RRRrrrrrr! The three Rs of recovery

Rrrrrr! Living in France, Rs have taken a whole new significance in my life. I am learning to rrrroll my rrrrrs on the back of my tongue in the French classes that I started last week. Jackson often corrects me as his rrrrs just rrrroll off quite naturally now. His 7yo mouth seems far more adaptable to the new sounds required of it than mine. Possibly a good analogy for general adaptability of kids!

A bit burnt out: time to regenerate

Now with the tri season over a few other Rs have become highly relevant in my life too. These are the various stages of post season recovery.

Most athletes are aware of the importance of adapting the mind and body to increased training loads as you go into a new season or set up for a new goal. What is equally important for long term sustainability in the sport is the adaption to lower loads and a good recovery period at the end of the season.

For simplicity I have summarised these into three stages that each have two elements. Conveniently for my theme of this blog, they all begin with R.

1. Initial stage: Rest and recover
2. Secondary stage: Relax and recuperate
3. Third stage: Reinvigorate and refresh

How long you could/should spend at each of these stages depends on a lot of factors including; the extent to which you have depleted your energy through the season/race, your age, any pre-existing injuries or illness,
basic nutrition and any specific deficiencies, previous experience at that level of the sport, sleep patterns and other significant life change/stress.

I was in need of recovery
It had been a very full on 12 months for me, truly rewarding but physically, emotionally and mentally challenging and tiring.


Bright eyed and bushy tailed
Perth Oct 2009

It was almost exactly a year ago (Oct 25) when I raced the Long Course Triathlon World Champs in Perth, Australia. It was after coming third there that I had the idea put to me of moving to Europe and racing triathlon here based in the French Alps. At the time I was enjoying getting back into tri after a very long break, but had all the usuals trappings of a relatively happy, normal suburban life; husband, kids, two interesting careers to juggle, good schools, friends and family, mortgage, etc. We knew it would be a big move with lots of challenges, some foreseeable and others to be found along the way. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Rob and I decided that it would be a good idea to take a year or three out of our "ordinary" life, take some risk, but also open ourselves to the opportunity to experience something a little more extra-ordinary.

Well a year on from that decision and 6 months into the new adventure, I have few regrets. To use a quote I read today;

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.                                                                                            Douglas Adams

In short, it was a very big year, including two tri seasons back to back, a quick trip to France in the middle to discover the area, finishing up two jobs, shutting down a life (emptying, cleaning and renting out houses, selling cars and other stuff no longer needed, boxing for storage or shipping the rest), then the move and starting again; renting houses, buying cars, setting up a home, setting up kids at new schools, slowly establishing new connections with parents, tri team members etc and of course all in a new language to be learned while training, travelling and racing. By the time I had finished my last race, the Challenge series ironman in Barcelona, I was in desperate need of rest and recovery.

Initial stage: Rest and Recovery
The goal of this stage is initially to recover from the event (rehydration and nutrition, removing any inflammation or tightness) followed by letting the body heal any injuries, rebuild some energy and generally come back to a state from which, if it were mid season, you could contemplate training again without risk of any injury or illness.

For me it took two weeks with lots of sleep and very quiet days to get through the fog of exhaustion. I was not just tired from one race, but a full year of change. I really didn't feel like seeing anyone other than my kids and husband and just enjoyed introverting for a while, sleeping, reading, spending time making our home a bit homely, organising photos or slowly working through all those things that got left for later while I was mid-season. I did almost no exercise, just occasional swims, yoga, easy easy rides and walks in the mountains to assist my body remove residual tightness and tension.

Practicing my barista skills for Rob

Interestingly I actually felt worse for a while before my energy started to regenerate. It was as if by saying to my body and mind, "it is now time for a rest", it responded with a "Thank God we're in need of a shutdown!" and turned off all systems. For someone who usually bounces around with too much energy, I had become someone with just enough (and sometimes not enough!) to make it through a day consisting of the absolute bare minimum. In this early stage while I felt really tired and flat and it was easy to want caffeine and sugar to give me the energy I was missing. I can't say I abstained entirely but I limited my coffee to two a day and really tried to eat nutrient rich food to assist the body get back some energy from within as well as through sleep.

Recuperate and relax
After I felt some physical energy slowly seeping back in, I was still pretty mentally and emotionally exhausted. In this second stage I held back from using the physical energy too early and took time to just enjoy simple activities each day as well as take stock of the achievements of the season and the learnings from it. To use a good analogy, I took some time away from the dance floor, in amongst the crowd, instead viewing the action (both past and present) from the balcony. A better place to get some perspective and see the patterns.

