Triathlon Canada: Ask the Coach

Dear Coach, A college athlete of mine recently asked me about the importance of sleep. He has a busy school, work and social schedule. His sleep was starting to suffer and he wanted to know if sleep was really that important to his endurance goals. Coach Chris’s response: I emphasized to my athlete just how important proper sleep is. Growth hormone is released during sleep and there is added hormone production when sleep is extended past normal ranges. On the flip side, a two hour reduction to one’s normal sleep pattern is equivalent to consuming enough alcohol to register a .05 blood alcohol level. While the average adult gets 7 to 7.5 hours of sleep daily, there have been recent studies done on athletes that show enormous benefits to athletic performance when they are able to get 10 hours of sleep per night. ESPN even did a story where they stated that sleep is the “magic pill” for athletic performance. I mentioned to my athlete that there are many devices on the market today that track the amount and quality of sleep. I, personally, use the Timex Move X20 to track my daily sleep patterns. I find that it really helps me stay more consistent. I’m also able to better understand my energy levels on a daily basis. LifeSport Coach Chris Thomas has over 10 years of coaching experience and is USAT certified. Chris is also an Ironman 70.3 World Champion (M40-44). He enjoys working with athletes of all levels. Contact Chris to tackle your first triathlon or to perform at a higher level. Find more tips on Twitter@LifeSportCoach.

American Zofingen

Wow, what a race! This has been on my bucket list of races to do for quite some time. I had heard how challenging the race was from several athletes. However, just like most things, you have to find out for yourself! I came into the race having completed 2 outdoor rides since competing in the Ironman World Championships back in October. Both of those outdoor rides where done out in Arizona on Mt. Lemmon during my Timex team camp. So I had not been outside in the northeast in about 7 months. I had logged plenty of trainer miles, so I knew I was fit. I just didn't think I was race fit.

Here's the profile of the run course. The race starts with one 5 mile loop that includes 900 feet of climbing. It's single track for the climbs and groomed wide trails for the decents. I really enjoyed the first loop and felt ready for the bike. I knew it was going to be a long day, so I kept it pretty easy in zone 1 for the first loop.

Once I got onto the bike, I realized right away that I had made a big technical mistake. I still had my 11-25 rear cassette on from Hawaii. The first hill made me realize what a rookie mistake that was. My legs were working right out of the gate. There were sections of the bike that were a bit technical on a couple of the descents. Fortunately, my friend and prior winner, Mitch West had warned me to be cautious on the first downhill. The remainder of the bike was very challenging but enjoyable. By the end of the 3rd lap and 8,406 feet of climbing I was ready to get off my Trek Speed Concept. It had served me well, but I was ready for the 2nd run. My friend Mitch had told me that there were sections of the run that were really steep and would need to be walked. During the first loop of the race, I was thinking to myself that he had no idea what he was talking about. Well, as soon as I hit the run the 2nd time, I knew immediately what Mitch was talking about. Oh my gosh, my heart rate was running high and I was getting pretty dehydrated. I managed through the 3 loops by just focusing on keeping one foot in front of the other. It was not a run, but forward movement. The only real excitement came towards the end of the 2nd loop, when I almost stepped on a huge black snake. I screamed and jumped over it at the last second and I was very happy that there were no witnesses to my little freak moment. That certainly got my heart rate racing again. I crossed the finish line in 7:20:19 and managed to take the overall title. It was an experience I will not forget.

Genetic Testing

I love to learn. I also love to test. Each year I try to do something new to learn about my body and how I can maximize my physiological potential. Over the years, I've tested the following: VO2 max, blood threshold, sweat loss, metabolic efficiency, and wind tunnel. I always learn a lot from each experience. This year Standard Process came out with a new type of Genetic and Fitness assessment using DNA analysis. The link is here: http://www.standardprocess.com/Standard-Process/NutriSync#.VUuwRZMeo3Y The steps were very easy and not intrusive at all. I had to take a brief survey and do two cheek swabs. I sent the cheek swabs back to the lab for analysis. I was then provided with a 22 page report that gave me feedback on how I can improve my nutrition and fitness. This report is based on the analysis of my DNA, so it is completely unique to me. I discovered many interesting things from the report. One item that was especially interesting is that I have a salt-sensitivity. As an endurance athlete, this sensitivity can create some issues in my longer events. From an athletic stand point, my genes showed that I, personally, benefit from a combination of power and low intensity endurance activities. The report showed that I am at 77% of my potential for my nutrition and lifestyle. Overall, the report was very thorough and I look forward to working on the areas I need to improve on.

Sleep!

I've been really enjoying using my new Timex Move X20 (http://www.timex.com/move-x20 ) to track my movements, texts, caller id, and most of all my sleep. Here's a great source to improve sleep patterns. For most adults, about 25% of their nightly rest is deep sleep. (http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/follow-sleep-routine) I also take a supplement called Mintran from Standard Process. My nutritionist recommended it for me due to the following qualities: Min-Tran is a vegetarian product that contains mineral complexes to support emotional balance. Supports a healthy nervous system Mild calmative that helps maintain emotional balance Helps ease the effects of temporary stress Supports the actions of neurotransmitters that regulate mood*

The Power of a early season/New Year purification

I'm 10 days into my yearly purification program (https://www.standardprocess.com/Standard-Process/Purification-Program#.VLEuXnseo3Y) and I feel fantastic. I've lost all of the holiday cheer that I had managed to put on since finishing the Ironman Worl Championships in October (10lbs). Now I'm back to my normal race weight. I did an 11 mile run this morning without having anything for breakfast and only used water. I felt really strong the entire duration. I am really looking forward to the remainder of my program and 2015.

