​As a performance coach specializing in trail and ultra-distance running, I am frequently asked about the use of caffeine a supplement to performance.  With almost every sports nutrition brand providing caffeinated options, from gels to chews to beverages, I believe it is important to address the question – to caffeine or not to caffeine?  Sadly, as you will soon find out, whilst there are some good rules to abide by, everyone is different.  Using caffeine requires you to understand the science, your own body’s response to this common stimulant, and then to deliberately practice and observe its effects during exercise.
 
Caffeine is a stimulant
Let us begin with the most important concept. Caffeine is a stimulant.  It acts to give you a false sense of energy, helping to heighten alertness and enhance wakefulness.  In trail running, these effects can help someone to feel more responsive to the challenges of the trail, overcome fatigue (both physical and mental), and to also mask pain (more on this soon).  However, herein lies the caution.  If caffeine is a stimulant and can help someone to feel like a relative of Superman, then it is likely that this individual is working at a heightened level of physical and mental exertion.  Underlying this is still the same body requiring the same amount of energy, if not more, to maintain its level of performance.  If you are someone who uses caffeine, then it is highly likely that you are chewing into energy reserves faster than you would in a non-caffeinated state.  Unless you are ruthless about putting this energy back in whilst on your caffeine-high, then you can be digging your own energy hole that may be difficult, or near impossible, to return from.
 
Caffeine is a diuretic
The same concept holds true for the effect that caffeine has on our hydration.  As caffeine is a mild diuretic, it can give an athlete the sensation of needing to stop behind a tree, all the while thinking,‘great, I must be hydrated’.  If you are zinging along the trail on your caffeine high, it is also imperative to keep on top of your fluids, preferably using an electrolyte higher in sodium.
 
Caffeine has different effects on different people
I am a tea drinker and even a small influx of caffeine will hit me hard, so hard in fact that my mind begins to race and I begin to feel a little bit jittery.  My husband on the other hand loves a coffee, or two, or three.  Whilst I opt for the tea leaves, he will grind, filter and create an espresso with negligible effects on his physiology or psyche.  Out on the trail, the enormous difference of caffeine’s effects on our bodies continues to be evident.  For me, even a portion of a caffeinated gel is like putting a firecracker in a tin can.  The nearly instantaneous pulse of caffeine resonates throughout my body, causing me to feel zingy, jittery and uncomfortable.  However, for my husband, he will really, really notice the lack of caffeine in his system if we begin early in the morning or are running for extensively prolonged periods of time.  For example, if he skips his morning coffee, or those later in the day, the lack of caffeine leaves his normally caffeinated body feeling lethargic and stagnant. Utilising a caffeinated gel during these lower periods makes a lot of sense, albeit carefully ensuring that enough energy is also replaced to combat its stimulating effects.  This is imperative to avoid crashing and burning later. 
 
Caffeine and women
Fascinatingly, studies are now coming to light about the role of caffeine on a woman’s body, and how the effect varies depending on her hormonal status.  For example, information is coming to light to show that the metabolism of caffeine during the first two weeks of a woman’s cycle is similar to that of men, but then in the second two weeks women show higher peak levels following ingestion, meaning that the caffeine will stay in her body for longer.  This is also true for many women using certain forms of birth control.  I would recommend that if you are a woman and are sensitive to caffeine, begin to notice and document its effects on your body at different times of your menstrual cycle.  You may observe that your sensitivity to this stimulant may go up and down with the changes in your hormonal levels, thus requiring you to adapt your approach during exercise.
 
Caffeine and stress
Some athletes are highly susceptible to pre-race exercise stress or anxiety.  For these athletes, I would strongly recommend steering clear of caffeine prior-to, or in the early phases of a race as it has the potential to enhance the cortisol stress response.  Too much stress too early on can lead to burning more calories than desired, leading to a potential deficit later in the event.  
 
Caffeine for pain
Interestingly, one of the greatest benefits of caffeine during exercise is that is becomes a potent masker of pain.  That is, during exercise, it can have an effect of similar proportions to that of taking two Panadol tablets.  There have certainly been occasions when I have had to tap into this during the depths of a long, difficult ultra-distance run.  For example, on one such adventure I had a sudden, sharp onset of ITB syndrome with symptoms of jabbing pain in the front of my patellar. No amount of hobbling helped and deep down I knew that this compensation would only make the problem worse. Within 10 minutes of consuming a caffeinated gel, I had not just climbed out of this hobbling hole, but the pain had completely disappeared!  I believe that this was also due to my heightened ability to improve my motor patterning, once again tapping into the strength of my gluteal muscles that had become lazy and non-responsive due to mental and physical fatigue.  Amazingly, I experienced no more knee pain for the remaining 6 hours of this long mission. 
 
In summary, caffeine certainly does have a role during exercise.  It can help us to feel alert, agile and responsive to the demands of the challenges we have set ourselves, and not to forget its effects on pain.  However, it is imperative to remember that it is a stimulant.  For these reasons, I would urge all athletes to develop insight into how it affects them on an individual level, and also to consider keeping it up your sleeve as a trump card for later in the race.  This will help you to experience that sensation of finishing with fire, whilst also helping to prevent digging energy deficits due to overexertion too early in an event. 

In the last weeks of my twenties, I can honesty testify that I thought nothing needed to change.  I was a happy Tomboy, chasing dreams and living life as I had always done – a car cruising along the highway on automatic pilot.  However, as I turned the corner into my thirties, I suddenly felt like I was confronted with an enormous junction, a confusion of dead-ends, back roads, and stop signs.  It was overwhelming and I was afraid to look back to where I had come from for fear of what I may see. At the end of 2016, I wrote a reflection of this experience titled Planting My Feet.  This piece was a very personal account of the journey I went on after I turned 30 and how I navigated this crossroads, discussing how I began working on ‘self’ to find greater purpose in my relationships, sport and career. 
 
