Mental Fatigue: When your brain tells you to stop going, here's how to tell it to shut up.

[Source: East Coast Cycos newsletter, in Tri-Rudy newsletter, October 24, 2008]


What actually causes you to become mentally fatigued when you're out for a long bicycle ride or run or involved in a extended game of squash? Theories about mental fatugue abound, but one popular hypothesis is that most of the lethargy is caused by a chemical called tryptophan.

Tryptophan is an amino acid which normally rides through your bloodstream attached to a very important blood plasma protein, albumin. However, when blood fat levels rise, as they do during prolonged exerclse, the fats 'kick' tryptophan loose from its albumin moorings. This 'free' tryptophan then enters the brain in large quantities, where - converted to another chemical called serotonin - it may induce fatigue and produce a drop-off in performance (serotonin is noted for its calming and even sleep-producing effects on brain cells).

This biochemical scenario has a protective effect: before you exercise so long that you tear your muscles to shreds, your brain fills up with tryptophan and you go to sleep - or at least you lose the willpower to force your muscles to keep going.

However, if you're an athlete, you would like to keep exercising at a high level until you reach the finish line or the end of the match, so how can you prevent your brain cells from taking a tryptophan bath? Exercise physiologists have had two answers: (1) you could try to limit the natural rise in blood fats, the ascendancy of which frees tryptophan to do its wicked work on the brain, or (2) you could pop some branchedchain amino acid (BCAA) tablets as you carry out your extended exercise.

Since everyone, even the skinniest Kenyan runner, has fat cells which insist on releasing fat into the blood during exercise, the latter strategy has gained a certain appeal. BCM-popping is an intriguing idea because BCMs 'compete' with tryptophan to enter the brain. As blood-BCAA levels increase, less tryptophan enters the neuron palace. Voila! If you're an athlete with high blood-BCM levels, you should be able to stay fatigue-free for a longer period of time as you exercise.

However, as BCAA-expert J. Mark Davis of the University of South Carolina points out, there are some problems with the BCAA-ingestion strategy. If you take a moderate dose of BCMs as you exercise, blood levels of BCAAs probably don't increase enough to thwart tryptophan. Large servings of BCAAs might work, but the problem is that hefty helpings reduce the absorption of water in the gut, potentially producing dehydration. High BCAA intakes might also increase your blood concentrations of ammonia, a toxic chemical which has been linked with fatigue. Not surprisingly, researchers in a number of studies have had a very hard time linking BCMs with improved exercise performances.

So what should you do? Fortunately, a triedand-true strategy - taking in carbohydrate during exercise - may have a profound effect on mental fatigue. Scientists have known for years that ingested carbohydrate keeps muscles perking along at a high level during triathlons, extended bike rides, marathons and multi-game squash or tennis matches, but they're just beginning to realise that carbohydrate may also have a profound effect on brain cells. It happens this way: carbohydrate feedings during exercise reduce the amount of fat circulating in the blood. As a result, less tryptophan is freed from its tenuous marriage with blood albumin, and so a lower amount of tryptophan enters the brain. Your nerve cells can't chill out on serotonin.

According to Davis, the realisation that carbohydrate delays central (mental) fatigue leads automatically to the following practical recommendations:



1. Don't fast before workouts or competitions. Fasting raises blood-fat levels, an effect which lets tryptophan do its dirty brainwork.



2. Avoid fatty foods during the 12-hour period before training sessions or competitions (fat laden foods increase your blood-fat concentrai tions and launch a cascade of tryptophan towards your brain).



3. In order to reduce blood-fat levels, eat a carbohydrate meal two to four hours before workouts or competitions.



4. Take in three to four swallows or more of a sports drink every 10 minutes or so during extended exercise to delay the onset of mental fatigue - and improve your performance.

Top 5 Mental Skills For Triathlon

[Source: East Coast Cycos newsletter, in Tri-Rudy newsletter, October 30, 2008]

By Kerry Sullivan

How can you develop better mental skills?

