What do you enjoy more, training or racing? Listening to an Endurance Planet podcast with 6-time Hawaii Ironman champ, Dave Scott, a few months back I listened to Dave talk about his frustrations about coming back to form after a collision with a motorist some time ago. “The Man” spoke about his “all or nothing” personality type, for better or for worse. Granted, Dave loves to go big, but he’s also known for his methodical preparation for key events. I mean, c’mon, the guy came back to Kona at 40 and placed second, overall! He knows, better than just about everybody, how to get the most out of his body. Naturally, we should get smarter as we get older. We can still go big in training, but we need to do it with great care and attention to detail. Any knucklehead can go out and bury himself (as I’ve done time and time again) but the big epiphany hopefully happens at some point when the knucklehead realizes, “Hey, going big is fun but what if I was smarter with the timing and executi0n of my gargantuan efforts???” And so it goes, another layer of that athlete’s potential is thus pealed back. Or, at least that’s the idea.

And, in order to have a good idea, you have to have a lot of ideas. To illustrate, I got an idea to conduct a 9-hour run last Monday. But, instead of running all over God’s green earth for 540 minutes, I brought an idea forward that I stole from another athlete: break that 9 hours up into 3 equal pieces. So, I ended up getting in my 9 hours but I wasn’t near as “buried” as I would have been had I conducted the whole crazy thing at once. In fact, it was probably the most high quality day of running I’ve ever done. What was tough though was all the stuff I did to take care of myself throughout the day. This is the “pealing back” part for me. It will look different depending on the goals you have set for yourself.

In my example, it’s not the training I’m highlighting, it’s the recovery. Context is important here; I’m training to run 100 miles on July 17th so running all day is the task I have before me. Early morning, hot afternoon, and at night. I’ll see it all. Specificity of training must be the integral component of your training plan too. After a long weekend having some great fun with friends, I took Monday to go big. I conducted three 3-hour long runs with three hours of rest in between each. I ate and drank well before each run but consumed no food or water during my runs as I am attempting to improve my metabolic efficiency. I brought a cooler along with plenty of fresh fruits and water so it was available immediately following each run.

After a quick stop by Safeway for a 20lb bag-o-ice I arrived home and took a 20 minute ice-bath. I showered and put on compression tights, was sure to eat well with foods rich in protein, ice-wrapped my knees, and elevated my legs. I changed up the venue throughout the day, hitting Annadel State Park in the morning and evening while running some tougher hills at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in the warm afternoon. And yes, going back out for that third run (in the dark) was pretty tough mentally. With all that recovery between efforts though, you can imagine the difference I experienced in that 9th hour since it was broken up, allowing me to bounce back faster and resume a week of continued high volume training.

So, the next time you’re planning a big weekend of training, I challenge you to put equal time and thought into your recovery protocol. In the days leading up to the big training day, ensure that you anticipate your recovery needs in advance, and you’ll find that it becomes a part of who you are as an athlete. If you think that this sounds like a lot of extra work, well then consider the benefits of being able to recapture your energy as a result of enhanced recovery strategies. Anyway, being an athlete and a coach these last few years has been illuminating. Working to be better at one is making me better at the other. Cheers!

Coach Bob’s Training Log for 6/7 – 6/13:

Trail Running – 15hrs (11,000′ climbing)

Road Cycling – 12hrs (9,500′ climbing)

Power Yoga -  2.5hrs

Ice Baths – 4

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What other exciting things have been happening lately? Well, as I’m again winding up for the Tahoe Rim Trail 100 on July 17, a lot of folks, including Rod Matteri, Greg Goebel, and Matt Gallo, are winding down their epic training days as they continue tapering for the 2010 Ironman in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on June 27th. Amanda & I are flying up to watch the show and cheer on Team BORG as they embark on their 140.6 mile journey.

Memorial Day (in memory of 3 weeks of heavy Ironman training) celebration at the Matteri Homestead

And here’s some random pics I’ve thrown in for your viewing pleasure…

My first visit to the Auburn Running Company!

I highly recommend the Planet Hike, which takes you up to Bald Mountain.

Some stops along the way on Thursday's century ride.

And now for a nice, long descent...

A view from my dashboard.

Another view from atop Geysers.

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NUTRITION

Point Positive athlete, Chuck Potter's, plate of goodness!

Steamed broccoli from our new CSA (Redwood Empire Farm)

Basil, beets, and summer squash also from our Redwood Empire CSA

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SPORTS NUTRITION

From the Hammer Nutrition Website: (for your information)

Comparing Sustained Energy and Perpetuem

• Sustained Energy is neutrally (a.k.a. “plain”) flavored. Perpetuem is available in three options: an orange–vanilla “Dreamsicle” flavor, a caffeinated caffe latte flavor (12.5 mg of caffeine per scoop), and in an unflavored/plain version.
• Perpetuem contains lyso–lecithin fat, whereas Sustained Energy does not.
• Perpetuem contains tribasic sodium phosphate, which is a tremendous lactic acid buffer. Sustained Energy does not contain this nutrient.
• Both fuels contain l–carnosine (an antioxidant that also buffers lactic acid), l–carnitine (to promote fatty acid utilization), and chromium polynicotinate (to stabilize blood sugar levels).

Bottom line: With Sustained Energy and Perpetuem, you have two great long distance fuel choices. When exercise goes beyond about two hours, you can use either product as your primary or sole fuel, in any combination with each other or any other Hammer Nutrition fuel.

That said, we have noted that Sustained Energy may be the ideal fuel choice when endurance exercise intensity is at a higher level (approximately 70–85% MHR), whereas Perpetuem may be a more attractive choice the longer the longer the athlete goes and when exercise intensity is at a more aerobic pace (under 70% MHR). Additionally, over the years we have noted that Sustained Energy may be the ideal choice for very lean athletes (the “high metabolizer/hyper–metabolic” types), while Perpetuem—with its added healthy fat component—may be the ideal choice for athletes with a naturally higher body fat percentage. The rationale for this suggestion is that athletes with a higher body fat percentage have a greater volume of calories available from body fat stores, which the lyso–lecithin component of Perpetuem may effectively assist in accessing for use as energy.

Again though, because the applications for Sustained Energy and Perpetuem are identical, either fuel can be used as the primary–to–sole fuel during prolonged bouts of exercise. Test each product in your long–duration workouts, under a variety of conditions, to find which product works best for you!

Parting Shot:  Fun times on Chalk Hill

Training