We are getting ready for the annual Hotter n’ Hell weekend here in Texas.  This event is the 100 mile ride, in 100 degree weather held originally to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the city of Wichita Falls.

Approximately 8,000 to 10,000 riders participate each year, making the Hotter n’ Hell Hundred the largest sanctioned century bicycle ride in the United States.  2009’s Hotter N Hell had over 14,000 riders

During the first year of HHH, there were 1200 riders.  Endurance cycling was relatively new to Texas but 1200 riders celebrated the first year as the largest single day 100 mile ride in the nation.

The early years of medical support would be a nightmare for current day medical volunteers.  There was one medical unit at the finish line.  Now there are MASH units at each rest stop and at the finish.  Medical volunteers treat everything from bees embedded in rider’s ears, to emu bites, road rash, under hydration, over hydration and hard landings.

How hot is the Hotter n’ Hell?  The temperatures are considered hotter than the locally grown jalapenos peppers!  Often the temperature is over 109 degrees, and the winds seem to always be in your face whether you are coming or going. It is a ‘win’ to finish this century ride with often only 25% able to do so.

What does it take to do this ride?

• 3,000 Community Volunteers
• Bananas approx. 20,000 (195 cases)
• Hydration fluid over 2,800 gallons of sport drink
• Oranges approximately 9,000 (100 cases)
• 10,000 gallons of water
• 8000 pickles
• More than 70,000 pounds of ice
• At least fourteen 500 gallon water tanks
• More than 100 port-a-pots
• Rest stops without shade
• Each rest stop has its own team of medical personnel

It sounds like they’re prepared.  But are you?  So how do you fuel and hydrate for such an event and succeed in reaching “Hells’ Gate’ before they close it?  Hell’s gate is located at the 60.3 mile mark on the 100 mile route. Hell’s Gate normally closes at 12:30 p.m. unless weather conditions force an early closure. Riders who reach Hell’s Gate after closure are directed to a shorter route that finishes the day with 84 miles.  Well let’s talk about that because even if you are not doing this ride there are challenging rides in your neighborhood that are just as demanding if not more so.  I like pickles and oranges but is this really the best way to fuel without bonking?  How much do you like pickles? Let’s look at that.

The 10 biggest mistakes endurance athletes make are:

1. Excess Hydration
2. Simple Sugar Consumption
3. Improper Amounts Of Calories
4. Inconsistent Electrolyte Supplementation
5. No “Protein” During Prolonged Exercise
6. Too Much Solid Food During Exercise
7. Using Something New In A Race Without Trying It In Training
8. Sticking With Your Game Hydration and/or Nutrition Plan When It’s Not Working
9. Inadequate Post-Workout Nutrition

10. Improper Pre-Race Fueling.

Replacement vs. Replenishment Myths

Some experts recommend that athletes replace what they expend during exercise in equal or near-equal amounts, hour after hour. They cite data such as “you lose up to two grams of sodium per hour, burn up to 900 calories hourly, and sweat up to two liters an hour” .  Is this really practical?  For too many athletes trying to fuel their bodies this way, results in poorer-than-expected results, hyponatremia, vomiting, or a DNF.  It is important to start the race with your tanks full by eating well on a regular basis and hopefully with salty and well tolerated foods for the week or few days preceding the ride.

To suggest that fluids, sodium, and fuels-induced glycogen replenishment can happen at the same rate as it is spent during exercise is simply not true. Endurance exercise beyond 4 hours is a deficit spending process, with proportionate return or replenishment always at a deficit. The endurance exercise outcome requires adequate fuel to delay depletion of glycogen stores, maintain good hydration and electrolyte balance, and to prevent breakdown of muscle.  With a long ride such as this we are burning primarily fat but it is critical to have adequate carbohydrates to permit this fuel source to be utilized.  This has to do with the chemical pathways required to metabolize fat to make power (Citric Acid Cycle) and the fact that the intermediates in this metabolic pathway come from glucose.    We must fuel and hydrate sensibly during a ride such as this to assure adequate fuel for the long haul.  Waiting until you’re thirsty or hungry does not work especially in an event that lasts over 4 hours in 100 degree temperatures with headwinds.

Athletes may burn up to 1000 calories an hour.  Good nutrition in the days and weeks prior to a long ride or a race is critical.  It is recommended that you try to replace about 0.5 calories of carbohydrate per pound of body weigh per hour.  Liquid calorie rich foods are most desired in this situation to aid absorption and to complement hydration.

