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Race Report: Two Weekends In Kentucky

I’m writing this on my way home from racing in Kentucky for the second weekend in a row.  Due to weather being much more spring-like than it is in most places in our conference, two schools in Kentucky hosted the first two collegiate cycling weekends.

Last weekend was at Murray State.  It was my first time outside bike on a bike this year, not counting my ride in Phoenix last month.  Needless to say, I was worried about my fitness, especially considering I recently upgraded to the highest collegiate cycling category, Women’s A’s.  The girls in the A’s field are wicked fast!  Many of them are nationally ranked and race for elite teams.  The hands-down fastest rider in our conference, pro cyclist Sinead Miller, just got back from the Tour of Qatar and is so fast she has her own Wikipedia page!

I was right to be worried.  The change from B’s to A’s is a whole different world.  Races are twice as long and much faster.  I finished near the bottom of the field at both races at Murray.  Both times I got a great ride in, learned a lot, took some turns at the front and best of all, was able to help my teammates.  Given it was my first race in such a competitive field, I was just happy to finish!

Fast forward to this weekend at Lindsey Wilson College and I still wasn’t feeling strong or confident.  I was most looking forward to the individual time trial (ITT) portion of the weekend, even though I wasn’t able to bring my tri frame along due to space constraints.  I figured it would be good practice for Triathlon Collegiate Nationals next month.

Saturday morning started early with the ITT.  It was a short (10K) and moderately hilly course.  The cold air triggered my asthma early in the race and I was fighting to breathe for most of the race.  I still managed to finish within 30 seconds of my teammates, but the 20.2 mph average was far from my performance in triathlons last summer.   I wish I could blame it all on asthma but med school and winter have definitely taken their toll on my fitness!

The rest of the weekend turned out amazing!  On the extremely hilly 50-mile road course Saturday afternoon, I managed to channel my inner climber and end up in a six-person chase group.  It was my first time doing an organized paceline with people in a race situation.  Luckily, my teammate Lindsey was there to shout advice, and once the other women figured out that I’m a newbie they were also gracious and helpful as well.

Aside:  I’m learning more and more how great the women in the A’s field are about helping new riders, even if they aren’t teammates.  I think it’s something unique to the college Women’s field and it makes me feel like I fit in and am finally becoming a real cyclist, not just a triathlete who cycles once in a while!

The road race finished up with a very steep climb that made me want to get off my bike and cry.  I soldiered on and was happy that Lindsey came in 5th and I came in a respectable 9th.  My first top ten finish in a field of elite riders!

Sunday morning was a criterium – 1K laps for 45 minutes.  There was one decent hill on the rectangular course.  It was fast and furious from the start.  Sinead and a few of the other strongest riders from the field (including Lindsey!) broke away a few laps in.  I formed a chase group with about five other riders and we did our best to stay in front of the field.

They caught us for a few laps but I was feeling pretty strong, so toward the five laps to go mark, Beth, a UW-Whitewater rider, and I dropped the field and worked together until the finish.  She was also super helpful in giving me advice on race tactics and at the end told me she wouldn’t outsprint me if I pulled the last few laps (she had been working on the front the whole race and was completely spent).  I was happy to tow her to the finish, and felt lucky to work closely with such a strong rider.  I ended up taking 7th!  Another top 10 finish!

Collegiate Nationals are rapidly approaching, so after each of my races this weekend I laced up my running shoes and did quick brick (bike then run) workouts.  I can’t completely suppress the triathlete in me on these race weekends!

I can’t even explain how much fun I had this weekend.  I was so much more relaxed and really bonded with my teammates.  I’ve really been missing girl time and gossip this semester, since so much of my life is devoted to school and getting in as many workouts as possible.  It was nice to have that feeling of hanging out with girlfriends again.  It’s hard to balance trying to study when I’m not racing and being part of a team, but I think I managed very well these past two weekends.

On another note, our Women’s B’s girls dominated the field this weekend!  Congrats to Holly, Jenny and Summer for taking top spots in all three races.

Special thanks to my training partner/coach, Chris Clausen

, for lending me a super sweet pair of Bontrager Aeolus 6.0 tubulars to give me both speed and confidence.  They made my beautiful bike even better looking!

To read Lindsey’s race recap from this weekend, check out her blog!

