So, whose going to win the Tour?

Take the stages?

Crash?

Overrated?

Let’s talk!

Race: Tinman Triathlon

Location: Tupper Lake, New York

Distance: 1.9K swim, 90K bike and 21.5K Run

Description: Swim was in a lake with a rectangular buoy line. Bike was rolling with good pavement conditions. Run was hilly for the first 5 miles then relatively flat (mix of pavement and trail).

Conditions: Cool and [...]]]>

Race: Tinman Triathlon

Location: Tupper Lake, New York

Distance: 1.9K swim, 90K bike and 21.5K Run

Description: Swim was in a lake with a rectangular buoy line. Bike was rolling with good pavement conditions. Run was hilly for the first 5 miles then relatively flat (mix of pavement and trail).

Conditions: Cool and overcast.

Place: 2nd Overall (4:13:44)

It was nearly a month since my last triathlon so I was eager to see where my fitness was. My goal for this race was to really nail my hydration (more on that to come) which would allow me to be competitive throughout. The previous weeks have shown me that my bike is becoming a strong asset as well as my run. The swim though, as always, was a question mark.

Race morning was calm and cool. This was strange turn of events as it had been calling for thunderstorms with rain.

The swim had wave starts with mine starting first. It was a nice change as most times I’m last and have to fight through throngs of people. My goal was to draft as much as possible and try to stay as close to the front as I could. Before starting, another guy called out his friend as the “guy to watch for”, as in he would have the fastest time; point noted.

Off we went into the warmish lake waters. The buoy line seemed to stretch out forever. I got off to a good start and found a small group to hang in with. To my surprise, I surged out of this group and moved forward to find faster swimmers. At the first corner of the swim course, I had found my speed. Two other swimmers, 1 a girl and the other, “the guy to watch for”. I swam right on their feet for the remaining distance. Exiting the water I was relieved to see a new PB, 29:09 for 1900ms. The swim time is starting to pay off! Not only that but I was in 5th spot!

The bike course was undulating. Ups and downs. It was all about how you could carry the momentum. My goal was to keep my fluid intake to 1100mL per hour, something that is very tricky to keep track of but I had worked a recipe beforehand: I drink 50mL per sip and at 3min intervals I would reach my goal quantity. So I set a timer and off I drank.

At 10miles though my day could have been over. My right shifter started to skip gears. Not just 1 or 2 but all of them. The screw that holds the handle on had come loose. At the beginning it wasn’t too bad as I could jimmy it to at least hold a gear. With no on board multi tool I was at the mercy of the shifter. Somewhere along the way, I lost the screw and was now down to just the handle! This meant that I now had to hold the shifter in place in whatever gear that I wanted. It also meant that I couldn’t sit up because then my gears would shift on their own.

This was all going on as I powered through the hills. This whole fiasco never really bugged me till some of the bigger hills on the way back. Because I couldn’t sit up, I had to aero position every hill. Interesting to do in practice but in a race, comfort is more important.

My splits were near identical, 1:09 for the way out and slightly more for the way back. This was good enough to put me into 3rd position going out on the run.

I thought I had it on the run. After 7K I was in second place and had a 500m deficit to second. But something strange happened, I couldn’t catch the guy in front of me. It was like a yo-yo. I got closer to where I thought the next hill I’d be making he pass, then as I crested the hill, he would be far off again.

My thought process was about maintaining a strong speed to catch him but it never came. I finished the race in second but then had to wait and see if my time would hold up (as the other waves finished).

It held up. After looking at the results and seeing that I lost time only in the swim, I felt decent about my performance. I don’t hold the shifter as an excuse but it would have been nice for that not to have happened!

This race has showed me that my swim is coming along, the bike strength is getting better and my run is good even though there has been little work on it. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens come November after a couple of months work on my running form.

Thanks for reading. I’m a little sore today but in good spirits. Hope you had a good weekend.

Cliff

About 5 years ago, phytochemicals were the newest word in the health industry world.  Boasting its life saving qualities that will save humans from a common cold to cancer.  Now, with more research being done, phytochemicals have lost a bit of their steam. 

