Tips from Kona Ironman veteran

There is more to doing an Ironman than just swimming, biking, and running. Like I mentioned before, there is actually a fourth sport involved with partaking in an all day triathlon event; nutrition. Without a good nutrition plan on race day you are setting yourself up for failure.

I received this email from fellow triathlete and accountant Sam Barnes of Ephrata, Washington whom had the chance to chat with a Kona Ironman veteran. In their meeting the 'Kona stud' went through what his nutrition plan was for the Ironman World Championships, and some things to expect on raceday. Mind you, because of the extreme climactic differences between the Ironman in Kona, Hawaii and other Ironman's there is some wiggle-room for caloric and electrolyte intake. However, his plan serves as an excellent baseline for any Ironman nutritional strategy. In order to alleviate confusion; this is Sam emailing me what the Kona veteran told him, and what Sam will do during his Ironman race. The stuff in parentheses are my explanations to help clarify the tri-geek vocabulary.

""The Kona guy ran me through exactly how he does nutrition on race day.
Starts carbing up (eating lots of carbohydrates like pasta, breads, fruits etc.) 3 days prior to the event with lots of water. Then on race day 2 1/2 hours before race he has bagel with PB&J, banana, and 24 oz Gatorade. Then 10 minutes before race 12 more ounces to top off. On bike, water only for first 30 minutes, then sips on second bottle which has 12 scoops of Perpetuem (pure carbohydrate mixture in powder form) and a little water (think pancake batter). The Perpetuem bottle gives him enough carbs to fuel the entire bike for his weight, about what you and I need to, he is 5'10" 160. Then he fills his second water bottle, aero bottle on handlebars at each water station, grabs water at one station, Gatorade at the next and keeps alternating for the next 112 miles. He just tosses the bottles after emptying into aero bottle. Takes a gel (gel form of pure carbohyrdate) every 45 minutes. The three back pockets of his triathlon shirt have gels, endurolytes capsules (electrolyte tablets like look like Tums tablets),and small bike tool. 4 endurolytes every hour too.

Then on the run he has one small flask bottle of hammer gel (fuel belt sized
bottle of gel form carbohydrates) in back pocket and carries a second in his hand. Drinks some gel just as arriving at each water station. Still taking 4 endurolyte capsules every hour. And that's it, no solids for him. I'll pretty much copy this but also take a ProBar energy bar (like a Powerbar or Cliff Bar) that I like for a solid on the bike. He (Kona vet) does not use a special needs bag (this is a bag you get to put your ancillary items in that you think you might need during the race) but I figure why not, put anything and everything you may need in it another perpetuem bottle, electrolyte capsules. He did drop his endurolytes on the bike at mile 80 and had to turn around and go pick them up which he said almost caused him to crash. Could have skipped picking them up if had some in a special needs bag at T2 (good point, better safe than sorry).

If it's hot wear a hat on the run vs visor and put ice in it. Always use the iced sponges (they hand these out at aid stations during the race) to put in your Jersey top, shoulders, and if you really are overheating carry ice cubes in your hands. He began to overheat at mile 5 of the run and had to walk, but another passing runner told him to start carrying ice in his hands and that helped cool him back down.

He said expect lots of unexpected bad things to happen (on swim getting hit in face just as you are starting to take in air, move to the side until you get your air back, etc.) and run through in your mind what you will do to take care of them (For instance in one race I actually had a guy unzip my wetsuit and it filled with water in the middle of the lake... no bueno). You WILL have negative thoughts especially at start, "I did not train enough" "How can I really do this for 12 hours?" Get rid of those right away by remembering your best workouts and simply plan to slow down a little every time you feel sluggish, your nutrition will catch up in a few minutes. Walk through your transitions at T1 and T2 the night before
to make sure you have everything!

He was great, real positive. Kona times were 1:05, 5:05, 4:10 (This guy is fast!). Increased his bike speed to 21.5 over final 40 even with stiff side winds. The temp on the run was in the 90's which he wasn't ready for so the slowed him down
:30. Chris Lieto (one of the fastest cyclists in Ironman circuit) told him there to get ready for the humidity and heat, he turns on his shower and rides his trainer in the bathroom for 1 houri twice a week for the 4 weeks prior to the race. Heather Fuhr (She rocks too!) told him to get better at the marathon, run a couple in training and run the last 6 miles harder than the first 20 to get your body better ready for those last 6 miles of hell. Easy for her to say, not a workout any of us would get excited about.""