It is recommend to take in some protein (free form amino acids) with the carbohydrates to prevent fatigue and muscle breakdown.

Nutrition Facts for Pickles

To avoid dehydration supplying about 16 to 24 ounces per hour (500 to 800 ml) is recommended.  Consider that some athletes loose a pound of sweat with 500 milligrams of sodium an hour.  This variability to some extent and training in conditions similar to that on the ride are important.  Also with training, it is possible to decrease your sweat and salt loss to some extent by acclimatization.  Take this into consideration in determining your fluid and salt needs along the way.  For sodium it is possible to lose 2 grams of sodium in an hour.  It is important especially on a ride like this to use sport drinks that match typical salt and fluid losses.

Hydrating the Body

When we exercise, we utilize mostly glycogen, but also some protein, fat, and glucose from ingested nutrients. The breakdown of these energy providers releases heat that builds up and raises our core temperature. The body must rid itself of this heat and maintain a core temperature within a few degrees of 98.6º F. An active person needs a reliable cooling mechanism. Actually, you have several. You lose some heat through your skin. Blood carries heat to the capillaries near the skin’s surface, removing heat from the body core. You breathe harder to get more oxygen, expelling heat when you exhale. The most important part of the cooling system, accounting for 75% of all cooling, is your ability to produce and excrete sweat. Sweat removes heat through an evaporative process.  Weather conditions greatly affect sweat production and cooling effectiveness.

In cool weather, you get substantial cooling from the heat that escapes directly from your skin. As the temperature increases, you gradually rely more on evaporation. On hot days, with little difference between skin surface and ambient temperatures, your skin surface provides only a small amount of convective cooling. You need to sweat more to maintain a safe internal core temperature. At 95º F or above, you lose no heat at all from your skin. In fact, you actually start to absorb heat. Evaporative cooling must do all the work. Humidity is the other major factor that affects sweat. On humid days, sweat evaporates more slowly because the atmosphere is already saturated with water vapor.  The sweat accumulates on your skin and soaks your clothes, but does not cool you.   It’s important to remember that under the worst of conditions you can produce and lose up to three liters of sweat in an hour of strenuous exercise, but your body can only absorb about one liter from fluid consumption.

Unfortunately, we don’t come with built-in gauges or indicators that tell us just how much coolant we have left in our system. We do have some physiological signs, but they function at the “Warning-Danger!” level, too late to maintain optimal performance. For instance, by the time you feel thirsty, you could already have a 2% body-weight water loss.

It is a good idea to get your nutrition from liquid sources so that while you’re hydrating you are fueling.  If you sense that dehydration is imminent, a sports drink is a primary choice with concentrated liquid calories being second.  Dehydration is harder to correct than a calorie deficiency.  However, a liquid source of fuel such as EFS shots is a superb means to get the calories that you need while continuing to replace fluids.  Taking sips from the EFS liquid shots supplies complex carbohydrates, dextrose and sucrose, a mix of sugars, that are easily absorbed.

Fueling the Body

Endurance athletes require all three forms of fuel the human body uses for energy: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. A major factor for optimal performance is using the right fuel, at the right time, in the right amount. Like every aspect of success in endurance events, proper nutrition requires planning, practice, and training to reap the benefits on race day.

Carbohydrates are critical during endurance events as they provide energy when glycogen stores begin to drop.  Research shows that a combination of carbohydrates is better than a single source.  During intense exercise, there is an elevation of epinephrine which will blunt the insulin response.  The stomach is also less able to digest foods as blood is shunted away from the stomach.  Thus absorption and adequate fuel are both important.  Thus with a mixture of sugars that can readily be absorbed fuels will be used more efficiently during exercise.

Most dietary sugars are simple molecules known as monosaccharides and disaccharides. The shorter the chain length of a carbohydrate source, the higher it will raise a chemical measure known as osmolality when dissolved.  The osmolality will affect the ability to absorb carbohydrates.  Thus a product with an osmolality of between 6 and 8% is preferred and considered optimum.  EFS energy drink has a 7% carbohydrate solution providing superior fluid absorption.

Molecules that contain many sugar units chained together are called polysaccharides, known familiarly as complex carbohydrates.  Complex carbohydrates with a combination of other sugars will provide better absorption and utilization of glucose and still match digestive system osmolality. This allows very efficient passage from the digestive tract to the liver, which converts some of the complex carbohydrate to glycogen for storage.

