Catch a Coach newsletterWelcome to another edition of Catch a Coach, the monthly newsletter from the coaching team at Fairlands Valley Spartans.

We really have got into our stride now in 2012 and January saw loads of running activity, ranging from our Cross Country exploits and 5K races through to marathons!! Whilst many of you are focussing on training build ups to one of the big marathons in April or May, there are many of you that I know who are not. Your objectives may be to run a first 5K, compete in an indoor track competition or run a half marathon. The list is endless!!

Our training programme is designed to help you all out. It is not an individual training schedule so please don’t read it as such. The key is to think about what you are trying to achieve and use the sessions to help support that. This may mean that you do not complete some of the club’s training programme perhaps because of the timing of the sessions or just that they are not suitable. I would, however, hope that this is rare!!! Many of the sessions in the programme can be adapted to suit you as an individual. This may mean adaptations in terms of your pace and/or recovery times, it may mean adaptations in terms of which group you run in on a Tuesday, and so on. The key is that you try and make the most of what is there in the programme to suit your training. The coaching team are here to help you and I saw countless examples of them doing just that during January. Please just have a chat with one of us if you are unsure about any of your training.

I hope you find the newsletter helpful. Remember if you have any questions about the material in it or on the ‘Catch a Coach’ section within the club’s website just CATCH A COACH or send an e-mail to the team at catchacoach@fvspartans.org.uk

Cheers

Chris ‘Coach’ Leigh

‘Catch a Coach’ - newsletter

Contents

1. What’s coming up – 10 of the best for February

2. Coach development

3. Diet and nutrition, some basics

4. Quote of the month

5. Meet the team – Andy Neetham

6. Top tips

7. What is.....Plantar Fasciitis?

8. A guide to.....the 30,45, 60 second hill session

9. Coach’s A to Z of running ...letters A to E

What’s coming up - 10 of the best for February Here’s our ten of the best for February!

1. During February the schedule Tuesday sessions see a progression in the length of efforts as we move through the month, starting with a 2mins session and rising to a 5 mins session on the 21st January. The sessions with 4 and 5 min efforts give all runners the chance to practice tempo pacing. The last Tuesday of the month then sees an upward ladder session to check out pacing through a range of effort durations.

2. On Sunday 19th February we have the last fixture in our cross country league season. This is a great chance to get another set of men’s and ladies teams out and finish with a flourish. Please take a look at all of the details on the XC board of the Forum.

3. Ever been fartleked? It is not as painful as it sounds!!! The endurance session of the month for February is on Thursday 2nd February. If you haven’t run a fartlek session before then this is one for you to join in. If you have run one before then you know how much fun they are and will come along!! Fartlek (Swedish for speedplay) is a session where there are random length efforts and recoveries. It is suitable for all abilities of runners and the group is led in such a way that runners stay together throughout the session due to the re-grouping phases. If you can run 5 miles continuously then this is the session for you!!

4. Thursday mornings and Saturdays mornings will be time for the Angels .... Ossie’s Angels. Please take a look at the details on the Forum. The majority of Ossie’s runs are off road and this is a great way to develop your strength, stamina and joints. Whilst the 2011/12 XC season is coming to a climax it is never

too early to start to look ahead to the 2012/13 season. Using the runs with the Angels is a great way to start preparing and the routes used are extremely varied.

5. Another great chance to benchmark your training progress on the 23 rd February with our popular 5K handicap event. Look out for details on the Forum and please try and let Paul Holgate know in advance of the event whether you intend to run or not so that the organisation of entries and race start can be as smooth as possible.

