Santa Barbara Triathlon Training Weekend: The Barbarian Challenge

The encyclopedia defines the word "Barbarian" as: A "noble savage" often represented as a "lone warrior".

Several characteristics commonly shared by Barbarians:

• Extreme physical prowess
• A robust tolerance for pain
• Unmatched fighting skill & competitive fitness
• An appetite for, and the ability to attract the opposite sex
• Paleo eating
• A thirst for large amounts of alcohol
• A blending of British, Germanic, Austrian and nomadic Turco-Mongol cultures
• A strong sorcery element that is almost never used by the Barbarian character, just don’t piss him off
• Violently passionate, modern Hollywood Barbarian may possess 'Tiger Blood'

The Kain Performance Santa Barbara Training Weekend has its own version of "Barbarian" and draws many parallels to the fantasy version. Coach Kain set up the challenge: Eight workouts in three days. Finish all workouts plus a few push-ups & crunches…and be crowned a "Santa Barbarian"!

The folks who completed all the workouts were characterized by extreme physical prowess, a very robust tolerance for pain, at times violently passionate when confronted with extreme cold water, lots of meat eating while socializing with attractive men and women at an incredible Barbarian-style feast, with large quantities of alcohol.

They weren’t confronted, so did not need to show off their fighting skills, but definitely threw the hammer down when given a chance. These Barbarians were tough, were not fazed by the hours of brutality they endured while swimming in frigid water, cycling for hours and running on tired legs! These Barbarians went about their business with smiles and laughter and even had that extra energy to take shots!

Here’s how it went down: Kain Performance hit Santa Barbara on a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L weekend! The weather was the cherry on top of an epic weekend. After Coach Kain’s issued the "Santa Barbarian" challenge, the first workout had great attendance, with about 30 "eager & ready" would-be Barbarians! We started with a smooth 40 minute endurance pace run along the coast path. We initiated our first set of 50 push-ups and 50 crunches; then dove into the Santa Barbara Masters Swim Workout at the Los Banos Pool – how often do you get to swim in a 50 meter pool right on the Harbor?! We swam for just over an hour and got in some good "quality" speed sets! 1500-3200 meters were covered.

Some continued on to the "Endless Summer Cafe" and had a crazy Kain style dinner, with a few shots for some would-be Barbarians! A small group [that shall go unnamed] crawled from bar to bar on State Street for some late night shenanigans; one required a late-night designated driver! Thank you Ryan & Reza for your patience and assistance.

On Saturday, we woke up to a beautiful day with sunny skies, which made getting in the 56 degree water a bit more bearable. Whoa! the "Barbarians" had grown overnight to about 40 strong. I guess a few people had to work on Friday! ALMOST everyone took the plunge into the Pacific Ocean and swam a "loop" of 500 meters. A few of the toughest "Barbarians" did the loop 2-3 times. A great way to start the day, but it was COLD! Many THANKS to Jana "Banana" Crane, Lori "this is my 5th KP SB Weekend" Bradford and Jody "Slackeress" Gold for their help on the Stand Up Paddle Boards. Thanks to Coach Paul "I only ride" Gallo for being the Team Photographer and to Ryan "Good to be back" Reed for being the human "buoy" on the beach!

We thawed out and indulged in stacks of blueberry wheat germ pancakes, then it was on the bikes for our annual 70 mile ride to Ventura, around Lake Casitas. Imagine the high-energy scene when 20+ cyclists hit the freeway all at once! Can you say Kain Train?! Everyone made it through the freeway section in one piece, with NO FLATS! We stopped in Ventura for a quick drink break, and then headed out toward the Lake. This ride is tough, as most of the climbing is during the final 30 miles, not the first 30. The group stayed together until the climbs, and then spread into two groups.

Coach Russell "Who's my Baby Daddy" Shaw led a solid front group which included: Lihan "I'll take some dinner with my Scotch" Wang, Bill "I'm gonna kick Lihan's butt" Wang, Bastian "The German Hammer" Bartels, Tim "Hammer Head" Reynolds, Ryan "Bring it On" Wall, Suzanne "Just Married" Slivkoff, Randy "I ALREADY DID MY IRONMAN" Pufahl , Karl "with a K" Haunold, Glenn "The Sleeper" Blackler and Tony "The Austrian Sensation" Jager.

