I have not been able to attend some of the races I have planned this spring, for various reasons, so I decided to create a local “race”. I felt that I needed to ride my new mountain bike at race pace and no matter how strongly you adhere to the intention of riding at race pace for 3 hours in the trails, there is nothing like a looped course to keep you focused and on track riding fast for an hour or so. Luckily, I have my fantastic training partners Ross, Palmer and Kelly who kept the effort honest and made the day at the "Dump" (a popular Victoria trail network on a landfill next to the municipal dump) so much fun. We tried to convince Plaxton, Sydor, Virge and Cruikshank to join us as we all met early that morning and rode out to there together but I think just the whole “triathlete” thing freaked them out, haha! I think the four of us agreed that the race simulation was awesome training and the sore legs, sore arms and overall fatigue associated with it meant we had a solid day. I have done two of these race simulation efforts in the past two weeks which means I can compare lap times on my Fourstroke to my new Team Elite 01 and gauge my efficiency on each bike. So cool.

Why did I not go to the mountain bike races down south? First off, I wanted to make sure my bike setup this year is 100% right. Moving to a new bike took me a bit of time to get dialed in and the new hardtail just reached North America so I needed some time to get used to it. All part of a new bike, I guess and now we have the money set up. By staying home I could evaluate how I feel on the bikes under familiar circumstances at home… rather than going to a race and feeling terrible and not knowing whether it was bad legs on the weekend or an error in my setup, which was an error I made earlier this season. I stand by this decision now. Without travel and taper for big races I managed to fit another two weeks of hard running and swimming in with my mock “races” on the mountain bike. Pretty intense training and Ross has even been complaining of fatigue having only done the weekend portion of the schedule but he did awesome in our race regardless... so more on that....

The last few weeks have been an exercise in restraint for me.  Depending on how I feel when I wake up in the morning it is either on – meaning it’s go time for the training plan or it’s off – which means a casual morning with the paper is in order.  February and March always seem to be the time of year when an overly ambitious training plan can result in two weeks of antibiotics to kill some nasty bug.  Given the number of people I have been in contact with over the past month with pneumonia, flu or some nasty cold, I know that I am right on the edge of getting sick nearly all of the time.

There are a few things you can do that will help you ride on the right side of that edge.  Usually, we know what the last workout that put you over was or whose hand we shook that we shouldn’t have. The following recovery and health maintenance tips might help avoid your next flu or at least cut the recovery time you may need to get over it.

REST

Obvious!  I think in the winter and during flu time it is important to get enough sleep.  Given that the winter is often viewed as the time of year to build volume, many of us are pushing our limits.  I know that each winter I am setting new benchmarks for total volume completed. 

Part one of resting enough is to make sure you get enough sleep to recover from efforts.  If you are not able to take a nap, make sure you are tucked in bed at a reasonable hour with a book and not parked in front of the television at midnight watching another rerun of Law and Order.  You will be happy you made that decision in the morning.

Part two of rest is making sure you take easy weeks to recover.  If you don’t balance training weeks with rest weeks you will get run down and will probably catch a nasty bug.  Be preemptive – rest before you get sick, not when you get sick. 

WASH YOUR HANDS

How many times per day do you shake someone’s hand? That person has probably touched ten other people, and inevitably, one of those people has a child at home with the flu. Now when you pick up a sandwich soon you will enjoy the flu as well. The other instance might be a doorknob at home that someone touched on their way in from school or work. Germs are everywhere so compulsive hand washing is a great idea if you don’t want to be ill. When I am gearing up for a big race I will avoid public places and quarantine myself at home to avoid as many potential germ spreaders as possible. This time of year I am much mellower and just wash my hands a lot.

NUTRITION

Often a crappy diet is the main reason why people get sick.  I always suggest that everyone add as much color as possible to your diet.  Instead of white pasta, choose brown. Choose purple, orange, red and bright green vegetables. Colorful means nutrient packed. Your diet is the strongest impact on your overall health, so take a good look at it.  Although a glass of wine with dinner is good for your heart, if you have a sore throat and you add some alcohol you may end up ill. Alcohol will certainly depress your immune function.

ANTIOXIDANTS

I like to take more antioxidants in the winter or when I think I am at risk for catching something, like when I am flying or during and after a hard training block. I take USANA vitamins, which are guaranteed to not be contaminated. By adding a bit more vitamin A, C and E, along with some Zinc and Selenium for immune system boosting, often I can avoid illness. There are also homeopathic products with Echinacea and reishi mushroom that can help if you already have something and want to get rid of it. Taking these products does not give you a free ticket to exercise; you still have to cut the training if you are sick.

COMMON SENSE

Most of us know when we are on the edge of illness, just as we can sense an injury before it actually happens. The key is to quit while you are still ahead. It is always true that a couple of days off while you are healthy will be better than a week off being sick.  Although all of us make that mistake over and over, it is still good to think of it when you have the option to quit while you are still healthy.

Good luck with happy, healthy training!

I was lucky enough to take part in some physiological testing during my last training camp in California.  As part of the Floyd Landis Powertap training camp, Alan Lim conducted step tests to determine lactate threshold for all the campers.  I normally do four of these tests per year, with one in the early stages of my base preparation phase for the season.  At this time, it is important for me to see my yearly starting point.  It is encouraging when my January results reflect previous results for later in the season, which is an indication that overall my form from year to year is improving.  I always look at test results as a relative measure rather than an absolute indicator.  Just as you can have good and bad days racing, so too can your tests vary according to how you feel.  Never beat yourself up about test results… there is something called competition that truly measures individual ability.  Only races will really indicate your true athletic potential.

Alan measured an interesting marker that during this year’s test.  In addition to watts, heart rate and lactate values, Alan measured our perceived effort and graphed all of the numbers together.  Perceived effort was first quantified by a man named Gunnar Borg.  He created a 15 point 6-20 scale to produce estimates of exertion.  This scale has also been adapted to the CR10 Scale as follows:

In my last article I highlighted the importance of addressing your diet early in the training cycle.  The reason for this is diet plays such an important role in getting the maximum benefit from your training.  In setting goals, we always want to be sure that what we are doing is going to get us what we want.  If we feel that our efforts are bringing us no closer to our desired outcome, motivation is very likely to decrease.  For many, their motivation to train for triathlon is to feel good and look good as a result.  Diet is the key to any weight related goals.  However, I believe addressing your diet will be the key to lifelong health and wellness, so this isn’t just about getting to race weight.  To that end, training yourself to eat better is as important as training yourself to ride or run faster.  It is a key component in your overall race program and it is one thing that will benefit you well after your competitive career is complete. 

Just as increasing volume or intensity should be gradual, so too should dietary changes be made over time.  Better to find healthful habits that will have longevity than short term strict regimes.  The following are some foods that I believe should be included in your training diet.  I have outlined the benefits of including these in your diet as well as some ideas of how to enjoy them.  So often we are asked to try new things that we really have no experience preparing.  Millet, for example, is a fabulous grain for athletes and yet we would associate it more with the birdfeed outside than a breakfast staple (this grain was not included today – baby steps!).  Below is a guide to six foods that you may or may not be familiar with and some ideas on how to start to enjoy them on a more regular basis.  To your good health!