I had great fun training a fantastic team from Mainfreight for 16 weeks in the lead up to the Auckland Quarter, Half and Full Marathons.
They did amazingly well. Here’s a little something for them…..
Running Mokoroa Stream on Saturday with the total sport crew.
Getting ready for the awesome SPEIGHT’S West Coaster!
Been wondering what the difference between Mizone and Powerade is?
And why does Mizone claim to have a third less sugar?
During an endurance event such as a marathon or half marathon, the body is fueled by carbohydrates which are stored in the form of glucose or glycogen in your muscles. Your muscles can only hold a finite amount of glycogen which after a while of intense activity (usually 1-1.5hours) these stores start to run low, and you will need to fuel the tank again.
Because you are on the move you want to be able to utilise new fuel asap. You can do that if the source of carbohydrate you ingest is at the optimum concentration for absorbtion.
For the human body this is between 2g-8g per 100ml or 2-8%.
If you look at the nutritional panel on the back of a sports drink bottle, you can check if it sits between these very easily. By law, all food products have to list how many grams of carbs (from sugar or other) per 100g there are. So you are just looking for a number between 2 and 8 in this panel.
Mizone sits at the bottom of this around 2g, and Powerade sits at the top around 8g. This is why the latter tastes sweeter, and why Mizone can claim to have 1/3 less sugar.
Both will be effective at re-fueling you in your event, or quickly replacing what you have used once you have finished. So go for whichever your tastebuds prefer!
(If you use a powder mixed with water, bear in mind it’s likely the instructions will have you make it up to the higher end of concentration so you use it up faster and have to buy more!! the cynic in me)
Awesome what a clear goal and determination can result in!!
http://www.lacticturkey.co.nz/P6.htm
Check out this great-looking event if any of you are keen to dip your toe into adventure racing, but don’t want to fork out for a kayak or have the hassle of organising a support crew!
A 6 hour Adventure Race within an hour’s drive from Auckland.
Teams or individuals.
The disciplines are: mountain biking (you need to provide), run/walk, paddle(not a kayak this year), simple navigation, team work/strategy and mystery activities.
Sounds awesome! I did the Lactic Turkey Rogaine a few weeks ago and that was brilliant - so much fun. Check out my blog and pics.
An interview with Malachy McHugh of the Nicholas Institute of Sports Medicine on This Way Up on Radio NZ today:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/thiswayup
He has just completed a review of a decade’s worth of research into the benefits of stretching in exercise. Some great points made about the relevance of stretching to runners. Especially interesting what he says about making sudden changes to your running.
Nice little article from kiwi site, SPORTZHUB - http://www.sportzhub.com - by US Coach, Matt Russ
AWESOME SITE for keeping up to date with endurance events and happenings.
Read on……
Implement Trail Running for Injury Prevention
Sunday, 07 October 2007 
The shoes we run in today are great for reducing impact. There are a myriad of devices, gels, air channels, etc., designed to lesson the compressive loads on the joints and body. One drawback, however
…..is that if you do most of your running on even, paved surfaces the lower leg muscles and joints do not have to work as hard to stabilize. Joint stability and strength is crucial for injury prevention. This is where trail running comes in. Running over uneven and varied surfaces makes the muscles of the lower leg work especially hard. Think sport specific strength training for the lower leg muscles. If you are new to trail running you may be surprised how sore or fatigued the muscles of lower legs are. The tendons, ligaments, and muscles all get stronger in response to this type of stress. Soft surface running also builds power and strength at toe off.
There are a few considerations when integrating trail running into your training plan. Unless you run in off road events the best time to incorporate trail running into your plan is in base.
As with any new type of training stress it is important to implement it gradually. You may want to start off with one work out per week of limited mileage and steadily increase the duration.
Off road surfaces vary from crushed gravel, sand, grass, single track hiking trails, to rough back country trails. The more varied the terrain the more your lower legs and body will be stressed. On extremely rough and elevated terrain, hiking may be just as effective (and safer) than running. You will likely enter your aerobic base zones in this type of terrain as well, and may not need to run.
Trail shoes offer more support and traction but much less cushioning. Trail shoes vary from running shoes with a more aggressive tread all the way up to hiking shoes which may not applicable for running. Make sure you consult with a salesperson to get the right shoe for your type of training. I do not recommend doing any road running in a trail shoe, but you can take your running shoes off road if the surface is relatively stable, such as crushed gravel.
You can continue to incorporate trail running throughout the season for strength maintenance. An added bonus is that it adds variety to your training, and the scenery is better.
Matt Russ has coached and trained elite athletes around the country and internationally for over ten years. He currently holds expert licenses from USA Triathlon, USA Cycling, and is a licensed USA Track and Field Coach. Matt is head coach and owner of The Sport Factory, and works with athletes of all levels full time. He is a free lance author and his articles are regularly featured in a variety of magazines such as Inside Triathlon, and Triathlete. Visit http://www.thesportfactory.com/ for more information or email him at coachmatt@thesportfactory.com
