Sunday, June 28, 2009

Training Videos

The newest feature for Break Through Multisport is our series of training videos that are loaded onto YouTube. All videos are free to all, make sure to check them all out. I've put up 6 so far, with a lot more in production as I type! Click here to see all the training videos.

Here's the Catch Up Drill video

Friday, June 26, 2009

Nutrition for a 3+ Hour Brick in Hot and Humid Weather

An athlete I coach who is preparing for her first Ironman in Arizona this year asked me this question earlier today: "How should my nutrition be for tomorrow...should I just drink water and have GU...do I drink water with that nuun or that other thing with gu? Do I try and eat a bar while out there?" The workout she is referring to is a 3000 meter swim, 2.5 hour bike and 30 minute run off the bike in St. Louis where the heat index is supposed to be around 96 degrees with the humidity in the upper 50% area. My reply is below.

For nutrition, you want to start out with a bottle full of carbohydrate solution per hour- something like Infinit's Ironman Distance Formula. You can get 20% off your order on Infinit if you click the Infinit logo on the
Break Through Multisport homepage. You can supplement your fluid intake with water or water with Nuun or Zym. I prefer the Nuun or Zym since it gets some extra electrolytes into your system. If you like the gels, pop one 45' into the bike and chase it with at least 6-8 ounces of water (not sports drink) and then again at 1:30 and again at 2:15 (every 45'. Make sure you are drinking water with each gel to prevent dehydration.

Once you get off the bike, you can carry a water bottle or if you have a Fuel Belt, that is good too. Load the FB with half the bottles with water and the other half with a sports drink. If you go with the water bottle only, I would go with water since the run is only 30'.

So another key issue is what you eat and drink AFTER the workout to set you up for success on Sunday. You NEED to drink a LOT of water and eat some healthy food all day after the workout to make sure you get rehydrated and refueled. Chocolate milk is a great recovery drink prior to hopping in the shower after the workout. After that, healthy carbs, lean protein and more water all day.

There are three main goals that you want to accomplish nutritionally immediately afterwards (within 30 minutes):
1. Replace your glycogen stores (carbs stored in the body): There are two types of carbs that we are going to want you to ingest:
a. High Glycemic Index (glucose based; sugars in potatoes, rice, grains, Corn Flakes, Cheerios, waffles and bagels): these will get into you system quickly
b. Low Glycemic Index (fructose based; fruit, fruit juices, milk, yogurt, apples, peaches, beans): provides a steady release of glucose into your system over a longer period of time. Make sure at least one serving of fruit is available, this will also help to re-equilibrate your bodies pH level.
We want you to get at least 3/4 of a gram of carbs per pound of body weight. The initial source should be in a liquid form (Infinit Recovery formula), the liquid version gets into you system faster.
2. Rehydrate and replace electrolytes after the workout: On average, endurance athletes will sweat out 1.5 liters of fluid per hour. It is difficult at best to replace all the fluids you lost in the first 30 minutes. You should try to replace 150% of the fluid that you lost during the workout over the first 2-3 hours post-exercise. Start out with 16 ounces of water (with Nuun) for each pound of fluid you lost.
3. Branched Chain Amino Acid support (BCAA's): BCAA's will assist in muscle repair. I would recommend some BCAA supplement pills, they are relatively inexpensive.

To determine your own sweat rate, click here to read an article by Assistant Coach Laura Koerner on calculating your sweat rate.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #3

Welcome to another week on the road to Kona... This week I learned the importance of the extra training that doesn't appear on the training schedule. Over the past three years, I've had plantar fasciitis, tight IT bands and a sprained rotator cuff. The common element in each - a lack of the "extra" stuff like using a foam roller or functional strength training. I used to fall into the habit of doing my workout, then going home and usually taking a nap. Well, this year I am making a change and finding time for all the extra stuff. I started by visiting Liz Yerly at Accelerated Rehab for some help with my IT Bands. It is still early in the season and I didn't want to have an injury slow me down so soon, and Liz and Accelerated really helped me learn some great functional strength training and Active Release Therapy that has made a real difference with my IT bands.

I am also a big fan of the Trigger Point products, especially when our Chihuahua Katie tags along.

Friday, June 19, 2009

What is hyponatremia?

Hyponatremia is a very real condition that every endurance athlete must be aware of. Hyponatremia is defined as an electrolyte imbalance or disturbance in which sodium concentration in the plasma (blood) is too low. So what do we need to know about hyponatremia?

