So I had finally managed to do what felt like a good solid week of running. I had clocked up a total of 62km and my long run on the sunday had been 26km on trail. It felt good. But at this stage I realised I needed to really make sure I was hydrating right. The days were hot and I was sweating alot out on the trail. The Long run days were the ones to trial anything I was going to do on race day, so I needed to start. After consulting some of my text books and looking at the current research out. I figured water alone would not be enough for long training days and not for the event itself which can take any where between 8 and a half to 15 hours of running. So I opted for a powdered electrolyte drink, that I could make up at home. Next I needed to figure out my sweat rate . So during the week when I ran , I weighed myself, then ran for an hour, then when home, weighed myself again. What I found was for me, at that time of year in that heat, I would lose about 1kg weight. This equates to about 1 litre of fluid. So roughly my sweat rate was 1 litre per hour. So this is what I needed to replace to prevent dehydrating to much. It doesn't take much dehydration to effect performance so its something I really wanted to stay on top of.  With the loss of fluid through sweat comes the loss of electrolytes. This is why over long runs its a good idea to use an electrolyte drink. Trialling theses drinks during long runs is important, to make sure your stomach will not get upset and that the flavour wont become un-palatable over time. 
The bonus of using an electrolyte drink is it has Carbohydrates . And this can contribute to your overall need for carbohydrate during those long runs. Its a double whammy. 
I didn't get a chance in week 4 to try out my hydration strategy because I went away with my oldest daughters for a 3 day weekend ( I did surf a lot though so put that down as cross training) . In week 4 I managed to run a total of 19.5km, well under what the plan had set out. But its extremely tricky training with work commitments and family commitments.
Training for any endurance event means lots of hours by your self. Like most sport its a selfish pursuit and sometimes the training has to give a little while you delicately balance life. Its about here That Ill throw in these additional bits of info , My wife had also entered the 34km Hillary event with no running background at all. On top of this, we have 2 babies (under 1 and a half years) and 4 older kids. Both me and my wife are self employed. Life is busy......there was always going to be compromises in the training. 
Week 5 came round , and although I went up north to celebrate My fathers birthday , I managed to run 74km total with a long run of 40km on trail. I managed to use my strategy , I carried a bottle and had a back pack with a bladder that could hold 3 litres. I re fuelled at a Tap around half way through my run. I didn't fade or collapse , so I deemed it a success. 
Ill also add in here, I saw this training as an opportunity to reduce my weight. At the start of training I had weighed about 95kg. Which I didn't mind, but my surfboard was no longer holding me above water and a few of my favourite jeans were a lil tight! Plus something I noted was if your lighter you can run faster to a point. Plus it has a lot less impact on your joints. Now by week 5 I was 87.6kg! I had my hydration sorted, My long runs were going well and my weight had come down. Th Hillary was looking achievable at this point. Going into week 6 of training, life was getting even busier as it was only 2 weeks till xmas . I only ran twice that week one 18km run mid week and my biggest run ever at that point of 46km ! I did run out of fluid on the 46km, so I drank out of the streams. My time for the 46km was good. Things were going well and xmas was coming. I was injury free and running that 46km was a huge psychological boost for myself. I really felt like I could run this 80km event.  It was time for me to get on top of my nutrition for the long runs and the race . My next blog will cover my nutrition strategies.  

, I think the Some of you may know that earlier in the year I decided to enter an Ultra Marathon. Not just Any Ultra, The Hillary. I chose The Hillary because over the preceding years I had tramped different parts of it at different times, because I started surfing along the coast line that it trails, because I basically live on it , because I felt drawn to do this one. Because I got brought up in the area that it traverses. I'm not sure whether its a good idea to, not actually be a runner and, not really have run for 3 years at all and enter a 80km Trail run with 14 weeks to train , but I did. I really didn't have much of a clue about training for it. I had run a very bad and flat marathon 3 years earlier and then stopped running having supposedly ticked that off the bucket list, I had entered the Auckland half marathon to help raise funds for diabetes in Nov 2015 but I actually only trained for that for 2 weeks. And hurt my knee during the event, but when I saw The Hillary Advertised I knew ! The time was NOW! Bad knee, no training and 14 weeks to figure it out! I like the sounds of that and so I started . I found a plan on line to follow that seemed pretty good and told myself my number one rule in training for this would be “make it to the start Line” . So many times I have heard or seen people talk about training for an endurance event but never make it to the start line because they don't listen to there body and push it to hard to soon. My training plan was pretty simple 3 runs in the week Tuesday through to Thursday basically 14km, 8km, 14km . Monday and Friday were rest days and I was suppose to do 2 long runs in the weekend and slowly build them up till a peaked a few weeks before the event .
Its assumed that you are running 50-80km a week before you start this plan. Obviously I wasn't. So I did what I could and built into it, having a bung knee made sure it was impossible to run too much and my first two weeks I managed 32 km total by Sunday, I truly believe the sore knee saved me from over doing it . The following week I managed to up it to 69km. My knee had stopped aching by then. This is where I needed to start to figure out , Nutrition and Hydration . How was I going to do it. How was I going to manage the long runs (20-40km) and how was I going to make sure I was fuelled enough for the event it self. The first thing I decided to figure out was my hydration. My next blog will discuss this!  

