Get in Shape of Pay a Price $$$

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you have probably heard their is a debate on health care taking place in the US. I’ve reprinted an article from David S. Hilzenrath of the Washintonpost.com. This could be very important information for you or perhaps a family member or friend. If you refer a friend or family member to Fit First Chicago, you will receive a $50 gift certificate to Fit First Chicago that you are able to apply to any Fit First Chicago training or nutrition service.

Enjoy,

Ryan Riell

Get in Shape or Pay a Price

By David S. Hilzenrath

That's a message more Americans could hear if the health care reform bills passed by the Senate Finance and Health committees become law.

By more than doubling the maximum rewards and penalties that companies can apply to employees who flunk medical evaluations, the bills could put workers under intense financial pressure to lose weight, stop smoking or even lower their cholesterol.

The initiative, largely eclipsed in the health care debate, builds on a trend that is already in play among some corporations and that more workers will see in the packages they bring home during this month's open enrollment. Some employers offer lower premiums to people who complete personal health assessments; others offer only limited benefit packages to smokers.

The current legislative effort takes the trend a step further. It is backed by major employer groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. It is opposed by labor unions and groups devoted to combating serious illnesses, such as the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association.

A colossal loophole?
President Obama and members of Congress have declared that they are trying to create a system in which no one can be denied coverage or charged higher premiums based on their health status. The health insurance lobby has said it shares that goal. However, so-called wellness incentives could introduce a colossal loophole. In effect, they would permit insurers and employers to make coverage less affordable for people exhibiting risk factors for problems like diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

"Everybody said that we're going to be ending discrimination based on preexisting conditions. But this is in effect discrimination again based on preexisting conditions," said Ann Kempski of the Service Employees International Union.

The legislation would make exceptions for people who have medical reasons for not meeting targets.

Supporters say economic incentives can prompt workers to make healthier choices, thereby reducing medical expenses. The aim is to "focus on wellness and prevention rather than just disease and treatment," said Business Roundtable president John J. Castellani.

BeniComp Group, an Indiana company that manages incentives for employers, says on its Web site that the programs can save employers money in a variety of ways. Medical screenings will catch problems early. Employers will shift costs to others. Some employees will "choose other health care options."

Douglas J. Short, BeniComp's chief executive, said the incentives he uses focus on outcomes, not conditions.

"I can't give you an incentive based on being a diabetic or not being a diabetic, but whether you're managing your blood glucose level — I can give you an incentive based on that," Short said.

National epidemic of obesity
The incentives could attack a national epidemic of obesity. They also cut to a philosophical core of the health care debate. Should health insurance be like auto insurance, in which good drivers earn discounts and reckless ones pay a price, thereby encouraging better habits? Or should it be a safety net in which the young and healthy support the old and sick with the understanding that youth and good health are transitory?

Under current regulation, incentives based on health factors can be no larger than 20 percent of the premium paid by employer and employee combined. The legislation passed by the Health and Finance committees would increase the limit to 30 percent, and it would give government officials the power to raise it to 50 percent.

A single employee whose annual premiums cost him and his employer the national average of $4,824 could have as much as $2,412 on the line. At least under the Health Committee bill, the stakes could be higher for people with family coverage. Families with premiums of $13,375 — the combined average for employer-sponsored coverage, according to a recent survey — could have $6,687.50 at risk.

An amendment passed unanimously by the Health Committee would allow insurers to use the same rewards and penalties in the market for individual insurance, though legislative language subsequently drafted by the committee's Democratic staff does not reflect that vote, Sen. Mike Enzi (Wyo.), for the committee's ranking Republican, has said. The bill drafted by the Senate Finance Committee would set up a trial program allowing insurers in 10 states to use wellness-based incentives for individuals.

America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry lobby, has argued that insurers should be allowed to consider participation in wellness programs when setting individual premiums.

Wellness incentives voluntary
Employers and other advocates of expanded wellness incentives say taking steps to get healthier would be voluntary. Sen. John Ensign, a Nevada Republican and lead sponsor of the Finance Committee's wellness provision, said his proposal "would guarantee that the incentive is strong enough for Americans to want to participate."

Wellness incentives have been spreading rapidly in the corporate world. Unlike the legislative proposals, which address incentives based on results, the corporate programs typically compensate employees based on effort alone — for example, enrolling in smoking cessation programs even if they fail to kick the habit, or undergoing detailed medical assessments regardless of the findings. But there are exceptions: The Safeway supermarket company allows certain employees to reduce their premiums by meeting standards for body mass and other measures. Safeway chief executive Steve Burd has framed it as an issue of personal responsibility.

You can find the full article here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33336289/ns/politics-washington_post/

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition- RACE REPORT

Well, the race is over and I made it. To be honest, I am a little disappointed with some of my times, but who cares? I made it! Yes, I was last in my age group and only 28 people finished after me, but I made it. It is true that running up Alii Drive with the finish line in sight is amazing. The crowd cheered as if I was winning the race. The music was blaring and the lights made it seem closer to noon than midnight. Who cared what my time was? Not the crowd cheering me on. Not my wife who managed to talk and push her way to meet me just past the finish line. For that moment, I forgot how much I suffered the last 16 hours.