Supplements Part III: Caffeine

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system, resulting in increased alertness and focus has been shown to increase endurance performance.  In a systematic review of studies involving athletic performance enhancement and caffeine, 11 of 17 studies revealed significant improvements in team sports exercise and power-based sports with caffeine ingestion, yet these effects were more common in elite athletes who do not regularly ingest caffeine.   Improvements in performance ranged from 1.0 to 20.0%, with an average of 6.5%.  Six of 11 studies revealed significant benefits of caffeine for resistance training.   Studies measured outcomes including times on repeated sprint exercises, cycling wattage output and swim lap times.

The review also looked at dosing in the studies and found that lower doses typically ingested via commercially available energy drinks or supplements seem to be as effective as higher doses and may minimize onset of negative symptoms experienced with doses greater than 6 mg that are deleterious to training or athletic performance.  Two studies found that caffeine in capsule form improved performance, whereas coffee or decaffeinated coffee plus caffeine did not.

Caffeine may alter performance differentially based on subjects’ training status.  On the studies in the review, some revealed significant improvements in trained athletes (competitive cyclists, football players, elite athletes, and competitive swimmers) and not untrained, recreationally active, or strength-trained subjects.

Different people also metabolize caffeine differently.  A single substitution in a single gene causes some persons to be slow caffeine metabolizers, whereas those who are homozygous for the allele metabolize caffeine more rapidly.

Remember, if you aren’t used to using caffeine you may be unaccustomed to its cognitive and physiologic effects.  Make sure you test its effects before implementing a caffeine strategy for training or competition.  Effects are also strongest on athletes who do not regularly use it.  If you decide to stop taking it, make sure to reduce caffeine consumption at least 1 week before competition to be completely free from withdrawal effects. To avoid potential negative symptoms, the dose should be gradually reduced over 3 to 4 days, instead of quitting abruptly.  Resuming caffeine on the day of competition will again provide the desired effects, as it would for a nonuser.

Verdict: I’m definitely using it.  It’s cheap, safe (in recommended doses) and widely researched.

References:

1.  Graham, TE, Hibbert, E, and Sathasivam, P. Metabolic and exercise endurance effects of coffee and caffeine ingestion. J Appl Physiol 85: 883–889, 1998.

2.  McLellan, TM and Bell, DG. The impact of prior coffee consumption on the subsequent ergogenic effect of anhydrous caffeine. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 14: 698–708, 2004.

3.  Sokmen, B, Armstrong, LE, Kraemer, WJ, Casa, DJ, Dias, JC, Judelson, DA, and Maresh, CM. Caffeine use in sports: Considerations for the athlete. J Strength Cond Res 22: 978–986, 2008.

4: Astorino TA, Roberson DW. Efficacy of acute caffeine ingestion for short-term high-intensity exercise performance: a systematic review. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 Jan;24(1):257-65. PubMed PMID: 19924012.

5: Sökmen B, Armstrong LE, Kraemer WJ, Casa DJ, Dias JC, Judelson DA, Maresh CM. Caffeine use in sports: considerations for the athlete. J Strength Cond Res. 2008 May;22(3):978-86. Review. PubMed PMID: 18438212.

Supplements Part II: Fish Oil

Claims: Reduces triglycerides, reduces risk of coronary events, decreases blood pressure, improves survival in patients who have had a heart attack, reduces exercise-induced bronchoconstriction

Sources: Fatty fish like salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, canola oil

The Facts: Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid that your body can’t synthesize.  This means you must get it in your diet or via supplementation.  Without getting into scientific jargon, omega-3’s are necessary for normal growth and development and are also anti-inflammatory.

It is widely accepted that in patients who have had a heart attack, fish oil improves survival and reduces triglyceride levels.  In patients with high cholesterol levels it reduces the risk of coronary events and may blood pressure slightly.  When I looked for trials specifically pertaining to athletes, there was one study who found it decreased bronchoconstriction in athletes with and without asthma.  However, another study on trained cyclists found no effect of Omega-3 supplementation on performance or inflammation.  Two studies looked at Omega-3 effects on cardiac output and oxygen use, hypothesizing that it changes the membrane structure of heart muscle and makes oxygen delivery more efficient.  Both found positive effects, but as of now no large, randomized controlled study has verified these findings.

Verdict: Omega-3’s are essential for overall health.  Because I don’t get enough of them in my diet (fish is expensive!) I’m going to continue to continue taking them, but not because I believe they will increase athletic performance.  If they do, it will be an added bonus!

1: Covington MB. Omega-3 fatty acids. Am Fam Physician. 2004 Jul 1;70(1):133-40. Review. PubMed PMID: 15259529.

