Sports Drinks vs. Water Only

The topic of sports drinks came up between myself and a few other people that were still on the bikes after Spin Class this morning. I only had my bottle of water while others were drinking PowerAde. They wanted to know why I didn't have a sports drink with me if I planned on riding for over 2 hours. I hadn't really thought about it. I used to drink a Gatorade (orange is my favorite) after every workout as part of breakfast. As part of my plan to cut out all most unnatural sugars a few years ago I did away with the Gatorade and moved strictly to water. So this got me thinking...should I be drinking something other than water during long workouts?
The answer is one that I already knew...YES!

According to Joe Friel in his book "The Triathlete's Training Bible", for an hour or less of training, water is all you need. For longer workouts you also need carbohydrates (somewhere between 120 calories and 500 calories). These carbohydrates should be mostly in the form of liquids from a high-glycemic-index source. The best choice is your favorite sports drink. You could also use gels, chased immediately by lots of water.

So now that I know I need to start packing along a sports drink, I need to decide which one is best of my needs. A little research tells me what I need: Sodium (110 - 220 mg per 8 fl. oz) and Carbohydrates (14.2 - 18.9 grams per 8 fl. oz). So what are my options?


Gatorade – The original sports drink provides 14 g of carbs and 110 mg of sodium per 8-oz. serving.
G2 – Gatorade’s low-calorie offering contains only 25 calories per 8-oz serving while retaining the sodium content (110 mg) of the original Gatorade. But it's lacking in Carbs (only 5 g)
Gatorade Endurance – Gatorade Endurance is Gatorade with extra sodium (170 mg) and 13 g of Carbs.

PowerAde – Coca-Cola’s primary sports drink offering has more carbs (17 g), but less sodium (55 mg) than its main competitor, Gatorade.
PowerAde Zero – Zero calories means zero energy, so don’t expect this product to perform any better than water, although you may find it tastes better.
PowerAde ION4 - This is the new Advanced Electrolyte System by Powerade. 100 mg of Sodium and 14 g of Carbs.

PowerBar Endurance – contains a special “C2 Max” blend of carbohydrates that has been proven to be more effective than single-carbohydrate sports drinks. Total cards (17 g), Sodium (190 mg)

Accelerade Hydro – Research has shown that Accelerade Hydro, thanks to its 4:1 carb-protein ratio, is as effective as a regular sports drink with 30 percent fewer calories. (180 mg Sodium; 10 g of Carbs)

Propel – Marketed as a “fitness water” rather than a sports drink, Propel contains only 3 g of carbs per 8-ounce serving.

So here's the contenders:

• Original Gatorade
• Gatorade Endurance - this is a powder which would require mixing prior to my workouts
• PowerAde ION4
• PowerBar Endurance - also a powder
  

Tomorrow I will explore the cost of each of these...

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
2:15 on the bike in zone 2. A few small hills today, nothing too bad. Despite coming in off a rest day, my legs felt tired. I struggled through, but hopefully this isn't a precurser to the whole week!
Avg. HR = 126 bpm
Max HR = 148 bpm

Running in a Winter Wonderland

Even though a lot of the roads are still covered in snow and ice, I decided to head out on a early morning run today. Left the house around 6:40am and it was very peaceful. The snow kind of makes things quieter and there weren't a whole lot of people out that early, so for the majority of my run, it was just me and mother nature...covered in snow...lit only by the light of the moon. Sounds nice, huh? It was!

I covered 9.39 miles in 1:17:39 (8:16 min/mile pace).The route was almost all hills, so this is a pretty good pace. My splits were obviously very dependant on how big the hills were...and how gingerly I had to run over some snowy patches, check it out:

Average heart rate was 154, max was 167. Good Zone 2 workout!

This was the last workout for week 1 of Base Phase 2.

Totals for the week:

SWIM - Plan (1:06 hours), Actual (1:05) - 1.8 miles

BIKE - Plan (5:45), Actual (5:50) - 106 miles

RUN - Plan (3:30), Actual (3:22) - 23.2 miles

TOTAL - Plan (10:21), Actual (10:17) - Close enough!

Next week's plan bumps up to 12:15 hours...woo hoo!

Are Vitamins Necessary?

