On this month-to-month article collection, ultrarunner, race director, and coach Gabe Joyes solutions reader questions on something and all the things working. Study extra about this ask-the-athlete column, and make sure you fill out the shape beneath to submit your questions for a future article!
On this article, Gabe solutions questions on the way to reframe your effort when the result isn’t as you’d hoped, the way to keep away from palate fatigue throughout lengthy efforts, studying about sweat fee, and extra.
Gabe’s Tip of the Month
“That run felt more durable than it ought to have.”
Have you ever ever uttered this assertion after a run? Let’s break it down for a second. Is what you actually imply, “This run felt more durable than I anticipated?” The reality is, a run feels precisely the way it ought to based mostly in your coaching standing, health, fueling, hydration, sleep, and all the things else occurring in your life. What’s the large deal right here? “Ought to” is a phrase that’s loaded with worth and judgment. In case you are saying, “I ought to have been higher,” it’s a sly means of placing your self down and telling your self that you’re not ok. Reframing it as, “That exercise didn’t go in addition to I anticipated,” opens the door so that you can discover options — like saving the spicy enchilada soup for after the exercise quite than earlier than, or ensuring you bought within the correct warm-up earlier than coaching.
Nobody has the appropriate to “ought to” on you, so don’t “ought to” on your self both.
Luke Nelson accepting and feeling all of the feels on a giant day (or two) within the Gros Ventre Mountains. All pictures courtesy of Gabe Joyes.
Palate Fatigue
How do you take care of palate fatigue throughout longer adventures and races? — Amanda
Alas, expensive reader, you aren’t the one one that has ever been fully repulsed by one other sip of your favourite watermelon-flavored sports activities drink that someway will get its style from so-called pure flavors — but someway tastes nothing like watermelon — and incorporates sufficient sugar to make a weight loss plan tradition social media influencer have a tantrum. The battle is actual, and I’ve been so burnt out on overly flavorful snacks and sweets on the tail finish of 100-mile races that I opted to eat nothing for the final 30 miles. I don’t advocate this technique.
I’ve discovered that one of the best fueling technique for ultrarunning is to consider your physique as being in an nearly flu-like state. What do you eat if you find yourself attempting to place your self again collectively after the flu? Essentially the most bland, flavorless, but high-calorie and easy-to-digest meals accessible — typically with loads of salt. Give it some thought: Have soda, broth or soup, and potato chips ever been all you may abdomen throughout the late struggles of a race? Something that has a powerful taste — even flavors you’re keen on — shall be unpalatable after many hours. My finest recommendation is to go for flavorless gels and drinks paired with largely bland and salty snacks. Save the enjoyable and scrumptious meals and snacks for the times earlier than and after, and hold race day all about attending to the end line with out swearing off yet one more sports activities diet firm.
Save the flavorful snacks for after the race!
Sweat and Sodium
Do you will have a sodium consumption objective for lengthy and/or exhausting efforts? — Cameron
Wonderful timing with this query, as simply this previous week, I visited Skratch Labs in Boulder, Colorado, for a correct sweat take a look at. Hydration has been the main performance-limiting issue for me whereas racing, and with the HURT 100 Mile developing in January, I needed to ensure I used to be getting issues proper.
For years, I’ve been simply guessing on how a lot sodium to soak up, going off the truth that I’m all the time essentially the most salty and crusty trying man on the end line of each race — each actually and figuratively. When my pet was excited to see me come residence from runs this summer season, simply so she may try and lick the salt off my legs, I knew it was time to dig deeper.
Your writer contending for essentially the most salty and crusty trying man on the race.
The sweat take a look at solely took about half-hour, was completely nice, and proved an attention-grabbing expertise. The chemical pilocarpine was rubbed on my arm to induce sweating, and the sweat was collected and analyzed utilizing some fancy-looking science lab gear. My sodium sweat focus ended up at 1,200 milligrams of sodium per liter, which, as suspected, is on the upper facet of common.
It’s necessary to notice that the sodium focus of your sweat doesn’t change with temperature or humidity, however your whole sweat fee does. If I’m sweating out two liters of water per hour on a sizzling summer season day — which I do — meaning it’s really useful that I absorb 2,400 milligrams of sodium an hour. It’s no marvel I’m all the time craving salty snacks after lengthy runs. Your sweat sodium focus is likely to be completely totally different than mine, and the one solution to know is to do your homework. Prior to now, I’ve tried a sweat take a look at with an affordable patch I ordered off the web, however the outcomes have been wildly inaccurate because it advised my sweat’s sodium focus was solely 10 milligrams per liter, so I don’t advocate that. Precision Gasoline and Hydration has broadly accessible licensed sweat testing facilities that you could observe down on the web, however in any other case, I had a superb expertise at Skratch Labs.
Getting a sweat take a look at carried out at Skratch Labs in Boulder, Colorado.
Submit Your Questions
Ship us your questions! Use the shape beneath or ship us a message on Instagram, and we’ll take into account your questions for future articles.
Name for Feedback
- Have you ever had a sweat take a look at? Did it change your sodium consumption whereas working?
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