Saturday, January 30, 2010

Finally -- Scientific proof for why I can't eat prior to rides

The Pre Race Meal--Get it Right!
Steve Born from Hammer Nutrition

This is one area of proper fueling and performance for which I don't have a catalog of horror stories, because for most of my athletic career I did follow the guidelines set out below. I wish I could say I did so consciously, but the truth is that I did it out of habit rather than really knowing why it was the right thing to do. Most of the athletes I've worked with have been reluctant to adopt these plans--until they actually try them. Then they're convinced by their improved performance, and they never go back to the conventional advice.

How many times have you had a bite (or more) from an energy bar, taken a swig (or more) from an energy drink, or eaten a meal just an hour or two before taking your position at the starting line of a long distance race? Big mistake! Eating this soon before prolonged exercise is actually counterproductive and will hurt your performance. In the sometimes confusing world of sports supplementation and fueling, the pre-race meal generates arguably the greatest confusion, and many athletes have paid a hefty performance price for their misinformation. But really, there's no insider secret to the pre-race meal, just some effective strategies and guidelines. You need to know what to eat, how much, and most importantly, when. You also need to know a bit about glycogen storage, depletion, and re-supply, and how to use that knowledge at the practical level. This article supplies all the information you need, and I've also included some suggested meals, equally appropriate for workouts as well as competition.

The pre-race meal goal
Assuming that your race starts in the morning, the purpose of your pre-race meal is to top off liver glycogen stores, which your body has expended during your night of sleep. Muscle glycogen, the first fuel recruited when exercise commences, remains intact overnight. If you had a proper recovery meal after your last workout, you'll have a full load of muscle glycogen on board, which constitutes about 80% of your total glycogen stores. If you didn't re-supply with complex carbs and protein after your last workout, there's nothing you can do about it now; in fact, you'll only hurt yourself by trying. To repeat: during sleep, your liver-stored glycogen maintains proper blood glucose level; you expend nary a calorie of your muscle glycogen. You might wake up feeling hungry, and I'll discuss that issue later, but you'll have a full supply of muscle-stored glycogen, your body's first used and main energy source. Your stomach might be saying, "I'm hungry," but your muscles are saying, "Hey, we're good to go!"

With only your liver-stored glycogen to top off, you want a light pre-race nutrition meal. Sports nutrition expert Bill Misner, Ph.D., advises that a pre-race meal should be "an easily digested, high complex carbohydrate meal of between 200-400 calories with a minimum of fiber, simple sugar, and fat." That's hardly what most folks would call a meal, but in terms of pre-race fueling, it's meal enough. According to Dr. Misner, fat slows digestion and has no positive influence on fuels metabolized during an event. He further states that a high fiber pre-race meal may "create the call for an unscheduled and undesirable bathroom break in the middle or near the end of the event."

Complex carbohydrates & protein
One study found that athletes who drank a pre-race meal consisting of both carbohydrates and a small amount of protein had better performances than when they consumed only an all-carbohydrate sports drink. With that in mind, here are three pre-race meal possibilities that would not only be highly effective, they are quick and easy to prepare as well:
Sustained Energy which contains both complex carbohydrates and soy protein
Perpetuem, which contains complex carbohydrates, soy protein, and a small donation of healthy fats
A combination of Sustained Energy + Hammer Gel or HEED

If you do feel the need for solid food, choose high starch foods such as skinless potatoes, bananas, rice, pasta, plain bagels, low fat active culture yogurt, tapioca, and low fiber hot cereals. You can find a few pre-race meal recipes at the end of this article that use these products.

The key--Allow three hours or more!
Equally as important as what you eat is when you eat your pre-race meal. Authorities such as Dr. Misner, Dr. Michael Colgan, and Dr. David Costill all agree that the pre-race meal should be eaten 3-4 hours prior to the event. Dr. Misner suggests the athlete "leave three hours minimum to digest foods eaten at breakfast. After breakfast, drink 10-12 ounces of fluid each hour up to 30 minutes prior to the start (24-30 ounces total fluid intake)."


