MJEWEN Spring 2013 Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 5)

Its going ok, at this point it seems getting through just a couple of weeks without any setbacks is good. I am going to focus on getting in a good groove with the running, and as i that happens add in the bike and swim.

Emile - My knee has been fine for bball games but I have not done any extra running for almost 2 weeks.  I have games tonight and Sat and if all is well after I'll run on Sunday or Monday. 

Bill and Terry - good to hear you are making progress and getting into a routine. 

How about the rest of you?  We're well into Jan, spring races are approaching.  Give us an update.  

Thomas - you have Liberty HIM in early June.  I have not done Liberty, I usually race the Oly at Buffalo and then go into the BWCA for a week or so.  You have hit on a key factor in longer races, nutrition.  For a HIM you will be on the course for 5+ hours and nutrition is key.  The bike is the best time to get the bulk of your nutrition, much easier to eat while riding vs running.  I use gels and energy bars (GU and Power Bars work for me).  I have never really had any GI issues during training or racing so I'm lucky there.  Have you tried different brands of gels?  GU are pretty thick, some don't like that aspect.  Hammer are thinner and may go down smoother.  Remember to follow gels with some preferably plain water.  If you follow with a sports drink the excess calories/sugar can cause issues.  A lot of my friends like Stingers, I've never tried them.  You can also try real food like a PB & jelly sandwich or even candy bars.  I ate a couple of Salted Nut Rolls during my IM.  As far as liquids on the run, I try to live off the course.  June shouldn't be too bad.  Try to find out what the race will have available and see if that works for you.  I have used a hand held bottle for some long races when it is hot & humid.  Replenish at water stops.  Gels on the run are the norm since it is harder to chew.  Hammer has Perpetuem and Sustained Energy and there is also Infinit which are liquid primary fuel sources, eliminating the need for gels/solids.  

It is very good you are considering nutrition plans at this point so you'll have time to experiment and hopefully find a solution that works for you.  Anyone else have suggestions for Thomas?  What brands/flavors are your favorites? 

For Sprints and Olys, nutrition is not much of an issue.  Sports drinks and possibly a gel are usually sufficient.  However, at the HIM and up distance, nutrition becomes the 5th discipline (I include transitions with SBR, more on transitions in a future post).  This is an area where we are really unique and you have to find out what works for you.  Experiment during your training to what combination works best for you.  Also, the weather can be a factor.  Hot, humid conditions require more liquids but can also change your "inner workings" so solids and gels may behave a little different.  I try to drink consistently, I have an aero bottle and the straw is right in front of my face reminding me.  My gels and bars are spaced out, I go by time/distance.  Such as solids every 45 minutes/15 miles on the bike.  I find it easier to use miles vs time.  Bars earlier on the bike, gels towards the end and on the run.  Maybe a gel in transition.  I try to follow any solid/gel with plain water but I know I can get away with a sports drink chaser if need be based on my experience.    

"It is very good you are considering nutrition plans at this point so you'll have time to experiment and hopefully find a solution that works for you.  Anyone else have suggestions for Thomas?  What brands/flavors are your favorites?"

For me... A hydration/fuel plan is essential for the longer races.  I drink every twenty minutes- I bring water and a zero sugar carb supplement with me on the ride. I fuel every 30-45 minutes, and follow gel with water (I prefer Hammer brand gels).  What I find nice about having a Hydro/fuel plan is that it also helps break the race up into manageable pieces.

Also, hammer has a product called endurolytes that I find helpful. Maybe it's because of the heat and humidity here in South Florida.

I don't like gels but they are kind of a necessary evil. Too much gel has given me cramps. It took me a few months of fueling to determine how much I could handle and the time between gels for good results. 

Once I tried to carbo load before a long race (spaghetti) and got really cramped and gassy during the bike portion of the race.  When I went over my training and pre-race routine I realized that I hadn't had any white flour in months and somehow thought that spaghetti would help. (mental note to self - don't introduce new foods the night before the race).

As far as camel backs after a swim..... For me...I think the fluid I have on the bike and what they provide on a race course is more than adequate.  There is plenty of time to hydrate/fuel during the first transition.

I should have added most HIMs and up will have bottle exchanges on the course.  Usually water and sports drink.  They will have zone prior where you ditch your empty bottle and then you slow down and they hand you a full bottle.  You can dump this in your aero bottle or put it in a cage.  Another drop zone after the hand off area for more throw aways.  These replacement bottles are sometimes cheaper water bottles but most often are just the drink in the packaged cheap plastic bottle.  You do not your  discarded water bottle back so remember to use water bottles you do not want back. 

On my tri bike, I have my Profile Designs aero bottle between my bars and a 2 cage holder behind my saddle.  My seat tube cage holder has my flat repair kit in a Pocket Rocket, an enclosed plastic holder that fits in a bottle cage.  I cannot use a saddle bag on my tri bike due to my strange shaped seat post.  I'll see if I can find a good picture to post. 

Terry - What 70.3 are you planning on doing in May?

Bill - I hear ya on just making it through a couple of weeks with no set backs.  The older I get it just seems like I every couple of weeks I'm hit with some sort of nagging injury.

