The best approach to building up run miles after suffering from runner’s knee, foot positioning on bike cleats and how much/how little it really matters, finding the HR zone that works for you- Coggan/Friel/MAF, trying to peak twice 7 weeks apart, how a recreational trail runner should tackle a mountain marathon, longest s/b/r and whn for IM training, using a 70.3 as trianing for IM, specific workouts for Mt. Evans ascent, last minute 10k training, formulating the ideal marathon peak training week, how close to my marathon pace can you get MAF pace, effect of age on training and racing, transitioning from ultras to ironmans, and more.

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When is it safe or too hazardous to train outside if a fire breaks out nearby, abstaining from coffee/caffeine for a period before race day, can caffeine affect your MAF HR zones, caffeine and glucose production in the liver, are root veggies too high in GI, and more.

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Recently, a very “beat up” triathlete showed me the results of his saliva testing for hormones.

They were really low. Even cortisol was low. Cortisol is the stress-release hormone we churn out when exercising and living, and when that drops low, it’s a real warning sign that you’re so beat up that your adrenal glands simply can’t keep up with your extreme endurance lifestyle anymore!

So what did I recommend to this triathlete to “take care of his body” and bounce back from overtraining and adrenal fatigue?

1. Eat a ton of really nutrient dense foods. No caloric depletion or “going hungry” for at least 4 weeks. Some of my favorite nutrient dense foods include:

1. Eggs, with the yolk 

2. Sea vegetables

3. Organ meats

4. Bone Broth

5. Shellfish

6. Natto

7. Dark Fruits/Veggies

8. Fermented Foods

9. Turmeric/Curries

10. Coldwater Fish

11. Grass-Fed Beef

2. Get rid of items that tend to aggravate the adrenal glands and make fatigue worse. This includes:

1. Banana, dried figs, raisins, dates, oranges, grapefruit (high potassium fruits)

2. Fruit and juice in the morning

3. Refined flour products such as pasta,white rice, bread, pastry and baked goods.

4. High amounts of fructose from honey, syrups, and soft drinks, as well as dried fruits and concentrated fruit juice.

5. Adrenal stimulants such as coffee,tea,black tea,hot chocolate, alcohol, colas, and chocolates.

6. Heated oils and fats, especially vegetable oils

7. Rushed and hectic meals

3. No fasted workouts or intermittent fasting and going “hungry” during workouts. Instead, eat a big breakfast with lots of proteins and fats and don’t try to lose lots of weight during workouts, which can be stressful to your body during a state of overtraining or adrenal fatigue.

4. 2-4 weeks of easy, aerobic workouts only (no hard intervals or “monster training sessions), along with some kind of yoga, meditation, or very relaxing movement each morning.

5. Consider using the following supplements:

1. Chinese adaptogenic herbs

2. High electrolyte intake, preferably with liquid trace minerals and/or Himalayan sea salt

3. High dose vitamin D at 35IU per pound of body weight and huge amounts of morning sun exposure

4. Taking 2,000 to 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C each day

5. Supplementing vitamin E with mixed tocopherols (i.e. from a good fish oil)

6. Taking B-complex supplements that are high in B6 and pantothenic acid, which tend to be depleted during adrenal fatigue

7. Red ginseng at around 6g/day

8. Adding licorice root extract to dietary supplement regimen. 200-400 mg a day of a licorice extract standardized to contain 5 percent glycyrrhizic acid.

Overtraining and adrenal fatigue can significantly affect your performance, your hormones, and even your libido and fertility (which is a serious issue for lots of endurance athletes!).

If this is something that you’re interested in or concerned about, and you (or someone you know) is worried about overtraining or adrenal fatigue, you may also be interested in a free hormones video Q&A that I’ll be teaching this Tuesday night at 6:30PST.

To get in on the call, to ask your questions now so I can answer them during the Q&A, or to view the replay after the workshop, simply click here. 

