IRONMAN 70.3 | Hawaii – “The Big Island”

PRE-STORY

Mental Masturbation

Marbella race completely destroyed my expectations, flipped everything upside down. For about 3 weeks after the race I suffered from depressing thoughts and emotions. I got locked up in my head. I almost dropped out of sport of triathlon…

It was dark and I searched for help at different places. I was looking for someone to help me to stop my mental masturbation and make a sense of my thoughts and emotions.

My swimming and triathlon coaches, Bruce and Renee, my father – were able to find the right words and grounded me and kept me away from mistakenly turning my back on the sport. Thank you! I’m am grateful for you.

You can only lead the horse to the water, but you can’t force him drink. Still, all the mental work needed to be done. I had to re-evaluate and reassess the mindset I bring into the training and racing.

What role does the sport play in my life?
What function does it have?
Whom am I competing against?
How do I see myself as an athlete, but more importantly who the Sasha is as a person?
How do I evaluate my athletic performance?
What expectations do I have for my body and how are they linked to the feeling of self worth?

I had to destroy and rebuild myself as an athlete. I bring a different mindset to this race, my expectations are different.

My goals for this race were:

SWIM: under 30 minutes
BIKE: no specific goal here. Just give it all and see how it goes
RUN: 1/2 marathon under 1:40 hr

RACE EXPO

NUTRITION

3 day before the race, starting Wednesday, I increased my carbohydrate consumption from typical 300g/day to 300g+. Wasn’t tracking anything so it’s hard to say what the actual amount was.

I give preference to low glycemic, complex carbs. I like to have my foods simple and I get most of my carbs from:

Oatmeal
Brown rice
Sweet potatoes

Previously, for Ironman Marbella, I was carb loading with solely with oatmeal. It’s a great option, however due to the high fiber it’s not the best option for a day or two prior the race. This time I am loading with brown rice. I am hoping that low fiber content will make it easier on my GI and prevent digestion issues on the course.

A day before, on Friday afternoon suddenly felt really bad hunger. Ate a lot of rice, oatmeal and chicken.

Opening a can of peanut butter was a mistake. After I got a taste of it, I literally lost control… I ate the entire jar myself. (About 3000 Calories). I wasn’t tracking anything, however my curiosity took over and I threw in some numbers into MyFitnessPall to guesstimate the amount ate.

This is almost triple the amount of food I usually eat. Damn, I’m so full! I hope this extreme caloric excess will provide by body with the energy to unleash on the course tomorrow. Stopped eating at 6 pm, went on a 30-40 minute walk around the block. Planning to wake up at 4 am, which will give my body about 10 hours to digest all the peanut butter I ate 😅 I hope I won’t feel this full tomorrow morning.

RACE MORNING

Did not sleep well 😔
Had night sweats and woke up to the restroom 3-4 times. My usual resting heart rate went up from 40-41 to 55 bpm.
Really bAD headache upon waking up.

Breakfast:
Sweet potato (~300g)
Oatmeal 50g
4 tbsp of peanut butter
1 tbsp of honey
Banana
Coffee

RACE VENUE: T1

T1 transition opened up from 5-6:15 am. I arrived at 5:30am and faced a huge line from cars. We were not moving at all. I heard one of volunteers saying that they’re already full and there are no parking spots left. Well, great! People were leaving their cars everywhere, on the side of the road, on the hills, anywhere they could find a spot. I was not an exception and left my car on the side on the road. I had 20 minutes left until transition is closed.

Clean transition. This means that you can not leave anything on the ground. All your bike gear has to be off the ground.

Walking down the isles of bikes with my wetsuit hanging over my shoulder I’ve been getting weird looks from other athletes. I a few minutes I realized why. My bike rack neighbor, when saw the suit on the ground, said: “Nice wetsuit, man! Is it legal to swim in suit?”

This is when I realized that NO ONE had a wetsuit , besides me 😆. Went back to the car to drop it off.

I was very disorganized. I couldn’t focus, I could think straight. I felt I was in some sort of mental fog 🌫 On top op it, since waking up this morning I had a REALLY BAD HEADACHE.

SWIM
[00:43:42]

slow but enjoyable

Idiot brought a wetsuit.

My wave, 25-29 was starting 25 minutes after the official start. First, they let older folks get wet and slowly moved downtown to the younger athletes. Each wave was separated by one minute time.

10 minutes before the start had a half of Cliff Energy Gel.