Thomas - Nutrition is just a lot of trial and error and very personal thing that needs to be worked out during long rides and runs.  What works for one may not work for another.  For my 70.3 last Sept. I got up about 2 hours before the race and ate breakfast and then about 15 min before my swim wave took off I ate a cliff bar.  I used shot bloks on the bike.  I stored them in my bento box.  I took 1 with water every 20min.  I set my Garmin to beep every 20min to remind me to take nutrition.  Once on the run I lived off the aid stations.  Good luck with figuring out your nutrition.  For me that is half of the fun during long workouts is trying to get my nutrition plan nailed down.

Mike - Good to hear that your knee seems to be feeling better. Good luck with your runs this weekend.

Emile, I had planned on HIM Florida 70.3 in Haines City..... BUT... on May 5 there is an inaugural event called RocketmanFlorida.com taking place in Titusviille, FL.  The bike portion will travel through Kennedy Space Center. It's billed as the first public sporting event at the center and I thought it would be very cool to do that race. The website has a very nice video that follows the bike route. They have half price tickets for the NASA tour, so it makes for a nice family weekend trip.  (It's about a 4 hour drive).

Terry - Wow!  That race sounds cool!  I'm with you I think thats the one I would pick.  It's always nice when the race can turn out to be a fun family outing. 

Tony - I feel your pain.  The last couple of months have been tough for me as well.  Between my youngest son being sick, me catching the flu, hurting my hip, and wrestling season my training time has been very spotty.  Although sounds like over all you are head of schedule for your August Olympic.

hey all... I am wondering is any of you listen to Ipod or music when you do bike trainers/treadmill training.

AND - what do you listen to?

I don't listen when I ride or run but at the gym have the Pandora on my phone usually tuned into either : Drive-by-Truckers,  Lucero, or the  North Missisiippi All Stars.

Terry,

    If I am stuck inside doing training whether on bike or treadmill, then I wear either  an ipod or use my phone which has I Heart Radio on it. If I am outside I don't wear anything. There is too much going on with traffic, animals, people, etc.

As far as what I listen to, pretty much anything from 80s to current music , country, hard rock, whatever. It's all in what I am in the mood for. 

Terry - I have never used an Ipod while training.  When running I really enjoy just listening to my surroundings.  I live next to a National Park which I can run to from my house.  It isn't unusual for me to see up to 40 deer in the park while running or biking so it is kind of fun to keep your ears open and listen for things moving around.  While training inside on the bike trainer I watch netflix or dvd's on my laptop with headphones and I never run inside.  Although I'm seriously considering buying a waterproof iPod for swimming.  I get bored to tears while swimming and I think a iPod might just make the time more enjoyable.  I'm thinking I will try and download some audio books on the iPod but if I download music it will be classic rock(60's, 70's and 80's).  Its really hard for me to say 80's is classic rock because that is the music I grew up on but all of the classic rock stations are playing tons of 80's music.

Hey Terry,

I listen to the Ipod, quite often on the bike and run. I download a lot of podcasts from Itunes that are free and that pertain to health, nutrition, and training some of my favs are Ben Greenfield fitness, Underground wellness, Endurance planet, Cycling 360 media and Marathon training Academy. I have gotten a ton of info that is practical for triathlon and would encourage others to check some of them out. You never know what you don't know. These along with some great classic rock, i especially like soft rock don't ask me why i guess it calms the savage beast LOL.  The Eagles and Bee Gees, Beatles 

Hey Terry,

 I listen to my IPOD when I am at the gym, due to living in a small town folks want to catch up with me at the gym so I find to not have to chit chat a ton(I have limited time to work out) I walk in with my ear buds in and they just wave so I wave and smile back. Other than that when I am out side I don't take it with me so I can be aware of my surroundings. I will sometimes wear it when I am biking if it is early enough or on a Sunday when the traffic is close to nothing. I listen to a wide variety of music from 60,70 80 90 and current stuff. It just depends on what mood I am in.

Emily, sorry to hear about your achilles tendon. That is definitely ironic to have an injury right when you are feeling the joy of running.

I was totally out of the loop last week on our ski trip. It was awesome, just gorgeous out there. We went to Big Sky, Montana, and our arrival coincided with a cold snap. Temps dropped to -22 F!! Yikes! I actually saw a runner out in -15F, no kidding. He was wearing about the amount of clothing I put on for running in the mid-40s.

So we had cold, then some snow and much warmer temperatures. Lots of skiing, and I did not aggravate my knee ... too much... I just started to feel a tiny bit of inflammation toward the end of the week, but that's it.

My first race is a sprint on April 20. Counting the weekends, I took 12 days off of the plan for this trip. I think I have about 14 weeks left before that race.

In answer to your question about fueling, I use gus and chomps, like shot blocks. When biking, though, since I have pockets, I like to take granola bars and bananas. For running, I shoot for 100 calories every hour. Biking, I don't have a formula, I just eat when we take breaks.

I listen to podcasts like The Extra Mile and several other running ones. I prefer to run outdoors without my ipod, ever since marathon training I found that I just can't stand to listen to anything for the amount of time I am out there. Running on the treadmill is another story, though. I need something to keep me company.

Fantastic!

Bill - Awesome!!!!  It sure is a good feeling when training goes well!

I did 1 hour on the trainer after work today.