| BPC Newsletter |
Issue 008 Aug 2009 |
Letter from Ali
Greetings!
This edition of the June/July BPC Newsletter covers "Putting the Fun Back in Your Racing and Training" by Assistant Coach Vic Brown, "Making Smart Nutrition Choices" by Head Coach, Ali Winslow, BPC Training Events for August-September, and latest BPC News!
Check out our impressive June and July Race Results and Pictures.
If you are living in the Boston and Metro Areas, make the best training decision by signing up for our 2009-2010 "Short Course and Long Course Multisport Training Program" Details will soon be available on our website. This one of a kind training program will offer an affordable coaching program for athletes of all levels, looking to train with a group. The basics of the program will include detailed weekly online workouts, coached swim, bike and run practice as well as strength training. Check back to our website soon for the latest information and sign ups!
Enjoy our Newsletter!
Making Smart Nutrition Choices
So many times I listen to athletes complain that they have been training really hard or training so many long hours and for some reason, they are either losing too much weight (typical of males) or gaining to much weight (typical of females). Here are my top tips for optimal race nutrition and beyond.
#1 Begin with a clean diet You have to start your training season with a clean palate. This means you need to eliminate the "bad food" choices that have been living in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer! You all have those "trigger" foods in your life. I call these bad influence foods, because you tend to not be able to control yourself around theses items. So, begin your race nutrition planning with a cleansing of your kitchen and work areas. Making a shopping list and try a new grocery store for new and exciting ideas. Pick up a healthy cooking magazine or check out a new website to find some new recipes that will help invigorate your stagnate daily routine. Then make a plan, starting with 1 week at a time. Each meal needs to include a lean protein, a healthy low sugar carbohydrate and then some fat. Try adding eggs to your morning routine along with some veggies, add steel cut oats mixed with peanut butter and add raw nuts and seeds to a salad. Cleaning up your diet doesn't mean restrict your calories, it just means you need to think "eat to train, eat to win"
#2 Plan your meals If you are like most of us, you are constantly running around, working and training. You will need to be organized and plan for your life on a daily basis. That means you will need to plan 1 day per week to do your grocery shopping. One of the things I like to do is leave a blank sheet of paper next to the fridge. Every time I think of something we need, I write it down. I will then type the list onto my phone and add to it over the week. On my shopping day I purchase only what's on my list, eliminating the impulse purchase. I have a standard list of fruits and veggies that we tend to use each week, and then things that are easy proteins like eggs, tuna fish and cottage cheese. Once home from the shopping trip, I will set aside an hour to make preparations. To make life easier, I cut up a bunch of the veggies- like cucumbers, peppers, red cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower. Then I stick it all in tupperware containers. In the morning, before I head out to work, I will put the veggies on top of a salad mix, throw in some hard boiled eggs or tuna and I have a perfect lunch. The time spent on a Sunday will set you up for an entire week of good eating. It just takes some organized thought and planning!
#3 Begin to implement your training nutrition and race nutrition The nutrition fallout during racing occurs when you try something in a race that you haven't tried in training conditions. Furthermore, perhaps you have tried something in training conditions, but then it didn't work on race day. Generally, I try to get my athletes (and myself) to follow race nutrition on a daily basis. I treat every training event as I would a race. This allows my system to adapt to whatever food items ( gels, recovery drinks, hydration drinks and bars) that I may use on race day. Your body has a remarkable ability to adjust and the more you practice your race nutrition, the better your body will respond. That way, on race day morning, when your digestive system is acting up a bit due to the stress/anxiety, you are well prepared! Try to find a good pre workout and post workout nutrition plan that you can rely on. For more information on nutritional products, please contact me directly!