Coach "Never Late" Kain and Coach "Yodel-ay-hee-hoo" Sharoo led the second and third group on climbs. Off the bike, it was running the 3-4 miles flat to Stearns Wharf and back. After a short clothing optional soak, we met up at The Fish House Restaurant for a barbarian feast.

After two days of sleuthing for little known facts, Jody & Pete surprised everyone with a Trivia Quiz "How well do you know you’re KP Teammates". We learned A LOT about each other! Long time member Eric "FEAR THE BEARD" Ventry won the quiz contest earning him a free dinner! Nice work Eric!

The next morning we conquered yet another frigid ocean swim. More than 20 took the plunge! After the swim, the focus was a scenic run along the coast. We did about 12 miles, with Glenn Blackler and Russell Shaw leading the charge. Everyone had a great run, then it was onto another "wheat germ carbon pancake fest"!

The final workout of the weekend was a no-drop spin through Hope Ranch to Goleta Beach and back. The "Santa Barbarian" group was a bit tired by now, but still charging ahead - 40 cyclists made up another KAIN TRAIN!

Thanks to all who made the Santa Barbara Training Weekend a success!
Thank you Jody Gold for making all the arrangements for a great weekend!
Thank you Lori Bradford & Jana Crane for their SUP support during the ocean swims!
Thanks you Coaches Paul Gallo, Randy Pufahl, Russell Shaw and Karl Haunold!

Estimated Workout Totals:

Swim, up to 3 miles
Bike, 90 -130 miles
Run, up to 20 miles
250 Push-ups
250 Crunches

Kain Performance Santa Barbarians: They did it all! This group is tough! Here is the list of those who completed every workout, our Barbarians:

Females
Laura "Is that all" Coyne
Kathy "Austria here I come "Hoyer
Suzanne "Marriage is Bliss" Slivkoff
Carol "My back is Fine" Fredrickson
Christiana "Sub 16 Austria" Riedl
Della "Lovin it"Flint
Laurie "I did it all" Boswell
Danelle "Hangin' Tough"Moon
Coach Sharoo "Queen of the Skirts" Kain

Males
Bastian "German Hammer" Bartels
Tony "Austrian Sensation" Jager
Bill "2nd Time Barbarian" Wang
Randy "Don't Bother Knocking if the RV is Rockin!" Pufahl
Ryan "Designated Driver" Wall (How Boring!)
Reza "Compartment What?" Navid
Eric "I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night" Ventry
Glenn "the Picasso of cycling" Blackler
Karl "Check Out My Sweet Van" Haunold

Some were close, but missing just one (or two) workouts, but that won’t get you Barbarian status (Duh!) so maybe next year…

Jody "Santa Barbarina?!" Gold (did ALMOST everything)
Russell "Missed the final bike ride" Shaw
Lihan "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner " Wang
Tim "Fast Ball" Reynolds
Lori "Wha-SUP!" Bradford
Jana "Boston or Bust" Crane
Melody "What Ankle Surgery?!" Casillas
Jon"Southern California Hotty"Hippo
Mike "The Linebacker" Ferguson
Ted "2006 Bench Press World Champ" Ornduff

Coach "Who’s idea was this anyway" Kain (actually swam one ocean swim, but surf paddled the second! Had to miss the Sat run, but road 85 miles. Did all push-ups/crunches and everything else.)

Great job! Put 2012 on your schedule now! Picasa photos shown to the right... and found on Facebook.

Thanks, Coach’s Pete + Sharoo (and a little help from The Slackeress)
www.kainperformance.com

Kain Performance Wins Northern California Triathlon Club Championship

The Santa Cruz Triathlon held on September 26th was a great Kain Team event and a cap to a fantastic year! Kain Performance won the Tri Club Division 2 Title for the 3rd year in a row! It was a complete team effort and everyone who came out deserves big kudos for helping us win again! We had high participation and quite a few top finishers! Everyone got a point for finishing. Top 6 in Age Group got bonus points - 1st place - 6 points, 2nd place 5 points. Thanks to all who raced. Thank you to our supporters & sponsors!