I have modeled my race day plan after this guy's. It is always great to get information from someone who has been there, they really do help pave the way.

News worthy information: Former Major League Baseball star Jeff Conine will be participating in the 2008 Ironman World Championships. Check out the press release on Ironman.com (http://ironman.com/mediacenter/jeff-conine-set-to-hit-home-run-in-hawaii)

Daley

"Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great."
-Mark Twain

Tapering before Ironman (Plus a 'zoo' of a nightmare)

I am thoroughly enjoying this tapering period. Last week held concrete evidence that my body needed some time to recover. My Saturday ride before graduation was supposed to be four hours and it was more like three, and I did not run after, nor did I swim on Sunday. I noticed right when I got on the bike I did not have that oomph that I usually have starting a ride. I went on to the Ironman course and spun up a bit just to see if I had any sprinting legs today.... nope. It was rather windy again and that just added to my frustrations. So instead of trying to push through and get my normal two loops in after the first one I just turned around and headed in. I was pretty ruffled about not getting in the workout that was on my Ironman plan. But I realized that this was my body screaming "DUDE I NEED SOME REST!!!" Sometimes you just have to listen to your body, it knows what is going on.

This week calls for:

Monday: 2,500 swim
Tuesday: 1 hour bike, 30 minute run
Wednesday: 3,000 swim
Thursday: 1 hour run (6 miles)
Friday: 2,500 swim
Saturday: 2 hour bike (35 miles), 30 minute run
Sunday: DAY OFF!!!!!!

Totals: about 8 hours, 8,000 meters swimming but I will probably get in on off days and do some drilling, 12 miles running, about 60 miles biking.

Thursday is also my last day at my internship, I think Friday will be my first Friday off from work since January. This calls for some excessive celebration: sleeping in till noon! Most likely that will not happen and I will be up with the sun like normal, but it does sound heavenly.

Let's get to my dream I had last night. Feel free to comment at the bottom of the post if you know anything about dream interpretations because I would love to figure this one out.

My dream started out at some Ironman event in Europe, it must have been Lanzarote in Spain because I high-fived Chris McCormack the day before the race. The dream took me through my normal race day routine, stretching, eating, the whole nine yards. All the athletes hopped in the water and we floated there like little fishing bobbers waiting for the gun to go off. My buddy Jesse looks at me and goes, "hey man get on my feet (it means get in my draft) and just follow me the whole race" (It is fact that you can draft while swimming just like race cars do in Nascar). So we took off and it felt like I was being towed by a motor boat. We weaved our way up through the field and eventually caught up with the pros. For some reason I my arms were not getting tired so we swam harder. I ended up getting out of the water in like 37 minutes (This would be an Ironman record ha ha). Once we got into transition there was a muscular bull named Bodacious standing in front of my bike; he would not let me pass. I would try to distract him but Bodacious stood his ground and would not flinch. All the athletes were catching up to me now and taking off on the 112-mile bike ride, Bodacious did not seem interested in any of them. This stupid bull stood there for the next six hours, my bike was the only one left in the transition area. And this is when my alarm went off. I am sure if I got to sleep a bit longer I was going to turn into a matador and turn the bull into Mongolian BBQ or something :)

Anyway, dreams are weird. Subconsciously I believe the dream was telling me that I do not need to worry about the swim anymore and the 112-mile bike will be the 'bull' of the race for me. I do not even want to know what animal would have shown up for my run ha ha. Most likely an elephant, or a rhino; both slow beasts with poor endurance capabilities.

I have been watching the weather down in Florianopolis, Brazil and it appeals to be quite the quagmire. Although the highs are only in the upper 70's the humidity was 100% yesterday. This means I will sweat like a fat kid in Bikrams Yoga when I race (Google Bikrams and you will get the joke). When you sweat your body loses its electrolytes especially your sodium content which is key to endurance performance. There is a neat little product out by NUUN that is a better tasting salt tablet that helps replenish this lost sodium. I will experiment with it this week during a bike ride in the heat to see how my body reacts. Most likely it will do fine, and I will implement it by dropping one of these tablets into my gatorade every hour during the Ironman.

Daley

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."
-Yogi Berra

Ironman triathlete Jason Lester

Jason's the man. This guy is such an inspiration!