6. During February we have put together a group of sessions on Saturdays at Ridlins that can cater for all running objectives from those preparing for indoor and outdoor track events to those running Spring marathons. Many of the sessions have been designed so that they can easily be flexed to suit your own particular running objectives. For example, the 600m session on Saturday 25 th February can be run as a 4 x 600m session for those that are developing speed over shorter distances whilst it can be run as a 8x600m session for those that are working up to longer distances. If you are unsure on the approach you should be taking then please speak to the coach for the session and they will be able to help you. The track isn’t about speedy runners whipping around 400m circuits!!! It is exclusively booked for the club every Saturday between 9:15am and 11am and free to paid up members of the club (other clubs with access to track facilities usually charge a track fee of a few pounds every time you use the track, so we are extremely lucky with our membership!!) Running regularly at the club’s track sessions will develop your running style as well as your running speed and strength. It is a well structured session that is fun to do!! Come along and see what you have been missing out on!

7. Sundays will see our ever popular offerings of longer duration runs. The club will continue to support two training groups. The first (Group A) will be for those runners typically running at a pace of up to 10:30 mins/mile over a 10-11 mile route. The second group (Group B) will be for those runners running at a pace of over 10:30 mins/mile. In addition to advertised runs in the range of 6-12 miles during the month, we will also be offering additional mileage for those of you on spring marathon training. Please look out for all of the details on the Sunday runs board.

8. February sees loads of racing opportunities. In particular in February there is the popular Bramley 10 mile and 20 mile race (2th February) and the Watford half (5th February), the latter being the County Vets half marathon event. Remember that races are filling up quicker than ever before so plan your events and get your entries in promptly.

9. Corrr!!! Another core training session with Jamie will be held after training on Tuesday 28 th February. This is a great way to develop your core muscle group, highly beneficial for runners to give greater stability and strength, resulting in better running performance and reduced injury risk.

10......and don’t forget Sport Relief!!! The club have the honour of organising the event this year on Sunday 25th March. There are 1 mile, 3 mile and 6 mile events and all abilities are truly catered for at the event. If you haven’t run on the track at Ridlins before then this is a great way to introduce yourself!! Check out all of the details at www.sportrelief.com and/or on the Forum.

Remember: if you are feeling unwell in any way during or after your run please make sure that you speak to a member of your groups coaching team. They need to be aware of this so that they can monitor the situation during training.

If you are feeling unwell before the training session then you are advised not to run.

Coach development

Firstly, a big congratulations to Jo Laing for qualifying at the Coach in Running and Fitness level (CiRF), successfully completing the assessment day in January. Jo now joins Richie Bate and Steve Smithson in holding this qualification within the club.

On 14th January, Liam Herbert and Todd Gray attended the Leadership in Running and Fitness course at Hendon. This now enables Liam and Todd to lead out training sessions at the club, and they are also entitled to an orange vest!! Congratulations to both of them. They had the additional honour and pleasure of being on the same course as Nell McAndrew! You can see the broad grins in the picture and the fact that they have placed themselves as close to her as possible!

During 2012 one of the objectives for the coaching team is to increase the number of coaches that are emergency first aid trained. On 12th February and 13th February respectively Liam Herbert and Roger Biggs will be attending an emergency first aid training course at the University of Hertfordshire (Hatfield). The course covers a wide range of first aid techniques/practices from dealing with athletes that have collapsed to dealing with soft tissue injuries.

On the 12th February Jayne Pinner and Christine Sharman will be attending the Leadership in Running and Fitness course at Hatfield University during the Herts Sports Partnerships Coach Education week.

Last, and not least! Our Chairman, Graham Blackburn, started the CiRF course on 28 th and 29th January and will be working through the course materials and developing his logbook over the coming weeks. Please give him your support during the sessions that he coaches and be willing volunteers where that is going to help!!

Interested in joining the coaching team and helping to lead out our training groups?? If you are, please have a chat with Coach Leigh at any of the club’s training sessions or drop him a line at chris.w.leigh@btinternet.com

Diet and Nutrition – some basics

With so many different diets available to us it is easy to chop and change what we eat to try to get a quick fix, which can work in the short term as the body is an amazing machine, but over the long term the Food Standards Agency recommends that we use the ‘Eatwell Plate’ below to ensure we have a balanced diet.

