I suggest booking your flight and accommodation at least 2-3 months in advance. Keep in mind that you are not the only one who will need a place to stay, as close as possible to the venue. Time is money! The longer you wait to book your flight and hotel, the more expensive it will cost you and you might end up paying 2-3 times more for the place in the woods, with bbed bugs under your mattress.
5 steps to SAVE BIG on Plane Tickets
The cheapest way to buy a plane ticket is to buy it at least 3 months in advance and directly from the Airline’s Website. Use the following scheme that will save you few bucks and a lot of time:
Define departure and return dates.
Define the closest airport to the race venue.
Register on one of the popular flight booking websites:
Set a price alert for your destination and dates (guide to setting up a price alert). Once set, it will email you every time price changes. Because prices on plane tickets fluctuate from day to day, you can save yourself some money if you buy the tickets, when the prices are the lowest.
Once the price is good, open the ticked and search for the airlines name and flight number. Purchase the ticket directly from the airlines website.
This is how I saved myself $100 off a plane ticket.
Booking Accommodation
Choosing a place to stay is more complex than booking a flight. Many more variables come into play:
Your Budget. How much are you willing to pay?
Location. How close to the race venue are you willing to stay? Will you have a car or will there be a way to get to the race with your bags/gear?
What’s around? After the race is over, you might want to go out to eat or see a movie. You might want to have a grocery store or a gym, pool close to you? Is it important for you to have some entertainment nearby?
Do you travel solo? Will you travel with pet?
I found Airbnb to be one of the cheapest services to search for nice places to stay. Sometimes you can find really exotic offers that will add to your travel experience. Make sure you read the reviews and check the ratings.
First step is to recognize the feeling. What is it that you actually feeling?
Different feelings require different approaches, therefore it is important that you give it a proper label so you can deal with it accordingly. There are more than 27 feelings humans can experience, however, most of us are aware of only a few. You got to develop your vocabulary for each feeling and emotion.
Anxiety
According to “Epidemiology of anxiety disorders in the 21st century” anxiety disorders affect up to 33.7% of the population. It is called the “Disease of the 21st Century” and it stands alongside another leading disorder – depression. Interestingly it’s becoming more and more common among youth.
Millennials are a generation of people that were born between 1981-1996 (22-37 years old). We were born with cell phones and computers in our hands. We were born during a technological explosion that made the Earth spin faster. While our parents were gone at work all the time, technology raised us. This generation is a different breed.
The technological boom opened a door into a new world – the world of information. The speed of life has increased dramatically. Nowadays we see, learn and experience more in one day than people did in months or even years before. The hardware in your cell phone is so much different than it was a year ago or even a month ago, however your hardware, the brain, stayed the same. Our human hardware capabilities are simply not keeping up with technology and information that is made available to us. We are drinking from the firehose.
Unlike computer parts, we can’t replace outdated, slow or malfunctioning equipment with a new, better and faster one. Your brain is something you can not replace and you are stuck with. Luckily for you, the hardware
You’re tired of your mind constantly racing. You’re sick of being worried and anxious most of the time. Meditation, breathing techniques, exercise – it all helps to relieve the symptoms, but only for so long. You blame your mind and wish that it can stop thinking, allowing you to just catch a breath and enjoy life. The problem is that you work AGAINST your mind, trying to calm it down. You essentially starve your mind on its food, it’s fuel – the challenge, the mental tasks to solve. You can diet only for so long until you brake into overeating on everything you can possibly get. The harder you try to calm your mind, the hungrier it gets. Don’t fight with your mind, but make a partnership with it. You feed it with information and give it work to do and in return, it gives you a sense of accomplishment, peace and focus.
When you feel anxious, recognize the feeling and welcome it. Surprise it by saying Hi! Observe what it will do next: “Well… hello anxiety, hello stress! It hasn’t been long since you were here. What is your plan for today? How hard do you plan on hitting me? Common, let’s do it and get over with” Look at it with irony. Realize its ridiculousness.
Causes:
Go back in time to your college years. Do you remember how you felt right after a challenging exam or particularly hard class, on a way back to your dorm? Do you remember feeling exhausted mentally? I bet you felt drained, after just a few minutes of hard mental work, where you were required to memorize something or resolve a difficult mathematical equation. I am sure the only thing you were thinking at that moment was your soft, warm bed. Your mind wasn’t racing anymore, it wasn’t making you feel anxious. Your mind exhausted its energy on the cognitive task you were trying to solve.
The human body energy balance equation states that if you consume more energy than you expend, your body stores the excess as fat. It’s quite simple: eat more than you need – gain weight. Every person, depending on one’s lifestyle, genes, age, weight etc. has different energy requirements. The same goes for the brain…
Mental energy balance
Every person is born with different hardware – the brain. Someone is less smart, someone is more. Therefore every person’s brain energy requirements are different. Did you know that the brain is the most energy-demanding organ in a human body, consuming up to 20% of your body’s energy?
