Yanti and Lynn, Mentors of the Manatee Melee: FULL (Page 34)

hahaha, reminds me of the formula S-1 = bikes to own, S being the number that would make your SO leave you ... I guess that applies to races too :p

Sooooooooo....how long do I need to wait before I can start thinking about an iron distance? Shall I do a half first? 

Fork it, just come do IM Melbourne with me in March. Flights from Seattle to Oz aren't too bad since you're already on the West Coast.

Wait, I did mention I am gonna do IM Melbourne, right?

Wooo-hooo! another manatee going over the edge! 2012 is just around the corner.......    I would.

Okay all~

I've got a couple questions I'm hoping for some feedback on (open to advice from any & all)!

1) Any recommendations on a half-marathon training plan?  Or recommendation on what I should look for in a plan?  

2) Recommendations on training nutrition (online or books)?  I have basically ignored using any type of nutrition (sports drinks, gels, anything other than water!) while training because I've only been training for sprints and frankly the whole nutrition thing is overwhelming for me.  But, I figure I should start learning more and understanding it more.

3) Recommendations for general information on all nutrition.  I eat fairly healthy, but I'm interested in having a better understanding of nutrition.  I'd like it to be backed by research, versus someone just writing a book about their opinions on nutrition.  

Thanks everyone!!!  

Frick'n tough to sit in the lobby at the hotel and see all the athlete bands knowing what could have been. 

Guess I'll just have to sign up for St. George since I'm usually stronger in the spring anyhow.  Anyone else intersted???

I've read or reading "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald.  I believe he also writes for Triathlete Mag or one of the other publications, so I suspect he has facts and experience behind him.  From what I have read, it is pretty involved and not just opinions. 

I'm also reading "Thrive - the Vegan nutrition guide to optimal performance in sports and life" by Brendan Brazier - it is about vegan eating for athletes and the stresses caused from the wrong foods.  It is interesting reading (theory) about how food can stress your body more than the environment (aka work, kids, traffic).  He has several books; however, I'd place his readings closer to "opinion" than I would place Fitzgerald.  Even with that, the basis behind what he talks about is good and is actually starting to be seen more and more.

I wish you luck on this one since there are TONS of opinions and "proof" it works.  Could also be like cycling cadence - general rules get you in the ballpark but specifics are more dependent on you and what your body can take.

Eh? Not at this time. Somehow the beautiful (FLAT) coastline of Cozumel calls my soul LOL  SG is the second hardest IM after Kona. That's great you're going for that one.  100% crazy manatee mentality LOL

I've done this diet and I'm slowly returning to it (a bit time consuming to prepare stuff.)  I definitely saw the improvements he touts.  In fact, I just got my Vega smoothie mix earlier today at Whole Paycheck.  I lost 8 pound in about 4.5 weeks without going hungry.  Sugar cravings went away (that alone for me was amazing!!!)  Mental clarity was awesome. And most importantly I was able to train at a high level of hrs for 90 days without getting sick.  I do believe 100% in eating vegan.  It's just that it takes more preparation time and planning.  But I'm returning to it for good.  I'm starting to buy other vegan books 'cause his recipes get a bit tiring after a while.  I do swear by all the recipes in the 'granola bars' section, though.   

Although I did stop following it by the letter, I never stopped using the superfoods he mentions. I switched to hemp protein, use Chia seeds and flax a lot, chlorella, MACA, matcha etc.

Due to the time prep required I'd recommend starting this diet off season.  Or, do as he says in the book and start introducing the ingredients he considers 'staples' little by little (like switching from whey protein to hemp.)

Oh no, Adrienne! Now that is some serious poochy-face. Not much sadder than a pretty girl with an awful rack.

And you're a REDHEAD!!! Nobody told me this! Well, smokin' hot redhead Manatees are a verrrrry special species indeed, right, Lynn? [I won't mentor with anyone who isn't. It's a requirement.]

As for IM ... you've put down some good mileage this year and done some whoppin' races. The difficulty I see is that you've got your November marathon scheduled which, by all accounts, you're training well for and want to be an "A" race. But both the taper and recovery would eat into prime training time. Honestly, for an IM, all of it is prime training time. The consistency has to be there throughout the 20 weeks, and you need to have a solid routine/base going in--which marathon taper is not ideal for.

Now, nearly everyone will also have a ding during IM training--illness, family, work, trip--which will munch into a couple of weeks. But you don't want to go into IM training with those two weeks or so already forfeited. You will need them later.

This is all particularly important for a first IM.

And this is where Lynn's voice becomes really important, because again, I'm the "just do it!" variety and she's the "maybe you should plan and train wisely" component. The more base and years you can put on your body before you go into your first IM, the better. It is the nature of the race that people underestimate it and it is unpredictable, and that's people going in as very good and experienced athletes! It makes for a very long day and potentially pretty crappy experience (especially on the run, a good portion of which is going to be a crappy experience anyway and you train for that) when the cutoffs are breathing down your neck.

My totally whacko, inexperienced, but I think nevertheless well-informed opinion is that if you don't have a realistic chance of making it in 15 hours, you shouldn't do an iron race. You need fully two hours of "oh shyte" time because things can and will happen. Nobody expected the CDA swim to be the polar bear variety this year, and people needed an unthinkably long T1 to recover from it, and many had a hard time for the first segment of the bike. Add in a mechanical or a couple of GI stops on the run, and if someone had taken even a 16-hour rather than 15-hour view, you'd be SOL.

Anyway ... blahblahblah as much as I desperately need a smokin' hot redhead conspirator for Melbourne, it's probably not a good idea. St. George (early May) is not ideal, but it's possible. You do like doing mountain climbing on the bike, exertion at elevation, and freezing cold and then possibly alternately blistering hot conditions, right?