Despite headache, felt ok through the swim. It was not as crazy as Marbella start and I found out that I was competing with only 42 athletes, my age group.

It was hard to sight. Because of waves and small size buyees. Another thing was the sun. Being a left side breather I was constantly blinded by the sun, zigzagging throughout the course.

There were a lot of space between athletes. Because of wise separation between age groupers, there were enough space for everyone to swim at the comfortable pace without getting kicked in the head or pulled by the feet.

The swim course was absolutely beautiful. The water was so crystal clear, that you could even the tiniest fish swinging around the corals on the bottom. Turtles foot steps could be seen on the white sand. I almost wanted to slow down, just to watch the wildlife.

The last turn, straight to the finish line, sun was hitting right in the face. Couldn’t see anything, so I was jut following other folks.

Exiting the water, you’ve got to run up the hill to T1. It was about 2 minutes run that would bring your HR up.

Approaching the bike, I had a volunteer by my side offering to hold transition bag and help to lift the bike. The young kid was really nice.

Headache is getting worse.

BIKE
[02:50:27]

challenging but fast

At the *mandatory pre-race meeting, organizers made a big emphasis on drafting rules and penalties. At least 6 meters between front wheels. Two penalty tents on the course. Yellow card – 30 seconds, blue card – 60 seconds if I recall it correctly.

T1 was quick. No need to take the wetsuit off, just put your shoes, helmet, sunglasses on and fill your pockets with nutrition, previously prepared.

The Course:

First 20 km flew by fast. It was a bit windy here and there, but nothing crazy. Approaching the hill is when the wind started to pick up. The higher we went, the stronger the wind blew. About 10 km to the top of this monster hill the wind was BRUTAL. Rocks and sand flew into my face. Along the route I’ve seen quite a few flats and respectively frustrated athletes. Unfortunately you can not prevent it, but you can prepare. “Every hill has a downhill”, I kept repeating in my mind and oddly enough this hill was not an exception. Halfway through the course, on top of the hill you turn around, grab your G2 and fly downhill. I felt I could use a higher gear ⚙️ but my cassette did not carry any. With gravity and wind working for you, not against, second part of the ride was definitely more fun and enjoyable.

Nutrition: Aid stations were offering Gatorade Endurance at each tent, so I planned to rely solely on it. Brought only one bottle of electrolyte solution, leaving the second bottle cage empty for G2. Also only aid station#3 had GI gels.

Planned to consume & Actually consumed:

Pretty close to what was planned. Sugar in Gatorade accounted for the rest. Also G2 endurance tastes good. I loved it.

Headache continued chasing me through the entire bike leg and followed into the run. I could feel the veins pumping on the sides of my head.

Quick Tip: in hot climates like this, solid foods most likely will melt. If you don’t want to drink your protein bar, pack gels or liquid sources instead.

RUN
[01:58:05]

hot and painful

REALLY-REALLY HOT🥵 is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the run part. Right the second I dismounted off the bike, sharp pain 9/10 hit me behind the left knee. I could not even walk…

“The race is over!”, flew through my mind. Somehow I limped up to my running bag and put on my gear. Again, volunteers were really helpful and helped me with my bike. Thank you!

First 5 km were painful to even step on the leg. However I felt a little bit better 30-40 minutes into the run and slightly picked up the pace.

Run Course:

We were running along the golf course, often on the grass. Wild goats were starring at people from the side of the road. They were more confused than us, having no idea what was going on.

Two loops with 7 aid stations on each. Gatorade, water, coke and ice. In addition there were ice sponges, GU gels, oranges and bananas. Very well organized and setup.

Planned & Consumed through the run:

Twice as much as planned.

15 km into the run, really fast and sharp pain hit my knee again 8/10. Ever since it never went away and rapidly increased to the point where I could not resist it anymore… I suffered each step I took. However I did not walk. I was slow, really slow, BUT I did not walk! and it took a lot.

Dropped my race belt, which I later lost. I also found it much more painful to run downhills rather than uphills.

Suffering was real, especially for the last 5 km.

“It’s all good mental training Sasha!!!”, I keep repeating in my head. My mind crossed the finish line, not the body.

Total consumed through the race:

According to carb consumption formula (0.33 x body weight (150 lbs)) x 5 hr 40 min = 277 grams of carbs were required to cover energy expenditures.

Looks like I’ve done a pretty good job with my fueling and it’s almost gram to gram precisely close to what formula suggests.

