Hydration in Cold Climates

I just wanted to write something about water intake and hydration in colder climates. I did a little bit of research and monitored my hydration over the past two days while I’ve been training in Canberra and this is what I’ve come up with.

After training in Cairns for my whole life, whenever I travel south, I find that my water intake suddenly decreases because I’m not as thirsty. This is put down to the fact that when it’s not as hot you don't sweat as much and therefore you aren’t going to drink as much. I never really used to take much notice of this until I came back to Canberra this time.

The first thing that I noticed on Monday morning was that I woke up with a headache, something that I don't often get. I straightaway put this down to dehydration and the fact that I had travelled for the most part of the previous day. So for all of Monday I carried around a water bottle, trying to get in, as much water as possible, although I wasn’t thirsty and I didn't even feel like drinking.

As much as this may sound stupid, cold weather can actually increase your risk of becoming dehydrated. I found out that when we are in hot weather the body automatically send out signals for increase in fluids. This is done for example by sweating or having a dry mouth. I know it’s still possible to get some fluids through water based foods like fruit but it’s still very important that there is still an intake in water to help prevent dehydration.

Some tips that I’ve come up with to make sure that you stay hydrated especially in cold weather are:

·      Carry around a water bottle

·      Having clear urine at least 5 times a day

·      Have an electrolyte at least once a day

·      Limit intake of coffee and soft drinks

·      Start exercise hydrated and finish it by drinking water and if possible an electrolyte even if it’s cold

·      Consume between 1.5-3 litres of water each day

A water or electrolyte for optimal hydration

I think that I’ve learnt a lot about hydration after only two days of training here. Staying hydrated in the cold is just as important as being hydrated in the warmer climates. So next time you are out take a water bottle and skip the morning coffee and stay as hydrated as possible.

First Run in Canberra

So yesterday was my first day in Canberra and I managed to get out and do my first run in what I call freezing temperatures. The top temperature was 10 degrees and didn't that make it quite an experience. I even had to buy a pair of running gloves to make it more bearable.

I only had to run 10km but I struggled for the most part of it because of the cold. My sister lives in fairly hilly neighbourhood so this made finding my rhythm a lot harder as I was always ascending and descending the hills. For the majority of the run I was running around 5 minutes per kilometre until around the 7km mark where I started to find my legs and I started to run under 4:30/km.

It felt like one of the hardest run that I’ve ever done and I put that down to the cold. My hands were cold, my feet were cold and my face was cold. After taking a long time to warm up I finally got through the run and started to find my legs. I think that training down here is going to give me an advantage for when I go to Toowoomba this month. The next week is full of running and I know it’s going to be tough, but definitely worth it.

A few km's on the bike and my longest ride

I am flying out to Canberra tomorrow so over the past week I’ve been trying to do as much riding as I can, as I’m not taking my bike away with me. I just missed out on clocking up 400km for the week as I finished with 386km. I wanted to summarise my longest ride for the week, which was also my longest all time ride of 178.6km.

Thankfully we were leaving at 8am, which allowed me to have a little bit of a sleep in. I was riding with my cycling coach and also a mate who was coming along for part of the journey. It was 30km to where we were meeting, so that meant that I had already been riding for an hour before we even started. We were headed for Yungaburra, which is situated on the Atherton Tablelands and included the longest climb in Cairns, the Gillies, which is 19km long. I had been riding everyday of the week so my legs were a little bit tired when this ride began and I struggled a little bit going over the climb, but I managed to keep a steady pace and ended up doing my best time up there.

For Cairns weather it was pretty cold for the most part of the morning hovering around 15 degrees celsius. As we came to the lookout, my mate turned around and my coach and I continued on. It was about 20-30km of very undulating riding before we came to Yungaburra and I must say, the coffee shop was well awaited and I enjoyed the short sit down that we had. A quick coffee and some very delicious scones were eaten before we got back on the bike.

