One week ago, I embarked on one of the most exciting ventures of my entire sports career. I have had my fair share of participating in some pretty cool events like six Ironman races, the Boston Marathon, the Leadville Leadman series and crewing for the Badwater 135 and the Brazil 135 but there was something about September 14, 2013 that I will remember forever. My first cyclocross race.
The feeling was a bit like my first triathlon back in 1993 except I have much more knowledge of sport and training. My first tri was done off of a dare in college and I had no idea what I was doing. I swam in a pool with heavily padded cycling shorts and I rode a mountain bike with big knobby tires. Luckily, growing up a soccer player, I knew how to run and found extreme joy running a 5k off the bike even though I had never experienced this "dead leg" syndrome before. After crossing the finishing line in the far, far back, I knew I had a new found love of a different sport. One that has taken me 20 years to explore.
In 2006, I took a sabbatical from triathlon and embarked upon my ultrarunning and ultra mountain biking interests. It was definitely more of a challenge than what I was used to (yes, even Ironman training and racing was easier) and that is what peaked my interest. I spent a few years getting dirty on trails before I realized how much I missed triathlon. So, I returned back to triathlon and began with short course (sprint and Olympic distances) again due to lack of time for heavy volume training. What I had learned was that my body loved this type of shorter training. No more than 1.5-2 hour training sessions. High intensity repeats. Plyometric training. It was like I found my home again. Growing up playing soccer, I had endurance but was much better suited for the stop and go, anaerobic nature of that type of sport. I was driven to become as fast as I could in shorter triathlons not necessarily to see how good I could be but rather, to regain the sensation of going fast and using more of my anaerobic energy system. It was this, and the true curiosity, that led me to completing my first cyclocross race last weekend.
I have a cyclocross bike and I know how to bike, even push my limits. What I didn't know prior to my first cyclocross race was anything really about the tactics. I watched some YouTube videos but that didn't teach me much. I talked to some friends who had done some races and began to understand a bit more about the sport but it wasn't until toeing the line that I truly gained my first lesson in what cyclocross really is.
I had no idea what category to enter so luckily, my friend Brandon Jessop gave me some tips and he was spot on with his selection: SM35+4. That means senior men over 35 years old, category 4. Sounded good to me, not knowing really what that meant in terms of how good the guys would be. My goals for my first race were very simple: 1) have fun, 2) don't crash, 3) don't get lapped and 4) inspire the teens that I coach at Teens that TRI to try a cyclocross race.
Luckily, I achieved all four of my goals. I was a bit worried about goal #2 because it is hard to control others actions. In fact, on my first lap, three guys went down right in front of me in a pile up. I was able to act quickly and ride up a little hill on their left to avoid them. But I digress, let me take you back to the start. I lined up in the second line (out of three), not knowing what to expect. The starter gave us some instructions and then 30 seconds later, the whistle blew. Welcome to sprinting! Two guys sandwiched me in the first few seconds so I bumped the one on the right to give me some space. He was a bit upset but I wasn't about to go down so soon in the race! Luckily, I have built up my technical cycling skills by teaching them to my teens so I wasn't afraid of bumping or locking bars.
Off we went. It was a mad sprint to the doubletrack! I played it safe and sat in the middle. Remembering that this was my first cyclocross race, I wanted to observe what the athletes did, how they responded, when to attack and when to sit. My first lap was pretty hard but not all out. Second and third laps were getting tougher as I was learning what to do, how to take corners, get on and off my bike fast to get over obstacles and handling my high heart rate. Figuring out when to get a few seconds of recovery was the tricky part. I managed to do this around some corners where the speeds were pretty slow.
Mud pits, 180 degree turns, super short and steep hills and bunny hops...all while redlining my intensity. I had predicted we may finish about 4 laps of the course in the 40 minute race but boy was I wrong! At lap 3, they announced we had 3 more laps! This meant I wasn't going to get lapped so a good thing but another 3 laps? Could I do it? I buckled down, told myself it was only about another 20 minutes and actually starting gaining on some guys. I was getting a bit faster and more comfortable with the course as time went on.
I had the support of many of my Teens that TRI families out there along with friends and my family. It was awesome having all of them screaming for (at) me during the race as I surely needed the pick me up at times. Last lap, coming around the last corner on pavement after a mudpit (read: my tires were slick), I was cautious on the turn then threw down my finish line sprint. At least I think I was sprinting but that is beside the point. I crossed the finish line the same way I rode my first lap: with a huge smile on my face.