Swim - I really have no explanation for missing my goal time by over 30 minutes. I knew that I had a long day ahead and I was trying to pace myself on the swim, but I really felt I was swimming at the same pace that lead to a 42 minute swim at Steelhead and 1:20 swim at Ironman Arizona. I guess I was spending too much time looking at the fish and scuba divers and didn't focus on keeping a good pace. The good part was that it was easy to find my bike in T1 since I think it was the only one left.

Bike - This is really the tale of two bike legs. Going up the Queen K, I felt pretty good. It didn't seem too hot and the wind wasn't bad. As I started the climb to Hawi, the wind picked up a bit was blowing steadily in my face. As I made the turn, I felt I was right on my pace. Then the wind seemed to pick up right in my face again and it was strong. And the sun was beating down hard. I found myself having to pedal downhill just to keep from stopping. I was lightheaded and a total mess. I had to stop a few times and dowse myself in water (and one time in Coke since I grabbed the wrong bottle). The more I pedaled, the stronger the wind blew and the hotter it got. I kept myself sane my constantly doing the math to make sure I was safe to make the bike cutoff. By the time I pulled into T2, I was completely spent. I thought about going right to the medical tent since I knew I was dehydrated and close to becoming a heat casualty. In the changing tent, I felt confused and I guess didn't know any better than to put my running shoes on and start walking.

Run - As I left T2, I assumed (wrongly) that there would be a water stop close by. The course map said there were stops every mile. I assume that first mile was marked correctly and the water stop was placed exactly where it should be, but that first mile was brutal. I needed to cool down and drink some fluids. At the first stop, I drenched myself with cool sponges and drank as much as I could. And I kept going. I actually started to feel ok and even start running a decent pace, but then I would overheat and have to walk to the next stop and more cold sponges and ice. Jennifer even met me on the course and it took a few minutes for me to realize she was next to me. I was really suffering. Then slowly the sun started to set and I started a long journey through the dark Hawaii night. And I mean dark. No street lights on the Queen K, just some lights at the stops. Even the volunteers seemed tired, with some stops out of water. Not good when you are on the verge of heat stroke. I ran with a woman for a while who kept pointing out shooting stars but I couldn't look up without getting too dizzy almost passing out. I am sure the Energy Lab is a neat place to see on the TV race coverage, but for me it was just more dark miles of moving at my best pace. I kept trying to do the math. 8 miles left and 2 and 1/2 hours. 2 hours is 120 minutes, plus 30 minutes - so 8 divided by 150. Or is it 150 dived by 8? Either way it seemed like I had enough time. I reached the "Motivational Mile" where Jennifer left me a special message that was displayed on a screen. I knew she was waiting for me and I had to hurry and get back to her. My head was spinning, my feet were killing me but I had to keep going. In the dark, it is hard to tell uphill from downhill. As far as I remember, the entire course was uphill. With all the emphasis on reducing light pollution, thank God the local Target has a lighted parking lot. I saw the lights and knew I was close. The other athletes left were just shapes passing in the night. With all the money spent by the race organizers I have no idea why they couldn't spring the $50 or so to put glow lights on the mile markers (or why there were about 5 port-a-potties on the entire course). If you were lucky, a car might be passing at the moment you passed a marker. What did it say? 22 miles? 23? What if I trip over the marker? Then you can hear the finish line. It is still a ways off, but it is close. Finally, you get back into town for the last mile and a volunteer grabs my arm with a shocked look and asks if I am sweating. She is worried that I have heat stroke I guess. Then, Jennifer appears to cheer me on. She'll meet me at the finish. Just a few more traffic lights, then a couple of turns to that last stretch up Alii.

After spending so much time in the dark, the one thing I noticed the most about the finish line was the spotlight which seemed to be pointed right at my brain. I can't image the crowd at the Super Bowl cheering any louder as I crossed the finish line. It was a wild party that was waiting for me to show up. Jennifer gave me a big hug and kept me walking to get our picture taken and finally, sit down.

So yes, I suffered like I have never suffered before. So many times I didn't think I could make it another inch. And for what? Simple - to finish what I set out to do. I am not the leanest, fastest, or strongest. But I do have an incredible belief that I can make it. There is nothing that is impossible. There is no problem that cannot be solved. And my love of my wife is an unbreakable commitment that will guide us to many more adventures.

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #11

Well, I am in Kona. I flew in yesterday and if anyone is wondering, yes - it is a long flight. I was able to use my United miles to fly me and Jennifer out here, plus a rental car for nothing. Not bad since it will end up costing about $450 to ship my bike here and back home and about $1,000 for 6 nights at the hotel. Anyhow - right now I am feeling pretty good about Saturday. Yes, it is hot and humid, but I think I have a good plan to focus on hydration, nutrition and proper pacing. I am still shooting for around 13 and a 1/2 hours but anything under 17 is fine. Mostly I want to have an enjoyable day and not get injured.


This morning I went for a mile swim to get comfortable with the water and then a short run where I saw a flash go by me that a passerby said was Chris McCormack on his bike. Most likely that is the only time I'll see any of the pros... Tomorrow I will take a quick ride to check my bike setup as well. Speaking of which, if you ever find yourself wanting to bring your bike to Kona, I highly recommend FedEx it to Kona Bike Works. It turns out UPS only insures to $5,000 where FedEx has no limit (you pay $10 for every $1,000 above $2,000) and FedEx is cheaper (at least as of this race). Kona Bike Works received my bike, assembled it, tuned it, stored the bike box, will break down and re-pack my bike and ship it back to Chicago for $300. Not too bad.