The plate is divided into the five basic food groups

- Bread, Rice, Potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods- Fruit and Vegetables- Milk and dairy foods- Meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non dairy sources of protein - Foods high in fat and/or sugar

The divisions are the rough percentages of the diet you should consume each day to achieve balance.Unfortunately just getting the percentages right is not itself sufficient as you also need to consider the volume of what you are eating and drinking.

The term metabolism and energy balance is often used with regard to diet and nutrition and a basic understanding can be useful when considering ‘why am I no longer losing weight’ or ‘why do I run out of energy at the end of a marathon’. Metabolism is the range of internal activities that takes place in our bodies and the amount of energy that is required to drive these at rest is known as our ‘basal metabolic rate’ which is measured in calories. Your BMR is individual, although the general guidelines are 1500 kcal for ladies & 2000 kcal for men, as it is dependent on how much of ‘you’ there is. Other factors are our body weight, how active we are and the ratio of fat-free mass to fat mass (body composition). One thing to remember is that fat-free mass (made up of fluids, bones and muscle tissue) are more metabolically active and therefore burn more calories than fat mass.So what happens if you get the balance of energy used and calories consumed out of balance?

When food is consumed the body converts it to energy, if there is an excess of energy it is stored as fat weight. The key to losing fat weight is to create an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure.

Energy in > Energy out = weight gainEnergy in < energy out = weight lossEnergy in = energy out = weight maintenanceTo lose fat weight a deficit needs to be achieved, a rough guide is to lose a pound of fat you need to burn approximately 3500kcal, which is best achieved by a combination of increased activity & reduced calorie intake.People can get quite hung up on what to eat and when to eat but if you follow these simple guidelines you can concentrate on the training and getting faster;

Eat predominantly complex carbohydratesEat 5-7 portions of fruit and vegetablesModerate intakes of proteinRestrict intakes of food containing high levels of saturated fat and sugarDrink at least 2 litres of fluid a dayReduce salt intakeFoods high in fat and sugar are not essential to a healthy diet (but do taste nice)Most people learn when to eat by trial and error, keep a diary and try different times to see how it affects performance.But the most important thing is whatever you do, to have fun doing it and smile a lot!!Andy Prior

Quote of the month

“It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys”.

Emil Zatopek, Olympic gold medallist at 5K, 10K and marathon

Meet the team

Andy Neetham

Q. When did you join the club? A. September 2010 Q. Why did you join the club? A. We had just moved to Knebworth from High Wycombe and were looking for a running club with a good social side. Q. Why did you join the coaching team? A. I have twenty years experience of club running, with Barnet & District AC and Reading AC, and am a qualified scuba diving instructor. Those two things made it seem a natural thing to do. Q. What are you hoping to do through your involvement in the coaching team? A. Pass on some experience and enthusiasm at the same time as learning some new things myself. Q. When do we typically see you at training?A. When I'm not injured! My legs have a lot of miles in them and are not as young as they were! Q. What are your aims in 2012 for your running and/or coaching? A. Stay injury free so that I can actually join in with coaching and training. If successful with that I'd like to set a few VPBs (Veteran Personal Bests). Q. Tell us something about you that other Spartans will not know! A. I'm a Shetlander so there are not many that can accuse me of being a soft southerner!

Top tips

You can lose up to 30 per cent of your lung capacity if you hunch over when you run. Try keeping your spine straight and tall as you move and lifting up your head as if a string was pulling you up from your crown. Airflow to the lungs will be made easier and you will run stronger as a result.

What is .......Plantar Fasciitis??

Plantar Fasciitis is a painful condition resulting in pain under the heel. It is often caused by overuse of the plantar fascia or arch tendon of the foot. It is a very common condition and can be difficult to treat if not looked after properly.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

The Plantar Fascia is a broad, thick band of tissue that runs from under the heel to the front of the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is traditionally thought to be an inflammatory condition. This is now believed to be incorrect due to the absence of inflammatory cells within the fascia. The cause of pain and dysfunction is now thought to be degeneration of the collagen fibres close to the attachment to the calcaneus (heel bone).

