Newbz' Spring mentor group- FULL!!!! (Page 6)

Good luck on your first race!  I did my first not too long ago.  It was a blast.

Pre-race meal:  I would just eat something that you are used to eating for breakfast about 2-3 hours before.  The sprint is over before you even realize it.  Nutrition will not really be an issue. 

I had never cramped on a run until just recently, when my quad cramped around hour 3 of a very hard run-bike-run brick.  I mentioned it here and according to our Fearless Leader, the cramping was probably largely a fitness issue -- a new level of stress too the muscles.  Based on that response, I did some additional reading, and I think it is correct.  In your case, I'd be even more confident of that being the cause, since nutrition/hydration/electrolyte balance (other things that people mention as possible causes of cramping) are unlikely to be an issue at the times/distances you are talking about.

I said (previous post) that I did some 'other reading'.  I should have posted some references.  So here are a few opf the ones that I found most interesting:

1.  Sulzer, N. U., et. al. (2005), "Serum Electrolytes in Ironman Triathletes with Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramping", Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 37:1081-1085.  These guys compared cramping (i.e., WHILE they weere cramping, at the end of an ironman) versus non-cramping ironman athletes on a number of alleged factors for cramping, such as electrolyte balance.  They found no differences.

2.  Schwellnus, M. P. et al. (2004), "Serum electrolyte concentrations and hydration status are not associated with exercise associated muscle cramping (EAMC) in distance runners" British Journal of Sports Medicine, 38:488-492. Same guys as in #1 (some of them) doing a similar study on ultra-distance runners.  Same result.

3.  Jumg, A. P. et al. (2005), "Influence of Hydration and Electrolyte Supplementation on Incidence and Time to Onset of Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps", Journal of Athletic Training, 40:71-75.  These guys did a controlled study in which several college-age athletes attempted to fatigue themselves to the point of cramping (calves) in a hot environment, once atfer having consumed a sports drink, once without the sports drink.  The difference in rate of cramping was statistically insignificant, but the difference in TIME to cramping was longer after having consumed the sports drink.  There are many ways to interpret this result, but it shows pretty clearly that cramping is not prevented by taking the sports drink, though it may be delayed.  (that delay could, however, be due to the fact that the sports drink provides energy to stave off fatigue a bit longer.)

The lesson that I'm taking away from this reading, at least until I have reason to believe otherwise, is that (a) training builds endurance, (b) carbs and electrolytes provide the fuel and chemistry that I need to go for as hard and as long as my training allows, and that (c) once the benefits of (a) and (b) are used up, I'll be severely fatigued, which can lead to cramping.

There are plenty of other articles out there, many quite interesting, but I suppose that's enough for now.  One thing I'd warn of is that you should be wary of how the researchers are funded -- if they are funded by a sports drink company, just be aware that the results may not be totally ... ahem ... objective.



Edited by Experior 2009-04-28 9:02 AM

I've been reading "The Paleo Diet for Athletes" lately.  There is a section on cramping.  Basically, it states that no one really knows for sure what causes cramping.  It references some tests that see no difference in electrolytes.  However, for events >4 hours, the book discusses that cramps may be related to low sodium levels (hyponatremia) which may result from drinking large volumes of fluids, and/or initial low starting sodium levels.  Other theories include poor movement patterns that may cause a disturbance in the activity of Golgi tendon organs - essentially strain gauges built into the tendon to prevent muscle tears.  When activiated, these organs cause the threatened muscle to relax while stimulating the antagonistic muscle. 

Another theory the book mentions that cramps result from burning protein for fuel in the absence of readily available carbs.

Too many scientific studies in the bibliography to cite here.

more often than not cramping issues (muscle, not stomach) are related to fitness/pacing issues.

going to hard for your current fitness is almost ALWAYS the cause for cramps. if its after a bike, the bike setup may come into play as well (more toes down pedaling causes calf issues more due to more stress placed there).

I don't know how I pedal, but my guess is my toes are a little below my heal.  I will check next time I go for a ride.  If I do pedal toes down is that a bad habit/bad technique?

If it is bad technique should I try and adjust my stroke so my heals are even or below my toes or is this something that has to be adjusted based on bike setup and I should just stick with what is natural for now until I can get fitted? 

most cycling shoes have the toes slightly below the heal, and most people tend to pedal with their toes a bit more pointed down anyway.

this is not a bad thing, but some people have their toes WAY down, around 45 degree angle. this is a bad thing and will cause huge calf issues.

more than likely this is a fitness and not bike issue. pushing too hard on the bike i would bet is the issue, or harder than you should have to run after.
the good part is you are practicing now and have a place to start from next time, you saw (hopefully) the point where you had issues, so next time try biking a tiny bit easier (or the same speed but with a better fitness base) and see if the running issues go away.

It's a good tip, I'll try that to see what happen.

Hi everyone,
I'm back again after my long weekend (working a lot).I did not have time to be here or training during the weekend.Normally my weekends are very busy,I have a party rental company and when normally the people have time to do long rides or have a open water swimming or something like that I have to work.
I'm also come back to the pool today (it was closed for a month) It's crazy I was out for a month and I have to start almost from 0. It was a hard workout today and I finish tired and only swam 750 m. I need to be in shape again,my next race is in June.
Hopefully everybody is ok there !!!! and good luck to the people having the first TRI soon !!!! enjoy it, it happen so quick and you are not even notice that you cross the finish line.

