Coaching Smarter Triathletes

Sticking with a Nutrition Plan Versus Adapting to New Conditions

Following a Nutrition Plan

A few weeks ago I wrote up a nutrition/fueling plan for my friend James to use while racing the Chicago Marathon.  He'd had intestinal issues during the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, and wanted to make sure his stomach was solid in his attempt to qualify for Boston.  It was a detailed plan, listing exact quantities of gels/liquids at various times, starting two hours before the race and listing at which times/mile markers in the race to take another gel.

My last text to him before the race was "stick to your plan even if there's chaos."  By this I meant that during a race with 10,000 people, the unexpected is sure to occur.  Maybe it'd be hard get to crowed aid stations, or he'd drop a gel packet or two, or something else entirely. Regardless, it was important for him to maintain his calorie intake.

To help himself stick to the plan, he wrote the mile markers (and corresponding times) of when he should take each gel. And when the race started,  he stayed with his plan perfectly. 

Because he likes drinking Gatorade at aid stations, we had made that a major component of his fueling plan--over the whole race he would take in 400 calories worth of Gatorade.  This would comprise almost half of his calories and all of his fluids (about 2 quarts, or 3.5 bike bottles).  

One unforeseen condition was that the raceday temperature was much cooler than he's used to training in.  Because he was sweating a lot less than normal, he didn't need as much fluid as usual.  So by midway through the race his bladder was very full...

His choices at that point were to 1) stick to the plan and figuratively cross his legs; 2) stop and pee; 3) stop drinking fluids; or 4) substitute a gel for some of the Gatorade.

Stopping to empty his bladder would have taken precious time, and stopping drinking fluids would have had the effect of him not getting the calories he needed.  Substituting a gel for the Gatorade would have worked, but it would have required some thinking that's not always present during the single-focused mind that comes with racing.

So he chose option 1, stick with the plan and cross his legs.  It worked out perfectly.  He ran a remarkably consistent pace the whole race, beat his goal time by a minute, and qualified for Boston!

Knowing (or not) When to Adapt to New Conditions

Last Saturday I raced the Olympic distance course at Pumpkinman, outside Las Vegas.  The course features a long, hilly bike course through the desert.  On Saturday it was particularly hot (low 90s) and windy.  I had made up a hydration/nutrition plan knowing the weather forecast, but had failed to grasp just how much fluid I'd really need, even though I've trained quite a bit in those conditions.

The last climb on the bike course took almost 40 minutes (it was a long course--my bike time was 1:38, and even the fastest bike splits were almost 1:30).  There had also been a last-minute change in the course that lengthened it--and I hadn't grasped the magnitude of it.  We were on the bike course for 15 minutes longer than we were anticipating. 

Anyway, during the last climb, I knew something was wrong because my power output was about 10% - 15% lower than what it "should" have been. But it didn't dawn on my that it was dehydration at that point--so I stuck with my hydration plan.

Or at least I meant to.  The unforeseen condition was just how steep this last climb was, meaning that my speed was generally less than 14 mph (often lower than 10 mph) and that I was out of the aero bars, grabbing the bullhorns in a more upright position.  The problem with this is that I use a drink holder on my aero bars that holds the straw right at mouth level--but only when I'm in an aero position.  It's normally a great way to effortlessly drink. 

But, with being out of the aero bars for 40 minutes, the straw was out of my immediate vision, and I forgot to drink.  The consequence was that not only did I come into T2 thoroughly dehydrated, but I did it with water still on my bike.  So when I blazed out of T2, thinking I was in a really good position, I promptly doubled over with stomach cramps within 200 meters.

Stomach cramps while running are a classic sign of dehydration.  But it still hadn't dawned on me, and I stuck with my original plan of thinking I just needed a cupful of energy drink at each aid stations.  So I walked off the cramps and started running again (at my planned race pace, instead of slowing down...).  And within a mile was doubled over again.