RACE RESULTS

LESSONS LEARNED

I tend to binge eat the night before race. I don’t repeat such behavior during regular days. Could be due to stress and anxiety, could be out of fear of coming into the race under fueled and bonking, could be because of deeper psychological issues I am not aware of.
Overeating before bed will not fuel up your glycogen stores, but will compromise your night sleep. You will wake up exhausted and feeling like crap.
Do your homework and carefully research on race rules, requirements and regulations. Failing to do good research made me bring the wetsuit into the event where it was not permitted.
Rice and sweet potatoes are better alternatives to oatmeal for pre-race meal. Consuming low-fibrous foods reduce the chance of GI distress during the race.
Gatorade Endurance G2 is a great hydration tool. If possible, use it in the next race or hard training.
Some gels can cause your liver to spasm. Don’t experiment with unfamiliar fuel on the course. If got a spasm, deep balled breathing: in through the nose, out through the mouth.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Absolutely gorgeous race course!

This is definitely the race to remember and experience worth all the money I payed.
I did not perform as I wanted to. I suffered a lot.
I trained my mind. I experienced 50 shades of pain and will be more appreciative of pain free body.
I enjoyed the race!
I’ve been there, I’ve seen the fish and felt the warm water on my skin. I smelled the melting road and enjoyed the cool breeze of salty air on my sweaty face.
I put my all, physical and mental. It’s all that matters.

Special thanks to Volunteers along the course! You guys were EXTREMELY NICE AND HELPFUL! You were one of the highlights of my experience.

REPEAT AFTER ME:

You are doing triathlons because YOU CHOSE TO, not because you have to.
Don’t forget that!

You do it FOR YOURSELF, no one gives a f*ck.
Don’t forget that!

NO ONE FORCES you to train every damn day.
No one, besides your ego or whatever motivation you have.

You can quit anytime you want.
No one gives a fuck!

It’s your life, it’s your decisions.
Don’t forget that!

Practice Voluntary Hardship

It is so easy to get used to the nice things, new cars, latest gadgets, great job, good attitudes etc. It is so easy to take things for granted, and start thinking its the way it SHOULD and always be.
More money, more possessions, more attention, more love, more-more-more…. Like an addict, a hamster in a wheel, you run faster and faster, constantly trying to increase the dose to stay happy and satisfied.

Too many people I know are stuck in a rut. They’ve dug themselves a narrow, comfortable routine, and with every passing year they become further entrenched.

We take the same exact commuting paths day in and day out for years. We become numb to it all, not really seeing. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we’ve arrived. Have you ever seen the movie called Groundhog Day with Bill Murray in main role? If you didn’t, I highly encourage you to watch it. You might find a lot of commonalities with the main character.

A screenshot from the movie **Groundhog Day**.

For how long can you continue living this way? What if you lose the source of income that allows you to live the life you made yourself believe is necessary to be happy?
Unfortunately for a lot of people the only way to recognize and start appreciating what they’ve got is to lose everything.

Do we really need to lose it, to appreciate it? Is there is another, healthy way of reminding yourself of how lucky you are to have what you have, to live how you live? Yes, I believe there is.

One of the ways to build your Self Discipline is to practice voluntary hardship. Voluntary Hardship means constantly testing ourselves by making our life routinely uncomfortable in some way.

Simple voluntary hardship examples:

Skipping a meal
Taking a cold shower
Not smoking for a day
Sleeping on a floor
Leaving your jacket at home, knowing it’s cold outside
Donating 80-90% of your clothes to charity and leaving only a few items to wear (the worst ones)

Do it long enough and you will understand you can live without it if needed. It cultivates appreciation for life, for the things you’ve been blessed to own and things that make your life comfortable.
Also, I believe you should practice loosing or living without a thing you afraid to lose the most.
It may sound that I promote sadism, but I am not. Rather, I’m promoting cultivating self discipline, delayed gratification, control and fear-mastery.

Practice Poverty

Coming to Pittsburgh for work, I was always staying at some of the best hotels in town that offered the best customer service, amenities and comfort. This trip was different.

Instead of Hilton, I went to Airbnb. Instead of view on downtown skyscrapers I chose the view on a brick wall. I booked the cheapest room I could find that was available for my dates.
One week stay Mon-Fri costed me $279.67 unlike the typical ~$1000-1200 at fancy hotels. Not to mention, since it’s a business trip, accommodation costs are usually covered by the company I work for. I had no personal financial gain from paying less.