Just like any organ in your body, you can’t stop your brain from working. If you won’t feed it with a task to solve, if you don’t utilize its capacity, it begins to wonder. It will start bringing up memories from the past, reminding you of that stupid comment you made during a meeting with your boss. It will begin creating events and scenarios in future, where things go sideways, causing you to worry about the staff that most likely will never happen.
Anxiety is a waste product of an excess of mental energy
Unchallenged brain – crazy brain
In order to gain control over your brain, you need to put it to work. You need to channel it’s energy to solving a task that will benefit you. The key here is to pick a task that will truly challenge you, not an easy one. Once the scope of cognitive work is outlined, unleash your brain on it. Exhaust its energy in a productive way that doesn’t harm you, but serves. When the task is complete or you feel that you have no energy to continue, notice how you feel. Particularly pay attention to the feelings of anxiety and worry. You might find your mind being calm and still. You will feel tired, but relaxed. Remember this sense of inner pacification and link it to the hard mental work. This is your reward, enjoy it.
Physiological
Physiological causes can be dealt with chemical and physical interventions. The best practice it to begin with natural ways of changing your state:
Volume: (Average Sweat Rate 1400 mL x 3 hr ) = 4154 mL Carbs: 120 g (3% Solution)
Fueling
Formula: min 0.25 – max 0.33 grams carbs per hour x body weight (lbs) Or min 1 calorie/hour x body weight (lbs)
(0.25 x 150 lb) x 3 hr = 112 g of carbs
Results
Prior to the workout had digestive problems that woke me up at 3:30 am. Had 200g of bananas + cup of coffee and straight on the bike. First hour and 10 minute interval felt alright. It was challenging, but nothing crazy.
Began second interval at 1 hr 37 minutes. Wasn’t feeling strong. 2 mites later felt that strength is leaving me. I can’t freaking believe it… I am BONKING AGAIN! I can’t believe I am doing the same mistake I did last week. I won’t let it happen, I’ll push through! – I told myself. My body was not listening anymore. I reduced the resistance and pushed as long as I could. Nervous system shut down setting me into really dark place. I stopped for 10-15 seconds… At the end of this 10 min interval my body completely shut down and I stopped sweating (1:46). The skin got dry in instant.
It doesn’t look pretty. This is what it feels like to go into serious training unprepared, under-fueled and sleep deprived. I didn’t learn from my previous mistake and I continue paying the price for it. Do you want to feel and perform like this next time again?
Completed remaining of the ride to the best of my abilities. Had about 700-800 ml of hydration solution and Quest protein Bar. Began sweating again only about 1 hour later at 2:35. Too late buddy.
Average Power 219 Watts Average Speed 43.7 kph Distance 142 Km Energy Expanded 2.560 Calories
Total Failure
Pre-weight: 69.2 kg Post-weight: 69.3 kg Liquids consumed: 4,154 mL
Body weight loss: 4 kg (6%) FAIL
Felling totally down. Disappointed, upset… Total failure.
What did I learn?
Eat sufficient amount of carbohydrate rich foods a day-two before the ride.
You are a competitive athlete. You put a lot of hard work into your training days in, days out, completing every workout as prescribed. You are the workhorse, doing everything necessary to succeed in the sport you are in. You pay close attention to your nutrition and your kitchen has no place for Doritos and donuts. You fuel your machinery with high octane, nutritiously rich foods. While your friends are just getting ready to hit the bars on Friday night, you are in your bed at 8 pm. You sacrifice meeting with your buddies, because you know how important the quality sleep is for recovery. Everything seem to be in check and there is nothing that could possibly stop you on your way to your dream – a podium. Nothing besides… diarrhea.
Discussing intestinal problems in athletes is not sexy. What’s even less sexy is shitting yourself on the course in front of other people and fellow athletes.
You are not alone
Gastrointestinal problems among athletes are more common than you may think. About 30 to 50% of endurance athletes experience GI problems related to exercise. The numbers go higher with the level of athlete and can reach 70% for elite class performers.
Don’t perceive GI problems as your personal flaw. Instead accept it as the opportunity to learn and grow. Your body is intelligent super-machine and it is trying to communicate with you by bringing up GI symptoms, which only cover the bigger underlying issues. Work with your body, not agains it. Understand that there is not a singe person in the world that will have exact same body as yours. People keep different lifestyles, eat different foods and have personal training regimens. It is nearly impossible to create universal “pill” that will help each and everyone. You must take initiative in your hands and experiment to find the root cause of your GI distress. Realize that you are the one who caused your body behave this way, and you are the one responsible to fix it. However you are not alone and I am here to help you and give you some tips on how to fix what’s leaking.
What causes GI distress?
There are many reasons why your tummy fail on you. We can place them into 3 buckets: mechanical, physiological and nutritional. Let’s break them down:
Mechanics
The mechanical causes of GI-problems are either impact-related or are related to posture. Running and jumping movements cause your GI track repetitively bounce, which can contribute to lower GI symptoms such as diarrhea and urgency. More severe case of lower GI issues is gastrointestinal bleeding and is common amongst long distance runners.
