Triathlon is changing my perspective of FAT!

When I began my journey for the second time in my life into triathlon, I had just delivered my fourth baby . I was 4 weeks post pardum and decided I would walk a 1/2 marathon to jump start myself into weight loss . I was wearing size 12 clothes and feeling very ,mushy! My youngest is now 17 months old and I'm wearing size 4 to 6 and I still FEEL FAT!!!! My reasoning may be crazy but there are still parts on my body that have mush! Mush does not help us to move fast and efficiently. Maybe it is obsessive, really I think it is just a change in perspective. If it's not muscle then it's not helping me to keep moving forward fast. I can't say I'm really dieting , however I think you naturally make better choices when you're training hard. I drink more water and less wine and soda. I have to avoid a lot of fat and sugar because it just screws up my bowels . I avoid eating a heavy lunch if I have to run before dinner, and so on. I would recommend the sport of triathlon for weight loss, when you train the weight just naturally comes off. I suppose naturally is a matter of perspective as well, it isn't exactly natural to train your body to do 70.3 or 140.6 miles in one day . anyway , I still feel Fat!

Trying to find my Chi in Running.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AlVjIVZiUAi3zHD4z2gzUlKbvZx4?fr=yfp-t-142-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=chi%20running%20clinics


This video shows you how you should not run and she is an elite runner! Trying to find my running chi is my goal right now.
I have less than 4 weeks until my first Marathon. I am up to more than 30 miles a week in running and I am really trying hard to follow good techniques.
I don't want to get injured.

Pre race nutrition, in endurance training and racing. How to prevent that Oh Sh****T ! moment.

So , I have goggled all sorts of advice on how to prevent those oh sh*t moments during races or long training days. Practicing in GI medicine it is amusing to me in  what the theories are in trying to help athletes.

Here is the best advice as I can give, and it sort of goes along with how we safely purge the bowels prior to a colonoscopy for any of you whom have had the pleasure.

Firstly , My theory is simple. Your diet needs to be easily digested foods for the three days prior that can easily be purged by your overactive  nerves on race day morning.

It starts with an elemental diet. Not the exact prescription we would prescribe to a patient in order to medically bypass the bowel or rest the bowels but something very similar. When in medicine you must rest the bowels , you place a patient on a liquid diet which is  high nitrogen ( amino acid) ,  is high also in glucose , is low in fat, and has vitamins and minerals. It is the simplest form of nutrition and guts don't have to do any work to digest it. There is a website for the public in which you can purchase elemental nutrition, and Vivonex 10 is a good brand but this is probably not totally necessary.

I recommend a soft , bland diet of easily digested proteins. For me what works best is tuna, peanut butter, eggs,  and protein drinks without milk.
Three days before the event start avoiding fiber. Yes avoid fiber , for fiber is a bulk forming laxative. It does the opposite of what everyone thinks in the gut. It pulls everything together to bulk the stool and fiber is not easily digested. To purge the bowels  for surgery or colonoscopy we have patients avoid high fiber for three days.
Also for the three days prior to the event.......
 Avoid milk.For most , it causes gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation. As most of the worlds population is lactose intolerant after the age of 3 at some degree, as we are inefficient at breaking down lactaid. I do however love milk as a post event drink.
Avoid caffeine, as it acts as a gastric irritant, which can increase gastric motility. Besides that caffeine is  a  weak diuretic and the three days prior to endurance events hydration is super important, so the caffeine is counterintuitive to that.
Avoid red meats and high fats as they take longer to digest.

When I follow these steps , I typically have great results and no , "oh Sh****T! moments.

I have heard people suggest just simply using Imodium, before and during long races. That is crazy to me. Imodium basically just stops peristalsis and prolongs transit time. So eventually the "sh****t , if it is in there  has to go somewhere! And the fact that you are exercising and dehydrating you are just setting yourself up to have a "moment " eventually right?  If you are doing a 12 hour race , I don't think that is a good game plan.

I have heard other advice  as , being take probiotics during race events.
 Ok, I love probiotics , but they are not a quick fix. They do help with regularity but should be taken on the long term. They help with gas, bloating , constipation and diarrhea as they are a good bacteria necessary in the guts to help with regularity.