Ingestion of some carbohydrates can incite a condition known as “insulin spike.” This sudden recruitment of insulin causes a subsequent dramatic drop in blood sugar, which can take blood sugar levels even below the fasting level. A means to measure the ability for a food to raise the glucose level was designed called the glycemic index (GI).  GI rates the speed at which the body breaks down a carbohydrate into glucose. The lower the GI, the slower the process, and therefore the more stable the energy release. For food eaten at times other than exercise and recovery, low-to-middle GI foods are preferred.  However, during exercise, and right after exercise, a high-GI carbohydrate is desirable.  During exercise this is important to provide fuel quickly and after exercise to replace glycogen stores.

Both simple and complex carbohydrates can have high glycemic index.  The complex carbohydrates are of benefit as they are processed at a slower rate.   Note absorption is not determined by whether a substance is a simple or complex carbohydrate.  Fructose which is a simple sugar is absorbed slowly and has a low glycemic index.  Thus even though this sounds like a good thing, during exercise fructose can cause gastric distress and has not been shown to improve performance.  Thus a mixture of both complex and simple carbohydrates with an osmolality of around 7% is preferred. The use of the right simple sugars meaning those that are easily absorbed is also important.

Research has shown that supplementing with protein during exercise improves time to exhaustion and reduces post exercise muscle damage.  The addition of protein to a carbohydrate supplement increases the rate of glycogen storage by 38% over the first 4 hours of recovery.  During strenuous exercise there is damage to the active muscles due to accelerated protein degradation.  Thus it is important to initiate protein synthesis while limiting degradation.  Thus supplementation of a mixture of essential amino acids is necessary to activate protein synthesis.  Of importance, consuming carbohydrates and amino acids prevents a decline in endurance performance in consecutive days of heavy exercise.

The use of a post exercise drink such as Ultragen, provides vitamins as well as protein from Whey Protein Isolate.  Whey protein is a highly complete protein containing all of the essential amino acids.  It contains a number of individual protein components. These components help to prevent muscle breakdown and enhance immunity.  The use of a post exercise drink such as this helps recovery from daily workouts and following an intense or long effort.  Towards the end of the ride it is reasonable to begin using Ultragen as your main fuel.  If you can carry two different drinks with you this is recommended.

A fuel that uses branched chain amino acids rather than a full protein is recommended to avoid gastric distress and improve palatability.  Free form amino acids improve performance, reduce post-exercise muscle damage and improve muscle glycogen re-synthesis.  This reduces central fatigue and perceived exertion.  With intense physical exercise the body loses glutamine faster than it can replenish it.  The body breaks down muscles and becomes catabolic.  Supplementation with glutamine for recovery is important to reduce the catabolic effects of overtraining.  Athletes who suffer from over-training syndrome become immuno-suppressed and are more at risk of upper respiratory tract infections.  Supplementing with glutamine helps to support the immune system and prevent the breakdown of skeletal muscle.  Foods naturally only contain 4 to 8% of their amino acids as glutamine.  It is also destroyed by cooking.  Raw vegetables are a good source but it is not easily absorbed through the intestine.  The use of glutamine in a recovery and sports drink is helpful to prevent problems of gluatmine deficiency.

Low levels of Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) may contribute to fatigue so BCAA’s should be replaced within two hours or less following exercise.  This would include the essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine.  This is well supported in the literature as being key during exercise and more importantly when exercising in the heat.  The body uses protein as fuel under prolonged conditions or extremes of weather.  When carbohydrate intake is low, the percentage of protein the body uses as fuel will increase.  The body will pull needed amino acids from the bloodstream.  If this is not replenished from an outside source, the body will breakdown in other areas to supply this pool.  This replenishment helps to maintain lean muscle mass and prevents loss of muscle mass.  Studies show improved moderate exercise performance in the heat when supplementing with BCAAs.

Inadequate BCAA are also associated with a syndrome called central fatigue.  Following exhaustive exercise, BCAAs are depleted from the working muscle.  The depleted sate causes and imbalanced ratio of BCAA to tryptophan which results sleepiness.  Whey protein supplements may contain tryptophan .  It’s important that your supplement contain at least three grams of BCAA and minimal levels of tryptophan.