It wasn't until mile three that I finally realized how dehydrated I was, and started gulping water at aid stations.  Of course by this time it was far too late--my stomach was still cramping, and I was thoroughly exhausted.  My "run" was reduced to shuffle, walk, bend over, repeat.  I was glad to just cross the finish line.

Even though I drank probably a gallon of fluids after the race, it wasn't until 9:00 o'clock that night I finally urinated.  Dehydrated, indeed.

All the Ways that I Failed to Adapt

Unlike James' decision during his marathon, it was not wise of me to stick to my plan--conditions were just too different than what I was expecting.  Here's all the ways I should have adapted:

• When we got to the race site on Friday I realized how hot it was--but didn't adjust my plan.
• I didn't learn more about the course adjustment, and didn't plan for more water for the extended time.
• Halfway through the bike course I noticed how hot and windy it was--but didn't grab an extra water bottle at the aid station.
• During the steep climb when I was out of the aerobars, I should have reminded myself to drink, even though it was inconvenient.
• After my first bout of stomach cramps on the run (and feeling a huge ring of salt around my mouth) I should have stopped at the first aid station and drank a lot of water.
• During the run I should have slowed down my pace--instead I tried running at my planned race pace, and consequently had to walk quite a bit. 

 

Gasoline is Cheaper than Energy Gel, Part Two

Last week I wrote about how it was cheaper to fuel my car with gas than it was to fuel my body with food to ride my bike.  In short, it cost 59 cents in gas to drive my Prius 10 miles, but 93 cents in food to pedal that same route at an easy pace. 

Another way of making the comparison is by calories per mile.  Pedaling those 10 miles burns 320 calories.   My Prius burns 0.20 gallons of gas (50 mpg) over that route, using 6200 calories (gasoline contains 31,000 calories per gallon).  

At first glance, the bicycle seems much more efficient.  But, let's consider weight.  I, my bike, and my clothes probably total out to about 175 pounds--meaning it costs me about 1.8 calories per pound to pedal 10 miles.  

My Prius and I total about 3200 pounds--meaning it costs me about 1.9 calories (of gasoline) per pound to drive 10 miles.  

	Weight	Caloric Cost to Go 10 Flat Miles	Caloires Burned Per Transported Pound (for 10 miles)
Me and My Road Bike	175 lbs	320	1.8
Me and My Toyota Prius	3200 lbs	6200	1.9

Again, Please Don't Shoot the Messenger

Really, my only point here is that similar calories per pound are used to move both a cyclist and a Toyota Prius.  I'm not claiming that one is more environmentally friendly than the other, and I'm not trying to make a socio-political statement.  And, truly, I'm not interested in knowing the size of anyone's carbon footprint.  

And, yes, I know there are some caveats to the above comparison.  The biggest is that I haven't figured in the energy costs of making and transporting the food and the gasoline.  But I do know that, given the amount of petroleum that goes into producing food (transport is the least of it--think fertilizers and farm equipment), it's possible the calorie/pound equation could swing wildly in favour of the Prius.

Anyway, I simply find the comparison fascinating.  If you're not similarly fascinated, don't worry; next week I'll resume writing about equally esoteric topics, but ones that are at least of some relevance to triathletes.

Parting Bit of Caloric Trivia

The standard energy gel packet is one ounce, contains 100 calories, and costs about a dollar.  In other words...

	Cost	Calories	Miles it Will Propel a Prius or Cyclist (as the case may be)
Gallon of Gasoline	$2.95	31,000	50
Gallon of Gu Energy Gel	$128.00	12,800	400

The Nutritional Expenses of Cycling. Or: It's Cheaper to Fuel Your Car Than Your Body

Yet Another Cost of Cycling

While sitting in the shade after a ride, chowing on Jen's delicious homemade bread, we discussed how expensive all of the "fake" food is that we eat while riding and running.  Energy bars, powdered drink mixes, and those delicious Clif Bloks that in no way resemble anything from nature.  During long, hard rides and runs their primary benefits are that they are easy to transport, don't spoil, and are readily digestible.  But how much do we pay for those qualities?