Posture of your body also have an effect on GI symptoms. Shifting to aero position on a bicycle move your body to more horizontal position and increase pressure on the abdomen, which can trigger upper GI symptoms.
“The frequency is almost twice as high during running than during other endurance sports as cycling or swimming and 1.5-3.0 times higher in the elite athletes than the recreational exercisers“, (Erick Prado de Oliveira, Oct 2009).
Physiology
Reduced blood flow and pre-competition anxiety fall under physiological causes of GI-symptoms. During exercise blood flow to the gut can be reduced by as much as 80%. The body redirect blood to the working muscles and compromise gut function to varying degrees.
Anxiety and stress mess up your hormone secretion which affects gut movement, compromise absorption rate and cause loose stool.
Nutrition
Fiber, fat, protein, and fructose intake increase the risk of developing GI-symptoms. Dehydration with body weight loss greater than 4% may also exacerbate the symptoms.
Dehydration. In an extensive literature review using an evidence-based approach, main factor for exercise-induced GI tract symptoms is shown to be dehydration (body weight loss > 4% during or after exercise).
Hydration solutions overloaded with carbs can also distress your stomach. Too much is >12 g /100 ml of carbohydrate as well as electrolytes (most sports drinks are around ~6 g/100 ml).
“Association was reported between nutritional practices and GI complaints during a half ironman-distance triathlon with the intake of fiber, fat, protein and concentrated carbohydrate solutions during the triathlon, in particular beverages with very high osmolarity“, (Erick Prado de Oliveira, Sep 28, 2011).
Alright, let’s get practical…
Foods to Avoid before exercise
High fibre foods. (use the table below to learn about fiber content of some of the most common foods you need to stay away from)
Fermented foods. Wanna know where adrenaline is coming from? Have Kombucha as a pre-workout.
Coffee and tea. Hot fluids can stimulate gut movements while caffeine itself can have a laxative effect
Fatty and Spicy foods
Alcohol
Vitamin C in large doses
Are you Overtraining?
Below are the few possible underlying causes of runner’s diarrhea and other intestinal problems which are less obvious than the ones I described above and require your personal assessment.
Let’s dig deeper…
Food digestion is very energy-demanding process and requires your body to dedicate energy resources into it. When you overload your body and it can’t handle the external stress caused by training, it puts less priority on eating and digestion.
When the off-season is over, athletes are usually ramping up volume, intensity and frequency of their workouts. Total load on the body increases, while caloric consumption often stays the same. In addition, the amount of rest and downtime is not properly adjusted to support higher training load. This essentially leads to overtraining.
Overtraining can disrupt your liver’s ability to properly break down nutrients, which can lead to leaky gut syndrome, bouts of diarrhea or constipation.
You haven’t always had GI problems, however at one point in time something worked as a trigger and you started to experience them. Next time you find yourself on a toilet after another “incident”, ask yourself the following questions to narrow down the possible causes:
Do you remember when you began having the symptoms?
Did your training regimen change lately?
Do you experience any of the signs of overtraining?
Washed-out feelings (tired, drained, lack of energy)
Night sweats
Mild leg soreness, general aches, and pains
Pain in muscles and joints
Drop in performance (decrease in training capacity/intensity)
Insomnia
Decreased immunity (increased number of colds, and sore throats)
Moodiness, irritability, depression, loss of enthusiasm for the sport
Decreased appetite
Is your caloric consumption adequate to the level of energy you expand? What those calories are mainly coming from (carbs, fat or protein)?
Have you introduced any new sports supplements into your diet?
When all else fails
There is no quick fix for your health issues and there is no magic pill that will cure you once and forever. You must search for the answers by asking yourself the questions outlined above, you need to experiment with different foods, especially during pre-workout time period. However racing season is here and you need something that could at least relieve the symptoms while you search for the root cause. Below is the over counter medicine that might temporarily stop the leakage:
Pepermint TUMS
Taking peppermint TUMS prior to hard efforts to decrease stomach irritation and diarrhea. Here’s how TUMS may help with your symptoms: – Calcium works with the neuromuscular contractions and muscle metabolism – Carbonate helps to coat the intestinal cells, reducing endotoxin release and the ensuing symptoms – Peppermint is a homeopathic remedy for GI disturbances.
Imodium
Imodium help stop diarrhea by slowing the movement of food through your intestines. Many runners suggest that by taking a does prior to long runs or races could relieve GI problems. It can also take up to 48 hours to work, so if you’re trying it for the first time on race day there are no guarantees.
Possible side effects of Imodium include:
dizziness,
drowsiness,
tiredness,
constipation,
stomach pain,
skin rash, or itching.
Again, it should be considered as an option… not a solution. Figure out the cause, don’t mask it.
Lomotil
Lomotil (diphenoxylate and atropine) is alternative medicine to imodium and both are antidiarrheal medications used to treat diarrhea.
Common side effects of Lomotil include:
drowsiness,
dizziness,
headache,
tiredness,
restlessness,
blurred vision,
dry mouth,
nausea,
vomiting,
upset stomach,
loss of appetite,
skin rash, or itching.
