This article is not about promoting any specific diets or food but to inform the mountain endurance athletes on fueling & hydration strategies. A quick read, takes about 5 minutes and maybe 8 to process!

You run or ride or both, train for long distance, you want to gain more endurance, get faster, you desire to finish feeling strong after a 2-3hours+ workout, you race or not, you want to perform. Read the following!

When training for endurance events it’s important to pay attention to what and when to eat, same goes for proper hydration strategies. The purpose of this article is to give you the basic knowledge to understand the importance of it and gain great tips.

Performance can be impaired when athletes are dehydrated. Endurance athletes should drink beverages containing carbohydrate and electrolyte during and after training of over 1hour. It will enhance performance, avoid ensuing thermal stress, maintain plasma volume, delay fatigue, and prevent injuries associated with dehydration, sweat loss and musculoskeletal issues

In contrast, over drinking straight water before, during, and after endurance session may cause depletion and may lead to hyponatremia. It is imperative that endurance athletes replace sweat loss via fluid intake containing carbohydrate solution and electrolytes during training and competition.

Hyponatremia occurs when the concentration of sodium in the blood is abnormally low. Sodium is an electrolyte, and it helps regulate the amount of water that’s in and around your cells.

Performance can be impaired between 5% to 30% if poor hydration is constant.

Factors that contribute to degradation of performance during exercise while in a severe dehydrated state are:
Increased cardiovascular strain
Increased heat strain
Altered central nervous system function
Altered metabolic function

The importance of electrolytes & carbohydrate powder mix in your water:
Maintain blood glucose and muscle glycogen level constant
Maintain healthy heart beat
Maintain water level balance in the body
Maintain core body temperature
Maintain energy level for the demand

When you are thirsty you are more than often already dehydrated.
Drinking only water when out on long workouts dehydrates you.
Maintaining an appropriate level of hydration on a daily basis will lead to overall health benefits.

What and when we eat will influence:
Quality of each training sessions
Training adaptation
Recovery rate
Performance level
Energy level during and after workouts

The key during endurance training is to sustain good energy throughout the full length of the workout, to do this you need to maintain constant blood glucose and muscle glycogen levels.

The best way to achieve this is with proper fueling strategies:
Before, during and shortly after workouts.

Since glycogen is such an important fuel source for the body, which plays an important role in the contraction of muscles, depleted muscle glycogen stores can have detrimental effects on performance, and is the primary fuel source for most organs, such as the brain.

If glycogen stores are not being replenished with carbohydrates from food or drinks, storage will run out. Once this occurs, the body will find alternative ways to create more glucose. The liver will begin to break down fat and protein to form glucose, which can then be used for energy. It’s not an efficient option and extremely stressful on the liver & kidney and immune system. Often when this occurs while racing or on a long training session, the key symptom: constantly have to urinate.

We use most of our calories during short intense session and in the second half of a long endurance workout, and also when it is very cold or extremely hot.
We also continue to burn calories post high intensity workouts.

Lets look at the Glycemic index of food:
High glycemic food are good before and right after exercise:
Provides instant energy, which we need after an intense/short effort, and right after a long endurance training session.
The best is to have it in a form of powder mix, it enters your blood stream quicker.

Purpose:
Bring blood glucose and muscle glycogen levels back to normal quicker and to increase recovery rate.
Spike insulin production and activate delivery of important nutrients for muscle building and anti-catabolic enzymes.

Examples: fruit smoothies, bananas, watermelon, grapes, raisins, couscous, muesli, potatoes, greek & goat yogurt, dried fruits.
Sports drink mix with average 45% protein and 45% carbohydrate are great for quick recovery.

Never start a workout on an empty stomach or feeling hungry or thirsty, you will have minimal energy and won’t gain much from that training session. Make sure you take a pre-workout drink mix or eat a small meal within an hour of training. Focus on quality workouts; start exercising feeling good and do your best to finish feeling great also!

Moderate to low glycemic food are good before or during long workouts.
Nutrient food and sport powder mix that enters your blood stream slowly and can be available longer. You can have it in form of snacks, gels or powder to mix with water.

Purpose:
Fuel will be available for a longer period of time, enters blood stream slower, so will help sustain your desire pace with sufficient energy for the distance.
Maintain body water levels, minerals & vitamins, amino acids, blood glucose and muscle glycogen.

Example of fruits: bananas, apples, pears.

Best is to find a good powder mix (sugar, salt and electrolytes), with low glycemic index to use for long training runs/racing. You don’t know which to buy, ask me!