Learning how to train to race a marathon rather than just complete one, long-time runner who wants to enter his first ever race (50k) and where to start, training to achieve a 10k PR, how to deal with a painfully slow MAF pace,  is the VAM metric is a useful tool for ultra training, fixes for blisters on Achilles, what’s the peak distance someone should run in preparing for their first 50 miler, blew up on a 10k hill during an ultra and how to prevent that in the future, how to train on unstable surfaces when you live in the city and aren’t near trails, pacing advice on races from half marathon to 50k, and more.

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Pro triathlete Matt Russell joins the show to talk about racing Wildflower (where he was 8th), a pro triathlon career that only began a few years ago but already includes two Kona showings and an Ironman win, how he thrives on racing often and can do up to 30 events a year, his experience using Extreme Endurance, and much more.

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Can blood tests and/or donating blood hurt athletic performance and for how long (and what’s the difference in measurements), insight on Ben’s recent blood test results, what to do to fix low hematocrit and low hemoglobin, how long of a workout before calories are needed, what’s an ideal list of supplements, are MAP and Extreme Endurance combined ok, what are the best sweeteners, and more.

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Is it possible to go too easy on a cool down, what are the advantages of riding in or out-of-the-saddle and is it good or bad for triathletes to get out of the saddle, more on the minimalist training approach vs bigger volume with specific weekly breakdowns and the variables in choosing you best plan, what is enough run training for an Olympic, having a hellish time in the heat and how to deal, lack of base and what to do, how to maintain bike training with a busy travel/work schedule, is there a limit to someone’s running performance where you stop getting better, increasing bike training gradually/safely for rides up to 900k, are you doomed to bonk if you run ~10 seconds faster than your goal race pace, saddle issues (pain, numbness, etc) and what to do, Ironman bike workouts to improve your split, training for speed without losing ultra fitness, logging time on your feet at work for training, ultra followed by Ironman, and more.

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How can your diet affect your chances of getting a stress fracture — what to eat and what to avoid, the importance of Vitamin K2 for healthy bones, how to use nutrition periodization based on activity level, how to find your caloric requirements, eating “ideal” number os calories but feeling too full from all the food, unwelcomed weight loss despite high food intake, losing too much weight with Paleo, and more.

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How to manage/heal plantar fasciitis and can you run through it, how to choose the best weights for gains in strength and power (plus ideal rep counts, etc), when experiencing cardiac drift on a tempo run is it better to keep the same pace and let HR drift up OR slow down to allow HR to stay stable, recommendations for training at altitude and preventing illness, thoughts on the low-carb fueling approach to endurance events vs. high carb, the best way to approach timed races,, more on calorie needs per hour and effective tapering, Compex for strength/power gains and recovery, high heart rates on hills, was it lack of training or compression that caused major pain at the end of a 50k, LT test results for thebike/run and problems with the numbers, finding MAF zones, and more.

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Elite amateur triathlete Sonja Wieck joins the show to talk about her life in triathlon: how she got into the sport, qualifying for and racing Kona three times so far, coaching and more. We also discuss in detail how to stay motivated and rekindle that fire to train and race when you feel deflated in sport. Tune in for some great insight from a fun, talented triathlete!

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Taking a fat-adapted or carb-based approach to racing and the differences, do different diets work best for different people, how can a person go about experimenting to find out which is best for him or her, etc.; chocolate milk as recovery; MAP to heal injury; pre-race fueling and hydration for shorter races i.e. 15ks; is fiber worse than we thought and should we peel skins of fruits and veggies or is fiber ok; dsoing for Ucan Superstarch in an Ironman; gels without sugar and fuel alternatives for fat-adapted atheltes; Ucan Superstarch vs. the Skratch Labs “food and drink” way of fueling; and more.

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Buying a bike on a tight budget and where to shop (where not to shop), for the guys: leg shaving and why it’s good, benefits of downhill running and how to get better at it, foam rolling and how often, ideal recovery after a 100 and how to ramp back up safely, backward running, the ideal taper for Ironman in all three sports and different options (traditional, reverse periodization), when to stop running hills before a hilly race to be rested, training for a 50k in flat Florida, how to tell if HR is naturally high and planning a half-ironman strategy at the elite level for the perfect swim/bike/run combo, and more.