What are the signs and symptoms?

- Heel pain, under the heel and usually on the inside at the origin of the attachment of the fascia- Pain when pressing on the inside of the heel and sometimes along the arch of the foot- Pain is usually worse first thing in the morning as the fascia tightens up overnight. After a few minutes it

eases as the foot gets warmed up- As the condition gets worse the pain can get worse throughout the day if activity continues- Stretching the plantar fascia may be painful- Sometimes there may also be pain along the outside border of the heel. This may occur due to the

offloading of the painful side of the heel by walking on the outside border of the foot. It may also be associated with the high impact of landing on the outside of the heel if you have high arched feet.

What causes Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis or heel spurs are common in sports which involve running, dancing or jumping. Runners who overpronate (feet rolling in or flattening) are particularly at risk as the biomechanics of the foot pronating causes additional stretching of the plantar fascia.

The most common cause of plantar fasciitis is very tight calf muscles which leads to prolonged and / or high velocity pronation of the foot. This in turn produces repetitive over-stretching of the plantar fascia leading to possible inflammation and thickening of the tendon. As the fascia thickens it loses flexibility and strength.

Other causes include low arch or high arched feet and other biomechanical abnormalities which should be assessed by a podiatrist / physiotherapist / biomechanist.

Excessive walking in footwear which does not provide adequate arch support has been attributed to plantar fasciitis. Footwear for plantar fasciitis - both prevention and treatment - should be flat, lace-up and with good arch support and cushioning.

Overweight individuals are more at risk of developing the condition due to the excess weight impacting on the foot.

Treatment

There is no single cure for plantar fasciitis. Whilst many treatments can be used to ease pain, in order to treat it effectively long-term, the cause of the condition must be corrected.

What can you do?

Rest until it is not painful. It can be very difficult to rest the foot as most people will be on their feet during the day for work. By walking on the painful foot you are continually aggravating the injury and increasing inflammation.

Apply ice or cold therapy to help reduce pain and inflammation. Cold therapy can be applied regularly until symptoms have resolved.

Plantar fasciitis exercises such as stretching the plantar fascia is an important part of treatment and prevention. Simply reducing pain and inflammation alone is unlikely to result in long term recovery. The plantar fascia tightens up making the origin at the heel more susceptible to stress.

A plantar fasciitis night splint is an excellent product which is worn overnight and gently stretches the calf muscles and plantar fascia preventing it from tightening up overnight.

Seek help from a sports injury professional.

A guide to...........the 30,45,60 second hill session

Each month during 2012 we will focus on a session that we regularly schedule within our training programme. We will explain how we run the session and the benefits of doing it. All the sessions featured are suited to any member of the club who is able to run at least 5K continuously and has been training for at least 3 months.

What is the session?

The session is usually run on a Thursday evening using a hill that is long enough to ensure that the fastest runners in the group are likely to just about get to the top of the hill in a 60 second run. In that way we ensure that no runners are running on the flat! Suitable hills include the stretch on Fairlands Way between the end of Grace Way and Lonsdale Road (most commonly used), Martins Way between the ‘curly bridge’ and the underpass complex at the junction of Grace Way and Canterbury Way and the hill on Six Hills Way leading from the end of Valley Way towards the town centre/Colestrete.

The session is run with the whole group in tact and is confined to the length of the hill – up and down. Each sessions consists of a number of sets (usually 4 or 5) of one 30 second, one 45 second and one 60 second effort up the hill. These are, therefore, relatively short efforts but the session has the advantage of having variation in effort/duration.

The group start by running up the hill for 30 seconds (blast of the whistle!) they then turn and run in a continuous motion back to the starting point. The quicker runners who went further up the hill should return at a similar time to those that were not so far up the hill if they are using the recovery in the correct manner. As soon as the runners return to the start they turn and run up the hill but this time for 45 seconds. They then turn and return to the start, again, aiming to get back together where they then turn one much and complete a 60 second effort up the hill. On the return to the start they have completed the first set of efforts in the session. The session usually consists of 4 to 5 sets of efforts). The group then turns and starts the next set....and so on until the final set has been completed.

