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End of the Offseason, Wrap-up

Tomorrow starts the training for Ironman South Africa! Well actually today does, but I have today as a rest day. Back in the pool for the first time since September and on the bike for more than just fun rides.

The offseason was pretty productive this year. It was ~ 2 months long from my last race in late September until now. South Africa is April 15th so I have a solid 4.5 months to prepare. Some things that I accomplished on my offseason:

1. Lots of rest, no stressing on missed workouts (mostly accomplished) and a break from the trainer and the pool!

2. The run has always been my weakness so I took about a week off here (I believe in 2 weeks a year of time off from the run, typically in 2 one-week blocks). The first month or so was pretty inconsistent, but the last month I ran over 100 miles. My running was mostly base work with some what I like to call “micro-intervals” as given by Coach Liz, http://www.multisportmastery.com. I love these intervals – typically anywhere from :15 to 3:00, they are all about foot speed, run economy and keeping some level of fast running in the training without over taxing the body. I have found over the years that running feels mostly awful if I run less than 20 miles a week. Once over that threshold things are much more enjoyable.

3. Along with the run training I made a trip with my athlete Troy to the UVA Speed Clinic. This was a very useful trip as I learned that the issue with my running was something I hadn’t thought about at all! I know I have swimmers posture, something I have worked on all my life but Max taught me how to work on that in my running! I had been sticking my head/neck too far forward, which caused overstriding and issues I have been experiencing in my hamstrings/hips. With a simple cue of “neck back” my posture was suddenly better with very little muscle engagement and I have noticed I am using more of my posterior chain instead of just being a “quad runner”. This trip also motivated me to get back into yoga as it would help with my postural issues.  https://med.virginia.edu/speed-clinic/

UVA Speed Clinic
Learning my exercises

4. I also did 10 yoga sessions that were really helpful for strength, flexibility and mobility. And they were a great change of pace from swim, bike run. http://fiv3racing.com/news/index.php/2017/10/26/why-i-do-yoga-in-the-offseason/

5. Probably my biggest limiter other than time is weight. Especially post-baby that last 15 pounds has been sticking. I focused on no sugar, very limited grains, and limited dairy for 30 days and lost 6.5 pounds. I made some new habits – swapping rice with cauliflower rice, eating a banana instead of a granola bar, etc, that were quite helpful with the weight.

Now on to IMSA. I have some big personal goals. I figure if I write about them I will be more likely to make them a priority. So here goes:

  • PR the Ironman distance. I have done 4 Ironmans, 3 Lake Placids and one Louisville. Other than being hilly one Lake Placid was 4 weeks post broken collarbone, one was less than a year post-baby and the third is my PR when I put up the most training I have ever completed (12:14 in 2011). Louisville I was in great shape but I had a run injury (2012).
    Lake Placid 2011

    Lake Placid 2016
  • Get back to my race weight. 10 pounds to go!
  • Do the training necessary to compete. The last time I did training that I would find suitable to compete well at long course was in 2011/2012. I took 2013-2014 mostly off with IVF/trying to get pregnant and in 2015 I was pregnant with Bode. Since Bode I have averaged in season about 8 hours of training, will need to double that to be competitive. I focused my time on proper execution on limited training since 2015. Now it’s time to tie the execution to training load.
  • Write about the training every 1-2 weeks. I have learned so much from doing the sport myself. I love coaching races and training others, but there is something about making the sacrifices and doing the work that can’t be replicated watching others.
  • Balance family, work and training. When training put the focus on training, when not training put the focus on work or family. Multitasking only goes so far, productivity is the goal.
  • Find a masters program I really love. I really enjoy the social aspect of it, but I need to do a daytime masters program as mornings and evenings are mostly focused on Bode. I am going to try a lunchtime program 2x a week in January. Swimming is clearly my strength, but my best long course fitness came when I swam a lot.
  • Learn to love long rides on zwift/kickr and get outside when it’s cold but dry. This is going to be a challenge. The garage is setup with tv/plex/treadmill/kickr/trx etc so I really have no excuse.
  • Keep the running going. I’m happy where it is right now and hope with the 10 pound weight loss that it continues to go well.
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Day to Day Nutrition Lessons from Jesse Kropelnicki Reviewed by Coach Kim Baumgartner