Lessons learned

I have only one more significant workout before I officially start tapering. This Saturday before graduation I have to get in a four hour bike ride followed by a short three mile run. It is rather unfortunate I do not get to celebrate my graduation in typical Arizona State University fashion, but I do not think a hangover will do me any good at this point. But I do think a fresh pint from Four Peaks Brewery does have my name on it. Naturally, consuming a hefty hand-crafted brew is an excellent source of carbohydrates :)

As for my workouts this week:

Monday: 2500 meter swim followed by a 30 minute run
Tuesday: 2 hour bike
Wednesday: 3500 swim followed by a 30 minute run
Thursday: 7 mile run (about an hour)
Friday: 4000 meter swim
Saturday: 4 hour bike (60 miles) and 30 minute run
Sunday: 2000 meter swim (mostly drills, and some speed work)

Totals: Roughly 12-13 hours, 13,000 meters of swimming, 16 miles running, almost 100 miles cycling

During my training I have noticed a few things about myself, my body, and some holes in my training regimen.

1) My body is highly finicky* about foods that I consume and their effects on my weight. Last weekend I did not eat very well and my body stored a lot of the calories right around my abdomen. But after three days of proper diet I was back to normal. It was very weird, I had a little gut for a few days while my body got rid of all the crap I ate. This also leads to my second finding.

2) Eating crappy and having a couple beers makes for a rough couple days afterwards. The first part of this week I had some terrible workouts simply because I felt 'heavy'. My legs felt like they were filled with sand and my heart rate was nearly 10 beats a minute over my normal rate during moderate activity. Stupid me, I know how important nutrition is.... especially three weeks away from Ironman.

3) Bricks are incredibly important. Bricks meaning;I will get done swimming and immediate go for a short run, or I will get done cycling and immediately go for a run. This is huge weakness of mine because I do not transition very well. After a long bike ride it usually takes me at least 2-3 miles for my legs to get to a 'normal' state again.

4) Recovery is the 4th sport associated with triathlon. I never understood its utter importance until about two months ago. Eating right after training is crucial, and getting good sleep is an absolute must! Stretching and massages are really important as well. Actually most professional triathletes have a professional massage therapist on staff and get massages at least twice a week. Ice baths have seemed to work for me too. I will start to do them a more and more frequently before Ironman because I want my legs to be as fresh as possible. I think it was Mark Allen who said, "Train harder, but recover harder". It is an excellent point, and I wish would have learned that earlier.

5) Training is addicting. It simply becomes a part of you. You get used to working out everyday, and on your off days you feel like a lazy bum. Once you implement a proper regimen you put your workouts in front of a lot of other important things. I would schedule my visits with my girlfriend around my long bike ride days, organize my doctor visits to be during my college classes but not my workouts, and I would skip class to go train because it was just such a beautiful day.

6) No matter how clearly you tell your peers about your efforts and reasons for doing triathlons they simply just do not get it, which is fine, and I do not expect them to do understand. People ask 'how long is an ironman?', and before you get through telling them about the open water swim they are already saying out loud 'holy cow I couldn't do that, you must be crazy'. People undoubtedly think finishing an Ironman is cool, but they do not understand that in order to do one, and do one well it takes YEARS of preparation. I am doing my first Ironman only a year after I starting to train seriously and I am in for a rude awakening! Your first Ironman is nothing other than a learning experience. This is why the best Ironman triathletes are in their early 30's. It just takes a long time to build up that endurance.

7) Swimming is much much harder than it looks! Hiring a coach was the best thing I have ever done. You can swim 20,000 meters a week, but if you do not have great form it is useless. I still have a long ways to go with my swimming, but it is still night and day from when I first started.

8) It is worth it. A lot of people ask, "what pleasure does this bring you exactly?" It is something like hitting a game winning home run, or hitting the game winning shot in playoffs.... rolled into one. Never have I ever had to work so hard at something and to still be a mediocre athlete. But that sense of accomplishment when you cross a finish line after 10+ hours of exertion cannot be topped by any achievement. And the sport of triathlon is one of the few sports in which you can still make the pros. In baseball or basketball your chance of making it to the pros after a high school or college career is very very minuscule. So if you do not make it in that window of opportunity between high school and finishing college you are done; the window is closed permanently. But with triathlon, if you are good enough you can earn a spot at the triathlon 'world series' at any age. And that is what keeps most of us triathletes going day in and day out. It is like our little day to suit up with the 'big club'; our one day to live out our childhood dream of making the major leagues and hitting that walk-off home run.