When I was younger it wasnt something I ever gave thought to. Now though …..well, I am a dietitian so I suppose I should think about this kind of thing. Should I eat for my surfing ? Will it help ? How? Annnnd will it make me a better surfer ?

These tips are just general advice and so are the food suggestions, for more specific or tailored nutrition get in touch with me or any other qualified dietitian. First things first, you have to have fuel if you want to go the distance ! Now when I surf I generally hang in till the bitter end, till I cant feel my face/feet anymore or until the waves have become so bad …..Im forced to belly ride in on mush, because Im trying to maximise my surf time , to maximise my wave time, to get better.

1) Fuel up before you hit the water , dont fill up.

Try get some good longer acting Carbohydrates in their. You want to last the distance and do not want your arms turning to jelly while your caught on the inside or battling a rip to stay in place.Im usually in the water 2-3 hours on average. I usually surf on the New Zealand west coast which means lots and lots of paddling! Which in turn means burning up fuel. SO before you hit the water make sure A) your hydrated and B) you have fuel on board. I like something easy because a lot of the time Im hitting the water first thing in the morning, I dont want to be too full but I have to have that energy.

Heres some ideas :

• Porridge with a toppping of fruit and seeds
  
  
• Muesli (homemade means you can customise it)
  
  
• Toast with banana and peanut butter
  
  
• Weetbix with fruit topping
  
  
• Poached eggs on a couple of slices of toast
  
  

2) Keep hydrated , it will stop your performance fading

It will keep you sharp, why…..because all the research says so! The effect of the sun, the salt water and the exercise will sap the fluid right out of you! So make sure you have fluid to sap, hydrate. This includes when you get back out of the ocean, take water in your wagon.


3) Eat well, when your not surfing

To maintain your weight . Not just for health and heart and fitness. But because surfboards cost a bit of coin and we both know a few Kg difference makes all the difference to how your board responds in the water ! Dont sink !Eating right for surfing will make it easier to maintain the weight you want to , I mean you dont want to get to big and no longer fit your new multi hundred dollar wettie, Figure out what weight gives you your best performance with your equipment and try and stay around that by eating well. Watching your portion sizes and keeping the junk food to a minimum. Remember alcohol carries a fair whack of calories too.

4) Post surf snack!

Be prepared , it makes all the difference to your next surf . Restock your fuel stores (muscles ). So you can be out smashing waves for your 2nd or 3rd session of the day ……..well at least the next morning anyway .Ever get back from the water and devour everything in the house ? Or alternativly not get a chance to eat but feel fatigued for your next session?

If your a devour everything kind of person , at least your body is telling you , refuel! But you want to get the right food in at the right time (the sooner out of the water the better). You want to help your muscles repair so including protein is good and you would have depleted your glycogen (fuel) stores in your EPIC ALL TIME session so you need to replace them and research has shown the sooner you do it, the more efficient it is. If your like me and most other surfers, you are probaly heading back to your car so your limited on what kind of epic cuisine you can really create. Preperation is the key here.

Heres some ideas:

• Some dinner left overs might do with a mix of protein and Carb…..like tuna and rice or a stir fry , Peanut butter Sandwhiches
  
  
• Flavoured milk
  
  
• low fat cream rice (YUM)
  
  

Will it make you a better surfer? Well No , not directly. But it will help you surf longer, help you get out for more sessions and reduce your fatigue…….so eating the right foods at the right time can help you maximise your surfing to help get you hit your goals! Got any other tips, let me know in the comments . 

