Endurance: How to Eat and How to Train

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Not only is this exciting, particularly for those people who like long distance events, like marathons, ultra-marathon, biathlons, etc., but I think this is probably some of the most scenic race in the United States. The finish line is at the base of the Grand Teton in Jackson, Wyoming. If you want to know more about my recent visit there, click here to see pictures from all around Jackson.

How to Train:

Training for LOTOJA has the same approach as training for long-distance obstacle course races, such as Spartan Races, Marathons, and Triathlons.

Now, for those readers who want to know the "secrets" of endurance training and preparation, here you go.

1. When you first begin training for long distance events, you need to focus on volume primarily. Volume is how many hours of miles you are riding. At the beginning, depending on your level of fitness, you need to get as many miles in as possible.

2. Intensity is the next important point. LOTOJA is an intense climbing race (and a sprint for those hardcore bikers!)

As indicated on the elevation chart above, there are some pretty steep climbs at the beginning, and then it tapers out toward the end.

If I was training an athlete to compete in this, I would start tapering, as the race is September 6, 2014. This concept applies for anyone running any kind of race. The closer you get to the event, you push harder over shorter distances. Toward the end, you are are in better shape, but your muscles are fatigued. In order to store up as much glycogen (energy stored in your muscles) as possible, the closer you get to the race, you should be backing off a little more each day. You want as much glycogen packed in your muscles as possible.

If you haven't been training as you should have been or don't feel like you made it to your physical endurance peak, here are a few tips to help you make the most out of the last few days before LOTOJA or any other endurance event:

1. Combine weight and cardio exercises in the same workout to increase intensity (squats + biking)

2. Do high intensity exercises with little to no rest in between each set and repetition, and make sure you interval train. The reason for this is that you have three systems to obtain energy (ATP, glycolysis, and oxidative). To be the best endurance athlete you can be, you need to be efficient in all three. Train fast for ATP use, moderate for glycolysis, and cranking a long distance workout is the best way to train and use oxidative mechanisms for energy.

3. Hydrate yourself as much as you can.

4. On race day, the best thing you can do is refuel yourself with carbohydrate products every half and hour or so. If you are a fan of gatorade, this is your day to drink it. A lot of it! Endurance athletes require 30-60g of carbohydrates every hour of intense training. That is equivalent to one gatorade every hour, but don't over do it on your carbs! More is not better as you will get gastrointestinal distress, and while on a bike, that sucks!

How to Eat:

Two to three days before your endurance event, you need to practice something called carbo-loading. If you ever watched The Office, or this episode of The Office, you'll know that this is exactly what NOT to do.

You should however, a few days before increase your carbohydrate intake to four grams of carbohydrate for every kilogram of bodyweight. For example, if you weighed 150 pounds (68 kg), your daily carbohydate intake during this period would be 600 grams, or 2400 calories from carbohydrates.

The reason to do this is so that you can store as much glycogen in your muscles as possible before the event. A full sample day of eating for our 150 pound athlete would look like this:

Meal one (Breakfast):

Bagel with 2 tablespoons s jam (71 g carb) Banana (27 g carb) 8 oz. yogurt (41 g carb) 8 oz. fruit juice (26 g carb)

Meal two (Snack):

Granola bar (29 g carb) 8 oz. Gatorade (14 g carb)

Meal Three (Lunch):

Large baked potato (69 g carb) One slice of toast (40 g carb) 8 oz. chocolate milk (26 g carb) Oatmeal cookie (56 g carb)

Meal Four (Snack):

Carbohydrate rich bar, (like Clif Bar, Larabar etc) (42 g carb) 8 oz. Gatorade (14 g carb)

Meal Five (Dinner):

Burrito with rice, corn salsa, and black beans (105 g carb)

Bag Swedish Fish (51 g carb)

Total: 611 grams of carbohydrate.

If you have ever driven through the northwestern part of the country or have ever been around serious cyclists, you have probably seen a sticker worth so much sweat and envy. If you have never heard of this, it's sort of the marathon for bikers. LOTOJA (or Logan, Utah to Jackson, Wyoming) is a 206 mile (332 km for my other readers) one-day race.

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