Here are a few highlights:

Tri Club Competition -

Division 2 -

1) Kain Performance - 70 points ($500 winner) 2nd place Team Overall
2) Team Sheeper - 64 points
3) Santa Cruz Tri Club - 47 points

***Top 15 in Age Group (AG)

Joanne Wicker - 1st place - (AG 55-59)
Dave Sinclair - 2nd place - (AG 60-64)
Kam Hlebovy - 2nd place - (AG 65-69)
Shari Kain - 3rd place - (AG 45-49)
Pete Kain - 3rd place - (AG 45-49)
Meredith Hawkins - 4th place (AG 50-54)
Fred Servais - 4th place (AG 40-44)
Russell Shaw - 5th place (AG 35-39)
Jana Crane - 5th place (AG 45-49)
Carol Fredrickson - 6th place (AG 50-54)
Patrick McDonald - 9th place (AG 50-54)
Amy Rubin - 9th place (AG 45-49)
Dina Glendening - 9th place (AG 40-44)
Ralph Fallant - 9th place (Clydes)
Kathy Hoyer - 10th place (AG 50-54)
Laura Coyne - 11th place (AG 45-49)
Tony Jager - 11th place (AG 45-49)
Ahmed Hassan - 11th place (AG 30-34)
Sarah Rule - 13th place (AG 30-34)
Bastian Bartels - 13th place (AG 25-29)
Andrea Hong - 14th place (AG 45-49)

***Also showing AWESOME FORM and completing the SC Tri with a smile!

Tami Dickins
Elizabeth Park
Della Flint
Danelle Moon
Christiana Riedl
Jody Sinclair
Tim Reynolds
Joel Seligstein
Jason Wolf
Mike Ferguson
Jim Ratcliff
Bill Wang
Rob Dinapoli
Jeff Chase
Steve Hawkins

***Also competing and having 3 flat tires was Jody! Way to hang tough Jody! She kept a smile on her face and cheered everyone in to the finish!!

***Full results are posted on the Santa Cruz Triathlon website.

***Congrats and Thanks to all!! Looking forward to our KP End Of The Year Party on Saturday, November 20th, 2010!!!

***Mark the calendar for the Santa Cruz Triathlon in 2011 - September 25th, 2011

Cheers,
Coach Kain
www.kainperformance.com

How Fast Should I be running at Track?

Track workout tends to be one of the least well attended team workouts that KAIN PERFORMANCE offers. I think there are two main reasons for this; One is that it can feel a little intimidating, athletes tend to think they are going to be pushed beyond their limits. The second is that people doing Ironman distance races think there is little to gain from “Speed-work”. I hope to address these two concerns in this article.

The first concern could be addressed if people understood that as coaches, we understand that it is detrimental to push athletes beyond their limits – that leads to injury, over-training and the breakdown of the athlete – that is never the goal of the track workout. However I think the vast majority of athletes do not have a sense of how fast they should be running during their efforts, because of this they tend to think that everything is going to be very anaerobic – and that is not the case.

As regards the second concern, it is well documented that doing a little speed-work on the track can have significant impact on the ability of all runners at all distances to improve their times. I won’t get into the details of how that happens (if you would like more info please contact one of the coaches). But understand that “Speed-work” looks very different for someone doing an Olympic distance race compared to some one going Iron distance - combine this with some personal knowledge of how fast you should be doing your runs then I think you would be better prepared to meet your stated competition goals.

So …. lets say I had a goal of running a 4 hour marathon in my ironman – obviously I know I have to build up my endurance so that I had the capability to run the actual distance – but HOW FAST should I do my training runs if that is my overall goal?

