Gray Guys/Girls Maturing Triathlete - Always OPEN (Page 14)

Scott - interesting read about food and weight.  I was a little chunky as a child - not overweight but not skinny either.  I lost about 25# my first couple years in college (opposite of what most people seem to do) and stayed at a comfortable weight even through 2 pregnancies.  I never had to think too much about what I was eating although I wasn't a big junk food eater, with the exception of ice cream.  It's only been the last couple of years that my weight has started to really fluctuate a lot, but I could usually keep it within 2-3 #'s of where I wanted to be.  This last 10#'s though has been tough.  It started this past summer - shorts that used to be loose on me were now "snug".  Even with changing some of my eating habits it just doesn't seem to want to budge.  Changing my thinking about why I eat might be what I need to start making some progress.

Janet

Hey Janet,

Yes, you can have an early vertical forearm (EVF) AND a long stroke.

The EVF, also known as the catch, may be the single most misunderstood thing in swimming.  Arguably, the catch itself provides no actual propulsion.  In many ways, the catch is nothing more than a brief transitional phase between the entry and the pull.  Done correctly, you will be more effective through the entire pull phase, resulting in a powerful, fast stroke.  Done incorrectly, you will have an inefficient stroke that generates very little forward thrust.

The greatest difference between average swimmers, which includes the VAST majority of triathletes, and elite swimmers is the elite swimmer has an immensely superior catch.

Catch Definition:  The catch is the point at which the hands begin to exert pressure on the water, and provide forward thrust, during a stroke.

I italicized "and provide forward thrust" because that is important.  A mistake that many age-group triathletes make is the first movement of their hands when they begin the pull does NOT provide propulsion.  They feel pressure on their hands but it's not doing anything for them.  Often times they are pulling with a straight arm so the first movement of their hand is down - which forces water down, not back.  Or, the first movement is to the side - which moves water to the side, not back.

Before I describe the catch, I'm going to give everybody a little tip that will correct a LOT of technique issues AG triathletes have.  This goes to the position of your hand and arm - "fingertips below wrist below elbow."  That can be your new mantra.  That mantra is true at all times while you are swimming freestyle.  It doesn't matter if you hand just entered, is half way through the above water recovery or has just released and beginning the recovery - fingertips below wrist below elbow. 

So, now that we understand the proper position of the hand, let's see what a proper catch looks like.

Imagine you hand has just entered the water.  Because your hand was in the correct position, you entered the water with a slightly fingertip down attitude (I like to see slightly pinky down as well so very slight inward rotation of the hand).  Once your hand is in the water, your body rotation allows you to fully extend your arm in front of you.  You should reach maximum body rotation and maximum extension at the same moment.  As you begin the catch, your body begins to counter-rotate - rotate in the opposite direction.  This provides a force you can anchor your pull against.

The very first movement of your hand/arm as you initiate the catch is the hand begins to drop to vertical, immediately followed by the forearm - this is one smooth movement, not two separate movements.

This is the hardest part of the catch to learn and master.  Your arm at this point is near fully extended - that doesn't mean elbow locked, but it does mean nearly as far as you can reach (I like to see a very slight bend in the elbow).  Your hand/arm should be in-line with your shoulder.  I encourage you to put your hand out in front of you in the fully extended position as you read this.  Note the position of your elbow in space.  The early vertical forearm is just that.  From the entry, with your arm near fully extended, hand and arm even with your shoulder, you want to keep your hand in line with your shoulder, but drop your hand so that your forearm is vertical.  The ONLY way to do that is to inwardly rotate your upper arm.  That's the part that people have difficulty with.  It feels very awkward when you first do it.  Sitting on your couch or at your desk. with your hand in front of you it's quite easy to see your elbow.  You don't want you elbow to move other than to rotate.  Once your forearm is vertical, then you begin the pull.  I always think of the catch movement as "getting on top of your hand" because that's precisely what it feels like when it's done properly.

The idea is to use not only your hand, but also your forearm to propel you through the water.  Using your hand and forearm provides 2-3 times as much surface area to move water with over just using your hand.  The counter-rotation I mentioned earlier allows you to engage the large muscles of your core and back to power your stroke.

