Nutrition for Endurance Swim Training
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM
Dr.Ernie (blog name) writes,
"The water temp now (has risen to) 14 degrees Celsius (57F) and I had a robust swim this afternoon in Wellington Harbour (photo below right). Interestingly enough there was virtually no shivering. I'd swum for about an hour and a half in the pool earlier today."I was struck by the difference between pool and ocean swimming... technically I've improved tremendously in the pool over the past few weeks and my times have improved greatly. In the ocean it's much harder -- but I felt faster nonetheless.
"I am not a fast swimmer -- in fact, at this point I am still too slow to pass Phil's test -- but I can feel I'm making progress. I've been able to hold a pace of 2.5 km/hour for a few hours, and this has been an improvement from a measly 2 km/hour not very long ago. And I'll be up to 25 km/week by the end of this month (about 15.5 miles a week - longer and generally more work swimming than running).
"My plan is to increase weekly mileage to 40 km (approx 25 miles) per week by the end of November and then to make a push through to 50 km/week (about 31 miles) by the end of December -- the 'crunch' month. I'll attempt to renter the open waters by mid-November and begin reacclimatization to the cold. With luck and persistence, I'll be granted the privilege of attempting the Cook Strait swim.
"I met with Phil Rush -- the man who has crossed the Strait seven times (including a double-crossing) and who holds the world's record for a triple crossing of the English Channel. He will be piloting the support boat for my attempt, which will hopefully be in February 2008. His advice: swim, swim, swim… then be ready to take a 6-hour test in early January. In the test I will have to demonstrate that I can sustain at least a 3 km/hour pace for the 6 hours. He told me I'd have to figure out the kind of sustenance I'd need on my own, and he recommended that I not try to gain too much weight -- though he cautioned not to lose any from this point on. He also suggested that I procure the skills of a swim coach to refine technique (Fitness Fixer posts in progress on faster healthier stroke mechanics for swimming).
"Any advice on nutrition or cross-training would be appreciated. Because I also have a full-time job, time is tight and hours in the water are limited. I've experimented with a commercial product (name deleted) for multi-hour endurance activities that's easy on the stomach."
I am not a nutrient biochemistry or epidemiology researcher, so I can only report what I have read from others, which can inadvertently repeat and perpetuate wrong information incestuously (we all say so, it must be true). Following is a summary of what I believe and have seen from working with my patients and athletes:
- In general, good nutrition all year will give more benefit than eating special foods for an event, race, or hike.
- Processed packaged sports supplement foods cost far more than the ingredients, and you can get healthier ingredients, cheaper, and just as easily without commercial sports powders, bars, drinks, and other preparations.
- Many nutrients need to work in the original food containing other components that make each part work better. Some do not work, or have even been found to increase health risks when concentrated in vitamin and mineral supplements.
- In general, no commercial processed "sports food," no matter how engineered or marketed as effective for training, will give you the health of healthful real food. Whole foods, for example, a simple apple with the skin, contain combinations of nutritional and disease fighting chemicals that are not available in supplements.
- "Energy food" technically means it has calories. Extra calories alone will not enable you to build muscle or win a race.
- Increasingly, some "energy food" and drinks contain stimulant compounds. This practice is a foolhardy one to become accustomed to, building cycles of inability to focus, exercise, or feel well without them, and varying degrees of agitation with them, sleep difficulties, and various cardiovascular risks.
- Products with soy are usually unfermented soy. Unfermented soy contains enzyme inhibitors which block digestion, goitrogens which inhibit thyroid function, phytic acid, which blocks minerals like zinc and calcium, and estrogen-promoting compounds. Anyone with tendency to estrogen-dependent tumors or cancer, fibroids, cystic ovary and breast, or endometriosis will be better to avoid unfermented soy.
- Even if sugar water will extend endurance, it is still junk food, not healthy for the long term. Science Daily reports "Sports drinks face junk food label"
- Protein and carbohydrate together work better for training than sugar alone, however commercial processed powdered mixtures are still not the healthy choice over the long term.
Don't worry that you have to eat engineered products to be able to win. You will win better in the long run without them.
Related Fitness Fixer:
- Recipe follows in Fast Fitness - Healthier Sports Shake.
- Click the label 'nutrition' under this post for all Fitness Fixer posts with food ideas and info.
- More on all these issues plus some Halloween treat suggestions - Is Your Health Food Unhealthful?
Photo by Dr. Ernie
Labels: cold, endurance, nutrition, performance enhancing modality, readers inspiring story, swimming
4 Comments:
At Wednesday, October 24, 2007 9:56:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
This is enormously helpful. There's generally so much pressure to use pre-fabricated commercial concoctions -- that many athletes have been persuaded that good healthy food will never 'cut it' for competition. I'm happy to see that you've cut through that hogwash.
At Friday, August 08, 2008 11:40:00 PM,
Anonymous said…
(Note: I hope this reply isn't too late.)
Dr. Ernie, you’re touching on a huge topic – endurance nutrition. You got some excellent advice from Dr. J. Adding to her good advice, I’d recommend a book by Stu Mittleman, “Slow Burn.” Stu is what is called an ultramarathoner. Where most endurance athletes will taper (activity) the week before their event, deplete glycogen (stored carbs) stores and then “super-compensate” those depleted stores, Stu has argued that even lean individuals have enough stored body fat to fuel *many* marathons … which is exactly what Stu Mittleman did when he broke the world record in the 1,000-mile run during the World-Championships in Queens, New York, in 1986, running the thousand miles in 11 days and 20 hours!!!
