 This is a nice little recap of Amy Woods recent race in which she qualified for Worlds. It is a thorough recap of her experience with work-ons provided. Enjoy.
Week before the race I was nervous and started to wake up really early in the morning. Appetite was off, but I was eating. Perhaps that’s why I lost weight the week before the race. I felt fine, though. Night before race : rice noodles and chicken. Stomach all good. I do better with white meals…my gut is stupid. :) I slept well the night before the race, too. Got a solid 6 hours which isn’t bad the night before a race, right? Pre race: ate a PB and J and half a banana and coffee for breakfast around 4. Ate the other half banana in transition. That is all I can get down on race morning. I know you want me to eat more but I can’t. Sipped some water in transition and took it down to the swim chute. There was no swim warm up allowed and they didn’t want you to leave transition so I couldn’t get a warm up run in. But I did some dynamic movement in the swim line. Swim: successes- kept swimming the whole way... stayed calm. No panic. Good sighting. Relaxed start. Nice temp and wetsuit legal. Didn’t really have any people attacking me . Shoulders felt good! Challenges: a bit rolly and current-y. Definitely had to work for strokes and to stay on course . Biggest challenge was pace. I have definitely gotten faster this year but I have had faster swims in the past. Not sure if this was because I haven’t had much OWS experience yet this year or if am I just destined to be a mid pack swimmer. My shoulder won’t let me swim every day, so maybe I should just roll with it. I wasn’t disappointed with my time, but just jealous of the faster women. Transitions were smooth. No issues there. Bike: everything went great on the bike. Like I said, my HR was a bit higher than you said to keep it at, but I felt really good and knew I could hold the pace. Legs felt strong. Honestly I wonder if I could have pushed even harder. However, I did not get water at aid stations like Billy wanted me to (so I could pour it on my head). I just went right by them. - Stuck to the nutrition and hydration plan. Drank every 10, at every 20. Mainly ate 3 clif blocks every 20, but sometimes there was a bite of honey stinger waffle in there. I took a Caffeine pill half way through…around 1:15. I ended up drinking 2.5 bottles- 2 SOS and .5 bottle of water. Stomach was great. No issues with burping or nausea. Run: successes: steady steady pace. Felt strong at the end. Hydration and nutrition on point. Salt tabs at mile 4 and 8. Caffeine pill at mile 8. The only change I made is that I took 4 gels (not 5). But I had no stomach issues. I walked through every aid station to get water in me, dump it on me, and pour ice down my shirt. That really helped a lot. Legs were solid. Race sneakers felt comfy and fast. Challenges: overheated right at the start but got that under control at the first aid station. Biggest challenge were the side stitches that caused me to run slower than I wanted. First, I felt a little “something” on my lower left side that could have been a muscle? Not sure. Didn’t hurt, just was aware it could turn into something more. Then at mile 2.5 I got a right side stitch below my ribs... diaphragm? I feel like this happens when a) I get my HR too high or b) something fatigues out. Not sure. I was able to quickly make it go away by walking through the aid station. But it came back 1/2 mile from the end when I pushed pace before the finish line. I really really want to figure it out because I totally could have fun faster than I was going. My legs felt strong. I have gotten this side stitch in two other triathlons and in my virtual Boston marathon at the end. Most of time I can walk it off and breathe it out and it goes away. I did not get it in Maine 70.3 . Other thoughts-
Amy Woods amywoodsfitness.com @amywoodsfitness
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MAY 2020
