Internal Mono(b)log

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I’m a pretty big fan of First Endurance and their product line.  I think I use pretty much everything they sell except for their multi-vitimin (and that’s only because I had a regimen that I’m very happy with before finding First Endurance).   I’ll write reviews of Ultragen and OptigenHP at a different time.  Today, I want to review for you: EFS Liquid Shot and Pre-race and an effective.. ok super-effective combination referred to as The EFS Holy Hand Grenade!!!

When I 1st tried EFS Liquid shot, I have to tell you, I was pretty turned off by the taste.  It’s very strong flavoured and takes a little getting used to; however, the strong flavour serves a purpose.  It encourages you to drink water or other fluids and not just suck back gel.  You need to be consuming liquid with your gel or it sits in your gut and doesn’t get into your blood stream.  I’ve found with many thick sweet gels (or worse, chew supplements) that drinking isn’t 2nd nature after consuming them.   Not good.  Liquid shot, consumed straight, will encourage you to drink – don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t taste BAD, it’s just STRONG.   Now… dilute the shot with water in a bottle or in your mouth and it’s quite palatable further, it contains about the same carbohydrate nutrition as a gel, but also, and more importantly amino acids and a good dose of electrolytes.  I recently packed 1 flask (400cals) of EFS Liquid shot for my 3.5 hr run in 30C summertime heat along with a backpack hydration pack of water, during my run I was consuming EFS and water throughout.  When I finished I felt great!  Hydrated, balanced and not the ravenously hungry that I’ve come to associate with being out of balance w. my electrolytes.  Now that’s powerful stuff!

In the past, typically during races, I’d also used First Endurance’s Pre-race formula.  Looking for a pick-me-up for a race?  Something to get you moving and keep you moving? Something that seems to magically drive your endurance levels much higher AND is safe if you’re in a program where drug screening is used.  Well Pre-race is for you.  This stuff just plain works!  I’ll caution you that.. well… it may work too well.  When I was first experimenting with it, I accidentally took too much and felt like I was going to fly out of my skin.  So follow their instructions.  Start with 1/2 a scoop and adjust based on your sensitivity.

Recently First Endurance posted a video about the EFS Holy Handgrenade: a mix of EFS Liquid shot, pre-race and water.

Having tried both products independently, I felt pretty confident mixing them in a race situation, so I did so during my last sprint tri.  1/2 way through the 30k bike course there was a turn-around.  I had a flask of the handgrenade mixed and in my bento box.  While I was slowed for the 180 degree turn, I threw back the handgrenade and some water. In about 15 minutes, I felt the rush starting and it carried me through the rest of the bike and through into the run.  Definitely something that I’m going to keep in my “bag of tricks”.

If you haven’t tried First Endurance’s products, I think you should give them a try.  Nutrition is such a personal thing when it comes to endurance racing, but the team at 1st Endurance has come up with some products that I’ve standardized on and can’t see leaving any time soon.

Here in the “Great White North” riding a cycle trainer is a reality of Ironman (and any triathlon) training for at least 4 months of the year. I mean, who’s going to take their beautiful carbon fibre bike, or even a street bike onto icy streets and try to do tempo intervals in the -15C. Not me! Probably not you either!

So what do we do? We ride trainers in our pain-caves, of course. If you’re fortunate enough, you have a VR trainer like a Tacx or a Computrainer and you can break up the monotony of hours in the saddle by riding the actual course for Ironman Canada or some other race.

Well, there’s a new player in the space, and I have to say based on the press-release info, this is one heck of a machine and it’s in roughly the same price point as the aforementioned trainers. At the same price point, but does SO much more.

ProForm Introduces Official Le Tour de France® Training Bike

Not only is this a full featured trainer, but it allows you to ride any course that google maps has data for!!! No buying additional map packs or waiting for the newest race course to be released. If gmaps has it, so do you!!!  It also… inclines and declines to simulate climbing and descending hills AND adjusts resistance to simulate WIND RESISTANCE!!   On top of it all, it measures power – super important to those of us who train based on power output!  Ok really! I need to have one of these!

Additional features:

• Power meter
• RPM meter
• Multiple position adjustable handlebars
• Two-way seat adjustment
• Console display of watts, speed, pace, time, resistance level, rpm, heart rate, percent incline/decline, distance, vertical feet, and calories per hour
• Polar® wireless chest pulse compatible. Receiver included. Chest strap available for purchase or you your own.
• Two-way pedals with clipless pedals on one side and toe cages on the other
• Built-in wireless makes the ProForm Tour de France bike an internet appliance and “smart fitness” equipment
• iPod jack and built-in speakers
• Multiple position adjustable handlebars
• Water bottle holder in a convenient location on the frame
• Compact footprint of 58 inches long by 25 inces wide by 59 inches tall.
• Wheels on front of frame for easy movement within the home.

dailies from Le Tour de France from Icon Health & Fitness Studios on Vimeo.

Sprint triathlon #2 in the bag.  Very happy with my results.  We had probably near perfect weather for racing: mostly overcast, a little cool, variable breezes/light winds.

Swim

MSC did a time-trial start on the swim, which eliminated the washing-machine start and I really liked it.  Great idea. Once again, started too hot: pacing too fast, not breathing properly = panting, slowing down, breast stroke (grrr!) Once past this, I find my stroke and tempo and the swim just flows past as the water flows past me.  Some of this is pure psychology of the race, some is inexperience and some is not being used to swimming w. other people/passing/etc.  I’ll nail these down over time and the Toronto Triathlon Club OW swim sessions may help with this too.  I started in position 123 (bib number) and finished in position 123.  So while I passed people in the swim, based on my time, I just held my spot.  Ok, I guess, but getting past the poor starts will help me move that ranking up.

