Ironman Coeur d'Alene : Official Thread (Page 66)

I know we are on the topic of nutrition, but after a windy bike ride last night and a terrible allergy attack I am having a battle with my mental demons and wonder if anyone has a successful way of battling them into submission and getting their head back in the game.  I have a 3000 meter swim and 6 mile run on my training today and I'm sitting at work feeling whipped.

Any advice, funny stories or threats are greatly appreciated.  I already watched the Team Hoyt video twice!

Desperate Thanks!

-Denise

Yes absolutely go see an allergy specialist.  I have seasonal allergies - tree pollen - that affect me very infrequently.  I take a half a claritin the night before I race and it seems to prevent any problems from starting.

BUT, you should still see the specialist to find out what exactly bothers you.  It could be food, and if you find out what it is you can just avoid it.

I know some of you beast never get this.  However, I think there are some other mortals like me on this thread.  When does everyone make the call for an extra day off.  I always try to start a workout and at least give it til the half way point.  If I feel its not there I may skip the intervals or bag it if it is really not there.  IM training is new and I am sure there will be more suck it up than previously had by me.  So far I have not had to miss any workouts other than one on call week that was really busy.  However, last week was a on call week (less sleep with late night emergency calls) and 2 hard weeks in a row are catching up.  Not ready to skip yet but curious the thoughts of the group of what makes your decision.  I have had to take days off in the past when just got ran down.  Came back stronger.  I took too long to take them and really needed them that time.  Seems like there is a fine line, for me at least, when going through the motions are a diminishing return vs just a extra rest day.

Thanks in advance 

As always, excellent advice Josh.

My single data point showed me that GI distress seem to come from too much stuff or going out too hard.    Also, the Ironman (Powerbar) perform comes in powdered variety and the bottled stuff.  I bought a bunch of the powdered stuff before IMFL and used it in training only to find out the course used the bottled  type.  There is large difference in taste there and if you are the sensitive type (I am not) then I would advise you to find the bottled type for training rides/runs.

On another point, I did a 3 hour /  1 hour bike/run brick yesterday.  Carried two bottles of EFS with me on the bike and then a hand-bottle during the run.  Long story short, I should have had another bottle on the bike as I ran out about 30 minutes before getting off as temps here in Alabama have soared to mid to high 70's.  So, I start running, get about 2.5 miles in, look down and realize I have only a 1/3rd of a bottle left for another 3.5 miles.  Ughhh....middle of nowhere, sun is beating down, out of fluid. 

Ended up walking home....

Intensity x volume = load (agree).  Load without recovery = burnout/injury/illness = lost training time = loss of the fitness you would have gained with appropriate load + rest.

I'm definitely a mere mortal.  I believe strongly in rest/recovery, but also believe in managing your training load so that you never NEED a rest day.  For me, if I felt that I needed a rest day:

1) I would take it;
2) I would scold myself for having done too much too hard the day(s) prior.

More often than not, my rest days (when I'm IM training) came from life/scheduling, not from accumulated fatigue making me take them (as with your on-call weeks).  I got enough days completely off from that that I didn't feel I needed to schedule them into my training plan.  But rule number one was always listen to your body and take rest if you need it (and evaluate how you got to the point that you needed it so badly).

Remember it is always better to do a little less and miss out on a tiny bit of fitness, then it is to do a little more and end up injured/sick.  The latter will more than cancel out any potential fitness gain you may have made.

Koach Kaptur's rules of recovery:
1) work does not become fitness without adequate recovery.
2) recovery does not necessarily mean no workout.
3) listen to your body.
4) avoid the "push it until you almost break and then recover" model -- we're too likely too push to far and break.
5) adjust your caloric intake (but still eat nutritionally sound meals) on non-workout days.
6) when it doubt, sit it out.
7) a "missed workout" = unplanned recovery.  Adjust whole schedule accordingly.
8) recover well every day... with a solid diet and a good night's sleep.

That said, most people are capable of a greater training load (executed smartly) than they are currently doing.  Those people shouldn't use the need for recovery as an excuse.  If you hadn't pushed it so hard that you "needed" to recover, you could had a greater overall training load than you had in the hard days + day(s) off.