Here is a very good youtube video that shows what a proper catch looks like - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3ctBUV08_o

Once your forearm is vertical you begin the pull, keeping your elbow high throughout the stroke.  The stroke goes past the shoulders, all the way to release of pressure on the water near the hip.  That is a long efficient stroke.

Paddles

Contrary to popular belief, paddles are NOT for building strength.  They aren't so you can temporarily swim faster.  Paddles are a technique tool.  If you "listen" to them, they will tell you and show you the deficiencies in your stroke.  The paddle should be just slightly larger than your hand.  You don't need all the fancy paddles that are available today which serve no purpose except to enrich the company selling them.  Here is a basic paddle that will serve you well - https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/speedo-training-paddles-1240/

Ideally when you use paddles you will have an ankle band around your ankles to minimize the kick and isolate your pull (this may cause sinking legs for many so you may want to consider a pull-buoy for your pull sets).  The first time you use paddles, I encourage you to "play" a bit.  Pull with your hand slightly rotated.  You will quickly see that the paddles will force your hand to slice off to the side because your hand position is wrong.  Enter the water after your arms have recovered in a wide arc - again, you will see the paddles will show you the error of your way.

The idea is not to go fast when you are doing pull sets.  The focus should be on perfect technique.  Listen to what the paddles are telling you.  You will know when you are doing it correctly because your hand will be rock solid in it's position - there won't be any pressure from the paddle to move your hand - if your hand is anything but perpendicular to the direction of travel, the paddles will be forcing your hand to the side.

A word of caution on using paddles.  They can place additional stress on the shoulders.  If you begin to experience discomfort or pain, stop using the paddles.

I'd start with maybe 4-6 x 50 w/20" rest, and over time build that to 10 x 50.  Back when I was swimming, when we did pull sets, we rarely went over 500 meters (10 x 50).  Remember what paddles are for - they are technique tools.  If you listen to what they are telling you, you don't need to do massive yardage with the paddles.

Hope that helps.

OK, well, ice cream should be it's own separate food group so that's understandable.

Welcome to being a Gray Gal.  Our metabolism slows down as we get older - meaning we burn less calories during the day.  Of course we probably aren't eating less - which leads to the weight fluctuations.

When I finally separated the emotional lift food gave me from the actual purpose of food - to fuel the body - it made it MUCH easier to make good nutritional choices.  If I put the wrong fuel into one of our vehicles, it won't run or it will run poorly.  Our bodies are no different.

In my humble opinion, this is probably the hardest thing for people to get their heads around.  Food is such a big part of our culture and our social fabric that we don't realize just how much influence that culture has on our nutrition choices.  Once we take control and recognize food is nothing more than fuel for the body we suddenly empower ourselves to make good nutrition choices.

We engage in a sport where adults prance around in spandex.  Might as well get used to people looking at you!  

Since I posted some thoughts on nutrition yesterday, it occurred to me the next logical step is to talk about in-race nutrition.

We all know that triathlon is swim/bike/run.  However, I believe nutrition is a fourth discipline that, if not properly managed, can easily sabotage your race – especially if you are going long.  For those of you that haven’t seen it, this is what happens if you don’t manage your in-race nutrition properly –

Julie Moss

Sian Welch & Wendy Ingraham

I’m not going to get too deep into the biology, however it’s helpful to have a basic understanding when we start to talk about race day nutrition. 

For our purposes, we are going to talk about two energy pathways – aerobic and anaerobic.  At low exercise intensities, the body converts fat to energy through the aerobic energy pathway.  The aerobic energy pathway can create large amounts of energy because it has a virtually unlimited supply of fuel, however it creates that energy relatively slowly.  As exercise intensity increases and the body’s energy demands become greater; the anaerobic energy system begins to play an increasing role in energy production.  The anaerobic energy system can create energy very quickly by converting carbohydrate to energy.