The Cost of Real Food

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has compiled a "market basket " of food that provides a nutritious diet for eating at home.  On a regular basis it updates how much it costs to buy all of those items in a grocery store.  The menu is quite healthy--lots of fruits and vegetables and very little processed food, fried items or dessert (It's much more healthy than the way I eat...).  They predict that a single male between the ages of 20 and 50 would spend $57.50 per week to buy the items in this basket.  At 2800 calories per day, this works out to 29 cents per 100 calories. 

The Cost of Triathlon Food

Here's a cost/calorie analysis of some typical food consumed during/after bike rides and runs. 

Energy Bars Energy Drinks

	Cost Per 100 Calories
Energy Bars
Clif Bar	$0.42
Power Bar	$0.53
Energy Drinks
Hammer Heed drink mix  (32 servings)	$0.63
Hammer Perpetuem drink mix(16 servings)	$0.63
Cytomax drink mix (27 servings)	$0.52
Gatorade (51 ounce powdered mix from WalMart)	$0.14
Energy Gels
Clif Bloks energy chews	$0.95
Gu enegy gel	$0.95
Hammer Gel (27 serving jug)	$0.85

These are just some typical prices; you can find cheaper prices by scouring the web and buying in bulk.  Note that energy gels are the most expensive (but generally the most convenient for running), and energy bars are the least expensive (but hard to digest on the run or during a hard ride).  A large container of powdered Gatorade is by far the cheapest--but note that you can't make a super-concentrated mix like the other drinks.  In other words, you're stuck with 150 calories per bike bottle, whereas I can easily put 600-700 calories of Heed into a bike bottle.

The Nutritional Cost of a Bike Ride

Our standard weekly ride through the mountains is a 40 mile loop with 3200' feet of climbing that takes us about 2:30 hours.  We ride this hard without stopping--which means we're either working hard or descending at 35 mph.  In other words, I can only consume and digest energy drinks or gels while riding.  Typically I'll eat a big breakfast two hours before riding, and consume 500 calories of Heed during the ride.  Yesterday I ate a Clif Bar (240 calories) back at the car, and then topped off with various "real" foods.    My Powermeter reported that I averaged 214 watts over this ride, and the Training Peaks software calculates that I burned 1600 calories (or 400 calories per 10 miles).  Which means I needed 860 calories of "real food" to replace the remainder of what I burned.  Here's what it cost me to replenish that fuel.

Source of Calories	Number of Calories	Cost Per 100 Calories	Cost
Hammer Heed	500	$0.63	$3.15
Clif Bar	240	$0.42	$1.00
Real Food	860	$0.29	$2.50
Grand Total	1600		$6.65

The total cost of $6.65 works out to $1.66 per 10 miles.  Note that this is a conservative cost; it doesn't include the espresso smoothies we stopped for on the way home or the fact that I eat at restaurants a lot (both a lot more expensive than eating at home)--I use the USDA market basket cost simply as a consistent guideline to illustrate how cheap it is to eat real food.

Driving Would Have Cost Less in Fuel

I paid $2.95 per gallon of gas here in San Diego last week.  I drive a Toyota Prius, which gets 50 mpg.  Figured another way, it takes $0.59 of gas to drive 10 miles.  I would have consumed $2.35 in gas to drive the same 40 miles that we rode.  Even a car that gets 25 mpg takes only $1.18 to drive 10 miles, or $4.72 to drive the 40 miles. Note that piling all three of us riders into the car would have cost about the same in gas (it would increased the net weight of the car by less than 10%-not enough to make much a difference in fuel economy).   Elizabeth and Jen burned fewer calories than I did (because they're much lighter), but amongst the three of us we probably burned $15 worth of food during the ride.

What About a Real-Life Commuting Example?