There is something about cyclocross that is addicting (like most sports). For me, it is the anaerobic nature of the sport along with the tactical skills. Both of which I look forward to in the next few months of cyclocross season in Colorado!
Are you wondering why the title of this blog is "low psi"? Well, in cyclocross, as I am learning, tire pressure is a big thing. Deciding on which tire pressure to run can make or break your race. Course conditions, rider weight, environmental concerns all factor into this. It was funny because in some of my research about cyclocross, I read the most talked about thing prior to the race is what tire pressure are athletes running. I also experienced first hand the psychological tactics some racers use in the few minutes before the race. Lined up at the front, guys were letting out some pressure in their tires almost taunting others to question if their pressure was too high.
Funny. Welcome to cyclocross!
Coach Bob
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Monday, September 23, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Perspire 2 Inspire
Admittedly, and on purpose, I took the title of this Blog from the Runwell "Perspire 2 Inspire" campaign that they are doing because it just makes so much sense on so many levels. In this blog, I want to recap my Labor Day weekend trip to Ironkids National Championships and the 5150 Championships.
I was honored to have 42 of my Kids and Teens that TRI team members and their families travel to Des Moines, Iowa for Ironkids Nationals. All had to qualify for the race and while each young athlete had their individual goals, my intent for them is always to be safe, have fun, exhibit good sportsmanship and inspire others to be more active through the sport of triathlon. All finished the race and while some had great performances, others did not. That is where the Perspire 2 Inspire comes into play. I addressed many of my young team members after the race and of course congratulated them for putting out their best effort but as always, I used that opportunity as a teachable moment.
By now, my Kids and Teens that TRI get it. They know that Coach Bob will have words of wisdom for them but that they must also apply my words to real life. To those who did not achieve their performance related goals, I reminded them that the act of preparation and all of the training, dedication, motivation and life balance was one of the biggest successes of the day. A race is just a race and not something that defines you as a person. Rather, it is how you approach every day leading up to the race in your preparation that matters. Are you taking care of yourself? Getting enough sleep? Practicing good nutrition? Balancing school and family and friends with training? Are you doing the proper things to recover your body? It is these things that I remind them that are of greater importance than a placing in one race. Doing the right thing on a daily basis teaches character. Even more important though is how you react to a race that may not go the way you wanted it to. It is okay to be upset but it is not okay to lose focus of why you are doing this or exhibit poor sportsmanship because things didn't go your way. Be proud of your effort. Be proud of who you are as a person.
It was during these teachable moments where I reminded them what Perspire 2 Inspire really means. The day was much more than just a performance. It was shaping their lifestyle and not only theirs but also their parents, siblings and friends and for that, they should hold their chins up high and be proud.
I was conveniently reminded of this during my race the very next day. I was honored to have qualified in the amateur elite category for the 5150 championships and approached it as a challenge. Sure, I was the oldest out of 35 guys in the category but I never let chronological age stand in my way of achieving something great. For me, having qualified as a 42 year old amateur elite was no easy task but even more important was the message that I wanted to send to my Kids and Teens that TRI team and my family. I never make any excuses going into a race. If something hurts, I deal with it. If I am sick, I deal with it. If I am tired, I race the best I can on that day and that is what I want my team to remember. It is all about a positive mental attitude and giving your very best from start to finish.
Interestingly, I had a horrible swim that day, had no legs on the bike at all but I had very good transitions and a fast run. I knew my swim would be slow when I took my first few strokes but I persevered and did my best to get out of the water as fast as I could. After hopping on my bike and testing out my legs, I knew it would not be a PR bike and I was okay with that. It is how you react to the cards that you are dealt with that truly defines character. At that point, I did not succumb to failure or simply just finishing the race. I was still racing despite knowing it was not my best day. But I thought back about all of the fun that I had preparing for this race and I had friends and my son cheering for me along the way. It really doesn't get any better than that.
Upon crossing the finish line, I was excited to see my friends and my son but truly embraced the next thing that happened. After I crossed, I saw Hunter Kemper standing near the finish and I went up to him and congratulated him on his 2nd place finish. I have worked with Hunter for many years on his nutrition so we know each other and to say that he is a class act person and athlete is an understatement. He was one of the very few pro's that I saw who was still hanging around the finish chute after his race to talk to age-groupers. He then came over to my friends and shared good conversation and took some photos with the kids. Hunter is, and has always been, one of my most favorite professional triathletes because of what he does off the field of competition.