2: Mickleborough TD, Lindley MR, Montgomery GS. Effect of fish oil-derivedomega-3 polyunsaturated Fatty Acid supplementation on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and immune function in athletes. Phys Sportsmed. 2008
Dec;36(1):11-7. PubMed PMID: 20048468.

3: Simopoulos AP. Omega-3 fatty acids and athletics. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2007
Jul;6(4):230-6. Review. PubMed PMID: 17617998.

4: Peoples GE, McLennan PL, Howe PRC, Groeller H: Fish oil reduces apparent myocardial oxygen consumption in trained cyclists but does not change time to fatigue. Presented at the Fourth International Conference on Nutrition and Fitness. Athens: May 25–29, 2000.

5: Peoples GE, McLennan PL, Howe PR, Groeller H. Fish oil reduces heart rate and
oxygen consumption during exercise. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2008 Dec;52(6):540-7.
PubMed PMID: 19034030.

Exam Week

Since time trials last weekend, the training-studying balance has tipped once again in favor of studying.  I’m about to head out the door to take the first of five exams in the next three days.  It’s going to be a long week, but the end means I’ll finally get to those supplement posts I promised and maybe even a product review or two.  I also have my first collegiate cycling race of the season this weekend – in Kentucky!

Stay tuned!

“Life is Not One Big To Do List”

USAT Nationals Timetrials Race Report

USAT Collegiate National Championships are fast approaching (April 20th) and only seven males and seven females from each University are allowed to participate.  To determine the nationals team, a  timetrial/indoor triathlon competition was held on Sunday.  Everyone had to swim 800 yards, bike 12 miles on a Computrainer course and run a 5K on the University’s indoor track.  Of course, no system is perfect – things like transitions, aero equipment, and open water swimming skills couldn’t be counted.  However, it was as good as we could manage when it’s 17 degrees outside and there is snow on the ground in Wisconsin!

12 females and about 20 males showed up in hopes to earn a spot on the nationals team.  Here we are waiting for the gym to open on Sunday morning:

First up, the swim.  Our fearless leader and race coordinator, Summer, wrote up the day’s instructions.  Despite my somewhat suspect swimming skills, I ended up in the fast swim heat.

My strategy for the swim was to wait as long as possible to get in the pool.  800 yards seemed like a pretty long swim, given I just started swimming again a month ago so I figured I’d just warm up on the go.  Note to self – this is NOT a good strategy, time to step up the swimming!  Some of the girls on the team swam in high school or college so they have this stuff figured out.  Watching them swim is beautiful and it makes me really want to work on my swim technique in the coming months!

I completed the swim in 12:29, a 1:42/100 yd pace.  Definitely room for improvement.  It put me 6th, three minutes behind the leader.

Next up was the bike portion.  We headed to SBR coaching, which has a sweet computrainer set up.  I had never used one before, so I was excited to see it closely simulated a race situation without actually being outside.  We had a course set up that was supposed to mimic the one we’ll be racing in April.  I was neck and neck with one of my teammates for most of the race so I was really pushed to my limit.

Overall, I did 12 miles in 37:48 (19 mph avg), putting me third in the bike portion.  I was 1:30 behind first place, who, I must mention, is a Cat 2 Road Cyclist!  Here she is, dropping the hammer:

We had a large break between bike and run – there were three heats of men’s trials to complete after the two women’s.  This gave us about a three hour break.  I went home, ate some pasta and realized I felt a little sleepy.  I figured, what the heck, when else would I be able to take a 45 minute nap in T2?  I woke up feeling refreshed and did a little studying and stretching before heading to the track to meet up with the girls for our 5K!

Since I don’t have a high school track or country background this was my first time doing a group indoor track race.  It was actually a pretty fun experience.  I settled in a group of four girls who were going just fast enough that I was pushed, but not so fast I felt like I would blow up.  Final time on the run was 22:04, a 7:06 mile pace.  I didn’t really look at my watch during the run or I probably would have turned myself inside out to break 22 minutes at the finish but I was still happy that I set a new 5K PR!  Despite feeling good about my run, I only finished 7th, just under three minutes behind the leader.  Talk about a fast group of gals!

The boys heat followed ours with the winner finishing in 17:30.

Everyone waited anxiously as Summer tabulated the results.  I was excited to learn that I qualified, earning the 5th spot on the team!  My overall time 1:12:21, less than 3 minutes behind the first place female.  Since med school started in August I’ve had trouble fitting in workouts as often as I’d like.  Since I got back from Honduras, I’ve stepped things up but I was worried it was too little too late!  Now I have a clear goal to train towards, something that always helps me focus.

Congratulations to everyone who participated!