Important: read labels, many companies have awful ingredients including too much sugar and caffeine. Stay away from protein mix for during exercises, we need protein for recovery not for energy.

Ensuring post workout drink is just one piece to the equation, 30-50 minutes after your training session, a small to medium size meal or snack incorporating protein, fat and carbohydrates is important to keep your muscles recovering, brain firing and proper heart beat. Understanding how insulin effects the uptake of nutrients and the recovery process should help structure your daily nutrition around your workouts

Why is it so important to eat soon after an endurance or short intense session?
Short intense and long endurance workouts decreases muscle glycogen and blood glucose reserve: you are lower in calories and energy. With a post-workout meal the body insulin level rises and muscles absorb carbohydrate quicker from the bloodstream. That is mostly effective within the first 30minutes to an hour post workout, the longer you wait to eat the slower you will recover and won’t feel as good comes next day workout.

Carbohydrate restriction = Decreased Insulin Production = Glucose, protein, creatine cannot enter muscle cells.
Results: lack of energy, no strength and decreased performance.

It’s important to eat soon after training:
First to refuel your somewhat ‘depleted body’
To increase recovery rate
To decrease chances of muscle soreness, tightness and overuse injuries
To feel fresh for next day workout
To increase energy level
To increase your performance level

50% of your recovery can be achieve within the first hour post-workout, the recovery rate will continue thereafter between 5-12% per hour. The better you are at applying this routine the quicker you will recover and have greater energy for next day training session. The longer you wait to eat the longer it will take you to recovery, at times it can take over 24 hours.

What to eat post workout: protein, fat with good carbs!

Symptoms of low blood sugar and low muscle glycogen (hypoglycemia) during training/racing:
sudden feel of low energy / bonking
light headed
weak
hunger
severe leg muscle soreness and weakness / cramps
more extreme:
sweating
pale skin
heart palpitation
hallucinations
disorientation
collapsing

Symptoms of poor fueling strategies:
Example: regularly training only with water or nothing at all, or low calorie diets, or never training with electrolytes/gels or nutrient snacks.
Feeling of heavy legs
Pain, tightness in muscles during and/or post-workout
No leg power/strength when training
Ongoing musculoskeletal pain and overuse injuries
Never getting faster

Regular training with low glycogen levels limits potential, decreases recovery time, limits your strength, increases your chance of injuries. Also muscles and connective tissue become dehydrated, tense, weak and vulnerable to injuries.

Important science to understand:
In a state of hypoglycemia, the body will begin producing catabolic hormones, such as cortisol. Catabolic hormones break down muscle tissue in order to convert the proteins within to glucose. This will increase blood sugar levels and provide energy to continue exercising, however, cortisol also suppresses the immune system and puts large stress on the liver & kidneys. Also, the act of regularly breaking down muscle tissue for immediate energy during exercise can contribute to muscle atrophy, and overtime can lead to on-going overuse injuries and immune system disorders.

Examples of healthy snacks: bananas, apple, pear, kiwi, dried fruits, avocado, figs, nuts.

Some companies provide sports gels and bars, make sure you read the labels, many of them are pure sugar!

Healthy salad post workout: green leafs, nuts, dried fruits, egg, avocado, figs, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, and extra virgin olive oil.

Recovery Tips for endurance athlete:
Right after training have a recovery drink: average 45% carbohydrate & 45% protein
Small nutrient meal within 1 hour of workout
Two days off in a row instead of only one
Cold water spray daily on legs after session
Legs up against wall after workout – hold 45sec. to 1min.
When feeling low energy/tired but good enough to train, substitute a long workout for an easy/short session.
Eat healthy and fresh food

Tips for endurance events:
Know ahead of time what you will do and anticipate!
Do not use thirst, or your sweat rate to hydrate, get use to drinking regularly.
Do not wait to be hungry to eat, it’s too late by then: eat on the run
Enough water between checkpoint
Different food for extreme weather: severe heat versus cold & rain.
Ultra-events: enough calorie for the full event
Anticipate food for upset stomach, easier to digest.
What will you eat and when: e.g. diverse food & snacks
When will you refill with water & electrolytes; efficient ways of loading / how will you store your extra electrolytes.
Soft food is easier to digest, so stay away from raw vegetables and hard fruits 48hrs prior to an event.

Train smart + quality recovery + good fueling strategies = results

Practice your strategies of refueling, hydration, your goal pace, in diverse conditions you may face so you know what to expect and how your body may react.