SuperStarch
“Super Starch” mixes are used by many endurance athletes to fuel their workouts. Unlike sports gels and high GI sugary solutions offered on the course, super starch mixes don’t overload the system with a high GI sugar shock, which may prevent some gastro intestinal problems. If you tried eating real food of all kinds, various different gels (including all natural ones) and still have GI issues, you might want to try super starch mixes.
Summary
GI problems should not be perceived as personal flaw. Instead they should be used as the opportunity to learn and grow.
Mechanics, physiology and inadequate nutrition are main contributors to GI distress.
Reducing consumption or avoiding certain foods prior to exercise can help reduce or eliminate symptoms.
Overtraining can be the root cause of gastrointestinal problems.
There are over counter medications that can help reduce GI distress symptoms.
References:
How much fiber is found in common foods? (2018, November 17). Retrieved April 3, 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/high-fiber-foods/art-20050948
Clark, N. (2012). Recognizing and managing exercise-associated diarrhea. ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal, 16(3): 22-26.
Masters Athlete. (2012, November 30). Retrieved April 4, 2019, from http://www.mastersathlete.com.au/2012/11/diarrhea-in-athletes-stopping-the-runs/
Lomotil vs. Imodium Treatment for Diarrhea: Differences & Side Effects. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2019, from https://www.rxlist.com/lomotil_vs_imodium/drugs-condition.htm
Oliveira, E., De. (2009, September). The impact of physical exercise on the gastrointestinal tract. [Scholarly project]. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19535976
De Oliveira, E. P., & Burini, R. C. (2011, September 28). Food-dependent, exercise-induced gastrointestinal distress. Retrieved April 5, 2019, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3190328/
Few years ago, my employment journey with Uber began from two month on-boarding & training at the Pittsburgh office. I haven’t had much time to spare outside of work, however I made an effort to explore the city and see new places.
My initial thoughts and impressions of the city were not too bright. Ever since, I came back numerous times and had a chance to experience familiar things and places from a different perspective. Such business trips work as a reset button for me and I would come and leave as a different person. This trip is not an exception.
Past autumn I not only moved to a new country, but also transitioned to a new position at the company. I finally got a chance to meet my team mates in person. Young, bright people, with totally different backgrounds and skill sets are working together, and share the same mission. I feel proud to be the part of Test Engineering team, working with such intelligent people.
I learned that Self-driving Vehicle Test Engineering requires more than solid foundation of knowledge and experience, but also the strong interpersonal skills. “Soft or peoples” skills are essential to build relationships with developers across different teams.
You also have to be a fast learner. Before any work is done you need to have a clear understanding of how certain features, hardware or software work. You have to ask questions, a lot of questions! You got to put your ego to the side to be able to ask questions that might seem silly to someone. This essentially pushes you outside of your comfort zone.
Continuous education and strive to learn is what you need to foster not just at work, but in life.
My work is not always easy and this is great! If it feels hard, you are on the right track to improve and evolve.
Coming back to Toronto feeling accomplished and determined to grow.
Training
My first Ironman is rapidly approaching and I begin to have a bit of anxiety about it. The race is in one month.
I can’t afford myself to skip a single day of training therefore I brought my bike and trainer with me. Nicely set it up at my Airbnb, I was able to put in three quality workouts. Proud of myself.
In addition I was able to join Pittsburgh Masters Elite Swimming Team for two workouts. Swimming with them was hard, I felt slow and doubted myself along with the ability to achieve the levels of performance I set for myself. I definitely left my comfort zone and stressed the system. That’s good! Thanks to the coach for a chance to splash around, slowing everyone down and thanks for the feedback.
Mr. Blake
In such a short life, this dog traveled and seen more places than 90% of the people in their lifetimes.
He’ve been behaving exceptionally well and I even brought him to the office. Everyone loved him and for being so good he jot a nice chunk of beef jerky from me. Gooood Boy!
Travel
Being back in US brought up a lot of memories, good memories. I suddenly became nostalgic. The second I stopped in to the Target Supermarket I got flooded with emotions. Smells and sounds opened up the door into the past, reminding me of people that I used to have in my life, the places I used to go, the thoughts and feelings I had. I miss a lot of things, but more people… Time to leave.
I am grateful for all the nice people I met on this trip. Grateful for the opportunity to travel and see new places. Grateful for the healthy body that continues to improve, allowing me to take on this athletic journey. Grateful for Blake and his strong loyalty despite me being an ass sometimes.
A brick workout is any workout that combines swimming, biking and/or running into a single session. The most common example is the bike to run brick, where you go for a run immediately after finishing a bike ride.
Today I pushed myself above my physical limits. Today my mind won over my body, forcing me give everything I had. It’s all good Mental Training. IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella
Warm-up: 15 min easy
Main set: 3.5 hours @ 200 watts At the top of every hour, ride x 10 mins @ 275 watts with 3.5 min easy riding after each interval.