Before the product review, what are phytochemicals?  Phtyo means from [...]]]>  

About 5 years ago, phytochemicals were the newest word in the health industry world.  Boasting its life saving qualities that will save humans from a common cold to cancer.  Now, with more research being done, phytochemicals have lost a bit of their steam. 

Before the product review, what are phytochemicals?  Phtyo means from plants and chemical, is a chemical.  They are physiologically active compounds found in plants that are non-essential nutrients.  So basically it’s plant chemicals that the body is already has (essential nutrient is one that must be obtained from food).

PhytoBerry ($35) is a powdered supplement that can be added  to a protein shake, morning oatmeal or just plain water.  It contains a whole host of different extracts: rosehip, white tea, grape seed, just to name a few (see table below).  From the ingredients list, there really isn’t anything that can be pointed out as “bad for you”.  In fact, most of the supplements that make up this product have at one time, had research supporting their health benefits.  This has given it the label of “Super food” because of its intense blending of nutritionally favorable ingredients. 

Since phytochemicals can be eaten in real fruits and vegetables, having a supplement like this becomes obsolete.  However, if your a person that has a tough time eating a variety of fresh produce, especially fruits in this case, then this could be a good product to have. 

Bottom Line

What seems like a dynamite combination of ingredients, PhytoBerry would be a good product to have where fresh fruits are not readily available.  If you already eat a balanced diet with some variety, consider saving your money for more essential things such as organic produce and meat.

Labelled as “Organic Fuel” for the mind, body and soul, Steaz Energy drink, is just another can full of sugar except costs twice as much ($1.99).  This product can be found in the organics section at your grocery store.  Over 80% of the ingredients are organic so there allowed to market it as such.  However, [...]]]>

Labelled as “Organic Fuel” for the mind, body and soul, Steaz Energy drink, is just another can full of sugar except costs twice as much ($1.99).  This product can be found in the organics section at your grocery store.  Over 80% of the ingredients are organic so there allowed to market it as such.  However, most of the organic matter is cane sugar.  The advertised “Green Tea”, “Yerba Mate”, “Acali” and “Guarana” fill out the rest of the can in minute concentrations.

Steaz has a surprsingly light taste which isn’t surupy like pop or other energy drinks.  It is comparable to a carbonated light ice tea.  With 80mgs of caffeine.

If your looking for a perk after drinking this, stick to Red Bull.  After finishing it, there was no energy crash that comes with drinking other caffeinated sugary products.  Which in the case of working out, is a plus.

Bottom Line

Steaz provides a good tasting drink but without a huge kick.  At $2 a can you may be better off sticking to a coffee or tea.

The 39th Annual Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour (RLCT) took place on June 5th and 6th, 2010.  Organized by the Ottawa Bicycle Club, approximately 3000 riders started on Saturday to bike the 177kms from Ottawa to Kingston.  They were supposed to return on Sunday — more about that later.

PREP

It was my first [...]]]>

The 39th Annual Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour (RLCT) took place on June 5th and 6th, 2010.  Organized by the Ottawa Bicycle Club, approximately 3000 riders started on Saturday to bike the 177kms from Ottawa to Kingston.  They were supposed to return on Sunday — more about that later.

PREP

It was my first cycling tour — and a big challenge — as my previous longest ride had been about 110kms.  I got started in January on the trainer and was able to get a couple of hours per week.  Spring in Nova Scotia can be challenging, but this year was outstanding so I clocked just over 1000kms in April and May.  I also made a point of doing back-to-back long rides … this worked really well.   Sportstracks for January to May : 59 rides / 1587kms (Mar-100, Apr-387, May-1102) / 101 hours

RIDE

The route is at : http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3806184 (actually, there are several routes — a 100k version that starts in Perth and a 200+kms route)  It’s mainly on quiet, flat country roads.  My Garmin said about 90% was ‘flat’ with just a couple of climbs.   And the last 30kms returning to Ottawa is flat with the prevailing winds usually behind you … much appreciated at the end of the ride!