You can teach the body to depend on carbs to fuel your work, or you can teach your body to use fat. To the degree that you are able to do the latter, you can put off the bonk that most endurance athlete hit near (before) the end of their event.
Training Nutrition Suggestions/Recommendations.
* Make sure you’re eating your weight in grams of protein. If you weigh 150 pounds, you’d benefit from eating 150g of protein per day, divided equally between 5 or 6 “meals”; i.e., 30g x 5 meals or 25g x 6 meals.
* Consume as many (different) fibrous green veggie carbs as you possibly can at every meal. Do not weigh, measure or count. More is better. On days you train you’ll eat more. On days you don’t train you’ll eat less.
* Variety, variety, variety. Try to eat as many different kinds of fibrous green veggie carbs as you possibly can in a week’s time. Make a list. Variety prevents nutrient deficiencies. You get extra points for organic fibrous green veggies.
* Variety, variety, variety. Try to eat as many different kinds of protein as you possibly can in a week’s time. Make a list. Do not repeat a protein source in a day’s time. You get extra points for grassfed beef and lamb and for chicken/turkeys that were raised with access to pasture (different/better than cage free). The fatty acid profile of grassfed animals is better and less inflammatory.
* Go to www.nutritiondata.com and click on Tools Nutrient Search. Search for foods high in magnesium and then high in zinc and add those foods into your diet. Athletes have higher requirements for magnesium and zinc.
* Eat some fruit at every meal. Again go for variety, variety, variety and color. Again, you get extra points for organic. Fruits (and veggies) are chock full of anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that protect your health and protect you from cancer.
* Eat a serving of beans every day. Do a search on Google for “health benefits beans” to see why. It’s a quality, sustained-release carb source with a boat load of health benefits.
* Do a search on the “Dirty Dozen” and buy organic for at least those veggies and fruits where there is the highest pesticide use.
* Consume *quality* starchier carbs *following* (not before) your endurance training. By “quality,” I mean oatmeal, sweet potatoes, wild rice, beans and lentils. Consume as much as is needed to maintain body weight. Reduce the amount of quality starchy carbs if you start to gain weight.
* Consume roughly equal amounts of saturated fat, monounsaturated fat and omega 3 fatty acids. Multiply your weight by 0.4g. If you weighed 150 pounds, you’d need 60g of fat per day. You’d need 20g of saturated fat (like you find in meat, dairy and eggs), 20g of monounsaturated fat (like you find in olive oil, avocado and macadamia nuts/oil), and 20g of omega 3 fatty acids (like is found in coldwater fish, flaxseed and chia seed). Farm raised salmon does *not* provide the same omega 3 benefits that wild caught salmon does. The two are *not* interchangeable!!!
* Cut the garbage out of your day-to-day diet! That said, allow yourself a cheat/treat/free meal every week. One meal will not undo the other 34 to 41 meals you eat in a week’s time.
* Avoid foods that don’t “sit well” with you … that cause digestive upset or distress. Listen to your body. What I’m talking about is food intolerances. Do a search on Google for those foods that are most/more problematic.
The above recommendations don’t cover PRE-race nutrition, which is an even larger topic, but it should help with day-to-day nutrition leading up to the race, while you’re in training.
A couple more things … since I know you’re pressed for time, do your best to cook in multiples. Why make an omelet for yourself every morning. Instead make a quiche that will last you the week and divide it into 7 little containers. That way, no matter how busy you are, you’ll always have time for breakfast. Along the same line, make a soup for yourself or chili. You can pack in *lots* of fibrous green veggies into either! If you cook in multiples/bulk, you can pack your food and take it with you when you go. It’s the only way you can control the quality of what’s going into your mouth.
And finally, Dr. E., make sure you get even more sleep than you think you need for recovery!!! No matter how good the training or nutrition, it will all count for naught if you’re not getting enough sleep.
Good luck!!! We’re all rooting for you!!! You will report back, won’t you?
At Monday, November 02, 2009 10:59:00 AM,
Anonymous said…
Good luck Dr E!
I read Lynne Cox's book "Swimming to Antarctica" its incredibly inspirational. As you no doubt know she swam the Cook Straight. I recommend it.
The advice on nutrition is very useful and an important subject. I am now training to swim the English Channel next year and am now realising how important diet is.
Thanks a lot and all the best!!!
Lloyd
At Wednesday, December 02, 2009 6:22:00 PM,
Jolie Bookspan, M.Ed, PhD, FAWM said…
Lloyd, Wonderful. Keep us in your updates about your training. Regarding points of the above enthusiastic list from 9Volt (thank you Terry), vegetarian, even vegan nutrition can be healthy for athletes and endurance swimmers. See my links in this article above, which link to more vegetarian and training nutrition. I am not sure why not repeating a food source is not indicated; a handful of raw sunflower seeds, almonds, and walnuts at different times of the day seems nice. Use training not as a stress filled checklist of benchmarks, but as your health and your joy. Send your photo sharing site for pictures.
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