The method I use to perform mine is that I consume as much as I need before I begin the test. Not recommended that you go into the test dehydrated.
Key is to weigh yourself right before you get on the bike. I try to simulate temps and humidity of race conditions as much as possible. I drink as much as I need to during the test. Once I am finished, I weigh myself immediately and take the difference of my beginning weight less my ending weight.
For simplicity purposes, let's say I lost 2 lbs during the 1 hour test. 1 gallon of liquid weighs ~ 8 lbs and is 128 ounces.
I lost 32 ounces plus the 12 ounces I drank or 44 ounces in this example. Let's assume I performed the test at 80 degrees and 60% humidity.
Now I know I need to drink about 2, 24 ounce bottles/hour (48 oz) under similar conditions and add to that if I am racing at 85 degrees and 70% humidity.
The amount ofsodiuminsweataverages about 500 mgsodium/lbsweat(and ranges from 220 to 1,100 mg) If you lose two pounds ofsweatper hour for four hours of intense swimming, biking, running, etc., yoursodium lossesbecome significant (4,000 mg)
For a long course IM under extreme conditions given a high sweat rate as validated by the sweat test, Gatorade Endurance alone is not going to be enough sodium and you may be required to supplement with salt tabs.
When supplementing with heavy quantities of salt tabs be sure to use "Buffered salt tabs" like Salt Stick Brand. Tabs that are not buffered when taken in large amounts can cause bad stomach issues.
FYI IMWI Crew: You are CRUSHING the Forum game.... seriously- if Forum winning was a thing - you would be champions - in fact - as Marketing Director.... I just made it a thing. I NOW CROWN IMWI EN CREW FORUM WINNERS! Keep it up folks, make sure to grab anyone else you know who is racing here to chime in, this is where the magic happens!
Swim done, 3000 yards, skipped my run today since I am already at 20 miles and haven't been riding a lot lately. Want to hit two solid days of riding this weekend. Keep it coming!
I have to agree with Mariah... You guys are killing it at posting! I'll have to start adding more...
I've been running with consistency over the last few weeks. This week ran 7TU-6WE I split the TH with 7and6... and hobbled an additional 5 last night. I've been trying to stay in the 30's/week... but really shooting for 40... I made a decision to kinda veer off plan a little this build and will skip a lot of the speed and interval work. In the past I've found it too costly.. having a lot of heal pain which made me skip/miss runs. So... most of my stuff happens at TRP or just a little better on the good days.
I'm trying to get some problems ironed out with bike function. I had a new cassette put on last week which really messed up the performance of my bike. Screwed up last weeks 4hr bad. I think I have things straight now. I feel pretty good about nutrition.. so may skip todays sweat test in lieu of getting a quality session outdoor... plus it's my sons birthday... so less admin.
My swim is been pretty troublesome. I set a goal of swimming 1:40/ consistently... then hoped to just start adding volume on top of that. Well its all working except for the volume part. I need to really start stepping up over the next few weeks.
Happy training everyone... Enjoy the bike and stay safe!
Did the 4 Hour ride without the sweat test today. Went pretty well... but conditions weren't the best. Started the ride in the mid 80's and was 91 when I finished... but the 17mph winds made it pretty tough. I got in 77 miles and averaged 19.2mph. NP was 208 and the whole ride took place at 75%. Did a nice 2o minute interval early in the ride to fatigue myself a bit... pushed 269 watts for 22 minutes. Then I dealt with the hills into the wind on the way back. All in all a success.
Great job, team. Y'all are crushing it! Another good week of hard training for me. Starting to mix in some short running miles after some time off to heal a nagging injury and feeling stronger every day. Today's 4 hr ride was hot, even w/ a 5AM start. Had to shift the brick run to Sunday due to some work priorities. Off to see the Beach Boys!
Crazy Hard Big Training day yesterday. Competed in the Sea2Summit Triathlon in New Hampshire. Swim 1.5 miles in a Tidal Inlet of the Atlantic at 5am, Bike 95 miles with 5000+'climbing and a net gain of over 2k'. "run" up to the top of Mt Washington (Tallest in the Northeast) My run pace averaged 28 min/ a mile. This was on the heels of a 17 mile run on Thursday...