This is really the fundamental principle behind the run training style I advocated earlier in this thread.  Run easier but more frequently... require less recovery... (ironically) be able to have a higher training load... become a faster runner with far less injury risk.

So what is my final answer to when to take a recovery day.  [You should know I write regulations for the government]... It depends.

thanks Josh.  All what I know but do not always abide by.  Early to bed tonight and reeval in the am. 

PS - i ordered 4 cases of the powebar formula from all3sports and freaking love it so far.  I mean I really like it.  I can eat most anything but this is my favorite so far.

I am very mindful of any kind of pain that goes beyond plain muscle soreness.  Skipping one workout is better than pushing through and causing a serious injury.

If it's just normal fatigue then my goal is to stick it out.  If I really need that break or if, for example, my job interferes, then I try to prioritize.  Think of your swim / bike / run in terms of where you need the most improvement.  It's different for everyone, but for me, run workouts are top priority, then bike, then swim.  If I have to miss a day and it's my choice, I'll skip a swim workout.

That is a great way of thinking about it Josh.  For me, it's a constant challenge of holding back in training.  One way I do this is reminding myself that I not only want to finish each workout strong and feeling good, but I also have x more workouts that week before your rest day.  Tell yourself that you need to save something for the next key workout and keep all workouts at a high quality.  Constantly watch for the signs of overtraining, the more I pay attention to this, the better I have gotten at picking up on them.  My newest trick for holding back is training with someone slightly slower/less fit than me, I feel good staying with them and they appreciate it as well.

I don't do the jelly just peanut butter.   I'm trying a gluten free rice tortillas with natural peanut butter.  In the past I did white bread/peanut butter with some honey.  I think my stomach issues in the past were too many gels with not enough water and not spaced far enough apart.  So today on my 60 mile bike ride and 13 mile run I’m testing my new nutrition plan out if all goes to plan I’ll re-test at 70.3 CA.  Then keep it though IMCDA.   Nutrition is a B*#$% good luck.

I also picked some up today (bottles) -- liked it alot.  Mild taste, not anywhere close to the sugar shock of gatorade.  There is really not much "sweet" about my disposition after 5 or 6 hours!

I had a hard time interpreting some of the graphs and charts on this topic --- three quick questions:

• I ride ZIPP 808 clinchers - you're recommending option 1 above with a size 22 or 23mm in both front and back?  I'm not very "technical" -- Do they only come in one size or another?
• What latex tubes to accompany tire option?  Where do you buy them?  I was in 3 shops in Boulder (of all the places you'd expect to have them...) today and no-one had them in stock?
• Any special handling for installing or changing latex tubes?

Thanks!  Cam (bike-fit process is going well...)

Bontrager, Michelin and a couple others make latex tubes.  I haven't seen much difference in them brand-wise, however they often have limited selection of stem lengths.  So choose the one that works best for your wheels.

Installing them: just be very careful to make sure they're seated properly before you fully inflate, because they're easy to pinch flat.  As for changing them, if you get a flat during a race, change to a butyl tube.  Latex won't hold CO2 very well.

Hi Everyone!

CDA is my first IM and I'm not so sure what I'm doing and was told to keep up with this board and I'll learn a bunch of stuff. I'm so nervous for the bike- any tips for successful training?

Anyone in SE Michigan looking for a biking buddy?? I'd love the company!!

T-minus 13 weeks.....

I'd say it's more of an inconvenience than being screwed.  The bike stations are 10 miles apart so figure ~30 minutes if you miss one.  I know I don't use every aid station that's available to me.

Definitely slow down for the aid stations though, especially if you see kids handling the bottles.  Sometimes they don't quite let go at the right time and you need to be ready to let your arm swing backwards during the handoff.

Or, simply have an extra bottle in case you do miss one.  The next station grab two to restock and you're back to living off the course.

This is what I've found as well.   I have yet to take a day off from a feeling of tiredness....it' always a case of too much going on to get my workout in.

Of course, by not following a plan, it's much easier to adjust to make up for it.