That’s where a running or pace calculator can be a useful tool. On the next page you can see what my predicted pace times would be for all distances up to the marathon. Some of them are just for fun - and they tend to be more inaccurate over the shorter distances – 400M and lower - the 100M sprint time for example has a lot more to do with someone’s genetic legacy of fast twitch muscle fibers than it does training for a 4 hour marathon. However this tool can be useful in a couple of areas:

a. If you know your last 10K time you can punch it in and it will predict what you should be capable of at a half Iron man or an ironman distance run – that helps you figure out if your race goals are realistic or not.

b. Secondly it allows you to predict your own track workout pace – (therefore less intimidating) as well as the pace you should be doing your long slow runs and your tempo runs. If the goal is to run a sub 40 minute 10K – then you know you need to be able to run in the area of a 5.33 mile and that your tempo runs should be at 6.31 – 6.48 per mile.

The link to the McMillan Running Calulator here.

I recommend you check out the site, play around with the calculator a little if you have never used one before, and then put in some of your documented race paces and see if those pace times seem familiar.

HOMEWORK. Put in your time goals for the run on your “A” race this year and printout the document. If you then bring that to track, when Pete gives you the workout for the night, you will have an idea of what pace you should be running ultimately in order to meet this goal.

Always remember that these numbers are estimates and that how you are feeling, your fatigue level, your place in the training cycle etc all has to be considered and used to modify these paces. Talk to the coaches so that the workout is individualized for you. But at least you will have a good starting point.

Finally another little tip I learned this week listening to another seminar from Bobby McGee was the “12 minute rule”. If you are not feeling good for your run workout, try to quantify it on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being “Dead” and 10 being “Very strong and fresh” – then go run for 12 minutes - just a steady warm up run – if at the end of that 12 minutes you would give yourself a higher score – then you are ready to workout – if the score is lower, then you might want to call it a night and get a little extra rest.

Hope you found this helpful – hope you do your “homework” and at least play around with the calendar and printout a pace schedule for yourself and hope to see you at track

Coach John Magee

If you would like more information about triathlon training & run coaching, visit the Kain Performance website.

SANTA BARBARA TRAINING WEEKEND RECAP

The encyclopedia defines the word “Barbarian” as:

A “noble savage”, often represented as “lone warriors”. Several characteristics commonly shared:

* Extreme physical prowess

* Unmatched fighting skill

* An appetite for, and the ability to attract women (or men in the case of female barbarians)

* Meat eating

* An appetite for large amounts of alcohol

* A blending of British, Germanic, Slavic, and nomadic Turco-Mongol cultures

* A strong sorcery element that is almost never used by the barbarian character

* A violent temper

* A robust tolerance for pain

The Kain Performance Santa Barbara Training Weekend would have its own version of “Barbarian” and it was not far off the fantasy version. 8 Workouts in 3 days. Coach Kain had set up the challenge to all heading down to SB. Finish all workouts, plus a few push-ups and crunches and be crowned “Santa Barbarian”!

The folks who completed all the workouts showed extreme physical prowess, a very robust tolerance for pain, at times a violent temper when confronted with extreme cold water, meat eating while socializing with attractive men and women at an incredible dinner Saturday night at the Fish House, with large quantities of alcohol. They weren’t confronted, so did not need to show off their fighting skill, but were ready if given a chance. These Santa Barbarians were tough, were not fazed by the hours of brutality they would endure while swimming in frigid water, cycling for hours on end and being forced to run on tired legs! These Barbarians went about their business with smiles and laughter and had an absolute BLAST!

Read below for more on the SB Training Weekend.

List of Santa Barbarians is at the end of this recap! (Sorry if we missed anyone)

We hit Santa Barbara on a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L weekend! The weather was just the start of what was a great weekend of training for the KP members who made the trek to SB!

After Coach Kain’s email with the challenge of becoming a “Santa Barbarian”, the first workout of the weekend on Friday had great attendance, with about 15 “eager and ready” would be Barbarians! We started with a nice 40 minute endurance paced run along the coast. It was a great start to the weekend. We also started our first set of push-ups and crunches! We then went right over to the Los Banos pool and jumped in with the Santa Barbara Masters Swim workout. It’s a great 50 meter pool right on the beach. We swam for just over an hour and got in some good “quality” with some speed sets! We swam between 1,500-3,000 meters. It was an early evening with an ocean swim planned for 8:00am the next morning.