It’s important to understand the body is always using both carbohydrate and fat for energy.  The ratio of carb/fat will change with exercise intensity.  When you are sleeping in bed at night, your body is using primarily fat for fuel.  However, fat burns in a carbohydrate fire.  That is important to remember.  So while you are sleeping you are using primarily fat but also some carbohydrate for energy.  If you were to run a marathon, you would be using primarily fat for fuel but also some carbohydrate – remember fat burns in a carbohydrate fire.  As your exercise intensity increases, carbohydrate provides increasing amounts of energy.  If you were to go out and do a 100-yard sprint, you would be utilizing primarily carbohydrate for energy.  This shift in the fuel ratio occurs on a continuum.  There isn’t some magic point where the ratio shifts.  The best way to think about it is with increasing exercise intensity you are using increasing amounts of carbohydrate.

Body fat provides upwards of 50-100,000 calories in a normal-weight person.  That number goes up dramatically with the amount of body fat.  Muscle glycogen (carbohydrate) provides 1,400-2,000 calories in the average trained athlete – enough for approximately 90-minutes of exercise.

Therein is the problem and why nutrition is an important part of triathlon.  A new triathlete can easily take 1:30-1:50 or more to complete a Sprint triathlon.  At the 2016 Olympic Games, the men’s winning time for the Olympic distance was 1:45.  Our bodies only have enough stored glycogen for 90-minutes of exercise.  If you run out of carbohydrate you will have NO energy because fat burns in a carbohydrate fire.  It goes without saying that our bodies don’t have enough carbohydrate available to complete a 70.3 (5-8 hours) or a 140.6 (9-17 hours).

While overall nutrition is important during training, in the days leading up to your race, and on race-morning, I want to talk specifically about during the race.

In-Race Nutrition/Hydration Requirements

• In general, our bodies can absorb 60-90 grams of carbohydrate per hour – that’s 240-360 calories per hour.  Don’t think you can take in more and have more energy.  All you will be doing is inviting G.I. issues – which are not pretty during a race.
• Nutrition includes managing your electrolyte balance – specifically your sodium level.  This can be easily done with the use of sports drinks.  500-700 mg/hr sodium replacement is a general recommendation for longer races, although there are no firm guidelines. 
• Aim not to lose more than 2-3% of your body mass through sweating by taking in 120-240ml every 15-20 minutes.  Knowing your sweat rate will allow you to fine-tune your hydration requirements.  Don’t rely on thirst to dictate when to drink – follow your schedule.
• Develop and rehearse your nutrition plan in training using the exact nutrition you intend to use on race day.  If you are going to “live off the course” (use nutrition available in the aid stations), use that product in training to make sure your body tolerates it well.
• Coke/Soda is your best friend on race day.  The best nutrition plans can fail.  On race day, if your nutrition plan is falling short, a coke/soda will provide carbohydrate VERY quickly.  Taking in a soda followed by a gel or two can salvage your race day when your nutrition plan comes apart.

Sprint Triathlon - A sports drink prior to the start and perhaps a gel while on the bike will keep your energy level up during the race.  Primary focus during the race should be on hydration and electrolyte replacement – this can easily be accomplished with a sports drink.

Olympic Triathlon – Proper pre-race nutrition becomes more important.  During the race your focus should be on hydration, electrolyte replacement and carbohydrate intake.  Aim to take in 60-90 grams of carbohydrate per hour (240-360 calories).  Carbohydrate intake can be in fluid, gel, or solid food form.

Long Course (70.3-140.6) – Proper pre-race nutrition is essential.  A gel and sports drink 30-minutes before the start of the race will have your body ready to race.  When you come out of the water you will be dehydrated and at a caloric deficit.  It is important that you take in hydration and a gel in T1.  DON’T wait until the bike to begin taking in nutrition/hydration.  The sooner you can get ahead of the nutrition/hydration curve, the better you will do.  Once on the bike, begin to take in nutrition as soon as you are comfortable – within 10-15 minutes.  Then continue taking in nutrition following the plan you developed and rehearsed in training.  On the bike, I prefer most of my nutrition in a liquid form.  I also like to take in some solid food as it’s going to be a long day.  I carry a couple of PB&J’s cut into quarters and take in one of those quarters every 15-minutes starting an hour into the bike.  I can’t emphasize enough, you need to rehearse your nutrition plan in training.  Infinit and PB&J’s work well for me.  It may not work for you.  During a long-course triathlon, the bulk of your nutrition should be taken in on the bike as it’s harder to physically take it in while you are running and your body won’t process the carbohydrate as well.  I use gels during the run because they are easier to carry then fluid.