Thursday was my first split run attempt. Did 3 miles in the AM and then wrapped up the day with 5 miles. The last mile of the day was the fastest so I'm happy with that! 2800 yard swim on Friday after work. I'm loving the pool this season. The outdoor rooftop pool probably has something to do with that. Yesterday I put in a 3 mile run before getting on the bike for 54 miles. It was a perfect day for riding in the bay area.
So, that brings us to today. I woke up at 7 this morning to a voicemail from American Airlines that my flight for this evening for a work trip was canceled and I was re-booked on a Monday AM flight, which wouldn't work because meetings. Got on the phone with American and ended up rushing to get packed and to the airport for the only other available flight today. Foiled my Sunday ride & run plans. I'll at least be able to get a run in later this afternoon when I land, but ugh.
Made it through the weekend. Sweat test showed I am probably under hydrating on the bike; will work on that (but it's a pain carrying all of that fluid, especially when climbing). Trying to focus on getting ABP done mindfully on Sundays rather than just being a "recovery" ride, but my legs are definitely arguing the point this morning.
Had an up and down weekend. Great but a little short OWS swim. After warming up felt pretty good. practiced a little drafting off a faster swimmer too. Managed 7 total hours on the bike. Did a short 4 mile brick after the 4 hours and felt pretty good. Sunday ride however was a different story. Really struggled to bring power up. I was locked into Zone 2. It wasn't until the last 5 miles and and 8 min climb that I was able to raise it up. I also had a lone rider up ahead and I needed to catch them before the end. Will be modifying WO this week due to travel. I have a hard swim tonight. Red Mist in LCM . Not really sure how to pace it. I will report later. Keep up the good work all.
We all have our constraints, but a lot of work is getting done - nice work to everyone!
@ Lindsey - damn those airlines!
@ SS - tough as nails man
@ Bill - I use a Camelback when I ride, which is strapped to my back. It carires 3 bottles and I never have to worry about getting out of aero and grabbing bottles. I love that thing. check it out - http://shop.camelbak.com/bike-packs/l/110
@ Todd - it happens. Put it behind you and soldier on
Ran 3.6 miles Sat morning then followed with a 50 mile ride. Both the run and the bike were super hard. I hit my numbers, but it was very painful. Some days, things just don't feel right. I felt so crappy that I just skipped the sweat test. Not worried though, I'm not a big sweater and I drink plenty of liquids. Hydration has never been a problem with me
Rode 40 miles Sunday and felt good the whole time. Amazing how one day can make such a big difference
Planned on swimming this morning, but my head was stapled to the pillow at 5am and decided to just rest. I plan on running 3.5 miles when I get home tonight and then a big swim tomorrow am.
This weekend was a bust from a training standpoint. I am in the process of moving and had to devote Sat & Sun to moving. I am going to call it 'cross training' and move on... On the plus side, I did not damage myself during the move so that is a huge win.
I was at the pool this morning then hit the 'mill' for my incline run - all felt pretty good.
I am planning on heading up to Madison on Sat (7/2) to ride the Loop, or possibly the Stick and the Loop - Then on Monday hit the local bike club 4th of July ride, debating the 68 or 45 mile options.
@ Mike - yes sir, 68 miles plus another 12 maybe.... I'll be wearing my camelback
Pros: 1) super easy to use, 2) can carry 3-4 bottles (depending on size of camelback you get 70 oz vs. 100oz - I'd recommend the 100oz.) on your back, 3) zero energy used to drink, just move the straw to your mouth - no need to get out of aero. Cons: 1) I hate cleaning it out. There is a cleaning kit you could buy for it. I've had it for over a year and I've never used it. Just wash with soap and water and drain it - easy, but its one of those things in life I don't like doing. 2) it covers up my cool looking bike jersey's, haha
I used it at Steelhead last year and it worked out great - never stopped at an aid station and never got out of aero position. I'm considering getting another one to use at IMWI - start with one on my back and have the 2nd in my special needs bag. You could argue its not aero and you'd be right, but you wouldn't have to fuss with any aid station and can carry what you want and not want the course offers - I consider that to be a wash. Still a TBD
@Chris - I like the idea... Carrying - Mixing bottles is a PITA. I am not good enough that the aero penalty of the camelback would be greater than popping up to drink. Just to confirm you use Gatoraide or Infinit or something other than water in your 'back'?