As I moved into 2017, my greatest intention, call it a new year’s resolution if you must, was to consolidate the positive experiences and hard work of 2016.  I think I can honestly say that I have done so, and here is what I have learnt from this wild ride of the year just gone:

1. My greatest fear is failure:

Two years of internal work, exploring the actions of my past to enhance future experiences, has led me to understand that I have a massive fear of failure.  Most surprisingly, learning to rock climb this year has highlighted this to me.  Fingers and toes delicately holding onto a sheer wall, the land far below, this exposure brings up many emotions but a fear of heights or falling is not one of them. No, I simply have a fear of not making it to the top.  To me, this would mean failure and in these moments fear squeals at me in a higher pitched, feminine voice – ‘Don’t fail!’.  As I began to realise this, I began to look at other areas of my life.  Sport, business, writing, academia – ‘Don’t fail!’.  Here I pause.  Please do not get me wrong, I am not competing with you.  No, this is an internal competition with myself, a fear that I will not succeed with the challenge I have set myself. 

What has helped me to overcome this fear of failure has been to rewrite my definition of success, which has slowly become to ‘seek craftsmanship and strive for beauty’.  And my modality for achieving this is, ‘be wilder, to play wilder, to perform wilder’.  Gone are my days of butchering onwards, thinking more is better and rushing for outcomes. I now strive to find ways to feel more beautiful in my intentions, so that I experience more joy in my actions, so that I can, in turn, strive for mastery in the outcomes I aspire for.  I believe that this has to be the order of priorities… Be, Play, Perform.

1. Ego is the elephant in my room:

After turning thirty, I spent twelve-months working with a performance psychologist.  After a few sessions, he suggested that there was an elephant in the room with us.  I knew he was right.  I could feel the beast lurking in the corner, poking me occasionally with his trunk and occasionally stomping on my toes.  This year I have finally come to identify him by name and to bring him out of the shadows.  Everyone, meet Ego!  For the most part, Ego likes to take long naps and doesn’t bother me.  However, when the high-pitched, feminine Fear squeals, ‘Don’t fail!’, the dominating, male presence of Ego the Elephant heffalumps to my rescue.  ‘Just do more.  Train more.  Work harder.  Try more.  Say yes!  Don’t say no!’  And so the tug-of-war starts, feminine Fear on one side and Ego the elephant on the other.  Until we all get so damn tired that we put down the rope, call truce, and make a cup of tea.

1. Honesty ends the tug-of-war:

Honesty is, and has always been, one of my strongest values but I actually didn’t realize its quieter, positive influence in how I live my daily life.  Whilst I find it easy to be honest with others, this year I have come to truly understand that I am the best version of Me when I am truthful with Hanny.  This is because it halts the tug-of-war between Ego the Elephant and my feminine Fear. 

It is definitely easy to drift from the truth, sometimes slightly and other times wildly.  This usually happens when Ego is winning the war and I find myself saying to myself, ‘She’ll be right…’  The most frequent example of this is when my body is pleading with me to be kind to it and instead Ego encourages me to battle on through.  This has resulted in a few injuries, such as currently with my Achilles.  Sometimes I find that the truth feels shameful, like realizing you are not as strong as you thought you were.  And it can be uncomfortable, like admitting you were wrong in your judgment.  Other times I find the truth confusing, especially in relationships. And sometimes, like when you stand alone on a remote peak, it is wildly exciting.  What I have discovered, using wilder adventures and business as a method of discovery, is that to live truthfully is to live in the NOW.  When I am in the moment, not thinking about my past or future, I am being honest with myself and finding positive outcomes.  When I am in the NOW, there is little room for Ego who is forced to return to his corner, trunk between his legs.  And amazingly, as he does, fear abates too.
 
2017 was beautiful, albeit busy.  The highlights have definitely been:

• Standing on a patch of white sand pledging to remain by my best friend till death do us part;
• Overcoming a trepidation of the vast unknown to traverse the South Coast Track of Tasmania on the eve of my 31st birthday;
• Guiding a group through the Overland Track on a 65km wild adventure in wooly Tasmanian weather;
• Crossing the finish line at the Ultra Trail Australia 100km and feeling a rich sense of completion;
• Completing my first, large solo, remote adventure on a trail run to Frenchman’s Cap in Tasmania;
• Beginning the vertical journey in the sport of rock climbing;
• Seeing Find Your Feet continue to succeed my expectations and in doing so, foster a wilder community around Australia;

 
With the new year now upon us, my intentions for 2018 are to:

• Live more in the NOW;
• Practice more gratitude;
• Write frequently;
• Nurture my body with wholefoods and appropriate exercise;
• Play unforgivingly;
• And to seek craftsmanship when I ‘Dare to Play Wilder’. 

 
I hope that you are also looking forward to a wholehearted year ahead!  May it be the ride that you wish for.

I really appreciate all your continued support.  If you haven't already done so, please check out:

• Find Your Feet Retail
• The Find Your Feet Podcast
• The Find Your Feet TRAIL RUNNING GUIDEBOOK
• Find Your Feet Tours incorporating Wild Missions with Hanny Allston

Hanny

Sometimes you reach a point where you know some things need to change.  In February 2016 I realised that it was time to audit my life after experiencing the devastation of raging fires in northern Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area, a back injury and turning 30 years old.  I started journalling my thoughts and actions, quickly realising that I felt completely unharmonious between my intentions and actions.  Furthermore, I knew that my body wasn’t healthy.  I looked fit and was running strongly on paper, but underneath this there were old habits that were holding me back.  Crunch point.
Today I want to share the 11 steps that I have taken so far to re-find my feet:


1. Beginning the ‘Internal Work’When I visited a new doctor at the start of the year she looked me up & down and said, ‘Hanny, you need to find your femininity’.  I had not a clue what she meant but when I was handed the name of a performance psychologist in town I new she must be serious.  For sure, I was experiencing a nasty back injury & was feeling a little directionless but by no means did I really feel I needed to ‘chat’.  However, when I began to audit my life I realised there were (and always will be) a number of areas for self-improvement.  At this time these included: a lack of feminine hormones; a constant need to be busy; quick to react to stress; physical niggles; adapting to a growing leadership role in my business; increasingly large sporting goals; and a concern about nourishing nutrition (or lack thereof).  