After working at the DHB for over 5 years , specializing in the area of diabetes both type 1 and 2 , I've learned keeping it simple is the best approach. If you do not get it right or perfect it's not a reason to give up or stop. It's all about progression not perfection !!! Diabetes keeps changing as do we, so to expect it always going to be the same is setting your self up for disappointment. progress with your weight,  with exercise, blood glucose, HbA1c , knowledge, ratios ! not perfection.  just try and nail the big things and often before you know it the smaller things fall into place . If you end up having a bad day , don't stress when the next day comes keep progressing :)

So I started with a bang, but then life happened as it does! Well not exactly life because that's always happening right? But I did get busy! I swear! 
Not only that but on my last long run, at about the 5km mark, my knee was in a lot of pain! I had to stop, its now been a little over a week and I have not run. This of course has meant I have not been burning as much calories and although I have not weighed myself.....I know this also means MORE weight. Ill know the damage in the morning when I check out the scales. 
But if there is one thing that I have learnt from distance running its not to ignore your body, if it hurts its trying to tell you something and you SHOULD listen. Last year I ignored pain in my feet and could not train for a good month. For some one with ADHD (joking......kind of) that is anguish! 
So I still have about 6-7 weeks to go, I have run a few 20km runs before the knee problem. So I should be ok. This friday Ill start again and see how I go. 

So here's my first update. One week into my training and weightloss. I have managed to do a 5km run on Monday, followed by a 6.5 then a 6 km run. I went away for the weekend but kept active. Although no running. I came back to Auckland midday Tuesday and manger to go for a ten km run that night. I glad because my endurance is now slowly building. I haven't really had to change my eating much around the running because I'm not running for very long yet and not very often. But I am making sure I keep well hydrated. I have made a conscious effort to reduce my portion size at dinner and any unneeded snacking. Just as a tweak I cut sugar out of my coffee. I weighed in this morning On my scales at 87kg exactly. So that's a little over 3kgs weightloss and I'm well on my way to my goal running weight of 80kg!

This weekend I hope to build my long run to around the 15km mark.

Ok, I have not put anything in my blog for a while. I've been rediculously busy lately doing work for the DHB, doing work for Diabetes NZ and seeing my private clients....... Let alone all the time for family and recreational pursuits.

I decided to enter the Auckland marathon this year, I did do it last year..... Which was my first ever distance event. I completed it but had not trained enough. I promised myself that I would try again next year but train better...... Well I'm 13 weeks out and have effectively just started training! Ah well :)

So first things first, running that distance and putting in the km ill need each week will undoubtedly take its toll on my body and legs. I need to be lighter to reduce that toll. Last year I ran it weighing about 90kg. This year I've decided that it would be better to be 80kg. So my goal will be to lose 10kg in the next 13 weeks.

I started my training and weightloss on the 5/8/13. Ill keep this blog updated with my progress both in km and kg haha.

It is such a different beast to deal with this.......long steady aerobic exercise in regards to fuel as oppose to anaerobic.

But I have my plan and my goals. So onward we march.

Monday I ran 5km , Tuesday I rested, Wednesday I ran 6.5km and jogged 1.5.

The aim of the game is to make it to the start line injury free, rack up km each week and get to the best running shape I can in 13 weeks. This is going to be tough, but nothing good is easy and ill have fun trying.

What are New Zealand combat sport athletes doing to make weight for competition?

By Hamish Johnstone

 

I fought as a middleweight in Muay Thai and had to make weight time and time again for my fights, ranging from the 69 to 79kg I decided in the last years of my Nutrition degree to do some research into the NZ scene. I started looking at over seas studies on the effects of rapid weight loss on fighters mood, performance and immediate health. It became apparent that all were affected negatively. I wanted to know what New Zealands situation was like and If our fighters were using rapid weight loss techniques and what changes they made to their diet and dietary patterns.

 

So I made a questionnaire that covered background, training related questions, methods and techniques used to make weight and what the fighters diet habits were and what they changed, to make weight.

I then headed to the gyms to get fighters to complete my questionnaires I managed to get 30 fighters both male and female covering the combat sports of MMA, BJJ, Boxing and Muay Thai.

What I found was that we are pretty similar to fighters overseas

About 40% of athletes would only start to make/cut weight within 3-7 days before weigh in. In the final 24 hours before weigh in restricting fluid intake was favoured by 76% of the fighters while 73% also favoured fasting, of those 20% of fighters had gone for longer than 24 hours without food when making weight for competition.

The methods used to make weight

Thankfully gradual dieting to make weight was the most common method used. But if the gradual dieting does not involve maintaining a well balanced diet and instead consists of RWL techniques then a negative mood state may occur and research shows that this has been associated with an inability to cope with training demands. The majority of the other techniques used involve methods to dehydrate, research shows us that being dehydrated by more than 2% impairs thinking and performance in sports.

