There is this series of emotions that occurs when you`re preparing for an event that pushes your limits. Whether it’s your first half ironman and you are aiming to make the cut-offs, a 5 day 250km trail run through the Sahara or going sub 9 at your local Ironman, the series of emotions / events is always the same.

I picked it up yesterday again for the first time in a while. In the morning, we had our usual group ride but being the only guy prepping for Ironman South Africa, I had specific low cadence, low HR work to do, which meant letting the guys go up the road every time it went up. For the past few months, I have been happy to attack with them. It took a lot of patience and it rattled me a little to watch them fly, seemingly effortlessly, away from me as I ground out a 40-50 cadence whilst attempting to remain aerobic, up the mountainside.

It takes a special kind of patience to hold back when you know you have the strength to go. I am yet to perfect the art, my boyish competitiveness often getting the better of me.

That was the rattle.

The legs hurt after a solid ride and in the afternoon I was less than excited to head out the door to run an hour including some Strides after a long day at work.

Within 5 minutes, the hum was there. Effortless, easy plodding and a removal from all of the world. I was unaware of other people, of the scenery and had totally forgotten about my entire life. The hum of my body eclipsed everything else in that moment. There was breathing, muscles moving in harmony and a completely clear mind and very, very little else going on. I ticked off the kilometers and intervals without really processing how easily they were going. I didn’t need to hold back, I didn’t need to push and there was only this easy, comfortable, quiet power left behind.

That was the hum.

While training for these events, I find that we go through this Rattle & Hum process often, sometimes daily for a few weeks on end. It’s an emotional roller coaster as we overcome in training to be great on race day. Rattle and Hum, Rattle and Hum as we go forth on this journey towards a better version of ourselves.

Some video inspiration for your training…

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This weekend I got my first big weekend in for Ironman South Africa in April. It involved multiple sessions and many kilometers. The weekend went well, but weekends only get bigger from here on out until the end of March.

Last night I got thinking about the familiar emotions and feelings I had as I sat, shattered, attempting to pay attention to my lovely mrs.

Over the next 8 weeks or so, those of us hoping to go well at Ironman South Africa will be displaying the following symptoms. If you come into contact with any of us, please be patient, understanding and kind.

Your hopeful Ironman will be:

- Displaying what is known as the 1000 yard stare. Especially if its a weekend afternoon.
- Wearing compression socks under his/her jeans (hopefully not with shorts)
- Speaking strangely. When you ask “How are you?” – they may answer “Ironman fine thank you very much”
- Attempting to engage you in conversation about watts, aerodynamic benefits of dimples on lycra and how best to consume calories while running.
- Eating non-stop, while talking about food all the time, despite the fact that they look hungry.
- Stressed about the race. Even though its February. I know, it’s stupid.

Expect to encounter combinations of the above, like talking about lycra while eating a protein bar, having a protein shake at the same time, whilst wearing compression socks with shorts, in the middle of a restaurant, whilst staring straight through you.

These are big days for a lot of people. Their undertaking monstrous and their minds simply not able to compute just yet that they will be perfectly OK if they get the mileage in and arrive without an injury.

Be kind…

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Heart rate is a tough one. I have trained with heart rate, power, a combination and most importantly, found that no combination if perfect and that the best route to take is to learn to feel intensities and workloads.

I wanted to share some info I recently discovered around running with Heart Rates that was exciting for me for Ironman this year. I have always tried to run with a steady HR at Ironman and perhaps this was not the best route to take. It seems I need to be starting a little slower and increasing the heart rate as I go. In Kona in 2010, I opted to not run with a HR monitor as I wanted to hold a pace, rather than a heart rate – seems I was on the right track then, had I not lost my special needs back and completely destroyed every toilet on the Queen K on the way home due to a stomach that had simply stopped processing calories.

I make my athletes start their runs slow and finish them strong and this is a great habit to learn.

Although some of the information is a bit technical, understanding these factors will allow you to use your heart rate monitor more effectively to optimize your training.

Heart rates tend to be lower in the morning. The difference in heart rate between running in the morning and afternoon is typically about 5 to 6 beats per minute, but can be as great as 10 beats per minute. Your maximal heart rate is also several beats per minute lower in the morning. This means that if you set your heart rate zones based on your morning heart rates, and train in the afternoon, then you will train a bit less intensely than planned. Similarly, if you use afternoon or evening heart rates to determine your training zones, and then train in the morning, you will train somewhat harder than planned.