The session is continuous with minimal standing recovery – limited to ensuring each runner has returned to the starting point before the next effort. If the gap from the first runner to the last runner back to the start is increasing this is a likely indicator that the quicker runners are running their uphill efforts too hard and not able to return on their recovery phase at the appropriate pace.

What are the benefits of completing the session?

The benefits of the session are really those that you would get from any hill session. Hill running has a strengthening effect as well as boosting your power. To reduce the possibility of injury hill training should be conducted once you have a good base of strength and endurance gained from regular running sessions.

Hill training offers the following benefits:

- Helps to develop power and muscle elasticity- Improves stride frequency and length – both factors in improving speed (see that last edition of Catch a

Coach)- Develops co-ordination, encouraging the proper use of arm action during the drive phase and feet in the

support phase- Develops control and stabilisation- Promotes strength endurance- Develops maximum speed and strength

The session also has the added benefit of keeping all the runners within the group in a relatively confined area, so they run together and motivate each other during the session. The slower runners up the hill become the front runners on the way down. It is also over quickly (i.e. it is a short session by our standards) and burns a relatively high level of calories. Running technique is also developed on the downhill sections as well as the efforts going up the hill.

Who should do it?

Subject to the caveat above about ensuring that you have developed a base of training first, all runners in the club will benefit from this session in developing their strength, running technique and speed. I would recommend that new runners who have been running training for less than 12 weeks should wait until they have completed about 12 weeks of training before taking on this session. Other than that, all runners will benefit from doing the session.

Speed can often be a dirty word banded around the club!! Many hear it and think of quick runners and feeling out of their depth but speed is all relative. It is not about just quick runners blasting up and down hills. It is about all runners in the club developing their running technique and strength so that they can run quicker than they have before i.e. they are improving their speed.

When should you do it?

Come along to the next session on Thursday 16th February!!! It’s the endurance session of the month!

Coach’s A to Z of running ..... letters A to E

Over the next five editions of the newsletter we will be publishing our A to Z of running – one useful piece of running information per letter! Here are the first five letters.

A is for Aerobic and Anaerobic energy systems

When you run, energy is supplied two ways - aerobically (with the use of oxygen) and anaerobically (without the use of oxygen).

The aerobic system - you breathe in oxygen which is then absorbed by the blood as it passes through the lungs. The heart then pumps the oxygen rich blood to the muscles when energy to run is produced. The energy nutrients, stored carbohydrates (known as glycogen), fat and protein provide the fuel for this process.The anaerobic system - this works differently. Chemical processes (glucose metabolism) within the muscles produce a limited amount of anaerobic energy, forming lactic acid as a by product.

How fast and how far you run determine how much each energy system contributes to fuelling your muscles. At rest, all energy needs are met aerobically. But when you start running aerobically some energy needs are met anaerobically. The faster you run the more you need anaerobic energy. You can't last long at fast speeds because the sudden energy demands quickly exhaust aerobic energy supplies, forcing you into 'oxygen debt'.

As the distance of a race gets shorter and faster, the more the anaerobic energy system needs to be employed. So you need to train both energy systems to perform well at all distances. Another important reason for a balanced training schedule that ties in to your own running objectives.

If you want to know more about how to train each of these two energy systems to tie in with your own running and running goals then just come and have a chat with me or e-mail me at chris.w.leigh@btinternet.com

B is for belly breathing

Efficient breathing is important to performance. It consumes approximately 10% of total energy whilst running. There are 2 basic rules to breathing on the run - it should follow the 'belly breathing' principles and be relaxed. The belly should expand as you inhale and flatten as you inhale. Lie on your back and place a book on your stomach. Take a deep breath. If you are 'belly breathing' properly the book rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale. The expansion of the abdomen indicates that the diaphragm is fully lowered, inflating the lungs to their fullest. Consciously lift the chest as you belly-breathe to free the action of the diaphragm. This allows you to utilise more of your lung capacity (greater oxygen flow and greater aerobic efficiency - see aerobic energy systems below). Belly breathing will also prevent the dreaded side stitch.

