Coaches Corner: Specific Training
- Jul 13, 2015
USAT certified coach Sonni Drer is a long time INFINIT certified partner and 6x USAT All American. He has coached numerous All Americans, National Champions and World Champion.
USAT certified coach Sonni Drer is a long time INFINIT certified partner and 6x USAT All American. He has coached numerous All Americans, National Champions and World Champion.
I spend a great deal of my time talking to customers. I like staying in touch with what is going on in the sports we support, and also getting feedback from people. Occasionally I get the comment “INFINIT is kinda on the expensive side, but well worth it!” That got me thinking (a dangerous thing), how does INFINIT compare on a cost basis when looking at other companies?
Let’s break it down in a simple way, a 100 mile ride that takes 6 hours:
Method #1: “The old-school pocket full of stuff method”
TOTALS:
While this “system” can certainly work, it is very difficult to keep you gut consistent throughout the day. Many times age-groupers will do too much and your gut will shut down. Other times they may not do enough and have the dreaded bonk. Then there is that “trying to get down an energy bar in 90 degree heat after 4+ hours in the saddle”. There’s nothing quite like the enjoyment of chewing on the same bite for 20 minutes, and we’ve all been there.
In any case, not only will you have to keep track of all of these various components, but alsoYOU MUST CARRY WATER to wash all of this stuff down. Remember, if you drink your sports drink on top of a gel or a bar, you are going to end up with a thick sludge of goo in your gut that will NOT process. Your body then has to go into digestive mode, pull water out from where it should be used (to keep your body cool and muscles working properly) to dilute the sludge in order to get it to pass. This digestive process will cause you to dehydrate and loose performance.
Method #2: 6 bottles of INFINIT’s Endurance custom blend @ $1.75 = $10.50
Totals:
Isotonic solutions.
Drink your stuff…ride your bike.
Brainless.
66% of the cost
So next time that you think that INFINIT is more expensive, remember this.
There…now I feel better. :)
I have been racing endurance events for a long time. Last week I was trying to remember the date of my first race, I think it was a duathlon in Columbus Ohio way back when Pyro pedals were the hot equipment. Late 80’s or early 90’s I think, I really cannot remember which. The only hard clues I have is some finisher plaques from the Muncie Endurathon dating back to 1991. So it has been a while.
First of all, I hope that 2014 was a successful year for you – whether it was doing races or just staying fit! What follows is an emphasis on not wasting the experiences you’ve had (and hopefully learned from) and I’ll offer some suggestions on what you can do to get ready for 2013
I know that sounds like an obvious statement, but it is still hard to do in everyday life. Even when things are a bit chaotic, most of us seem to under estimate the effects of stress on the body. As athletes we look at our training, equipment, and nutrition in hopes of a faster race and improving our fitness level. However, the majority of us never consider our stress levels. As an athlete stress can hurt your performance in many ways including an increased heart rate and oxygen consumption. It can also harm your exercise efficiency and cause a workout or race to feel tougher than it actually should. Increased muscle tension and reduced leg turnover are also contributed to stress.
For most endurance athletes, there comes a time each year when they are evaluating what is next on their calendar. Many athletes choose to just continue down the path of race, race, race, race, then the weather gets cold, so they do marathons, half marathons, and more race, race, race. At some point, the body is going to start to reject this mentality and regiment. Overtraining can cause a deep level of fatigue that only rest and time away from the sport can cure. This is where “offseason” comes into play.
Sweat Rate Testing. Most athletes this time of year find themselves measuring and analyzing things like VO2 Max, Lactic Threshold, etc. On the hydration side of this is Sweat Rate testing. Understanding the amount of fluids your body uses and loses on a per hour basis can give you a much better understanding of how many ounces of fluids you need to be replacing each of activity. Below is a great way to find what your sweat rate is.
Trying to use food + drinks + gels is a complicated proposition ESPECIALLY when I am racing. If I have to think about more than one thing, I am going to probably going to mess it up. Multiple tasks are a sure recipe for failure and possible DNF. I may have food in my pocket…but I certainly ROCKS in my head.
INFINIT Sponsored Athlete Brittany Warly Helps Her Team Win the 2015 USAT Collegiate Nationals. It has been years of playing the balancing act between school and sport. Going into my junior year of mechanical engineering, I definitely underestimated the rigors of my classes and the time that would need to be invested in my academics. It ended up being about 60 hours a week, and training had to take it's place on the back burner for a while.