Hey Folks,

So, I am very very new to all of this... I have been training for my first tri for about 4-5 weeks now.  Up until this point I had been feeling great (aside from my swimming frustrations) but now I have turned a corner and have really been experiencing fatigue.  I am not over training... only about 6-8 hours per week.  I take in about 2k calories per day... I do not do any type of vitamin supplementation... haven't ever really done that.

Anyone else experience this?  Anyone have any ideas?  I am open to any suggestions.

Thanks!

Anyone know anything about knee injuries?  I have been having pain around the knee cap of my right knee for about a week now - moving this weekend taking about 100 trips up and down stairs didn't help much.  I can swim with only a little pain, bike with manageable pain, but cannot run at all.  My first tri is in less than three weeks, would I be better off resting completely until the pain goes away?  Thanks.

I was having knee pain also like a 15 days ago. David told me ice and good shoes do wonders and beleive me that it's true. After my 10 miles running I started to have that pain and now I feel great.My advice, try to do the same with ice and be more focus on swimming if you don't have to much pain doing that.If your first tri is a sprint don't worry now take some days off of running,just do some swimming workouts and cycling (but not to hard)

Bad nutrition or poor hydratation could be the answer.The DV (daily value) is 2000 calories, I guess you have to consume around 2600 calories if you are training for less than 1 hour.I'm burning 1000 calories per hour of workout (also depending the intensity)If you are burning more calories than you are getting,then you are loosing some weight.
You have to fuel right for your workouts,eat something at lease 30 minutes before and eat or drink after you finish. For me is better to refuel with some liquid I can't eat after a workout.I'm usually drink an protein shake low carb and calories but high in protein. 
I recommend you a book that I'm reading is a great source of nutrition "EAT RIGHT TO TRAIN RIGHT" the author is Chris Carmichael (LANCE ARMSTRONG'S coach & nutritionist) Hopefully you can get better answers from people with more experience. 

ANDRES 

Thanks for the thoughts.  Yes, I have been loosing weight intentionally for about 3 months.  I have kept my daily caloric intake at that 2k mark and it has worked well.  I am about 7-8 lbs now away from what I would consider ideal.  I suppose it is possible that my metabolism has changed since I began this journey.  I will take a look at the book recommendation...

Thanks Andres.  With this being my first tri, I should probably just focus on finishing without being in pain. 

on the knee, if i were you i would go see a doc, baring that take a few days off, and just swim.

see if it feels better. stairs in no way helped that;-)




on the feeling down, i would say from what you said and assuming nothing is wrong with you, eat a bit more, or more carbs/good fats and see if that helps. take a few days and sit on a neutral number for you, or one or two days a bit over that and see how you feel. sounds like the weightloss/negative cal is starting to catch up with you, a day or two with more may be plently to get you back on track and not ruin the weight loss.

I had knee surgery almost three years ago (before I was working out regularly) and still have pain sometimes, especially on long runs in the cold.  One of the things that the surgeon was super helpful for was helping me to distinguish between pain that is OK to ignore, and pain that should get my attention.  I think in this regard it is helpful to find an orthopedist who regularly works with athletes.  Some docs will tell you 'all pain is bad'.  I'm no doctor, but I don't believe that to be true.

Thanks for the input!  I am hoping it is nothing serious, and that it will heal with RICE. 

Wetsuits- I've got a general question about these. As i'm about to compete in my first tri here soon i'm curious how much water should i expect to get into the wet suit?? Understandable the water will be cold and such but i'm curious how it's going to keep me warm if water is coming in the thing?? Newbie question i'm sure but i'm sure the answer is easy.
Thanks

the way a wetsuit keeps you warm is it traps a layer of water inside the suit, your body warms it and it keeps you warmer. you will get wet, and there will be water inside the suit (when you first go under and then stand up and the cold water goes down your back, fun moment and one you wont forget;-)

How important are wetsuits for shorter disance races when the water temp is not extremely cold, around 75^o?  Also, what are the main differences in the lower priced wetsuits vs. higher priced? -Thanks

Ok thanks for the words of wisdom. I figured as much. My first tri(sprint) is this Sunday so i'm excited. It's suppose to rain a little bit but i'm not worried about it. I'm just looking forward to the competition. 700 ppl and i'm looking to at least finish top 10 in my age group (30-34) which although it's my first time i've done everything in my power to be sure I do everything to the best of my abilities. I'm even heading up to the site to camp out tomorrow to see the course and ready myself for it

Any last minute words of wisdom anyone.....

as wetsuits go up in price you get more fetures like flexable under arms, thinner shoulders, higher quality seams etc.

lower priced suits are generally one thickness or two throughout, whereas higher priced suits change a lot more depending on body part in order to offer the most in warmth/flexability/fit.

Hi everyone
This weekend I have less work,I'm planning to do a ride on Saturday.
Hopefully you guys enjoy your weekend. For those that have race "HAVE A GOOD LUCK" and do your best.
Have a great and safety weekend for all of you !!!! see around.

While preparing for my first, I have a question on transitions.  How does everyone set up thier transition area?  Any tips to make the transition easier?
Thanks!