This year, I have worked with Jeremy, a performance psychologist, on my ‘internal self’.  It has been one of the more difficult and yet rewarding experiences I have ever had.  It has opened my eyes to the extraordinary power of our minds, emotions and actions stemming from deeper, mindful intentions & values.  I have found greater purpose in my relationships, running, and business, as well as an understanding of femininity & self-compassion.  And this journey is just beginning…


2. Loving the ‘External Self’As I started the ‘internal work’, I realised that I was often neglecting my ‘external self’.  In fact, I almost felt disassociated from my body.  One day, Jeremy asked me what I did for self-compassion.  I racked my brains before proudly jumping to the notion of massage.  “I get massages!’  He looked me squarely in the eyes and replied, ‘for self-compassion or for recovery from training & sport?’  I had never realised there was a difference.  
Though self-exploration and monitoring my actions I am slowly developing an awareness that self-compassion starts with accepting who I am and how I look & feel.  I started by exploring small ways to nurture myself.  Here are some of the actions I have taken, although I know there are many more to foster:

• Relaxation & mindfulness
• Listening (& I mean really listening) without judgement to what my body is saying both in regards to training but also to its needs for ‘down time’, sleep etc.
• Removing toxins by filtering water, using natural beauty & cleaning products, choosing organic when possible etc.
• Dressing in clothes I am comfortable in and that suit my internal mood - playful, feminine etc.

3. Learning through listeningI love to learn but was becoming frustrated that I wasn’t investing in formal learning.  Through the encouragement of my friends I began exploring the beautiful world of podcasts.  I was hooked!  And because I loved listening to podcasts so much I began exploring ways to have more time to listen to podcasts.  This lead to getting back on the bike, running more on my own and using rare times in the car to unwind with a great episode playing.  Learning doesn’t need to be formal and what I am learning through other peoples’ stories has not only increased my motivation but also made me feel more connected to society.  I am now in the process of launching my own podcast through which I hope to share my community’s stories.  I honestly believe stories are the gold through which we can learn to enrich our own lives.  Here are my current favourite podcast series:

• The Rich Roll Podcast with Rich Roll
• Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais
• Conversations with Richard Fidler

4. Understanding through writingI wish I could find more time for writing but journaling has become the key to unlocking my understanding.  When my head is full or I feel like I am becoming stale, I pick up a pen and start writing.  I am always amazed at what my mind has stored up that I was unaware of, and the insights that I shed when I write without judgment.  Don’t get me wrong, there is also a lot of garbage that gets written too!  Writing allows your mind to let go of the unnecessary thoughts, release subconscious mulling, and then act on the ideas that spark your imagination, creativity & passion.


5. Acceptance through meditationWow, never thought I would admit that I love to meditate!  I started in this world with a need to relax.  Using free YouTube videos & the encouragement from Jeremy, I started practicing whole-body relaxation before I went to sleep.  This certainly enhanced the quality of my sleep but I also found that I had a clearer mind the next morning.  From here I began to explore more and more YouTube videos: Guided meditation; Chakra Meditation; Hypnosis etc.  It really is an interesting world.  I try to put thoughts of religious association aside and just observe what happens when you willingly have a go.  I have also begun practicing self-guided meditation, especially when I am lying quietly in bed at night. 


6. Plant-Powered NutritionI also never thought that I would admit to exploring a 100% plant-based diet.  I have been a vegetarian for 17 years now with the occasional salt & pepper calamari in there, but I honestly have never enjoyed any form of animal meat or fish.  When I audited my life I realised that I had some shockingly unbalanced habits when it came to diet and I know these have stemmed from struggles with disordered & restrictive eating in my blacker past.  These included an absolute love affair with cheese.  Whilst I was eating enough in an energy sense, I didn’t feel good.  I felt heavy after lunch and the skin on the back of my arms and legs were covered in Keratosis, a dry skin condition that looked like a constant bout of goose bumps caused by excessive keratin build up.  The more I researched, the more I was pointed to the ill-effects of dairy and how it can cause Keratosis.  Furthermore, I knew that my mother is lactose intolerant.  
Removing dairy from my diet has changed everything!  Not only has the Keratosis almost completely disappeared but my mind is clearer, my moods are more constant, my hormonal cycle is regular for the first time ever and I feel energised beyond measure.  It has also opened up a whole new plethora of amazing foods that I have barely experienced and a need to be more creative with preparing meals.  None of it has been hard, but rather it has just required a willingness to shift my thinking and crack some old habits.


7. Simplifying StuffThe flow on of changing my diet and removing toxins from my lifestyle lead to a realisation that I have a lot of ‘stuff’.  I am just beginning to think about how I can master the art of living simpler.  I would love to set a radical goal of spending at least one night a week in our van for the entire summer (and maybe winter too!).  I am also about to embark on a big ‘culling’ session around home.  When I do need to buy something, I will be looking for lasting quality and where & how it was made, rather than the price.  Buy once.


8. Intention & Values not GoalsI no longer have strict goals and for now I am not planning any races.  When I started feeling richer in other areas of my life I found that the drive to set goals had diminished.  I am not saying the need for goals is gone completely, but perhaps setting goals had been a way to plug holes in a leaky lifestyle?  I now feel filled with purpose and a motivation to just live & be wilder.  I am driven by intentions that bubble up from a deeper place within me.  And because of this I am playing… hard!  I don’t think I have every felt so fit and I have big dreams that I am working towards.  That is far more exciting for now than any goal I could set myself.


