Meulen's 'Let's tri this Thing!' beginner mentor group-CLOSED (Page 6)

Hey Brian,  can you update our list of participants in this forum.  The one I have is from before you re-opened the group.  Thanks,

Dale, go back to page 2. I've been updating it as we added new members.

Thanks, Brian- that's helpful. Closer to the actual race, I would think of wanting to practice this. Do you know how often people practice transitioning? The idea of transitioning is making me the most nervous as I don't want to waste alot of unnecessary time.

QOTD: How do you stay hydrated for optimal performance and no natural breaks during racing/training? This is a little talked about subject. Yes, there are bathrooms on course. It varies per venue, but usually in and or near transition area. I've seen many people run out of the water in into the bathroom.

However, this brings up another issue that's highly debated. Hydration! If you have to go coming out of the water you may not be hydrating properly. Especially on a short course, I'm able to go the entire race without using the facilities.

Edited by Meulen 2011-01-14 8:44 AM

OK group....

here is a great article from active.com on hydration myths. Pay close attention to the theme of sipping on your drinks instead of gulping down tons of water, and staying hydrated on a constant basis. Your body is like a sponge. If you pour a bunch of water on a sponge a lot of that water just runs off. If you pour a little at a time it absorbs it more. So gulping down a bunch of water before a race only makes you visit the facilities! Hydration is like nutrition. It's a constant thing that you need to pay attention to all day everyday. If you do this, you can just sip a little extra water before your training/race and then take in what you need during without having to stop during a race.

http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/Cycling-Hydration-Myths.htm


Cycling Hydration Myths

By Selene Yeager
Bicycling

Cyclists, like all athletes, need plenty of liquids. But beyond that basic tenet, things get murky fast — and for years, riders have heard conflicting reports about what, when and how much to drink. So we tapped our best resources, from the latest research to sports nutrition expert Monique Ryan, RD, author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, to separate the facts from the hype. Here's what we found.

Hype: REPLACE EVERY LOST OUNCE

For years cyclists have been told to drink enough on the bike so they weigh the same after the ride as they did beforehand. The truth is, your body can't absorb fluids as fast as it loses them, and not every ounce of weight is lost through sweat anyway.

Truth: KEEP UP WITH SWEAT LOSS — MOSTLY

Replace about 75 percent of lost sweat during a long ride. "To do that, you need to know your sweat rate," says Ryan, who recently coached a heavy-sweating triathlete who routinely lost 40 ounces of fluid an hour. To determine your sweat rate, weigh yourself before and after a short ride. "An hour ride is a good indicator of what you're losing through sweat alone," Ryan says.

Hype: OVERFLOW BEFOREHAND

Guzzling gallons of fluids before a ride or race will do little more than send you searching for rest stops.

Truth: TOP OFF AS YOU GO

Sip a 16-ounce sports drink an hour or two before you saddle up. That's enough time for your body to absorb what it needs and eliminate what it doesn't. Then take in about six to eight ounces (two to three gulps) every 15 to 20 minutes while you ride.

Hype: CAFFEINE WILL DEHYDRATE YOU

Caffeine has long been demonized as a diuretic. On paper, that means it should lead to dehydration and heat stress, especially when you consider that it also raises your heart rate and increases your metabolism.

Truth: CAFFEINE IMPROVES CARB BURNING

A review of ongoing research recently revealed that caffeinated drinks don't make you pee that much more than equal amounts of beverages without the buzz. The stimulant also doesn't worsen the effects of summertime heat. In fact, caffeine makes you feel better. Numerous studies have shown that it lowers your rate of perceived exertion while improving your strength, endurance and mental performance. Even better, researchers from the University of Birmingham, in England, found that riders who drank a caffeinated sports beverage burned the drink's carbs 26 percent faster than those who consumed a noncaffeinated sports drink, likely because caffeine speeds glucose absorption in the intestine.

Hype: YOU NEED MORE PROTEIN

Initially, carbohydrates were the essential building blocks of the sports beverage. Then protein muscled its way onto the scene, after early studies showed that carb-protein blends seemed to shoot into the bloodstream and enhance endurance cycling performance better than carb-only beverages.

Truth: YOU NEED A LITTLE PROTEIN... MAYBE

Recent research on 10 trained cyclists performing an 80K trial showed that riders drinking carb-only beverages did just as well as those drinking carb-protein beverages, and both groups did better than those consuming flavored water. However, the International Society of Sports Nutrition recently reported that taking in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) during vigorous aerobic exercise can decrease muscle damage and depletion. "If you're on a long ride where you're also eating, you'll be taking in protein already," says Ryan, "so it's likely not necessary to also have it in your drink."

Hype: HYDRATION DURING EXERCISE IS THE BE-ALL AND END-ALL

Big beverage companies would have you grabbing your sports drink during every ride, no matter how long or short the effort, lest you suffer the ill effects of dehydration.

Truth: DRINKING EVERY DAY IS ESSENTIAL

"Your first priority should be staying on top of your daily hydration," says Ryan. Research on gym-goers found that nearly half began their workouts in a dehydrated state. "Many people don't consume enough fluids during the day," Ryan says. "If you hydrate properly on a regular basis, you won't need to worry as much about getting dehydrated during a typical moderate ride." The old eight-glasses-a-day dictum is a good guidepost.



Edited by Meulen 2011-01-14 10:15 AM

Great article...thanks!  Some of the things here are very interesting.

Bump!

Why is my mentor group on the last page? Doesn't anyone have anything going on this weekend?

I did spin class this morning, went to the dentist, swam in the afternoon. Now I'm going to watch some football !!!