Hyponatremia in terms of endurance sports, is normally caused by drinking too much water. That sounds contradictory to the “make sure to drink a lot of water” that everyone hears when cycling and running. In general, the longer the training session or race, normally greater than 4 hours, the higher the chances of this happening. In the last 10 years, there have been two reported deaths during a marathon due to “overhydration-induced” hyponatremia. In both cases, the runners were on the slower side of the marathon and had been on the road for several hours.

Hyponatremia can be a result of prolonged diarrhea or vomiting due to gastrointestinal (GI) distress during exercise or more likely, during endurance events, the excessive intake of fluids, especially water.

So how does this happen? Athletes can definitely take in too much water while training and racing. Hyponatremia can be difficult to determine since the warning signs come on slowly. Early symptoms include headache, cramps, nausea, confusion, disorientation, reduced coordination and tunnel vision to name a few. Another sign to look out for is bloating- look around your watch, rings, sock bands and elastic wastebands.

So how do we prevent this while staying hydrated? Simply balance water intake with salt (sodium) intake. The most scientific way to ensure you are getting enough salt is to calculate your sweat rate. You can assume that a pint of sweat or one (1) pound of body weight lost contains around 500 milligrams (mg) of sodium. A 16-ounce drink (most water bottles are either 21 or 24 ounces) which is 480 milliliters (mL), you should aim for up to 500 mg’s of sodium. This can come from naturally salt foods or sodium supplement capsules. Sports drinks, electrolyte tablets or gels are not enough in by themselves, you will have to find the right combination.

In general, you want to experiment with different nutritional products and sources until you find the right mix. After you’ve found that right mix, make sure you rehearse your nutritional plan during training so there is no mystery about what is going to happen on race day.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Bike Fit Screen Shot

I was at Element Multisport the other day when Chris and Dave were fitting a young lady on her road bike. It's quite a system that they have at Element for the bike fit. This lady had opted for the Retul fit which takes advantage of some video game like "motion sensors" that utilize infra-red LED's to capture you motion at specific locations on the skeleton. The main points the Retul system is attached to is the foot, ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow and wrist.

The Retul system pick up the LED signals every 2.1 milliseconds (476 times per second) and is transmitted to the sensor and computer in real-time, relaying actual angles in a 3D fashion.

The lady that I was watching get fit has some fairly serious biomechanical issues with the fit she had recently recieved when she had purchased her Canondale down the street.

To the left is the screen shot that was pulled off the computer after the fit. If you look closely at the circled area, that is the path that the knee sensor was taking before and after her fit.

On the left, you can see a figure eight pattern. Her knee was coming up and in on the up-stroke, back to the outside, then back relativley straight and then started the loop back to the outside.

If you knee is wiggling in a figure-8 pattern like this, you are loosing a lot of power while increasing your risk for a knee injury.

After her fit, you can see the path that her knee was taking (right side) with the elimination of the figure-8 pattern, which has increased her power and efficiency! The fix was as simple as placing a 1.5mm Varus shim between (thicker on the inside, thinner on the outside).

If you are going to spend more than $200 on a bike fit, it would make sense to me to use the Retul system in conjunction with a certifified bike fitter.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Another HUGE week for Break Through Athletes

Wow, what another huge week for Break Through Athletes!

At the Rockman 1/2 Iron race, Coach Mike set a new PR and Rob Wurth completed his first ever 1/2 IM in a solid 4:42

At the US Women's Tri in Naperville, Christine Davis completed her first triathlon! She said "I got tired of saying 'on your left' all day!"

At the Kansas 70.3- Jeff Mote hammered out a 5:22 for a new PR and Cameron Schafer thew down a 4:22 to finish 4th in the Collegiate National 1/2 IM race (37th overall)!