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Endurance Planet presents an exclusive interview with marathoner Dr. Freddie So who ran in the Boston Marathon on Monday, and who was in his hotel room only meters away from the bombings when they took place. Dr. Freddie shares his first-hand account of the events on Monday, stories of others, stories of people offering help, insight on the tragedy, and more.

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CIGANA, VODICKOVA TRIUMPH IN FIRST

LAGUNA LĂNG CÔ – VIETNAM AIRLINES TRIATHLON 2013

Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam, 14 April 2013 – Italian Massimo Cigana and Radka Vodickova of the Czech Republic added to their Asian triathlon credentials by becoming the first male and female Champions at the inaugural Laguna Lăng Cô – Vietnam Airlines Triathlon 2013, each recording sub-three hour race finishes at the new Laguna Lăng Cô integrated resort in central Vietnam.

The pair – both three-time Champions of sister event Laguna Phuket Triathlon – made their experience count against an elite pro field that included two-time Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack of Australia and fellow Australian Ironman veteran Belinda Granger.

Both had to battle hard against the field and also against weather conditions, with the opening 1.8km swim leg proving a challenge in a heavy sea before the 62km bike and 12km run.

Cigano finished with a swim of 00:16:39; a bike of 01:22:49 and run of 00:47:00, for an overall time of 2:28:29. McCormack, was out of the swim nearly two minutes ahead of Cigana but was then overtaken by the Italian bike specialist and pushed further back on the run to finish in second place 11 minutes behind Cigana in an overall time of 02:39:46. His fellow Australian Justin Granger was third in 02:49:49.

In the women’s field, Czech Olympian Vodickova  and Granger were neck and neck on the swim and bike courses with Vodickova holding a lead of just 24 seconds as she began the run, a lead she stretched to more than three minutes at the finish line. She won with a swim of 00:16:04; bike of 01:42:10 and run of 00:51:38 for an overall time of 02:52:14. Granger, wife of men’s third-placed Justin Granger, finished six minutes behind her husband in 02:55:30. Phuket-based age grouper Sarah Wheeler of the UK had a magnificent race to finish third woman in 03:16:30 and also win her 35-39 age group.

The inaugural Laguna Lăng Cô – Vietnam Airlines Trithlon saw more than 200 athletes from 28 countries contesting the course in a race which is the sister event of the legendary Laguna Phuket Triathlon, now in its 20^th year.

Champion Cigana said: “It was a very beautiful race, a fun swim, very fast scenic bike course and a lovely run through the golf course. I enjoyed it very much and I’ll be happy to be here next year to defend my title – I hope to bring many more Italians to race at Laguna Lăng Cô.”

Vodickova commented: “I loved everything about my first experience to race in Vietnam – the course, the great organisation and all the friendly and enthusiastic people. I came here to be part of this triathlon as I think it will have a long history like Laguna Phuket Triathlon – I am so proud to be the first women’s champion at Laguna Lăng Cô.”

 

 

About Laguna Lăng Cô Integrated Resort

Laguna Lăng Cô is the first and largest world-class integrated resort in Vietnam, and a premium second home destination development in Central Vietnam. The 280-hectare community, which marks the first project in Vietnam for Banyan Tree Group, resides near Lang Co Bay and is framed by a three kilometre beach overlooking the East Sea, an area renowned for its pristine coastline, natural scenery and proximity to UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Laguna Lăng Cô echoes the ethos of Laguna Phuket, Banyan Tree’s flagship integrated resort community in southern Thailand. The development includes Banyan Tree and Angsana branded hotels and spas, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Sir Nick Faldo, private villas and residences available for sale, convention facilities and a plethora of recreational activities for guests of all ages.