Enjoying the mountain trails 

For me this was a great time to get back into a regular yoga and meditation practice. In the recovery stage I was just too tired and the body too tight to want to practice every day. Once the flat out physical exhaustion had disappeared, I was ready to let the mind and heart have some space to repair. The yoga mat is a great place for that.

I also took to the mountains (another great healer of mine) and walked and/or jogged along trails through the autumn leaves, mud or snow enjoying the well known trails and finding dozens of new ones around the Aravis Valley.

For me, the key for this stage was reducing the noise of the years' events. People talk about the tapestry of life. In this phase I looked at each of the significant threads of the year so that I could settle them more comfortably into the overall weave that is my past, without the noise of all the initial excitement, disapointment or other attachments to them. I am no Dalia Lama, and can't say I do this for 100% of the noise, but look to accept what was and try to only carry forward what can impact the future positively.

Refresh and re-invigorate
So the past is let go as best I can, the current day is back into full technicolour and the body and mind are relaxed and ready to look forward again. Time to get excited about what is yet to come. A funny indication for me that I was ready to look forward again was when I got sick of the girly novels I was reading and started picking up more challenging and interesting brain food instead.

So enter the dreamtime. This is fun, looking at the world of options and opportunity possible to us as a family and me as an individual and deciding for the 40th (or maybe 140th!) time what it is that I would like to be when I grow up. Then working out how to make the dreams real. I have a little card in my wallet with my three major goals for 2010 on it. Along with the goals I have 4 key values written underneath that I wish to maintain in the achievement of these (or any) goals. After reviewing these in the recupe stage, it was time to let these go and start to consider what my 2011 card would look like. My values, although reviewed don't change year to year usually, but the goals all needed to be reset.

I have now had some time to work out my tri season goals for next year which I am really excited about. To do so I applied for and have been granted a professional licence from Triathlon Australia so I will be able to race in the pro ranks at both the WTC and Challenge races I am targetting. I have some new sponsors I am really looking forward to working with, I'll do more writing over the winter season possibly also for some tri and fitness publications and am also looking forward to training with teammates from my club, TMT, using and extending my French.

Additionally I have started working to establish a new business and have some really exciting plans to unveil shortly. Stay tuned! In order to do all this of course I need to focus on the last of this year's goals yet to be achieved and so I am back at school learning French 5 days a week.

To set these goals I needed to have my energy back and my head and heart clear or otherwise I would likely set unrealistic goals (as not carefully enough considered or discussed with others) or goals that would not stretch me as fully as is realistic and achievable.

So here I am 6 weeks on and enjoying my latest challenge of learning a new language. I won't pretend I am back to 100% tiggerishness at all times, as I have moments of needing to go back a pace and rest, relax or reprioritise. Generally though I am feeling ready for my next adventure...or three!

Enjoy yours.
A bientot

Mon premier Europeen saison finit!

So I've finished my first European season. It has been amazing. The experience has been wonderful and the highlights have been many.

 

The obvious ones would have to include;

• Winning the Long Course World Champs in Germany in August
• Racing across cobblestones and under the Eiffel Tower in Paris in July
• Racing my first ironman in the pro field in Spain finishing in the top 10 in a good time.

The less obvious but probably more real highlights are:

• Learning to love the many and fantastic training options throughout our region, the Aravis Valley and surrounds,
• Struggling with and coming to more friendly terms with my swim
• Beginning to feel a part of my team, TMT Triathlon
• Swimming with triathlete friends from Australia past the castle under the cliffs in Lac d'Annecy

• Appreciating the ever growing practical and emotional support from Rob and the boys both at races and throughout my training (as a team we have grown stronger and our results are Team Hemphill's not mine)
• Watching the Tour de France pass through our village with Cadel in yellow and watching on TV as they rode over many cols I had also riden on (albeit somewhat slower!)
• Getting some great guidance from good people and slowly building and learning to trust my own internal guidance better
• Most of all though, meeting the many, various and wonderful people at races, in training and through our travels.

Of course it has not all been sunshine, fresh pastries and smiley faces. We had a month of rain and cold when we first arrived in France exhausted and disoriented in our new world that we hoped to make a home in, I lost a good friend, feeling like an alien at school events and realising how hard it must be for the boys each day as they go through their own significant transition, cold cold descents off cols through sleet and/or rain, occassional injury and illness concerns, mechanical troubles (generally with our car and scooter not bikes as they are much better designed, built and looked after), and of course the tired muscles, body and soul - sometime all at the same time.

