Kona RR#2: why can't I figure this out?????
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It's been 5 weeks since IMNY and I'd like to think I have recovered sufficiently and continued training based on advice from the coaches and all of you WSMs. Thanks!
Yesterday was RR#2 for Kona (#1 was IMNY!). I rode 4 loops of mostly the same course (UGH!) which always came back to the house, which was nice because I got to go pee every time and refresh my bottles, etc. Also, my hubby was working so I did the first loop alone then he got to join me for the last 90 miles:-) He wanted to ride these loops and I wasn't complaining since he was doing it with me!
My ride was good. It was warm and I had on a long-sleeved fuzzy shirt with a windbreaker over it to assimilate a little of the Kona weather. It was also quite windy so I got to practice being in the aero-bars with nasty cross-winds. All good stuff. My NP was a little low on average which totally surprised me because even though I was watching my watts all day, I felt like I was working harder. I think my IF was around .67. Heart rate was okay, around mid Z2... The total ride time was just over 7 hours. (Yes, it was L.O.N.G.)
I drank ~ a bottle of Perform every hour as well as parts of a bar or blox, and salt tabs. Also had extra water to have with the salt tabs and bars and blox. Total of 140 oz of Perform and 60 oz of water = 200 oz liquid. After all was said and done, I averaged 225 cal/hour; ~50 gr carbs/hr. and ~ 500 mg of sodium/hr. Note I am 109 lbs:-)
So, I get off the bike and my stomach is cramping terribly. This same thing happened at IMNY but it was worse yesterday. I started my run and felt pretty awful for the first couple of miles. I only drank water during my 30-sec walk breaks. I was bloated and gassy (you would not have wanted to be running with me:-)) The cramping subsided by the 3rd mile but nothing else! I was able to pick up the pace to my LRP which was good. I also had a headache - not excrutiating but there just the same. So frustrating! I've listened to the nutrition webinar and read all the advice and am just trying to figure out how to get off the darn bike and not feel awful. My legs want to go, but my stomach doesn't! I know the webinar says no water and use sports drink, but then I'd have too many calories. And I feel like I need something different from time to time (e.g., pieces of bar or blox). Too much salt? too little salt? I know I'll be needing to drink a LOT in Kona so I sure do need to figure this out ASAP! AaaaaaaaaaaHHHhhhhhhhh... Thanks!
Comments
Looking forward to hearing from smart folks. My guess, dehydration. Increase perform. Stop water.
I've been on the core diet plan for over 10 weeks now, and sticking to the hydration/fueling plan exactly. I'm taking in WAY more calories than I ever thought I could tolerate, much less benefit from. Like 600 /hr on bike and 400/hr on run, and my workouts have never been better. Honestly. I'm taking in zero water in any workout....all perform, some s caps, gels and powerbar.
I don't attest to be a nutrition expert, but I've been doing this for 10 years and I now feel like I have the answer....I'd suggest a call to the CD folks, probably too late to make any major changes but they certainly can give you some insight on the cramping issues. Severe stomach cramping at IMCDA is what caused me to look into this. Fwiw, I'm 175 lbs and my sweat test calls for me to drink 50 oz perform per hour.
Good luck and I look forward to meeting you in Kona !
Bill
Carol, here are my thoughts on IM nutrition. These may not necessarily apply to you, but they've worked for me over the years and 20+ IMs. Here's how my RR went today, nutrition and fluid-wise.
First thing - I've listened to Jesse K's nutrition webinar, and I am ignoring most of his advice. I feel that OFs like us have a different situation... our GI system doesn't move as swiftly as when we were younger. So aiming on the high side of cal/hour has always been risky for me.
Second, I drink to thirst and pee color, not to a specific formula of oz/hour. In part this is because the temperature varies during long RR's, starting at sub 50 for me today, and ending @ 75F. The first hour, I drank about 24 oz of Perform, and at the hottest point, was drinking about 40 oz/hour. This messes up a steady calorie intake, so I supplement the perform with gel (I prefer Powerbar d/t the salt content, but today I used Hammer Gel, as it's all I had.) I vary the amount of gel per hour based on how much or how little I'm drinking. In six hours I used about 6-7 oz of gel - @ 90 cal/oz, call it 600 cal, and 12 scoops of perform - 840 cal, plus 3 shot block (I just let them melt in my mouth, takes about 2 hours for one block) for another 100 cal. Total cals in 5:52 hrs: about 1550 cal, or about 260/hour. This is pretty typical for me. I weigh 145.