Great job guys, keep up the good work!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #2

I am occasionally asked what it is like to train for an Ironman. Of course there is periodized training, heart rate and watts per kilogram. However, for some reason the question always comes up about how early I wake up to get my training in. It seems the general public, and a lot of coaches, feel that training has to occur before 5 am. Personally, I like to sleep in. Sure, there are those long bike days and early morning race starts, but otherwise, I feel I can get the same workout in around noon as I do early in the morning. I mention this because this morning we ran the Chicago 13.1 half marathon. We had to wake up around 4 am to get the dogs out, eat breakfast and catch the bus to the start. My schedule had me running for 45 minutes, but we signed up a while back for this race and figured I'd just take it easy and enjoy the run. The first few miles I was really tired and generally not in a good mood. Should I just run for 45 minutes and stop? Why did I even get out of bed? Then I took a deep breath and figured it will be good mental training for Kona, which really means that I gathered a little pride and kept running. While a simple 1/2 marathon makes up around 9% of the total Ironman distance, it is still a respectable race that can't be taken mailed in. While Kona is still four months away, the next 4 - 6 weeks of training will be key to solidify my base and prepare for those early mornings to get in those 6 hour bike rides.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Time Trial Pacing

Pacing in a time trial (TT) is essential for cyclists and triathletes alike. Everyone who has ever ridden a TT has at some point, started out to fast, gradually slowed down and limped across the finish line.

I am going to discuss two different pacing strategies for a TT, one for a pure time TT that a cyclist would ride and a few modifications for triathletes of different abilities.

For a cyclist and/or an advanced triathlete, we want to break the TT into quarters (Q). For this example, lets look at a 40k TT, the “gold standard” of TT’s and the Olympic or International Distance Triathlon, where each quarter is 10k or 6.2 miles. For a less experienced cyclist or non-elite triathlete, it is recommended that you break the TT into thirds (T) which would be 13.3k or 8.25 miles.

Quarters (Cyclists)
For the first quarter (Q1), you want to hold back a little bit on the first quarter. If you are using RPE, HR or power, you want to hold back about 3-5%, your breathing should not become heavy during Q1. This is mentally challenging for a lot of athletes, but it is setting you up for success with strong quarters to follow.

For the second quarter (Q2), you want to be at you desired pace and effort at the start of Q2, whether it be using RPE, HR or power. For Q2, you need to focus on your race, riding at your intensity while really focusing on technique and breathing.

For the third quarter (Q3), this is the toughest portion of the race. You want to maintain the same effort (HR or power). You probably noticed that RPE was not listed under effort for Q3, that is not on accident. In Q3, your RPE will start to increase while your HR and/or power will remain relatively constant. Q3 is without a doubt the most mentally taxing portion of the TT- you have to do whatever is needed to maintain your mental focus. This is the part of the TT where the inexperience rider will struggle and drop off.

For the fourth quarter (Q4), the end is in sight! This is where you start to slowly increase your effort and start racing. Gradually increase your effort and start picking people off. With a few minutes left, you want to gradually increase your effort to the maximum. In general, a good rule of thumb for cyclists is- if you can get out of the saddle and sprint at the end, you held back too much.

Quarters (Advanced Triathletes)
For the first quarter (Q1), you want to follow the same general guidelines above for cyclists. For triathletes, the major issue that needs to be accounted for is nutrition. If you are racing a short-course (sprint or Olympic distance), you should be getting the majority of you calories from a sports drink like Infinit Nutrition. For a long-course triathlete, a mixture of sports drink and perhaps gels is how you should get the majority of your calories. In general, it is a good idea to get settled into the ride for 10-20 minutes prior to starting your nutrition plan. This will give your body a chance to settle down, your BP and HR will drop back down to within your desired ranges allowing your stomach to actually absorb the nutrition you ingest.

For the second quarter (Q2), you also want to be at you desired pace and effort at the start of Q2, whether it be using RPE, HR or power. For Q2, if you are an experienced triathlete whom is going for a new PR or an elite triathlete, this is where you start racing on the bike. Nutrition at this point, is paramount, especially for long-course triathletes.

For the third quarter (Q3), this is also the mentally toughest portion of the race. You want to maintain the same effort (HR or power), you have to do whatever is needed to maintain your mental focus. Nutrition at this point is essential to set you up for the run- you have to be taking in calories.

For the fourth quarter (Q4), the end is in sight! This is where the pacing strategy changes drastically for triathletes. The strategy differs based off the distance of your race.
Short-Course:
For a triathlete who is racing a short-course event, you need to maintain the same effort
that you have been producing for Q2 and Q3, where cyclists ramped up the effort. Short-
course events are more-or-less red-line events, you’re going to be going hard the whole
time. When you hit Q4, you need to start tapering off on the nutrition, transitioning to
water with a limited amount of sports drink- we don’t want you have a lot of sports drink
sloshing around in your stomach when you get off the bike.