Overall it has been overwhelmingly a fantastic, rich life experience. Like all good experiences, not without its challenges, but with plenty of great rewards too.

But for now, after enjoying a short holiday with the family in Barcelona, the Pyrenees and Avignon it is time to settle down for a quieter, more stable period of recovery, more focussed language learning and building a triathlon based business for next summer in the Aravis so we can stay in this great part of the world.

Thanks to Valdora, Jaggad, TMT and Louisa for your assistance throughout this season. For now, my new Valdora roadie and I are off to get in a few more rides before the snows fall and stay on the roads and I need to swap wheels for skis for the winter.

A bientot
C

Challenge Barcelona-Maresme Race Report

 

Enjoying the bike course: Challenge Barcelona-Maresme

   Last weekend I finished my first European season in Spain at the Challenge Barcelona-Maresme ironman race. It was a great race to end on and I was pretty happy with my result, crossing the line in 10:17, 8th in the female pro field. It was my first ironman (in fact my first marathon too) and first race in a selective pro field.

I enjoyed the race and learned lots. I look forward to doing a few more next year, improving again by building on this season's experience.

So to the race...



The 1st buoy is just out there girls...somewhere

 The swim was through stunningly clear Mediterranean water off the Costa Maresme coast of Spain, near Barcelona. However it was pretty dark as we started. Dawn broke as we rounded the second marker. I swam with the first bunch with three other pro women. It was a good swim for me coming out of the water in 1:03 with only 3 women having swum faster than our group. Also as I was drafting effectively with only occasional spurts as the group lifted a bit, I swam really within myself and didn't raise my HR too much or take in much sea water.

Heading out of T1

T1 was pretty smooth so I was soon out onto the flat, fast coastal ride. There were 3 laps, 2 of 69k and one shorter one to make up the 180k. One of the interesting, very Spanish course management issues was to avoid the cactus that fell off the cliffs along the coast onto the road. No good for bike tyres! They swept the course ahead of the day, but still a few had fallen by the race.

My bike was steady but solid. I felt good the whole way despite the wind picking up by the last lap and ate and drank to plan. I rode my own race dropping back 50m behind a couple of the women who were all vying with each other ahead. By the time we came into T3, I was 5th after a bike of 5:15 and we were still all close. I was feeling great despite being 10m ahead of my target time and at that point on track for a sub 10h first ironman.



2 laps down, 2 to go!

By the run it was a very warm (31oC) to take on the 4 laps of 10.5k through the towns of Callela and Pineda and across the fields to Santa Susanna.

A few lessons here! I got a bit excited and ran the first 5k too fast, moving into 4th by the 4k mark. However I think I could have managed the pace by just pulling back a bit and holding my position if I had not also gone fuel low. I had only taken on water in the last 10k of the bike and first 3k of the run as I had been worried about settling into the run.

This proved too long without energy sending my internal battery flat for a while. The legs felt good but there was nothing left to power them. It took another full lap and a half taking in copious coke/water and gels to get back to a reasonable pace. Despite fantastic encouragement from spectators and most importantly, Rob and the boys including a 100m sprint by Liam keeping up with me yelling "Go Go Go Mummy Go", unfortunately I got passed by 4 girls in that time. Although I did move up on them in the last lap as I regained a faster pace I was just too late to pass them back. The last lap I ran with a French triathlete from Les Lions who was fantastic for both keeping a good rhythm and enjoying the experience. Thanks Yannick, great pacing!

Race and season over

So all up 10:17:02 across the finish line. I could have gone better in the run had I managed my fuel differently, but I have no real disappointment, as overall I did better than I had hoped and have the tempting possibility of going even better with the experience of this one behind me. The other women in the pro field, particularly Julia and Celia were truly lovely and made me feel welcome racing at this level and distance for the first time. Thanks.

 

So if you are in the Northern Hemisphere and getting to the end of your season too, enjoy the offseason. If you are in Oz or elsewhere south of the equator, enjoy your training, race smart and recover well.

 

Keep coming back to have a look as I have lots of interesting articles to add that I have been too busy with training and racing to finish. For now though, time to build some Lego with the boys. See you soon :-)

Budapest World Championships

So another big race week. In the very beautiful and interesting, but grey and slightly neglected feeling Budapest. It rained for most of the week. Luckily for the Elite Women and AG Olympic Distance racers, not on our race day though, which was the only day it cleared from rainy to overcast.