I'll try to write daily updates as the week progresses here in Kona. I found out the the race will be covered live on Universal Sports but I assume they will cover the pros :-)

USADA with New Policy

An interesting new policy by the USADA- all athletes, both professional and amateur are now subject to out-of-competition drug testing. Here's the link to the article on Cycling News: http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/usada-all-athletes-subject-to-testing-in-and-out-of-competition?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=news_headlines

Cycling Cadence and Running Off the Bike

Cycling Cadence and Running Off the Bike

By Ryan Riell

There as been a lot of debate about the appropriate cycling cadence for triathletes. In general, we recommend riding at a cadence between 80-90 RPM at a minimum, preferably over 90 RPM. A great piece of advice we give to our athletes is to increase their cadence up to 95+ RPM for the last 10-20’ without significantly increasing the tension (on the chain) or effort level being put forth by the athlete.

Increasing your cadence will usually reduce the force production and subsequent oxygen consumption while riding. We have our athletes increase their cadence to 95+ RPM or greater for the last 10-20 minutes in order to mimic the same cadence that is used while running, which is the most efficient when it is close to 90+ foot strikes per minute. Within a few minutes of the finish, we recommend that the riders stretch their calves and hamstrings by standing on the pedals and flexing the hips in an effort to simulate the muscle actions involved in running

Some coaches recommend that triathletes use a high-resistance, low cadence frequency in conjunction with stretching during the final moments of the cycling leg.

So what is the “right” answer? It has been shown that when an athlete pedals at a higher cadence (<100>

That being said, increasing your leg turnover, in a fashion that is equal to or above your desired running cadence should set you up for a better run. So what do you do if you are the triathlete that is a “masher” and loves grinding big gears at 70 RPM? The only way to generate a higher cadence on a regular basis is to develop/enhance the neuromechanical pathway through regular practice. It will take a minimum of 2-4 weeks of dedicated effort and some exploration with the gearing to find the right gear to maintain a cadence above 90 RPM without your power output dropping dramatically.

A couple really simple ways to increase your cadence are:

1. One-Leg Drills: Hop on your trainer and get warmed up. Find a gear that is comfortable to pedal at 90+ RPM and then unclip one foot, putting it on the cross bar of the trainer so it is out of the way. Start of with 10-15 revolutions per leg until you have eliminated the dead spot (11:00 to 1:00 on the clock). Once you have smoothed out your pedal stroke, then aim for 30 revolutions with each leg in 20 seconds, which is 90 RPM. This is going to be awkward and uncomfortable at first, but will become second nature after a couple weeks.

2. Spin Ups: This can be done on either a trainer or outside. After a good solid warm up, find a gear that allows you to pedal comfortably between 80-90 RPMS. From there, shift the rear cog set to one gear harder and increase your RPM until you start to bounce on the saddle. Once you’ve hit that point, back off the RPM just a hair so you are no longer bouncing and hold that cadence for 1 minute. After the minute, spin easy for 1 minute. This is a really good addition to a warm up, it will ensure your muscles are all loosened up and firing appropriately, especially before a tough interval session or time trial.

This is the perfect time of the year to make changes in your cycling cadence. If you spend the time now, you will reap the rewards later!

Gottschal JS and Palmer BM 2002. The Acute Effects of Prior Cycling Cadence on Running Performance and Kinematics. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 34, No. 9, pp. 1518-1522

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #10

Well, just a couple of weeks till Kona. It has been a while since my last blog update, so I thought I would provide a quick summary of where I stand:

Swim - I did the 2.5k course at the Big Shoulders race a few weeks ago. While I have a lot of room for improvement in my swim, I feel pretty confident that I will have no problems here. I read that one of the primary reasons for the dreaded 'DNF' is sea sickness during the swim, so I'll have to get a few practice swims in after I arrive and think about taking a Dramamine (non-drowsy, of course!). Predicted swim finish - 1 hour, 20 minutes.

Bike - This is the one area that I am concerned about. My training was going great until my accident that cost me a week of training, then my wedding and honeymoon kept me off my bike for another week. While I am confident that I will finish well before the bike cut-off, I will have to really focus on my power zones and not get smoked on the bike (literally, since the temperature on the bike course can reach 100+ due to heat radiating off the black asphalt and lava rocks. Predicted bike finish - 7 hours.

Run - While it is extremely unlikely that I will qualify for Boston before I am 70, I do feel that the run is my strong point. If my previous predictions hold true, I should be starting the run around 3:30 - 4 PM. That will give me two hours of running before the sun sets, so I will be enjoying a nice view of the ocean. Then after dark, I just have to reach the finish line. Luckily, Jennifer will be volunteering at a water stop on the run, so I'll get to see her a few times before the finish. Predicted run finish - anytime before midnight!

So, that is my plan... I can't wait to get to the start!