Heart rate increases at high temperatures. Your heart rate is higher when running on a hot day. As the temperature increases from 15 degrees to 24 degrees, a runner’s heart rate at a given speed increases by about 2 to 4 beats per minute. When the temperature increases from 24 degrees to 33 degrees, you can expect your heart rate running at a given speed to increase by approximately 10 beats per minute. High humidity magnifies the effect of high temperatures on heart rate.

To gain the same benefits as on a cool day, you should increase your heart rate zones by 2 to 4 beats per minute when the temperature is in the 20’s and the humidity is low. On a high humidity day in the 20’s or a low humidity day in the high 20’s, you should increase your zones by approximately 5 to 8 beats per minute to correct for the heat factor. In more extreme conditions, such as a high humidity day over 30 degrees, you cannot accurately adjust your heart rate zones for the conditions. On the most brutal summer days, it is wise to adjust your training schedule to avoid high intensity training.

Dehydration causes an increase in heart rate. When you become dehydrated, your blood volume decreases and less blood is pumped with each heartbeat. Your heart rate at a given running speed, therefore, increases. A 1992 study by S. J. Montain and Ed Coyle, PhD, found that heart rate increases approximately 7 beats per minute for each 1% loss in bodyweight due to dehydration. For example, if you weigh 75 pounds, when you lose 800g due to dehydration your heart rate at a given running speed would increase by about 7 beats per minute. Water loss of this magnitude occurs after an hour of running on a mildly warm day. On a hot day, runners typically lose over 1kg of water per hour. If you set heart rate training zones when properly hydrated and then become dehydrated during training, your pace will decrease as you become progressively more dehydrated.

Heart rate during running varies by a few beats from day-to-day. Several studies have found that heart rate during running at a given pace varies by a few beats per minute from day-to-day. It is not clear why this occurs, but most physiological variables exhibit similar amounts of day-to-day variation. This means that if you monitor your heart rate religiously, you will find that some days it appears you are getting slightly fitter and other days it appears you are getting out of shape, when in fact, your fitness level may not be changing. You should be cautious, therefore, in interpreting the results of any one session of heart rate monitoring. Do not put too much emphasis on small changes of 2 to 3 beats per minute in heart rate found during one run. When you find a systematic reduction in heart rate at a given pace, however, you can be confident that your fitness has improved. Similarly, if you find that your heart rate is consistently higher than expected, you can confidently conclude that something is wrong; i.e. you may be losing fitness or (more likely for most runners) over trained.

Training heart rate does not predict racing heart rate. During competition, your heart rate does not increase logically with your running speed. So many other factors affect your heart rate while racing, that it is not a good indication of how fast/hard you are running. If you measure your heart rate at your desired race pace during training, and use that heart rate to determine how fast to run during a race, then you will run quite a bit slower than planned, because with the excitement of the race, your heart rate will be elevated. You could account for the increase and still use your heart rate to accurately select your race pace if the increase in heart rate due to racing was consistent. Unfortunately, how much higher heart rates are at a given pace during racing compared to training has been found to vary greatly from person to person and from race to race.

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Thank you.

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I recently had 2 weeks of racing. One week was an out of this world feeling where I put only a few steps incorrectly all day. The next weekend I had to pull the plug from a race for the first time ever due to a nagging calf strain after receiving a punch in the leg in the opening 50m of 70.3. These things happen.

I was aware of the pain all week and was pretty sure I would be able to run so it was worth the risk of taking a flight and the drive to race in Buffelspoort, where Rehidrat Sports is a huge part of the puzzle for Stillwater Sports and Xterra. Representing the brand on a national level gives me immense pride as the word on the street/trail/pool is out that Rehidrat Sport is the real deal when it comes to simple, reliable sports nutrition.

I would take the race completely on feel. If the calf was out of control, I would have to pull the pin. I had a decent swim at altitude, exiting the water with Dan & Conrad. A year ago I was 30sec down. For the first time in ages, I truly felt the control in the water. When I was swimming full time, I took it for granted and now, it’s like an ellipsis I am hunting for in the pool every time I swim, that pause where there is control, timing and feel in the water.

Onto the ride and I felt great on the flats, but the legs were, without a doubt, undone by the effort at 70.3 every time the road went up. My concentration was not quite there on the technical things either and the bike felt strange underneath me as I had not ridden the mountain bike since EUT11, something I promised to correct before Grabouw. I got off the ride in 7th, struggled with badly laced elastic laces in T2 and was out onto the run, finding my pace, feeling good, but not great.

