Springin'

Currently, it is SUNNY!!!
And 54!!!
It's supposed to rain later. And I have track work to do. And I don't even care. I love that smell. And I'll gladly splash in puddles so long as I can wear shorts. And sweat. Outside.

This week will go down as my biggest yet if I can manage all the sessions. And it's only the first in this 3-week build. And I'm really excited about that! I feel great coming off that recovery week. That lethargic feeling has left and my legs feel fresh and I feel rested. Even if my core feels as though it's been through the ringer.

Saturday was a nice long ride with the boys. We got lost. Not a big deal for me since I didn't have anything going on later that day, but a couple of the guys actually had time constraints. And I think our leader may have actually had to sleep on the couch that night...Here are the guys. We stopped in a parking lot to determine our location. And how to return to our destination in a timely manner.  

After over five hours on the roads (and finally warming up), it was to the grocery for food. I swear, I spend more on food than I do on rent. Have I mentioned that before?

Anyway, I picked up Chris Carmichael's Food for Fitness over the weekend and after eating, I put my legs up and got engrossed in reading about nutrition and it's importance for us athletes. I guess I finally got frustrated enough with starting out the training blocks all disciplined and eating well (and therefore feeling great) only to find myself eating ice cream and chocolate and pizza by the end...and feeling, well, tired. (i realize that tired isn't exclusively due to intake, but it does play a role. and a big one, i believe). It's very interesting. I also have Matt Fitzgerald's Racing Weight on the way.

Sunday morning was full of cleaning and catching up on things typically set aside (until the next recovery week) and a long-ish run and sunshine and warmth and a gym visit and core work and lying on the couch with the pup and just really relishing the weekend.

Because Monday started with Spinervals and developed into work meetings, a work lunch, more work, and then a work dinner. With lots of race car driving games, which was actually a lot of fun. And now, we're delving more into the fun side of training for the remainder of the week!

the great debate

I got a question from The Iron Curtains about my nutrition on my 3 hour ride yesterday...

Personally, I have different nutrition tactics for racing different distances. In prep for IM on long rides, I can handle pretty much anything in my tummy on the bike. I eat pb&j, bars, gels, gatorade, shot bloks, beef jerky...and the occassional Diet Mt Dew (if, say, on a 6 hour ride and we stop to refuel at a gas station). My coach and some fellow (very fast) athletes eat things like oatmeal cream pies, combos, fig newtons, coke... In prep for shorter races (HIM or Oly), I try to stick with what I'll consume when racing. For me, at a higher heart rate, it's more difficult to stomach solids. With the blood diverted to the legs, it's more difficult to digest bars and bread. (Think about when you do track repeats...you'd probably rather have calories from fluid/gatorate/heed than from a pb sandwich, right?)

Nutrition is really one of those things that is debatable. And a lot of it comes down to personal preference and trial and error. Right now, I'm training for Long Course Worlds, which is 2x Oly distance - 3k swim, 80k bike, 20k run. I have shorter workouts with more intensity than I did when training for IM, so I've also adjusted my diet for those hours when i'm not training, to contain fewer carbs and a bit more protein.

Yesterday's ride was straight from my apartment and first thing in the morning, so I had water and coffee and about 15 mins before i left, I had one slice of whole wheat bread with natural peanut butter, honey and half a banana. I took a package of Clif Shot blocks, which I took 2 at a time, at about 1:15, 1:40 and 2:05. I also had a Powergel at 2.30. I sipped on grape Gatorage G2 and water throughout. If it were any hotter, I'd have needed more fluids. If my run after were any longer, I'd have needed more calories, but as it worked, my pre-ride food and consumption during the ride had me feeling great. Some may think this isn't enough calories, and I've been on rides where I've needed far more calories than this, but it worked for me yesterday perfectly. I had another gel and a bar (and cash) on me in case i needed more.

Obviously, the rest of the day I didn't want much sugar, and after my run, I had tuna and chopped carrots in a whole wheat tortilla. The rest of the day, I loaded up on veggies, more protein and some fruit. And I drank lots of water and some green tea (staying well hydrated helps fight muscle soreness). 
 
I did get up this morning and run for 90 mins at about an 8 min pace and had no issues with fatigue or hunger. I had water and a slice of bread with pb and honey (again. it tends to digest easily and i had no intervals for this workout). I didn't consume any calories during the run, but I made sure my route went through a park with water fountains. And again, refueled upon my return home...because I still have a 2x1000 time trial swim this afternoon!
 
The supplements I got were a fish oil/flaxseed/borage Omega complex, time-release Vitamin C, spirullina (which is plant food chock full of amino acids) and another one i already take for a specific medical condition. I'll let you know if I can tell a difference in anything.
 
Obviously, I'm no dietitian, but I do pay attention to what I put in my mouth (even when it's cake and cookies). And I know a few of you guys over at the Iron Curtains are very tuned into your diet and consumption. You'll figure it out. You have plenty of time to dial it all in! Happy training!
 
Also, Marni is on her way to becoming an RD, so her blog is full of useful info.