Break Through Athlete Rob Wurth is the Latest Chicago-land Triathlete to Have Qualified for the For Ironman World Championships in K

Rob Wurth, a Break Through Multisport triathlete qualified for the Ford Ironman World Championships in Kona Hawaii in 2010 by competing in the Ford Ironman Wisconsin and finishing in 10:02:47.

Ironman Wisconsin was Rob’s first race at the Ironman distance (swim 2.4 miles, ride 112 miles, run 26.2 miles). Rob said “I was fairly nervous, mainly just from not knowing what to expect out of the full Ironman distance. Coach Ryan (Head Coach of Break Through Multisport) spent two hours going every last detail of my race plan on Friday before the race. I can’t emphasize how much this helped.”

Rob completed the 2.4 mile swim in 1:07:02, the 112 mile bike ride in 5:26:57 averaging 20.6 miles per hour. He then ran the full marathon in 3:20, averaging 7:40 minutes per mile. Coach Riell said “Rob and I laid out a very detailed race plan and Rob executed it within 2 minutes over the full 140.6 miles. Riell, watched Wurth all day and said “He was amazing all day. When Rob made the last turn of the run heading down the finishing shoot, he looked really strong! He worked incredibly hard all summer and was simply awesome!”

Rob, the only male qualifier from Chicago said “I'm extremely excited and feel very honored to be able to go to the race where it all began, with the top triathletes in the world, and race along all those places like the Queen K highway that I've seen on TV. I have so much respect for all the people that do any Ironman race, it will be amazing to go to the "Super Bowl" of it all. It will be kind of nice when telling those who don't know much about this world that I'm doing an Ironman, and they say ‘Oh that race in Hawaii!’ to finally be able to say ‘Yes, that one.’"

Is Ibuprofen good for you while racing or training?

An athlete forwarded me this article on using ibuprofen while racing and training a couple days ago, it's very interesting.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/phys-ed-does-ibuprofen-help-or-hurt-during-exercise/

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #9

The road to recovery. Well, it had been one week since my accident on my bike. The good news is that nothing was broken, but I did loose about a week in training. I wish I could say that I was able to complete my workouts despite the pain, but I decided that it was better to heal properly so I could resume training with the proper intensity.

Of course, it is now one week closer to Kona and I feel this little setback came at a particularly bad time. Leading up to last week, I was working out some pacing goals for Kona so that I could finish in a 'respectable' time - meaning that I would not be in the bottom 10% of finishers. Now, I have some new goals of just making the cutoff times in each event and seeing how the day goes. I have read that it is better to enter the race a little under-trained than over-trained, and that will certainly be the case.

The next 10 days or so my training will move to the island of Lanai, Hawaii. Jennifer and I are getting married on Saturday and we cannot wait. Of course, from a training point of view it means another weekend not grinding out miles in my saddle, but we plan to get some great swims, bikes and runs in addition to relaxing on the beach

Triathlon Checklist

By Ryan Riell

OK, so for many of you, the Chicago Triathlon will be your first triathlon, which is usually accompanied by anxiety and nervousness. That being said, we have created a pre-race checklist that covers just about everything that you will need for your first triathlon in addition to some tricks of the trade.

Pre-Race:
Pre-race preparation should start the day before your race. Using the checklist below, it is highly recommended that you layout all of the equipment, clothing, nutrition and anything else that you will need for the day. Once it’s all laid out, then you can check it off your list and start packing it up for the next morning. Ideally, you will have all of your bags packed and ready to go by the middle of the day so all you have to do is relax and eat dinner before going to sleep.


o Sweat Pants
o Warm up Top
o Beanie
o iPod
o Water Bottle (sports drink)
o Snack (granola bar, Powerbar, etc…)
o Comfortable shoes/sandals
o Socks (throw away)
o Heart Rate monitor wrist watch
o Heart Rate Monitor Chest Strap
o Transition bag
o Dry Clothing bag
o Time Chip with ankle strap


The key with the pre-race clothing is to be as comfortable and warm as possible. Sweat pants and a warm up top should be comfortable and will keep you warm. Some people prefer the beanie to keep their heads warm and the iPod should be loaded up with a mixture of calming musing and then a playlist with some motivational music for the last 10-15 minute before you start. You should have a water bottle that is filled with either a sports drink like Infinit Nutrition or water. Make sure you bring a snack, there is usually a lot of hurry up and wait in the morning. The dry clothing bag is something like a trash bag- you will put your pre-race sweats, iPod and all that other stuff in there before you race. When you get dressed in the morning, don’t forget to put your HR chest strap on, you can swim with it on. Last, but not least, put your timing chip and ankle strap on before you leave your hotel room or house- that way, it’s there and done.

Swim:
For the swim, make sure you know where you are going to (start line) and what time you are supposed to be there. Make sure you are lubed up with either Body Glide and/or Suit Juice. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen.

o Swim suit/ race suit
o Wet suit/ swim skin
o Towel(s)
o 2 goggles (1 clear/ 1 tinted)
o Goggle defogger
o Sunscreen
o Body Glide/Suit Juice
o Race Swim Cap

Bike:
When you get to the transition area, make sure you setup your area immediately. Once that’s done, you will have plenty of time to relax and listen to the iPod. Make sure you lay out your area in an organized and systematic way so everything is where you need it. A good piece of advice is, put your helmet, upside down, on your aerobars or next to your bike if you don’t have aerobars. Then, put your sunglasses inside your helmet and then your race belt on top of that. If you are going to carry the spare tire kit(s) in the back pocket of your jersey, put that in the helmet too, along with whatever gels or bars you are going to carry.