Electrolyte Replenishment

Proper fueling during exercise requires more than replenishing calories and fluids. It involves consistent and adequate electrolyte support as well.  Electrolytes are chemicals that form electrically charged particles (ion) in body fluids. These ions carry the electrical energy necessary for many functions, including muscle contractions and transmission of nerve impulses.

Many bodily functions depend on electrolytes. Optimal performance requires a consistent and adequate supply of these important nutrients. Electrolyte needs vary among athletes, so you will have to experiment during training under various conditions to assure that your plan suits your personal needs to some extent.  Assessing sweat losses are difficult but weighing yourself before and after exercise in differing conditions and looking at how much white stuff you have on your black bike shorts will help.  Be alert to signs and symptoms such as headache and muscle cramps during your training and replace electrolytes when hydrating.  Be aware that replenishing electrolytes in particular sodium and chloride helps to maintain blood volume which is critical to perform well.  A decrease in blood or plasma volume decreases stroke volume and the amount of fluid you need to adequately supply your muscles and cardiovascular system.

When athletes ride in the heat, or ride hard or long there is a greater risk of electrolyte abnormalities.  Multiple electrolytes are important to consider.  Why do people get muscle cramps?  Some think it is due to a loss of potassium.  Some think it is due to lactate build up.  These concepts are not totally wrong but do not form a complete picture.  The muscle cramps linked to working in the heat for example is often associated with low sodium levels.  This is a common occurrence as even with replacing electrolytes along the route, hyponatremia is a risk even with most electrolyte balanced fluids.  Occurrence of muscle cramping, fatigue, and nausea are common following races lasting more than 4 hours.  Leading up to a race it is not unusual for athletes to over hydrate and to forget about salt and other electrolytes.  Prior to a race it is a good idea to eat salty foods and to consider using a salt tablet or capsule that mirrors the bodies’ electrolyte losses if you tend to sweat a lot.  Hyponatremia causes more than just muscle cramps and can land you in the hospital with weakness fatigue and nausea and vomiting.

Replenishing potassium is less important as less is lost in sweat.  This electrolyte which ordinarily is inside of the cell can migrate outside of the cell with changes in pH of the blood and muscle break down.  Although it is important to replenish potassium normally lost in sweat it is important not to focus on replacing this electrolyte aggressively. The occurrence of hyperkalemia is dangerous as well and over aggressive replacement can be dangerous.

Calcium and magnesium are also important electrolytes that are lost during exercise.  These electrolytes are important in the production of muscle contraction.  The use of DiCalcim malate and DiMagnesium malate in EFS provide improved absorption with less gastrointestinal upset that will match losses normally experienced through sweating.  Note that most endurance athletes are magnesium deficient due to training with inadequate replenishment.

EFS drink Supplement Facts

EFS sport drink has an electrolyte content that more closely approximates the losses in sweat and will help prevent imbalances in electrolytes.  Using a standard sport drink will put you at risk of hyponatremia and all of the problems associated with that.

Comparison of the Electrolyte Content between Standard Sport Drinks and Endurance Specific Sport Drinks

Proper electrolyte replenishment during endurance exercise requires a gradual, consistent approach that incorporates all of the electrolytes in amounts that do not override normal body mechanisms.

Wrapping it up

So how do I plan on doing this ride?  Having done a few centuries in the past including this particular ride I feel pretty comfortable with my plan.  I start out the day with an EFS bar… or at present a Luna Bar as no more EFS bars right now.   I take my first ‘Sport Legs’ to provide some lactate for muscle fuel.  I have a ‘tank’ called a Never Reach, on the back of my bike that holds at least three 12 ounce bottles worth of fluid so I load it with three cool bottles of EFS tangerine or orange flavored drink.  I put a cooled bottle of Utragen in my bottle cage on the frame.  In the bento box I have a bottle of EFS shots to sip on when I need it.  At the water stops I get water and have plastic bags with more EFS measured out. I have a Salt Stick salt tab for just in case and occasionally I’ll use a gel cube or shot block.  I don’t eat oranges and the salt capsule is essential if I run out of EFS and drink Gatorade or Powerade on the course.  I will get ice along the way to put in my Ultragen bottle so I can start drinking that about an hour before we’re done.  I know I’m going to be out there close to 6 hours so I will be covered with ‘white stuff‘ and in need of salt and fluid.