The elite men and sprint distance AG racers competed in pouring, cold conditions on Saturday. In the elite male field that raced that day there was a fair bit of carnage on the bike course with a number of crashes. In the end though, it was the Brownlee's, Alistair and Jonathan that had the best day of it, showing their class and winning their respective races. In the elite women, Emma Snowsill showed the champion she is taking the final of the series by running away from the best in the world to finish with a 2 min lead. Emma Moffatt, her training partner, then finished the double by outsprinting Lisa Norden and Jessica Spiring to come second and win the overall season.

A brief moment when shadows graced the streets of Budapest

I was racing on the Sunday in the Olympic Distance World Championships (Age Group) for Australia. I was nervous as I wanted to do well but was not sure what was possible. It is not a great distance for me just now as my primary focus races this season are longer courses, Immenstadt 6 weeks ago and the Barcelona Challenge (ironman distance) in three weeks. Also I had been getting some knee pain in the weeks between Immenstadt Long Course World Champs and this race. It seemed to be finally resolving with lots of good yoga/stretching, massage, and some specific balancing strengthening exercises but I hadn't run much in training and very little high intensity running.

So racking the bike in the ankle deep mud of transition on the Sat afternoon I really was not sure if my goal of top 10 and desire to top 5 or better was realistic or not. It really depended on a decent swim as mine can be pretty variable (!?) and a trouble free fast run. I was pretty confident of my bike being solid. I really would have loved to podium but knew it would be a long shot. I was aware of two very strong athletes both coming with this race as the focus of their season; Steph from Vancouver who won last year and Sophie from the UK who was keen to top the podium after finishing 2nd three times in recent years. Besides these two I had 60+ others I didn't know of who would also all have their own strengths and goals.

My race plan went something like this

• Swim straight, hard to first buoy, settle into solid rhythm then kick up again at the end as really cold water (15oC or so) so get blood in legs before the exit
• Bike hard as possible < 178 HR. Take in nutrition and fluids in aero position on the straights. Be wary of drafting as busy course.
• Run hard as possible, from fast but good form (no injuries!) to absolute max last 2.5k lap
• Transition fast and direct to my spot but short balanced steps (really muddy!)
• NO INJURIES!!!! If really sore, pull out.

Overall, I followed my race plan, the knee held up well with no pain and I did okay. I came 5th in 2:05:35. So, in summary, the best three things about the race were;

1. PB for an Olympic Distance race (although the bike I think was a bit short)
2. Fastest run of the day in my category at 40:30
3. Top 5 I achieved my goal (just by outsprinting the USA team member Steph Popelar through the finish)

But as always there are lots of learnings from the race. My top three from this race were;

1. Start the race at the start of the race. I have let my dissapointment with recent swims make me accept that I am not a great swimmer so I almost mentally start the race at the end of the swim not the start of it. It is a bad attitude that doesn't help me swim as well as I can. I think I could have swum harder in Budapest. I rode and ran at absolute max given the distance I was racing. I know that. I am just not convinced I did the same in the swim. 
2. Sighting and feet. I was so concerned about swimming straight after going off track in Passy I kept looking up and resighting fully rather than eyes just above water level when swivelling back down, slowing me a little each time. The buoys at Budapest were huge so I probably didn't need to. Also no great feet found to draft behind for any long stretches. It was hard in the grey, brown murky water of the Danube (as even the best, Andrea Hewitt found when she missed the lead pack in the water later that afternoon) but I need the additional assistance and I didn't get it for long. I need to get better at this!
3. Preparation. A good positive learning was my preparation for this race was really good. It was a big event, tightly managed with 1000s of entrants and a new city, with a seperate start and finish area which all made it a bit challenging. My prep was solid and smooth. Physically getting my legs sorted in the weeks prior and not overstressing about them but trusting that keeping on with the right interventions would get them there and getting the body race ready in the last few days before the event meant I felt that I turned up with the body as well prepared as I could have. Mentally I had ridden the bike and run and swum in the race area so knew the course and transitions. I had a decent race plan that did anticipate the challenges of race day to ensure I could give it what I had (except see learning 1). Also just the travel and basic prep like getting my bike and gear sorted, there and together in the right spot in the right condition for the day all went very smoothly. After a summer of travelling and racing I am getting better at doing the basics.  