Perspire 2 Inspire. Enjoy the journey in preparing to achieve your goals but more importantly, to inspire others to do the same thing. All 42 of my young athletes did it. I did it. Hunter Kemper did it. We can all share our love of sport in different ways. Find your way and lead others to it.
Until next time...
Coach Bob
Email
Website
I was honored to have 42 of my Kids and Teens that TRI team members and their families travel to Des Moines, Iowa for Ironkids Nationals. All had to qualify for the race and while each young athlete had their individual goals, my intent for them is always to be safe, have fun, exhibit good sportsmanship and inspire others to be more active through the sport of triathlon. All finished the race and while some had great performances, others did not. That is where the Perspire 2 Inspire comes into play. I addressed many of my young team members after the race and of course congratulated them for putting out their best effort but as always, I used that opportunity as a teachable moment.
By now, my Kids and Teens that TRI get it. They know that Coach Bob will have words of wisdom for them but that they must also apply my words to real life. To those who did not achieve their performance related goals, I reminded them that the act of preparation and all of the training, dedication, motivation and life balance was one of the biggest successes of the day. A race is just a race and not something that defines you as a person. Rather, it is how you approach every day leading up to the race in your preparation that matters. Are you taking care of yourself? Getting enough sleep? Practicing good nutrition? Balancing school and family and friends with training? Are you doing the proper things to recover your body? It is these things that I remind them that are of greater importance than a placing in one race. Doing the right thing on a daily basis teaches character. Even more important though is how you react to a race that may not go the way you wanted it to. It is okay to be upset but it is not okay to lose focus of why you are doing this or exhibit poor sportsmanship because things didn't go your way. Be proud of your effort. Be proud of who you are as a person.
It was during these teachable moments where I reminded them what Perspire 2 Inspire really means. The day was much more than just a performance. It was shaping their lifestyle and not only theirs but also their parents, siblings and friends and for that, they should hold their chins up high and be proud.
I was conveniently reminded of this during my race the very next day. I was honored to have qualified in the amateur elite category for the 5150 championships and approached it as a challenge. Sure, I was the oldest out of 35 guys in the category but I never let chronological age stand in my way of achieving something great. For me, having qualified as a 42 year old amateur elite was no easy task but even more important was the message that I wanted to send to my Kids and Teens that TRI team and my family. I never make any excuses going into a race. If something hurts, I deal with it. If I am sick, I deal with it. If I am tired, I race the best I can on that day and that is what I want my team to remember. It is all about a positive mental attitude and giving your very best from start to finish.
Interestingly, I had a horrible swim that day, had no legs on the bike at all but I had very good transitions and a fast run. I knew my swim would be slow when I took my first few strokes but I persevered and did my best to get out of the water as fast as I could. After hopping on my bike and testing out my legs, I knew it would not be a PR bike and I was okay with that. It is how you react to the cards that you are dealt with that truly defines character. At that point, I did not succumb to failure or simply just finishing the race. I was still racing despite knowing it was not my best day. But I thought back about all of the fun that I had preparing for this race and I had friends and my son cheering for me along the way. It really doesn't get any better than that.
Upon crossing the finish line, I was excited to see my friends and my son but truly embraced the next thing that happened. After I crossed, I saw Hunter Kemper standing near the finish and I went up to him and congratulated him on his 2nd place finish. I have worked with Hunter for many years on his nutrition so we know each other and to say that he is a class act person and athlete is an understatement. He was one of the very few pro's that I saw who was still hanging around the finish chute after his race to talk to age-groupers. He then came over to my friends and shared good conversation and took some photos with the kids. Hunter is, and has always been, one of my most favorite professional triathletes because of what he does off the field of competition.
Perspire 2 Inspire. Enjoy the journey in preparing to achieve your goals but more importantly, to inspire others to do the same thing. All 42 of my young athletes did it. I did it. Hunter Kemper did it. We can all share our love of sport in different ways. Find your way and lead others to it.
Until next time...
Coach Bob
Website
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
The numbers are in...Badwater
Almost a month ago, I had the honor of serving as crew chief for one of my most amazing athletes, Linda Quirk of Runwell, as she embarked on her journey to conquer Badwater, a 135 mile running race in California.
Badwater is not just another 135 mile race though. It begins in Death Valley, below sea level and finishes at the base of Mt. Whitney, about 8300 feet above sea level. The vertical ascent may not be that big of a deal for some but the heat sure is! I was eager to experience first hand what 120+ degrees felt like when running and it certainly did not disappoint.