Cool-down: 15 min easy
Using the sweat rate and fueling data I’ve collected over the past few weeks My strategy is following:
Hydration
Goal: Prevent loosing more than 3% of weight through the fluid loss. In my case 68 kg (150 lb) = 2.1 kg
As I recently found out, Lionel Sanders has exactly same Sweat Rate as I do. We both sweat at approximately 1400 mL/hour. Another question is how much sodium each looses?
How?
Sweat Rate (SR): ~1400 mL/h Liquids Required: Exercise Duration x SR = 4 hr * 1400 = 5600 mL x 1.06 (to convert in grams) = 5936 g Carbohydrates Required: (X g carbs / 5936 g) x 100%; X = 5936 x 0.05 = 296.8 g (5% Solution) Sodium Requirements: 0.5 x 5.936 = 2968 mg
What?
Electrolyte Solution:
Gatorade G2 (591 mL) x 5 bottles = 2955 mLx 1.06 = 3132 g Bio Steel (500 mL) + Karma (532 mL) = 1032 mL Coke x 2 (355 mL) = 710 mL Aloe crap = 500 mL Smoothie = 450 mL Sodium: 1685 mg Carbohydrates: 231 g (890 calories) Total volume: 5647 mL x 1.06 = 5986 g
FUELING
Pre-Exercise: 30 min Before
As usual workout is done early at 6 AM. After the night fast.
Two bananas + cup of coffee. That’s it
50 g of Carbs = 192 calories
During Exercise
How?
Formula: Low End: 0.25 x 150 = 37.5 g/h x 4 hr = 150 g High End: 0.33 x 150 = 49.4 g/h x 4 hr = 198 g
Fueling & Bonking Calculator
Calculator suggests I take in 60 g/h x 4 h = 240 g of carbs It also predicts the calories burnt (from fat and glycogen), distance covered and training stress score (TSS). Let’s see how close those predictions are…
What?
As I mentioned before, I would like to experiment with liquid sources of carbs, so here we go. When thinking about sugar, the first thing that comes to mind is Coke. In addition I threw in a smoothie or “natural” juice plus “Dena Aloe” drink. All the carbs are coming from liquid sources today.
Taking peppermint TUMS prior to hard efforts to decrease stomach irritation and diarrhea. Here’s how TUMS may help with your symptoms: – Calcium works with the neuromuscular contractions and muscle metabolism – Carbonate helps to coat the intestinal cells, reducing endotoxin release and the ensuing symptoms – Peppermint is a homeopathic remedy for GI disturbances
RESULTS
Pre-Weight: 68.1 kg Post-Weight: 69.5 kg Liquids Consumed: 5647 mL (5986 g) Weight Lost: 4.6 kg Sweat Rate: 1080 g/hr
Weight Loss: 6.6 % body weight
Bad job Sasha! That’s waaay too much…
BIKE
First hour felt ok holding 200 watts, however I sensed something’s not quite right, wasn’t feeling particularly strong. Shortly I understood why…
10 x 3 at 275 Watts Intervals:
#1
F*ck it hurts! Can’t hold 275 Watts going down 10w. Lasted 6 minutes, dropped down to 260 W.
#2
Lasted for about 2 minutes, then – BONK. Dammit I can’t believe it, again. Couldn’t hold 275 W any longer, gradually reducing power… Went down to 240 W – it’s the maximum I can squeeze out of my body right now. SO MAD! I am not going to give up! Slowly increasing wattage… Last two minutes of the interval ramping up to 260 Watts. F*CK IT HURTS! HR stays low. 2 hours to go… not sure if I can do it. I might just drop out right here. No sense to continue after I hit the wall.
I continue. It is no longer physical training – now it’s a mental training. Let’s see how far can I push myself mentally.
Suddenly after I opened the second can of Coke I felt that strengths comes back. I thought, once you bonked, there is no way out of it… Jogging down on soda. Feeling stronger.
#3
Held 276 W for the entire duration of the interval!!! So damn HAPPY and PROUD of myself! I pushed above my limits here. My mind won over my body. Sweat is so acidic, and it burns my eyes. My legs are hurting like bitch. It took me enormous amount of effort to push through. I left nothing in me…
RUN
My legs are numb and heavy. Really hard to keep up with that pace.
Distance Covered: 170 KM: 168 on bike + 2 by feet Time Elapsed: 4 hours 15 minutes Energy Expanded: 3106 Calories
Lessons Learned
I am not eating enough. With my current load I need to be eating more carbohydrates.
I prefer taking in solid carbohydrates, instead of liquid.
You CAN get out of bonking hole. It took me 2 cans of Coke (90 g of sugar). However don’t expect your performance to be the best.
Even consuming the right volume of fluids, I finished seriously dehydrated. Probably due to the low glycogen stores, as it holds the water in the body.
Fueling & Bonking Calculator suggested that I am in the very high risk of bonking. How right it was!
Sanders has very similar sweat rate. I might look into his sodium loss to guesstimate mine.
What will I do Differently?
Increase caloric intake few days before big training session. Make emphasis on carbs!
A brick workout is any workout that combines swimming, biking and/or running into a single session. The most common example is the bike to run brick, where you go for a run immediately after finishing a bike ride.