When you get into the transition area from the swim, SIT DOWN to take off your wetsuit, it’s easier. Dry off your feel, put your cycling shoes on and then stand up. From that point, you taking stuff out of your helmet and putting it where it needs to go. The gels, bars and spare tire kit goes into your back pocket. The race belt around our waits with the number on your back side, sun glasses on your head. The last thing to grab is the helmet, which you NEED TO BUCKLE immediately. From there, grab your bike and head out of transition.

o Bike
o Bike Shoes
o Sunglasses (clear or tinted)
o Helmet
o Race Belt
o Race Number
o Spare Tubes
o CO2 cartridge(s) w/ adapter
o Tire Lever(s)
o Bike Pump
o Water Bottles (filled)
o Nutrition (Gels, bars, etc…)
o Socks
o Baby Powder
o Sunscreen

Run:
Once you get back into transition, rack your bike and sit down. Take off your helmet and immediately replace it with your hat or visor. Then take off your cycling shoes and wipe off your feet, put your socks on then your running shoes. Remove and/or add what you need from your back pocket. From there, stand up, turn your race belt so the number is in the front and off you go.

o Running Shoes
o Socks
o Hat or Visor
o Run Nutrition (Fuel Belt, gels, water bottle, etc…)

Post Race:
When you’re done, it’s time to get comfortable and relax! Make sure you change back into your comfortable sandals and put on a dry top (if possible) and whatever else you find comfortable. Pack up your gear and enjoy the post-event party!

o T-shirt
o Shorts
o Money
o Recovery Drink
o Pre-Race sweat pants, warm up top and sandals

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #8

Leading up to this weekend, I was having some of the best training of the year. On Thursday I did a 2 hour run and felt great - maintaining 8:30 miles the whole time and well in my aerobic heart rate zone. Jennifer and I decided to meet up with Coach Ryan and some of the other Break Through Multisport athletes for a ride in Madison on Saturday. We got up early and drove up in the morning. We started out from Fireman's Park to do two 40 miles loops around the Ironman Wisconsin course. The first loop was great - I averaged 220 watts and really had a good time going up and down the rollers. Of course, the most interesting part was watching Jennifer accelerate up the hills as I struggled.. We met a rider along the course who also marveled at Jenifer's climbing ability and remarked that we need to get her a coach next year and follow her career...

We then stopped back at the park for a quick re-fill of water and set out on loop two.
We were about 4 miles into the loop, going down a moderate hill when I heard the pop. My back tire blew and I needed to act quick. My brain was saying not to hit the back brake too hard and feather the front. Physics said otherwise. Best I can tell, right after my tire blew I hit a pothole that knocked the tire off the rim. Next thing I knew, I was headed right over the handlebars flying to the brush on the side. I ended up in a small ravine with my feet in the air. I started to wiggle all my extremities and checked for any major injuries. No searing pain, so I was pretty lucky. Of course, I was still stuck in the ravine and needed help getting up. The road rash on my arm, hip and leg were pretty dirty so we decided to head to the emergency room to get me cleaned up.

We were again pretty lucky to get in and out of the emergency room in about two hours and the nice doctors in Madison gave me plenty of pain medicine as they scrubbed my wounds.

As Jennifer can tell you, we were especially lucky that my face came out with no bruises since we are getting married in 13 days - the wedding pictures should turn out great.

Well, 9 weeks till Kona and this little setback came at a bad time. My body feels like I was beat up with lots of deep bruises on my forearm, right hip and lower right leg. I am able to get around ok and nothing was broken. So I'll take this week a little slow and try the elliptical trainer on Monday. The doctor told me to avoid swimming until the wounds heal to prevent infection, but I'll need to get back on my bike soon...

What is a "Healthy" Carb?

As endurance sports athletes, we hear a lot about good and bad carbohydrates (CHO). So what the heck does that mean and what exactly does CHO do for us?

Carbohydrates are the foundation of any diet for an endurance sports athlete- they provide a rapid source of energy to support your daily activity and training, in addition to replenishing your muscle and liver glycogen stores. Failure to replenish your CHO stores WILL compromise your training, making it harder and harder to recover until you reach a state of burnout. 60% of your daily diet should be carbohydrates.

There are two main types of CHO: simple CHO or sugars (one or two molecules) or complex CHO or starches which can contain thousands of molecules. The old rule of thumb was: simple carbs are bad, complex carbs are good is an outdated concept. The current scientific data suggests we should be far more concerned with the quality of the CHO we ingest, placing an emphasis on wholesome CHO instead of refined CHO.

Wholesome CHO contains vitamins, minerals and fiber where refined CHO in processed food have a much poorer nutrient content, leading to empty carbs. The main thing that we want to be concerned with how the CHO affect our blood sugar and blood glucose levels. Current research indicates that each carb has it own blood glucose profile, based off a ranking system that describes the blood glucose profile- the Glycemic Index (scale is 0-100).