We woke up to a beautiful day, with sunny skies! It made getting in the 58 degree water a bit more bearable. The “Barbarian” group had grown overnight to about 30 strong! I guess a few people had to work on Friday! ALMOST everyone took the plunge into the Pacific and swam out to a buoy about 300 meters offshore. The swim was a counterclockwise rectangle and took about 20 minutes. The “loop” was close to 1,000 meters. A few of the toughest “Barbarians” did the loop twice. A great way to start any day, but it was COLD!

We thawed out and had a great breakfast, then it was on the bikes for our annual 70 mile ride around Lake Casitas. The weather was spectacular and the paceline heading down the coast was a solid 30 strong. We hit the 101 South and things got a bit frantic with 30+ hitting the freeway all at once! Everyone made it through the freeway section in one piece, with NO FLATS!! We stopped in Ventura for a quick drink break, then headed out toward the Lake. This ride is tough, as most of the climbing is during the final 30 miles, not the first 30. The group stayed together until the climbs, then spread out into two groups. Coach Randy “I swam last year” Pufahl led a solid front group which included:

Paul “I don’t swim, or run” Bryant

Tony “The Austrian Sensation” Jager

Greg “Get on my wheel” Roussel

Russell “Just missed Barbarian status” Shaw

Lihan “1^st Time SB Barbarian” Wang

Bill “Crash course for WF Training” Wang

Kim “going to qualify for IM at Honu” Mygatt

Patrick “Ironman Utah or bust” McDonalD

Don “2002 KP Member” Barry

Suzanne “No IM for me this year” Slivkoff

Eric “this KP Team is tough” Walters.

Coach Kain led the second group up the climbs and made them all do Toro Canyon coming back to Santa Barbara. The group hung tough, led by:

Jana “Banana” Crane

Lori “Honu will be cake” Bradford

Carol “give me an epidural” Fredrickson

Laura “1^st Time Barbarian” Coyne

Kristy “1^st Time Barbarian” Cisco

Joanne “racing at Oceanside next week” Wicker

Coach John “Original Barbarian” Magee

Evelyne “Viva La France” Guillouet.

Cristiana “IronWoman” Riedl, came in shortly after with Coach “I love SB” Sharoo, then onto the run. Once off the bike it was onto a flat and as fast as you wanted to run 3-4 miles to Stearns Wharf and back. (Laurie “SB Rocks” Kehl and Laurie “Go Skirts” Boswell both made the ride down the coast to Ventura, then hitched a ride back!)

After a short hot tub and a shower we all headed down to The Fish House on the water just down the street from East Beach. We had a great dinner and lots of fun with everyone. the next morning we woke up to yet another frigid ocean swim at 8:15am. Not quite as big a group for this swim, but still over 15 strong taking the plunge! After the swim it was onto the flat and scenic longer run along the coast. We did about 11 miles, with Coach Kain and Russel Shaw leading the charge along the coast. It was another beautiful day on the beach. Everyone had a great run, then it was onto another “wheat germ pancake” breakfast! The final workout of the weekend was a good spin up the coast and through Hope Ranch up to Goleta Beach and back. The “Santa Barbarian” group was looking a bit tired by now, but still charging ahead!

Thanks to all who made the KP Santa Barbara Training Weekend a success! We got in some great training, met some new people and had a blast! Thank you to Jody Gold for making all the arrangements for a great weekend!

Here is the list of those who completed every workout, our Santa Barbarians!!!

Workouts completed:

Friday, 3/19/09 – Run – 40 minutes – (4-6 miles)

Swim – SB Masters Swim - up to 3,000 meters

Saturday, 3/20/09 – Swim – 20-30 minutes – Ocean swim (very cold!)

Bike - 65 - 80 miles – Lake Casitas loop. Awesome!!

Run – 20-30 minutes (3-4 miles)

Sunday, 3/21/09 – Swim – 20 minute – Ocean swim (Chilly willy!)

Run – 1 hour-1.5 hours (up to 11 miles)

Bike – 28 miles

Each day – Up to 50-100 Push-ups and 50-100 Crunches!!!