I lived like a poor man for a week. To make it more real, I’ve decided I will also be eating like poor, the cheapest but still healthy foods I could find at the local grocery store. Plain oatmeal, some vegetables and the cheapest meat from local Giant Eagle supermarket (low cost local grocery store).

I did it for a several reasons:

After living in a shithole like that I will celebrate being back in my house with all the comfort and nice things I’ve been taking for granted.
Eating so cheaply will make me more appreciative of all the clean and fresh foods I am able to afford.
I will get an estimate of what’s the minimal amount of money I need to be living comfortably and what’s my comfort threshold.

I did not like living there. I did not want to come back to that place after a long day at work.
I could not wait until I am back home. I really anticipated going to the grocery store and treating myself to a pile load of fresh veggies and a chunky piece of salmon.

What kind of Voluntary Hardship will you practice?

STRONGER LEGS: YOGA FLOW SEQUENCE

Do you hate running? I know you do, you chubby panda. Take off your running sneakers and step on your yoga mat.
Below I present the sequence of yoga poses that is alternative way to strengthen your legs. The poses are designed to strengthen every part of your lower body, ranging from ankles to quads and hamstrings. This practice will not only make your legs stronger, but more flexible as well.

Repeat 5 Times:

Savasana (Corpse Pose)

Bridge Pose

Boat Pose

Note: Really engage the leg muscles to make it easier on the core

Child’s Pose

Plank Pose

Four Limbed Staff Pose

Upward Facing Dog Pose

Downward Facing Dog Pose

Mountain -> Tree Pose

Repeat on each side:

Warrior III Pose

Dancer’s Pose

Warrior I Pose

Warrior II Pose

Triangle Pose

Standing Forward Bend Pose

Chair Pose

Seated Forward Bend Pose

Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend Pose (Upavistha Konasana)

Reclined Big Toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana)

Stay Strong My Friends
Namaste

PDF File for your use:

STRONGER LEGS- YOGA FLOW SEQUENCE Download

Race Weight Cut

There are so many ways to loose weigh: fast & slow, simple and overly complicated, cool and “sexy” & long, boring…
People find motivation from all sorts of things and reasons that are uniquely different for each individual. We are not going to explore the infinite world of weigh loss psychology, dietary restrictions or any other topics of such matter in this chapter.

Being an athlete, you are motivated more by performance rather than just the looks. It’s obvious, the lighter athlete is, the less weigh to carry, especially in sports like cycling or running.
The ideal weight is the weight, where you perform at you best, WHILE staying healthy. “Race weight” is not to be kept year round and achieved only for short periods of time during competition season or major athletic events.

In this post you will find the information with real life examples to teach you simple and basic approach to a short-term weigh cut. This technique is slightly adjusted to meet demands of high energy expenditures of endurance training, however it can also be adopted by non-athletic population.

This example uses 150 lbs athlete who tries to loose few kilos to meet his/hers ideal race weight prior to major competition.

Starting Weight: 68 kg
Goal Weight: 65 kg
Time: 3 weeks
Loss Rate: 1 kg/week

1. Determine your Energy Intake

First of all, you need to determine what’s your current energy intake level or “maintenance level”. To do so, you will record everything that goes into your mouth for one-two weeks.
There are numerous phone apps and online calculators that will allow to pull up foods nutrition data and estimate energy equivalent of the foods you eat. You need to have a very good idea of how much you eat on a daily and weekly basis.
Below is example of 150 lbs athlete daily energy intake:

Such energy intake allows this athlete to maintain his current weight with current level of activity.
Multiply by 7 and get the following number:

Weekly Calorie Intake : 21,042 Calories

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Calories consumed during exercising (sports nutrition, energy bars, gels, chews, isotonic drinks etc) are not to be included in energy intake calculations.

2. Determine you Energy Expenditure

Now that you have a good idea of how much you eat in terms of numbers, next step is to calculate how much energy you expand. Modern fitness trackers, such as FitBit, Garmin, Apple Watch etc. allow you to guesstimate your energy expenditures during your trainings. Keep in mind that this number is far from being precise, however is used consistently it will allow you to get a general idea of what your body expands and have a rough number of calories used to fuel your trainings.

The example below used Garmin Fenix 5 watch and Garmin Connect App to determine energy expenditure:

Average Weekly Expenditure: ~20,500 Calories

Because the athlete consumes about the same amount of energy as what he expands, he is able to maintain his current body weight. To loose weight he needs to create energy deficit.