As we approach the end of the season many athletes reflect on their season and either worry about gaining too much weight in the off-season, or regret never getting down to their “race weight” during the season.  Most athletes who have problems reaching their race weight goals fall into one of two categories:

  • They workout to justify calories instead of fueling for performance – leading to less than ideal food choices and improper workout fueling
  • They are not eating enough which is actually lowering their metabolism and causing their bodies to hold onto those fat stores.

I recently attended an advanced Triathlon Nutrition seminar by Jesse Kropelnicki in September.  The seminar focused on two different aspects of nutrition – day-to day nutrition and fueling strategies.  I wanted to share with you some perspectives on day-to-day nutrition to help you develop healthy eating habits to not only stay healthy and lean, but to boost immunity and help you perform better and recover from workouts better.

Like other “diets” such as Paleo, Whole 30 etc, Kropelnicki recommends focusing on eating “CORE” foods that humans have evolved on for millions of years: “Core” Refers to foods that are all natural, with nothing chemically altered or processed.  This helps keep blood sugar stable while delivering enough vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to speed recovery and boost performance.

CORE foods include: lean means fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthy oils, lean meats, legumes, and lean dairy while avoiding processed foods with higher glycemic indexes such as breads, pasta and sweets.  Essentially foods with high nutrient density for recovery between workouts and are low glycemic to help keep blood sugar stability throughout the day while not exercising.  These foods also stimulate recovery with protein and provide plenty of vitamin and minerals as well as antioxidants to help protect your cells from free radicals.    A few other tips from Kropelnicki include: Eating very frequently throughout the day with a maximum of 2-3 hours between feedings to help keep blood sugar stable and provide a constant supply of nutrients available for muscle recovery.  Additionally he recommends reducing the fasting window at night by having a protein shake or some other source of lean protein immediately before bed and something the moment you wake up.

Kropelnicki’s strategy, however, is much less restrictive and focuses more on nutrient value rather than whole categories of foods.  You’ll notice that on his list are included legumes and lean dairy which are considered “off-limits” for several other plans.  The Core diet takes into consideration that sometimes life gets in the way and those natural foods aren’t readily available.  For those times when you must resort to “man-made” foods (foods with a label – generally the middle of the grocery store), use the core ratio to determine suitability.  Add total carbs (g) and total sugar (g) then subtract fiber (g).  Divide this by the sum of Fat and Protein.  If the result is less than 2, then it’s a core friendly food!  The only caveat is to ensure that the total Saturated Fat is less than 5g total.  It is however key to remember that this is a “backup” and should not be your first choice for food!

So to sum things up – for those time throughout the day (does not include 1 hour pre workout to the recovery period post workout) in between workouts or rest days:

  • Eat often (every 2-3 hours)
  • Minimize overnight fasting period by eating lean protein right before bed, and again the moment you wake up…. DON’T skip breakfast or routinely do “fasting” workouts. Get that metabolism going!
  • Focus on CORE foods and stay away from processed/man-made foods. Look at every bagel or piece of bread or cookie as a missed opportunity for nutrient dense fruits, veggies or lean meats!

Coach Kim’s take: Having had much success myself following Paleo for athletes, I’m happy to see some of the same principals applied but also accounting for those times when you are in a pinch without access to paleo friendly foods as that always stressed me out!  When following Paleo guidelines, I absolutely felt like I ate a lot more fruits and veggies, that I slept better, recovered much faster which helped me push harder during workouts.  Of course like any lifestyle change – its important to remember not to be too hard on yourself – striving for 100% perfection can be exhausting and everyone slips up now and then.  Those perfectionists tend to take those slip ups a lot harder.  Really striving for 80/20 or even 90/10 is a much better plan that will help you stay lean and fit, fuel recovery and regeneration and still allow you a few indulgences now and then!