Totals (roughly) – Swim – 2 – 3 miles

Bike – 90 - 105 miles

Run – up to 20 miles

- 150-300 Total Push-ups, 150-300 Total Crunches

KP Santa Barbarians: They did it all!!! This group is tough!

Female –

Lori “3-time Barbarian” Bradford

Jana “I did it again” Crane

Carol “Just give me a shot” Fredrickson

Laura “1^st Time Barbarian” Coyne

Kristy “1^st Time Barbarian” Cisco

Coach Sharoo “Skirted it!” Kain

Male –

Tony “The Austrian Barbarian” Jager

Patrick “2-Time Barbarian” McDonald

John “The Original Barbarian” Magee

Don “What’s next?” Barry

Lihan “1^st Time Barbarian” Wang

Bill “1^st Time Barbarian” Wang

Coach “Who’s idea was this anyway” Kain (actually swam one ocean swim, but surf paddled the second!)

***Some were close, missing just one (or two) workout, but alas, that won’t get you Barbarian status, so maybe next year…

Greg “Missed the Sunday Ocean swim” Roussel

Russell “Missed the final bike ride” Shaw

Kim “Just could not swim on Sunday” Mygatt

Joanne “I’m racing Oceanside” Wicker

Christiana “Missed the Saturday ocean swim” Riedl

Evelyne “Viva la Santa Barbara” Guillouet

Eric “Evelyne made me do it” Walters

Randy “Missed the swims + Friday” Pufahl

Suzanne “I hate cold water” Slivkoff

Great job to all who made it to SB! Can’t wait for next year! Put it on your schedule now!

Thanks,

Coach’s Pete + Sharoo

www.kainperformance.com

Triathlon Map Site

This is a pretty cool link showing location and times of all triathlons in the world. You can zoom in on the map to check out particular countries and locations plus sort by month

http://www.trimapper.com

From John Magee

2010 KAIN PERFORMANCE Kick-Off Party is tonight!

When: Friday, January 15, 2010, 6 PM
Where: Sports Basement in Sunnyvale - Summit Room

(20% discount shopping - MUST sign-in to receive the discount)

Stop by and learn more about the destination races & training sessions planned for the 2010 season.

Pass this on to your friends too!!!

“How Fast Should I be running at Track?”

Track workout tends to be one of the least well attended team workouts that KAIN offers. I think there are two main reasons for this; One is that it can feel a little intimidating, athletes tend to think they are going to be pushed beyond their limits.  The second is that people doing Ironman distance races think there is little to gain from “Speed-work”. I hope to address these two concerns in this article. 

The first concern could be addressed if people understood that as coaches, we understand that it is detrimental to push athletes beyond their limits – that leads to injury, overtraining and the breakdown of the athlete – that is never the goal of the track workout. However I think the vast majority of athletes do not have a sense of how fast they should be running during their efforts, because of this they tend to think that everything is going to be very anaerobic – and that is not the case. 

As regards the second concern, it is well documented that doing a little speed-work on the track can have significant impact on the ability of all runners at all distances to improve their times. I won’t get into the details of how that happens (if you would like more info please contact one of the coaches). But understand that “Speed-work” looks very different for someone doing an Olympic distance race compared to some one going Iron distance  - combine this with some personal knowledge of how fast you should be doing your runs then I think you would be better prepared to meet your stated competition goals. 

So …. lets say I had a goal of running a 4 hour marathon in my ironman – obviously I know I have to build up my endurance so that I had the capability to run the actual distance – but HOW FAST should I do my training runs if that is my overall goal?

That’s where a running or pace calculator can be a useful tool. On the next page you can see what my predicted pace times would be for all distances up to the marathon. Some of them are just for fun  - and they tend to be more inaccurate over the shorter distances – 400M and lower - the 100M sprint time for example has a lot more to do with someone’s genetic legacy of fast twitch muscle fibers than it does training for a 4 hour marathon. However this tool can be useful in a couple of areas;

If you know your last 10K time you can punch it in and it will predict what you should be capable of at a half Iron man or an ironman distance run – that helps you figure out if your race goals are realistic or not. 