Daley

Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?" I dream of things that never were and say, "Why not?"
-George Bernard Shaw

Graduation (Plus training taper)

Well folks, I am officially done being a college student for the time being. I had my last two finals yesterday. Now I can finally focus on JUST work and training. Today being the first day of my collegiate freedom I can start to plan the rest of my racing year. After Ironman Brazil I will do a half Ironman in Chelan, Washington in July, Timex Sprint triathlon in September, Nathan Olympic triathlon at the end of September, Portland marathon October 5th, and SOMA half ironman at the end of October. It all should be a good rest of the season pending continued health and no injuries. I guess now that I am a grown up (ha ha) I should start thinking about finding a job. Any body out there willing to hire a newly-minted entrepreneurial college graduate/triathlete/traveler?

Shameless plug, I know. But seriously, I need a job.. Anyway, back to training.

This week's taper:

-4 swims: total about 12,000 meters
-3 runs: two runs that are less than 45 minutes, and one run that is 2 hours (about 13 miles)
-3 bikes: 1 hour, 2 hours, and a Saturday ride before graduation that is 4 hours (about 65 miles)
-Total: 14 hours

So technically I lied, I do not quite have a day off yet, but I swear it is coming. Maybe next weekend?

I have also been seeing a physical therapist for my lower back. It has been a real bugger lately. So after work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I go in there and he stretches me out, adjusts me, and a masseuse gives me a deep-tissue massage. Trust me, you do not want this kind of a massage, and especially not from this lady. Marla the masseuse is quite the masochist. I am more sore after seeing her than I am after a long training day. She seems to find it very amusing when I am face down on the massage table whining like a little girl. I really should stretch more, I guess every other day just isn't cutting it because she has developed a programed response after I yelp in pain, "Boy...... you really should stretch more!" Thanks Marla, I am starting to get the hint.

Another aspect of my taper I am really focusing on is my diet. Because my training has been nearly cut in half, I need to cut my calories in half. This means no more 6,000 calorie days, no more Ben & Jerry's, and unfortunately no more 'guiltless' Nutter Butter and vanilla soy milk binges. If I start gaining weight now it will only result in a longer day on race day. I am cutting out nearly all processed foods and sticking to only fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits. I am aiming for about 2,700to 3,000 calories per day spread out over 5-6 small meals. I figure by the time I get to Brazil I will have dropped about three pounds and on race day be at my ideal weight of 165 lbs and about 6% body fat. Ironman is in seventeen days! It is getting close and I am already getting butterflies :)

Daley

"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible."
-Doug Larson

Part two: Recovery tips

So how do you refuel your energy stores? And what should you eat post-workout?

Basic things to ingest: Protein, carbohydrates, glutamine, BCAAs, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

Protein- helps prevent the breakdown of muscle tissues. Protein also contains essential amino acids that are required by the body every day.

Carbohydrates- high glycemic index carbs (best Dextrose, Maltodextrin), and also sucrose which is a natural element found in fruits. These carbs drive up insulin levels and help protein synthesis. Basically these guys are little 'taxis' that help cram all the glycogen building nutrients into muscle cells.

Glutamine- virtually every cell in the body uses this amino acid. During times of stress the body cannot produce enough glutamine to keep up with demand. Low levels of glutamine in the body can reduce perfomance, immune function, and mood. It also promotes cell volumization, increases protein synthesis, and decrease protein breakdown.

Antioxidants- these guys help maintain the integrity of your cell membranes and increase the blood's oxygen carrying capacity. If you have low levels of antioxidants it negatively affects aerobic performance.

BCAA's (Branched Chain Amino Acids)- low levels of BCAAs contribute to muscle fatigue. Studies have shown that if ingested after exercise athletes have greater levels of lean muscle mass retention and an ability to improve performance capacity in hot climates. For the average person, low levels of BCAAs give you a feeling of lethargy and sleepiness.

So what do I eat?

Sometimes I create a little post-workout cocktail that has been very beneficial during my training. Here is what I use:

-1 banana
-5 frozen strawberries
-5 chunks of frozen mangos
-a couple scoops of nonfat vanilla yogurt (1/2 of a yoplait)
-100% pure juice (Dole makes 100% strawberry and mango juice)
-2 scoops of whey protein isolate (about 45 grams of protein) (tofu also works great... just make sure it is silken*)
-1 scoop of glutamine (5 grams)

I actually add the protein after the shake is blended and pour the powder in while it is still blending, it seems to mix more thoroughly that way.