The Danube, prettier when backlit than swimming through it!

So overall, I am not sure how to feel. A little dissapointed as I think I could have swum better and made it to the podium if I hadn't screwed around with my swimming so much this summer trying to improve it and also better leveraged that which I had on the day in the swim. Earlier in the summer I posted a swim time on a similar course that would have got me into 2nd place if I could have replicated it here. I have been trying to change and improve since then which seems to have just sent me backwards! A great comment on this comes from a book I have been reading lately,

I was in no man's land, no longer good at doing it wrong, but also not yet able to consistently get it right .

Well it gives me a clear focus for the off season. So moving past the swim, I transitioned smoothly and fast, rode the third fastest bike split and ran the fastest. I competed hard, eventually outriding a Canadian lady who drafted for a fair bit of the bike course and finally catching the lovely US lady on the run that took me every cm of the 10k to get.

So learnings on board, ready for my next race and now it's time to go get on my bike. I'm now into my final big week prior to Barcelona!

Train well, race hard, enjoy and recover easy! Time for some training here.
A bientot
Christine

Mt Blanc race report

So this week I'll not tackle the wonderful topic of women's differences regarding training, as we leave tomorrow to go to Budapest so I can race at the Olympic Distance World Championships. It is 6 weeks since I raced in Immenstadt at the Long Course Worlds. I am only just getting my tiggerishness (bounce) back so the time between the two has been good. I am looking forward to the opportunity to race in a big field of fantastic athletes from around the world, including a big contingent from Australia.

I have only raced once between the two world champs, at the Mont Blanc Tri in Passy 10 days ago. That was a really beautiful olympic distance race in the Chamonix Valley with Mt Blanc at 4,808m providing a perfect snow capped backdrop.

Although I would have only given myself about a 6/10 for my race performance, it was great fun as it was a stunning place and day, there were lots of Team Mermillod Triathlon (my French club) folk there, as well as the one and only Crew Chief (my husband, Rob) who had his first Northern Hemisphere race experience, and my parents who were visiting from Oz so they had a chance to see what racing here was all about and hang out with the boys in the great playgrounds by the lake on a warm summer's afternoon.

So I guess my thought for this week is about fun vs performance in racing. I love racing as it is a chance to push myself harder than in training and see what comes out against a field of peers and my own expectations. I love the atmosphere of race day and the challenge it provides everyone which drives that great individual feeling of achievement and the comraderie afterwards when everyone has overcome whatever challenges they faced on the day, and mostly feel good about their efforts.

But what if you have a bad race, or like I did, just a so so one? Do you let it ruin your day, or worse threaten your enjoyment of your next block of training or the sport more generally? I hope not.

Rudyard Kipling had a great quote my grandfather loved from the poem "If" about this

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same

I read this to mean, it is good to dream big, aim high and set challenging goals for yourself, but not lose the enjoyment of what you do either to achieve success, or as a result if you fail to achieve it. Triathlon is an excuse for a great journey and the outcome that it provides, good, indifferent or bad is very much secondary to the fun of getting there. Let's be real, very few athletes in this sport make a real living out of it, so the outcome is more about personal satisfaction and validation of the effort than anything else.
So, in practice... I really had a pretty average race at Passy, going off course in the swim and not really hitting rhythm in it anyway, having a solid bike (finally strong on the descents where I outpaced the guys around me as well as on the one steep climb each lap) and an ok but not great run given I had been having some knee trouble leading up to it. But it didn't really matter all that much as I was happy coming 4th overall given I wasn't feeling ready to race again in the week leading up to it. I still won the veteran femme category and although it would have been nice to be in top 3 which was my goal, I really admire all three athletes who beat me and they well earned their place in front that day.

So performance vs fun. An ex coach of mine used to sneer at the "fun" word regarding training or racing. I disagree. I love triathlon because it is fun for me, even when I am hitting the red zone at the end of a race, I enjoy the challenge and the atmosphere. That is why I do it. I loved that Rob got to race with me that day and excelled himself in it. He had a fantastic race on far more limited training time than I get. He loved the opportunity to be out there amongst it again. His race report is linked here if your are interested.

http://thecrewchief.blogspot.com/

I meanwhile had to manage my head after a poor swim to reset and enjoy tackling the field as usual from behind. I am not as strong a swimmer as bike / runner so tend to do this every race anyway. I joke that I am like Pharlap, the famous Australian racehorse that raced better when held back at the start of the race to then fly through the field from the back. Well, ok, I am just not a very good swimmer so don't really hold back by choice, but riding and running through the field is kinda fun! I just gave myself a bit more of a starting handicap that day. Not getting frustrated by what has already past is a necessity in enjoying racing. This is particularly true in longer courses where there is more time for stuff to happen, lulls, flat tyres, cramps ...