To be fair, most people don't commute 40 miles over the mountains (but they do go for a 40-mile recreational scenic drive, which is more the equivalent of what our ride was).  I dug up some Powermeter files from when I was just out tooling around on mostly flat terrain, which is the type of commuting most people do (especially when trying to not work up a sweat).  Using a typical example, I averaged 164 watts and burned 385 calories to ride 12 miles in 45 minutes.  This works out to 320 calories per 10 miles (a full 20% less than riding hard through the mountains).  Since I don't need food during such a short ride, I can replenish those calories with inexpensive "real" food at a cost of $0.93 per 10 miles (320 calories @ $0.29 per 100 calories).  Compare this to the fuel costs of $0.59 per 10 miles of my Prius, or $1.18 per 10 miles of a typical car.

Don't Shoot the Messenger

No, I'm not necessarily claiming that it's cheaper to commute by car than by bike.  I've only looked at fuel costs (food versus gasoline).  I'm not considering fixed capital costs (the cost of the bike versus the cost of the car), maintenance costs (tires, tune-ups, etc.), the value of time spent/saved, parking costs, or insurance.  I'm also not considering the presumed lower health care costs that come with being a fit cyclist --or on the other side of the coin the injury costs of cycling (how many cyclists do you know with broken collarbones?).  There are a ton of variables that go into this equation and will vary for each individual.

But my calculations show that, for me, fueling my car with gasoline costs less than fueling my body with food to ride the same distance by bicycle.  I haven't figured out why this is: I may need a mechanical engineer to give me data on the efficiency of internal combustion engines.  I do know that the human body is quite inefficient (much of our generated power is wasted as heat).  

Type of Transport	Cost in fuel (food or gasoline) per 10 miles
Cycle hard through the mountains	$1.66
Cycle easy on the flats (commuting)	$0.93
Drive a typical car (25 mpg)	$1.18
Drive a Prius (50 mpg)	$0.59

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An Experiment with (Lack of) Nutrition

Yesterday I conducted a little experiment to see just how few calories and electrolytes I could consume during an endurance event.  It involved hiking from the rim of the Grand Canyon down to the Colorado River and back--which is 15+ miles roundtrip, with 4500 feet elevation loss and gain.  Here's how it transpired.

I Really Wasn't Intending to Go That Far...
I had spent a few hiking and riding along the rim of the Canyon, including a 50-mile ride along the rim the day before.  This was to be my first venture below the rim, and I was only planning on going halfway down--which would have been an easy 3-hour round-trip hike.  So I threw a few Clif bars and a handful of gels into my pack, filled a few water bottles, and headed down the Bright Angel trail.

As much as I had been enthralled by the view from the rim--I was completely unprepared for how spectacular the canyon looks from below.  I was captivated, and reached the halfway point in no time--and wanted more.  The river was calling me but was still over 2000 feet below.  I wasn't concerned with my stamina in getting back up--but knew I had a lot less food than I'd have preferred to make such a journey. 

Taking Stock of My Rations
Water isn't a concern on this trail during the summer--it's available at 1300', 2300', and 3300' below the rim.  But calories? Only what you bring with you.  Here's what I had in my pack:

• 3 Clif bars (250 calories each)
• 5 gel packets (100 calories each)
• A few unsalted almonds (maybe 100 calories)
• Grand Total:  1350 calories, with very few electrolytes or sodium

I guessed that the round-trip would take me 8 hours.  On something like an 8-hour bike ride, I would consume 300 calories an hour,with at least 100/hour of that from a sports drink to replenish electrolytes.  That would be 2400 calories.  Did I really have enough to make this trip without bonking?

How Much Did I Really Need?
During aerobic endurance events, our bodies get energy from two sources--body fat, and glucose.  We get glucose from muscle glycogen and blood glucose  (which comes from ingesting carbohydrates).  In general, the slower we are going the greater the percentage that comes from stored body fat.  For a hike like this, maybe 60% of my energy would be coming from body fat if I took things at a leisurely pace. For contrast, race pace during a sprint- or olympic-distance triathlon would use maybe 80% glucose and 20% fat.