Bike

Destroyed the course on the bike.  Average speed of 36km/h, average power of 220W and peak of 572W.  I was passed 3 times on the bike course and lost count of the number of prey that I consumed.   2nd of age-group on the bike, 21st of 249 overall.  Very happy with this.

1/2 way through the bike course the route did a 180 reversal.  I knew this from the pre-ride and from studying the route map.  I planned ahead to take on nutrition at this forced-slowdown.  The nutrition I took in was an “EFS Bomb” (1/2 flask of EFS Shot, 1/2 scoop of EFS Pre-race, remainder water).  The EFS bomb provides aminos, electrolytes, 200 calories of energy, caffeine and a few other stimulants.  I felt this kick in after about 15 minutes, it had me pumped for the last 25% of the bike and completely prepped to start the run.

Run

Felt good coming off the bike into the run.  Pulled my initial pace back pretty hard to find my legs and had a little gastro cramping.  Just ignored the cramps and they passed pretty quickly.  After about 1 km, picked up to about a 6 min/km pace.  At 4km, picked up to about a 5 min/km pace and for the last 1.5km gave it everything I had left (about a 4min/km pace).  Finished 13/23 in age group (mid pack, meh) and 111/249 overall (again mid-pack and again meh).   More bricks, more speed run work.

Met and spoke with John Salt of MSC.  Super-nice guy!  Very concerned with making sure the athletes are safe and have a good day, very open to suggestions and thoughts.  So glad to have met him and look forward to many future events with MSC.

Many thanks to John, the MSC staff and all the amazing volunteers for making the day so much fun.

I just got word from Polar that they’re going to ship me an evaluation unit of the RCX5 for a blog review.  I’m very excited.  I like my Timex Global Trainer, but find that the GPS isn’t super and regret that the HRM doesn’t work in the water.

Just a teaser, but wanted to let you know a review will be forthcoming.  I’ll let you know when the unit arrives!

Having exchanged emails with Multisport Canada, I’ve updated my pre-ride report.  Very happy-making news!

Let’s hope for good weather!

Hey folks, I’m riding in the Inside Ride, please help fund this worthwhile cause: http://bit.ly/lYT0Hu

So far, I’ve raised $0 (ZERO really?!) of my $500 goal for this super-worthwhile cause.  Come on folks!  Only takes a second and every dollar is helpful.

The Inside Ride is produced by the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation (www.ctcacf.org), a national foundation dedicated to improving the survival rate and quality of life of kids and their families living with and beyond childhood cancer. Every dollar raised is immensely appreciated and goes to improving the outcome for these kids.

Hey folks, I’m riding in the Inside Ride, please sponsor me and this worthwhile cause: http://bit.ly/lYT0Hu

The Inside Ride is produced by the Coast to Coast Against Cancer Foundation (www.ctcacf.org), a national foundation dedicated to improving the survival rate and quality of life of kids and their families living with and beyond childhood cancer. Every dollar raised is immensely appreciated and goes to improving the outcome for these kids.

This is an awesome article on long-course nutrition, with built-in “reality checks”.  Definitely worth the read.  Thanks @jayasports for the awesome advice.

TRIals and tribulations: Nutrition, hydration and electrolytes for long distance endurance events.

Went to Welland today and pre-rode the bike course for the sprint tri next week.  Went down with @marciomrqz and we did the Forks Rd, Feeder Rd parts of the course twice.  The Canal Rd and in town portion once.  Here’s a quick review of the course for those of you who are doing the race, but haven’t the time or ability to get down to pre-ride it.

General Course Notes

The course is very flat – perhaps 2-3 meters of vertical play throughout the entire course.  The multi-sport site says to expect some wind and today we definitely experienced that.  In Welland, there was no breeze, but out on the course it seemed to come from every direction: one minute a head-wind, the next from the side, then it’d swing around to be a tail-wind.  Odd, but fun.  I was riding my disc rear, but think that I may race with my 808 due to the variable nature of the winds.

Start & Canal Rd Section

I’d rate this section of road 6/10.  It’s pretty rough and chewed up for city streets.  There are many potholes, lateral and longitudinal cracks and just before the turn to Feeder Rd there are a set of tracks that are worth special note.  I anticipate that these tracks are going to be the site of at least 1 accident and at least 1 flat/broken wheel.  The break in the pavement around this 1st set of tracks is huge and largely unavoidable.  Expect there to be a lot of emergency braking, jockeying for position and general “mess” around this 1st track crossing.  I.e. BE CAREFUL approaching these tracks, it’s going to be “exciting“. [Edit: Having exchanged email with John Salt, I understand that mats are to be placed over these tracks removing the hazard from the course.  This is so awesome!  I’m so happy to hear that Multisport Canada is so on the ball and miles out ahead of me on this.  Way to go folks!!!]

Forks Rd. Section

Forks road is a pretty nice stretch of road.  Soon after the corner you cross a somewhat narrow bridge that may be a bit of a squeeze if too many racers hit it at the same time.  Shortly after the bridge, you cross the 2nd set of tracks.  This 2nd set is MUCH better than the 1st, but will still probably present a bit of a hazard as people try not to shred their carbon wheels on the bumps.  Be defensive and you should be ok here.

Feeder Rd Section

Feeder Rd is an interesting stretch of the race course.  The 1st 1/2 of the road is typical country road “tar and chip paving”.  There are no lines, and no defined “shoulder”. Off the sides of the road, rather than a paved shoulder, there’s mushy loose gravel, then a little green space and then either ditch, canal or trees.  Don’t get too close to the sides here or you may find yourself being pulled off the road by the “mush”.  The 2nd 1/2 of Feeder Rd is a 10/10: freshly paved, lines, well defined shoulder, smooth.  In short, a joy to ride upon.