In general, CHO that his high on the glycemic index is >70, medium glycemic index CHO between 50-70 and low glycemic index CHO being <50. style="font-style: italic;">High Glycemic Index:
Instant rice, baked potato, wheat bread, waffle, watermelon, white bagel, pinto beans and black beans

Medium Glycemic Index:
Pineapple, couscous, raisins, brown rice, sweet potato

Low Glycemic Index:
Grapefruit, peaches, apple, whole wheat spaghetti, kidney beans, yogurt, skim milk,

To check the glycemic index of a food that you like, please go to:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/
And click on the “GI Database” tab on the left.

If you can slowly switch the majority of your carbohydrates to low and medium glycemic index CHO, you will see your energy levels increase dramatically during the day and the quality of your training sessions increase dramatically.

Nuun Discount Code- 40% OFF

For everyone who is not a Break Through athlete- Nuun has put out a new discount code on their website that gets you 40% OFF. Go to the Nuun website, place your order and enter the discount code: "elitetriathlete" and get 40% OFF your order!

Break Through athletes- check your sponsorship packet, your discount is better than 40%.

High-Intensity Interval Training

The physiological adaptations that generally account for improved performance in sedentary or recreationally trained individuals may not necessarily apply to the highly trained athlete.

With highly trained athletes, an increase in sub-maximal training (volume) does not appear to further enhance either endurance performance or associated variables such as maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), anaerobic threshold, economy of motion and oxidative muscle enzymes. Indeed, for highly trained athletes, it appears that further improvements in performance can only be achieved through high-intensity interval training (HIT). While research indicates there is no up-regulation of oxidative or glycolytic enzyme activity, there is an increase in performance in a 40 km time trial and peak power output (PPO) obtained during a progressive cycling test.

It appears that once an individual has reached a VO2max of > 60ml/kg/min, endurance performance is not improved by a further increase in sub-maximal training volume. Generally, training plans that are executed by trained athletes do have an aerobic base period that is complimented by HIT sessions that model the demands of the athletes event as he/she approaches the event. HIT sessions have been shown to improve running performances in addition to 40 km time trial performances in trained cyclists who saw an increase in their PPO in a post-HIT progressive exercise test.

With the HIT intervention, we would expect to see physiological adaptations such as an improved ability of working muscles to produce and utilize ATP and the subsequent integration of metabolic pathways that serve to resynthesize ATP which determines efficiency (Green, 2000) in addition to an increase in fatty acid utilization leading to a lower respiratory exchange ratio at submaximal workloads. We also expect to see an increase in performance in the 20 km time trial performance and an increase in peak power output

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #7

This past weekend I completed my first 'B' race of the season. I originally entered the Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 as my 'A' race, but then came the lottery and my entry to Kona. So my goals for the race where to not get injured and practice some key elements like pacing and nutrition. Of course, I wanted to do my best, but that day will come on October 10th. So overall, I feel like I accomplished my goals, but I have to say that I am a little disappointed with my times. So let's break down my race...

All last week (and this week!) I have been pretty busy at work, so going into the race my energy levels were a bit low, but overall I showed up at the swim start feeling good. The morning was nearly perfect. My perspective on swimming is to focus on long, even strokes. I exited the water in 41 minutes, 31 seconds. As I pulled out of transition, I was looking forward to an enjoyable ride, until the wind started to pick up. At first, a few gusts here and there, then a steady breeze right into my face. At this point, I started to monitor my power output and noticed that I was averaging 215 watts and going about 14 miles / hour. Not exactly a world record pace.. So I tried to minimize my drag and just kept on pedaling. I finished the bike at 3 hours, 1 minute, 28 seconds. After a not so short 5 minutes in T-2, I started my run feeling a little worn out from the bike, so I decided not to push too hard so I could pick up my training on Monday. Overall, the run was more challenging than I expected with a couple of challenging hills. In the end, I finished in 6 hours, 13 minutes.

So with 10 weeks to go until Kona, what have I learned?

Swim: While my swimming is still slow relative to my age group, I feel confident that I will have an enjoyable swim in Kona. To build some more open water experience, I signed up for Big Shoulders on September 12th.

Bike: Given the weather conditions I was pretty happy with my bike time. I now need to focus on 'going long' and building the Ironman specific skills.

Run: My biggest disappointment was my run time. My run time for a 1/2 IM time is around 1 hour, 50 minutes and I was hoping to get in under 2 hours. I think the hills on the course and cold rain had a bit to do with my slow time, but overall I need to focus on my transition runs start to add some long runs in as well.

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #6

This past week week I had two goals - we dialed down the distances and times for a classic "cut back week" and to begin a mini taper for the upcoming Steelhead 70.3 on August 1st. I've been feeling a little tired and my job has been testing my time for quality training so my "long ride" was back to 90 minutes and "long run" at 90 minutes as well. I think I've re-charged a bit. I feel ready for the race and to move into the Ironman specific training distances in the next 6 - 8 weeks.

The only real challenge I see so far has been getting some good open water swims in this year. While I have been doing countless laps in the pool, I was hoping to get out in the lake a few times to practice with my wetsuit (which, I must say, I haven't worn since I finished the swim at Ironman Arizona last year). Living in Chicago, our only good option is the Ohio Street beach, which could be a great place since it has marked lanes and life guards for open water swimming. The downside is that it is basically open to all the run-off and trash from the city, so any rain turns it into an open sewer. And yes, Chicago has had a lot of rain this year. I see swimmers out there, but I'd rather not get sick from water. Besides, wet suits are not allowed at Kona, so what's the big deal, right? Only if it were so easy....