About Banyan Tree Holdings Limited

Banyan Tree Holdings Limited (“Banyan Tree” or the “Group”) is a leading manager and developer of premium resorts, hotels and spas in the Asia Pacific, with 33 resorts and hotels, 68 spas, 80 retail galleries, and three golf courses. The Group manages and/or has ownership interests in niche resorts and hotels. The resorts each typically has between 50 and 100 rooms and commands room rates at the high end of each property’s particular market.

The Group’s primary business is the management, development and ownership of resorts and hotels. This is centered on two award-winning brands: Banyan Tree and Angsana. Banyan Tree also operates the leading integrated resort in Thailand – Laguna Phuket, through the Group’s subsidiary, Laguna Resorts & Hotels Public Company Limited.

As a leading operator of spas in Asia, Banyan Tree’s spas are one of the key features in their resorts and hotels. Its retail arm Banyan Tree Gallery complements and reinforce the branding of the resort, hotel and spa operations.

Since the launch of the first Banyan Tree resort, Banyan Tree Phuket, in 1994, Banyan Tree has received over 890 awards and accolades for the resorts, hotels and spas that the Group manages. The Group has also received recognition for its commitment to environmental protection and emphasis on corporate social responsibility.

 

Click the link below for a PDF of the press release.

Laguna Lang Co – Vietnam Airlines__ Triathon 2013 – Post-event Press release 14APR( final)

 

Photos from the event:

 

 

 

 

In lieu of our regular “Sports Nutrition” show with Ben Greenfield, please enjoy this special episode.

Click here to download audio.

During this interview on low carb, sports nutritionist Ben Greenfield interviews low carb ultra runner Zach Bitter about combining ultrarunning and a low carbohydrate diet:

Ben asks Zach:

-What kind of workouts and competitions do you do?

-How do you eat?

-How long have you eaten that way?

-What differences have you noticed?

-Have you found certain barriers and obstacles with the way you eat when it comes to supporting your training?

-What kind of supplements do you use and why?

Resources Zach mentions in the interview include:

-Vespa

-Extreme Endurance – use free shipping code “PLANET”

-Transdermal Magnesium

-Yucca Root

-Co-Q10

———————————

Sample High Volume Day of eating for Zach

Workouts:

AM 15 miles

○ 3 mile warmup

○ 5x 1 mile repeats (5:30/mi), 1 mile recovery jog between (9mi total)

○ 3 mile cool down

PM 7 miles easy, 30 minute stretch/circuit routine

Food:

AM Pre-Workout:

Coffee w/ tbls. butter, tbls. coconut oil, ½ tbls raw honey
Vespa concentrate

Breakfast:

½ avocado
1 sweet potato
3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
½ cup of wild caught samon
1 medium carrot
Small bowl of spinach
Unrefined sea salt (liberal amount)
1 oz of sharp cheddar (preferably raw)
4 extreme endurance, 1 extreme omega, 1 extreme joint, 3 extreme immune, extreme gut (probiotic) 1 NOW k2/D3, 1 CoQ10, 1 NOW Magnesium, 1 NOW kelp, 1 NOW blue green algae

Lunch:

¼ cup of flax seeds
2 tbls spoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 oz sausage
1 oz of sharp cheddar (preferably raw)

PM Pre-Workout

½ cup of raw almonds
1 tbls of extra virgin olive oil
Unrefined sea salt (liberal amount)

Dinner:

¼ cantaloupe w/cinnamon
4 oz fresh calf liver
6 slices of bacon
2 cups of cabbage
3 tbls of sour cream
Turmeric (liberal amount)
Oregano
Unrefined sea salt (liberal amount)
1 avocado
1 tbls butter
Herbal tea with coconut milk, ½ tbls honey
4 extreme endurance, 1 extreme omega, 1 extreme joint, 3 extreme immune, extreme gut (probiotic) 1 NOW k2/D3, 1 CoQ10, 3 NOW Magnesium, 1 NOW kelp, 1 NOW blue green algae

What do you do when you’ve lost all motivation to train, how do you stay motivated to continue training (running, biking, etc.) when you have no race planned, what to do when you’ve missed out on a lot of training (due to work, family, injury, etc) and have races coming up still, how to train between a series of night 60k races, dealing with a hip flexor injury and getting back to training, managing training (and commuting miles) with limited time in a ramp up to a hilly 100-miler, training for a marathon with 2360m vertical gain and 0 decent, what to do to feel stronger for the last section of a 100-mile race, and more.