@Bill - great job on the sweat test! Anybody else do the test? ....learn anything new that will change your nutrition going forward?
I am a heavy sweater at 80 degrees - as much as 55 ounces/hour.
During my long hot training rides like the one Sunday (86 - 98 degrees) I use a 100 oz Camel back and 2X26 ounce bottles. Around 50 miles I am empty and refill using the Gatorade Endurance / Salt Tab mix I prepared the night before and carried in my Camel Back pockets. By mile 90 I had depleted ~2.5 gallons total. Never peed one time on the bike, heavy sweat loss, replenished with heavy salt in the Gatorade Endurance.
I prefer to use what I know will be at the race venue to keep things simple. Sure I am heavier and less aero on the training rides but, it just means I'll be that much faster on race day with less weight and no stop lights/stop signs.....
Each hour I am consuming 1X Caf Power Gel on :10 and 1/2 Power bar on :40. My Garmin timer goes off every 15 minutes on the hour to remind me to drink fluids. I practice this like a religion every long ride and dial it in so that, come race day, all I have to really do is execute....(not a good time to be trying figure things out or trying new approach.)
How did the long rides go this week in terms of nutrition? Did you pee on the 4 hour ride? Feel like you ate too much, feel hungry? What adjustments/notes will you be applying to next week's long ride? Pick one or two things you want to do better, i.e., spend more time aero, drive a lower V.I. drive a higher overall IF.......etc...
For example, I had a .71 IF, lower than I would like but, I was sick and the 98 degree heat/sore throat beat me up the last hour - so I live to take revenge and improve next week hoping ideally for something closer to .75 IF.....
I had a 1.035 V.I. - I could blame that on the stop lights, but the reality is that I need to get better at holding steady power longer.
I never peed......could blame that on 80% humidity and hot conditions, but the reality is I could have drank more fluids the day before than I did....
Key here is to share your file/details/findings, take notes, lay out there what you will focus on and drive that improvement week over week.
My 4 hour ride turned into 3. Lessons learned: not to sure I like running before the bike. It made my ride painful - entire body was just really uncomfortable. Why is that? 1) Didn't hydrate before my run and it was damn hot and humid. 2) prior to the ironman plan startup, I took the prior 2 weeks and scaled running and riding way way back - nursed my left rusty knee cap and I have some tightness where my leg attaches to my hip/pelvis - any ideas to stretch that would be great. It's a very hard area to stretch. Maybe it's was both those - not really sure. I drank 3 bottles of infinite and 1 of Gatorade endurance - never pee'd. In fact I was pretty much dehydrated all day.
Ran this evening in the heat - 90ish. Drank a glass of Gatorade endurance before and had no issues.
As Chris said, it is funny how things can change from day to day. Did 5 hr bike Sat with 30 min run, felt ok. Sun ran 6 mi (quite humid), one of those runs where you force yourself thru it, and then could only push myself to do 1 hr on the bike. Today, had good swim followed by 6 mi run and felt great on the run!
I was supposed to be in Placid this weekend however have been sidelined with perhaps a tear in my sacrum/tailbone area. It was never actually Dx even after seeing 5 Specialists. Anyways, convinced WTC to let me transfer my foundation spot to MOO. I'm not following my intermediate plan exactly because I really want to do at least one race this year. If I push it too much, I'll be out so I am approaching from an execution angle rather than #'s.