Tomorrow I got a run and another swim and then hopefully I'm going to watch my Chicago Bears win a playoff game. !

Got a new wetsuit today.  Really like it so far.  Can't wait to try it out in the water.  Still plugging along with the rest.  Don't think I will make the 9 hours by the end of the month is swimming but I will do what I can.  Thanks for telling me to slow down with the running.  I actually feel rested a bit.  I can't wait till March.  That is my first "official"  Triathilon.  When I started this quest, it sounded impossible.  Now it is within my grasp.  I know I will be ready for it.   Getting a lot of looks from people too.  It's like they all wish they could stop and ask me what I am doing to get in shape.  My customers are constantly commenting too.  I love Triathilon training!

Dale your going to do great!!!

Try your best on the swimming. I know a lot of you had a lot of questions on that in the beginning. The simple truth is swimming takes practice to master form and technique and drill that muscle memory into your head. Time in the pool is crucial. The challenge was for less than 3 days per week. I'd really encourage you guys get in the water at least three days a week. Even if you can't spend a whole hour each time.

Dale,
Let's see that wetsuit! Do have pics? I get really excited about new toys!

yesterday was an awesome workout- i started off with a medium-high cardio yoga class, then a crazy spin class (though i sometimes need to remind myself to leave my ego out of it and not get mad at some people who shouldn't be in the advanced class and/or to work harder and the lady infront of me who keeps bouncing up and down on her bike), regardless- i felt amazing afterward. i then went for a mile run and even though it was a mile, i worked my(apparently, i was just censored) off to keep up with my husband, who for him, that was an "easy run". then i came home and did some speed cleaning (which should be a sport in itself!!) for  my friends who came over to watch the game. steelers showed the ravens who can play a football game. GO STEELERS!!  going swimming today. yipee!!

Edited by libramom 2011-01-16 4:07 PM

Nice Erin!!

I love husband and wife training! My wife has been off the routine for a while. Her mom passed recently and she really had a tough time with it. Training was the last thing on her mind. I think she's ready to come back though now. She signed up to her threshold test for computrainer classes at one of our local tri clubs and she wants to run with me tomorrow. I run 4 days a week and 3 of those days I'm willing to run as slow as she wants so she can go with. In the summer we do a group ride together. She gets dropped sometimes even if we only average 17-18 on this particular ride. I usually drop back, put my hand on her back and peddle her back up to the group and into the draft. I get a great workout doing that! I usually do a harder ride on Saturday so I don't mind the slower ride on Sunday anyhow. It's just fun to have time to spend together like that.

Oh yeah.....go Bears!!!!

No, no. GO STEELERS

Dang!!! I'm outnumbered here.

You two just worry about getting back to training! Lol

Hey Brian,

I am not really sure how to put pictures on this thing.  Tried to put a profile image up and nothing happened.  Help!  Also,  I have been reading your articles too.  Thanks for doing all the research for us.  I have now talked 2 other people into doing my triathilon with me.  I also am now planning on doing the Tough Mudder race at Big Bear.  I will be part of a team. It will be interesting.  Check it out when you get a chance.  After my triathilon I will have a couple of months to train for it.   toughmudder.com  The race is in LA.  Check out the map.  Up and down a Mountain. Sounds Crazy. 

No problem Dale.

This stuff is infectious for sure. I've gotten most of my office interesting in fitness in the past couple years. It feels great to do good for people!

I'll check that race out. It sounds fun! We've got some similar races around here. If you like that sort of thing with obstacles and off-road stuff check out the xterra series you might really like that!

Dale-

To post pics, go to settings and then from there you'll see the drop-down menu to post to your personal pictures or profile. upload from there!

Good luck, Sue. I hope we can keep track of each others progress and share tips. Where is your tri? My tri is at Lums Pond in Delaware.

Ok peeps. Hope you all had a nice long weekend.

QOTD: are any of you signed up for a race yet for next season? How do you plan to prepare?

Brian,
I am signed up for the Lum's Pond Tri-It Triathlon in June. I am using Michael Pates 22-week sprint plan. The plan is great, but does not include strenght training. What are your thoughts on strenght training and when/how should I incorporate into the plan?

I love strength training. I was really into weights through high school and college. I started up again when I got into tri's. It pained me, but this year I gave it up. The only strength training I do is yoga and core. If I had more time I would still do it. But the simple truth is, if you want to get fast running biking and swimming you need to prioritize running biking and swimming. If I could do it again I'd put it in after my run bikes or swims as long as it didn't effect my running biking and swimming workouts in any way. Too many times I destroyed myself in the weight room and the next day my swim or run form suffered. Being winter it is a good time to add it in if your going to, but you may want to back off it when the season comes around. It's just to hard to get all your recovery in when lifting.

I am not officially signed up for any tri's this year, but I have three races that I am planning on running this year, and none of them are until the end of July and August.  The first one is an international distance and the other 2 are sprints.  I have no formal training plans as of now, and I am not sure if I will use one or just train on my own. 

I just went over your logs for the weekend. You guys/gals are AWESOME!! I can't wait to see some race result!

Great job this weekend everyone!

Mcommend......I think you need to teach me how to swim!!!!

The Sprint Tri I am doing is in Highlands Ranch, Colorado .  I live in a suburb of Denver.

Good luck to you also.

Sue

I'm doing a few running races (a 10-miler in March and not so sure about the Pgh. half-marathon yet) and the YMCA Sprint Triathlon (in a swimming pool to make my first tri beginner-friendly!!) and the Erie Sprint Triathlon, both in August.