1) Being aware of the chatter in your head is a good start. The voice inside your head is either your best friend or worst enemy. Would you keep some one in your life that follows you every ware you go and tells you that you are doing bad, screwing up and constantly brings you down? Probably not. So why would you talk to your self that way?
You have the choice to be your own best friend.
Think what you want about Kanye West but he once said the key to his success is that he is his own number one fan. Why not be your own number one fan?

2) Focus on what you want. This may sound simple but many fail to see how they are sabotaging themselves in regards to this. You want to be a better runner than you need to focus on being a better runner.
Take this goal and then break it into actions. Every action you take in life either gets you closer or further from your goals.
You decide to run, this takes you closer to your goal. You decide to stuff you self with fast food, this takes you further from your goals.
The chatter in your head is key here too. If you say to your self, "I don't want to be a slow runner." You are setting your self up for a struggle as you are focusing on slow running. In this case your mind only sees the slow running aspect.
You need to focus on what you want. An effective phrase to say to yourself would be, "I want to run fast"

3) Ask your self useful questions. This is a way to direct your focus in a useful way. Asking your self, "why am I slow on the bike" is a dis-empowering strategy as your mind will then start to come up with excuses supporting why your a slow on the bike.
Switch your focus ask your self, "how can I get faster on the bike." From this question you will begin to think proactive and develop empowering ideas to back what you desire.

4) Focus on what you can control. Focusing on the weather and the race course conditions are two elements that are out of your control. Focus on what you can control. You can control your nutrition, technique and training for example.
Striving to do your best in the elements you control will enable you to perform better. Focusing on the outside elements like weather puts focus away from you and is dis-empowering. You will focus on how hot or how cold it is and then loose concentration on the important task at hand, which you can control.

5) Believe. You must believe through and through you can achieve your goals. As Morphious said to Neo in the Matrix, "Don't think you are, know you are." The path may not always seem clear on your journey but as long as you keep taking action to your goals you can get there.
Your beliefs are every thing. You learned to walk largely because you had the belief that you could walk instilled in you from others. You are older now and can instill your own beliefs. Why not instill beliefs that empower you?

Remember this no one ever accomplished any thing by quitting. High achievers stick with it through and get it done. If you stick with it you are bound to succeed.

Learn to Swim Freestyle on Your Side

[Source: East Coast Cycos newsletter, in Tri-Rudy newsletter, October 30, 2008]


Side Swimming 1

Kevin Koskella

When we learned to swim freestyle as children, most of us swim flat in the water, with little or no hip rotation as our arms are doing the majority of the work. Many triathletes and open water swimmers have found it necessary to change their stroke and swim more on their sides in order to conserve energy, swim faster, and get through potential rough water conditions with greater ease.

Rotating from side to side as you swim is a method that has been around for over 30 years. When Mark Spitz was gaining national recognition in the early 70's, many critics said his only problem is that he does this side-to-side action as he swims! Little did they realize just how revolutionary that stroke was. Science has now backed up this style of swimming, and great swim coaches like Howard Furby and Ernie Maglischo have popularized swimming on your side with many successful swimmers over the years.

Good swimming is about using the core of your body- hips, stomach, lower back, and chest. Top swimmers rotate the core of the body from one side to the other, while keeping the head fixed. When you rotate in this way, you move through the water more like a fish, or a boat, reaching further forward on each stroke, and maximizing your efficiency.

Swimming freestyle on your side may seem like a foreign concept at first. But with consistent practice, you will be able to swim more efficiently, resulting in faster swim times and greater energy conservation.

Here is a drill to begin practicing (you may use Zoomers or fins if you have them):

1. Kick on your side with your left hand extended out and your right hand by your side. Keep your head down and locked to your shoulder.

2. On the second length, switch sides and extend your right hand, with your left hand by your side. When looking down, you should be at about a 90-degree angle in the water.

3. When you need air, roll your hips into more of a 45-degree angle with your eyes looking straight up and water surrounding your face, take a few breaths, and repeat. Continue to practice this kicking drill and notice your balance in the water improving.

If you are new to being on your side in the water, practice these drills with fins on! Zoomers or Hydrofinz work best. The reason for this is that it allows you to take your mind off your kick and focus strictly on doing the drill properly. Once you start to feel more balanced in the water, do this without your fins. Just make sure you are not spending your energy kicking just to keep from sinking!