What a beautiful day today in Canada 🇨🇦. Sun rays gently pet my face. The sound of birds singing give me so much joy. I breath fully into my lungs, I stand strong on my feet, I AM ALIVE! I am full of energy and my soul is singing. I am so happy to come out of my Pain Cave and shake up my legs on a little run.
IRONMAN 70.3 Marbella 2019 is around the corner and I feel that I reach my peak form. Training volume goes up and I begin to feel fit as f@ck! I feel the explosive power within my body.
Warm-up: 15 min easy
Main set: 3 hours @ 180-195 watts At mins 30 & 60 of each hour, ride x 7 mins @ 260-275 watts with 3.5 min easy riding after each interval.
Cool-down: 15 min easy
Using the sweat rate and fueling data I’ve collected over the past few weeks I develop the following strategy:
Hydration
Goal: Prevent loosing more than 3% of weight through the fluid loss. In my case 68 kg (150 lb) = 2.1 kg
How?
Sweat Rate: ~1400 mL/h Liquids Required: Exercise Duration x Sweat Rare = 3.5 * 1400 = 4900 mL 5% Solution: (255 g carbs / 4900 mL) x 100 Sodium Requirements: 0.5 x 4.2 = 2450 mg
What?
Electrolyte Solution:
Gatorade G2 (591 mL) x 8 bottles = 4728 mL Carbohydrates: 12 g x 8 = 96 g Sodium: 270 mg x 8 = 2160 mg Calories: 50 x 8 = 400
FUELING
Pre-Exercise: 30 min Before
Workout is done early at 5:30 AM. After the night fast.
Two bananas + cup of coffee + sugary drink (Aloe bullshit) + BCAA with Creatine Monohydrate
Felt good, not overly stacked. Just enough.
75 g of high GI Carbs = 300 calories
During Exercise
How?
Formula: 0.3 x 150 = 45 g/h x 3.5 hr = 158 grams of carbs
Pre-Weight: 67.5 kg Post-Weight: 68.2 kg (post bike) 67 kg (post run) Liquids Consumed: 4137 mL Weight Lost: 3437 ml (3.4 kg) Sweat Rate: 982 mL/hr (post bike) 1040 mL/hr (post run)
Weight Loss: 5 % body weight
5% is too much. Bad job here.
BIKE
Yesterday I’ve had a quite hard day with 3.5 km swim, followed by 16 km run. On top of it I had some work commitments to deal with. I also didn’t eat enough calories to cover the energy expended.
Considering the fact that I woke up at 4:30 am, I was concerned about how my body will handle 4 hours of consistent training…
To my HUGE surprise I felt really good and strong. In fact, holding 195 Watts for 3 hours was so easy, that I even thought there might be something wrong with the power meter. (No issues with equipment. Calibrated power meter before the ride). With so much power in my legs I began to wonder how long will it last for until fatigue begin to creep up? I was expecting my power go down and HR go up as I go farther. I was really surprised to see that 1, 2 hours into the ride my HR significantly dropped, but power stayed the same. It felt even easier to hold that power, so I put the higher gear – my speed and cadence increased. What is going on here? Why do I feel so strong? Past two days I’ve been pushing my body so hard, but I am feeling so good… Is it something related to nutrition? Sleep? Hydration? Why? I shouldn’t be performing so good … Is the power meter broken? No it’s not.
It felt I could ride like this for days. Is this some sort of breakthrough? I am confused but happy…
I want to feel this way every day. How can I maintain this energy levels consistently?
I am really happy with bike performance and the way I felt. Great job Sasha!
RUN
First 10 minutes were and easy run @RPE 3. Didn’t feel very strong.
Next 5 minutes were at RPE 4, so I picked up the pace. I got surprised by how much stronger I felt compared to running at the slower pace just a moment ago. What’s going on? I got the feeling that I could run much faster so I speeded up even more.
Feeling strong! I’m so confused…
Distance Covered: 150 KM: 145 on bike + 5 by feet. Time Elapsed: 3 hours 50 minutes. Energy Expanded: 2787 Calories
Lessons Learned
Start eating right from the beginning and stay consistent.
Pre-meal doesn’t have to be huge, as long as you’ve got enough during-fuel.
Proper bike position changes RPE and power output. Seat position is REALLY painful 😖. The cover I put on helped, but not much. I need a new seat.
Higher cadence (80-90 rpm) makes it easier to hold bigger power.
Sweat Rate of 1400 mL/hour is on the high side. At this intensities I could go away with approximately 1200 mL/hour.
The race is over. You’ve given all you had. You pushed your body to the limit. What’s next?
Recovery Proper post-exercise nutrition as much important as the two previous stages pre- and during- exercise fueling. Show your body appreciation and give it exactly what it needs and deserves for the work it’ve done. Learn about how to maximize your recovery through the lenses of sports nutrition.
