Difference btwn nutritional fatigue and physical?
Sorry if I should have posted this in the nutrition forum, thought there may be a thin line here.... There has been great discussions on the forums lately about nutrition plans for both everyday diets and training diets. I am terrible with my nutrition plans, especially during rides and runs because I don't like to eat/drink when I workout but understand it is necessary. I'm a big Hammer fan, and do like their stuff and use it for long workouts. Anyway, there's talk about the bonk, or fueling properly for training/racing, but when you practice your nutrition, how do you know if you are tired from being physically fatigued or from not ingesting enough? Is there a process some of you have done to nail your nutrition? There are days that I'm sure I am just tired because a workout it hard, but does that feel the same as if I'm under nourished? Just looking for some pointers because nutrition is the 4th discipline and I would love to nail it this year. Thanks!
Dan
Comments
Usually if I practice a consistent fueling approach (which has taken me a few years to nail down) then when I feel tired it's most likely fatigue as I've eliminated the other factor - nutrition. Prior to that and my power meter, I found when I felt tired my mental focus changed and usually that was apparent in my cycling cadence. When I noticed that I would take in a gel and if I didn't feel better relatively soon, then I knew it was fatigue or I completely botched my nutrition and put myself in a hole I couldn't dig myself out of.
I think the important thing is consistent fueling plan. Fueling is such an individual preference, but I might add, once I switched to Infinit this became so much easier to figure out. My first couple of years I used Hammer and while I liked their products my body started to reject them as I got better at racing/training at higher intensities for 70.3 distances and up.
Ken, I see what you are saying, get the fuel out for my workouts and start to tinker. I also like what you said about cadence and the mental aspect, I too notice cadence being the first to go for me. My problem is that I'm stubborn, I feel that if I workout for an hour to 1.5 hrs that why should I need it, and most times I don't. Of course then there's those times when you have a terrible workout and I'm stuck asking myself why. When I feel that I don't need it for those shorter durations, I can't stand the thought of "what if" just to carry extra things that I don't want to. But, as you said, it has taken you years, so maybe I need to discipline myself and try some new things in the OS to see if there is a difference. Oh, and when you say your body rejected Hammer once you were in shape, did you mean GI stress? Just curious because I do see a lot of EN peeps using Infinit. I don't mind Hammer, but I'm not blown away by anything either. Its like I've taken their product to suggested use and have never felt anything that has turned me around, or given me that energy boost. I feel like I'm fed and the calories are doing their job, but its almost a dull feeling... maybe that just happens when you ride 56 miles in a race??? Thank you.
Dan
Jennifer, thank you for the response. Those are tell tale signs that I am looking for also because I have felt them and just thought that maybe its part of the package when you go out for a 2.5 hour ride with intervals involved then do a brick that those things occur no matter what!!! And I like the magic bullet suggestion too and have thought about getting the Snickers bar that comes in a 2 pack that you just have to twist to open... so much tastier than gel and potions. Thank you for the pointers.
Dan
I always get very light headed when I'm bonking. That's one of my tell-tale signs.
@Dan
As Jennifer and I pointed out, usually it's the mental/concentration thing that gives clues. Always being mindful and checking in with yourself.
Yes, GI stress was the major culprit and I also started to sour on taste after my 2nd year. Plus all those Endurolytes etc to keep track of - blah forget it. Not to derail your original question but Infinit let me customize a fuel and electrolyte blend that I could tolerate. It only took me 3 iterations to get a blend I felt confident with. This made it easier for me to take in the nutrition. I trained and raced primarily on Inifit for the bike.
If my workout is less than 1.5 hours, I typically have enough in the tank to complete so I go out with water and carry a couple gels just in case.
Maybe we need to start a thread. What do you race/train nutrition wise to get some ideas if you want to try something new.
The "shorter" workouts where I make sure I stay well fueled are the bricks ... Drinking cals while riding on the trainer, then a Gu or Hammer gel during T2 and carrying sports drink with me on the run, even if it's only 30 min. That's more for being ready for theNEXT workout than to get thru the brick. Otherwise, I'll have depleted all my glycogen, and won't have enough time to replenish before the next days effort.
I'm also a fan of Infinit and S!Caps for electrolytes.
Personally: I found that adding in some caffeine to my Infinit made a huge difference in my mental clarity during long runs. I'm not suggesting you use caffeine to override fatigue, but something to think about.
Finally, I'd suggest keeping a log of your fueling, workouts, sleep and how you feel. That may help you track back to what works and doesn't work.
Things that get me annoyed are simple things like cars passing to fast, or too close, uneven pavement, potholes, road camber, to much headwind, no wind, my shirt bothers me, blah, blah, blah,….. These are all real examples of stuff that I know may be indications of lack of glucose to the brain for me. Light headedness tends to follow but not always. If I Gu right away, within about a mile or so it subsides if it is truly a brain bonk.
Physical fatigue is different. I don’t loose my mojo. I remain focused and determined. But my biggest clue is my HR vs RPE. My HR drifts down but my RPE goes up. It’s like my body just stops listening and I cant make it go. Cadence drops, stride gets short, and shuffling is the beginning of the end…..
Up til now my calories of choice have been Gu and sometimes Gatorade late in a long run. I am intrigued by the use of Infinit and look forward to giveing it a try.
As always this represents my n=1 personal observation. YMMV
Thank you everyone! Excellent responses and it seems I need to start taking this more seriously as I think it may have held me back some in the past. I'll be sure to experiment as much as possible in the coming weeks. Appreciate all the help!
Thanks Al!!!