So any of you following my journey to Kona, please keep me honest and check back to make sure I am out in the open water. Until then, see you at the pool....

The History of the Science of Hydration and Human Beings

Lets take a few minutes to explore the history of hydration and endurance sports. The below discussion is based off a paper by Dr. Timothy Noakes, who is professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Cape Town and a leading authority in the discipline exercise physiology.

Believe it or not, prior to 1969, runners who were competing in marathons were advised against drinking during exercise and accepted recommendations for cyclists were “avoid drinking when racing, especially in hot weather. Drink as little as possible, and with the liquid no too cold. It is only a question of will power. When you drink too much you will perspire, and you will lose your strength… Four small bottles for a long stage (of the Tour de France), it is frowned upon to drink more.” The thing that is most amazing about this- there is NO published data that shows in either case, that the athletes performance suffered. In a book titled “Racing the Antelope,” Bernd Heinrich put forth: humans have evolved specifically to undertake prolonged exercise in the heat: “the fact that we, as savannah-adapted, animals have such hypertrophied sweating responses implies that, if we are naturally so profligate with water, it can only be because of some very big advantage. The most likely advantage was that it permitted us to perform prolonged exercise in the heat… What we do need sweating for is to sustain running in the heat of the day- the time when most predators retire to the shade.”

Noakes puts forth: since early humans likely ran in condition in which water was scarce, it seems highly probably that this evolving capability must also have included the capacity to preserve water stores and to resist the adverse consequences of developing a water deficit.

In 1977, Wyndham stated: “Dehydration materially affects the ability of the human body to regulate body temperature. This is well shown in studies in my laboratory. Those runners who drank sufficient water to keep their dehydration <3% of body mass had rectal temperature of around 38.5oC (101.3o F) at the end of a 30km race… in those who did not… there was a significant positive correlation between increasing rectal temperature and the extent of dehydration.”

Later that year, Costill put forth “In general, it seems that the large sweat losses incurred during training and marathon competition are adequately tolerated by the runner, with concomitant adjustments in the water and electrolyte distributions of the runner’s body fluid compartments.”

There were two significant events that stimulated new guidelines for fluid ingestion during endurance exercise:
1. The development of sports drinks with the goal of “replacing fluids that were lost due to sweating, which would cause a loss of circulating blood that would adversely affect the ability of the body to dissipate heat.“
2. The aforementioned work by Wyndham that implied “dehydration from sweating places humans at risk of heat stroke unless they drink sufficiently to maintain <3% and especially <5-6% dehydration during exercise.”

In 1992, Montain and Coyle presented work that was widely interpreted as proof that athletes who do not drink at sweat-replacement rates during exercise are at a disadvantage since they finish with a slightly higher body temperature and heart rate.

All of the aforementioned work lead to the 1996 American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) to issue new guidelines:
1. Individuals should be encouraged to consume the maximal amounts of fluids during exercise that can be tolerated without gastrointestinal discomfort up to a rate equal to that lost from sweating, without reference to the dictates of thirst to optimize an athletes performance and minimizes their risks of ill health.
2. “It is clear that perception of thirst, an imperfect index of the magnitude of fluid deficit, cannot be used to provide complete restoration of water lost by sweating. As such, individuals participating in prolonged intense exercise must rely on strategies such as monitoring bodyweight loss and ingesting volumes of fluid during exercise at a rate equal to that lost from sweating, i.e. bodyweight reduction, to ensure complete fluid replacement.
3. The fluid intake range of 600-1200 mL/hour given in reference to maintaining a steady source of glucose during prolonged exercise.

Two major issues with the ACSM’s guidelines are they are not taking into account the number of slower athletes who take the time to ingest large volumes of fluids and that they are blanket guidelines for the rates of fluid replacement for all athletes regardless of gender, mass, surface area, level of fitness, acclimatization, sweat rate, intensity of exercise and environmental conditions in which they exercise.

The science behind these assumptions made by the ACSM has some flaws, which are:
• The 1992 study by Montain and Coyle did not measure the effects of drinking at different rates and how that impacted exercise performance.
• The studies have not taken into account the effects of the eight penalty incurred on performance
• None of the studies have been compared to the usual practice of drinking ad libitum (free drinking to personal thirst satisfaction).

In a review of the currently published research shows that drinking ad libitum produces at least equivalent outcomes to drinking to replace all the weight lost as sweat.

Another erroneous conclusion is that when an athlete who has lost eight during exercise collapses, then the weight loss (dehydration) must have caused the collapse. The problem is, most athletes who do not collapse during exercise have also lost weight and are also dehydrated. Therefore, dehydration cannot be the exclusive cause of collapse.

A 2004 study by Sharwood (Weight changes, medical complications, and performance during an Ironman triathlon) has provided NO evidence that those who finish prolonged exercise with the highest degree of weight loss are at the greatest risk of illness in ironman triathlons. Instead, the studies have consistently shown that athletes who lose the most weight during triathlons finish faster than those who lose little or gain weight.