Enjoying the run

So I reset the head after my swim and by the end of the first descent on the bike, was loving being on course and taking my usual approach which is, if I can keep up with the majority of the guys I am racing with, and overtake more overall than I let pass me, then I will find the girls up there in front. It worked and I slowly moved through the field from 12th to 4th through the bike and run. I often try and find someone to pace with on the run, going just a bit faster than I comfortably would go by myself. I did for just over a lap at Passy. A lovely guy who chatted amiably in French to me when he had the spare breath, some of which I understood and much of which, in my tired and focussed race state, I missed. Apologies! The lead on the first three strong girls was too much to close though. So, 4th and and ok race, but plenty to enjoy and learn from.

I managed to win some flowers that I could give
to Mum for being, well, my Mum!

After the race I really enjoyed the time with Rob, the other girls I knew from previous races, TMT club members, my boys and parents. Triathlon is really just a great excuse for bringing together lovely people. We relaxed for a few hours by the lake and by then I was ready for some more. So I took the option to ride the 50k home via Megeve and Col de Aravis and enjoyed the early evening in the mountains.

So lots of learning to take to the next race at the World Champs this weekend to be even better mentally and physically prepared and of course, enjoy even more!

So, enjoy your day too, whatever the outcome.
A bientot!
Christine

Women's Topic 1: Nutrition and hydration differences

Everyone knows that race cars use high performance fuels to go faster. We are no different. You can train your body, building technique and spending lots of time out completing a training program, but if you are not refueling effectively (nutrients and hydration) you won't get the full rewards of the work you are doing. You will either deplete specific elements required for short term recovery and optimal performance or longer term health and wellbeing.

So no need for me to recover here all of the great writing on a good base diet, the potential benefits and risks of supplements or effective hydration, as that is equally true of all men and women who wish to achieve good physical performance from their bodies long term. The book in the links below, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes is great though if you want more. What I am looking for is what is more or less relevant to us because we are women.

Personally I have always had a pretty good, sustained base diet that is nutrient rich, interesting to eat (I love food!) and a good start from which to make substantial demands on my body.

Are you confused yet by all the products on offer?
Get some good advice before jumping into supplements

I am naturally pretty lean so for me having enough calories in the system during and after longer sessions to ensure I don't burn into my hard earned muscle has been important. In training I use electrolytes and water (one of each on the bike) and protien enriched electrolytes if it is a long session. I also take bars / gels to refuel in motion. A pocket picnic! Living in France, I have been known to stop in a village for a baguette and coffee too! When I get home I try and refuel and rehydrate fast. Usually I have either protien powder or made up chia with juice, yogurt and a banana to as soon as I get back and then a meal soon after showering (where I drink the warm water to keep rehydrating) and stretching.

I notice that relative to guys I train with, I need less food or liquid to keep feeling good. This is true of race nutrition and hydration too. I am 2/3 the size of my husband so this is not surprising as I am smaller, but as a woman also probably more efficient in glycogen access and generally sweat less. I also don't seem to "hit the wall" in the same way they can when they run out of energy. I have always got something left in reserve to get home even if I have gone out inappropriately prepared.

As I have got more serious in my training and racing over the past year, I have changed from skeptic to convert around supplements as they have been able to fill gaps that may otherwise impact my health and capacity either short term or longer term. Iron supplements work for me as otherwise I tend to have lower than optimal iron levels as showed up through blood tests. I use a good one that is based on beetroot, comes with zinc and vit C and is therefore pretty absorbable. I also use a good endurance athlete specific multivitamin that assists replace required vitamins and minerals that I burn through at a higher rate of knots while in full training.

Generally this seems to work for me. I am in the veteran category (yes over 40 this year!) have been in solid training for two back to back summers with limited time out between seasons and don't feel that I am running myself down physically. My only real weakness that I am aware of is my love of coffee. I blame it on the years on self enforced deprivation while pregnant and breastfeeding my kids. I love coffee but I try and limit my intake to 2 expressos a day, although I am known to have 3 occassionally. Before a key race I limit myself to one a day. Besides impacting sleep, caffiene can impact iron and calcium absorption. It can also provide adrenal highs and lows that if abused too much can lead to adrenal exhaustion. However it also aids training (and racing) by increasing endurance capacity in the hours following intake.

