Week 1 - Training

So Sunday was the last day of week 1 training. Even though I've been doing a lot of general training over the past 8 weeks including a ton of core and strength training, this was the first week under a strict regimented tri program. Right now most of the focus is on swimming and running although I've kept up with my own strength and core training. What I'm now trying to do is split my time in the gym to twice per day, ealry morning and then around 8pm. So far everything is holding up well apart from 4 ribs that are out of place in my upper back but thats a long term injury that is being worked on so hopefully we can fix it over the next few months.

The most challenging item right now is toning down the training and not going all out close to my max heart rate. The logic is that you need to slowly build your body's ability to deter the release of lactic acid whihc will cause your body to fail and go through massive cramps.

On the nutrition side I'm tryining to eat 4-5 smaller meals per day and I have to start increasing my water intake. I'll likely have to go on Potassium and magnesium supplements to prevent cramps that are starting to occur in the arch of my feet and abdomen. In terms of food I'm consuming about 120 grams of protein per day with is a little more than the suggested amount for my weight. However I tend to lose muscle mass quickly so i've been doing more weights which requires more protein and amino acids to repair muscle fibers. In addition I need to increase the amount of fat in my diet espepcailly as the training increases.

Witihin the next couplke of weeks I'll be having a lactic acid threshold test and a V02 test which will act as a guide to set my heart rate targets within 5 training zones for the next 6 months. Right now the goal is just to get on the bike more and get the needed stamina in my legs.

So after 1 week and some minor tweaks things seem to be right on track although soon I'll be giving up more and more weekends for training. So 1 week down and 25 more to go......

Benchmark Statistics & Nutrition Targets

Nutrition is massive and without it you can’t train, injuries are frequent further preventing training and on race day without the proper race day nutrition you body will shut down. There is some information here that you may find interesting in terms of calories and general nutrition. Also this gives an idea about how scientific the nutritional component is to achieving the goal of finishing.


So here is my starting weight, body fat and muscle mass. The goal is to keep these levels right through training through proper nutrition to no strength or endurance is lost. The other battle is to peak at the exact time.

Currently
Weight in lbs = 155lbs * 2.2 = Weight 70.4 Kg
Body fat 7.6% (11lbs of fat and 144 lbs lean muscle)

Caloric target formula = 30 calories per kilogram

Training Targets
Benchmark Caloric target 2112
Daily Protein target grams 140.8


Add the following calories for 1 hour of training
Swimming add 0.16 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 675.84 extra calories for a 1 hour high performance swim

Cycling add 0.17 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 718.08 extra calories for a 1 hour high performance cycle

Running add 0.21 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 887.04 extra calories for 1 hour of high exertion run

Strength training add 0.1 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 422.4 extra calories for 1 hour of high exertion strength training


Post Training Recovery
Consume liquid or solid fuel 15-20 minutes after long or exhausting workouts
Fuel should contain 1.6 grams of carbohydrates per Kg of body weight and 0.5 grams of protein per Kg of body weight
Regular snacks of 50 grams carbohydrate every 2 hours to aid recovery


Sources of Calories
Carbohydrates 40-65% of total calories 1 gram of carbohydrates contains approximately 4 calories

Fat 15-30% of total calories 1 gram of fat contains approximately 9 calories

Protein 15-30% of total calories 1 gram of protein contains approximately 4 calories

1 gram of alcohol contains approximately 7 calories


Liquid and calorie targets during the race - Dehydration is the largest obstacle during the race
Liquid Target consumption during the Ironman = 1 cup of fluids (8oz) every 15 minutes = 4 cups per hour * 12 hour target = 48 cups or 12 Liters of fluids

Caloric target consumption during the Ironman = 500 calories per hour * 12 hour target = 6000 calories of which Carbohydrates should equate to 50 grams per hour

Sodium = 500 milligrams per hour


Examples of race day fuel
SWIM - 1 liter of coconut water before the start with full fat yogurt and 1 peach

BIKE - 1 liter of coconut water and 1 whole wheat bun with Nutella in the transition zone and 2 liters of Ensure on the bike with grain bars

RUN - 1 banana in transition with 1 liter of coconut water and another whole wheat bun with Nutella and

Getting ready to train

So this is the last weekend before the real training begins. So far I have been training on general strength and fitness, building my nutritional plans and trying to work on repairing any outstanding injuries. The next 6 months are going to be long and difficult but the idea is that 6 months of training and eating right will allow me to finish the race within a 12 hour window. I actually feel very good going into the training but the battle will be to keep my lean muscle mass above 140lbs and to keep my strength in check while concentrating on massive amounts of cardio and endurance.


I now know what I need to do, what I need to eat day by day, hour by hour, what I need to consume during the race, how much water etc so I can finish the race. The largest battle is consuming the massive calories that I will need day in and day out. On the long training days i will be consuming close to 4000 calories and burning about 2500-3000 calories. During the race my body will probably burn approximately 10,000-12,000 calories so diet is essential.

I will be listing everything from training, injuries, how I feel, meals I create, nutrition plans in order to give some insight into the task I've undertaken. It’s going to be fun and horrible at times but interesting so stay tuned......