SATURDAY – we got underway about 8am.  My two bodyguards — sons TJ and Cliff — took up forward positions and off we rode under cloudy skies.  One of the really cool things about a ride of this size is that you can join a wide variety of groups — want to ride at 28kms/hrs with some triathletes training for Ironman?  maybe a little faster crowd?  bigger group? smaller?  They were all there.  By lunchtime, the sun was out, 26C and life was good.  We made a point to take regular pit stops, a bit longer for lunch and drink lots — I went through 8 bottles of water.  We arrived in Kingston around 4pm, a monster supper at the Queen’s University cafeteria at 5pm and then a bit of downtown sightseeing. Sitting at Queen’s having a beer as the sun went down … sweet.

SUNDAY – what a difference a day makes.  Rain, wind, 10C — yuck.  All the table talk at breakfast was about ‘the call’ — how long before you phoned to get someone to come for the pickup.  We got underway around 8am — it was awful.  The rain gear didn’t do its job so after 15mins we were soaked.  And the fully loaded cars with bikes on top started passing.  And the people along the road, stopped, on their cell .. the call.  By the time we got 50kms and stopped at a gas station, it was a grim scene.  We kept moving and got to Perth for lunch.  Fortunately, the rain finally stopped and by the time we left Perth, things were beginning to dry out.  The rest of the ride went well, finally arriving in Ottawa just after 5pm.   I heard that 2/3s of the riders chose not to finish the ride.

CONCLUSION

I’m really glad that we did it, and were able to complete the entire thing.  I understand that weather is often a challenge.  The prep was key — it meant that the ride was enjoyable.  Further, it provided some reserve for the lousy conditions on Sunday (I couldn’t imagine really hurting and being stuck on the road in the wind/rain).  The ride was very well organized, well supported and the police provided excellent support.  Queen’s University was a real treat (it’s been 30 years since I stayed in dorm … some things never change!).  And if you can fit it into your long term plans, arrange to have two sons that enjoy cycling that are prepared to take care of you on a 354km journey … it’s awesome!

Enter 2010 and the biggest running week I’ve done all year is 60 [...]]]> Before this year, I ran at least 60 kms a week.  My reasoning was I thought there was a hypothetical minimum number I needed to keep my “base” but also allow me to continue progressing as a runner.  There wasn’t much science behind this and it’s showing.

Enter 2010 and the biggest running week I’ve done all year is 60 kms!  Leading up to Saturdays race, a 10K in Ottawa, I had only run 3 times in two weeks.  Not because of injury but that my focus is not on running at the moment.

The race for me went better than expected; considering my lack of mileage and travel/training in the last few weeks.  I was shooting for top spot which had a payout of $500, I placed fourth, out of the money (the worst spot to be as one guy said to me).  What was interesting though is I was able to hang with some quality runners (31:30, 2 x 32:30 mins /10K).  It wasn’t till the 6K mark that my legs started to feel the discomfort that was setting in.  From there it was a steady decline but I manged to keep things together to get a new PB; 33:50 (blew away my 5K PB with a 16:30 performance).

From the start of the race I stayed in a tight pack of 5 which after a few kms became 4.  A surge by the top two individuals left a fight for third.  I battled, attacked myself and really tried to crawl my way into that last spot.  But on that day I just didn’t have the legs.

I’m interested to see what happens when my mileage does go up.  Is it going to make me faster by allowing me to delay the onset of fatigue?  This fall, we’re going to find out.

Thanks for reading,

Happy Trainin’

Cliff

Where does the lactic acid theory come from?

The acid theory held sway from an early “frog’s-legs” experiment before the First World War.  Voltage was applied [...]]]> This is a great article which clears a lot of misconceptions about “threshold” training.  Click here to read the full article or read through the highlights below.

Where does the lactic acid theory come from?

The acid theory held sway from an early “frog’s-legs” experiment before the First World War.  Voltage was applied to dissected frog’s legs, and ph measurements were taken until the muscle fatigued.  The ph at the end of the experiment was much lower than the start, showing presumed “lactic acidosis”. 

The conclusion was that acid was the cause of fatigue, and the acid was present due to the lack of oxygen to transport it away.  The lack of oxygen was probably due to the lack of a body (and lungs) being attached to the legs!  It took the Lactate Shuttle work of George Brooks and his discoveries (see end of this article), from the 1970′s up until today, to change the world’s understanding of lactate physiology. 