This is a response to a clients question that I felt was worth sharing as it is something that pops up over and over again in the world of Tri training and weight/fat loss. My responses are in BOLD. Athlete “I'd really like to get a handle on these little plateau's that I've had. In the 10 weeks so far, we've had two at 107kgs and 104kgs. Scott Tindal As much as I would like to guarantee a steady drop in weight that is linear, it just does not happen that way. Athlete “Is this an expected thing to happen? Is it a case of me not being patient? Do we know why it happens and is there anything that can be done?” ST “It is expected to happen. The first thing is that TRI training is not a linear progression - ie it goes up and down in volume and intensity daily and weekly so establishing what is the minimum amount of kcal to provide you with to maintain a kcal deficit whilst providing you with enough fuel to perform is extremely difficult. If it was a weights training program where I knew you lifted on certain days and you did Cardio on other days for set amounts each week at a given intensity then it is easy to work out what you require. In Tri it is just not the case. so we adjust based on previous weeks intake, bodyweight recorded, the current week's volume and intensity. I use principles to establish what you require based on the Z score and duration. It works 90% of the time yet sometimes blips occur. Factor in sometimes you may not nail it down to the calorie and also have some trips away and you begin to see why it does not always end up being spot on.” Athlete. Honestly, I've felt good in these 10 weeks and I've felt confident in what we are doing (which is a big thing for me) and I feel like I'll finally get below that 100 and eventually to that low/mid 80s that I really want. But the hardest times have been these few weeks of stagnation. Mentally hard to get my head around the fact I'm doing the same thing for no results and then after doing the same thing again, I'll drop a kilo. ST “I know it is hard mate, the biggest thing is that you are putting in place a process and habits to create the long term adjustment required to get the weight off. Viewing this as the habits for life rather than just the 80kg target is far more beneficial in the long term. adjusting portion sizes, food choice and knowing when to "go for it" is really important to understand for longevity.” “You will smash the 100 barrier and go beyond. Be patient. You didn't get to the weight you were at overnight and likewise to lose it will take a bit of time, too.” Hope that helps. SCOTT MAY 2021
Athlete: Thanks again for the time yesterday. I had one more question I was hoping for some guidance on. I typically do my training sessions in the AM between 6-7am, and maybe another one at night if I have one scheduled. I’ve noticed this week that I’ve 1) been completely flat in all the sessions and 2) am completely wiped out after them. I’ve had to even take a nap for 30-45 minutes in the morning because I’m so exhausted (thank God for work from home!). I obviously don’t want this to continue. In the past, I’ve seen this happen when I don’t include enough carbs post-workout. (the workouts aren’t even that hard this week, so its doubly concerning) Scott Tindal (ST) “I would request you get your blood panel completed to ensure all is ok from that side including your iron panel. Tiredness can be related to inadequate fueling as well. “ Athlete: This week, I’ve been having maybe something pre-workout and then definitely some food post-workout . This week, i have about 30g protein with 18-19g CHO. In the past, I’ve used about 50-60g CHO post workout and felt ok. I’m wondering your thoughts on that post-workout fueling option, if it’s something that’s worthwhile to invest carbs in or not. ST ”Aim for 30g CHO RED SNACK if it is prescribed to stay on point. Bit less PRO will make it easier. Toast with AB or ABJ is usually a great option and super simple. The post fueling really depends on the intensity and duration of the session along with the requirements for the day. A blanket rule cannot and should not be applied. If the session if Z1-2 then likely the post fuel will be a RED meal, if Z3 and over 90 mins then likely to be ORANGE as a basic guide.” Athlete “After the workout, I have my breakfast usually about 2 hours later (depending on my schedule for the day). That has typically (this week) had 50g CHO in it, per the recommendation. I’m not usually able to have breakfast right after the workout, so I’m wondering if I should borrow some carbs from that to add to my post-workout food? ST “This is likely where you are falling down. Not that you need to cram food in immediately post workout for fear of muscles dropping off yet in terms of glycogen replenishment, eating within 60 mins is well reported in the literature. Combining PRO and CHO will accelerate that process. Again, if your glycogen stores are not depleted due to the session intensity then the amount of CHO required post-session is going to be less (see above answer). I would also suggest you focus on fluid intake during the day as slight dehydration can mimic hunger and increase fatigue. Because you are stuck at home all day, it is quite common to forget to drink water and or electrolytes. |
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