Mistaken Identity

Ripple

Ocean

It is the time of year when we start spending hours and hours behind a team of dogs in preparation of races ahead.  With much time to think I start to wander down memory lane recalling past race mistakes that I hope to avoid this year.  I laugh to think about some of the odd things we do after being sleep deprived and past worn out.  On the Kobuk 440 this year I had the pleasure to run two liter mates:  Ocean and Ripple.  Both are this rare blue color with similar builds but that is where the resemblance really stops-one is male the other female.  Once we got to Ambler after a long night on the trail I decided to switch up leaders thinking that Ripple might have some spunk to get us to the next check point.  I was way happy to arrive as the first female into Ambler which came with this phenomenal fur hat as a prize.  Anyway, I start having some really odd issues with Ripple-she is not quite acting herself.  The line is loose and she is messing around with Velvet-the other leader.  As we get into Shungnak I begin to get a little concerned.  There is a photographer kneeling off of the ground about 15 yards away from the trail.  Ripple decides to take off AFTER THE PHOTOGRAPHER.  We are on ice and there was no stopping this team.  I start waving my hands to get the attention of the photographer then thankfully came across some snow  which allowed me to stop the team and refocus Ripple.  As we get on through a couple more checkpoints I am having more trouble with this Ripple who is not listening at all getting through these checkpoints.  But while she isn't listening all that well-she is driving the team at a great pace and I am eager to keep that up.  After chasing down some kids with hot dogs I finally have to get her out of there and put Summit in lead (her father).  It is then that I realize, the SHE is instead a HE, and Ocean has been in lead for basically the first time of his life!

This is story that I will not live down for a while I think...  It goes to show the importance of double and triple checking your actions as well as having great checklists with a really good headlamp!

Fall time training taken 10-25-13 by Katherine Keith

Nutrition

Preparing for endurance races, whether with its a solo Ironman or a long distance dog race, requires more that just the physical training.  It is a fine balance of training, recovery, nutrition, mental preparation, and logistics planning. Nutrition has always been difficult and challenging to master as I am an athlete with Celiac diesease and Colitis.  Both LOVE to wreak havoc on my gastrointestinal track-especially after long stress inducing workouts.  It is not just about calorie counting and tracking the grams of protein every day but being religious about the type of protein and the type of calories. Thankfully, there are wonderful companies, such as Hammer Nutrition, that cater to picky athletes.   Every day I learn more things about how and how not to eat.  For example, certain foods apparently have a high histamine content such wines, soy oranges, chocolate, processed meats, aged cheese, etc...  Basically, all of my favorite foods!  Avoiding these foods has made a huge difference for me (Unfortunately).

Nutrition plays a large role before, during, and after workouts.  When workouts are lasting more than 1.5 hours I will use an energy source such as Hammer Gel every 30 minutes.  I also need to make sure that my electrolytes are being replaced and will use either NUUN  tablets or Endurolyte pills.  Without these it is very easy to cramp up.   The post workout recovery is especially important.  There is a 60 minute window, after long workouts, to efficiently replace used up glycogen, repair muscle tissues, and replace lost electrolytes.  To do all of this I use Recoverite.  There is a huge variety of products on the market to choose based on what your special needs might be. It is also nice to have something that tastes somewhat decent.     I am always looking for suggestions! 

 

Training Stress Score

There is quite an exact science to training for long distance endurance events.  Months and even years of preparation go into the planning, nutrition, and fitness building.  Many athletes work with coaches to help them navigate the complications of our individual physiology.  I have worked with Rebecca McKee owner of Peak Center Alaska (and complete rock star!).   The training schedule she creates is specifically based on testing completed in her lab which, through fitness testing, determines the power and heart rate zones I should be focusing on for biking and running.  This testing is done every three months.  To track gains and losses in fitness I use Training Peaks to log every single workout completed.  In this age of electronics everything can be uploaded:  bike speed, bike cadence, heart rate, power output, etc...    This data spits out graphs like the one below. 

This graphs shows data since July 2013.  The dark blue line, which thankfully rises, indicates my level of fitness.  The yellow is a 'training stress score' which determine the level of fatigue.  The yellow line increases when you are resting and it decreases after long bike rides (for example).  The pink line is a daily total of the workouts each day (it is a product of intensity and time).  Such graphs are useful in understanding where your body is at and can be combined with our own awareness of what the body is feeling.   As we get closer to the race we will want to see the yellow increase so that there is LOTS of energy on race day!  This will be done by tapering (reducing the workload) slightly before the race.

As an engineer-I LOVE geeking out on this data! As an athlete, I LOVE the feedback which pushes me to work harder every training session.    Now if only I could do this for our dogs!

Kona 2013 - October 12th

Wish I was going to be here this year  but I will be working hard to make it happen next year!  In order to race in the Kona Ironman World Championships you have to qualify by being the top 1-2 finishers in your age group of a Ford Ironman race.  Either that or you pay $100 for a lottery ticket...    I'd rather earn my way through hard work but I won't turn away a bit of good luck either!

This race is always epic and has great coverage.  You can follow it at: http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/world-championship.aspx#axzz2h47K4uS1

Indoor Cycling

Cervelo with Computrainer

In order to prepare for an Ironman distance triathlon, an athlete must spend hours upon hours biking countless miles.  The restriction of having no roads to ride on causes the need for creativity as I put in 4 plus hour bike rides.  I am thankful for this stellar set up which has taken years to build up to.  The Computrainer allows me to bike based on power.  The flywheel is controlled electronically by a computer.  I have various real course videos which allow me to ride on actual courses such as IM Kona or IM Coeur d'Alene.   I also utilize ERGVideos which allow for very creative intervals and training scenarios to make the long hours not so passive.  I also have a screen to watch movies-so I am very caught up on all the latest flicks.

Arctic Swimming

Training for Ironman races above the Arctic Circle requires a tremendous amount of time inside on a bike trainer, inside on the swim trainer, and inside on the treadmill.  Living in Kotzebue (with no swimming pool and only a few miles of paved roads) makes training a unique logistical challenge.  The most recent addition to our gym is a VASA Trainer which mimics outdoor swimming using a power meter.  Definitely makes my form significantly better!  The real testament will be on December 1st on race day morning.  That will likely be the first time swimming in actual water all year.