So what does happen?

Unsurprisingly, your body doesn’t work like this.  Lactate accumulation, during increasing exercise intensity, is a constantly rising continuum.  But lactate isn’t just exercise induced.  You always have some (even now while reading this), you just get more of it when you exercise and when you exercise even harder, you get even more.

While we’re at it, let’s clear up another confusion.  It’s not Lactic Acid!  Lactic Acid is a neutralizing food additive that is produced from sour milk and used in bakery products, cheeses, frozen desserts, jams and jellies to name but a few.  It won’t make you go faster.  It just makes food taste nice.  Lactate, is lactic acid minus a proton.

Many people use the term lactic to describe lactate.  It’s like using the term him and her for humans.  Yes, we’re all human but as you know there is a world of difference between men and women!  Well lactic and lactate are just like men and women.  Similar but different.

Lactate is a by-product, not a waste product, of exercising.  It should be seen as your friend not your enemy.  Although, as with all things in life, everything in moderation.

Lactate is an output of anaerobic exercise and an input for aerobic exercise.  When you ride within the grey area that’s the boundary of both, you’re potentially in to a free ride.  The person that maximises their wattage at this boundary point is on to a winner.  Quite literally.

If you can produce the same or more power with less resultant lactate, you’re becoming much more efficient as a cyclist.  Cycling is an endurance sport and efficiency is key to conserving your valuable energy resources.  No use being the best sprinter in the race if you’re not there at the end to use it.

At the point just before the Onset of Blood Lactate Accumulation is the Maximum Lactate Steady State level.  This is the point you want to move up your power and speed, and down your heart rate, scale.  Measure your OBLA, train to improve your MLSS, go off and win some time trials, stay away in a break, or climb like a god.

 Some added points

If you want a real live example of how this works then we should look no further than the world of IronMan athletes (like riding partner Richard Davy on the right) and marathon runners.  I’m sure you’ve seen the scenes at the end of the London Marathon or an IronMan event when the skinny leaders come across the line utterly exhausted.

Well here’s a surprise for you.  Their lactate measurements at the end of the event are stupidly low.  The good ones cruise at 1 mmol above their baseline for the majority of the event.  And ramp up to  their maximum lactate steady state level as the race moves on.  And for the swim and run they haven’t even got a power meter! 

These top athletes run right on the edge of their MLSS, remaining aerobic, using predominantly fat for fuel, saving carbs and recycling their pyruvate to get their race winning fuel for free.  When did you last see a marathon runner throwing a load of power bars and gels down their throat in a race? 

We all try to race like a 100 metre sprinter.  We should be thinking with an ultra-endurance athlete’s mindset if we want to be more successful in our quest for greatness.  At least for 99.9% of our chosen event.

Why the hell do my legs hurt?!

The burning in your legs is caused by muscle polar and de-polarisation!  It’s to do with ionisation not acid.

The Cori Cycle

The Cori Cycle is a training partner of the Lactate Shuttle.  It has a different function but it’s complimentary to your understanding of lactate and going faster.

The Cori Cycle describes the metabolic pathway that uses our blood to transport the energy by-product lactate to the processing marvel that is our liver.

Once in the liver, the lactate is converted to glycogen, then to glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis.  The blood is then used to transport the glucose back to the muscles.  Once in the muscle it converts back to glycogen for fuel, is used and if you’re still going flat out is converted back to lactate.  Simple! 

This process cannot be sustained indefinitely.  You don’t get something for nothing in this world; there’s a price to pay for everything. 

The liver cleverly attaches two stored ATP molecules to the incoming lactate to change it to outgoing glycogen.  But it costs the liver six ATP molecules to be able to do this.  So the liver suffers a four molecule deficit for each “upgrade” it carries out. 

Sooner or later (around 30 minutes depending on pre-event hydration and fuelling levels) the energy giving stocks will be exhausted.  When that happens, you bonk, you stop.

The only way to get back in to ATP credit is to back off the intensity until you reach a level of positive balance.  From there, you have to surf the wave that is lactate balance if you want to get to the end of the day before the time cut-off.