Changes to Diet

The results here showed that many of the athletes are consuming a diet that is not well balance while trying to train and lose weight for competition. Its going to make training harder and recovery harder.  Many fighters were cutting out carbohydrate, this is the preferred source of energy for the fighters body. Cutting down on these foods from the diet can result in reduced blood glucose levels and reduced liver and muscle glycogen stores, which will result in worse performance, decreased energy and a decreased ability to train at your best.

In NZ the use of RWL techniques are common place. Leading up to a competition poor dietary practices are followed including reduced fluid intake and this may lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, mood changes and reduced glycogen stores.

All of which can have a detrimental effect on the fighters health and their performance. Ive seen it time and time again a fighter just hitting some invisible wall, theyre hands drop , they become sluggish and I know they’ve had to make weight and I cant help but wonder……did they do it the right way and did they recover correctly.

 My Practical Recommendations:

1.      Dont fight to far out of your training weight, know your limits

2.      Don’t use laxitives or diuretics, they could dehydrate you too much, you never know how they are going to impact you.

3.      Use gradual dieting to get close to your weigh in weight but maintain a well balanced diet well you do this, to stay healthy.

4.      Don’t be carb phobic, carbohydrates are your fuel, you will need plenty when training for a fight but timing is everything.

5.      Hydration is crucial while training and after to recover faster, remember train at your best to fight at your best. Be well hydrated for your fight, if you have dehydrated for weigh in make sure to use a fluid with a good amount of electrolytes in it rather than just water. You need to replace what you sweated out.

6.      If you had to make weight and your weigh in was the day before the fight, have a carb (pasta, rice, potato) heavy dinner and also include a good amount of carb (porridge, pancakes, bread)  in your breakfast before competition. This will make sure you have fuel to burn and your firing on all cylinders come fight time.

For further and fuller details of the research including graphs hit the link below. 

Today I noticed on twitter a reference to this study, about the use of magnesium to treat muscle cramps. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22972143/ 

It is an interesting topic. I know alot of people at different gyms where I have trained swearing by certain treatments for muscle cramps. One of these being the use of magnesium supplements.

What does this study mean?
So what does the science say about this. It is interesting to note "Magnesium supplements are marketed for the prophylaxis of cramps but the efficacy of magnesium for this indication has never been evaluated by systematic review". Never been evaluated? Well Im glad that they decided to do this!!! So they went about doing a meta analysis. This basically means that the reviewers found the most robust studies and put them together to give an over all idea and indication of a result. In this case being Does magnesium actually work to treat cramps. Well the results are a mixed bag. They ended up looking at it from 3 differing perspectives. One being cramps in exercise, another cramps in the elderly and finally cramps in pregnant woman. The results were that they found it to have no real effect on cramps in the elderly. They did not have enough studies or data of the right nature to determine its effectiveness in Exercise related cramps. And it seemed that it was a similar case in pregnant woman. With some conflicting studies, meaning more research is needed to determine its effectiveness on pregnant woman.

So what foods have magnesium ? 
By Eating a wide variety of legumes, nuts,seeds, whole grains, and vegetables will help you meet your daily dietary need for magnesium. Bran is also really high in magnesium. The recommended daily intake is 420mg a day for males and about 310mg per day for females. Just 100gm of squash or pumpkin seeds will give you a little over 500mg of magnesium A bran muffin is another way to get a good hit of fibre and magnesium! 

So I go into the tea room at work in the hospital and what is it I see on the table! This delicious looking cake. Typical nurses! Now here is the thing, I have been ridiculously busy lately. I haven't been able to exercise much at all so the weight is creeping up. Well I had to decide do I partake in this food or do I stick to my guns and grab my coffee and leave it alone. I can happily say that I left it. But its a common situation. when your trying to put in the good work at the gym and eating healthily through the week . It can only take the odd cake to undo some of your good work. 

I think its important to keep things in perspective though. Yeah ok, if you ate that bit of cake it might set yo back on your days goal but not the weeks, or months or the over all goal. You can always even it out by increasing your exercise later. So no need to beat your self up about it. As I always say its better to bend than to break. 

Far to often I have heard of people with the strictest diet regime who have a blow out and then say stuff it and don't continue on with the good work. Well I say just keep your overall goal in perspective and although you may hit the odd bump in the road you can still get to where your going.  

One of the best ways to stop hitting to many bumps like this cake is to plan. Plan ahead, make sure you have healthy snack options with you or that you know where to get some. Too easy !!! 

Another thing is to just have a smaller piece, its not something Im too good at but many people I know can use this method effectively.....take a quarter of a piece. Also too easy :) 

So ill keep you updated as I try to keep my weight at a decent level as I lead in to my second Auckland Marathon....I know its 5 months away but I want to beat last years time which was fairly average.