The calf twitched and tightened to the point of walking on the very first downhill I ran. In previous years, I would undoubtedly have pushed on. Had I raced badly the week before, I cannot say that I would have made the same choice, but the choice was easy to pull out at that point, knowing I had the 70.3 result in the bag.

As a lightie, I would have been hell bent on finishing. Now, as a slightly wiser early 30′s guy, who has a long term athletic vision, I have learned that sometimes, it’s ok to ease up. Every result doesn’t count and I will be back for more soon. As I walked back to the transition area, I was smiling, knowing that growing up sure isn’t easy and that is surely does not come with a manual. Only through experience have I learned to say No. Only through burning my fingers have I learned where the limits are.

See you in Grabouw. I will be ready, rolling faster and with more focus.

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To state that it was a big day out there seems fairly obvious but here goes regardless…

IT WAS AN UNBELIEVABLY BIG DAY OUT THERE.

I have to start the report by saying the bike leg I put out on Sunday is directly related to the work I put in 4 weeks earlier, at Epic Unsupported Tour 2011. Every day, I put an hour of steady in there, making sure to ride the downhills and flats quite solidly. I have to add that since 1 Jan, I cut out almost all my loved wine, beer and have been very meticulous about my eating. I have to add that I included loads of specific intervals for specific parts of the bike and run routes. I have to start by saying that I covered all bases this year. I chose not to race at Totalsports Challenge to be at my best this weekend because let’s face it…

With 3200 people on the route, I needed to bring my absolute best. I psyched myself up quietly, searching for the quiet power out on the roads, in the pool, on the trails. I ate with care in race week, when the options to eat rubbish outnumbered the good food options 100 to 1.

I wanted this win.

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And so, on race morning, we descended upon Orient Beach. All 3200 of us who wanted to race. 1400 newbies. The emotion and intensity were chewable around transition area. I went through my pre-race routine and made a point to greet everyone I wanted to race on the day, to wish them luck and tell them I was excited to be out there with them.

I found a quiet spot after getting into the Orca Alpha and saying goodbye to my personal assistant (thanks Dale!) for the day and went through my warm-up routine, by now psyched up from the iPod music and fuelled by Rehidrat Sport for the swim which lay ahead. This involved a short 400m swim and then a stretch routine which leaves me rearing to go. I was sandwiched on the start-line by 2 mates, Collin Allin & Paul Cartmel, both who ended up with great races and I imagined myself cocooned from the other 1400 people in my start group by the 2 of them.

As the gun went, I slipped around the guys in front of me and calmly made my way to the water, running, but just keeping with the guys. I saw so many guys sprinting and from past experience, this sprint has ruined a few races for me. I ran as far as I could, then dove a few times, lifesaving style, until I was in clear water. My cocoon worked and I could see one guy to my left and one guy to my right and the three of us rounded the first buoy slightly behind the front guy, who sped off never to be seen again. I noticed a small gap to the rest of the group and made sure to work this gap on the long leg out to buoy 2, as this was an opportunity to not be missed out on.

When we rounded buoy 3 I estimated 60 seconds and so I eased off to the finish of the swim, kicking a little more and readying myself for a fast transition, something I have lacked in the last few races I have done. I flew up the T1 run and got all my gear in in record time, heading out towards the bike my number came loose and I lost concentration and for the next 60 seconds, time stood still as between myself and 2 other marshals, we couldn’t find my bike. The all black Ninja bike was nowhere to be found.

I literally ran into the handlebars to find it, could see the tent full of my competitors and tore off on the ride, knowing well I had blown the extra work on the swim by less than perfect with my concentration out of the tent. Now merely 30 seconds or so ahead of my rivals, I knew I would have to ride the first 10km hard to make sure they worked hard. I wanted to make sure they were riding honest and above what they would think they needed to catch me.

In the past, I was the guy who got caught on the bike. Every time. Last year, I wasn’t able to ditch someone who rode with me almost the entire way and put too much effort into having too little a lead off the bike and paid for it on the run. In the last year, I have worked at that. I wanted to let it show.

I used a few little tricks on the hills on the way out to frustrate the guys behind me, operating just within the limits of blowing up and at the same time making sure the gaps stayed or grew. I was watching the wind turn from side on, semi-tailwind on the way out to a full tail wind by 35km into the ride. This meant a steady headwind on the way back for us all and I knew I was good into those conditions, so I took the last 10km to the turn a little easier with the vision of staying low and flying on the way home.