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Brad Culp, editor of LAVA, joins the show to talk about news in this year’s triathlon season! We recap IM 70.3 Texas in Galveston and ITU Auckland, and preview Challenge Fuerteventura, Ironman South Africa, the ITU San Diego race, and much more on the athletes racing and beyond! We also mention Macca’s recent showings at some local sprints (which Tawnee also raced).

Click here to download audio.

Recommendations for a race nutrition strategy while trying to be a fat-adapted athlete; how much can practicing race nutrition during training negatively impact fat utilization developed in training, and does the concept of nutritional periodization have any role; should you be doing fasted workouts for up to 2 hours or take in calories instead; is it still a fasted workout if you ate a carb-heavy dinner the night prior; pre-race hydration tips; recovering from spinal surgery and looking for the right supplements/nutrition; the Vitamix vs. a juicer; difference between maltodextrin and refined sugars; and more.

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Pro triathlete Heather Jackson is fresh off her second big win of the 2013 (first Escape from Alcatraz, now Oceanside 70.3). On this episode she gives us the scoop on both those races. We’ll also hear about Heather’s new coach (Cliff English), her thoughts on going big in Vegas this year at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, a little romance with the full story on how she and Wattie met, how she keeps it real with a balanced life, and much more.

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How to determine your weakest area (aerobic fitness, speed, strength, etc) and address that in the next training block, is it possible train to go from a 1:32 to 1:15 half mary or do genetics take over, how Tawnee avoided cramping the feet/calves during Oceanside 70.3, structuring a basic training week for Olympic-distance triathlon racing, to race hard or go conservatively in a 70.3 that’s prior to the Ironman A race, top tips for the Boston Marathon, how to improve glute, quad and hamstring strength for mountain marathons, hill repeats or speed work, should you always go hard at least 1x a week, when is enough enough when it comes to massive hill repeat workouts for an ultra, and more.

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How to recover for back-to-back weekends of short-course races; how to avoid flu-like symptoms post race; should you/can you take salt supplements with UCAN SuperStarch; alternatives to UCAN SuperStarch; turmeric — what is the ideal dosage, can you overuse it, and is there a topical version that’s better; magnesium oil, for athletes who have to cut weight what is the best protocol in the day(s) prior; and more.

Click here to download audio.

Get Endurance Planet updates conveniently delivered to your Android or iPhone! Never miss an episode, and get access to simple ways to ask questions, contact us and more.

Check it out:

Get the Endurance Planet app for Android by clicking here.

Get the Endurance Planet app for iTunes by clicking here (it’s part of the “Podcast Box” app).

Balancing ultra events and rock climbing season, is it smart to train on flats for a hilly race, what is the shortest long run a runner can get away with in training, balancing hill work and MAF in training, preparing for a race at altitude,  race hallucinations, how to approach back-to-back 30ks that occur consistently for about 6 months, will doing ultras help or hurt subsequent half-ironman/IM runs, getting good at both ultra running and ultra cycling, comforts for ultra races, tips on hiring a coach, and more.

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Ben Greenfield joins to answer your questions on better alternatives to traditional pizza for a pre-race meal (and info on gluten-free pizza), can something be Non-GMO but still modified in a lab, more on the philosophy of how strictly to follow a healthy/clean diet, is sourdough bread safe for gluten intolerant athletes, best alternatives for GF bread or steer clear from GF breads altogether, how to effectively get rid of carb cravings, is it bad to not eat after late-night training, and more.