I do eat pickles on this ride.  The dill pickle juice is just loaded with salt!  So at the end of the ride or even in the middle, a good dill pickle does have a lot of benefit. You wouldn’t think a crunchy dill pickle would be so delightful after riding 8 hours in 100 degree whether, but… Well it is. Just make sure your stomach is up for it and consider practicing your nutrition plan before you get out there to make sure it suits your palette…..and your stomach!

So have fun, you’ all!  Yahoo!

References

Bishop, N.C., et al, “Effects of carbohydrate and fluid intake on the blood responses to prolonged cycling,” International Journal of Sport Medicine, 1999.

Bloomstrand, E., et al, “Administration of branched chain amino acids during sustained exercise” European Journal of Applied Physiology and Occupational Physiology, 1991

Cordain L, Friel J, “The Paleo diet for Athletes”,  Rodale Publishing, 2005

Ivy, J.L., “Optimization of glycogen stores,” Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine: Nutrition in Sports. Blackwell Science Ltd. Oxford, UK, 2000

Ivy, J.L., et al, “Effects of carbohydrate-protein supplement on endurance performance during exercise of varying intensity,” International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.

Ivy, John and Portman, Robert,The Performance Zone, Basic Health Publications, 2004

Ivy, HL  Regulation of muscle glycogen repletion, muscle protein synthesis and repair following exercise.  Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2004;3:  131-138

Jeukendrup AE, Currell K, Clarke J, Cole J, Blannin AK.  Effect of beverage glucose and sodium content on fluid delivery. Nutr Metab  2009 Feb 20;6:9.

Levenhagen, D.K., et al, “Post exercise protein,” Medicine and Science in Sports Exercise, 2002

Masaru Ohtani, Masaaki Sugita, Kimiaki Maruyama Supplement: Branched-Chain Amino Acids in Exercise  Amino Acid Mixture Improves Training Efficiency in AthletesJ. Nutr. 2006;136:538S-543S

Nieman, D.C., “Nutrition, exercise, and immune system function,” Clinicals in Sports Medicine, Nutritional Aspects of Exercise, 1999

Noakes TD, Brian NG, Branken RT, Taylor RKN “Water intoxicatoin:  a possible complications during endurance exercise” Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, 2005, 16:  221-227

Silken RA, Testa M, Applegate EA, Heiden EA, Fasceti AJ, Casazza GAEffects of an amino acid carbohydrate drink on exercise performance afer consecutive day exercise bouts.  Int J Sprot Nutr Exerc Metab,, 2008; 18:  473-492

Tarnopolsky, M.A., “Protein and physical performance,” Current Opinions on Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care, 1999

Williams, M., Ivy, J., Raven, P., “Effects of recovery drinks after prolonged glycogen-depletion exercise,” Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

Nutritional data and images courtesy of www.NutritionData.com

Contributions from Marvin Jansen.

FIRST ENDURANCE ULTRAGEN-
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First Endurance sponsored rider Burke Swindlehurst won the 39th annual Iron Horse Classic, a 50-mile race from Durango to Silverton race that includes 6650-feet of climbing. “I knew guys would be chasing hard so I just started riding my own tempo,” said Swindlehurst. “Then all the sudden [former U.S. national road champion turned race support personnel] Chris Wherry pulled up alongside in a car and said, ‘Dude, you’re all alone.’ That’s when I went all in.”

“I’ve been a user of First Endurance products since day one. It’s by far the most complete line of endurance nutrition available.  Their attention to detail in not only product performance but taste make them not only the intelligent choice, but the tasty one!   My favorite products include Grape flavored EFS drink mix, which I like for it’s mild, not too sweet flavor and, of course, my all time and still favorite, Fruit Punch flavored Ultragen.Round that out their cornerstone product, Optygen HP and you’ve got everything you need to perform and train at your best!”

from Andrew Yoder..

This past weekend I made the short trip to Maryland to compete in the spring classic Columbia Triathlon. I always look forward to racing Columbia for its challenging course and strong competition. Going into the race, I was lacking a bit of confidence from a DNF two weeks earlier and then getting sick, which knocked me out for 5 days. Not the ideal lead up to a race but my coach Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness assured me that I would be ready and I still was capable of a good result. The goal was just to go back to basics and enjoy racing.

With a non wetsuit swim and no super swimmers in the field, I was aiming to have a fast swim and be near the front. The swim start at Columbia is very wide so there was hardly any contact. I ended up not having a great start and settled into a long line of swimmers. I attempted to move up throughout the swim but was never able to reach the front. I exited the water in 4^th position just off the leaders which included Tim O’Donnell. I held my own in transition and was in striking distance at the beginning of the bike.