Here is a set to practice kicking on your side with:

· 12 x 25's Kicking on Your Side with fins

Odd 25's: Left side kicking
Even 25's: Right side kicking

· Belly button pointed towards the side wall

· Take as much rest as you need between lengths.

· Practice this every time you get in the pool for the next month.

· By the end of that month, you should feel much more balanced in the water!

About the Author: Kevin coaches masters and triathlete swimmers in San Diego, CA. He operates the website www.TriSwimCoach.com, a resource for beginning through intermediate level triathletes looking for help with swimming. The site features a free email newsletter offering tips and articles on triathlon swimming. Kevin has also written an electronic book titled "The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming".

Drink This

[Source: East Coast Cycos newsletter in Tri-Rudy newsletter, October 8, 2008]

The eight rules of fluid replacement, and how they'll energize your running.
By John Brant



Picture a blazing 90ºF Sunday in July. Your basic instinct tells you to lie panting in the breezeway with the dog, or poolside with a cold drink. But your so-called "higher reasoning" tells you that your success in October's marathon hinges on whether you complete today's long run. What's it going to be?

Never mind, you're a runner, so we know how you're going to answer that. Which means you need to know this: Drinking an adequate amount of fluids is the single most important thing you can do before, during, and after a run. Especially a long run on a hot day.

So grab a cool drink, find a comfortable place to sit, and listen up.

1. Drink early and often--every day. With dehydration, a drop of prevention is worth an ocean of cure. Drink water or other low-calorie fluids in small, steady quantities throughout each day, to the point when your urine flows clear. Bring a water bottle with you wherever you go, or take a drink every time you pass a water fountain at work or school. Staying well-hydrated throughout the day benefits you in ways beyond your running. It helps keep you alert and will prevent that dull, headachy feeling that slows you down in the middle of the day.

2. Fortify yourself with fluids before you run, and aggressively consume fluids during your run. An hour or two before your run or race (depending on your tolerance), top off your fluid tank by guzzling 16 ounces of water or sports drink. Then take in between 5 and 12 ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes during the run. If you're running for less than an hour, you'll be fine drinking just water. Your body's stores of carbohydrates and electrolytes are sufficient to carry you for at least that long.

3. When you run long, use a sports drink. Study after study shows that for exercise lasting more than an hour, runners perform significantly better when drinking a sports drink than when drinking plain water. Sports drinks contain carbohydrates at a concentration of about 7 percent, which, by the way, is significantly lower than that in your average soft drink. This is good, because the lower concentration enables you to absorb the fluid more quickly. Its carbs provide fuel, while its electrolytes--sodium and potassium--stave off cramps, nausea, and hyponatremia (a dangerous condition caused by drinking too much water). Go with a flavor you like as this will encourage you to drink more.

4. Don't wait until you're thirsty to start drinking. By then, it could be too late. In other words, the old tenet of "listening to your body" doesn't work when it comes to fluid replacement. We often don't feel thirsty before or in the early stages of a long run, but that's exactly when we need to start drinking. Otherwise, dehydration can set off a chain of negative reactions. Since sweat is made from fluid in your blood, your blood becomes thicker as you sweat and your heart has to work harder to pump. Your body temperature rises, which creates the need for more water. Meanwhile, dehydration compromises your body's ability to absorb carbohydrates and electrolytes from your digestive tract. And so on.

5. But don't drink too much. If you feel or hear sloshing in your stomach, its telling you it's full, and you don't need to drink for a while. You might have to monitor this carefully, though, because we all have varying rates at which fluids leave our stomachs and enter the rest of our systems. Variations in size, gender, age, and metabolism come into play. You might not slosh; you might cramp or feel nauseated instead. Whatever signal you receive, stop drinking for at least 15 minutes.

6. After your run, drink between 16 and 24 ounces of sports drink for every pound of body weight you lost during exercise. This means you'll take in more than you lost, but that's okay because you'll urinate some of it away. Again, make sure you consume sports drinks or other fluids that contain sodium, which will help you retain the fluid you drink.