These are all general suggestions.  Nutrition is HIGHLY personal.  What works for one person may or may not work for you.  It is VERY important that you develop a nutrition plan that works for YOU.  You can start with the general guidelines above and tailor it to YOU.  Once you have your plan, test that plan in training.  Long rides and long runs provide an excellent opportunity to test your nutrition plan.

Hope that helps.

Scott - thanks for the info.  Just ordered myself some paddles (birthday present to myself ).  I'm hoping to get a long swim in on Sunday morning (time-wise, I'll be doing sets of 50's & 100's mostly) so I'll try to put some of this into practice. 

Janet

 Steve,

In the past I've used "SaltStick Electrolyte Supplement."

These are 215mg of sodium per capsule.  I adjust how many capsules I take based on temp/humidity and what that's doing to my sweat rate.  If I'm not sweating a lot, I'll take one per hour.  If I'm seating profusely, I'll take one tablet every 20-minutes so 645 mg/hour.  I have tried different forms of salt tabs and like these the best because they are in a capsule so you don't get salt all over everything and you don't get the big shot of salt in your mouth when you take one.

It's amazing how quick the week goes by!

Don't forget  to weigh-in -

(diet-weight-loss-links.gif)

Steve,

So how'd you like that workout?

Steve,

Sunday is my rest day so I do my long ride/run on different days.  I figure my wife is very tolerant of my triathlon habit so the least I can do is give her my rest day.  Sunday is our day together.  I have to admit, I enjoy that and it has the added benefit of keeping peace in the house.

I've haven't been feeling good all week so haven't done a long ride or run, in fact, haven't done much of anything.  If I had done a long ride, it wouldn't have been over two-hours.  That's my limit on the trainer.  Typically my long ride on a trainer will look like a warm-up followed by 3 x 30' @ 88-90% with 5 minute recovery between intervals. 

Another ride I like is similar to yours, a warm-up followed by 10 x 10' continuous tempo intervals around 80-90% (no recovery between intervals).  I don't like long steady-state rides on the trainer.  That 3 x 30 ride is excruciating for me.  I much prefer high intensity interval rides on the trainer or tempo rides with a lot of power/pace changes.

Weight Challenge:

No change in weight.

426.33 minutes (7.1 hours) of working out:

Swim - 2:18 hrs

Bike - 4:07 hrs

Run - 41 min (.68 hrs)

I'll definitely get running this week.

For the past week:

no weight change
workouts:
  swim - 0:42
  bike - 1:47
  run - 1:23
  yoga - 1:45

Have a good week all!
Janet

Steve,

Good luck at you OLY Race on the 25th.   

My preparation from my first 70.3 race was 4 months of running then four months with Cycling and Swimming added to the running.  I hadn't been in a pool or on a bike for years prior to that and had never trained or competed in either prior to race.  You can accomplish quite a bit in 4 months time.  No you will not be able to complete are you highest level with just 4 months training but you should discover in a few weeks that you have your speed back.

Weight - lost 0.3 pounds

Workout - haven't been feeling well all week so pretty light for workouts.

Swim - 97 min

Bike - 45 min

Run - 0 min

Total - 2:22

Hey Steve,

Whenever I've had to travel out of town for a race I've always driven.  I have never felt comfortable with the idea of my bike on an airliner.  On more than a couple of occasions, that has turned what could have been, probably should have been, a long weekend, into a week or two of driving across the country to a race and then back home again.

Just wondering how you are getting your bike to Hawaii?  It occurs to me, that isn't a drive one could easily make.