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Active Expert: Gale Bernhardt

October 2012

Those heading to Ironman Arizona and Ironman Florida from cooler environments should consider strategies for acclimating to heat and humidity for the race. IMAZ folks living in cool climates should be over-dressing now. See strategies in the two-part column, Acclimating to Heat and Humidity.

394 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: ironman, florida, heat, humidity, arizona, acclimitization

 

A triathlete that I’ve coached for years (one-on-one personal training, then consulting/advising him on self-coaching questions) wondered what’s next after Ironman? He told me he needs a new drug. Maybe you need one too?

 

How about:

 

USA Cycling time trials in your area?

How about long distance cycling goals? (Bike tours or long-distance events.)

Aiming for Team USA in triathlon or duathlon? (There are sprint, Olympic and long distance options.)

 

 

 

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Comments can be added on Facebook.

Ironman and half-Ironman plans available on ActiveTrainer.

Off-season plans for triathlon and cycling, along with event-specific running, cycling and more triathlon plans found here.

 

 

 

390 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: triathlon, olympic, duathlon, sprint, team_usa, after_ironman, long_course

Q.   I ran my first marathon last weekend. I’m thrilled that I finished and I had a decent time as well. I felt pretty good the day after the race, but two days later I’m exhausted. How long will it take before I’m back to normal? Should I be running now?

 

A.   First, congratulations on your finish! For your questions, my preference is that athletes not run the first week after a marathon or an Ironman distance race. You can walk, swim or ride a bike. Give your body a chance to heal. You can pick up the running again after a week, but keep the runs short and easy. Running on soft surfaces such as dirt, grass or a treadmill might be easier on your body. Not knowing much about you, it’s tough for me to prescribe how much running you can do the second week. Your primary goal is to recover.

 

How long until you’re back to “normal?” I find it usually takes four weeks to recover and feel 100 percent after a marathon or an Ironman. You can find more information on recovery time in a column I wrote awhile back.

 

 

 

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Comments can be added on Facebook.

Ironman and half-Ironman plans available on ActiveTrainer.

Off-season plans for triathlon and cycling, along with event-specific running, cycling and more triathlon plans found here.

 

 

 

377 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: ironman, marathon, recovery_time

Q.   I’m a triathlete trying to improve my swimming speed in the off-season. I use your Workouts in a Binder cards when I swim on my own and I also swim with a masters group. I’ve just moved up to a new lane in my masters group and I’m struggling. The lane typically swims on a 1:40 send-off time. Yesterday we had 6 x 100 on 1:40 as the first part of the main set. I made the first three (just barely) send-offs and came in on the 1:41 on number four. Should I have just pushed off and kept swimming what would amount to a steady 300 or should I rest a 50? What is better for me?

 

A.   As a triathlete you do need the endurance to swim long distances at a steady pace. But…too many triathletes settle for slogging it out in all the main sets in a masters swim and they end up swimming continuously. If you are going to improve speed, over a long distance, you need both endurance workouts (working on continuous swimming or broken swims with minimal rest) and workouts intended to increase the speed you can average during long swims (these are sets where you get rest and swim a faster average pace).

So, the answer to the question of “What is better for me?” depends on what you’ve been doing in training and what you need to improve. If you’ve been doing long, continuous swims or broken swims with little rest – sit out a 50 and aim to keep the speed high during these sets. If you’ve been doing a good number of broken swims with plenty of rest, go ahead and aim to finish the main set even if you’re dangling at the end of the lane and doing a continuous swim.

 

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Comments can be added on Facebook.

Ironman and half-Ironman plans available on ActiveTrainer.

Off-season plans for triathlon and cycling, along with event-specific cycling and more triathlon plans found here.

 

 

 

300 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: swim, rest, continuous

Not that long ago experts claimed a direct link between high-fructose corn syrup and obesity. Now it seems there is a good deal of controversy as to whether high-fructose corn syrup is a “cause” of obesity.

 

One columnist at the Mayo Clinic noted that research has shown that high-fructose corn syrup is chemically similar to table sugar. She notes that there remains controversy as to whether the body treats both sweeteners similarly or not.

 

At this time, there appears to be insufficient evidence that high-fructose corn syrup is any worse (or better) for you than sugar. Both can contribute to unwanted calories with very little nutrition.

 

It probably won’t surprise you that the manufacturers of both products (the Corn Refiners Association and the Sugar Association) are putting money into research and advertising because getting revenue from our sugar cravings is big money. If the Sugar Association can increase its share of the oh-so-sweet pie, it can mean big payoff. One source reported that in 2010 the Corn Refiners reported $27.3 million in revenue, while the Sugar Association had $2.4 million in revenue. The Sugar Association reported near doubling its revenue in 2011 to $4.2 million.

 

For all of us, the best advice is to keep consumption of all sugars minimized, particularly outside of the appropriate exercise and recovery windows.

 

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Comments can be added on Facebook.

Ironman and half-Ironman plans available on ActiveTrainer.

Off-season plans for triathlon and cycling, along with event-specific cycling and more triathlon plans found here.

397 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: high, hfcs, obesity, sugar, syrup, fructose, corn

Looking for a fast lunch recipe? I’ve got one for you using pre-cooked rice, steamed veggies and chicken. The seasoning is likely something you haven’t used before…

 

First, if you keep cooked rice on hand it is easy to throw together a fast dish. Second, sometimes you have leftover baked chicken and you’re tired of salads. The third major ingredient is any veggie(s) you choose. If you have fresh ones, great – but – if you don’t and you’re in a big hurry, use the frozen steamer bag kind.

 

Use any volume of each ingredient you please. This allows you to adjust carbohydrates, fats and proteins to fuel a balanced lunch or one with higher carbs for a recovery meal.

 

Combine the rice, veggies and chopped chicken pieces in a bowl. Season to taste with olive oil (or butter or any other oil you normally use) and tamari soy sauce. The final ingredient…Mongolian Fire Oil.This yummy oil packs a punch of spice in small amounts so begin sparingly.

 

Of course you can use any protein or tofu rather than chicken. This easy, flexible recipe helps you eat healthy to fuel your training.

 

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Comments can be added on Facebook.

Ironman and half-Ironman plans available on ActiveTrainer.

Off-season plans for triathlon and cycling, along with event-specific cycling and more triathlon plans found here.

569 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: recipe, chicken, rice, quick, mongolian_fire_oil, veggies

Gale,

 

I like your book Workouts in a Binder.  I am now entering offseason and will only be swimming twice a week.  The book is set up for three to four swims per week.  How do I use it with only two swims a week.  (i.e. still follow the suggested workouts in order?) not sure.

 

A.C.

 

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Hi A.C. ~

 

Thanks for dropping me a note about Workouts in a Binder. I'm assuming you're a triathlete using the training plan on page 17.

 

That written, most triathletes have decent endurance and could work on gaining some speed in the off-season. Consider keeping the Endurance workouts shown on Saturday as one of your two workouts. For the second swim - consider replacing the Tuesday Form or Speed workouts with cards from the Anaerobic Endurance set. When the AE card says "fast" - I'd like you to really go FAST! No holding back and don't worry if speed fades during the set. Over time, you'll gain more endurance at the faster speeds.

 

Have fun and let me know how it goes.

 

Gale

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Questions and discussion can be found on my Facebook page.

 

Cycling and mountain bike training plans can be found here.

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