Why is fueling & hydration strategies crucial for endurance athletes?
To maintain blood & brain sugar and muscle glycogen level constant
To maintain core body temperature
To sustain the goal intensity level
To increase performance capacity
To increase fat adaptation
To increase recovery rate
To maintain a steady heartbeat
To maintain your connective tissue & muscles hydrated
To help sustain proper muscular contraction
To enjoy great fitness, energy and have fun in the mountains!

As hard as you train, you need to recover just as hard since it’s the time you are actually gaining!

Take care of your body like you take care of your bikes & skis!

You want to learn more about fueling and hydration? I have two free events schedule this month: 
Wednesday June 13th Chamonix Patagonia Store Event: 18:30 social run followed with talk on Hydration & Fueling for the trail.
Friday evening July 6th Chamonix Arc’teryx Alpine Academy: Seminar Perform better and recovery faster through food and hydration
More info
Stay in touch, email me your thoughts chloe@xtrainingschool.com

Get inspired!
Thanks for reading… Chloë

Monthly educational articles for the passionate mountain athlete – New for 2018!

 

 

 

 

 

This article takes about 10 minutes to read, enjoy!

This article is for the ones of you who enjoy training in the mountains, love endurance and prefer moving uphill then flat!

Being able to move faster, for longer, in steeper terrain without the legs burning is the dream of every mountain endurance athlete. That dream can quickly become a reality with some understanding of training principles and basic exercise physiology… lets get started!

CRASH COURSE on muscle metabolism:
When you start exercising sugar/carbohydrate burns first, fat is harder to access, you have to go through each energy system before you reach fat, the last one to be recruited. It can take 10 minutes for some, an hour for others and never for most!

Order we go through the energy system when we start exercising:
ATP-CP / blood glucose & muscle glycogen / glycogen & free fatty acids

Carbohydrate + fat = energy

Fat is stored far from muscles, carbohydrate is stored in the muscles as muscle glycogen, in the blood as blood glucose, and delivered to organs, e.g. importantly to the brain as brain glucose.

You will notice when you start exercising, the first few minutes your breathing is higher so is the heart rate, after a few minutes all settles… you are going from ATP-CP to the glycogen process, which is more intense with less oxygen available, when you get into the aerobic system, more oxygen is circulating, breathing regularizes. One of the reason we warm-up!

Fat is inexhaustible, we have endless reserve even in the very lean endurance athletes.
Sugar runs out quickly and we can only store so little at a time.
To burn sugar you need fat and vice versa.

Carbohydrates and fats are the main fuel we use during endurance training. The length and intensity of the training session, the fuel/energy available, and your fitness level are the main factors that will influence how much of each of the energy source will be used.

What does FAT ADAPTATION TRAINING means?
To go longer and further while maintaining steady energy and desired pace while using fat as the main fuel.

A few things you need to know about fat burning enzymes:
We are not born with fat burning enzymes, we have to build them, but how? Need a good base of endurance fitness, a history with quality months of consistent training. The enzymes take around six to eight weeks to build, it’s called fat adaptation, your training needs to be based on endurance and over distance training.

Fat burning enzymes are fragile they will go on strike if you exercise too hard, or too often, and if you are inconsistent with your training. The more consistent and smarter you are with your training the more efficient your enzymes will become: you will be able to exercise at higher intensity for longer and  predominantly use fat as the main fuel.

If you are inconsistent with your training from day to day, week to week, or stop exercising for a few weeks, enzymes gets destroyed, they have big egos; you don’t use them, they disappear!

For mountain endurance athletes the training needs to be specific to the terrain, climbing! It’s not by doing 3 workouts in the valley and one at higher elevation you will become a fat burning mountain endurance machine! You need to put the distance in, workouts around 2-3 hours, with easy to moderate intensity. But still have shorter workouts, averaging 60 minutes to fine tune speed, strength & power.

When an athlete becomes efficient at using fat, since sugar reserved are limited for everyone, it can be saved for the steeper/challenging terrain, and/or for last portion of a very long workout and during competition. You will notice the talented elite mountain athletes can maintain a fast pace for a long period of time, they are the formula 1 of fat burning engines!

When intensity is short and high, sugar is the main fuel and minimal oxygen is required, the anaerobic system kicks in when the aerobic metabolism can no longer meet the ATP demand of the muscles. That drop in ATP production is prompted by the accumulation of hydrogen ions along with lactate in the blood.
Result: 
Burning sensation in the legs and feeling an intense drop in energy. The only option is to slow down, if not, severe fatigue will take over for the rest of the workout and it will take longer to recovery from the session, and with a chance of some leg soreness the next day! Training regularly this way predispose overuse injuries, which is common with endurance athlete.