At the turn I had 1min to Greg Goodall, who I considered my greatest rival. That was all the motivation I needed and I took off into the headwind like a man possessed, staying aero and riding as big a gear as possible (thank you ME intervals!) whilst remaining hydrated and lucid to the fact that there was a 21km run as well. I started passing one or two pro guys on the way back, which served as major encouragement. I passed a smiling James Cunnama en route, commentating on the day before he projects his awesomeness back onto the race course in the next few months.

The trick on the way out in Buffalo City is to ride strong, but not kill yourself. The way back is way hillier than you think. It feels like 45km of hills on the way out, but it’s not true. 700m of vertical on the way out, 350m on the way back.

The gap had grown considerably to the point where I couldn’t see a soul behind me. Extra motivation and on the last 2 kickers back into town (they SUCK!) I put my head down and thought that if the other guys save here, I`m going to attack and put in another 30 seconds before the line. Honestly, I cannot tell you what I thought of during the ride. I was very much in the zone of being 100% aware of my body. I raced without a power meter, without a heart rate monitor and purely went on feel and applying the little tricks I have learned over the years. There is no magic trick, only years of hard work paying off.

Coming into T2 I heard Paul Kaye announce that I had over 4 and a half minutes to the next age grouper. More motivation to run a steady run and have something in reserve the whole way. I was out of T2 with no hassles, much better than T1 and out onto the run course, a route which ate me alive last year. The wind was gone in town, leaving a heat that I knew would be deceptive and could be a deciding factor on the day. I spoke to myself about staying cool whilst remaining just so slightly dehydrated and drinking only to thirst.

I slipped on the FAAS250′s and made my way out the tent.

I wanted to run 4min per km the whole way, but knew I would fade a little. I managed to hold just under 4min per km to the halfway split on Lap 1 of the run, including Bunkers Hill, which I ran at 5:30 per km. I slowed down on purpose up the hill to be able to run the drags out the back of the course with purpose, rather than have them as an element of survival.

It was time to check where the others were. I expected Greg Goodall first but was shocked to see Jason Spong, a world class duathlete (currently ranked 7th for Powerman in the world according to his sponsors), hauling towards me. I knew that I would have to run very well on the day to keep him at bay. I had him at 6 min down. Greg came by at 7:30 down and I knew it was a 2 man race between myself and Jason for the day.

I kept the pace I was running until 10.5km, one lap in, when I had a very low point in the race. I was hurting, dizzy and could see in my pace that I was slowing. Jason came by and I had him at 4 min. I poker faced through the crowds so that nobody would tell him I was hurting. 4min was JUST enough to hold him off. If I faltered even for 1km, I would gift him the win I wanted so badly. With an ex-pro chasing you, a guys who is currently a world class runner and biker, you don’t take these things lightly. There was work to be done, despite feeling like trash. Some choice words went on between myself and my legs at that point.

I knew that if I could hold him at 4 min in the next 5.5km, I could cruise home. I grit my teeth and hurt a little more, making sure to run all the way up Bunkers steadily. I was holding pace and grimacing like a champion internally, unaware of people and at times, of noise at all. I was 100% in the zone.

I made the turn at 5.5km and checked my time and had to wait to see Jason. A minute went by and no sign of him, so I knew I was potentially safe. I saw him and knew it was mine. 4 minutes was the gap. He was grimacing too and I knew that I could run smooth to the finish and be ok.

When I hit the esplanade, I slowed down to soak it all up. I didn’t want to hurt badly coming home and ran within myself, letting the energy return and the emotion settle in that it was mine. I didn’t look back once, letting trust get the better of me and giving high fives to friends on the way in.

I walked from before the red carpet. I stopped to greet Mike Finch. It was a proud moment and I knew that despite it not being the perfect race, I had raced immensely well. Near perfect, filled with control and being aware of the conditions and changes the whole way.

It’s a race I`m proud of. One I can look back on and claim I owned it from start to finish. I can honestly say it’s only the third race ever like that for me and it’s a privilege to have experienced what I did on Sunday.

A big thank you to the sponsors who made it possible, who allow me to dream and be all I can be whilst forging out a career that I love, non-related to the sport. BoE Private Clients, Rehidrat Sport, Velocity Sports Lab, Puma & Orca – your support is incredible. A great start to the year for Pure Planet Racing, Urban Ninja and yes, myself.