3. Create Appropriate Deficit

It is estimated that 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat. Therefore we can make an assumption that you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound.
We also assume that cutting about 500 – 1,000 calories a day from your maintenance level, will make you lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week.
Sounds simple, isn’t it?

Below is example of adjusted energy intake with a goal of loosing 2 kg of body weight in three weeks.

Adjusted Daily Macronutrient & Caloric Intake:

Because of very active lifestyle and a lot of aerobic type training, given athlete needs to make sure he maintains proper glycogen stores in muscles and more importantly – in liver. The goal here is to keep eating as many carbohydrates as possible, while loosing weight. Therefore fats – is the first macronutrient that will need the adjustment.

Fats 25%

Healthy fats are really important for proper body function and hormonal health. About 10 years ago a healthy fat intake was suggested to be 1/2g per 1 kg of body weight. This is when “fat free” products became popular.
Modern guidelines suggest the minimal fat intake to be around 1g/kg of body weight.
For 150 lbs athlete, minimal dietary fate intake should be no less than 70g of dietary fats per day. It is really important not to go below the minimal amount as it can harm your hormonal health!

Proteins 25%

Healthy protein intake for active people is suggested to not exceed 2-2.5g/kg or 1g/lb of body weight per day.
For the athlete with weigh of 150 lbs (70 kg) its 150 g of protein per day.

Carbohydrates 50%

The rest, half of your calories, will be coming from carbohydrates. Again, such high carbohydrate intake is necessary to fuel athlete’s trainings.
Ideally carbohydrates will be coming from complex and low glycemic load sources. This is necessary to keep blood sugar within healthy levels.

Maintenance Weekly Calorie Intake: 21,042 Calories
Adjusted Weekly Calorie Intake : 17,010 Calories

Deficit:
576 Calories/Day
4,032 Calories/Week (21,042-17,010)

RESULTS

Energy deficit of 576 Calories/day made our athlete loose 3 kg in one week. Not all the weight loss came from fat, partially it’s a water weight. Anyways he reached his “ideal race weigh” three times faster than expected. This is a very rapid weight loss, not ideal scenario for long term health and performance. Such fast results could also have an impact on nervous system, making the person apathetic, demotivated to exercise and pessimistic about life in general.
In case if you loose more than 1 kg a week, you might want to slightly bump your daily energy intake by 100 calories. This will not stop the weight loss, but it will make it healthier and more sustainable in long run.

Meal Examples

Below are few examples of complete meals designed to fuel athlete’s body post-workout with weight loss goal in mind.
These meals come from organic and “clean” foods and contain proper amounts of macronutrients to fuel athlete’s body post exercise activity.

More detailed nutritional guidelines to proper fueling, types of foods and timing discussed in section solely dedicated to Sports Nutrition.

Superhero by choice ~ Unleash the Power Within~

You are more powerful than you think.
You have enormous power of words and actions. These powers are at your fingertips anytime, anywhere.
Realize that by simply complimenting or wishing a good day to any random person you can totally change the course of their day, a week or even a life.
Offer your help to carry a heavy luggage to the older person on a plane or at the airport. Pull over to the side of the road for a broken vehicle and ask: How can I help? Noticed your work colleague is stressed out of his/her mind? Come up and ask: How can I help?

Realize that a lot of people are just trying to get through the day, reacting to arising stressors that pop out on them. This is where you get a chance to utilize your superhero powers.

You are the superhero!
Use your powers with a cashier at the store or a person sitting next to you on a bus or at the office, with a friend or family member. Use it for good!

If you were to do at least one good thing a day, it’s 365 a year. What are the chances that at least five of them will have a positive impact on anyone? 10, 20?

FLEXIBILITY EXERCISES: LOWER EXTREMITY

All the stretches I’m going to show, are the basic stretches that you need to maintain on a regular basis. Ideally this routine will be done at least twice a week.

Start on all fours with hands directly under shoulders, knees under hips.
Walk hands a few inches forward and spread fingers wide, pressing palms into mat.
Curl toes under and slowly press hips toward ceiling, bringing your body into an inverted V, pressing shoulders away from ears. Feet should be hip-width apart, knees slightly bent.
Hold for 3 full breaths.