We had a six crew team to assist Linda in making it to the finish line and while I will spare some of the details for sake of keeping this blog somewhat short, here are a few things I noticed along the way:
Badwater is not just another 135 mile race though. It begins in Death Valley, below sea level and finishes at the base of Mt. Whitney, about 8300 feet above sea level. The vertical ascent may not be that big of a deal for some but the heat sure is! I was eager to experience first hand what 120+ degrees felt like when running and it certainly did not disappoint.
We had a six crew team to assist Linda in making it to the finish line and while I will spare some of the details for sake of keeping this blog somewhat short, here are a few things I noticed along the way:
- Running in 120 degrees is hot. Running on black asphalt adds even more heat, upwards of 160-170 degrees from what I was told. It definitely felt that hot! In fact, at one point during my pacing of Linda during the hotter part of the day, I had clothing covering everything except the back of my hands and my cheeks. When I was out there on the road, I felt like I was running in an oven. There was no break from the heat until the night time. Even after taking a pacer shift with her, I would hop back in the air conditioned car and it would take me about 15-20 minutes to stop sweating!
- Our pacers usually carried a water sprayer to cool Linda off while she was running. I continually used it on myself also to try to keep cool and I remember at one point of spraying my shorts with water, it evaporated so quickly that I couldn't even see the water make contact with my shorts. HOT!
- Linda got no sleep at all for two days. In fact, the most she ever stopped was about 10 minutes (and that was to try to get a back adjustment). I slept for about 40 minutes, all interrupted as car doors where slamming. It's the nature of the game. All well worth it though.
- In my opinion, the hardest part of the course was right before entering the last town, Lone Pine. It was the hottest part of day two, I was running with Linda on black asphalt, carrying the water sprayer on my back and just remember the intense heat coupled with the gnarly crosswind that was blowing fine sand on our bodies. There is hardly any shoulder on the road that we ran on and running against traffic with an athlete who is sleep deprived can be quite nerve racking. All of our crew members had to ensure Linda's safety from oncoming cars. After we made it to Lone Pine, it was much better yet all uphill to the finish!
- I chew gum while I run. It keeps my saliva response "fresh" and prevents dry mouth. I cannot even begin to describe how much fluid I drank while out on the road and in the crew car during the race. Linda on the other hand cannot chew gum so she had serious cases of dry mouth which meant she drank quite a bit of fluids. I tried to monitor this and her electrolyte intake as closely as possible but in a race like Badwater, dehydration can destroy goals (and the body) thus I wanted her to drink according to her thirst most of the time during the hotter parts of the day. During the cooler night opportunities, I decreased her fluid intake. It was quite a hydration and electrolyte circus!
- Food. Ah, food. We had the best laid out nutrition plan before the race, tried it throughout training and it worked. Guess what? As I always teach, you must always have an A, B and C nutrition plan for races like Badwater. Linda depended on Generation UCAN as her main source of calories but there were times where she just didn't have a taste for it. So, I had to rely on plans B and C and get her calories with other food sources. Luckily, Linda is extremely metabolically efficient and requires very few calories per hour to sustain exercise. The other sources of calories we included throughout the race were potato chips, peanut butter and jelly, crackers and jam, pretzels, coconut butter, Clif Mojo bar and even a bit of a Snickers bar (if you read my blog about our Brazil 135 adventure in January, you remember that Snickers saved us!).
- In all, to the best of our food recording abilities between myself and my colleague Dina Griffin, Sport Dietitian at Fuel4mance who was part of our crew, we concluded that Linda consumed approximately 80 calories per hour. How many hours did it take her to complete the world's hardest ultra running race?
Well, Linda's goal was not really to finish Badwater. Her goal was to break the record in her age-group which was [previously] just over 47 hours. The cutoff time to complete the race was 48 hours. With the help of her crew and her sheer determination and competitiveness, she crossed the finish line in 44 hours. Yes, she not only finished her first Badwater but smashed her age-group record. All while consuming roughly 80 calories per hour.
Impossible? I think not. Wait until you hear about our next adventure together! Stay tuned...
Coach Bob
Monday, June 24, 2013
The Deck of Cards
The Deck of Cards
The four races that I coached this weekend, along with mine, reminded me of a deck of cards. You know what is in there but you are just not sure what will be dealt to you on the day. My seven Teens that TRI all did great in their races, three of whom which completed their first draft legal triathlon. I was hoping to cap off the day with my first ever draft legal triathlon but I was dealt a different card.