Secondly it allows you to predict your own track workout pace – (therefore less intimidating) as well as the pace you should be doing your long slow runs and your tempo runs. If the goal is to run a sub 40 minute 10K – then you know you need to be able to run in the area of a 5.33 mile and that your tempo runs should be at 6.31 – 6.48 per mile.

The link to the calculator is  http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm

I recommend you check out the site, play around with the calculator a little if you have never used one before, and then put in some of your documented race paces and see if those pace times seem familiar. 

HOMEWORK.  Put in your time goals for the run on your “A” race this year and printout the document. If you then bring that to track, when Pete gives you the workout for the night, you will have an idea of what pace you should be running ultimately in order to meet this goal. 

Always remember that these numbers are estimates and that how you are feeling, your fatigue level, your place in the training cycle etc all has to be considered and used to modify these paces. Talk to the coaches so that the workout is individualized for you. But at least you will have a good starting point. 

Finally another little tip I learned this week listening to another seminar from Bobby McGee was the “12 minute rule”. If you are not feeling good for your run workout, try to quantify it on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being “Dead” and 10 being “Very strong and fresh” – then go run for 12 minutes  - just a steady warm up run – if at the end of that 12 minutes you would give yourself a higher score – then you are ready to workout – if the score is lower, then you might want to call it a night and get a little extra rest.

Hope you found this helpful – hope you do your “homework” and at least play around with the calendar and printout a pace schedule for yourself and hope to see you at track

Coach John Magee

Kain Performance

Lessons from Wild Flower Training Weekend

Based on some of the experiences of our athletes this weekend, it seems to me that there is a need for a little more information on which to fine tune the nutritional plan – especially in regard to our sodium intake. 

The weekend was obviously a tough training weekend – especially for those who did two loops at wildflower but it was also the first time this year we have had to deal with heat and few of us, if any are particularly well heat acclimated yet.  However while the current weather forecast for wild flower seems to indicate temperatures in the mid 70’s it is always a possibility that it is going to be hot again this year so those who are racing need to be prepared. 

Without trying to scare you – or overwhelm you with numbers, the difference between “normal” blood concentrations of sodium and what might be considered an “emergency” situation of low sodium can be as little as 500 mg of sodium. So it definitely pays, from a medical perspective, to try and get this done right and obviously from a performance perspective you would not want your training to be compromised due to a nutritional breakdown.

Athletes who are acclimatized to heat typically have lower sweat sodium concentrations in warmer conditions. So if the race you are training for has a history of high temperatures (Wildflower and Auburn are two that spring to mind) then it is important to address the variable you can control – sodium intake – rather than the variable you cannot – the weather. Adult athletes can lose between 1.0-2.5 liters of sweat per hour. In severe heat conditions, this can increase to 3.5 liters per hour. Sweat is mostly water but contains many other compounds including sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and a host of other compounds. If you are very disciplined you could bring a scale with you to workouts and weigh yourself before and after, or pay for a sweat test to be done but since most of us are not going to do that, you will need to estimate where you might fit in that category and at least be aware of making sure you are at least replacing the minimum sodium losses. 

Research has shown that sweat sodium concentrations can range from 115-2,300 milligrams of sodium lost per liter of sweat. However, the AVERAGE athlete usually falls within the 700mg to 1200mg per liter of sweat. Thus at the minimum sweat rate, the average athlete is losing 700mg per hour.

It might help to see an example;

“Scott knows that he loses about 1 liter of sweat per hour in conditions predicted for his upcoming Ironman. He also knows that his sweat is usually quite concentrated, leaving a lot of salt stains on his clothing. He guesses his sweat contains sodium at the higher end of the normal range, about 1200 mg/liter.  So with a sweat rate of 1 liter per hour, under ideal conditions he should replace 1200 mg of sodium per hour. Scott's favorite sports drink contains only 300 mg of sodium per liter. Each gel he is consuming contains 50 mg of sodium, and each bar he consumes contains 100 mg of sodium. The following table summarizes Scott's water and sodium intake per hour:

Per hour	Water (liters)	Sodium (mg)
Sports Drink	1	300
3 Gels	Negligible	50 x 3 = 150
1 Bar	None	100
Total	1 liter	550
Deficit	0	650

Based on this basic Ironman diet, Scott ingests enough water every hour, but his sodium intake is far below what he actually needs, about 650 mg per hour short, considering he needs 1200 mg/hour. Multiply this by 12 hours, and you have 7.8 grams of sodium, or 19.5 grams of salt (the human body contains around 40g of total sodium). Most likely, Scott is headed for severe hyponatremia.”

