kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2013 (Year 3!) - CLOSED (Page 98)

going to try and upload a HR graph here...

If it works, you can see that I have a huge spike that lasts for the first full mile plus, then it drops - the pace was around 8:30 for the first mile, then going down to 8:00 and then 7:45.  I wish I could get that initial spike to lessen a bunch...  Any suggestions, other than starting off slower...

A bit of a brag post but I really felt some affirmation on how I've been training this season in every aspect including the core work.

I did a really hard intervals workout on the trainer for 1:15. I had not run outside for almost two months because of the weather. Every day has been icy, rainy, snowing....literally something. So this morning was 32 with no wind and the roads dry enough that wasn't worried about patches of black ice. I went so hard on the trainer I decided I'd pack up and run out of the Y so I could stretch out again and enjoy some coffee on the way. In the back of my mind I was thinking no road running for a month coupled with such a hard trainer workout this could be ugly. On top of the core work I figured if I'm going to be doing all these treadmill miles I don't want them to just be empty mindless miles so I've really paid a lot of attention to foot placement, form and balance.

So I get on the road and run 5.1 miles @ 8:50 pace and an average HR of only 138 and it was effortless.

Mile 1 9:05 143 average HR

Mile 2 8:50 131 AHR

Mile 3 8:54 138 AHR

Mile 4 8:45 139 AHR

Mile 5 8:36 139 AHR

.1 8:07 144 AHR

I've felt for a long time that I've been making really good gains cycling but running doesn't come as naturally for me and I've been questioning myself but have stayed the course. I would have been happy with a run like that on fresh legs but to do it after the intervals even with the 45 minutes in between the end of the bike and start of the run is really sweet to me. A Z1 run at that effort would have seemed impossible even a few months ago.

I'm probably an average triathlete both in the group and in general but just thought re-force trusting your training and staying the course.

/brag

That's why I normally like to do the trainer for at least 15 minutes so I avoid that spike. Today it was only a 1/4 of a mile spike because I had recently done the trainer. You're certainly a fast runner.

The reason why being on the trainer for 15 minutes avoids the spike is because the 15 minutes on the trainer allows your body to start buffering lactic acid efficiently (also known as aerobic threshold).  When you start training, your body starts producing lactic acid and it continues to build up, which causes a spike in HR.  Once your lactic acid levels reach a certain point your body starts efficiently buffering the lactic acid and the amount of lactic acid (and your HR) goes down.  On the other end of the scale is the point where your body can no longer efficiently buffer lactic acidic, or your lactic threshold. 

Here's the issue, what are the "much better sources" in the context of long course endurance events?  The Elete Electrolyte Add-In endorsed by Whole 30 contains no calories and no CHO, so while it is a good source of electrolytes it does not provide any CHO for the long course endurance athlete. 

Looking at the list of Whole 30 approved foods, there are lots of foods that contain complex carbohydrates, which the body can break down into CHO but they are poor choices for a long course triathlon for several reasons.  Let's take whole fruit and a sweet potato for example. 

Raw Apple - 1 apple - 120 calories - 30 g carbohydrates - 5.5 g fiber

Banana - 1 banana - 105 calories - 27 g carbohydrates - 3.1 g fiber

Dates - 1 date - 23 calories - 6 g carbohydrates - .7 g fiber

Sweet Potato - 1 medium - 103 calories - 23g carbohydrates - 4 g fiber

All four of these choices are excellent everyday foods, they are high in fiber, nutrient dense and provide carbohydrates.  Now let's apply this to an Ironman bike.  Lets say the athlete bikes at about 18 mph for 112 miles (so about a 6 hour bike).  Generally speaking you want to take in at least 75 grams of CHO per hour on the bike and want to replace lost fluids and electrolytes.  Lets assume all the fluids and electrolytes are replaced through water and Elete so the only thing we need to get from fruit is CHO. 

6 hours x 75 grams of CHO per hour = 450 g of CHO

450 g CHO = 15 apples = 17 bananas = 75 dates = 20 sweet potatoes

Now this a lot of fruit to carry and to eat.  Even if you want to carry and eat all this fruit, the real issue is how difficult all this fruit is to digest.  As we previously discussed during exercise the body diverts blood away from the GI system, which makes it difficult to digest and absorb electrolytes and CHO.  In addition, (and probably even more importantly) all this fruit has an incredibly large amount of fiber. The daily recommended amount of fiber is 30 grams for women and 38 grams for men.  If you go the fruit fueling route you're looking at:

15 apples = 82.5 grams of fiber

17 bananas = 52.7 grams of fiber

75 dates = 52.5 grams of fiber

20 sweet potatoes = 80 grams of fiber

This is a recipe for massive GI distress (and all before you even get to the run). 

I think eating whole foods is incredibly important on a day-to-day basis, but you're asking your body to complete a long course triathlon, you need to fuel it with things it can easily use and that won't cause undue stress to the GI system.  I can't see any way you can fuel a long course triathlon with whole foods. 

LOL!  I don't know.  I'll ask over on the thread!

Yes, I believe it is a very relevant question!  I wasn't laughing at you.  It just struck me as funny because she probably hasn't done one.  I believe they are into Crossfit since the Crossfit community supports and promotes their program.  And I did in fact post that question on their blog but haven't received a response.

I personally believe that it can be dangerous to swing too far to one side or the other, but I want to know the whys behind it.  Kelly answered it beautifully.  Now for me, I probably won't do anything any time soon past a half marathon or an Olympic triathlon so it's not an issue, but should I ever decide to do a HIM, I want to know the reasons why you do certain things.  Most of the athletes that post on the Whole9 site have these issues about fueling.  So, thank you Kelly, for making your points so succinctly.  Even though I purchased a bottle of the electrolytes to try, I am open to suggestions for other products.  By the way - what is CHO?

There are laps that I think I'm getting it and others where I feel like I'm tethered to a cinder block.

There are laps that I think I'm getting it and others where I feel like I'm tethered to a cinder block.

I feel like I am almost dragging my feet on the pool bottom sometimes. It probably looks like I am trying to stand up and swim at the same time to anyone watching. haha