Three hours allows enough time for your body to fully process the meal. Colgan says it's the digestion time necessary to avoid intestinal distress. Costill's landmark study [Costill DL. Carbohydrates for exercise. Dietary demand for optimal performance. Int J Sports 1988;9:1-18] shows that complex carbohydrates taken 3-4 hours prior to exercise raise blood glucose and improve performance. But it's Misner's argument that has proved most compelling to me.

Dr. Misner's rationale -- It's all in the timing
If you consume high glycemic carbohydrates such as simple sugars (or even the preferred complex carbohydrates such as starches and maltodextrins) within three hours of exercise, you can expect the following, with possible negative effects on performance:
Rapidly elevated blood sugar causes excess insulin release, leading to hypoglycemia, an abnormally low level of glucose in the blood.
High insulin levels inhibit lipid mobilization during aerobic exercise, which means reduced fats-to-fuels conversion. Our ability to utilize stored fatty acids as energy largely determines our performance, which is why we can continue to exercise when our caloric intake falls far below our energy expenditure. We want to enhance, not impede, our stored fat utilization pathways.
A high insulin level will induce blood sugar into muscle cells, which increases the rate of carbohydrate metabolism, hence rapid carbohydrate fuel depletion. In simple terms: high insulin means faster muscle glycogen depletion.

You must complete your pre-race fueling three or more hours prior to the start to allow adequate time for insulin and blood glucose to normalize. After three hours, hormonal balance is restored, and you won't be at risk for increased glycogen depletion. Eating within three hours of a race promotes faster release/depletion of both liver and muscle glycogen and inhibits fat utilization. The combination of accelerated glycogen depletion and disruption of your primary long-distance fuel availability can devastate your performance.

But I'm hungry!
Recall that I mentioned earlier that muscle glycogen, the main fuel recruited for the first 60-90 minutes of exercise, remains unaffected by a nightlong fast. When you awaken in the morning, you haven't lost your primary fuel supply, and can't add to it by eating within an hour or two of exercise. That's absolutely correct, and believe it or not, being hungry before an event won't inhibit performance.

However, hard-training athletes often do wake up very hungry and feel they need to eat something before their workout or race. This is especially true for half and full iron-distance triathletes, who start very early in the morning in the water, swimming for up to an hour or more where consuming food is not possible.

What to do? Try either of the following suggestions to help with this problem:
Just start anyway, realizing that hunger is not a performance inhibitor, and begin fueling shortly after you start, when you get into a comfortable rhythm. The hunger sensation will diminish almost as soon as you begin to exercise, and you'll actually be benefiting, not hurting, your performance by following this procedure. You can safely use Sustained Energy, Perpetuem, HEED or Hammer Gel, or any combination thereof, as soon as you want after exercise commences. For details regarding appropriate amounts, please refer to the article "Proper Caloric Intake During Endurance Exercise."
If you feel that you absolutely must eat, consume 100-200 calories about five minutes before start time. By the time these calories are digested and blood sugar levels are elevated, you'll be well into your race, and glycogen depletion will not be negatively affected. In this regard, good choices are one or two servings of Hammer Gel or a generous drink from a premixed bottle of Sustained Energy or Perpetuem. This strategy is especially appropriate for triathletes who will hit the water first and not have a chance to eat right away. Small amounts of nutrient-dense fuels, such as those named above, go a long way to stanching hunger pangs.

Sleep or eat?
Should you get up during the wee morning hours just to get in a meal three hours before your race or workout? My answer is NO--rest will help you more. Much restorative physiology occurs during sleep, so don't sacrifice sleep just to eat. If you're a fit athlete, one who has been replenishing carbohydrates immediately after each exercise session, you have approximately 60-90 minutes of muscle glycogen, your premium fuel, available. As long as you begin fueling shortly after the race begins, perhaps 10-20 minutes after the start, your performance will not be affected negatively. If you start fueling shortly after your race begins, it's actually OK to start your race a little on the hungry side. Topping off liver glycogen stores is always a good idea, but not at the expense of sacrificing sleep, and certainly not at the expense of depleting muscle glycogen stores too quickly (by eating too soon before exercise).