Also bear in mind that in athletes who have high sweat rates can lose sodium amounts approaching 5,000 milligrams per hour. 

In addition to what may be lost during competition, a “clean” daily diet can also contribute to the problem. “Clean” eating is characterized by eating more whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, grains and protein and less processed and refined foods. This often leads to a lower overall daily salt intake and while beneficial from a health perspective, it can have a significant impact on sodium levels in the body before a race. Since this method of eating is gaining momentum, it is often recommended to implement a “sodium loading” regimen before a race and follow through with a higher sodium intake during a race. After competition, the athlete returns to the normal “clean” eating daily diet again.

Sodium Loading;

There has been research on sodium loading and the basic premise behind the mechanism is in the expansion of plasma volume, which is important to cardiovascular function and endurance exercise performance. Expanding plasma volume, termed hypervolemia, may reduce cardiovascular and heat strain seen with exercise, thus improving an athlete’s ability to perform. While there are a few ways to increase plasma volume, sodium loading is easy to implement and has shown good results, including in warmer conditions.

Also drinking fluids that provide a higher sodium concentration before exercise can improve exercise tolerance in warmer conditions. 

For more details on how to go about Sodium Loading and to read the full text of this article, which I have significantly edited you can join the team first endurance network for free at http://team.firstendurance.com/

http://team.firstendurance.com/page/sodium-loading-2

Sodium Consumption During a Race

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends consuming 500-700 milligrams of sodium per liter of fluid per hour of exercise while other researchers have recommended a higher range of around 1700-2900 milligrams of sodium per liter of fluid per hour. Seebohar recommends a minimum of 800mg per hour. This is a large discrepancy, mostly due to the requirements of individual athletes and varying environmental conditions. However, the general observation has been that most athletes underconsume sodium during training or a race which typically has negative consequences. Sodium loading has been shown to work in a laboratory setting and has been yielding good results for athletes during actual competitions. It is recommended to try this approach during more intense training that mimics similar conditions of which your race will be.

Endurolytes or Salt Stick?

Endurolytes contain 40mg per capsule while salt stick capsules contain 215 mg of sodium. If we use the example of Bob from the previous page he has an hourly deficit of 650mg of salt – in this scenario he would need to take 15 endurolyte capsules an hour in addition to the electrolyte drink, 3 gels and a bar he is currently eating  - that seems a lot to manage! Alternatively he could take 3 salt stick capsules an hour and meet his sodium needs. 

*** Just as I was about to send this out – another article shows up on the USAT coaching website on this topic! Link below***

http://usatriathlon.org/content/index/6036

Cramping

Here are two links to articles about cramping for those who are prone to this. I was actually a little surprised to realize that electrolyte imbalance was not considered a major contributor to cramping  - but rather they pointed to duration and intensity of exercise over which we do have some control. It serves as another reminder about the importance of building an appropriate endurance base and of making sure you don’t go to hard or to fast during your training as the ability to ride at a higher threshold for 80 miles does not automatically translate into the ability to ride at a lower threshold for 112.

http://www.scysa.net/filecabinet/muscle_cramps_info.pdf

http://ezinearticles.com/?Muscle-Cramps-in-Runners&id=1265152

Finally – here is a link to 10 common mistakes for Ironman – I know we have read them before but it does not hurt to do it again – especially with Wildflower having that festival feel, its easy to go “hang out” at the expo in the hot sun for hours at a time the day before your race. Relax, rest, hydrate, get your feet up and stay out of the sun.

http://searchwarp.com/swa58560.htm

Good Luck at Wildflower

Coach John Magee

Kain Performance