Mountain endurance athletes are most limited in their endurance ability to deal with this type of fatigue.

The fitter and more efficient an athlete is at using fat, he/she will be able to train at higher intensity, for longer and further while maintaining this physiological paradise! Your legs will feel stronger for longer since you have more blood and oxygen available to the working muscles. The by-product of fatigue is diminished and shows up more in extreme situations.

Does not mean you hike for 5hrs, run for 3hrs and climb non-stop 1500m that you are efficient at using fat.

How can I train to change my metabolism to be more efficient at using fat?
First you have to evaluate your training regimen, how many days a week do you get out, for how long, the terrain, the sport, any variation in intensity and duration from day to day, any progression from week to week, any results from month to month?

The muscular and cardiovascular adaptations are tremendous when you start doing long, quality and regular over distance sessions. Walking uphill, stopping for 5 minutes to chat every 45 minutes, and training twice a week won’t do it. Anything under two hours, usually is not long enough to stimulate the particular enzymes.

Too much volume, too many hours in a week with not enough recovery won’t influence your metabolism in a positive way. It’s often a mistake endurance athlete do. It’s all in the quality of each workouts and balancing your training regimen; from short to long, and easy to intense sessions.

Lets look at the difference between endurance and over distance training:
ENDURANCE Training: up to 2 hours
This component is extremely important for developing and maintaining aerobic capacity, accomplished at low to moderate intensity with some tempo change for some sessions.

It accomplishes many things:
It increases your body’s ability to consume oxygen, increases the size and the number of mitochondria in muscle cells, increases the size and numbers of blood capillaries, and improves aerobic enzymes for carbohydrate and fat metabolism. Endurance exercise improves your body’s ability to deliver the goods to your muscles so that they adapt, grow stronger, and become better at prolonged effort. You become more efficient at using fat as a fuel.

OVER DISTANCE (OD) Training: over 2hrs
Here lies the heart of training for ultra mountain distances. The greatest percentage of the total training volume is reserved to over distance. OD does not mean overdoing it!
The difference between endurance and OD is the amount of time you spend training. For most OD workouts they usually exceeds 2-3 hours. Although the intensity is low at the beginning, it progresses throughout the session:

The volume becomes your intensity, one gains mental toughness from OD training!

The SECRET to OD training is in the physiological changes: Basically, there are two adaptations the body makes in response to OD training that you don’t get from endurance training:

First
Training the body to increase it’s efficiency for releasing and burning free fatty acids over long distances, as enzymatic and hormonal changes in the muscles cells, which make it easier for fat to be utilized as fuel during longer workouts.

Second
Improvement in the body’s circulatory characteristics in the peripheral muscles; the muscles that do the work in long intense sessions will move waste products away and bring new blood, oxygen, and fuel to the working muscles, your legs will stay fresh for longer!

The body will be able to function at higher intensities for longer periods without the debilitating effects.

A solid aerobic base is very important before you start OD training. I recommend a minimum of 8-12 months of solid endurance with quality/speed and uphill training before getting into OD. All depends of your fitness level and how consistent you have been with your training regimen for your sport. OD training does not mean moving slow or walking, a certain pace and consistency is required to gain any benefits. Know your limitation, where you stand and build it up progressively. Both, endurance and OD have crucial role to being a well rounded mountain endurance athlete.

The importance of QUALITY VERTICAL TRAINING, positive & negative, for mountain endurance athletes:
Since the body faces the extra battle against the force of gravity, these workouts, shorter and more intense,  increase speed, strength, power, muscular endurance all at once. It recruits the specific muscles used for climbing; hamstrings, the gluteus and calf/lower leg muscles, and eccentric strength for the descents. Uphill training also increase leg oxygenation.

Quality vertical & over distance training are the two most overlooked and misunderstood aspect of mountain endurance training.

Get inspired, review your training regimen, remember it’s all about quality and consistency. If needed, seek guidance through a certified coach who has endurance training experience. A few factors can influence fat adaptation on top of quality training; nutrition, fueling & hydration and recovery, look for future articles!

You need to love your backyard since the mountains become your playground and some workouts will have to be done very early in the morning or in the
dark evenings.

It’s more about a lifestyle than training!

Get inspired!

Enjoy the snow, the vertical and your fitness,
Thanks for reading… Chloë

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Bimonthly educational articles for the passionate mountain athlete – New for 2018!