Hip Flexor Stretching

They let you to walk, kick, bend, and swivel your hips. But if your muscles are too tight or if you make a sudden movement, your hip flexors can stretch or tear. This stretch will help keep your hip flexors loose and prevent injuries.

Squeeze your butt cheek
Engage your core
Don’t spike your toes. Keep your foot flat to create a greater stretch
Hold for 30-40 seconds

Quadriceps stretching:

Running involves your quadriceps or “quads,” which is the group of muscles at the front of your thigh, attached at the top of the kneecap . This stretch will increase the range of motion around a joint and also loosens up the stiffness in the muscles.

Same deal here:

Squeeze your butt cheek
Engage your core
Toes are flat
Hold for 30-40 seconds

Glute Stretch:

When your glutes are tight and fatigued they can cause you to have a sore lower back and hamstrings, poor balance, and even shooting nerve pain down your leg due to sciatica. Regular stretching will prevent these.

Both hips are parallel to the floor. (you should feel a good stretch on the foot turned to the side)
You can play with this pose, rocking side to side.
Hold for 40-60 seconds on each side.

If you want to feel a greater stretch, reach the arm of the feet bent up and to the side.

Adductor Stretching:

You use this muscle during any type of athletic motion that requires you to move your legs from side to side, such as ice skating, kicking a soccer ball or volleying in tennis. Stretching this muscle can help prevent and rehabilitate groin injuries.

You’re on one knee.
Arms on the ground, supporting you.
The leg you are stretching is straight with foot flat on the ground.
Sit back and hang in there for 30-40 seconds

Kneeling Hamstring Stretch:

Tight hamstrings reduce the mobility of the pelvis, which can put pressure on the lower back. This stretch will prevent them from becoming too tight and provide extra support for the back and pelvis.

Kneel down on one knee and place your other leg straight out in front with your heel on the ground.
Keep your back straight, hands on the ground in front. Make sure your toes are pointing straight up.
Slowly move your hips back using your arms for balance.
Hold this stretch for about 20 to 30 seconds and repeat at least 2 to 3 times.

Level Leg Extension:

Start in neutral quadruped position: arms
under shoulders, knees under hips, chin
tucked for neutral cervical spine, flat
lumbar/thoracic spine (engage abdominals).
From a neutral quadruped position, extend
one hip and knee backwards while
maintaining spine in neutral position.
Control leg extension by engaging abdominals.
Come back to starting position. Repeat 5 times on each leg.

If you feel strong, keeping your spine and waist long, extend one leg back and up, as you simultaneously extend the opposite arm just parallel to the floor. Alternate 4-6 repetitions on each side.

PDF File for Print:

flexibility-exercises-lower-extremity Download

90 Min Cadence ~Feeling strong! Enjoyed the workout~

Repeat of the last week’s workout: 90 Min Cadence, May 16, 2019.

10′ easy spin

1hr’ ride holding 180-200 watts
At the top of the 20th min put in an 8′ effort as follows…
2′ at 210W at 90rpms
2′ at 210W at 100rpms
2′ at 210W at 110rpms
2′ at 210W at 90rpms

2′ soft pedal then go directly into the following bout

2′ at 225-250W at 90rpms
2′ at 225-250W at 100rpms
2′ at 225-250W at 110rpms
2′ at 225-250W at 90rpms

At the top of the 50th min put in the following…
2′ at 225 at 90rpms
2′ at 210 at 90rpms
2′ at 200 at 90rpms
2′ at 190 at 90rpms
2′ at 180 at 90rpms

5′ easy spin

Using Cooling Fan
Performing in “Standart Mode“

Pre-meal (300 Calolies: 78C/0F/4P):
1 coffee
1 Plantain 260g
Sweet Potato 150g
BCAA 2 scoops+ beta alanine+creatine

Pre-weight: 67.6 kg (66.8 kg last week)
Post- weight: 67.1 kg (66.4 kg)
Consumed: 1000 mL (plain water)
Loss: 1.5 kg (2%) GOOD!

Fueling (200 Cal: 21/12F/4P):
VEGA Bar
Liked it. Tastes good

Felt strong!
200 Watts were so much easier to hold than last week. Not sure if it’s because I was using the “Standard mode” instead of “ERG”. Or maybe it’s because the plantain I ate before (high GI food). Also yesterday, 90% of my carbs came from the brown rice, instead of oatmeal, as usual. Is it the thing that made a difference?
I am really proud for myself and my body.
I can say that I even enjoyed the workout.
Feeling good and strong!

RUN