, Triathlon Ontario will finish off the day with their year end banquet from 5:30-8pm. All Banquets will take place in Celebration Hall. 

Clinics and Seminars: 

The day will begin with a participant meeting from 7:45am until 8:45am, which will kick-start the seminars and clinics for the day. There are 4 two-hour sessions, 9am-11am, 11am-1pm, 1pm-3pm and 3pm-5pm. 

Sessions will include: 

A) Andrew Cole and his varsity swimmers in the pool each two hour block

B) Taylor, Lionel and the runners on the track for each 2hr block

C) Caron in the yoga-core room going over the injury prevention session

D) Sean Bechtel in the spin room 11-1pm and 1-3pm

E) Then a 2hr seminar presenter that is going on from 9-11, 11-1 and 1-3pm in the main lecture hall.

From 3-5pm, everyone in the camp is in the main lecture hall for a Question and Answer Period for 2hrs.  I will be emceeing the 2hr block where I will be asking questions and the audience gets to ask questions.

More information and registration can be found here. 

Lionel's Infinit Fuel Dialled in For Ironman Arizona!!!

Lionel at Kona Finish with IM Mom - Becky and IM Fiancee - Erin

Lionel is coming off of a 14th place finish at the World Championships in Kona.  A great rookie performance and we are looking forward to many more.  Nutritionally we had a pretty solid plan for Kona that was executed well.  Lionel was able to get all his fuel and water in which allowed him to perform - he had the 8th fastest bike/run split of the day.  When you are competing against the absolute best in the world, that is saying a lot.

As you diagnose and reflect post race there is a desire to become much more aero and have less weight during the bike.  This was a must as Lionel actually pushed one of the highest wattages on the bike but this didn't translate into a top 5 - bike split.

8-Servings Lionel's Custom Infinit

Lionel gave us this challenge for Arizona - "I need all of my fuel in one bottle so I can reduce the weight and be way more aero".  The task was made easier knowing the temperature, humidity and winds would be much more favourable in Arizona.  Based on recent sweat work, we know Lionel will only lose about 1.4 L / hr, opposed to the 2+ L he experienced at Kona.  We will be able to keep him optimally hydrated, fuelled and have the right amount of electrolytes with 2 servings of his custom blend / hour.  He will be on the bike for just over 4 hrs and can leave T1 with Infinit in an aero bottle, therefore we need 8 servings in one bottle.  So that is what we trialled - Lionel's blend is a little lower in concentration than most athletes because he has a such a high sweat rate, that happens when you push 300+ watts on a bike.  I myself have used 5 servings of my IM blend per bottle with ease.  We were hoping that we could squeeze 8 servings in for Lionel - we did and Lionel has trialled it for the last couple of weeks - we are good to go for Arizona!  Lionel's feedback: "Actually kind of like the taste...sort of like sweet tarts".

• Less Weight - Check!
• More Aero - Check!
• Same great fuel - Check!

Looking forward to watching Lionel again this weekend as the journey to Kona begins again.

Best of Luck Lionel!

- Darcy Haggith, President, Infinit Nutrition Canada

The Infinit Darkhorse: Beta-Aminos!!

Looking for the perfect fuel to supplement your lift or WOD? We've got you covered! Our Infinit Beta-Amino blend is the perfect mix of Beta-Alanine, Amino Acid Blend, Beet Root Powder and Stevia to keep you hydrated throughout your workouts. 

What's the story behind our Infinit Amino blend? We had some of our CrossFit owners and athletes come to us asking if we could create a high-branch chain amino acid and beta-alanine blend that they could take pre- and intra-workout. We worked with them to create what is now our signature Amino Blend. They helped us to find the perfect balance of Amino Acids and Beta Alanine and we then tested several samples to get the taste just right - we wanted to mask the strong taste of the Amino's and Beta and we agreed on using Beet Root Powder and Stevia. Initially, we used another sweetener which also added some calories to the blend. However, our athletes wished for a calorie-free workout blend and that is why we chose to sweeten with stevia. Team Infinit athlete Erica Livett and CrossFit owners Bobby Tran from CrossFit The Workhorse Lifestyle and Garth Cooke from CrossFit North Okanagan all love their Infinit Blends, especially our Amino's. 

Erica Livett, CrossFit Regional Athlete: "No Fluff in this stuff! Just a great blend of Amino acids and buffering agents allowing my body to perform at it's best.  I’ve tried lots and this is hands down the best. Pure and awesome.

When you train hard you need to fuel accordingly.  Infinit amino are the perfect blend of amino acids and buffering agents that allow my body to perform at its peak and prevent muscle breakdown. Plus there’s no artificial fillers, just good old beet juice and stevia making for a pleasant tasting drink." 

Garth Cooke, CrossFit North Okanagan: "I have to say I look forward to this pre/Peri workout drink! Tasty and highly effective for lactate buffering. Easy to drink and absorb. Love this product!"

Bobby Tran, CrossFit The Workhorse Lifestyle: "One of my favourite supplements by Infinit is their Aminos blend.  With all of the different aspects of CrossFit it is quite common for athletes to do multiple workouts in one day.  A typical day may be a gymnastics skill workout in the morning, a weightlifting session at noon and a conditioning session in the evening.  This type of volume can be extremely catabolic so it is important to have a supplement to support recovery- Infinit's Aminos blend did just that for me.  I was able to pull off 2-3 workouts on any given day and have the confidence to do the same thing the following day. The blend tastes great, is easy to mix and doesn't contain any artificial sweeteners which is a huge plus.  I would highly recommend this product to any serious athlete who has a high volume workload and needs the edge to support their output!"

Ready to try Infinit Beta/Amino Blend? We promise you won't be disappointed!