Are there any exceptions to the three-hour rule?
When you're competing in races in the 90-minute range or shorter (personally, I prefer an hour limit), fasting three hours prior to the start of the race is not necessary. Consuming some easily digested calories an hour or two prior to the start will not negatively affect performance, and may actually enhance it. Here's why:
As we've discussed earlier, when you consume calories sooner than three hours prior to the start of a race, you accelerate the rate at which your body burns its finite amounts of muscle glycogen stores. In events lasting longer than 60-90 minutes, refraining from calorie consumption for the three-hour period prior to the start is crucial because you want to preserve your glycogen stores, not accelerate their depletion. Muscle glycogen is the first fuel that the body will use when exercise commences, and your body only has a limited supply of this premium fuel. If your workout or race goes beyond the 60-90 minute mark, you don't want to do anything that will accelerate muscle glycogen utilization. However, when you consume calories within three hours of a race, that's exactly what will happen; you'll increase the rate at which your glycogen is burned.

During shorter distance races, however, accelerated rates of glycogen depletion/utilization are not problematic. You don't need the calories for energy, but the presence of carbohydrates will elevate glycogen utilization. In a short race, that's what you want.

Dr. Misner explains that prior to shorter-duration races, "… consuming a few easily digested carbohydrates [such as a serving or two of HEED or Hammer Gel] will advance performance, because carbohydrates consumed prior to exercise make the body super-expend its glycogen stores like a flood gate wide open." In other words, if you eat something 1-2 hours prior to the start of a short-duration race, thus causing the insulin "flood gates" to open, yes, you will be depleting your glycogen stores at maximum rates. However, at this distance it's a beneficial effect, as glycogen depletion is not an issue when the race is over within at most 90 minutes.

This advice assumes that you have been effectively refueling your body after each workout, as this is the primary way to increase muscle glycogen (see the article "Recovery--A Crucial Component of Athletic Success" for details).

Bottom line: Fast three hours prior to the start of a longer-duration event (60-90+ minutes). For shorter events, consuming a small amount of fuel an hour to two prior to the start may enhance performance.

Summary & pre-race meal suggestions
You work so hard throughout your training, making sure you tune your diet, supplement program, training, and recovery to exactly fit your personal needs. Following these steps regarding your pre-race meal will put the final touches on all of your hard work, giving you the best advantage for your important race.


Eat a pre-race meal of 200-400 calories at least three hours before exercise.
Focus on complex carbs, starches, and a little protein for your pre-race meal.
Avoid high fiber, simple sugars, and high fat in your pre-race meal.
If you must, consume a small amount of your supplemental fuel (Hammer Gel, etc.) about five minutes before exercise.
Make sure that you re-supply your muscle glycogen by eating a good recovery meal after your workouts.

Any of these pre-race meal suggestions will keep you in the preferred 200-400 calorie range:
Three scoops of Sustained Energy
Two scoops of Sustained Energy flavored with one serving of Hammer Gel or one scoop of HEED
Two to three servings of Hammer Gel or two to three scoops of HEED fortified with one scoop of Sustained Energy
Two to two and a half scoops of Perpetuem
One white flour bagel and a half cup of active yogurt
A banana and a cup of active yogurt
Cream of Wheat or Rice, sweetened with a serving of Hammer Gel
One soy protein-enhanced pancake, sweetened with a serving of Hammer Gel
Half of a skinless baked potato topped with a half cup of plain active yogurt

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Seat Warmers

My friends new car not only has an automatic start (how cool is that -- it's especially fun to turn the car on from across a parking lot and freak out people near it!) it has -- SEAT WARMERS!!! I'm holding out for a steering wheel heater.

Jim B, Mike P and I are going to the Power Tools show next weekend so we can build a few of these. We're taking orders but move quickly, these won't be nearly as appropriate come spring. Your very own bicycle seat warmer.


Saturday, January 16, 2010

Taking the Lane

From Doug Morgan's blog -- Winning victories for cyclists in Central Ohio

A TwoWheeling Court Victory in CBus!
Posted: 15 Jan 2010 05:38 AM PST

Yesterday I defended a young man named Michael in Franklin County Municipal Court. Michael had been cited for "taking the lane" on High Street, i.e. riding in the center of the lane, rather than to the right side of the lane. Experienced cyclists like Michael know that this is the safest way to ride on narrow city streets--riding to the right side of a narrow lane invites motorists to pass in the lane which can have deadly consequences. The Columbus traffic code was amended within the last 2 years to specifically address this issue, but it seems law enforcement officers are either unfamiliar with the new law or unwilling to apply it.