So what are the physiological nutritional demand differences for women? The strong endurance capability of women is supported by to our smaller average size and better ability to metabolise fat to produce ongoing glycogen stores relative to men. The second research paper noted below on energy balance showed that women tend to improve average race performance with higher carbo intake in the bike leg of an Ironman race, but not for increased intake in the run leg, while men's final performance improved with more energy intake in both. This is likely due to these two differences. This doesn't suggest that you don't ensure adequate nutrition while racing long, just that timing is important and the averages set for men and made into neat little summaries on High 5 gel boxes etc may not be the same that you require if they are set for the standard 75kg average male athlete. A basic rule of thumb I have used is 1g carbohydrate per 1kg body weight per hour.

Other research has shown carbohydrate loading prior to an endurance event is less effective for women than it is for men, but still has a positive impact. Whereas carbo intake in recovery is equally efficient in men and women. This comes from a study by the McMaster University in the US. Testing your own body in training and under race conditions is the only way to really get the energy balance right for you.

Hydration needs are also different for women due to smaller average body size and lower average sweat rates. Hyponatremia, or low blood sodium levels from overdrinking of low or no sodium drinks such as water is more common in women than men. The best way to avoid the risk of this potentially lethal nasty is to weigh yourself before and after solid training sessions and measure your fluid intake during your training so you get to know your own sweat rate. Then increase or decrease your intake to try and return close to your weight prior to the session. Once you have the volume understood, also consider the quality. Hydrate with appropriately made up sports drink (check sodium content on label). There is no benefit and some risk in overhydrating prior to a big event too. Just remain hydrated appropriately both before and after.

One other major female difference is we don't achieve the same level of leanness for same level of exercise as men. We are designed to have shape, even if we are fit. If women get too lean from insuffient calories relative to energy expenditure out training they can be at risk of hormonal inbalances and longer term calcium deficiencies and bone density diseases such as osteoperosis. A good indicator of wether you are at risk of this is if you have irregular or no periods. If this sounds like you, consider supplement options and changes to your diet to increase your calories.

Iron deficiencies are also higher in female athletes due to monthly cycles and food preferences. Increased tiredness, headspins and faintness can indicate anaemia. Regular blood screening makes it easy to pick up before it has impacted your energy and training too much. Diet changes and supplements can both be used to address it. Vitamin C assists iron absorption so have a lime juice to go with your steak, or diced tomato with your beans! Iron supplements vary greatly in the body's ability to absorb them, so get some advice before you go buy the one that happens to be on sale this week.

Generally though as women we can learn to listen to our bodies changing needs as we change the pattern of our training and physical demands on it. If you have a good base diet and exercise well you will probably find your body tells you what it wants and how much it needs to refuel effectively. Occassional blood testing of all the key indicators can then identify any remaining gaps and allow you to develop a specific dietery or supplement plan to effectively address them.

So enjoy eating, drinking and being merry as you find what you need to excel in your chosen training and racing goals!


Some sources for additional reading if interested

Three good books

- The Woman Triathlete, Christina Gandolpho
http://www.humankinetics.com/products/all-products/the-woman-triathlete

- Triathlon for Women: A Mind-Body-Spirit Approach for Female Athletes, Lisa Lynam
http://www.amazon.com/Triathlon-Women-Mind-body-spirit-Approach-Athletes/dp/1841261084/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1283181649&sr=1-1

- Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, Monique Ryan
http://www.amazon.com/Sports-Nutrition-Endurance-Athletes-Monique/dp/1931382964/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

Some good Sports Science Articles

- Maximising performance in triathlon: Applied physiological and nutritional aspects of elite and non-elite competitions, David J. Bentley, Gregory R. Cox, Daniel Green, Paul B. Laursen
http://www.jsams.org/article/PIIS1440244007001557/abstract

I like this article as it is very readable and practical. I have been in contact with the main author who is a current elite triathlete coach and sports physiologist and phsiotherapist based in Australia. It is a very practical sumary of what the scientific research has identified that may assist your race performance.
Eg "The timing of fluid consumed may be an important consideration for triathletes competing in Olympic distance triathlon events as a recent study demonstrated that athletes had faster run times when fluid was consumed early during the cycle leg of a simulated triathlon event."