A few tidbits of what I learned from this race:
- When I first registered for this race it was designated as an age group draft legal race. USAT then turned it into a U25 Elite Development Race (EDR) which basically means young guns are competing for their pro card. That changed the entire race for me but true to my nature, I was not about to take a DNS, even though I knew the risk of getting lapped out on the bike was very high. Take home message (THM): not starting something is cowardly. No matter what cards are dealt to you, always begin something you signed up to do.
- I spent a very long 8.5 hours on my feet in the sun coaching my youth and juniors before my race began at 3:30 in the afternoon. THM: not the smartest thing I could have done knowing the field I was racing but my priorities were my team. What happened with me was less of a priority.
- The water temperature was 65 degrees at 7:00am and had increased to 72 degrees the hour before my race. Being an EDR race, wetsuits were not legal. THM: I had mentally prepared for this prior to the race so I was calm but I had to add another :45 to my swim exit calculations to account for this. I swim much faster with a wetsuit and this, along with one other thing discussed below, negatively affected my race. I also was shocked that a body of water could have such a drastic shift in temperature in one day. That doesn't happen in Colorado!
- There were 26 guys that toed the line which meant the top two finishers would receive their pro card. I knew the cards were heavily against me and I also knew that there was a possibility of getting lapped out on the bike. I calculated what my swim needed to be in relation to the top guys so I would be safe on the bike and finish the race. Unfortunately, I did not know of one competitor who, by himself, annihilated the competition and frankly, I did not factor him coming out of the water roughly 75 seconds before everyone else. This created a bigger deficit for me which did not bode well. THM: talk to the USAT collegiate development person prior to the race to recon the young guns talent!
- I figured on coming out of the swim about three minutes down from the fast swimmers. When I came out 4:30 behind the top guy, I knew I was in trouble (because each bike lap would take about 6 minutes) and I had to make myself hurt on the bike. Out of T1 I peeked over my shoulder and saw three guys behind me. Perfect! I started pedaling, got my feet in my shoes, looked back and they were gone. No chance for a pack to develop. This would not help my situation for I needed a pack to ride with to prevent getting lapped out. I time trialed the first lap before a young "kid" came up to me and we began to work together for the next lap. I kept a close eye on the lead pack so to keep ahead of them enough to not get lapped out. Little did I know that the guy who smashed the swim was also riding the entire bike course on his own ahead of the main pack by about 75 seconds. I thought this guy came out of the water behind me and was an uber cyclist. The latter was certainly true and as he passed me, followed closely by the nice lady on the motorcycle telling me my race was over, I was in complete disbelief! I was not expecting one guy to lap me. If anything, I was waiting for a pack. Turns out I wasn't the only athlete dealt this card. This guy lapped out 8 of us. THM: while I was in my two man pack, we would average between 26-28 mph. This guy had to be going in excess of 30 mph to lap so many of us. Guess I needed more TT training on the bike!
So I ended up doing a modified aqua bike and while I was disappointed, I could not help but think of what a great experience this was but more importantly, this experience in itself contributes tools to my coaching toolbox that I did not previously have. By experiencing draft legal racing up close and personal, I can provide an even better service to my athletes and for that I am extremely grateful.
Oh yeah, that guy won the race by only 3 seconds (he came out of T2 with about a 90 second lead). Turns out his run is his weakness. Figures. Had I had the chance to run, my 5k off the bike would have bettered his. Not that it matters. It's all in the rear view mirror now but kudos to him as he had a phenomenal race and deserved the win for sure. You never know what card will be dealt to you on any given day but you must be ready to play it no matter what.
And yes, if you are wondering, another draft legal race will be in my future. I don't give up without a fight!
Coach Bob
Website
Friday, June 14, 2013
Daily Nutrition Update
As some of you may be following, I have completely changed my dietary habits beginning last October moving from a vegetarian eating plan to being a carnivore again, after 10 years. You can check my old blog posts for the quantitative proof of my heightened metabolic efficiency and improved blood lipids but I wanted to write a short post on how this has affected my performance.
I employed a controlled carbohydrate eating plan which significantly improved both my metabolic efficiency and blood lipids but that was during a time in late 2012 when I wasn't training too much. I consistently ate 60-80 grams of carbohydrate per day, moderate protein and higher fat (roughly 60% of my total daily calories). Since then, I have been training with more intensity getting ready for my short course triathlon season. With this, I have strategically placed more carbohydrate in my plan as it correlates with my training load and objectives (this is called nutrition periodization). While I have surpassed 80 grams of carbohydrate on some days preparing for higher quality training or racing, I have never gone above 120 grams in one day (if you recall, many believe the body and brain need a minimum of 130 grams per day to function properly).