P.S. On the other hand, those super-cool retro aviator sunglasses would probably give you the superpowers to do anything you want. Tres bien.

P.P.S. Several IM training programs, most notably Don Fink's "Be Iron Fit" ones, have a half on the way to the iron. Given the above caveats, I don't think you need to do a HIM separately before training for an IM that includes one ... but it is a significant confidence-booster. In that sense it is very good preparation.

That entirely depends on what kind of run training you want/expect to be doing before the plan starts, how much time/effort you have during the plan, and what your goals are both for training and the race.

I'd take a look at Hal Higdon's beginner half-mary plan and see if it suits you, or if it might be a good starting point, or ideas for what else you want to look for.

The only thing I have is an anti-recommendation. I'd basically ignore any type of information or claims made by manufacturers of sports nutrition products.

KISS is the acronym of the day. Honestly, I'd do it through experimentation. Start taking some sports drink on longer rides and see how you do. Alternately, take a gel or two. There's nothing wrong with real food, either, it just tends to be less portable than the pre-packaged stuff.

Dang. Don't look at me, I'm the PopTarts and Old Beans Queen ... however, I, too have heard very good things about "Racing Weight."

This is, by far, the best, most balanced, science-solid yet accessible place for nutrition information:

Center for Science in the Public Interest

Or, you could do Lanzarote, which of the IM-brand races, makes Kona look entirely doable. Lanzarote has by far the most painful bike profile, and also a notoriously long run between the swim and T1. However, some people would actually prefer the sweltering heat and murderous winds of Lanzarote and Kona over the fact that Utah is already at elevation, and the unpredictable temperature but likely very cold.

I've done a lot of research on the other iron/full races around the world (there's two in Uruguay! TWO! Who knew?) and I'd say Israman gets my vote for the most badass. There are, however, difficult races with 15-hour and even 14-hour cutoffs ... I'm dizzy, where's my kangaroo steak

Just noticed your new sig line BWAAAAAH HA HA HA snort snerk rolling on bed SNOOOOOORT

I am pink-pleased and most honored.

I do have diarrhea today but I'm sure it has nothing to do with the beans. The dogs are fine. The new kittens' poop is almost indescribably intolerable.

Nice pic with a nasty looking roof rack.  When are we getting the explaination of that day?

SG at altitude?  Maybe for you sea level manatees.  The disadvantage of not having beautiful water to swim in is that I can DROP 2000 feet to compete in St. George.  For now I'm just going to close out the year with a few more races (1 oly, the Warrior Dash, and 1 sprint potential - plus the misc. 5 or 10k local stuff) and make decision then.  Hopefully it won't fill before September.

Killer week this week - AS/ISO audit all week and once that is over, my "work" stress will drop significantly.  Reduce that stress and the food stress (ala Thrive Vegan diet) and I can really start re-stressing through workouts (or playouts - you know running, biking, swimming just like a kid).

On sports nutrition, a post in Triathlon Talk from BT's own Coach Shane McLeod, who, by the way, works with the Canadian national tri team. I hope the links copy over.

For anyone looking to do a little reading, Dugas and Tucker have a few great blog posts about this:

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/01/featured-series-on-science-...

I would recommend everything on their site but the Exercise and Hydration posts are most germane to this discussion.

Also, if anyone is looking to pick up a great read, their book is very well done:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1605298611/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8...

Shane

?Those words practically killed me in laughter! I mean, holding my stomach and pain afterwards.  I was trying to fall asleep and came here to peruse. I lost it when I got to that section.  OMG! My Mom knocked on the door to find out what was going on.  She too cracked up. As another guy said in the thread, you should get paid for your writing in these boards!!

Hahaha, well, I hate to break it to you but it's not really red...just when I am in direct sunlight and the camera angle is just right. So, I guess any time I see you I just need to stand in direct sunlight for you to give me the time of day  

The good news is, those aviators come stock on my face. 

Yeah, thanks to my terrible tie down job, my stand-up paddle board was ripped from my roof rack at 60 MPH as well as my bike rack. You are right, there is nothing worse than a broken rack. 

Thank you for the wonderful IM advice. I have some things to think over I guess. Perhaps you can do Melbourne and give me the scoop and I'll get the sloppy seconds in 2013.  

Matt Fitzgerald's "Racing Weight" really did change my life in a sense. I am a very equation oriented person. Numbers don't lie. Once I had a basic understanding, I just started logging my food and plugging in the numbers. (I used the livestrong site but anything will do)The key to this is being HONEST and weighing everything and looking up portion sizes. Once you do this, it's kind of an eye opener. It's pretty obvious what things you should eat less of and which things you can eat more of. Keep in mind though, as an endurance Athlete you will probably eat more carbs than most. I think the biggest thing is to do your best to make healthy changes but don't get so caught up in it that you get obsessed and stop enjoying a cheeseburger every now and again. 

Ok, the long version: I was irresponsible. I mean, more than usual. I only had one ratchet strap to mount my stand-up paddle board (like 12' long and quite heavey) to my roof rack AND I wrapped it around my seemingly sturdy bike rack. Well, at 60 MPH on the freeway my strap was far from secure and my bike rack less than sturdy. The board came unstrapped, flew up in the air then came back down HARD onto my roof and impaled itself on my cross bar. Literally the bar went THROUGH the board. I probably could have driven the 200 miles home with the board impaled. So, I came out of the weekend minus one bicycle rack and minus one stand-up paddle board.  The good news is, I didn't kill anyone. 

I must say, I am pretty jealous of where you live. I went to visit my parents in Mammoth and did a little training at altitude. HOLY HELL! I felt like such a wuss. 

Glad to hear your work stress will be subsiding to make room for some "playouts."