For as long as I can remember, I've taken vitamins. Seriously...my dad started us out on chewable multivitamins as soon as we had teeth! The Flinstones chewables were great, but I eventually graduated to a more complex adult multivitamin. I've changed brands a few times over the years, but I still take one everyday after I eat my post-workout meal as I drive in to work. I try to eat healthy and get all the nutrients my body needs naturally through food, but the idea behind taking a vitamin is to bridge the gap between the nutrients needed and those I actually get. Plus, Hulk Hogan always said "Train, say your prayers, and eat your vitamins...brother!"

However, I've recently seen several studies that show that taking vitamin supplements might be doing more harm than good. What? How is this possible?

The official position of the American Academy of Family Physicians is not to recommend vitamins or other supplements for the general population. They say

"The decision to provide special dietary intervention or nutrient supplementation must be on an individual basis using the family physician’s best judgment based on evidence of benefit as well as lack of harmful effects. Megadoses of certain vitamins and minerals have been proven to be harmful."

The news on antioxidants is even more troubling. These compounds, which include vitamins A, C, and E, selenium, beta carotene, and folate, fight free radicals, unstable compounds thought to damage cells and contribute to aging. But not only do antioxidant supplements fail to protect against heart disease, stroke, and cancer; they actually increase the risk of death, according to a 2007 analysis of research on more than 232,000 people, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, as well as other studies.
There are obviuos benefits to vitamins, but maybe they should only be taken when recommended by a doctor? I'm not sure what to think...

YESTERDAY'S WORKOUT:
2h10m on the bike. Lots of good hills, but still managed to keep the average heart rate at 130.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
1h40m in the bike. No spin class today, so it was just me and 25 empty bikes. I mixed in a few hills, but the main goal was to keep the HR in zone 2. Average HR was 129 with a max of 148. In total, I probably pedeled somewhere around 65 miles in the last two days.

Derby Festival Marathon/miniMarathon course changes

The mini won't start in front of Iroquois Park?!?! That's part of the changes they have made to the course this year to allow for EVEN MORE RUNNERS! I always enjoyed starting at the park and having the option of going into the woods to relieve myself one last time before the race starts, without having to waste time waiting in line at the port-o-pots! Oh well, I guess I'll have to look into running with a diaper.

According to the website, the races, which will begin simultaneously at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 24, will now start near Iroquois Manor Shopping Center and will finish at Kroger’s Fest-a-Ville, a 500,000-square-foot entertainment venue located within Waterfront Park. The Marathon course will also include a slightly longer loop in Jeffersonville, Ind., with competitors running alongside the Ohio River. Don't worry, the races still go through the hills of Iroquois Park, so remember to put some hills in your training runs!

Combined entries for both the Derby Festival Marathon and miniMarathon were capped at 12,000 runners for the past two years. In 2010, the number of registrants will cap at 15,000 (my registration is already complete!), setting the stage for the largest annual day of road racing in Kentucky history! The 2009 races attracted runners from all 50 states and 13 foreign countries.

For a map of the new course, click here:

TODAY'S WORKOUT:

Run

Intervals! Yeah!

1 mile warm-up followed by 5 minutes of running drills (butt-kickers, shuffles, grape-vines), then it was 9 half-mile intervals with 1 minute rest between each. Here's my times followed by my average heart rate for each interval:

1) 3:33 - 154 bpm

2) 3:28 - 157
3) 3:28 - 161
4) 3:26 - 163
5) 3:29 - 166
6) 3:29 - 167
7) 3:30 - 168
8) 3:35 - 166
9) 3:34 - 169

Heart rate steadily increased throughout the workout, which is ideal. The 1 minute rest is not supposed to get you back down to a resting HR, just enough to allow you to breifly recover. I have no doubt that these times would be faster on a larger track...having to slow down to take a corner every 6-7 seconds is no way to keep up a good pace! Finished off with a half mile jog to cool down and then walked for another few laps. Covered 6 miles and the total workout lasted 59:52.

Swim

Started with around 8 minutes of drills (catch-ups, single arm, fist), then it was time to count 74 laps (1 mile).

1st half mile = 16:13

2nd half mile = 16:57

Mile time of 33:10

This time was surprising quick considering that I was completely wiped out after the running intervals. I was just moving along at a steady pace, focusing on form...maybe that's the trick!