I believe myself to be living proof that a controlled carbohydrate daily nutrition plan can be employed in a non-long course endurance athlete's plan. I have competed in two sprint triathlons so far and my performances have exceeded my expectations. My body weight remains unchanged since March, my functional threshold power has increased by 30 watts in the past 8 weeks and my running velocity threshold is on par for being faster than it was last year. At this time last year, I could only manage holding roughly 6:15 per minute per mile pace for a 5k off the bike. Last weekend, I was able to hold 6:01 averages.
What does all of this mean? Well, you can read between the lines but between my experiment of employing a controlled, yet strategic carbohydrate nutrition plan for short course triathlon training/racing along with my colleague, Dina Griffin (Sport Dietitian at Fuel4mance) who is utilizing this same approach in her Ironman training, I do believe we are beginning to not only understand a bit more of what the body is capable of but we are also chipping away at many sports nutrition fallacies (such as ingesting a ridiculous amount of carbohydrates) that are becoming a thing of the past.
Stay tuned as Dina and I continue our experimentation and be sure to keep up with Dina's blog as she will be providing some great updates on a handful of athletes whom she is working with in terms of their metabolic efficiency and performance.
Until next time...
Coach Bob
Email
Website
I employed a controlled carbohydrate eating plan which significantly improved both my metabolic efficiency and blood lipids but that was during a time in late 2012 when I wasn't training too much. I consistently ate 60-80 grams of carbohydrate per day, moderate protein and higher fat (roughly 60% of my total daily calories). Since then, I have been training with more intensity getting ready for my short course triathlon season. With this, I have strategically placed more carbohydrate in my plan as it correlates with my training load and objectives (this is called nutrition periodization). While I have surpassed 80 grams of carbohydrate on some days preparing for higher quality training or racing, I have never gone above 120 grams in one day (if you recall, many believe the body and brain need a minimum of 130 grams per day to function properly).
I believe myself to be living proof that a controlled carbohydrate daily nutrition plan can be employed in a non-long course endurance athlete's plan. I have competed in two sprint triathlons so far and my performances have exceeded my expectations. My body weight remains unchanged since March, my functional threshold power has increased by 30 watts in the past 8 weeks and my running velocity threshold is on par for being faster than it was last year. At this time last year, I could only manage holding roughly 6:15 per minute per mile pace for a 5k off the bike. Last weekend, I was able to hold 6:01 averages.
What does all of this mean? Well, you can read between the lines but between my experiment of employing a controlled, yet strategic carbohydrate nutrition plan for short course triathlon training/racing along with my colleague, Dina Griffin (Sport Dietitian at Fuel4mance) who is utilizing this same approach in her Ironman training, I do believe we are beginning to not only understand a bit more of what the body is capable of but we are also chipping away at many sports nutrition fallacies (such as ingesting a ridiculous amount of carbohydrates) that are becoming a thing of the past.
Stay tuned as Dina and I continue our experimentation and be sure to keep up with Dina's blog as she will be providing some great updates on a handful of athletes whom she is working with in terms of their metabolic efficiency and performance.
Until next time...
Coach Bob
Website
Thursday, May 30, 2013
ME for You
Interesting blog title, eh? Well, I was talking with a Team EMC athlete today at functional strength and conditioning practice and got to thinking which sparked a blog idea. This triathlete is also a firefighter and I have had the pleasure of assisting him with his nutrition plan leading up to his half Ironman earlier this month. Of course, as I always do, I addressed his daily nutrition first before his training nutrition.
As I am sure you can guess, I implemented a metabolic efficiency nutrition plan that was periodized to support his energy expenditure from training needs. With his feedback, we eliminated all grains and increased fruits and vegetables as well as his fats. Many athletes are asking about how to implement a high fat diet but in all reality, what forward thinking sport dietitians are doing now is approaching athletes from a nutrition periodization perspective and controlling carbohydrates to support training and health needs. So, where he was at in his training cycle at the time of our first nutrition meeting, it made sense to lower his carbohydrates and increase his fat intake to support his goals.
What happened? Well, it worked. Plain and simple. He shed body fat, became leaner, had more energy, was able to sustain better energy levels throughout the day and had a positive impact on his family also. Oh yeah, and he smashed his half-Ironman time! His wife and kids also adopted some of the principles of metabolic efficiency with similar effects (most notably increased energy levels and better moods).