First 30 minutes after the exercise stops are extremely important in recovery. There are five main goals we are trying to accomplish during this stage:
Replace expanded Carbohydrate Stores
Take in carbohydrates that are high on GI: potatoes, rice and grains are great choices. Take in 1/2 – 3/4 body weight in grams of carbs within 30 minutes of exercise (ex: 150 lbs = 75 – 112 grams). Liquid form is preferred.
Rehydrate
Take in 500 ml of liquid for every pound lost during exercise.
Provide Amino Acids
After carbohydrate stores get depleted in the working muscles, the body begins to break down protein structures within the muscle cells, cannibalising itself. Protein, particularly BCAA should be taken in at a carb-to-protein ratio of about 4:1 or 5:1. Best sources are Egg or Whey Protein (easiest to absorb).
Begin Replacing Electrolytes
Electrolytes are critical for muscle contraction and relaxation. Drinking juice or eating fruit will easily replace nearly all of the electrolytes, with the except of sodium.
Reduce the Acidity of Body Fluids
During exercise, body fluids trend increasingly towards acidity. Fruits & vegetables have a net alkaline-enhancing effect (reduce acidity).
Below is the table of GL (glycemic load) and GI (glycemic index) of alkaline-enhancing foods:
(L. Cordain & J. Friel, 2012, p. 63)
Meal Examples
During this stage the emphasis is still primarily on the intake of solid carbs and proteins. See the alkaline-enhancing foods table above to pick net-alkaline starchy vegetables with high GI that you might enjoy.
Good choices for carbs and proteins are:
CARBOHYDRATES Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, Yams and Dried Fruits
PROTEIN Fish, Shellfish, Egg whites and Turkey Breast
The protein intake is recommended within the same ratio 4:1 or 5:1 with carbohydrates.
The most commonmistake here is to keep eating a high GI diet. Right after the exercise your main focus was on carbohydrates, and specifically the ones that are high on GI. Those foods are great for refueling your glycogen tanks, however they don’t bring much of nutrients. Now you need to shift you focus to eating more nutrient-dense foods, filling your body with minerals and vitamins. The more you demand from your body, the more important it becomes.
The optimal food choices here are:
Fruits Any fruit is good so pick and choose whichever you prefer
Vegetables Vibrant color ones: red, yellow, green and orange. Stay away from white colored veggies
Nuts, Seeds and Berries Macadamia nuts and walnuts are rich in omega-3. Avoid beans and peanuts
Lean Protein from Animal Sources Rich in BCAA and essential amino acids: Game animal and Free-ranging animal meats, Ocean or Stream-caught Fish & Shellfish, Turkey breast High in Omega-3: Cold-water Fish, Beef Liver, Eggs enriched with omega-3
Omega-3 Supplements Fish or Flaxseed Oil
The five MAIN GOALS for this stage:
Maintain Glycogen Stores
Assuming you’ve done a good job eating enough of carbohydrates from good sources in the previous hours, less carbs are required to maintain your glycogen stores. To maintain, aim for low GL fruits and vegetables.
Maintain a healthy pH
Fruits and vegetables reduce blood acidity protecting your muscles and bones from losing nitrogen and calcium.
Reduce Inflammation
Omega-3 have been shown to reduce inflammation. The ratio between omega-6 to omega-3 should be approximately 2:1
Rebuild muscles
To prevent your body from cannibalizing itself in attempt to repair damaged muscle tissue, it requires optimal amount of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and essential amino acids.
Optimize body weight
The lower your body mass, the less to carry. Maintaining low body fat percentage, in most endurance sports can lead to improved performance.
Make It A Habit
Create a non-negotiable habit of fueling your workouts. You will notice your energy balance throughout the day is enhanced, training and racing performance improves, it will get easier to manage body composition and you will experience fewer cravings for foods later in the day, you try to avoid.
Last Tip: Sleep Recovery & Protein
If your training load is heavy, you struggle to sleep, or simply want to maximize recovery and minimize stress, then begin and end your days with protein.
20 grams of protein before bed 20 grams of protein when you first wake up
Protein suppresses the negative effect of cortisol (stress hormone) and helps you to switch from fight-or-flight response to rest-n-digest.
References:
The Paleo Diet for Athletes: the Ancient Nutritional Formula for Peak Athletic Performance, by Loren Cordain and Joe Friel, Rodale, 2012, p. 63.
Since the childhood I’ve always loved going to the zoo with my parents. Luckily for me, I live 15 minuted drive from Toronto Zoo.
I realize that it’s a winter time here, therefore I won’t get to see much, however I’ll give it a shot and take the most of it.
Not too many cars on the parking lot – a good sign. Admission is $23 plus add $12 for parking. Attending the zoo will cost you $35, unless you carpool, which will shave off $12 off the price, so you can get yourself a fridge magnet at the souvenir store.
They give you the map and a parking pass which you will use to exit the park later on, so you better not loose it.
Zoo is opened from 9:30a.m. to 4:30p.m, which gives a plenty of time to explore and say hello to each and every animal.
Indo Malaya Pavilion
The journey begins from the rainforest:
Green house hosts a lot of fish and monkeys. Since childhood I developed association of a bad smell with the monkeys. It’s really clean and doesn’t smell inside the 52 years old orangutan’s home named Puppe.