In 2014 my watch was torn off in the swim approximately where everyone moo's around the first turn. I didn't know my time until I crossed the finish line in 12:30. I spent about 18 minutes doodling in transitions so even if I dial back my 4:17 marathon I can perhaps do about the same as 2014. Of course I'd like to do better but this funky injury I heard can take up to a year to get better.
VERY important If Nulo puts a sample of dog food in your swag bag PLEASE don't leave it in your hotel room for house keeping to throw in the trash! I am trying to get Nulo to put drop boxes in IM Village so Dane County Animal Shelter os any animal rescue can use the food! I spoke with Nulo back at IMAZ last year and they still haven't figured out how to execute this idea.
Super excited to meet/see everyone. My workouts are on Strava.
Comments
Saturday Sweat Trial thoughts:
The method I use to perform mine is that I consume as much as I need before I begin the test. Not recommended that you go into the test dehydrated.
Key is to weigh yourself right before you get on the bike. I try to simulate temps and humidity of race conditions as much as possible. I drink as much as I need to during the test. Once I am finished, I weigh myself immediately and take the difference of my beginning weight less my ending weight.
For simplicity purposes, let's say I lost 2 lbs during the 1 hour test. 1 gallon of liquid weighs ~ 8 lbs and is 128 ounces.
I lost 32 ounces plus the 12 ounces I drank or 44 ounces in this example. Let's assume I performed the test at 80 degrees and 60% humidity.
Now I know I need to drink about 2, 24 ounce bottles/hour (48 oz) under similar conditions and add to that if I am racing at 85 degrees and 70% humidity.
The amount of sodium in sweat averages about 500 mg sodium/lb sweat (and ranges from 220 to 1,100 mg) If you lose two pounds of sweat per hour for four hours of intense swimming, biking, running, etc., your sodium losses become significant (4,000 mg)
For a long course IM under extreme conditions given a high sweat rate as validated by the sweat test, Gatorade Endurance alone is not going to be enough sodium and you may be required to supplement with salt tabs.
When supplementing with heavy quantities of salt tabs be sure to use "Buffered salt tabs" like Salt Stick Brand. Tabs that are not buffered when taken in large amounts can cause bad stomach issues.
SS
@ Mariah - this team only knows one thing........ ======>>> How to WIN!
@SS - thanks for the thoughts on the sweat trial. Not looking forward to that at all!
'Everyone loves a winner and will not tolerate a loser" - what movie? hint its a war movie that was made in the 70's
Swim done, 3000 yards, skipped my run today since I am already at 20 miles and haven't been riding a lot lately. Want to hit two solid days of riding this weekend. Keep it coming!
I've been running with consistency over the last few weeks. This week ran 7TU-6WE I split the TH with 7and6... and hobbled an additional 5 last night. I've been trying to stay in the 30's/week... but really shooting for 40... I made a decision to kinda veer off plan a little this build and will skip a lot of the speed and interval work. In the past I've found it too costly.. having a lot of heal pain which made me skip/miss runs. So... most of my stuff happens at TRP or just a little better on the good days.
I'm trying to get some problems ironed out with bike function. I had a new cassette put on last week which really messed up the performance of my bike. Screwed up last weeks 4hr bad. I think I have things straight now. I feel pretty good about nutrition.. so may skip todays sweat test in lieu of getting a quality session outdoor... plus it's my sons birthday... so less admin.
My swim is been pretty troublesome. I set a goal of swimming 1:40/ consistently... then hoped to just start adding volume on top of that. Well its all working except for the volume part. I need to really start stepping up over the next few weeks.
Happy training everyone... Enjoy the bike and stay safe!
https://www.strava.com/activities/620561187/overview
Competed in the Sea2Summit Triathlon in New Hampshire. Swim 1.5 miles in a Tidal Inlet of the Atlantic at 5am, Bike 95 miles with 5000+'climbing and a net gain of over 2k'. "run" up to the top of Mt Washington (Tallest in the Northeast) My run pace averaged 28 min/ a mile. This was on the heels of a 17 mile run on Thursday...
