just27 wrote:Kristine's post got me to thinking about fuel (and trying to imagine eating 6 bananas
) and what works for different people. When I did a FM earlier this year, I simply had extra filtered water and Pelligrino (for the salt) water on hand. (But I'm usually pretty well carbo-loaded and protein-loaded at any given time!) Rowing for 3 - 6 hours in one sitting is way different than the sum of various sessions throughout the day ... what should one be tracking for these long-single workouts?ct
Chris, I apply the same strategy to the long rowing sessions that I have found works well for me in the running marathons.
Lots of water. I tend to stay away from the sports drinks unless I am really sweating, and then I alternate water and drink. I gauge my water intake based on how much I need to stop and go pee. If I need to stop and go about every 20-30 minutes then I know I am drinking enough water. The clearer the better - another way to monitor dehydration - more critical for running a marathon outdoors than rowing indoors, but still something to look for.
Bananas - my perfect "eat while exercising" food - I eat a small banana at the rate of about one per 45 minutes of exercise. Goes well with a variety of other carb foods like gummi bears, pita chips, any non-greasy baked item, which I have a few bites of with the banana.
One of the most important bits of advice I can give from experience is that you want to eat a bit of carb food before you really need it. So, I have a bagel about 45 min. before the exercise, then eat some carbs about every 40-45 min. during the exercise, and then when done eat one last carb snack to get me through the shower, and then have a high-protien meal, and take a long nap. A recovery drink right after the exercise is very good, but I rarely seem to have one on hand.
Eating the carbs in
small quantities before feeling the need for food will prevent your "hitting the wall", a term used to describe the body's total depletion of energy reserves, and a point which is hard to recover from while continuting the exercise.
I do find that it is hard to get the food down if I am really pushing myself hard during an endurance event, but it is an absolute must to keep from hitting the wall. This is where people find that different foods work best for them. Gells and honey make me about want to about puke, but bananas, gummi bears and crackers go down fine.
I have never actually rowed hard enough for long enough to duplicate the marathon running experience where this is an issue, but I imagine you would need to adapt your eating some due to the constant ab contractions you have with rowing that you don't have with running.
Also, I don't recommend trying to eat while on the rower. Take a bite to eat when you get up to use the bathroom. You don't want to inhale your food, and choke.
Crew taking well deserved rest? Search the beaches! Wild Bill may be in one of these chairs...
Well done everyone!