I have also heard the advice of pancreatic enzymes. Again. not sound advice. People with pancreatic insufficiency have a true medical disorder that requires PRESCRIPTION pancreatic enzymes that cost 1000 dollars a month to be on. People with pancreatic insufficiency have diarrhea due to the inability to properly digest fats/lipids . The theory , or why I am hearing that athletes are taking these is because they are trying to digest high fats during race day , to restore , nutritional balance. I say look at the nutrition your trying to use, and it needs to be a better mix of glucose , protein and fats.

I hope all this information helps someone out there.

SH******T HAPPENS , ( conveniently or not!!) Bowel dysfunction in endurance racing continued.

SO , as I started to say a couple days ago.
The bowels moving is a good healthy event  , unless your in the middle of your 13.1, 26.2, 70.3 or 140.6, right?

So, as I already quoted, 59% of all endurance triathletes experience bowel dysfunction. I believe that number is totally underreported. I am going to say that 100% of endurance runners and triathletes have at least one episode of bowel dysfunction in training or in a race at some time. I think some people are just luckier in figuring out their SH*T quicker than others.

To define bowel dysfunction, it is also referred to as runners TROTTS, loose stools, urgent bowels, or incontinence.

The physiology of bowel function changes during extreme exercise:

In a nutshell , the increase in autonomic nervous system increases the sensitivity of the enteric nervous system resulting in possible change in circulating gut hormones. Also  decreases in intestinal blood flow can occur , and changes in nutrition and electrolyte absorption decrease intestinal secretion changing intestinal  motility.

The autonomic nervous system in itself increases motility of the bowel. I can truly say in 10 years of GI medicine, I don't meet constipated endurance athletes. So exercise ,( weight bearing exercise, jogging, running, aerobics, etc.) that jostles the bowels, gets the bowels to naturally want to move.

One major way bowel dysfunction takes place first and foremost is dehydration. Simple hydration before and during exercise decreases this scenario.
Dehydration is the precursor to several bad scenarios . Dehydration is first before electrolyte imbalances typically , unless  overhydrating is occurring causing electrolyte imbalance. That is an entirely different topic.

SO  to say it a bit differently, the bowels need proper hydration to work properly . Proper hydration keeps bowel secretions and motility properly balanced.  Easy enough right?

Another common scenario that athletes may bring on them selves that increase bowel dysfunction is use of analgesics with endurance exercise and racing. Analgesics are aspirin, Advil, Aleve, ibuprofen, and naproxen .

All of these products break down the protective prostaglandin lining of the stomach mucousa. When these are taken on a stomach that already has altered prostaglandin from  dehydration then the stomach acids , dump themselves to the duodenum. The duodenum is the first part of your small bowel. The duodenum hates acid and dumps its contents quickly through to the jejunum and then ileum, resulting in increase transit of stomach contents way too quickly through the small bowel to the colon, resulting in bowel dysfunction.

So my opinion, is only use analgesic post race if you need them, not before or during.

Nutrition pre race is the next challenge Because obviously what Goes in MUST come out !! So Diet is huge in this topic. . More later......., time to get the kids ready for bed.

I hope all this SH****T is making some sense.

Do you know your SH****T? Literally :)

I have no problem talking about this topic, as I talk to patients all DAY long about their SH*****T. I have heard endless stories from endless people whom cant go, go too much, go in inconvenient places, go weird colors, and on and on.
I have had patients bring in pictures of their SH*****T too.

But seriously speaking now, endurance training and racing can play havoc on YOUR Sh****T. As a Gastroenterology Nurse Practitioner for 10 years and hopeful Ironman, I have decided I would help others learn their SH****T.
I have had to use my medical expertise to figure out my own SH****T, and in doing some research the data suggests that 59% of endurance athletes, especially triathletes, experience bowel dysfunction in training or racing. I think the problem is probably under-reported.

So, I will devote a series on this topic. Just to keep you all waiting on the edge of your seat. There really is alot of physiology and proper nutrition to all this, and being a full time working mother of 4 and wife, I could not possibly sit and write a dissertation today on the entire  topic. That wouldn't be as much fun anyway, as I would love to get other peoples input , comments , etc. :) along the way.

Today , I will leave you with this thought.. Two high contributors to  bowel dysfunction in endurance athletes are dehydration and analgesic use. The how and why later.
Happy training.
I have to get motivated for a long run tomorrow. Hopefully 15 miles, early in the morning before  the temperatures reach 90. If anyone has answers on how to LOVE the run, send them my direction. PLEASE.