Thursday was my first split run attempt. Did 3 miles in the AM and then wrapped up the day with 5 miles. The last mile of the day was the fastest so I'm happy with that! 2800 yard swim on Friday after work. I'm loving the pool this season. The outdoor rooftop pool probably has something to do with that. Yesterday I put in a 3 mile run before getting on the bike for 54 miles. It was a perfect day for riding in the bay area.
So, that brings us to today. I woke up at 7 this morning to a voicemail from American Airlines that my flight for this evening for a work trip was canceled and I was re-booked on a Monday AM flight, which wouldn't work because meetings. Got on the phone with American and ended up rushing to get packed and to the airport for the only other available flight today. Foiled my Sunday ride & run plans. I'll at least be able to get a run in later this afternoon when I land, but ugh.
@Ed - fantastic back to back rides this weekend! Strong!
@Mike W. - HUGE week of work with 18+hours!
@SD - Amazing build coming into LP with the Sea to Summit throw down this weekend!!
I survived my weekend with sore throat Friday, Sat, Sun,.....and sick today.
Ran 40 minutes Friday morning and long swim Friday lunch hour.
Did a family walk on Saturday morning.
Moved the long ride to Sunday with not much improvement in my sore throat: https://www.strava.com/activities/621655697
Heat bothered me the last hour of the bike. 98 degrees rolling in and hanging on.....
Onward!
Good work all!
Had an up and down weekend. Great but a little short OWS swim. After warming up felt pretty good. practiced a little drafting off a faster swimmer too. Managed 7 total hours on the bike. Did a short 4 mile brick after the 4 hours and felt pretty good. Sunday ride however was a different story. Really struggled to bring power up. I was locked into Zone 2. It wasn't until the last 5 miles and and 8 min climb that I was able to raise it up. I also had a lone rider up ahead and I needed to catch them before the end. Will be modifying WO this week due to travel. I have a hard swim tonight. Red Mist in LCM
. Not really sure how to pace it. I will report later. Keep up the good work all.
@ Lindsey - damn those airlines!
@ SS - tough as nails man
@ Bill - I use a Camelback when I ride, which is strapped to my back. It carires 3 bottles and I never have to worry about getting out of aero and grabbing bottles. I love that thing. check it out - http://shop.camelbak.com/bike-packs/l/110
@ Todd - it happens. Put it behind you and soldier on
Ran 3.6 miles Sat morning then followed with a 50 mile ride. Both the run and the bike were super hard. I hit my numbers, but it was very painful. Some days, things just don't feel right. I felt so crappy that I just skipped the sweat test. Not worried though, I'm not a big sweater and I drink plenty of liquids. Hydration has never been a problem with me
Rode 40 miles Sunday and felt good the whole time. Amazing how one day can make such a big difference
Planned on swimming this morning, but my head was stapled to the pillow at 5am and decided to just rest. I plan on running 3.5 miles when I get home tonight and then a big swim tomorrow am.
Chris
This weekend was a bust from a training standpoint. I am in the process of moving and had to devote Sat & Sun to moving. I am going to call it 'cross training' and move on... On the plus side, I did not damage myself during the move so that is a huge win.
I was at the pool this morning then hit the 'mill' for my incline run - all felt pretty good.
I am planning on heading up to Madison on Sat (7/2) to ride the Loop, or possibly the Stick and the Loop - Then on Monday hit the local bike club 4th of July ride, debating the 68 or 45 mile options.
-Mike
I guess my choice has been made...
Chris,
I have been thinking about a Camelback for the bike, pro's / con's - what do you use in it - is it hard to clean?