On the evening of December 2, 2009, Michael was riding south on High Street between Nationwide Blvd and Spring St. It was 10:30 at night and raining. Michael was riding in the middle of the lane. A police officer pulled up next to him and directed him to move over to the right side of the lane. Michael refused and said he didn't feel safe there and that he had the right to ride in the middle of the lane. The officer slowed, pulled in behind Michael, turned on his flashing lights and cited Michael under Columbus City Code Section 2173.04(A) which states: "Every person operating a bicycle upon a roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable obeying all traffic rules applicable to vehicles and exercising due care when passing a standing vehicle or one proceeding in the same direction."

MIchael's aunt is a good friend and fellow Consider Biking Board member. She asked if Consider Biking would provide a defense for Michael since this is an important issue to Columbus cyclists. I agreed to represent Michael pro bono ("for free") and my Consider Biking colleagues, John Gideon and Jeff Stephens, provided all of the research and other information that I needed to prepare the case (thanks, guys, I couldn't have done it without you!). Jeff Stephens, the Executive Director of Consider Biking, an LAB-certified instructor and Chairman of the Columbus Transportation and Pedestrian Committee, also agreed to be an expert witness.

Michael, Jeff, John and I spent 2 weeks preparing the case. We measured the width of the lane where Michael was cited (11 ft, 3 inches). We measured the width of the corrogated metal sewer grates along the curb (25 inches). Jeff took photos of the lane and the grates. We measured the width of several automobiles, including the side mirrors (most are around 7 ft).

We appeared yesterday before Judge Dwight Maynard. I did not know Judge Maynard before yesterday. He is a very nice man and I was very impressed with him. I am a business attorney, not a criminal or trial lawyer and had never tried a case. I informed the court and the prosecutor of this fact before the trial began because I knew that I would probably make some mistakes and plod through my presentation and I didn't want them to think I was being disrespectful and wasting their time. Judge Maynard and the prosecutor were very patient with me and "generously" applied the rules of evidence and trial procedure to allow me to present my case. The judge took a sincere interest in this case and and appeared to be genuinely concerned with the safety of bicyclists on the city streets.

I actually didn't get a chance to present my case. The prosecutor gets to go first and she called her first witness, the police officer. The officer testified that Michael was riding in the middle of the lane, was warned, and then cited under 2173.04(A). I then had an opportunity to cross-examine the police officer. My cross-examination lasted way too long, so I'll give you the Readers Digest abridged version.

First of all, it's important to note that the police officer truly believes that it's safest for a cyclist to ride close to the curb in all circumstances. He really believed he was protecting Michael and doing the right thing by trying to get him out of the center of the lane. Frankly, this is what most people, including inexperienced cyclists, think. That's why it's so important that we educate everyone on this issue.

I handed the officer a copy of City Code Section 2173.04 and asked him to read clause (A), the section he cited Michael under ("Every person operating a bicycle upon the roadway shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable...."). I then asked him to read clause (C) of the law. He read as follows:
"This section does not require a person operating a bicycle to ride at the edge of the roadway or within a marked bike lane when it is unreasonable or unsafe to do so. Conditions that may require riding away from the edge of the roadway or outside of a marked bike lane include when necessary to avoid fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, surface hazards, or if it otherwise is unsafe or impracticable to do so, including if the lane is too narrow for the bicycle and an overtaking vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane."

I then took a tape measure and extended it 11 ft, 3 inches (the width of the lane) and laid it on the floor in front of the bench and asked the police officer to join me standing by the tape. I then asked the officer exactly where in the lane he thought Michael should have been riding? He said about 1 1/2 feet from the curb. "So you think that bicyclists should be required to ride over these corrogated metal sewer grates?" I asked, handing him a photo of one of those dangerous grates. "Yes," he replied, "I think it's safe for them to do that." Of course, cyclists know that these grates are very hazardous, especially when wet, and noone I know would feel safe riding over them, but I let this go for the time being and stepped off 1 1/2 ft of the tape. "OK, officer, how much space in the lane does the cyclist need to ride safely in this location?" After much discussion, the officer agreed that 3-4 ft should be sufficient to allow for the width of the bicycle and the cyclist and room to maneuver around road hazards, so I stepped off another 3 feet. "And what do you think a safe passing distance is for an automobile to pass a bicyclist?" I asked the officer. "I always give a bicyclist about 6 ft clearance," he replied. (Boy, don't we wish all motorists were this generous?) So I stepped off 6 more feet.