#4 Always eat a pre workout and post workout meal This goes hand in hand with #3. Too many times athletes come in to a workout in a fasting state. You need to replenish your system and start your metabolic engine. If you haven't eaten for 8 hrs or more (overnight), then you need to consume between 100-400 calories in the morning before a workout. It may seem like a lot of calories, but a simple energy drink, protein drink or even oatmeal and peanut butter can do the trick. Current research has shown that major improvements in strength and endurance occurs in trained athletes who consume a pre and post workout meal. As for post workout nutrition, I recommend a recovery shake, followed by a meal. The reason is simple- we are triathletes who tend to squeeze in workouts between other commitments in the day. We live out of our cars, bikes, running shoes and pool lockers. So, a few scoops of powder travels very well in a shaker bottle. This way, our athletes insure proper post workout nutrition, no matter where they are.
#5 Optimize your salt intake and learn your sweat rate Salt loading is a new concept, but there is promising research for the endurance athlete with regards to performance. The studies published showed that 25 oz of a concentrated sodium drink in the 2 hrs leading up to a run helped to increase blood volume. These runners maintained a lower core body temperature and a lower level of perceived effort. The important aspect of salt loading is to know what your sweat rate is and how much sodium is typically in your daily diet. Because dehydration ranks among the most common nutritional causes of performance decline in athletes, an understanding of sweat rate is of paramount importance when developing a race day nutrition plan. Weighing yourself pre and post workout, knowing the duration and intensity of your workout, including details of weather conditions and finally, adding in the volume of fluid ingested during a workout are all the important factors to consider when trying to calculate your hydration needs. The average athlete needs between 200-1000mg of sodium per hour during training and racing.
#6 Be prepared Too many times I have heard from my athletes and clients that "they don't have time" to eat healthy. I have been in the coaching and personal training business for 15 years, so I understand the need to "find" time to eat healthy. I always recommend having healthy snack available in your car, your gym bag, your office/desk, or know how to get a healthy snack. As I stated in the above points, keep a few bars and shakes available- I keep protein shake packets everywhere. That way if I haven't had time to get to the grocery store, or I just finished a bike ride and I have to get back to work, I can make a quick shake and get the nutrition I need. If you prefer bars, then keep those around. If you are really stuck, then make solid healthy choices with what you have in front of you- pretzels, peanut butter, cheese, yogurt, a rehydrate type of drink should all suffice until you can get a real meal. Don't let your body go more than 3-4 hours without calories, unless you are looking to slow your metabolism. You need to fuel your engine consistently to keep it running.
#7 Addition of caffeine supplementation and other nutrient supplementation There is so much discussion around whether or not we should use caffeine. In May at a personal training summit, I read research and presentations showing the dramatic improvement on performance in individuals who consumed caffeine pre workout. Simply put, if it s so helpful, why wouldn't you use it? Now, there are folks out there who are caffeine sensitive, so obviously, this research doesn't apply. But for those of us who can tolerate the stimulant, 4.5 mg of caffeine per pound of body weight taken immediately prior to racing has been shown to significantly extend endurance. The other supplements I recommend are fish oils post exercise to aid in recovery and reduce inflammation. There is so much out there in terms of information and products, just make sure the products you choose are from a reputable company.
Put the Fun Back In Your Training and Racing
I find that desire and performance go hand in hand. If you are consistently willing to put the time in mentally and physically to train at appropriate intensities, you will become a faster athlete. In New England, the triathlon season can run from May through September; tack on an extra 2 months if you bookend duathlons. Now equate the additional months of training leading up to the season. Quite long. Not uncommon for those to lack mid season motivation. When training begins to feel like a job, if consistency is weaning, or if you've found yourself hitting the snooze button one too many times, it may be time to get back to base, have some fun, and regroup for end of the season success.
Make training social. Find a group to train with or get a workout buddy. Most triathletes I know are either morning risers and/or notorious eaters... well at least I am. Grab a cup of Joe or meal together after your training session. To keep the intensity up, find a group or individual who is faster than you are; a master's class, various group rides and run (You can find a group to train with everyday of the week including weekends in Boston. If you need help locating them, feel free to ask me). This will help motivate you and push yourself to become faster as well. And it's always easier to stay motivated when you know someone is counting on you to meet them for a workout.