Pros: 1) super easy to use, 2) can carry 3-4 bottles (depending on size of camelback you get 70 oz vs. 100oz - I'd recommend the 100oz.) on your back, 3) zero energy used to drink, just move the straw to your mouth - no need to get out of aero. Cons: 1) I hate cleaning it out. There is a cleaning kit you could buy for it. I've had it for over a year and I've never used it. Just wash with soap and water and drain it - easy, but its one of those things in life I don't like doing. 2) it covers up my cool looking bike jersey's, haha
I used it at Steelhead last year and it worked out great - never stopped at an aid station and never got out of aero position. I'm considering getting another one to use at IMWI - start with one on my back and have the 2nd in my special needs bag. You could argue its not aero and you'd be right, but you wouldn't have to fuss with any aid station and can carry what you want and not want the course offers - I consider that to be a wash. Still a TBD
Agreed on the whole aero penalty......
@Bill - great job on the sweat test! Anybody else do the test? ....learn anything new that will change your nutrition going forward?
I am a heavy sweater at 80 degrees - as much as 55 ounces/hour.
During my long hot training rides like the one Sunday (86 - 98 degrees) I use a 100 oz Camel back and 2X26 ounce bottles. Around 50 miles I am empty and refill using the Gatorade Endurance / Salt Tab mix I prepared the night before and carried in my Camel Back pockets. By mile 90 I had depleted ~2.5 gallons total. Never peed one time on the bike, heavy sweat loss, replenished with heavy salt in the Gatorade Endurance.
I prefer to use what I know will be at the race venue to keep things simple. Sure I am heavier and less aero on the training rides but, it just means I'll be that much faster on race day with less weight and no stop lights/stop signs.....
Each hour I am consuming 1X Caf Power Gel on :10 and 1/2 Power bar on :40. My Garmin timer goes off every 15 minutes on the hour to remind me to drink fluids. I practice this like a religion every long ride and dial it in so that, come race day, all I have to really do is execute....(not a good time to be trying figure things out or trying new approach.)
How did the long rides go this week in terms of nutrition? Did you pee on the 4 hour ride? Feel like you ate too much, feel hungry? What adjustments/notes will you be applying to next week's long ride? Pick one or two things you want to do better, i.e., spend more time aero, drive a lower V.I. drive a higher overall IF.......etc...
For example, I had a .71 IF, lower than I would like but, I was sick and the 98 degree heat/sore throat beat me up the last hour - so I live to take revenge and improve next week hoping ideally for something closer to .75 IF.....
I had a 1.035 V.I. - I could blame that on the stop lights, but the reality is that I need to get better at holding steady power longer.
I never peed......could blame that on 80% humidity and hot conditions, but the reality is I could have drank more fluids the day before than I did....
Key here is to share your file/details/findings, take notes, lay out there what you will focus on and drive that improvement week over week.
KMF!
SS
Ran this evening in the heat - 90ish. Drank a glass of Gatorade endurance before and had no issues.
As Chris said, it is funny how things can change from day to day. Did 5 hr bike Sat with 30 min run, felt ok. Sun ran 6 mi (quite humid), one of those runs where you force yourself thru it, and then could only push myself to do 1 hr on the bike. Today, had good swim followed by 6 mi run and felt great on the run!
Great job this week everyone!
I was supposed to be in Placid this weekend however have been sidelined with perhaps a tear in my sacrum/tailbone area. It was never actually Dx even after seeing 5 Specialists. Anyways, convinced WTC to let me transfer my foundation spot to MOO. I'm not following my intermediate plan exactly because I really want to do at least one race this year. If I push it too much, I'll be out so I am approaching from an execution angle rather than #'s.
In 2014 my watch was torn off in the swim approximately where everyone moo's around the first turn. I didn't know my time until I crossed the finish line in 12:30. I spent about 18 minutes doodling in transitions so even if I dial back my 4:17 marathon I can perhaps
do about the same as 2014. Of course I'd like to do better but this funky injury I heard can take up to a year to get better.
VERY important If Nulo puts a sample of dog food in your swag bag PLEASE don't leave it in your hotel room for house keeping to throw in the trash! I am trying to get Nulo to put drop boxes in IM Village so Dane County Animal Shelter os any animal rescue can use the food! I spoke with Nulo back at IMAZ last year and they still haven't figured out how to execute this idea.
Super excited to meet/see everyone. My workouts are on Strava.
Moo,
Dana