- Energy balance during an ironman triathlon in male and female triathletes
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11993622

Some online articles
- Women and men compete in ultrarunning, Runners Magazine
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-238-511-0-13593-0,00.html

-Caffiene and adrenal impacts, Natural Health Newsd
http://www.naturalnews.com/012352.html

Kids and triathlon: involvement, integration and fun for all!

Guilt was a concept redefined for me once I became a parent. I am always feeling that I could/may/should do something that I haven't done to be a better parent to my two lovely boys. As a triathlete in the middle of a demanding ironman training schedule, I am very aware of the time I lose with them while out on the bike, at the pool/lake or out running.

In order to best manage this balance I am learning to try and integrate the kids into my training and racing where possible and manage my schedule to ensure good quality time each day with them. It is challenging to integrate kids into a 6 hr bike ride, or long lake swim, but some of the things we do, to make it easier include;

Long bike ride
I tend to start after lunch on the weekend so we have a really active / fun morning time together. We often go picnicing somewhere interesting to the kids (and us) a good drive away. Then I ride home or go out further before heading back. This gives me fun rides too as I get to cover a greater range of the region if one way. Otherwise a pick up and dinner together somewhere interesting at the end works too.

Runs

The boys having fun at the lake while Mum or Dad swim

Jackson and Liam sometimes join me for the first few minutes of my run as I warm up before heading off for a long run, or after getting off the bike. Liam and I run to the corner of the road down the hill together and back to the house (about 700m) and Jackson and I then run up the hill together and back (a further 800m) before I head off alone. They get to be part of it and I get paced for a good warm up.

The boys also both love riding their bikes. The bike path around the lake at Annecy it is perfect for us all to head out together. Jackson's pace on the bike is perfect for a good, solid run for me at a relatively steady 13-14 kph as there are no hills on that route. He has recently started pacing me on my tempo runs too. Liam and Rob are well matched and after an hour out we are all happy and have had a bit of 1:1 time with one of the boys.

Swimming

We all enjoy going to the pool or lake together on a warm afternoon and the boys swim with one or other parent, or dive off boards, or slide down slides, or just generally run around and have fun, while the other parent trains. This summer the boys also started paddling in a kayak with one parent while the other swims in the lake alongside. Rob and I then swap at the turnaround.

Yoga/strength work

The kids have their own yoga mats so they can either do the yoga or stretches I am doing along with me or follow along in a great kids yoga book we have (Babar's Yoga) and do their own thing. For sit ups the boys often fight for the right to sit on my feet and collect kisses each repetition. I split the reps in two so they both get a go. Liam, who loves anything mechanical is particularly fond of ropes, whether skipping ropes or stretch cords. He now has his own of each to follow along in his way when I am using mine. He tends to spend most of the time clipping or tying them on or off things, but that keeps him happy so all is good!

Races

A serious HT session for 2
Liam now "motorpaces" me from the scooter while I train

We are lucky in France that generally the races are held at great areas near lakes with playgrounds or at minimum good play areas. So taking swimmers, a ball or frisbee etc and some good snacks/lunch can make cheering Mum or Dad on during an Olympic or Long Course tri a really fun day out. There are always options for fun kids play between laps if you are looking.

When we were in Nice supporting at Ironman France on a hot day we ended up spending an hour with the kids at one of the fountains there as it was in the shade and lots more fun than the rocky beach for their soft feet. Race day treats like an icecream or dinner out on the way home make them look forward to being an integral part of the race experience too.

From my perspective I love having the kids and Rob at races. I look forward each lap to seeing them always acknowledge them with a big hello, high 5 or at least a wave if not possible. It lifts me for the few kms both going into where they are and out again. Rob meanwhile is developing a great ability to multitask, taking photos, managing the kids and sharing vital information with me as I pass, like how many women are ahead and how many seconds/minutes forward they are.

Back at home the kids also do their own triathlons complete with transitions and gels etc! These don't even need water as swimming can be done running with arms windmilling around your head, transitions can be completed with completely imaginary gear and sometimes the bike leg includes a real bike, sometimes a scooter, and sometimes just a run with arms forward in the TT position! Gels and bars are provided with muesli bars and fruit squeezes. It gives them a go in their way to do as we do. Next year Jackson may start the Minimen tris if he is still as keen as he is now. Until then, running around different trees and back three times can provide three times the fun for them too!

A bientot!
C