Smiling as we go into race week!
(Picture from 2018 St. George 70.3)
It feels great to know that we are finally approaching race week. Six months without racing had made me miss racing and I am so excited that we get to kick off the season with a half Ironman in Haines City, FL along with 15 of our athletes.
Although I'm most excited to dust off the rust and experience the hurt that comes with racing, I'm also anxious to see what my new training (thanks to my new coach - my first ever hired coach) has done for my body. I feel fit and healthy and I'm thankful to my body for letting me train for my races.
Over the past seven days, I've completed 21800 yards swimming (5 hours), 10:37 hours cycling, 3:52 hours running and one hour of strength training. Thank you body!
Throughout every session, I've made sure to fuel and hydrate my body to support every training session. Not only does this help me master my race day nutrition but I also view fueling/hydration as a way to keep my body functioning well during training stress. A common misconception that I hear from athletes/coaches is that workout fueling should be based on body weight. This is actually incorrect. In other words, a 120 lb female athlete can consume the same amount of calories as a 190lb male athlete during a long duration workout.
This is why the carbohydrate recommendations in my book are expressed in grams per hour (ex. 60-90g of carbohydrates per hour during a 3+ hour workout) and not expressed per weight.
Physiologically, there is no relationship between weight and how much carbohydrate your body oxidizes during exercise. Regardless of how much you weigh, exercise intensity and duration indicates how much energy (carbohydrates) you need to support the training session. Body weight doesn't differentiate between how much (or little) you need to support a workout.
Although your daily carbohydrate intake (outside of training) does factor in your weight and activity level, when you exercise, carbohydrate intake is based on intestinal absorption. Scientifically, it shouldn't be assumed that a 110 lb runner has faster or slower intestinal absorption of 50g of carbohydrate compared to a 200 lb runner.
Hopefully this helps clears up any confusion (and helps you better fuel your body). Because carbohydrate ingestion can improve performance (and health) during long duration and high intensity exercise, don't be afraid to fuel "enough" to support your amazing body in motion.
Here are some wise words written by my athlete Ericka on her recent social media post:
"Sometimes I get caught up thinking that "I don't need THAT many calories to get through this workout." Truth is I have never regretted fueling...and I mean really fueling. I've certainly regretted under fueling. Maybe not in the workout that I got through on minimal calories, but then I'll feel it in the next one or the one after that or in two weeks when I'm empty and I have to tap out.
When I fuel to fill the tank, I feel unstoppable. Not just in that workout, but the next one and the one after that and in two weeks when my body does more than I ever thought possible."