The officer and I were looking down at what remained of the lane width--less than a foot. "Officer, how wide is your cruiser?" I asked. "Don't know," he replied. "Do you think you could squeeze it through there," I asked pointing at the 9 inches remaining on the tape measure. "No," he replied. " "No more questions, your Honor," I said. The prosecution rested.

I remembered vaguely from law school that there is some kind of motion that can be made at the close of the plaintiff or prosecutor's case if you didn't think they had proved their case, so I took a chance. "Mr. Morgan, are you ready to put on your case," Judge Maynard asked. "Yes, your honor, I am but I'm not sure I need to. I think I'd like to move for a directed verdict." The judge smiled and leaned over the bench and said softly, "Mr. Morgan, that would be appropriate in civil court, but this is criminal court and the appropriate motion would be for aquittal under Rule 29." "Thank you, your honor, so moved." The judge granted my motion and we won without having to present our defense.

So as it turned out, John Gideon and Jeff Stephens had sat in court with me for 5 hours for nothing. Well not really, we helped our new friend, Michael, and established an important precedent that will help keep bicyclists safe on our city streets.

Consider Biking provides free for the asking laminated wallet cards setting forth the rules of the road, including the important 2173.04(C) which was the subject of Michael's case. Had he been carrying this card the night he was cited, he could have possibly provided it to the officer to support his belief that he was legally riding in the center of the lane. We gave Michael several wallet cards so he'll be prepared next time. If you're an urban cyclist, you should "never leave home without one." Contact Jeff Stephens or any Consider Biking board member and we'll get you one.

Power to the Pedal!

P.S. If you ever run into Judge Maynard, please take an opportunity to thank him for giving cyclists a fair shake in his courtroom and please support him the next time he's up for reelection--we need more judges like him.

Follow Doug's Blog here:
http://douglasmorgan.typepad.com/two_wheeling/

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

It is offical the 2010 Edition of teamroll: is ready to roll:

We had our kick-off meeting tonight, welcomed a few new members, made fun of a few old members.  Two of our sponsors spoke about new things happening in their business.  The team signed contracts, paid dues, and discussed new business.




Last year's recap:

We have roughly 30 members that rode over 25,000 miles and participated in over 80 events, in 17 states, 6 countries and raised more than $100,000 for more than 10 charities.


New for this year:

A couple new things for the team this year: launched a team web site, some pages are still under construction, Twitter, Facebook, and this blog.  Our goal into this social media blitz is to broaden our message of bike riding, community service, and being a roll: model in the cycling community.

Our sponsors news:

Checkout the new roll: store on Lane Avenue coming soon.  roll: is the primary bike sponsor Pelotonia again this year.  So sign-up, then send Stuart your rider id number and join the roll: peloton in August and raise money for cancer research.in August.  You can find Stuart's email through the store's web site, it is not included here to avoid the spammers who lurk in blogs.  Yes roll: always tries to practice safe blogging.

Checkout Lemonade Fitness and their All-Body Personalize Training Circuit Program.and Premier Training programs.  It is all personal and customized for you.  Lemonade Fitness is located in, perhaps, the coolest city in Ohio.  Granville is a cycling friendly community and is a short drive or ride from Columbus. 


Our Rides:

Our team is involved in a number of charity rides as part of our community out reach to get butts on bikes.  Everyone is welcome to teamroll: on all of our charity rides.  You do not have to be a member of teamroll: to ride with us on charity events.  Some of the charity rides include: Pelotonia, TourdeCure, Pete with Pete, Breast Cancer Awareness, Pedal for the NationsRide for World Health, Delaware County Community Ties Bicycle Tour.

We also participate in the Ride of Silence which is an activist ride in memory of cyclist that have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways.  The rest of the time we are riding the many cycling events in Central Ohio organized by Columbus Outdoor Pursuits, carrying the roll: brand across state lines, and abroad.