Total= about 400 calories, 70-100 grams of carbs, 45 grams of protein, plenty of vitamins, plenty of antioxidants, and a good amount of BCAA's.

Obviously this is a little labor intensive. But something else that works well is simply.... Chocolate Milk. Although it has a high sugar content, it is still an excellent source of carbs, good fats, protein, vitamins, and minerals. Plus it is cheap, and fairly portable. Slim Fast, Boost, and the generic forms of meal replacement drinks are other great choices.

Typically liquid meals are better for post-workout meals because of the rapid absorbion. Naturally it takes a lot less time to break down an ounce of liquid, than it does an ounce of something in solid form.

There are a few supplements I take when I get lazy and do not feel like mixing up a shake. Powerbar, and Hammer Nutrition have decent recovery mixes, but a company called 1st Endurance came out with a product called Ultragen that has almost all the ideal stuff in it. They are pretty spendy, but they do help you recover much faster than any other products I have tried. I have yet to come across a company that has ALL the right stuff but I will keep searching and inform you at a later date. Maybe that will be my next project after Ironman; starting my own supplement company.

As for my training this week, My big workouts were a 100-mile bike ride on Thursday after my Communication 323 final, I will have 14 mile run this Saturday. I have five swims, two little bike rides (less than 50 miles each), and two other little runs (less than 6 miles each). I should be right around 18-19 hours this week. This week is also my last BIG week before I start to taper. And guess what? Next Saturday I actually have a day off! First Saturday off in.... atleast 4 months. Gettting to sleep in sounds heavenly. Yay for me :)

Daley

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
-Steve Jobs, founder of Apple

Part One: Recovery tips (Plus a special thanks to my sponsors)

Since I have started training I have realized that post-workout nutrition is by far the most important meal of the day. This is especially true for others who work all day, have kids, a significant other, and also train. These daily stresses take a significant toll on the human body. If you do not give your body its needed nutrients it weakens your immune system which makes you more susceptible to sickness, your muscles take longer to recover, and it can cause chronic fatigue (that constant feeling of be tired ALL the time), and there are numerous other negative health aspects as well.

The biggest mistake people make it not doing anything about post-workout nutrition. In fact, most people are extremely misinformed and have cultivated a sort of 'nutritional ignorance' when it comes to this aspect of training. People who work out regularly stay lean and fit simply from the high volumes of training they are doing. Unfortunately, you can still look good without spending a whole lot of time worrying about proper food intake. It is true, skinny people are sometimes the most unhealthy people because they think they can get away with eating poorly based on their current physical composition.

Basically, the muscles are most efficient at carbohydrate and energy uptake AFTER a workout. The bulk of an athlete's post-workout calories should come during a 30-minute 'window' after you get done exercising. During this time the ingested energy (coming from protein and quality carbohydrates) will go to replenishing the depleted muscle energy stores (also called glycogen) and enhance muscle recovery. Many people subscribed to the body-builder type recovery.... protein, protein.... and more protein. However, the basic mechanism of post-workout carbohydrates is to give the muscles enough energy to stimulate protein production. Post-workout carbs decrease the rate of protein degradation in muscles, and simultaneously increase whole-body protein synthesis.

Glycogen is the energy stores in your muscles that the body uses for fuel when we have not ingested any calories. During exercise glycogen stores become depleted, and it is how you replenish glycogen that has an affect on your recovery. If you were a car, let's say you start out with a full tank of gas on Monday, you drive day in and day out and maybe on Thursday your 'fuel light' comes on. So you put five bucks in your car and drive another day, the next day put another five bucks in, but you never completely fill it back up. I am sure you have heard that your car gets better gas mileage when your car has a full tank. Just like your body, when you start out with a full tank of muscle energy (glycogen) and run it down day after day, never taking the time to refuel, your performance decreases at an alarming rate.

Synopsis: when you choose recovery foods and fluids wisely you will optimally replensish your body's energy stores and recover more quickly for your next workout. For the endurance athlete who must often train twice in one day, this is essential to prevent chronic fatigue and promote peak performance. Make sense?

I will finish up this two-part series later this week.

A special thanks for the people who have sponsored my Ironman so far:

My grandparents; Dewey and Mary Orr of Riverside, Washington

Denise Merten of Tempe, Arizona

Pro Swim Coach John Tunstall of Phoenix, Arizona

And Betty Crawford of Ephrata, Washington

Thanks a million! Every bit helps!

Daley

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going"
-Jim Ryun