The ride home was much easier, although there were some short but steep climbs to overcome before we came to the decent on the Gillies range. I must say that by this time were legs were feeling quite shattered and the 19km decent back to Gordonvale was very nice. Thankfully Steve (my coach) didn't push the pace and was nice enough to wait for me if I dropped off the pace. We kept a steady pace back into Cairns, but by now, my energy levels were depleted and I had consumed all my food. I stopped at a Night Owl and devoured a can of coke before holding myself back as I rode home with a tailwind.

I came home feeling not as bad as I thought I would have and after about 1650 metres of climbing for the day and with an average speed of about 29km/h I felt really good, having enough energy to go fishing a few hours later. It was a tough ride and after just over six hours in the saddle, by backside was definitely starting to get sore, but it was all worth it, now knowing that mentally and physically I am strong enough to do something like that.

I didn't get any photos from the day, but I hope to get some out running, when I’m in Canberra over the next week.

What it's like in the peloton

Awesome video from Giant Shimano rider John Degenkolb during the sprint on stage 5 of the Tour de Suisse. Gives a real insight as to what it's like in the final kilometres of a professional race.



Via Kottke.

Catch Up and Criterium Race Report

So, I’ve been quite busy lately and haven’t had a lot of time to post about anything. A fair bit has been going on in terms of road racing and full triathlon training as well as my schoolwork.

Two Sundays ago I raced in the Cairns Cycling Club road race down in Bramston Beach and was able to come away with a 3rd place finish and I am super stoked about that. I rode tactically well and was just unlucky not to finish in 2nd.

Last Sunday saw me race in the Cairns Cycling Club criterium. I really struggled to get out of bed that morning as it was quite cold (13°) and I had become over tired from training that week. I knew that if I had one extra hard day then I was able to sleep all day Monday. There wasn’t a very big field as there was also a mountain bike race on, but the six riders to turn up were not slackers at all and I still knew that it would be a hard race. It was more than difficult to get my legs going even after a ride to the venue as part of a warm up, so I tried to do as little work as possible and conserve my energy. There were a small number of short attacks but I was able to follow all of them and no one was able to get away. Thankfully! As we came down to three laps to go, there were only three riders left including myself. We all started to look at each other, wondering if anyone was going to go early. Shortly into the last lap, one rider attacked and I predicted that this would happen so I was able to quickly shut down his move and follow his wheel. That left two of us until about the last 300m when the other rider caught back up. As he tried to pass I followed his wheel to get a good lead out for the sprint. As we crested the small hill leading into the finish and we could see the finish line, I opened up my sprint. Passing the rider who gave me the lead out, I pushed as hard as I could and was able to take the win by a clear bike length. I was over the moon, after finishing so many A grade races in 2nd, 3rd and 4th; finally being able to get the win was the best feeling.

Taking the win in the criterium on Sunday.

I have been swimming hard as well over the past week and I think that training everyday has left me a little tired. I slept for most of Monday and now I’m feeling much better.

I am heading away next week as my sister is having a baby so I’m trying to do a heap of kilometres on the bike this week as I wont get to ride for a week. I am also still running as I have state cross-country in around four weeks and I’m really hoping to do well there.

Only 3 riders left.

Cairns Ironman 70.3 Teams Event

Yesterday saw me compete in the Cairns Ironman 70.3 event as a team where I was to be the cyclist. It was a little bit of a funny story because I received a message on Thursday evening asking whether or not I would like to ride for a team and without hesitation I said yes. I had heard that my team was from Brisbane and that I would receive a call sometime on Friday to confirm that I could do it. Friday came and I got the call and that afternoon I met the lady who was going to run at the teams check in. On Saturday I had not met the swimmer and I thought we would have had a chance to meet. I then found out that the swimmer was unavailable to meet and that we would catch up on race morning. Sunday morning came and got a text message from the swimmer saying that she had found my bike in transition, but I got to the transition a little late and then realised I left my electrolytes at home. This caused some panic and forced us to rush back home and get it. Meanwhile, I had still not met the lady who was swimming so I had no idea who to look for when she came out of the water.