To the organisers – I salute you. Perfect race execution. To the volunteers – you rocked my world out there. To the countless supporters who shouted words of encouragement when I was unable to respond – thank you. To the other athletes – you inspire me endlessly and your stories are as important as mine, so please feel free to share in the comments section below.

To Jodie & Marino, who won the Pro races – outstanding work and well deserved victories as well.

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How cool is that little guy…

If you are one of the 3000 people racing in East London this weekend, that should be you right now. Focus on the basics. I am focusing on getting a back spasm to relax, personally, but I am pretty sure that by Sunday, it`ll be ok and I will be able to take my best to the course. These things happen and I am focused on rehab rather than moaning about it.

Here are some key things you should be focusing on this week:

Race Gear

Is it all purchased? Have you ridden with your race wheels and in your new tri suit?

I see so many people trying out new stuff on race day. It’s simply not advised.

Race Nutrition

Is your plan ready or is your plan a lack of planning?

Over the shorter distance, nutrition is not quite as vital, but you should be attempting to get in more on the bike and hang tough for the run, when we are all hurting with smiles on our dials. Use what you know and like – don’t try the new “Super Gel that provides PB’s 4 times a day” for the first time 20km into the bike and realise you just can’t stomach it.

Recovery

This is the week to sleep in a little, go to bed earlier and relax at work. If you have let work pile up over the last 8 weeks thinking that you could catch up this week… naughty!

Some other elements you should be focusing on this week:

- Please don’t wear compression socks, tights, sleeves and other compression stuff around the expo, to the Spar and to restaurants. Keep it tight, but keep it at home.
- Please don’t irritate every other nervous athlete you see by asking stupid questions like “Are you fit? Are you ready? Can you tell I`m pooping myself?”
- Remember that your taper makes you irritable, short on patience and long on selfishness.
- Eat a little less, but eat better, whole foods. The temptation to smash your face full of chocolate is there, I know. I feel it too.

More than that, I simply urge you to focus on breathing all week and before you know it, you`ll be coming down Bunkers Hill towards the finish line wishing you had taken more in, relaxed a little and had more time to share.

Focus…it`s almost over, again. Enjoy the video as a piece of inspiration.

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While I am finishing my post on #EUT11 I came across this from Brett Sutton today. I am currently smashing out swimming set almost exclusively with “toys” as I am trying to get some speed into the arms for 70.3 after a bit of a swim layoff due to extreme pool avoidance behavior (E.P.A.B).

Thought it would tie you over nicely until the full madness is released tomorrow. Have a great afternoon.

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Of late I have been fielding a barrage of questions by age groupers, who have improved their triathlon swim by using the old put all the swim gear on Sutto principle, but also from coaches asking when do we then transition into more full swimming with out all the swim ‘toys’. Yet, the more I point out to the athletes and coaches that open water swimming is different than pool swimming the more I point out swimming 3.8 km in a wetsuit is different to pool swimming the more I point out that technique is not the major concern the more doubters I seem to create. Most of the enquiries are good nature and just trying to come to grips with getting faster. In addition, most of them, no all of them have said yes they have seen good improvement in their triathlon swims. So, why the wish to change what works?

It’s a tough gig going against the mob or peer group in any thing, and even I fall victim to it myself. As a coach, you always doubt and ask yourself is there a better way. For the coaches, I say the hardest thing in coaching is to find a method that is not recognized by the hordes and stick with it. If I fall prey to the pressure when I invented the method and am an Olympic level swim coach, I acknowledge how tough it is for almost all others.