I;ve done this RR route 1-2 times a year since 2006, and today was the absolute best RR I;ve ever had, on any parameter I care to check. I never felt sore; I was never "bloated"; I never had stomach cramps; my time was faster on the bike, and my run was slightly faster, with a much lower heart rate. I felt great the whole way, and lost a total of 1 pound on the day. So I've got to say that my nutrition strategy works for me. Here are the key principles I keep in mind for my nutrition/hydratoin during a race:
Like I said, I don't know what would work for you precisely, but I suggest at a minimum aiming for a lower calorie intake. Your symptoms tell me your stomach/GI system is not absorbing *something* (calories and/or fluid) as fast as you are putting it in, and my guess is it's calories. My SWAG for your caloric absortion ability is 200/hour.
Be very careful on the run. It's easy to overload on calories. 8 oz of perform is 70 calories. If you are hitting 5 aid stations an hour and taking 8 oz at each one (very easy to do @ Kona - 10-12 is probably more like the fluid you need), that's 350 cal/hour right there. After about 90 minutes of that, you'll probably find yourself doubled over at the side of the road.
The bottom line is: if you find yourself in trouble on race day: SLOW DOWN. It's the only way your body can catch up if you've put too much carbs and/or fluid in. Better to lose some time than to drop out entirely.
x2 on the review of the CD. I like the no water and adjusted that out of my plan last year with good results.
Also review the discussion threads about Tim Noakes who believes most athletes drink too much.
X2 on Al's suggestion on reducing calories a little. At 122lbs I'm inbetween you and Al and I target 250 cals per hr.... 500mg sodium per hour seems like enough but its cheap insurance to add a some to that.
200oz fluid over 7hrs is 28.6oz per hr. For 109lbs this seems like too much ,except for the hottest of days (probably what you want for KONA but doesnt make sense unless you are practing in KONA like conditions). Sounds like you peed at least 4 times so it was definitely enough but maybe too much? FWIW I can only manage 15-30oz per hr depending on the temps and usually only consume 20-24. I set my computer and drink every 15min and I vary the amount based on thirst and temperatures. If I am not drinking that much I eat more. Drinking alot , eat less. Adjusting calories are easy with blocks. Also like to eat something semi real but make sure you do this a couple hrs before the end of the bike. This is very individual and alot of big guys like Robin Sarner report drinking 40-60oz per hr.
I know your running out of time but like they say in the CD you should practice your nutrition every workout. Wishing you good skill in KONA. Listen to AL , slow down and enjoy the day, we'll all be watching and cheering!
Fuzzy shirt + windbreaker = sauna
that's the sort of apparel we used to wear to lose weight before a weigh-in back when I was a rower. I used to be able to drop 6-8 pounds in an hour. Doing that for 7 hours should cause much more than 1.5lbs /hour of sweat loss (which is about what you put back in). I'd guess that you were sweating like a fiend, probably really dehydrated without knowing it, and got too far behind.
In addition, 60 / 200 ozs were basically water, so you were probably way low on sodium, too. Try to aim for almost entirely sports drink, and up the quantity if you're going to sweat that much.
> I would first of all drop that water. It has almost zero function on the day and Perform will go just fine with the food you are eating.
> As Mike mentioned, your apparel probably also contributed to the situation. I'm sure it will be indicative of the heat on race day however that undoubtedly messed with your plan.
> Given your size in the rolling hills and wins of Hawaii, you should expect to be out there for quite a while on the bike. The longer you are out there, the windier it gets. The slower you ride, the hotter it feels. So you should expect a tough hot ride. You will need to be on your nutrition from minute one on the bike monitoring all systems to make sure that everything is working okay. I'm not so concerned about the time it takes you to bike but I am concerned that you get the nutrition right while you're on the bike as I will set up to run.
> One more thought. If possible I would switch to power gels on the bike instead of bars and blocks. Or the very least get rid of the blocks. I struggle mightily digesting those, but have no problem with gels or bars.