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Sports Nutrition
Q & A With an Expert - Triathlon
We sat down with Bill Floyd, Level II USA Triathlon Certified Coach, and a TEAM in Training National Certified Coach, (Leukemia-Lymphoma Society) to ask him a few questions about the sport of triathlon. Here is what our expert has to say...
Carb-BOOM: If I was a beginning or intermediate level triathlete wanting to complete an international or Ironman distance race what should I do first to prepare?
Coach: Obviously, the first thing to do would be to hire a coach, who can design a plan, schedule skills and drills, and to give you a nutritional plan to give you the greatest chance of fulfilling your goals and objectives. However, I would first make a list of the areas that are important to you including the following: buy or tuneup your bike, buy cycling shorts (triathlon related), swimwear (including goggles and a swimcap), running gear (including shoes, hat, and sunglasses) and adjust your grocery list so that it has more chicken and vegetables with colors of green and yellow for variety and vitamins. Include a good multi-vitamin into your day, too. Plus, a small area to consider at the beginning, but extremely important toward the middle and end of race preparation is sleep schedule. Go to bed a minimum of one hour earlier, and get up one half hour earlier to train.
Carb-BOOM: What kind of distances are needed for training, and how fast should I approach them?
Coach: Ask yourself what distance you feel you can make. Both are humblers of the human body, yet, the strength you can accumulate can be attained with the time you commit. However, let's look at each sport involved. The International distance is a 0.9m swim, 24.9m bike, and 6.2m run. The Ironman is a 2.4m swim, 112m bike, and 26.2m run.
There are general guidelines to adhere by to get the endurance needed. One is to start slowly and work on proper form in each sport. Put speed drills in your training at the beginning and continue to the day of the race. Speed and endurance are two critical areas to address concerning what your body will be subjected to for the race.
Carb-BOOM: Is there a formal program that you use in guiding your triathletes for International and Ironman distance events?
Coach: Yes, there is! It is called Periodization, a program that began in the 1940's, yet, was not adopted by the United States until the early 1980's. This is the Olympian form of athletic development that USA Triathlon Coaches are trained to coach. There are five stages for you to remember:
- PREPARATION is first. This is where you learn the form and work on the agility part of the sports involved plus weight training once a week. This time table may last 1-2 weeks.
- BASE is next, where you spend 4-6 weeks swimming, cycling, and running, basically at distances you can do easily. For the distances we are discussing, you should be able to swim for 30-40 minutes, 3 times a week, cycle up to 35-40 miles, keeping a cadence of 70-85 rpm's with surges up to 90+ rpm's holding for 3-5 minutes 3-4 times a week, and run 5-7 miles for your longest run at a pace you can carry a conversation.
- BUILD is the third stage, and this one may last 6-8 weeks. Every 7-10 days you go for a swim, bike, or run, adding enough mileage that you are comfortable with, but not at race pace! You should be able to get into the mileage of the race by the 7th or 8th week of Build stage. Put at least three drills in each long distance per sport. Try these three:
- Isolated leg ñ pedal with one leg for one minute, then switch to the other leg. Do 3 sets per ride
- 90 second accelerations on the run to Zone 5a
- Swim 4 X 25 meter laps at Zone 5a with a 2-3 minute minimum recovery between sets.
Do three sets of each of these per sport, then complete your swim, bike or run at a regular cruising gear or pace. Endurance will be attained at any pace, while speed has to be worked on, not by the length of a run or bike, but by going fast at shorter distances.
- PEAK or tapering stage is where you can cut back your mileage by about 10% per week while still maintaining your intensity before a race. This area of periodization gives your body time to recover and grow strong as you ready for the race. This stage can last 10-17 days.
- RACE is the last stage, which may last 1-2 weeks depending on the length of the race. Your volume and duration is dramatically decreased; however, work on form and technique (just at slower and shorter speeds) to allow your body to recover, heal and become stronger. This is hard to do but a must. Plus, watch your food intake. With the decreased mileage and intensity you will not be burning as many calories, so try and maintain your weight.
Carb-BOOM: What do you mean by Zones?
Coach: Intensity Zones is an Olympian form of designating how hard the triathlete will be working in the training workout. The zones are:
- Zone 1 - Recovery or slow pace
- Zone 2 - Extensive endurance or long workouts at pace
- Zone 3 - Intensive endurance or slightly more intensity at distance
- Zone 4 and 5A - Threshold ñ this brings the triathlete slightly above
or below lactate threshold, an area where you make great
gains in speed though you may not go as far while in this zone
- Zone 5B ñVery high intensity such as in interval training; however, caution needs to be made since injury can happen here if you go too far
- Zone 5C ñ Power ñ explosive high intensity training where duration is focused on seconds rather than minutes. Rarely used by multisport athletes
Carb-BOOM: Zones are a critical form of the workout. What are the other core parts of a workout?
Coach: There are basically three, which are:
- WARM UP
Stretches and skills, 1-2 strength drills
- MAIN SET
Drills and duration
- COOL DOWN
The last 5-10% of the work out distance slow the pace down to Zone 1 to rid the body of lactic acid buildup with the aim of reducing soreness and feeling over fatigued. Stretch!
Carb-BOOM: How often should you drink fluids during training and racing?
Coach: The general rule is 4-6 ounces every 10-15 minutes, depending on how much you sweat. Water is the least expensive, however, I would use a sports drink for the last three weeks before a race so your body can become accustomed to it. Do not use a sports drink that may cause cramps or other individual problems and do not try something new the day of the race. Stay with what is proven to work well with you. By-the-way, drink in the transition area as you are running out, and do not miss a water station without taking two cups, one for drinking and one for pouring over your head and the back of your neck for cooling. You can also purchase various belts that allow fluids to be carried with you--a good idea for the longer races.
Carb-BOOM: If the triathlete begins to tire during a workout or race what should they do?
Coach: First of all, be sure to train regularly, and as per above drink fluids every 10-15 minutes to stay hydrated. Second, concentrate on your form rather than speed late in the race, whether it is on the bike or run. Proper form will give you a good pace and is more efficient, which means you can keep your energy up longer.
Carb-BOOM: Is there a way to determine how fast I might expect to finish an Ironman if I had just completed an International Distance triathlon?
Coach: Yes, and it is fairly easy to calculate. Take your International Distance time and multiply it by 4.67 and 5.0, and you will have a range of how fast you will be for the Ironman.
Carb-BOOM: Lastly, what do you recommend in terms of food and gels for training and racing?
Coach: Carry with you on longer rides and runs an energy bar that has protein and carbohydrates in it. This is a must to keep your calories and strength high since this is your fuel, just like in a car.
Gels are also a critical part of the nutritional diet for the triathlete. They will help you stay at a closer level of high performance longer, for both training and racing. For longer duration workouts, take 2-4 gels at the beginning to keep your body calorie count high. Take an additional one every 30-45 minutes, depending on your intensity and distances. Try to stay with the same flavor during a race so your body stays accustomed to the ingestion of the gel. Your body, mind, emotions, and, yes, even, spiritual feelings, come into the dynamics of these longer distances. So stay tried and true and you will see the finish line with fewer, if any, problems.
Bill Floyd has competed in Ironman distance, international distance, and sprint distance triathlons. He is a store manager at a major bike store in Tampa, Florida, and has his own online store connected with his website at www.TriFloyd.com . Coach Bill is available for private and group sessions, as well as marketing consulting. He can be reached at bfloydpres@aol.com.
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