But the strength of my swim program was rammed home to me while on camp with a few of our true believers, who have improved their swim immensely since ditching the technique method for the toys method. First, Bella and Stephen Bayliss were back in England after the birth of their pride and joy Charlie and were caught in a situation of no pool facilities. The Baylisses took up a plan of attack as they could only swim for 1 hour every 2nd day. In the highlands of Scotland, not a swim hub, only swimming every other day each session would be dive in and go hard. Now this is not very scientific, but sessions might be: one hour of sometimes non-stop swimming or 100s short rest or 4x 1km and all workouts done with gear on for the swim and all these with virtually no warm-up or swim down. Bella’s idea of swimming is starting all out with pull buoy wedged in tight. Don’t try and take it off her! So the Baylisses’ turn up at camp and both are flying versus the other professional triathletes in camp. In the water, Steve was looking like a whirling devil, and Bella bitch slapping the water with her paddles with every stroke showing it and everyone else who’s boss. Their times were as fast as ever, and Bella has just delivered Charlie only three months ago. Meanwhile another 47 min non-wetsuit IM swimmer joined the fray in the form of Mathias Hecht. Now Mathias’ stroke makes Stephen look like Michael Phelps, it is off balance, breathes on the wrong side, gets nearly as many strokes in as Stephen. He is self-taught without a swimming background and has trained on his own for most of his career. But another interesting thing, I think Mathias sleeps with a pull bouy between his legs just as with Stephen and Bella he puts it in before he dives into the pool and it doesn’t come out the whole workout. While on camp, the Spanish coach approached me and remarked to me one day (while theses sluggers were going after it with a Swiss kid called Andreas who lets it fly too),“ coach , they don’t look that good but I been timing them and they been lapping in at 1:10 per 100m.” I said. “yes, not so fast. But he come back with “But, they been doing it straight for near over 1 hour now.“ And there is the rub. While it might not look pretty or fast, over an hour it is deadly effective. Yes, the idealist will say but wouldn’t they go faster with that perfect swimming technique. But the realist in me says, THEY DONT NEED TO GO ANY FASTER in an Ironman triathlon.

Swinging into short course ITU races, well yes then they will need super technique. But actually No that also is a misnomer. Most rave about the Brownlees swim, but again anyone who takes the time to see them swim or train will realize that they are not that fast over 50 meters. Yes, I would bet good money that 40% of the men they beat out the water every race would smash them over 50 meters. But these Yorkshire boys are happy to get into the melee and fight to the front and do swim workouts that mean they keep their stroke-rating the whole 1500. It is about swimming 1500 meters in open water fast not 50m in a pool. The contentious Harry Wiltshire, who also was one of the slowest 50 men in my squad, in open water took every race out on the feet of the leader around the first buoy. It didn’t matter who was at the front whether Ben Sansom, Richard Stanard, Craig Walton, or whoever, Harry would get creamed over 50meters but by the first buoy there he was all over them. Sorry Harry, but I reckon even if Grant Hacket was leading Harry would be all over his arse like glue the whole way. Just ask Gomez, in openwater Harry was and is unstoppable. He too could just put that pull buoy in at the start and I would say, “Harry,1hr strait or 5000 m whichever comes first.” Harry would hit 5km before the hour everytime.

People, I can only tell you the way it is. You race in a wetsuit most of the time. Get the paddles on, pull buoy between your legs and just get after it. As Bella says, “I used to spend an hour and a half fussing about trying to do all the perfect technique contortionist things in the water gliding and stretching. But once I just got in, got on with it, stopped thinking about technique, and just thought about nothing more than putting on the gear and giving it to myself. I improved by 15 minutes over 3.8K.” I try to educate and tell people, but they just don’t listen. So, I say to all the doubters that have done this and improved their swim, hold the line. I say to all the coaches out there stop looking for clues: if they are improving then it is working. If it ain’t broke, don’t try and fix it!

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Myth #1: You must drink eight glasses of water a day.

In reality, fluid needs vary widely, both for individuals and on a day-to-day basis. For women, the Institute of Medicines’ Food and Nutrition Board’s general recommendation is 11 cups of total water daily, which can come from beverages (including caffeinated drinks – woo hoo for coffee!) and food sources. On average, water and other drinks fulfil 80percent of our total daily water needs and food supplies 20percent.

Play with different amounts and check vital elements like your skin for dryness and if you train twice a day, is your afternoon session failing on multiple occasions? You could just be dehydrated from drinking too much coffee and not enough water during the day. I find that a Rehidrat around 3pm (an hour after lunch for me) perks up my afternoon completely.

Female runners should include nutrient-rich beverages such as 100percent fruit and vegetable juices, herbal tea and low-fat milk for calcium, vitamin D and protein. Delivering energy, nutrients and electrolytes, meal replacement beverages and electrolyte replacement (Like Rehidrat Sport) drinks are a good option before, during and after prolonged or intense exercise.

Myth #2: It’s best to drink like your fast friend.

One-size-fits-all rules for drinking during exercise are out. Sweat rates vary greatly among runners, especially during prolonged exercise or in hot weather. How much you need to drink depends on how much fluid you need to replace, regardless of well-intentioned group guidelines. In fact, major authorities have moved away from giving definitive formulas to runners, especially marathoners, about how much to drink while running.