Staying Healthy

What is your "go to" remedy to stay healthy? I am asked that question many times this time of year. My response is: 1. Sleep 2. Probiotics 3. Healthy nutrition habits 4. Appropriate supplements (if necessary). I have been able to track my sleep patterns recently using the Timex Move X20. I love keeping a record of my sleep patterns. It's very interesting to see the good, bad, and ugly of my nightly sleep. I take a daily probiotic to help keep my gut healthy and fend off the common cold and upper respiratory infections. I try to keep a very simple nutrition pattern that includes nutrient dense choices. I get my blood checked 2 times a year to see where I might need to supplement in order to keep things in balance. I usually find that I am deficient in Vitamin D and B12. So I use the appropriate supplementation to get back into balance. I also try to keep my immune system as strong as possible. So I use three products from Standard Process to stay in front of things. The first is Immuplex, which helps support normal range white blood cell activity. I also take Eleuthero, which helps to support immune system function, promotes vitality, physical, and mental endurance. Finally I use Ganoderma and Shiitake which helps to promote the body's normal resistance function. Stay healthy!

IM World Championship-The definition of Insanity

The definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, the mantra this year was to switch things up and see if the outcome would change. I had three main things that I changed up in 2014. First, I went back to a focused strength and plyometrics routine at the beginning of the year. Then I worked the entire season on dialing in my race nutrition. I did not want any nutritional excuses this year. Finally, I increased the frequency and length of my long rides. The result of my changes left me very confident about my foundation strength and my race nutrition. I was not worried about completing the 140.6 miles. I was ready to race. Swim: 1:01:00 I was curious to see how the new swim start would change things this year. I swam out to the starting line and quickly realized that the split start was not going to change how dense the front line gets before the cannon goes off. The usual feeling of being a sardine packed in was still very real. Once the cannon went off, I just tried to keep my head down and stay relaxed. There were arms and feet everywhere, but my best option was to move forward as quickly as I could. After the initial 200 meter smash fest, I was able to get some decent open water. I quickly got into my own rhythm and looked for some feet to follow. I felt really relaxed the remainder of the swim even though the conditions seemed a bit more rolling this year. I came out of the water with the 256th swim time. It wasn't my best, but I was happy with it on the day. Bike: 5:06:00 The long day that is an ironman will always throw unforeseen challenges your way. Each race will have different challenges. So I always try to prepare myself the best I can and hope to adapt to the particular challenge I am presented with on that day. This year I felt really good heading out onto the bike and I was really excited to see how my nutrition plan would play out. What I did not expect was to be flagged for a blocking (just a stand down) and a drafting (four minute timed stand down) penalty within the first ten miles. I was so surprised and very disappointed. My thought process had this progression: anger at the referees for making two very bad calls at the beginning of the race, then the feeling that my race was over, finalized by realizing that it is a very long day and anything can happen. The bike segment was the usual roller coaster of emotions. However, this year the conditions were quite unique. I would say that 2014's bike conditions were the second (behind 2004) hardest that I've experienced in eight times racing here. There was an extreme headwind from miles 25-45. Then we caught some major side winds from 45-55 that literally blew some athletes off the road. We got the usual brutal headwinds heading into the Hawi turnaround from miles 55-60, which did turn into a nice tailwind to start the descent back down to mile 70. Once we turned onto the Queen K at about mile 80, we had a massive tailwind. It was bizarre. I was pedaling as fast as I could while riding along at 40mph and thinking how nice this would be to have the remainder of the ride. However, that all changed at mile 90, when we got another blast of significant headwind to fight the remainder of the ride into T2. It was one of the strangest days I've ever experienced. I came off the bike in 206th place overall and 24th in my age group. While it was not one of my best rides, I was very happy with how my nutrition held up. Run: 3:07:59 One of my main goals this year was to feel good (relatively speaking) coming off the bike. I have only felt decent one time exiting T2 in Kona and I really wanted to change that this year. I was really happy that once I hit the ground running, my legs felt good. It can be very daunting to think of the distance still left to cover and I am guilty of having those thoughts from time to time. So I made a deal with myself that I was only going to think about running to the next aid station. This was the first year that I was able to run the entire marathon without walking any aid stations. I felt pretty good for the first 13 miles then I went through a tough patch until mile 19. My energy levels really dipped during this stretch and I only focused on my cadence in an attempt to keep moving forward at a decent pace. Once I exited the Energy lab, I tried to get my hands moving at a decent clip. I knew my feet would follow if I could stay in the moment and not drift off with my thoughts. The strategy worked and I was able to bring my pace back down to 7 min/mile pace into the finish. I crossed the line with my best marathon time to date and a total time of 9:21:59, which put me in 85th Overall and 6th M40-44. I left it all on the run course.