Maintenance of body weight is not the only variable that is physiologically regulated during exercise. Perhaps a more important physiological variable that is regulated is fluid balance to ensure a constant plasma osmolality before, during and after exercise. The mechanism that controls plasma osmolality is the thirst mechanism, which is triggered to ensure the regulation of plasma osmolality.

With that being said, Noakes recommends that: “slower athletes need only to be advised to drink according to the dictates of their thirst during exercise, but not to ignore thirst. When athletes drink according to thirst, the risk that they will over-drink and so develop exercise-associated hyponatraemia is minimized and there is no evidence that they are at any significant disadvantage from the 3-5% level of dehydration that they develop as a result.

So what does this mean to you? In endurance sport events that last longer than 1.5 h ours, carbohydrate (CHO) replacement becomes important. As we get up to the 4+ hour mark (marathon, half-ironman, ironman and ultra-distance events), CHO replacement becomes essential to maintain performance. A normal source of CHO during endurance sports is in the form of a sports drink due to the ease of ingestion while moving. So there is a fine line between drinking to thirst, while still taking in enough calories. The take home message is, drinking to thirst (ad libitum) is the way to hydrate during endurance sports as long as you have a nutritional plan to consume enough calories to sustain your performance.

Noakes TD. Hydration in the Marathon. Sports Med 2007; 37 (4-5): 463-466

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #5

I have to admit that this year’s Tour de France has captivated me. After we get up and take our dogs out, I turn on Versus to catch the live action. You can see all the top professional riders sail up the mountains with grace and speed. Who wasn’t amazed to see Alberto Contador climb the Pyrenees? I of course was rooting for Lance to follow Alberto, but those days will come in the Alps.

I often think of myself on those rides. Then you actually look at course profiles. The 112-mile Ironman leg seems like a warm up to most days on the Tour. Even the famous 12 mile climb to Hawi would be a nothing to the pro teams. Of course, I am not 120 lbs like Alberto or even the 160 lbs of Lance. As you can see from the photo, I am more like 5’9” and185lbs. Not exactly the body type of a climber. But I do have a love of riding at my speed and my abilities. The past few weeks we’ve been riding 3 to 3 1/2 hours on the weekends for my personal tour. While I might not fly up the hills, I make it up all the same. My overall goal for Kona is to finish, and getting through 112 miles on my bike will be a great accomplishment.

This past week I also started to focus on my swim with Break Through's Triathlon Swim Program. Mostly I have been swimming by myself at the West Loop Athletic Club, While they have a nice pool, there really is no substitute for group swims. I particularly value Ryan’s individual attention and small group sizes. Hopefully I can see a big improvement from my 1 hour 20 minute Ironman Arizona swim time…

Till next week - Go Lance!

Sports Drinks and Caloric Intake

Let me be as clear as I can upfront- G2 is NOT a "sports" drink and will NOT provide you with enough calories to sustain any workload short of 1 hour. G2 is Gatorade's answer to Nuun and Zym who provide an electrolyte tablet that dissolves in water, replenishing electrolytes without the calories. So why am I making such a big deal about this?

This season, I have found myself telling too many athletes that G2 is not a sufficient calorie source for workout. In general, athletes that are training for an event that will last longer than an hour (1/2 marathon or longer, Olympic distance triathlon or longer, etc…). If your sports drink does not contain at least 200 calories per 20 oz serving.

Here are the Nutritional Facts for some common sports drinks, per 16 ounces (the standard large water bottle is 24 ounces):








The numbers above are pretty clear, Gatorade might not have enough calories to sustain your workouts and/or races depending on the intensity and duration. In general, athletes should be taking in 200-400 calories per hour depending on the athletes size and the intensity of the race. That would be close to two (2) bottles of Gatorade Endurance, three (3) bottle of G2 or perhaps one (1) bottle of Infinit. If you are taking in more than one (1) bottle per hour, you are going to spend a significant amount of time in the restroom during the race.

The Road to Kona; Chicago Edition #4

Well, it looks like summer is still trying to arrive in Chicago. We've had a couple of hot days, but also a lot of rain forcing me to spend more time on my Computrainer than I'd like. Sometimes the trainer is appealing since it so easy to set up and not worrying about traffic, although I personally find it very tough to ride indoors longer than two hours. When the weather is good, we've been able to get in some solid outdoor rides of 3 - 4 hours, followed by transition runs. We particularly like the "LaGrange hilly" ride starting in downtown LaGrange.

A link from my facebook page to the course profile is here.Not bad a bad ride considering the 2,200 feet of elevation gain for the flat Chicago area. Plus, there is a Chipotle near the start / finish line for a post workout burrito...

This week's training:
Two big events this week. The first is that I am starting Break Through's Triathlon Swim Program on Monday. Yes, it starts at 5:30 am every Monday and Friday morning. The good side is that I'll get my swim workouts in before the day starts, the bad side is that it will be a real effort for me to get up that early. The second is a big workout Saturday, with a 2900 yard swim, 3.5 hour ride, then a 40 minute transition run.

Upcoming races:
I am planning on racing the Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 on August 1st. My main goal for this race is to practice my nutrition on the bike, a key weakness I had during Ironman Arizona last year. I'll discuss more about this in my next blog....