Take responsibility for yourself. Daily hydration needs are influenced by your physiology, fitness level, running speed, the clothing you wear and the weather. A good rule of thumb: Pay attention to the colour of your urine throughout the day. If it’s dark yellow, you’re not drinking enough. Your bathroom scale can also help. Weigh yourself before and after a run (in the nude is best). If you routinely drop more than 2 % of your body weight on a single run you need to do a better job meeting your fluid needs while running. To find your hourly sweat weight, add the weight lost during a one-hour run with the ounces you drank. The total number of grams is what you should consume during each hour of running to avoid dehydration.

Myth #3: Drink as much water as possible before a race.

Drinking too much water can lead to more than just frequent trips to the bathroom. Hyponatremia, a dangerous drop in blood-sodium levels that can be life-threatening, results from overdrinking–replacing water without adequately replacing sodium lost through sweat. Dizziness, confusion, swollen hands and feet, a throbbing headache and a bloated stomach during or following prolonged exercise can signal overhydration and a dilution of blood-sodium levels. Rapid weight gain during exercise is a definite warning sign that you’re overdrinking.

Female runners are at greater risk due to a smaller blood volume and an increased likelihood of being hyper-vigilant about hydration, especially if following a low-sodium diet. Heavy sweaters, beginning marathoners who tend to run slowly (therefore with more opportunities to drink) and endurance junkies running for more than four hours need to be especially careful about this condition. I have personally been a victim of this during a race where I drank and drank to avoid dehydration and was 2kg heavier after 9.5 hours out on the road than at the start of the day. It was NOT pretty.
To protect yourself from the hazards of both over- and under drinking, follow the simple, Urban Ninja approved rule: Drink when thirsty. In other words, drink to stay hydrated–don’t overdrink.

Consume sports drinks (with good sodium – we know my choice) for runs longer than an hour or when appropriate to avoid low sodium levels.

Myth #4: Female runners don’t need sports drinks.

Female runners often short-change themselves by skipping something as vital as Rehidrat Sport or using them incorrectly. If you run longer than 60 minutes at a moderate pace, you need to drink every 15 to 20 minutes after the one-hour mark. Based on 30-plus years of scientific research, experts continue to recommend sports drinks that supply fluid, carbohydrate and electrolytes over water during longer training efforts and races. Your gut will thank you in the long run.

A well-designed sports drink should contain sugar (carbohydrate) and an ample amount of sodium. Carbs, stored as glycogen, are your body’s preferred fuel during exercise, and are the only fuel it can burn during intense or anaerobic efforts, such as sprinting for the finish line. Your body’s glycogen stores are limited, however, so supplementing with a sports drink when you plan to race all-out or push yourself longer than 60 minutes is a real performance booster. Salt is added to improve the absorption of carbs and to help replace the sodium lost through sweat.

Experiment with different sports drink brands to find one that works for you before race day. (Your stomach might not tolerate them all.) If you choose not to consume a sports drink, you still require sodium and supplemental carbohydrate, or opt to fail completely every time.

Make the smart choice. Remember that not all drinks taste the same at 60min than they do at 5hrs. Choose something that you like when it’s hot, humid as well as cool and dry.

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That’s it for today. I hope the ladies learned something about how their hydration should be working and that the gents will assist in the athletic careers of their significant others’. Remember, it’s a win-win situation…

This post proudly brought to you by Rehidrat Sport.

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The day started like any other Double Century – nerves, a forgotten something and the sense that something great could be achieved today. We were 12 guys who had never all ridden together but we had a tight sense of community already after an evening spent laughing and discussing various strategies on taking a “natural break” whilst moving along at 40km/h. The team looked incredible in matching kit and as we set off, we followed our pace setter up the first hill, which is always tough, and found a rhythm once on the N2.

I have ridden in a good many groups in my life. Enough to know that this was going to be a special day. Gav Rossouw had us rotating like seasoned team mates who had ridden together for years within a few kilometers, a testament to his character and gentle guidance. We were cruising along at wonderful speed, every guy taking his short turn on the front and it felt like we were just cruising, no real effort just yet.

Up and over the first pass without a glitch we were on our way to the bigger pass on the day, where again, the team seemed to sail up and over the climb. There was a bit of a helping hand here and there, but we got over and through our first feed stop in great shape, ahead of schedule with a smile on every dial. This was going to be a great day.

