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RACE SEASON
Steve Born
Contributing Editor for the Master Skier
Steve Born, senior technical advisor for E-CAPS, has over a decade of involvement in the health food industry. He is an avid Nordic skier & ultra cycling racer. He is a three-time RAAM finisher. He was nominated for induction in the Ultra Marathon Cycling Hall of Fame.
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Endurance racing success depends not only on your workouts, but also on how you care for the machine. Here's a quick list of fueling strategies you can easily employ this season.
1. Drink appropriate amounts of fluids during exercise.
Nordic skiers don't have to deal with the typical hydration challenges that accompany summertime sports. However, we do work up a good sweat, and that means we need to drink - but how much?
The best research suggests that most athletes, under most conditions, should keep their fluid intake in the range of approximately16-24 oz/hr. Up to one regular water bottle an hour should be plenty.
Check for no more than 2% weight loss at the end of your workout. If you lose more than that, you're likely impairing your performance.
2. Avoid simple sugars in your fuels; use complex carbohydrates only.
Fructose, sucrose, glucose and other simple sugars are staples of junk food and have no place in athletic fueling. They tend to rapidly elevate, then plummet blood glucose, causing an undesirable 'flash and crash' type of energy.
Additionally, simple sugars have a severe limitation on absorption, which means you can only process about 100 cal/hr. You can consume more, but you can't absorb more; you'll only get sick trying.
Complex carbohydrates absorb at about three times the rate as simple sugars, so you'll have a greater volume of calories available for energy production. Plus you get smooth, steady, reliable energy - no peaks and valleys.
Use fuels that have complex carbohydrates only, no simple sugars. You'll definitely notice a difference.
3. Don't try to replenish 'calories out' with equal amounts of 'calories in.'
Here's an often overlooked, but a fundamental fact of physiology: you can't replace energy at anywhere near the rate you expend it.
Athletes who mistakenly follow the 'calories out, calories in' protocol that some 'experts' recommend - upwards of 700-900 calories per hour - will end up subjecting themselves to a variety of unpleasant gastric maladies.
To achieve your best performance, respect your system's processing limit, which is roughly one-third of your caloric expenditure (the body will take care of the difference). For most athletes, an intake 240-300 cal/hr will do the job.
For lighter athletes, 180-200 cal/hr may be just the ticket, while larger athletes can consider intakes of slightly over 300 cal/hr.
4. Add protein to Your Fuel for Your Longer Workouts.
When you go beyond two hours, stored and consumed carbohydrates won't completely fulfill energy requirements; you should add some protein (soy is ideal) to your fuel mix during at least a portion of your long workouts/races. This helps to prevent fatigue caused by excess ammonia production/accumulation, while protecting your lean muscle mass and immune system from degradation.
5. Remember to replenish electrolytes prior to and during exercise.
Warm weather electrolyte replenishment is a no-brainer, but what about exercise at sub-freezing temps? Sure, your losses are less, and the risk for cramping may be lower, but you're still sweating and losing vital minerals.
Anyway, the primary reason for electrolyte supplementation isn't to prevent cramps, but to maintain optimal performance of many important bodily functions.
Long before cramping sets in, you've had compromised muscle function (including heart muscle) and decreased performance efficiency.
You don't wait until you dehydrate before you drink, or bonk before you consume some calories, so don't wait for a major muscle cramp to remind you to take electrolytes - and not just salt, but a full-spectrum, well-balanced formula.
6. Replenish carbohydrates and protein ASAP after each exercise session.
Here's a saying to remember: 'When you're done training, you're not done trainingÖ not until you've replenished your body.'
The overall training protocol requires (A) Workouts that cause muscle exhaustion and nutrient depletion, and (B) Immediate post-workout refueling for muscle repair and nutrient replenishment. If you neglect to refill the tank, you'll never get the full value out of all the work you just put inÖ and what a waste that would be!
Increased fitness occurs most effectively when you refuel your body when it's most receptive to replenishment. Give your body what it needs, complex carbs, whey protein, vitamins, electrolytes and antioxidants, at the right time, and it will respond by recovering faster, staying healthy and efficiently adapting to physical stress.
7. Consume an appropriate pre-race meal at the proper time.
The goal of a pre-race meal is to top off liver glycogen, which has been depleted after nightlong fast. You only need 200-400 calories (honest!) to do this.
To maximize muscle glycogen utilization (unaffected by a night-long sleep) it's important to complete this meal at least three hours prior to the start of a workout or race. If this is not feasible (don't sacrifice sleep to eat), then consume 100-200 calories of easily digested fuel not more than ten minutes prior to the start.
Food consumed between these two times will not help, but instead increase the depletion rate of your primary fuel, stored muscle glycogen.
More detailed information about proper fueling and all the Hammer Nutrition products can be found in The Endurance Athleteís Guide To Success. You can download a free copy at www.e-caps.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf www.e-caps.com/downloads/fuelinghandbook.pdf
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