The point of this blog is not to share his success story (although it is fantastic!). The point is to look beyond the athlete where implementing metabolic efficiency nutrition plans could have even more benefit. Where? In you, your parents, kids, neighbors. Whomever. But specifically what made me think a bit more about this topic was the fact that this triathlete is a firefighter in Colorado. We have a very active fire season coming up that is often characterized by these guys and girls being deployed in mountainous areas with little resources and working around the clock to keep the public safe. They are on the line in shifts and often cannot fuel themselves as adequately as say, athletes, can during a training session or race. Very similar examples can be found in police officers and our military.
So, I pose the question..."is metabolic efficiency training really just a fad that is used in endurance athletes?". I think not. In fact, I know not. This triathlete/firefighter told me that he has begun teaching the firefighters at his station how to become more metabolically efficient and they are having great success so far as measured by body composition changes and energy levels. These are the guys and girls who protect us and in the case of our military, provide us the freedom that we enjoy.
Perhaps we should begin looking outside the box a bit more and utilizing the concept of metabolic efficiency with those individuals and groups who are required to be more efficient with their nutrition plans.
Just a thought to ponder...
Coach Bob
Email
Website
As I am sure you can guess, I implemented a metabolic efficiency nutrition plan that was periodized to support his energy expenditure from training needs. With his feedback, we eliminated all grains and increased fruits and vegetables as well as his fats. Many athletes are asking about how to implement a high fat diet but in all reality, what forward thinking sport dietitians are doing now is approaching athletes from a nutrition periodization perspective and controlling carbohydrates to support training and health needs. So, where he was at in his training cycle at the time of our first nutrition meeting, it made sense to lower his carbohydrates and increase his fat intake to support his goals.
What happened? Well, it worked. Plain and simple. He shed body fat, became leaner, had more energy, was able to sustain better energy levels throughout the day and had a positive impact on his family also. Oh yeah, and he smashed his half-Ironman time! His wife and kids also adopted some of the principles of metabolic efficiency with similar effects (most notably increased energy levels and better moods).
The point of this blog is not to share his success story (although it is fantastic!). The point is to look beyond the athlete where implementing metabolic efficiency nutrition plans could have even more benefit. Where? In you, your parents, kids, neighbors. Whomever. But specifically what made me think a bit more about this topic was the fact that this triathlete is a firefighter in Colorado. We have a very active fire season coming up that is often characterized by these guys and girls being deployed in mountainous areas with little resources and working around the clock to keep the public safe. They are on the line in shifts and often cannot fuel themselves as adequately as say, athletes, can during a training session or race. Very similar examples can be found in police officers and our military.
So, I pose the question..."is metabolic efficiency training really just a fad that is used in endurance athletes?". I think not. In fact, I know not. This triathlete/firefighter told me that he has begun teaching the firefighters at his station how to become more metabolically efficient and they are having great success so far as measured by body composition changes and energy levels. These are the guys and girls who protect us and in the case of our military, provide us the freedom that we enjoy.
Perhaps we should begin looking outside the box a bit more and utilizing the concept of metabolic efficiency with those individuals and groups who are required to be more efficient with their nutrition plans.
Just a thought to ponder...
Coach Bob
Website
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Racing Weight?
There has been quite a bit of talk in the endurance athlete and coach arena regarding racing weight and I have been experimenting with this during my higher fat, controlled carbohydrate nutrition experiment. First off, I think it is important for me to explain a few things before getting too much into the body of this blog.
Point 1: There is no such thing as an "optimal" weight. As a Sport Dietitian, I work with athletes to find that weight that supports good health, a strong immune system, quality and uninterrupted sleep patterns and for females, regular menstruation. As athletes, do we sometimes give and take a little in these categories? Of course! But that is the important part of experimenting with your individual body to see what is right for it. Do not compare yourself to others from a quantitative (scale number) or qualitative (aesthetics) point of view. What is important is the point at which your body weight and body composition supports optimal health and performance (read: the combination of both is utterly important). Now, I have seen many athletes get too low in their body weight and while they may run well, they start to get sick more often or they cannot recover as fast. There is no secret equation that professionals use to determine if your weight should be different during race season versus the preparatory or pre-competition training cycles. This is a journey that you must explore on your own and I recommend keeping good quantitative and qualitative data to help you in this process.
Point 2: If you are a triathlete, too low of body weight and fat (while it may be aesthetically pleasing), may actually compromise performance. You should not measure your racing weight (if there is such a thing for your particular body) in terms of the number on the scale. Rather, you should look at your quantitative performances for the swim, bike and run. You can use your 100 yard/meter time or a field test such as a 3x300 time trial set for the swim. The run can be a threshold test done in the field or in a performance center to measure velocity and lactate levels and having a power meter on the bike for field testing in or out of a lab is crucial to determine threshold power movements. It is these data that will help you quantify if and where your body weight and composition should be for optimal performance.