Also despite the negative temperatures outside it’s really warm inside, so people take their jackets off.
Walking around the pavilion you get to see sumatran tiger through the giant window. The guy peacefully rests in his cave, facing the wall.
Africa
So cool! Two young giraffes live in this little house together. There is staff that offers you to feed those guys off your hand for a few bucks.
Three huge stones in the shape of turtles are resting on the ground. Stranded there for a few minutes, didn’t move. Let’s keep on walking.
Two gorillas exposed to the guests. The size of their hands is impressive. So much muscles. No questions, I would shit my pants if one of this guys get mad at me in the wilderness.
I spent a good 10-20 minutes just sitting and watching them. What’s in the their heads? What are they thinking about? Are the capable of dreaming?
The Lake Malawi is hypnotizing. What’s interesting is that all the fish is spaced equally through the aquarium. This guys truly know how to keep the private space.
Penguins are funny. They walk like me, after today’s 3 hours bike session. Large dog crates used as their homes. Most of them host 2-4 penguins which makes me wonder, how do they choose whom to live with?
Large wide opened bison area remains empty. Ducks are the only animals that create some motion in the area.
This is the trail takes you around the zoo. Must be really pretty here in the spring-summer.
They call this two wigwam Teepees. Get inside, feel grateful for your comfy house.
Nine wolves are resting on the snow. Ears are up. We watch them, they watch us.
Two polar bears putting some steps in, walking around the small area. They seemed desperate… felt sad watching them locked up in such small area.
Overall I am glad I went, even knowing I haven’t seen much. The life here definitely slows down during winter, however there are still things to do. I spent here about 3 hours, walking around on the fresh air putting some steps in.
A brick workout is any workout that combines swimming, biking and/or running into a single session. The most common example is the bike to run brick, where you go for a run immediately after finishing a bike ride.
Warm-up: 10 min easy
Main set: 2.5 hours @ 170-180 watts At the top of hour 1 and hour 2, ride x 10 mins @ 215-230 watts. Spin easy x 5 min after each interval.
Cool-down: 5 min easy
Using the data I’ve collected over the past few weeks I go into the 3 hour ride with following fueling and hydration strategy:
Hydration
Goal: Prevent loosing more than 3% of weight through the fluid loss. In my case 68 kg (150 lb) = 2.1 kg
How?
Sweat Rate: ~1400 mL/h Liquids Required: Exercise Duration x Sweat Rare = 3 * 1400 = 4200 mL 6% Solution: (255 g carbs / 4200 mL) x 100 Sodium Requirements: 0.5 x 4.2 = 2100 mg
What?
Electrolyte Solution:
Gatorade G2 (591 mL) x 7 bottles Carbohydrates: 12 g x 7 = 84 g Sodium: 270 mg x 7 = 1890 mg Calories: 50 x 7 = 350
FUELING
Pre-Exercise: 30 min Before
It worth mentioning that the workout is done early in the morning, after the night fast.
Had two bananas + Clod brewed coffee + sugary drink = 57 high GI Carbs, 235 calories.
Felt good, not overly stacked. Just enough.
During Exercise
How?
Formula: 0.3 x 150 = 45 g/h x 3 hr = 135 grams of carbs
What?
Carbohydrates: 144 grams
Calories per hour: 1100 / 3hr = 367 cal/hr (towards the higher end of absorption rate)
Didn’t eat the cliff bar as I was pretty full.
RESULTS
Pre-Weight: 69 kg Post-Weight: 69.5 kg Liquids Consumed: 4137 mL Sweat Rate: 1212 ml/hr
Loss: 3637 mL 2% body weight
Good job Sasha! Happy with the fluid loss. Right on point!
BIKE
Felt really strong. On the beginning my HR seemed to be a bit high, but after the first interval it dropped from 140 bpm to about 136 bpm, holding the same power of 180 Watts. Feeling strong, increased the power to 190 Watts and surprisingly HR stayed the same ~136 bpm. Continued with 190 W for the rest of the workout. Had to stop for the restroom twice, in the middle and almost at the end. The seat is really uncomfortable, made me change my position every 5 minutes.
Overall I am really happy with bike performance and the way I felt. Great job Sasha!
RUN
Nothing special on the run. Legs are heavy, RPE is peaking. Towards the end, had the urge to use a restroom. Next time would be smart to use the restroom before heading out.
Lessons Learned
Start eating right from the beginning of the workout. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Pre-meal doesn’t have to be huge, as long as you’ve got enough during-fuel and stay consistent with it.
Seat position changes RPE and power output.
There are ups and downs, keep your head up. One bad workout doesn’t mean the next one will be also bad.
Higher cadence (80-90 rpm) makes it easier to hold bigger power.
1400 mL/hour is on the high side. At this intensities I could go away with approximately 1200 mL/hour.
One bite of banana + one bite of chocolate protein bar = HEAVEN.
What will I do Differently?
Experiment with liquid sources of carbohydrates.
Adjust the seat, where I feel comfortable. If not, buy the new seat.