9. Learning the Art of PresenceI am a shocker for trying to plan, plan, plan.  But isn’t there a saying, ‘life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans’?  That was me in a nutshell.  I am now trying to not get too far ahead of myself because I also think my planning brain kicked in when I was fearful, nervous or struggling to slow down.  I also read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.  Whilst heavy and often a little too ‘out there’ for me, I found the concept of intentionally trying to be present in what I am doing highly invigorating.  When I am on a run I am on a run.  When I am listening to a podcast I am listening to a podcast.  When I am making a cup of tea I am focusing on this task.  When it is time to go to bed I am literally going to bed to rest.  Being more present has reduced stress and increased space in my life for creativity & enjoyment.


10. Recognising the importance of PatienceNot my greatest strength!  It was Jeremy who said to me, ‘Han, I think you need to learn the art of patience’.  With all this energy and enthusiasm I am constantly looking for how I can give back more and more. But Rome was not built in a day, nor are dreams, or health, or lives.  Patience may end up being my most difficult obstacle.  Lucky I like a challenge!


11. Measuring health by the health of my hormonesThis is a personal note to end on but a lack of regular menstrual cycles has been my biggest fear in life.  I had seen so many specialists and been put on so many supplements and drugs over the years to solve this issue.  However, the deep internal work, the decluttering, the planting my feet in nutrition that nurtures… this has been what has allowed my body to embrace its femininity.  I have learnt that the greatest measure of my body’s own health is the health of my hormones.  So, over medals, business, records and more, I think finding health in my hormones is the accomplishment I am most proud of in 2016.


For 2017 I am setting my intention to consolidate 2016.  I want to learn more and find routines in what I embarked on this year.  Underlying this is a desire to ‘Be Wilder’ - in my actions, intentions and thoughts.  Getting uncomfortable every now and then will be at the heart of this too.
It is with great excitement that I wish you all a wonderful start to 2017 and I hope that this coming year can provide an opportunity for you to find health, vitality & wild adventures too.

This article was featured in the latest edition of Travel Play Live

Dawn was breaching through the darkness as I pulled on my running tights, thermal, beanie and gloves.  From my lounge room window I could see Mt Wellington and my beloved trails covered in a thick blanket of snow.  Winter has arrived!

Winter training poses many challenges to all of us.  Increased darkness and cooler temperatures disturb our homeostasis and require alterations to our exercising habits.  Developing an understanding of the physiological changes your body goes through during winter will assist you to maintain healthy, safe & sustainable exercise routines this year.


Physiological changes during winter
Add more carbohydratesThrough the door… kick off the running shoes… flick on the kettle then head to the pantry. This increased hunger and search for nourishment is partly caused by an increased baseline metabolic rate as your body uses more energy for warmth.  Furthermore, research shows that genetic changes sparked by the onset of winter are also responsible.  During winter, genetic up-regulation causes your body to naturally store more adipose tissue (fat cells) and switch to greater carbohydrate dependence.  No wonder I crave a big bowl of steaming porridge after a cold morning run in winter!    For endurance athletes, this research suggests that our ability to efficiently burn fat for energy during winter exercise is slightly reduced.  We lean towards a higher carbohydrate dependence for driving the muscles and consume greater quantities of oxygen.  This can create increased lactic acid production during intense bouts of training at this time of year.  To avoid carbohydrate depletion during sessions longer than 60-90 minutes, take a source of glucose-based energy, such as a sports gel.  Ensure adequate cool downs and replace your carbohydrate stores afterwards.  Add quality carbohydrate to all your meals, such as whole grains, pumpkin and sweet potatoes. 

Be flexibleYour circadian rhythm is a hormone driven process that determines your sleep & wake cycles. The average individual has an internal circadian clock that ticks on a 24hr11min cycle.  That’s right, for most of us our circadian rhythm would actually extend beyond one day if it wasn’t for light.  The presence of light resets our circadian rhythm so our body remains in sync with the time of day.  However, in winter the shorter days and longer nights create changes to our sleep & awakening cycles, and lead to that 2pm slump hitting you a little earlier in the afternoon.  Altered circadian rhythms can make clambering out of bed in the morning even more difficult and could be the reason behind lethargy on your morning run.  If possible, in winter try to have days where you can allow your body to awaken naturally and shuffle some of your runs to periods of the day when you feel most energised.  This will help to keep your stress levels reduced and enhance recovery from exercise.  So, turn off that alarm! 

Get your restMany of us could relate to the sensation of entering winter hibernation.  This is likely influenced by the increased production of the hormone Melatonin, otherwise known as the hormone of darkness.  Melatonin has a strong influence on the length and quality of our sleep, and is often used as an alternative to sleep medications. In individuals who experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Melatonin is shown to be elevated.  The moral of this story? When Melatonin-induced hibernation kicks in, have your daily dose of exercise then get your ZZZs!  As the body does most of our physical recovery during the earlier stages of the sleep cycle, enhancing the quality and duration of your sleep will ensure that you recuperate faster between exercise sessions. 

‘Listen when the body whispers’
A study published by British and German researchers showed that over one quarter of the genes in our body become more or less active during different seasons.  This impacts on our mood, sexual behaviour, metabolism and now it appears, our immune defences.  Their research also suggests that genes responsible for promoting inflammation also become more active during the coldest, winter months and are particularly elevated in Australia’s southern-most states.  Whilst inflammation has an important role in healing, excessive inflammation can generate discomforts and diseases, such as the common winter ailments of arthritis and cardiovascular disease.  With increased inflammation involved, perhaps niggles in our active bodies whisper louder during winter?  It is critical to moderate exercise routines to avoid unnecessary injuries and sickness.  One option is to see Winter as an ideal time for gentle base training, building up to races in Spring or Summer.  Furthermore, winter is the ideal time to focus energy on strength weaknesses in the body.  Therefore, preempt the danger months by switching to aerobic base training, pre-habilitation exercises and cross training.  Protect the immune system with quality nutrition, sleep and self-nurturing. 