Point 3: If you aren't healthy, you cannot perform. Far too many athletes try to get their body weight or fat levels so low that they compromise health and get sick. If you are sick, you can't train. If you can't train, you can't race. If you can't race, you don't have a season and thus you cannot really be an athlete. Take care of your body and think of improving and supporting good health first.
Back to Coach Bob. As I have been navigating this higher fat with controlled carbohydrate nutrition plan with higher intensity short course triathlon training, I have been playing with my body weight and composition as an experiment. Interesting what I have found. I noticed that I initially lost about 8 pounds on this nutrition plan and while I was pretty lean, I also noticed that I was not swimming well and had a hard time generating power on the bike. My run was great but as a triathlete, that is only 1/3 of the game.
So, I started shifting my body weight and fat a bit while measuring my performances (quantitatively as noted above). What I found was that my body was not efficient in generating power in the swim or bike when my body weight was too low. I have noted that, at this point in my training (very important to consider due to nutrition periodization), that my quantitative performances and recoveries are enhanced when my body weight is only about 4 pounds lower than my "normal" (meaning when I was not eating higher fat and controlling my carbohydrates) body weight.
Interesting data so far and even more fascinating since I am soon entering my triathlon race season. As I continue to dial this in and experiment with my swim, bike and run numbers, I will report back my findings in hopes that you too can learn more about your body and at what physiological markers it is most efficient.
Until next time...
Coach Bob
Email
Website
Point 1: There is no such thing as an "optimal" weight. As a Sport Dietitian, I work with athletes to find that weight that supports good health, a strong immune system, quality and uninterrupted sleep patterns and for females, regular menstruation. As athletes, do we sometimes give and take a little in these categories? Of course! But that is the important part of experimenting with your individual body to see what is right for it. Do not compare yourself to others from a quantitative (scale number) or qualitative (aesthetics) point of view. What is important is the point at which your body weight and body composition supports optimal health and performance (read: the combination of both is utterly important). Now, I have seen many athletes get too low in their body weight and while they may run well, they start to get sick more often or they cannot recover as fast. There is no secret equation that professionals use to determine if your weight should be different during race season versus the preparatory or pre-competition training cycles. This is a journey that you must explore on your own and I recommend keeping good quantitative and qualitative data to help you in this process.
Point 2: If you are a triathlete, too low of body weight and fat (while it may be aesthetically pleasing), may actually compromise performance. You should not measure your racing weight (if there is such a thing for your particular body) in terms of the number on the scale. Rather, you should look at your quantitative performances for the swim, bike and run. You can use your 100 yard/meter time or a field test such as a 3x300 time trial set for the swim. The run can be a threshold test done in the field or in a performance center to measure velocity and lactate levels and having a power meter on the bike for field testing in or out of a lab is crucial to determine threshold power movements. It is these data that will help you quantify if and where your body weight and composition should be for optimal performance.
Point 3: If you aren't healthy, you cannot perform. Far too many athletes try to get their body weight or fat levels so low that they compromise health and get sick. If you are sick, you can't train. If you can't train, you can't race. If you can't race, you don't have a season and thus you cannot really be an athlete. Take care of your body and think of improving and supporting good health first.
Back to Coach Bob. As I have been navigating this higher fat with controlled carbohydrate nutrition plan with higher intensity short course triathlon training, I have been playing with my body weight and composition as an experiment. Interesting what I have found. I noticed that I initially lost about 8 pounds on this nutrition plan and while I was pretty lean, I also noticed that I was not swimming well and had a hard time generating power on the bike. My run was great but as a triathlete, that is only 1/3 of the game.
So, I started shifting my body weight and fat a bit while measuring my performances (quantitatively as noted above). What I found was that my body was not efficient in generating power in the swim or bike when my body weight was too low. I have noted that, at this point in my training (very important to consider due to nutrition periodization), that my quantitative performances and recoveries are enhanced when my body weight is only about 4 pounds lower than my "normal" (meaning when I was not eating higher fat and controlling my carbohydrates) body weight.
Interesting data so far and even more fascinating since I am soon entering my triathlon race season. As I continue to dial this in and experiment with my swim, bike and run numbers, I will report back my findings in hopes that you too can learn more about your body and at what physiological markers it is most efficient.
Until next time...
Coach Bob
Website
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