As triathletes, we succumb to consistency and routine. How many times have I heard people talk about their workouts as they are correlated to days of the week - "Monday I swim, Tuesday's I run." Get out of your comfort zone. Try a new bike route or run path. Don't be afraid to get a little lost. The bike can lead you down a road to many great sites and quaint towns you might not have otherwise seen.
Whether you love the rhythm of your breathing with the pitter patter of your feet on the road, or the serenity an early morning swim brings, or how your legs scream for mercy when climbing. Don't forget why you workout. We enjoy the training. And it should be fun and challenging altogether.
BPC Athlete Race Results
Robyn Metcalfe 6:57:55
Julia Metcalfe 5:23:15
Max Metcalfe 5:15:58
Old Colony Olympic
Noah Manacas 2:28 (1st Oly distance race)
Mill City Olympic
John Fox 2:46 (3min improvement over last year!)
Falmouth Sprint
Ali Winslow 57:14 (4th OA)
Ron Ulich 102:30
Massachusetts State Sprint
Patty Murphy 1:17:49 (after 5 weeks off due to a hand injury!)
Massachusetts State International
Bret Fortenberry 2:26:20
Jeff Naylor 2:24:54 (4th fastest swim!)
Swim Across America
Marissa Soloman
Good Will Running 10K
Silas Bauer 44:49
Stefanie Howlett 1:09:09
IM Switzerland
Mark Vautour
Seacost 7 Mile Road Race
Lindsey Sones 1:07
Stowe 8 Mile Road Race
Noah Manacas 1:01:29 (blazing 7:42 pace!)
Greenfield Triathlon- changed to be a 30.4mile bike and 7.2 mile run/duathlon
Lauren Cullings 2:29:36 (2nd AG)
Carolyn Cullings 2:26:57 (1st AG)
Salem Witch City Sprint
Michael Yenke 1:05:53 (1st AG, 13th OA)
Todd Gochman 1:11:44 (sprint PR!)
Trisha Kelly
Marissa Soloman 1:20:25
Mooseman HIM
Mark Vautour- BPC Team Sponsor 5:23
Silas Bauer 5:34:56
Marc Capobianco 4:55:05
Mooseman HIM Relay
Lauren Cullings: half marathon time of 1:36:14, overall relay time 4:41:29 2nd relay team
Mooseman Olympic Distance
Noah Manacas (relay) Olympic relay 10k was 46:25, team took first place overall with a time of 2:23:26
Hyannis 1
Jeff Naylor 1:05:57
Michael Yenke 1:02:13 (3rd AG)
Ron Ulich 1:11:14
Elizabeth Kennedy 1:14:18
Angelo Gala 1:05:07 (1st triathlon)
Patriot Half Ironman
Ben Arnold 4:57:19 (1st half ironman, 5th AG)
Christina Kim 5:48:15 (10th AG)
Vermont Sun Sprint
DAVID CLEARY 1:17:06
ELIZABETH CLEARY 1:46:53 (1st triathlon!)
Cohasset Sprint
MICHAEL YENKE 1:04:14
ALISON WINSLOW 1:05:43 (2nd AG)
NANCY ARENA 1:09:23 (3rd AG)
LAUREN CULLINGS 1:09:32
CAROLYN CULLINGS 1:11:48
RONALD ULICH 1:13:57
MARISSA SOLOMON 1:18:53
Pantanella's Flat as a Pancake Triathlon
BEN ARNOLD 1:02:20 (3rd AG)
Twilight Criterium
Vic Brown 12th Cat 4
Webster Lake Sprint:
Patty Murphy 1:25:32
Bret Fortenberry 1:21:45 (day after the B2B!)
Lauren Cullings 1:16:21 (2nd AG)
Jessica Douglas 1:19:01