Don’t become chilled
Physiological changes become more dramatic when your core temperature drops.  To avoid this, layer thin thermal clothing ‘like an onion’.  This traps warm air closer to the body and layers can be removed to help effectively regulate your temperature.  However, also be aware of exposed regions of skin.  When skin is exposed to cold air, vasoconstriction of blood vessels prevents excessive heat loss and helps to maintain a warm core temperature. If vasoconstriction occurs during exercise, blood flow and nerve impulses to muscle fibres in these regions is reduced.  This will lead to reduced exercise performance and unnecessary discomfort.  On very cold days where the ambient air temperature has plummeted, keep the entire body warm with layers of clothing and full length garments.  And wear gloves or beware the hot shower after a cold run in winter!  Cold fingers that have turned numb and a pasty shade of grey will yell at you as they begin to defrost. 

Be prepared to pee!
There appears to be a urination goblin around whenever the cold sets in.  This goblin is actually a result of the vasoconstriction processes just mentioned.  Vasoconstriction limits the available blood vessel space for our blood, raising our blood pressure.  The increase in blood pressure then triggers the perfusion of kidney nephrons, triggering a faster released of urine into the bladder.  Whilst urinating is a natural process, the combination of the increased fluid loss through urination and sweating from exercise can lead to a sneaky build up of dehydration.  Therefore, during winter aim to drink more, especially electrolytes to replace your exercise & urinary losses.


In summary, the onset of winter should not lead to your trail running shoes being relocated to the closet and the bike being banished to the garage.  Understanding the physiological changes that occur during winter and cold weather training can assist in making smart decisions that will keep you exercising throughout the coldest, darkest months.  So layer up, listen to the whispers of your body and play hard this winter! 


Quick Fact Sheet Physiological changes:

• Increased dependence on carbohydrate
• Increased fat storage
• Alteration to circadian rhythms caused by decreased light exposure
• Elevated Melatonin levels
• Inflammatory processes increase
• Vasoconstriction reduces blood flow to working muscles
• Vasoconstriction increases blood pressure & urination 

Coaching Tips:

• Increase carbohydrate consumption before, during and after exercise.
• Increase electrolyte & fluid consumption.
• Layer up ‘like an onion’ and avoid fabrics with poor breathability that retain moisture such as cotton clothing.
• Consider using a light-weight, wind-proof jacket to decrease windchill.
• Consider using different shoes with a more aggressive grip for muddy, winter trail running.
• When possible, try exercising in the middle of the day. This will be in greater harmony with your circadian rhythm, melatonin levels and warmer air temperatures.  The extra vitamin D is a bonus!
• Utilise cross-training on days when being outside is less appealing. This will help you to stay more consistent with your exercise routines and can help avoid overuse injuries.
• Use Winter as a time for addressing your weaknesses, especially your core & gluteal muscles.
• Consider using winter as a time for base training in preparation for Spring and Summer races
• If possible, try using a Compex muscle stimulator to assist with the warm up, cool down and recovery processes. They can also greatly increase muscle recruitment for strength training.
• Expect to take longer to warm up. Start gently and build into your exercise session.  Try beginning every run with a short walk.
• Boost your diet. Eat a range of brightly coloured vegetables and protein sources, and avoid calorie deficits that place greater loads on an already slightly stressed physiological system.
• Manage life stressor to enhance the recovery processes.
• Get your Zzzzzs!

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The Sweat Rate TestIt is important to develop an understanding of your sweat rate so that you can develop a thorough understanding of your sweat losses during an event.


The easiest way to measure your sweat rate is to weigh yourself without clothes on before and after exercising for one hour, taking note of the climatic conditions you were exercising in.


Method

• Weigh yourself without clothes on before you head out to train.
• Conduct one hour of training in as similar conditions to race day as possible. intensity, pace and discipline. 
• After one hour, return home, strip down, thoroughly dry your skin and hair, and then weigh yourself again.

ResultsAssuming you did not use the toilet or consume any fluids during exercise, your weight loss is your sweat rate.


1kg of weight lost = 1L of fluid lost


If you drank any fluids or used the rest room between the two weight samples, you will need to include both of these estimated weights in your calculations.

• Add any fluids consumed to the amount of weight lost
• Subtract estimated bodily void weight from the total weight lost.

Important ConsiderationsWeather and climatic conditions strongly influence sweat rates.  For example, on a cooler overcast morning you will loose less sweat volume than on a hot, humid morning.  Therefore, be sure to record the heat, humidity and weather conditions in your sweat test and repeat the test in cool, humid, windy and hot conditions.


Sweat rate also changes with pace and effort increases.  For example, if you monitored your sweat rate for a shorter ½ marathon race pace and then want to step up to a 50 or 100km race that requires a lower effort over a prolonged period of time, you will need to conduct the above tests again to highlight the new effort zone.


ConclusionNow that you know your sweat rates, you now need to develop an understanding of how much fluid replacement your stomach can tolerate.  For more information on how to rehydrate during events, you may like to read the article Hydration for Endurance Performance
For a comprehensive understanding on sports nutrition & hydration read: Sweat. Think. Go Faster by Darryl Griffiths
See our comprehensive Sports Nutrition range for Trail Runners HERE

Just some last words of encouragement & advice for your next race day:

• You cannot get any fitter now.  That work was done long ago.  So just relax now and get ready for race day.
• Make sure you rest extra hard two to four days out from Saturday's race start - this will help you to focus on good nutrition, loosening up your muscles with a bath & massage, hydration and generally just enjoying the reward for all the hard work you have put in.
• I strongly encourage that on Friday (the day before) you go for 1-2 x 15-20min easy jogs to loosen up the muscles.  Some 20sec efforts a little quicker than race pace will help to put a spring in your step.  Resting completely on this day will make you feel tired and heavy.  These jogs will also help combat travel, work or the sense of lethargy from tapering.
• For the last four days (Tuesday - Friday) focus on increasing your carbs.  These are necessary for stocking the muscles full of glycogen.  At the moment you should be focusing on a good protein intake to ensure your muscles are repairing plus combatting any risk of sickness kicking in.  (Did you know that if you allow your muscles to recovery you can get up to a 15% strength gain during taper week? WOW!)
• In the last 2-3 days out make sure you swap to a carb rich and low fiber/protein diet.  This will allow you to get in as much energy into the muscles without risking fiber and protein sitting in your guts on race day.  During this time, also increase electrolytes (I highly recommend Shotz Electrolyte) so that your fluid and sodium levels are topped up.
• On race morning eat a light breakfast!  Don't skip this meal.  2 crumpets with honey or a couple of energy bars and a bottle of electrolyte is an ideal pre-race food.  However, if concerned, stick to what you know & trust.
• To prevent blisters we highly recommend using Vaseline rubbed thickly over Fixamol/Hypafix placed on the high-wear areas of your feet (this is the white tape athletes use under strapping tape to prevent allergies – available in chemists). Use a merino sock over the top.  Perfect!
• During the race don't change your race or nutrition strategy.  It is easy to set off to fast or skip your nutrition times.  Don't do it!  Stick to your plan unless it really isn’t working for you.
• Don't start too hard but make sure your cadence is high enough that you are not plodding.  A cadence of 90 single steps a minute is ideal (180 double steps). The aim of the first 3/4 of the race is just rhythm and enjoying it.  The real race starts after that.
• Tell yourself that the half way mark is at the 3/4 point.  This makes the second half easy!  Never get too far ahead of yourself.  Just focus on the road in front.
• Don't fight the rougher sections or hills.  It is the same for everyone and attacking them will only burn excess energy.  Stay relaxed and just kick into casual mode for these sections.
• MOST OF ALL... ENJOY IT!  You will love it as long as you don't put too much pressure on yourself.  At the end of the day, where else would you really want to be than running along gorgeous single trails?

We have all heard that our bodies are comprised of mostly water.  A 60kg individual is composed of around 48kg of water in which all their body’s biochemistry will take place.  Water has a number of other functions in the body - evaporative cooling, glycogen storage and maintaining electrolyte balances.  The loss of even a small proportion of this fluid (ie. 2% of body weight) can significantly reduce body functions and for athletes, performance.  It can also be life threatening.  When we consider that this is only 1.2L in our 60kg athlete, we begin to realize how significant the process of optimal hydration is. 
 
Evaporative CoolingA 60kg adult at rest will consume around 0.2L of oxygen per minute, generating 70 watts of heat output.  However, when running at threshold, oxygen consumption can increase 16 times and heat output rises to 1100 watts.  The only way that this heat can be lost rapidly is through evaporative cooling, otherwise known as sweating.  Sweating involves the loss of large amounts of fluid from the skins surface, which is then wicked away by air resulting in body cooling.  In hot conditions it would take our 60kg individual around 1.5-2L of sweat to remove this excess heat.  
 
Glycogen StorageReplacing fluid lost through sweat and urine is not the only justification for the importance of hydration.  Glycogen or stored muscle carbohydrate is the body’s main source of energy.  However, fixing 1g of carbohydrate into the muscles in the form of glycogen requires 3g of water ie. a 3:1 ratio of water to carbohydrate.  This is one reason why you can often feel thirsty following a carbohydrate-rich meal.  With this in mind, fluid is critical during times of recovery and taper.  If you are focusing on carbo-loading but not drinking adequate amounts you can actually risk pulling extra water from the blood stream into the GI Tract.  This can result in dehydration.  Therefore, fluid is critical for replacing sweat and urine losses, but also for glycogen storage before and after exercise.
 
Are there other reasons important to remain hydrated?As you heat up, the body begins to enter survival mode.  Rather than shunting blood to the working muscles, your blood stream prioritizes blood flow to the skin and vital organs.  The reduced blood flow to the GI Tract makes the digestion of complex drinks and nutrition difficult, and as a result people often begin to experience stomach upsets and nausea.  During such periods of stress, your breathing and heart rates will increase, and your general efficiency takes a dramatic nose-dive.  Under these additional stressors, your body temperature will start to rise, resulting in stress to the brain.  Clarity of thinking will decrease, your ability to assess you body state becomes compromised (runner’s often complain of feeling cold when they overheat) and you may begin to feel disorientated.  All sound like great things to avoid when racing!
 
So should I just guzzle water?When we sweat and excrete urine, we don’t just loose fluids but also vital minerals.  The main ingredient in sweat is sodium that is lost at a rate of 1-2g per liter.  Other minerals that are lost are calcium, magnesium, potassium and chloride, although these are generally lost in much, much smaller quantities.  Therefore, to replace fluid losses an electrolyte drink is far better than drinking pure water and the focus should turn to sodium.  
 
Why not water?Are you putting the energy gels in but not receiving the ‘kick’?  Over prolonged periods of heavy sweating, an individual can lose significant amounts of sodium.  The combination of drinking pure water and sweating can cause a dilution of the concentration of sodium in the blood.  This can begin to impair many of our normal physiological processes, including the transport of fluid and glucose across cellular membranes.  That’s right, a lack of sodium can inhibit the transport of glucose into the working muscles cells.  
 
Another good reason for opting for an electrolyte drink is that the use of sodium is known to promote thirst.  This is often the reason why pubs serve salty, greasy food as it will generate greater drinks sales.  And finally, when electrolytes, particularly sodium, are present in appropriate concentrations, the rate of fluid absorption from the small intestine into the rest of the body is enhanced.  This is particularly important to consider when we are racing at intense levels with few possibilities to drink.
 
Are electrolyte drinks made equal?The simple answer is NO!  Many sports drinks market themselves as the best on the market, and yet are made by soft drink companies such as Coca-Cola or Pepsi.  Beverages such as Gatorade are literally pumped full of simple sugars that are very foreign to the small intestine under stress.  In fact, the presence of the sugar that remains dormant in the GI Tract can create a net movement of fluid from the blood stream back into the gut, resulting in stomach distress and dehydration.  Therefore, sports drinks based around the medical principles for oral rehydration are perfect.  Complexes such as Shotz Electrolyte that are tablets dissolved in adequate water are proven to initiate rehydration even under the most stressful environments.  These beverages contain a high concentration of sodium and minimal traces of the other elements.  This is important because often sports drinks are pumped full of magnesium which also happens to be the first ingredient in all laxatives!  Watch out for the heavily marketed brands, as these tend to be the worst for tummy-disrupting ingredients. 
 