7. Beware of hyponatremia, a potentially fatal condition caused by taking in too much water and too little salt. Hyponatremia, or "water intoxication," usually happens only during long, hot runs, when a runner loses a lot of sodium through sweat and consumes a great deal of plain water. This combination may unwittingly dilute sodium levels in your blood, which sets off an electrolyte imbalance. Hyponatremia can trigger seizures, coma, and even death. Initial warning signs mimic those of dehydration, including confusion, disorientation, muscle weakness, and vomiting. Women and slower, beginner endurance runners are at most risk of this condition. Still, the likelihood of developing hyponatremia remains small. Banish hyponatremia from your worry list by 1) including salt in your normal diet (particularly a few days before a long event), and 2) drinking sports drinks, rather than plain water, on runs over an hour.

8. Be careful out there. The better your overall condition, the better you'll be able to cope with low or moderate degrees of dehydration. (Case in point: In the 1984 Olympic Marathon, Alberto Salazar lost 8.1 percent of his body weight in sweat, and still ran a 2:14.) But if you feel yourself slipping into fluid debt-symptoms include chills, dizziness, disorientation, and cessation of sweating-don't panic. Stop running, find shade or an air-conditioned building, and start drinking as soon as possible. If you don't quickly improve, ask for help or call 911. If you do start to feel better, resist running and walk or ask for a ride home. Then vow to never let yourself become dehydrated again.

Don't Let This Happen to You

Performance starts to decline when you lose 3 percent of your body weight in sweat. For a 150-pound person, thats 4.5 pounds. Beyond 3 percent, performance falls off even more sharply. Dehydration becomes a life-threatening condition when it reaches 15 to 20 percent of body weight, usually through illness.

Right This Weigh

Try this method for measuring how much water you should drink during and after your runs:

Immediately before and after several upcoming runs (especially those in hot weather), weigh yourself without any clothes on. If you lose 1 pound, this means you sweated approximately 16 ounces of fluid. Two pounds means you sweated 32 ounces, and so on. If you lose a pound consistently during your 30-minute runs, you need to replenish your fluids at a rate of 16 ounces per 30 minutes of running.

If you find you can't drink enough to offset your sweat loss no matter how hard you try, don't worry. Just make sure to "overdrink" once you finish your run. That is, if you lose a pound, you should drink one-and-a-half times your normal replenishment amount, or 24 ounces. This beverage should contain sodium, which will help you retain the fluid better.

Be in the Minority

Dehydrated athletes fatigue significantly faster than those who stay hydrated, yet the typical runner replaces less than 50 percent of his or her sweat during exercise.

According to Scale

Officials at the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in California actually lug bathroom scales into the Sierra Nevada mountains, and place them at the aid stations. Why? So runners can weigh themselves during their trek, enabling them to balance their fluid intake with their fluid loss. This low-tech method remains the best way to figure out how much you need to drink while running.

Should you change your regimen as you get older?

[Source: East Coast Cycos newsletter, in Tri-Rudy newsletter, October 2, 2008]

Workout habits should be geared toward your level of fitness, not age. Both Allen and Moss say they're in much better shape today, at 40 and 39, respectively, than they were in their twenties. Both say they know far more about training now and have better focus. "Hey, if you're older, you should have more bucks and more time to train," Allen argues. "So if you're 60, you should be more fit than a guy who's 30."

That said, though, there are many important physiological changes taking place as we age. In addition to the deterioration of lean muscle mass, reduced calcium in the bones, and diminished aerobic power, we lose flexibility as the collagen fibers of tendons become joined, making us more vulnerable to injury. Thus it's crucial to warm up and stretch longer, both before and after exercise.

Still, these changes also make it more important than ever to keep working out. Studies have shown that strength training can reverse muscle atrophy while increasing protein retention, bone mass, and energy levels, even in the very old and frail. Cardiovascular work can lessen the decline in aerobic capacity. And regular exercise decreases the risk of age-associated illnesses such as Type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and osteoporosis. "Inevitably, performance is going to deteriorate," says Roy Shephard, author of Aging, Physical Activity, and Health, "but we shouldn't let that discourage us."