Back into the pace line and we rode past a team and they just sat behind or next to us. Both teams were virtually equal strength and this posed a problem as nobody wanted to draft and get a penalty. We had also picked up 2 stragglers off other teams and now it was starting to get a little nervous. I had just done by turn when someone shouted CRASH. I thought it was the other team, surely, as we were riding ahead of them and they were hanging on. Surely not MY guys?

Looking back, two of my guys were in the road. Bike parts everywhere. The two stragglers were involved too. The other team just rode by, unscathed. They were both out of the race for sure. I could see what looked like bone in one elbow of Simons and the lack of attention in Brett’s eyes told me he had a concussion. It happens. To the best of us. The main thing I was overjoyed with was that everyone was conscious and not missing a limb. It could have been so much worse.

So we packed their stuff up from the road, refilled our bottles and got on our way again. Our support team would handle this like professionals, I was sure, so I was comfortable to get going again with the team and that was the consensus among everyone. We had skipped about 15min to get everything sorted, so now the goal was 6 hours ride time.

Not 3minutes down the road, we had a puncture. *&^^%&^%&^%&%. 15km later, the same puncture and we managed to swop a wheel with a weaker rider from our team and he let us go. Thank you Bunny.

That was fixed quickly and we were back on the road. The crash had taken it’s toll as adrenaline wore off, so did the legs on some of the guys. We were maintaining pace line, keeping the speed up. Once we started taking longer turns on the front though, we slowly diminished the group to 7 by the time we hit Bonnievale. You have to finish with 6 guys, so it`s important to have a safety net in case something goes wrong out there. I was determined to keep the 7 together.

By 165km, some were taking longer turns than others, but the effort was the same for everyone. As a team, we were still contributing equal. Our diesel engine, a master rider, 60 years young, was showing the youngsters how it’s done and I learned quite a bit from watching him ride, eat and live on the weekend, even though he may not know as much. We were all inspired by him and it brought out the best and most stubborn pieces of us, unwilling to let him go. We got to 180km and for the first time, confusion. Some thought Gav was ahead, others thought he was behind. When he rejoined though, we all rode as a perfect unit over those last 3 epic rollers into Swellendam. We motored the last flat section and according to my watch, came in just on 6 hours total ride time.

7 of us made it to the end together rather than the 12 guys who we had planned to go all the way. To me, this is no failure. Things don’t always go to plan. We rode hard, smart and consistently, despite the circumstances. When the chips were down, we recollected ourselves and made the best of a new plan.

What a day it was. Evident in the war wounds, the stories and the laughter shared over half a bottle of tequila and 22 bottles of wine later in the day was the fact that we still felt like a team. No animosity between any riders, no love lost as is often the case with these group events. For a bunch of guys who had never spent time in the room together, they were like family.

To the riders who lined up with me that morning, I salute you. The 2 Gavins, Brett, Simon, Peter, Karl, Bunny, Tristan, Brent, Gregor, Nic – I will take you to war with me any day, as long as that war is fought on two wheels, obviously.

To our support crew: Salute!

Double Century 2012 is already looking bright.

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The image this week pertains to Double Century, a 212km slog around the Route 62 area. Perhaps 3000m of vertical in there, but the key is that its a 12-man time trial. The road surface is rough, the winds have a habit of coming up and there is about 1200m of vertical in the last 50km. It’s a social race for most, but this year, somehow, I have assembled perhaps the most competitive group of human beings on the planet. We have put together a team for Pure Planet Racing as our final race for the year before we kick off 2012 with a bang.

So sure, there is a hint of fear in there for me as I have been training very very little in the last few weeks. It’s the time of the year for me to chill before the next big push through to Ironman SA in April.

The fear is a good thing. It`ll make me happy to hurt a bit more, as it’s the kind of hurt I like. That deep pain that isn’t sharp, but it’s draining, soul-destroying and you can keep moving well with it there. Sick, I know.

But we have a joint sense of purpose and the batch of guys I am riding with are some of the finest men I know. They love this stuff. One of them said to me the other day that he loved the last 50km, because it was quiet and everyone shared the same sense of being wrecked, but absolutely committed to the cause at the same time. Class bunch of hardmen.

Will the fear be enough? How deep will the rabbit hole go this weekend? Only time will tell. There is no avoiding it and the only option is to embrace the beauty in the discomfort, the knowing that somewhere, a lesser version of yourself would have taken the easy option. Would have avoided the what-ifs and the shy’d away from the fear.

But no, this is the better version of yourself. The one that makes commitments and stick to them, even if they hurt. As Chris McCormack says… “Embrace the Suck”.

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