Sunday morning was quite miserable and the rain hadn't eased off at all throughout the night. This made everything more difficult because the transition was a mud pit and everyone was trying to keep dry. I stood in transition with my helmet on waiting at my bike. The first swimmers came through and lots of age group athletes started to head out onto the bike leg and I was still standing there. Suddenly this lady comes running up and says. "Cahn?" I responded with. "Yes!" whilst taking off the timing chip and putting it onto my ankle. I had told a few people standing near me about what happened and as I grabbed my bike off the rack I said, "Nice to meet you," before running off and hearing everyone laughing.

The ride was extremely tough yet durable due to the wet conditions and I witnessed a crash within the first few kilometres. I tried to stay in my aero bars for as long as possible even though it may have felt easier to sit up. I felt good and I was flying along averaging about 38km/h and I had my first gel at the 30minute mark. I was catching a lot of people and by the turn around I felt as though my legs were still fresh.

Around the 50km mark I started to become uncomfortable on my saddle and I put this down to the fact that my set up wasn't very good because it was last minute and also because my saddle isn't triathlon specific. I pushed through the pain as I knew I didn't have to run off the bike so I could come into transition absolutely smashed. As I came back into the northern suburbs of Cairns I found myself leading a small group of riders and by this stage only four riders had passed me. I was feeling really strong despite the head wind that I was faced with and with ten kilometres to go I 'hit the wall' and from that point I struggled to hold 26km/h. I realised that I didn't take in enough food while I was riding and this was the punishment I was given. I never realised how brutal it was and it just happened so quickly. I started eating as much as I could and with only a few kilometres to go I was able to get my speed back to around 32-33km/h.

I got back into town and completed the 90km in 2hr:35min. This is a pretty good time and something I'm happy with. Although Sunday was a big learning day for me and I have a lot to take away for next year. My team ended up finishing in 5th out of the mixed teams and 19th out of 181 teams overall. We raced really well and I already have my team worked out for next year.

Finishing off the 90km ride of the Ironman 70.3 event

Coral Coast Triathlon 2014

Over the weekend I raced in the Coral Coast Triathlon up in Port Douglas. After winning the open male sprint last year I had high expectations of myself for 2014, but I knew that I could only do my best. I was registered to race in the open male age group again for the sprint distance which meant that there was a fair chance that the majority of the athletes would be grown men.

The atmosphere in transition that morning was rather chilled out, until I realised that I had left my goggles in the car which was parked a few kilometres away. Once I had retrieved those I walked the 750m down to the swim start line. The water was rather choppy and that didn't suit me especially since I have had a lack of swim training. I struggled throughout the swim leg but knew once I was out of the water I would be able to make up some ground. I think that I exited the water in sixth position in my category and I was 22nd of about 157 competitors overall. I thought that this was pretty good considering I haven't done a lot of swimming.

Once I was onto my bike I felt a lot more comfortable because I had been working at this leg in particular. I had a very good average speed at 40.49km/h for the 20km bike ride and I managed to claw my way back through the field to get off the bike in what I think was 2nd place. There was only one person ahead of me from and he was from Townsville and I knew that from past races I wasn't going to be able to catch him on the run, so the next best thing was to not let anyone pass me when I hit Four Mile beach to start the run.

The only person to pass me on the cycle leg was a local triathlete and he never got too far from me because I jumped off my bike next to him. I flew through 2nd transition (T2) and hit the beach to start my 5km run. As I ran south along the beach there was a a rather large head wind which made running difficult, but when I reached the turn around at 1.25km it turned into a tailwind which was very much awaited. This allowed me to increase my running pace which made me feel like I was running really strong. My run wasn't as fast as it usually is but I think the wind was a factor because I still felt like I was running really strong and fast.

I felt really good throughout the whole race and I ran myself into 2nd place overall, although this is such a good position I am a little disappointed because last year I won the open age group. Hopefully next year I can come back even stronger and win the race.

Motivation

So in Physical Education at school we have been doing Sports Psychology and part of that is about motivation. Today while I was browsing YouTube I came across this video and for anyone who wants a little motivation or maybe just something to get them off the couch then I would watch this video.