How much should I drink?How much fluid you need to consume is dependent on your fitness level, size, sweat rate and the weather conditions.  Hot, sticky conditions will cause greater fluid losses due to the necessity to lose greater amounts of heat from the skin’s surfaces.  Conversely, a cool, damp day will require lower fluid quantities to be consumed.  The best way to determine how much you should drink is to monitor your body weight before and after training runs under a range of different weather conditions.  For example, on a 20-degree day you may find that in 1 hour of exercise you loose 1kg.  This then equates to 1L/hour of exercise under such conditions.  On a hot, humid 30-degree day this may increase to 2kg during the hour.  Therefore, you would be loosing 2L/hour.  The most important rule of hydration is to drink what your stomach can tolerate and the best way to find this out is to know your losses then practice, practice, practice!  
 
ConclusionThe good news about running in hot weather is that you can teach your body to adapt.  Learning about how much sweat you loose during training and beginning to replace these with an advanced electrolyte formula will make a world of difference to your training & racing performances.  Recently I conducted a sweat test for Shotz at the Australian Institute of Sport.  I had been complaining about taking on energy and water without feeling like I was getting anything back.  When I did my sweat test they found I was loosing over 1.5L of fluid each hour on a 20-degree day!  Further to this, in each liter of my sweat I was loosing 1.8g of sodium.  As you can imagine, this knowledge has significantly impacted the way I approach rehydration. In fact, sitting here writing this article after my morning run, I have a cup of tea on one side of me and a bottle of electrolyte on the other.  In summary, all I can say is that if you get hydration right, it is like putting rocket fuel into your system.

Thousands of runners recently attended the Ultra Trail Australia 100 and 50km races in the Blue Mountains. Sometimes it is hard not to be amongst the racing. However, sitting on the other side of the fence whilst the action gallops past gives a wholesome insight into the nutrition & hydration strategies of athletes. 

Three Classifications of Athletes
In the race, we observed three types of athletes:

1. The Blank Stare Runner
The scenery of the Blue Mountains is stunning. Jagged tracks clutch to the side of overhanging cliffs. Damp forests hold tumbling waterfalls. However, the Blank Stare Runner will see little of this handsomeness. They also appear not to hear much until they stumble across your wildly clapping hands and goofy grin. They pull a tight smile and march onwards. From close up, they appear to have the ‘lights off’ - the I’m-on-a-mission facade with eyes glazed-over. From afar, there is an element of a plod, a trip, a stumble. One guesses behind it all is a negative mindset.

2. The Weary but Starry Eyed Runner
Fifty or one-hundred kilometers is never going to feel easy. There will always be an association with pain and a little suffering. But no matter how physically fatigued, the Weary but Starry Eyed Runner can maintain a smile. Their eyes sparkle with the challenge and even from a distance they easily acknowledge your excited cheers. They mutter a thanks, give a gentle high-five and then scuffle off around the corner.

3. The Prancer and Dancer Runner
This runner has the ability to make you forget about how much pain everyone else seems to be in. You find yourself pulling out your phone and googling entry dates for the next race. Before you see them, they have seen you. Their iPhone is out and they are happily snapping pictures to capture the memories. They are dancing across the rocks and prancing past the course marshals giving praise and a hearty, ‘thank you’. Their eyes are alight with anticipation. They might be fatigued but they are holding those negative thoughts at bay.

Which type of athlete are you?
You may fall somewhere in the middle and may shift from one to another at different points of a race. However, I am sure that looking back at race photos or your race debrief will help you identify with some of the above analogies?


Athlete Classifications: Symptomatic of Your Nutrition & Hydration


1. Race fuelling is about fuelling your brain not your body
Even for the slimmest athletes, the body has enough adipose tissue (fatty acids) stored to carry you a very, very long way. In endurance activities where the intensity is lower, a reasonably trained athlete should adequately utilize stored fatty acids for locomotive energy. However, there is one organ in the body that cannot use fatty acids for energy, and that is the brain. 

The brain’s functional tissues is surrounded by the blood brain barrier. This is a physical block to protect the organ from harmful intruders and substances. When fatty acid is transported in the body, it is attached to a protein called albumin. This creates a molecule too large to pass through the barriers of the brain. Thus, the brain’s fuel source is glucose, the simplest molecular form of carbohydrate. 

In races, we require the central nervous system and brain input to keep every other tissue of our body functioning. It drives our breathing, our heart, our working limb muscles. With an inadequate supply of glucose to the brain, this system starts to slow and will eventually grind to a complete halt.
2. Feed your brain glucose
If the brain holds everything together, then we must ensure that it receives an adequate supply of energy in the form of glucose. It is true that we can utilize stored muscle and liver glycogen for conversion into glucose and energy, but these stores are dramatically limited. Therefore, a fueling strategy for endurance race day must included simple forms of glucose, the best of which is a maltodextrin (pure glucose) gel.
3. Glucose absorption requires sodium
The absorption of glucose across cellular membranes requires a transporter protein that sits lodged in the cellular membranes. The functioning of this glucose transporter is often spared as the digestive tract starts to slow (the functioning of the digestive system will be overridden by the blood flow demands of the working muscles). That is, the body will prioritize the functioning of this glucose transporter over the digestion of fats, proteins and more complex carbohydrates, such as fructose.
4. Sweating causes a loss of sodium
Sweating causes large losses of sodium, especially over prolonged periods of time such as during endurance races. The amount of sodium varies from person to person and day-to-day, but can be in the vicinity of 1500-2000mg per 1L of sweat. No other electrolyte loss comes anywhere near the losses of sodium. This is because most other electrolytes, such as magnesium, are found within body cells. That is, sodium is an extracellular molecule floating freely in the bloodstream so it incurs the largest electrolyte losses during exercise.
5. Failing to replace sodium disrupts glucose absorption
If you fail to replace the sodium you are loosing, chances are you will not be absorbing the glucose you are trying to ingest. Without sodium present, the functioning of the transporter proteins slow. Therefore, the cellular membranes of the digestive tract, working muscles and mitochondria (power houses where energy is produced) become impermeable to glucose. 
6. Low sodium and glucose intake affect the brain and central nervous system
If you are trying to rehydrate during races on water alone, you will likely be disrupting the body’s ability to absorb nutrition. Further more, if you are using a sports drink or electrolyte with inadequate sodium to meet your losses, you may also be disrupting your nutrition intake. Begin to become aware of your sweat losses both in volume and in the salt crusting that can appear on your clothes if you are a heavier sodium sweater. This can be a great guide to judging your losses.