The bike course is gently rolling for the first few miles and then has three challenging climbs and with the wet roads, descents. I moved into 1^st by mile two and rode as hard as I could up the first climb to get out of sight. My Trek Speed Concept felt absolutely amazing on the climbs and I was able to open up a gap on the chasers. After surviving the sketchy roundabouts and twisty descents during the first half of the ride, I picked up my effort to see if I could increase my lead on the back half. Typically on this course I slow the last 20k but my main goal was to keep the pace and effort high. I ended up riding very solid the entire 42k and came off the bike with a 4:15 lead on Tim and 4:45 to the next group.

From the beginning of the run, my legs just felt empty. They didn’t feel tired just no power which was disappointing considering the run training I had been doing the past few weeks. The constant up and down was making it hard to find a tempo but I just tried to stay steady and focus on the present and not finishing. I held my form to the finish, claiming my first professional and Columbia win. It was great to bounce back at a race that is very special to me and come out on top on a very challenging day.

I want to give a special thanks to Brian Shea of Personal Best Nutrition for coming down and supporting me during the race. Thank you to my sponsors Team Trek/K-Swiss, Matt Dixon of Purple Patch Fitness, 1^st Endurance, Oakley, and AquaSphere for the support and giving me a chance to pursue my dream.

Below is my nutrition report which I have developed with the help of Brian Shea and 1^st Endurance.

6:45 Swim Start

3:45 – 1 serving of Ultragen, 1 bagel w/ PB

4:00 to 5:30 – Sipping on 24oz. of EFS Lemon Lime

6:00 to 6:30 – 16 oz. of EFS Lemon Lime mixed with one scoop of Pre Race

6:30 – 1 serving of Liquid Shot w/ water

On the bike – 20oz. of EFS Lemon Lime w/ 1 scoop of Pre Race

Start of Run – 1 serving of Liquid shot w/ water

from Laurel Wassner

I’m very happy to report that I won my first big pro race on Sunday at the Columbia Triathlon in Maryland.  I was determined to keep the title in the family as Bec won the race in ‘09 and ‘08.  Since her foot isn’t quite ready for a hard 10k, I knew I had to step in and defend!  It wasn’t easy since the course is very challenging and it was pouring rain. I did my best to not let the weather get to me and had a little PreRace in my water bottle before getting in for a swim warm up.  It really helped me get going, especially since the race started at 6:55am!  I had a decent swim, and hopped onto my bike wearing my speedsuit.  After freezing at Rev3 Knoxville, I decided to keep an extra layer on, and it worked!  I wasn’t cold at all and was in the lead with Bec until I got passed by a very fast riding Margie Shapiro after about 21 miles.  I just tried to keep her within 30 seconds.  I knew if I could do that I could run myself back into first place.   About a mile and a half into the run,  I could see Margie and that I was gaining on her. The course is extremely hilly so I wasn’t able to just crank out my pace and zoom by. I had to be conservative since there were many more hills to come.  I got a little sick of waiting so at the 3 mile mark I made the pass and got into the lead.  At this point the lead biker turns to me and says, “Are you even in the race??” Apparently there was some twin confusion!  Margie hung with me for a mile and then at mile 4 I went for it. It hurt, but I was confident that I could run the day’s fastest 10k and that is what it took to win.  I was so happy to see the blue finish chute and then to have my entire family greet me at the finish line.  It is the best feeling in the world to make the people you care about most so happy (especially when they have done so much stressing/worrying about me!). It was a big win for all of us.  After a little celebrating, I went right to the car and mixed up an Ultragen Cappucino smoothie.  I packed a little to-go container so I could get in some important recovery calories after the race.
Congratulations to Margie and Natascha for their strong efforts and to Andrew Yoder for crushing the men’s race!  Great to share the podium with such a talented athletes.  Next up is Rev3 Quassy in Connecticut.  It’s a long one for me so, better start training!

A day after winning the inaugural 2010 Ironman St George, Heather Wurtele sat down and detailed a nutrition plan that allowed her to race with no cramps and no stomach upset.  “I am super happy to be working with you guys as well. Your products are far and away the best out there and it is SO exciting for me to know that my nutrition is totally working for me on race day and in all my training.”