I hope that this video has maybe given you a little inspiration to go that extra bit further to succeed.

I have the Coral Coast Triathlon on Sunday so I will do a race review on Sunday night and document how I go.

TCN Cross-Country

Over the past few days I have been feeling pretty nervous because everything was building up to todays race. It was only district cross-country but after last years disappointing race, I was back to take my title and I wasn’t going to settle for anything less. I know this sounds really arrogant but it's just how I am, I strive for victory and every time I step onto a start line, I have my eyes set on first place.

When I woke up this morning the first thought was oh no, not school but then it suddenly hit me, today is the day. I tried to block out the race for the past few days so I didn't get too worked up about it. We were running on a new course this yeah so I was eager to get there and have a look at it. I could feel that I had nerves but I could only see one person that I knew would be tough competition for me. I knew I’d had a good breakfast (7 bananas for breaky- I went on to have 16 today, but that's another story) and I had a half decent warm up, so I knew if my hip held up I had a good chance of making it to the line first.

As we stood on the start line, under the control of the starter nothing else was running through my mind except the race and I asked myself many questions. How should I attack it? What if I can’t hang onto the pace? As the race got under way it turned out to be how I predicted, Hayden from Mossman, my competition and I were out in the lead. I let him set the pace for the first maybe 2km. We came to a slight hill in the track and I felt that I wasn’t going to be able to hang on, but I dug deep. After going over the crest we came to a short but slippery down hill section and as this began Hayden slowed down, probably being cautious, but something in my head said, “GO!”

I put in a small attack down the hill, enough to put the gap between Hayden and myself and I knew he would have to expend some energy if he wanted to catch back up. He caught back up and I was somewhat annoyed because I thought it would have been enough and I didn't want to have to work too hard and use up too much energy in case it came to a sprint finish. As I came into the last lap (3km to go) there was a U-turn on the course and this gave me a good chance to see if I had a gap and I did. It wasn't much but I knew if I picked up my pace a little I should be able to get away.

As we came off the touch fields and entered the bush section I had a quick look behind to see where Hayden was. I knew if I slowed a fraction he would catch up, so I knew I had to run even harder, but I was hurting. I aimed to get around each corner so I would be out of sight when he came around and this helped. I knew with about 600m to go that I was going to win and I felt more relieved than anything after last years race.

I ended up with a time of 21:52 for 6km, which in my opinion is not a bad effort after a pretty inconsistent year. I came through the first 3km in 10:31, and I’m super happy with that. I am off to regionals this Friday where I’ll compete for a spot on the Peninsula team.

Crossing the finish line in the 6km

I'm back

I have officially returned to my blog so I thought that I would start with my training over the past couple of weeks.

As far as mileage, my training had significantly dropped until last weekend where I got back onto my bike. Running for me lately seems to be continually going down hill. I am still having trouble with the pain in my hip and I’m having a lot of work on it to try and get it fixed, but it almost feels like anything that I do isn’t working. This is having a massive effect on my running because I’m not being able to complete my sessions. I have a realistic goal for state cross-country but I feel like I wont be able to achieve it if I can’t even get out and run.

Cycling is going really well and I can definitely feel that I’m getting stronger and this makes me really confident as the Coral Coast Triathlon approaches. The last two weeks though had been pretty slow because I kept waking up feeling tired and it took me awhile to recover from a late night I had a few weeks ago. This week thankfully I feel like I’m back to normal and this means I can go out and up my kilometres again.

The most successful thing for me was yesterday when I did my first swim session after months and months of no training and complaining about the cold. I’m not training with a squad so it’s all by myself and hopefully I can get my motivation back and when it warms up later this year I am hoping to re-join the squad to help and prepare me for state triathlon where I am aiming to make the Queensland team.

The Giro is Coming

As many cycling fans would know the Giro d'Italia is starting this week so I thought I would restart my blogging by sharing this video that I found with everyone.

Stay tuned as I start to blog my racing and training as well as much more.