Your Athlete Classification Explained:

• The Blank Stare Runner

Your central nervous system is seriously affected. In essence, you have become similar to a diabetic with low blood glucose levels. Whatever you are drinking and eating is inadequate to supply sodium and glucose to the transporter pumps in your cellular membranes and thus, energy to your brain. Try to learn to listen to your central nervous system. Negative thought processes, clumsy feet, feeling cold, dizziness, vertigo, numb feet or hands, or even nausea can all be symptomatic of low glucose levels in the brain. If you observe someone like this or their eyes have a glazed-over appearance, feed them instant glucose along with a higher sodium concentration electrolyte. If they are nauseous, you can rinse their mouth with glucose as the oral mucosa has a direct glucose absorption pathway to the brain. If this helps, you can then start to slowly feed them glucose via gels, chemist jelly beans and glucose tablets. 

• The Weary but Starry Eyed Runner

Your nutrition and training strategies are strong but likely the quantities need adjusting. Sparkling eyes and alertness suggest that the central nervous system is coping. The physical weariness can be a symptom of further training required, or it may also be that you need to increase the quantity of glucose and electrolyte replacement. You should also be paying close attention to changes in your central nervous system as the race progresses. If negative thoughts, anxiety, clumsiness or any of the other symptoms above settle in, make sure you increase your glucose and sodium intake. This is especially true if you start to experience cramping.

• The Prancer and Dancer Runner

You are nailing it! To run like this, your central nervous system must be functioning fully and you are alert enough to absorb your surroundings. Further to this, it appears that your training has prepared you optimally for the challenge you have embarked upon. However, keep an eye on climatic changes throughout the race as increases in temperature, humidity or wind will alter your evaporative sweat losses. Monitor your thoughts and alertness, with any small changes requiring a top-up of energy.

Are you currently basking in the beautiful aftermath of ultra-running euphoria? On returning to your hotel did your saturate your day of running in the shower then crawl under the white hotel duvet to twitch yourself to wakeful sleep? At dawn, did you utter a groan when your feet hit the carpet and cringe as you lowered yourself onto the breakfast chair? Did you quietly revel in the ‘you-are-mad’ stares from hotel guests?

If so, you will be experiencing Euphoric Ultra Runner Syndrome. Enjoy it whilst it lasts because sadly, this is often replaced with Lost-Your-Mojo Runner Syndrome for which you must orchestrate your own recovery.

Here are my recovery suggestions:

Day 1-3: Euphoric Ultra Runner Syndrome and the DOoMs Days - Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness Days
These are the days of craving Mum’s apple crumble with more ice-cream than apple. During these days you might be lucky enough for someone to take pity and play the violin for you. Revel in the attention. For soon the novelty of mopey runner will wear off and you will be left to make your own cuppa again. 

DO:

• WALK gently in bare feet. This will help to reset your sensory pathways and relax stiff muscles
• WADE in ocean water as much as possible. The movement of the cool water will massage the muscles and the high sodium concentration will help to reduce inflammation. 
• ELEVATE. Lie with your legs vertically up a wall at the end of a day. The optimal duration would be 10-20 minutes of upside-down time. This will help to remove poorly draining fluids from damaged muscle units.
• EAT a horse in small mouthfuls. Small frequent intakes of protein will help to rebuild muscle fibers.
• FUEL on avocado with cashew butter? Pick your poison but small, frequent doses of high-quality fats will help to rebuild the body tissues including cell walls, neurons and our hormones.
• SLEEP like Grandpa. The run will have induced a coma-like state. Don’t fight your inability to focus on emails or the evening news. Instead opt for large and frequent amounts of quality sleep. If you can’t sleep then rest in a darkened room away from outside stimulation.
• REHYDRATE on electrolytes not coffee. Your sodium levels will be dramatically depleted. When you are feeling flat and fuzzy, opt for a bottle of quality electrolyte over an afternoon caffeine hit. I could also fill a bath with the amount of green tea I enjoy during this phase of my recovery. Green tea is a natural antioxidant and has been shown to help reduce inflammation.
• YOUR HOMEWORK. Write down the key lessons of your race with as much honesty as you can muster so that you can dissect this again later. Don’t forget to mention the brain fades, tummy grumbles, clumsy moments and negative thought processes. These can all inform you and a coach/mentor about what did and didn’t work in the race preparation and execution. Now put it away and forget about it. It is now time to ‘chill’.

DONT:

• PLAN your next race. I bet you are having trouble deciding on what to make for dinner let alone which race to devour next. Leave race strategizing for later.
• INVOKE PAIN. Massage, dry needling and other forms of torture should come later. For now, focus on gentle movement, elevating your legs, rest and nutrition.
• TRAIN. Enjoy flying by the seat of your pants. If this was a key race in your calendar, you shouldn’t be focussing on returning to training for a while. The rule I use is every 10km I race at optimal intensity will require one week of recovery.
• GRUMP. Go to bed.