| |
During The Marathon Day
Just during daily activity, a 10.5 stone person will lose 4 pints
a day. When you start becoming more active you will lose more.
Re-hydrating on a daily basis needs to become a habit – try
the following tips:
• Keep a filled drinks bottle with you whenever you can and
sip from it regularly throughout the day. Water is OK bur switch to
High5 Isotonic or Energy Source before and after training
• Keep the bottle on your desk at work or in the car or in your
bag in the staff room – wherever you can access it frequently
• Try to minimise your intake of coffee and tea. Caffeine is
a diuretic, meaning that it will cause you to urinate more and therefore
lose even more water
• Likewise alcohol doesn’t count as good fluid!! It too
is a diuretic
• During a normal day even when you are not training, you should
aim to get through at least 2 large bottles or 8-12 glasses of water
• This regular fluid intake is particularly important during
the week before your MTB-Marathon, as it will ensure that you start
the ride well hydrated. Adequate hydration delays fatigue
Before Ride / Race
• Drink at least 400 – 600mls of water or sports drink
(such as High5 Energy Source) in the 2 hours before you ride
• Ensure that you are well prepared, fill your hydration pack
and bottles are full with energy drink and carry several energy bars
and gels with you
• Avoid a heavy session on the beer the night before!
During Your Ride / Race
• Aim to drink 200-300mls of fluid every
15 - 20minutes EVEN IF YOU DON’T FEEL LIKE IT!
• Start drinking early
• Drinking regularly in small sips is often more comfortable
than taking in a larger quantity at once. Hydration packs / Camelbaks
are great for this
• Practice pulling your water bottle in and out of its cage
whilst on the move during training rides – don’t always
stop to drink
• On the MTB marathon there will be High5 fuel stations at regular
intervals but don’t rely on these alone – you must be
drinking in between the stations and carry enough spare gels, bars
and sachets with you just in case the people in front have drank them
dry
• Fill your bottles up if you are running out. You will lose
more time due to reduced performance if you keep cycling in a dehydrated
state than if you spend a few minutes replenishing fluid supplies
and keep drinking
• Avoid cordials and juices before, during and immediately after
riding as the high sugar content can slow down stomach emptying and
mean that the real fuels takes longer to reach the working muscles
• A sports drink such as High 5 Energy Source or Isotonic is
recommended. Use them during training so that you know which one works
best for you!
Recovery
Recovery includes a number of activities, such as rest, massage, hydrotherapy,
treating injuries and rehydrating. While most athletes know that managing
their food and fluid intake can result in a more effective recovery
between training sessions, few do so effectively. The
Golden Rules of optimising nutritional recovery between training
sessions are:
1. Eat and drink early. Muscles are most receptive to replenishing
stores within the first hour after exercise, and 1g of carbohydrate
/ kg body mass in the first hour is the goal. If you have to train
again within 24 hours, a faster initial recovery will help you along
the way more effectively.
2. Maintain a high carbohydrate intake throughout the whole day.
Meeting your carbohydrate needs isn't as easy as it sounds It requires
a conscious effort, especially when several hours (or more) of the
day are spent exercising!
3. Add a little protein to your recovery snack, especially if you
have any injury High5 Protein Recovery shake is an ideal combination
of the two.
4. Don't forget the fluids you can kill two birds with one stone
by using carbohydrate-containing fluids such as High5 High Carbohydrate
drink!
5. Avoid foods / fluids high in fat because they slow down the absorption
rate of other nutrients. Recovery straight after training requires
rapid absorption, so keep the pies, chips, croissants, rich muffins,
muesli bars and chocolate bars till a little later!
6. Avoid alcohol, especially if you have an injury (see alcohol
section).
7. The following snacks / meals contain 50g carbohydrate, which
is enough for a 50kg athlete in the first hour after training. If
you weigh more, you'll need to increase the quantity or combine
two items together. Those with a * beside them also contains protein
to help recovery:
• 800 - 1000 ml sports drink (e.g. High5 fluid and electrolyte
replacement)
• 250ml High5 high carbohydrate drink
• 500ml fruit juice
• 250-350 ml fruit smoothie or liquid meal supplement (e.g.
High5
• Protein Recovery)
• 1 round of a well loaded honey or jam sandwich (thick bread
slices)
• 1 High5 Energy Bar or 2 cereal bars *
• 3 medium - large pieces of fruit
• 2 cups breakfast cereal and low fat milk
• 1 bowl fruit salad with 1 tub low fat fruit yoghurt *
• 1 banana roll
Early and Enough Recovery = MORE EFFECTIVE TRAINING!
Staying adequately hydrated is one of the most important skills
to develop when training for an MTB-marathon. If you get it right
– you will delay the onset of fatigue and will be able to
give the ride your best shot. If you fail to keep the fluid intake
up, it could be a long painful and disappointing day.
Many cyclists don’t drink enough – they often say they
just don’t feel thirsty. Avoid falling into this trap –
dehydration DOES affect your performance so you will definitely
have the edge if you’ve practiced taking regular drinks during
all your training rides. |