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Dr. David Minkoff joins the show to answer your questions on a variety of injuries and more, providing recommendations for recovering from pneumonia, plus detailed advice on recovering from and avoiding injuries including: non-displaced fracture of metatarsals, partially torn lisfranc ligament, peroneal tendonitis, medial ankle sprain, and cramping in the arch of the foot, and more insight on how to manage/prevent/recover from injuries physically and mentally for the most success in sport.

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Lucho joins to answer your questions on tips for a first-time Oceanside 70.3′er (and first attempt at a Half Iron?), opinion on stretching as part of warming up, how to tell when it is time to replace running shoes, how to prepare for a 10k swim in terms of taper and nutrition, what caused severe hamstring cramping during a marathon, a good or bad idea to run an all out 5K 16 days before Boston, why doesn’t Tawnee do Leadwoman, what’s the best way to recover from a race and then peak for another race 2-3 weeks later, the best kind of training for Leadville marathon coming off injury, should you save/postpone a workout or make it easier (slower) if you are not feeling great, and more.

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Ben Greenfield joins to answer your questions on what to eat before a 10K run and an Olympic triathlon if you don’t like yams/sweet potatoes and have Celiac disease/are gluten intolerant; supplements and ways to combat cortisol, aid in recovery and boost energy; monitoring cortisol levels; is nutritional yeast ok to eat regularly; how long does it take to replenish glycogen stores after they’ve been depleted by exercise and are all carbs equal when trying to achieve this; reasons to kick that Diet Coke habit; and more.

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Lucho joins to answer your questions on: should you structure run training as hard day/easy day or multiple hard days in a row of hill climbs ok, cadence: do you go by single foot or both feet, how to negative split in an ultra and the importance of RPE and the pace at the beginning, when should you stop and walk/hike a hill rather than try running it, how to successfully go from 12-hour race to 24-hour race, what exactly does a ”specific training phase” entail, tips to overcome a sore ITB post-race, training tips for Pike’s Peak, and more.

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On this special episode we talk with Kristen Wade, who wrote “Endurance Planet’s Guide to Triathlon Spectating.” We will get the inside scoop on what you can find in the book, more about Kristen and her triathlon endeavors, and much more.

Click here to download audio.

An exclusive Sports Nutrition episode featuring Roger Drummer, who is an Herbalist who has traveled extensively throughout North America lecturing on the benefits of Chinese Tonic Herbalism and Nutrition. He is creator of the herbal formula “TianChi.”

Roger’s 19 years of experience ranges from formulating personalized tonic herb and nutritional programs for over 30,000 people, including notable celebrities. He has created nutritional supplement product lines, consults and teaches courses to the public on health and nutrition and training apprentices in the art of Herbalism.

Roger is a NCCAOM Diplomat of Chinese Herbology. He is currently the spokesperson for Functional Fungi, a grower and distributor of medicinal mushrooms for whom he lectures on the immune properties of mushrooms. He has a U.S. patent for growing biologically active, anthocyanin rich medicinal mushrooms. Roger has given over 175 lectures in the past 5 years on a variety of health related issues including Chinese herbology, immunity and cellular health.

Roger is a published writer, Certified Herbalist, Certified Nutritionist, public speaker, educator, a former triathlete, runner, cycling enthusiast, husband and father of three girls. He has studied a variety of healing modalities, including Jin Shin Do, Shiatsu and Pranic Healing. He is a Reiki Master and a Yoga practitioner.

Click here to download audio.

How to know if you’re swimming aerobic swim sets correctly (not too hard, not too easy), goals for a triathlete~4 weeks out from their first 70.3 and should you attempt the entire distance ~two weeks prior to the race, commentary on the state rep who wanted to impose a tax on cyclists for exhaling CO2, best advice for competing in Leadwoman, how would you strategize IM bike training without affecting a pre-IM marathon, pacing and nutrition strategies for a participant in a 200-mile team relay run, how to get in swim-specific training without a pool when you’re traveling, dealing with soft tissue and bone injuries in the legs with the goal of getting healthy to run well again, go for traditional base then build or a reverse periodization training plan, and more.

Click here to download audio.