Total workout including warm-up and drills was 2064 yards (1.17mi) in 42:57

Efficient Running

What makes someone a fast runner? Genetics? Body type? Amount of time they've spent running? Aerobic capacity? All of these are factors, but the secret to running fast is your running economy.

Running economy is basically how efficiently your body uses oxygen.

So how do you improve your economy?

Step 1: FORM

The feet should strike the ground as close to midfoot as possible under a bent knee after the leg has begun to swing back under the body. This means the strike is directly underneath the body (not in front) and the runner's center of gravity should be positioned directly over the foot. Keep your arms back and never let them go anywhere but forward and back, no crossing motions. Chest should be slightly forward.

Here's some elite distances runners with perfect form: head looking forward, slight forward lean, arm angle of 90 degrees or less with emphasis on a powerful back drive and high relaxed recovery, foot contact near midfoot underneath the center of gravity with push off well behind, and all momentum going in the forward direction.

Step 2: POWER

Many people think that you can increase your stride by extending your front foot forward. Actually, you get a longer stride and more power by pushing off with your back foot. You can increase your power by doing some box jumps and split squat leaps (Goggle these exercises if you aren't familiar with them).

Step 3: CADENCE

I've discussed cadence many times, and it's still something that I struggle with. 90 foot-strikes per minute is the optimal cadence for most elite runners. Trying to maintain this is easier said than done. For more on cadence, look here.

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
Ran 7.84 miles in Zone 2. Time was 1:04:30 (8:13 min/mile pace). Felt pretty good despite the fact that it was extremely cold this morning (evidence):

It's not the cold...it's the WIND!!
I was able to bundle up and keep my heart rate in zone 2 for the entire run. I'm still amazed at how much I sweat when it's 11 degrees outside. I had on three layers and sweat completely through two of them!
Avg HR = 158 bpm
Max HR = 163 bpm

After spending around 10 minutes stripping off layers of clothes, I cooled down with a few laps in the pool. The water was COLD! Remember when your were a youngin and really wanted to swim in the pool, but the water was cold. What did you do? You have to just jump in. So that's what I did. It's a whole lot better than slowly easing into the water. After a quick warmup, I covered 1074 yards (0.61 mi) in 22:07 (36:15 min/mile pace). I wasn't pushing things, just wanted to get in some laps.

Start of Base 2 Phase

Today marks the start of the Base 2 Phase in my training. It's similar to Base 1 in that there will be a focus on volume more so than intensity. I will still be doing most of my work in heart rate zone 2, but will be adding in force training. Some examples of force training are: swimming in a baggy shirt and shorts, biking on hills while trying to staying seated, and running on hills or doing hill repeats for interval workouts. Sounds exciting huh?

On another note, today marked the day that the majority of people start their new year's resolutions to get in shape and head to the gym. It was noticeably more crowded this morning...and you couldn't pay me to be there after work tonight! No worries...it will thin out again in a few weeks!

TODAY'S WORKOUT:
2hr on the bike in Zone 2. Covered around 38-40 miles.
Warm-up avg HR = 111 bpm
Workout avg HR = 134 bpm
Cool down avg HR = 109 bpm

A Look Back at 2009

Thanks to OnTri.com, I have all my workout data from 2009. Check out the stats for the year:

Swim

62.26 miles
38 hr 18 min
24,904 calories burned

Bike

2,239.44 miles
122 hr 43 min 
89,577 calories burned

Run

632.02 miles
87 hr 35 min 
63,203 calories burned

TOTALS:

2,933.73 miles
248hr 36 min
177,684 calories burned


TODAY'S WORKOUT:
Ran 7.27 miles in 1:00:01 (8:15 min/mile pace) in Zone 2.
Avg HR = 157
Max HR = 168
It was pretty chilly out this morning. Something around 12F with some light snow and wind. I was actually pretty comfortable during the run....despite what it looked like when I was done:

THURSDAY'S WORKOUT:
1:24 on the bike in Zone 2
Warm-Up avg HR = 109
Work Out avg HR= 138
Cool Down avg HR = 118

Swam 1776 yards (1.0 mi.) in 35:32 (good steady pace, worked on form)