Long-Course:
For a triathlete who is racing a long-course event, you need to back off a little bit once you
hit Q4. When you get to within 30 minutes of the end, you need to start tapering off on the
nutrition, transitioning to water with a limited amount of sports drink.

Thirds (Triathletes)
For the normal age group triathlete, it is recommended that you break the ride down into thirds (T1, T2 and T3).

For the first third (T1), you want to hold back a little bit on the first third. If you are using RPE, HR or power, you want to hold back about 3-5%, your breathing should not become heavy during T1. This is mentally challenging for a lot of athletes, but it is setting you up for success with strong thirds to follow.
Nutrition is still a major issue whether you are using thirds or quarters. If you are racing a short-course (sprint or Olympic distance), you should be getting the majority of you calories from a sports drink like Infinit Nutrition. For a long-course triathlete, a mixture of sports drink and perhaps gels is how you should get the majority of your calories. In general, it is a good idea to get settled into the ride for 10-20 minutes prior to starting your nutrition plan. This will give your body a chance to settle down, your BP and HR will drop back down to within your desired ranges allowing your stomach to actually absorb the nutrition you ingest.

For the second third (T2), you also want to be at you desired pace and effort at the start of Q2, whether it be using RPE, HR or power. For T2, this is where you start racing on the bike, while staying within your own racing zones. Nutrition at this point is paramount, especially for long-course triathletes.

For the last third (T3), the end is in sight! This is where the pacing strategy changes drastically for triathletes. The strategy differs based off the distance of your race.
Short-Course:
For a triathlete who is racing a short-course event, you need to maintain the same effort
that you have been producing during T2. Short-course events are more-or-less red-line
events, you’re going to be going hard the whole time. When you hit T3, you need to start
tapering off on the nutrition, transitioning to water with a limited amount of sports drink-
we don’t want you have a lot of sports drink sloshing around in your stomach when you get
off the bike.

Long-Course:
For a triathlete who is racing a long-course event, you need to back off a little bit once you
hit T3. When you get to within 30 minutes of the end, you need to start tapering off on the
nutrition, transitioning to water with a limited amount of sports drink.

Whether you are breaking the race into thirds or quarters, a key thing to remember, within the last mile of the ride, you want to increase your cadence a little bit to spin out your legs. Feel free to stand up on the pedals and stretch out your hamstrings and calves to prepare for the run.

The main difference for triathlete is the amount of time and distance that you are riding at higher intensities. If you are a more experience triathlete who is racing an Olympic distance race, by breaking it up into quarters, you will be riding “hard” for 30 of the 40k (18.6 miles) versus 20k (12.4 miles) which can make a huge difference in your final time.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition

Break Through Multisport is happy to announce a new feature that will be exclusive to the blog- the ability to follow a Chicago athlete, Greg Khairallah, who will be racing at the Ironman World Championships in Kona this year. Greg is going to provide blog entries, photos and videos about his journey from Chicago to Kona!

Ladies and Gentlemen... Greg Khairallah-

There is always the question - is it better to be lucky or good? I've always considered myself to be lucky. The latest evidence, I won a lottery slot to the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. We've all seen the images of the Big Island - the heat, the black lava rocks, the elite athletes.. Some ask, why bother? I am not an elite athlete. I don't have a sponsor to fund my training. What I do have is the desire to push myself to the limits of my ability, then one step past. Our bodies are simple. Do the training, eat right and you will finish. But the interesting part for me is in our mind. Can we really stick to the program? Can you make the sacrifices to train? There is no cheating an Ironman -you have to do the miles. The M-dot tattoo? Not for me. I like the training. I like the long hours. I like to look at my limits and know that I am good enough to plan for success and reach my goals.

To add to my luck, my fiancée Jennifer is also my training partner. We do every workout together. After completing Ironman Arizona last year, we had planned on taking 2009 easy with just a couple of races and importantly, our wedding on August 29th. Then, on a whim, I paid the $35 for a lottery chance. Sorry, there is no heart moving story of loss, disaster, or accident. But that doesn't make the journey to Kona any easier. And to what end? The simple satisfaction of finishing what I set out to do.

So lucky or good? Who cares - either way, I'll be in the water at 7 am on October 10th, 2009. When Ryan approached me about starting this blog, I happily accepted. A couple of times a week I will be posting updates on my training, and along the way document what I can about the challenges, shortcomings and skills I learn along the way. I hope everyone enjoys reading about my journey to the race.

Greg