Rev3 Cedar Point Full Iron Distance RR#1
Night Before:
Got off work later so didn't get to the pool until 6:00pm: Swim time 3800m 1:19:46 - I went at a do no harm pace and felt very good after. This was the longest continuous swim or total workout I have ever done. Finished off the evening with a quick 40min run per the plan. Dinner was chicken, sweet potato, and mixed veggies from Outback. No sure if that’s the best thing for me but I can always find an Outback when I travel for a race and it has worked in the past. In bed by 1000pm after getting kids down and stuff together for next day. For my 2:00am nutrition I decided to try the Naked Juices from Starbucks..... Learned I am not a big fan. Besides the fact that I think that they are disgusting I had a great case of diarrhea when I woke up at 430am. Good thing tried them now.
Day of RR:
Breakfast at 430am - Bagel with peanut butter and Coffee. As I mentioned above I had a fare amount of GI upset which I attribute to the Naked Juice since that was the only thing that was new to my routine. On bike by 600am trying to beat as much of the South Florida heat as I could.
Bike
First 1:30 or ride just rode along: average HR 129 (Zone 1 tops out at 138). Remainder of ride I ended up with an average HR of 134 finishing 112 miles in 6:07
Nutrition: 250 calories /hour via Infinite, switching to my run formula for the last hour
Fluid: Roughly 40 oz per hour all with Camelback elixir added. Sodium total roughly 1000- 1200mg hr
Run
Lost my HR monitor 1.5 miles into run but up to then was staying in zone 1
Nutrition: 220 calories / hour via Infinite
Fluid: 8oz every 1.3 miles
Summary;
Overall I have mixed feelings about the RR. I'm disappointed with my bike split as I was planning to ride a little harder (HR 138-140) but I just didn't have it in me. I was really gassy on the bike which is new and I had some periods where I felt rather blaha. I tried to focus on my fluid intake and nutrition bust as I will mention I think that I was getting dehydrated AGAIN!!!!!! By the time I got off the bike and started the run the Heat Index was 103F and it was wicked humid as always. I knew that it was going to be about survival and not speed. Anyways, I felt good on the run for the first half hour but on the second half started to fade fast. I was getting that weak and tired feeling that goes with dehydration and it was all I could do to finish the run. Once I stopped I immediately started to cramp and that continued on for an hour or so. Looking back I had some mild muscle twinging on the bike ( not normal for me) and my black bike shorts were basically white from sweat by the end of the ride. I haven't been taking additional sodium outside of my Infinite on my runs which I am going to change. I did practice walking the aid stations which I did like and am happy with how I paced the first half of my run. In the end this RR was a success as I learned allot and reached 2 mile stones in my training -- first 2.4 mile swim and first ride over 90 miles.
I guess my big question is how in the heck do I stay hydrated on these long workouts????? I can't stomach much more fluid that I am already taking in. Luckly my race is in Ohio in Sptember so it should be allot cooler and less humid.
Comments
What pace are you planning to run and did you have any trouble dialing that part of the RR in? Even if your HR was in zone 1 for the first 3 miles, if you were going too fast that could also account for the problems you saw in the last 3.
I have done a sudo sweat test.... Lost 4 pounds after a 2hr run (4:30am-630am). Through trial and error I have found that if I don't take in that much during the Summer it gets bad on a long ride. During the winter months I only take in 20-24 per hour. The gassy feeling was something that I don't noramly have even whit high fluid intake so I think that its form the Naked Juice. My pace was roughly a 10 min mile which given the heat and humidity I am fine with. My LRP is around a 9:00 min mile.
The Camleback elixir has 400mg of sodium per serving so between to water bottles and my nutrition I'm right at 1,200mg of sodium on the bike. On the run, just what is in my Infinite so about 380mg. I did order Succeed S Caps last night so I'm going to try those for the run.
Eric - I agree you are getting "enough" fluid. In quotes, because everyone (who is actually running at a reasonable pace) gets dehydrated to some degree during the course of an IM marathon. I find it hard to take in more than 42-60 oz per hour on the run (depending on the temp). The trick is to just delay the dehydration as long as possible. In my mind, achieving that means giving your stomach the best possible chance to absorb the water you put in it during the run. In part, the slower pace at the start helps that. But here's something else you might think about. It might be you are overtaxing the transport systems in your GI tract by asking it to move not only the fluid you're giving it, but also those 220 calories of Infint solution. Water, or water with simple sugars like in gatorade or Coke moves more quickly into your system than water trying to get across along with proteins.
Consider dropping the Infint during the run, and trying mostly water. We're not running fast enough in the IM marathon/Zone 1 to need a lot of carbs to supplement our fat-burning for muscle fuel. Dilute Gatorade, Coke, and/or 100 cal of GU or equivalent/ hour should be enough to keep the motor running, as long as there's enough water in the system.
Coincidently, about a week ago at a little local Oly race, I happened to talk with the MD who's in charge of the Kona med tent this year. He says they worry much more about peoPle who take in TOO MUCH fluid (who weigh more after the race than before) than people who are dehydrated. They can easily give you a liter or two of IV fluid to restore hydration. But excess water intake, even with salt tabs, in a slower runner/walker can lead to hyponatremia, which is harder to treat and more dangerous - people die from it even in cool races (especially in cool races.)
After some more reading I am starting to wonder if I am overhydrated???? I think the chance is o the low side but I'm gonna play around on my Saturday ride thie weekend and see how I feel. When I first started tri's 2 yeasr ago I had some issues with GU's and GI upset on the run so I made the switch to Infinit. Would cutting the infinit to 110 cal / per hour acheive the same goal or is there just too much of a difference in the cardohydrates?
My main concern with Infinit on the run is the protein and amino acids which you may have in there. Those are NOT easy to digest when most of your cardiac output is pumping through your muscles and brain which are begging for sugar. The non-carb components are just taking up GI energy getting broken down and then attempting to be transported in the blood stream, and on to the rest of the body, which at this point has little use for them, IMO. They slow down the intake of both the needed sugars and fluid. Same prinicple applies IMO to ANY solid food (like pretzels, oranges, bananas, etc.) you try to take in on the run.
Also, the effect of any caffeine which might be in your formula must be considered on your fluid balance. For me, I'm not a coffee drinker, and so any caffeine in a race is a big risk. I take in a about 30-60 mg or so in the 4 hours of the run, from the Coke I drink. A cup of coffee might have 200+. It's a diuretic and also can play havoc with electrolyte balance if overused in a long race.
The only way to know if you are over hydrated or not is to do what Matt A. does every run (so he says) - weigh yourself nekkid before and immediately after (draining your bladder just prior each time). I generally will lose 2 # or more on a run of more than 2 hours, or on a RR, even if I am trying to force fluids - that's 32+ ounces of water I'm behind.