Breathing should be relaxed as possible. Many runners tense up and hyperventilate (another source of the side stitch). When you get tense the muscles that assist breathing get tight, causing you to breathe in shallow, quick breaths - "panic breathing". This can cause the whole body to tense up. Take deep breaths that are regular, relaxed and rhythmic.

C is for Carbo loading

Carbo loading is the process that is followed to improve performance for races lasting more than 90 minutes or so. The goal is to avoid 'hitting the wall'.

The key to effective carbo loading is to rest muscles going into the race (hoarding glycogen - the stored energy) while increasing the carbs in your diet (adding to glycogen stores). This combination allows the body to 'load' glycogen for improved long distance performance. Here are the basic ingredients for carbo-loading:

- start tapering two to three weeks before a marathon. Especially minimise running in the last 3 to 7 days. Whilst tapering you will burn less glycogen for fuel and can store more for the marathon race. Also taper calorie intake

to prevent weight gain. As a rough guide reduce calorie intake by 100 for every mile cut out of your schedule (but don't overdo it!)- stick to your normal diet of approx 60% carbs until three days before the event. Then increase carbs to 70%. Increase the percentage of carbs in your diet and not the % of calories!!!- stick to your normal eating routine- take in adequate protein to aid muscle recovery- drink plenty of water during carbo loading. Water is stored in muscle tissue along with glycogen. Muscles will take from other organs if it is not available and this could lead to dehydration.- the day before the marathon snack regularly throughout the day with high carb foods that you are familiar with. Now is not the time to experiment!!!- eat a high carb meal (800 to 1000 calories) that agrees with your stomach the night before the marathon or long race. Drink plenty of water. This 'last supper' is an important meal. Don't eat too much or too late. Don't eat anything that is unfamiliar.- eat a light high carb breakfast two to four hours before the race. This should be 500 to 1000 calories including about 200 grammes of carbs. An energy bar or bagel about an hour before the race will give you an extra boost. Keep drinking fluids up to about 15 minutes before the race.- Try it, evaluate what happened in the race i.e what worked and what didn't and use that as a learning cycle for the next race i.e. adjust your eating patterns and/or contents to improve your results next time. Carbo loading is a personal part of your training so you need to see what works for you!

D is for Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or DOMS

Most runners develop muscle soreness at one time or another due to overuse. Sore quads and hamstrings are especially common (ask all of those runners at Sherrardswood Park how they felt on Monday 1st August!). Soreness doesn't necessarily mean you're injured but it can make running uncomfortable, slow you down and may increase the risk of injury. Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS for short) can make walking down stairs or sitting very difficult. It usually appears 12 to 24 hours after a workout and lasts from 4 to 10 days. Peak soreness is usually 24 to 48 hours after the workout. There are many theories as to the cause of DOMS. One of those is it involves microscopic damage to muscle fibres. Ease back or stop running while sore. Damaged muscles need time to heel.There are three types of runs that cause DOMS:(1) Unaccustomed exercise - any run significantly longer or faster than normal leaves you vunerable;(2) Eccentric exercise - this involves contracting the muscle whilst it is being lengthened, producing muscle fibre damage. An example of this is downhill running.(3) Long runs - DOMS is common here because the runs damage muscle fibres that are already depleted of glycogen.

Other causes of DOMS include improper warm up and cool down routines, improper recovery after hard runs, sudden increase in mileage and excess speed or hill training.

You can get relief from DOMS through massage, use of a hot bath or carrying out low intensity exercise.

Remember the golden rules of making changes to your training regime in sensible incremental steps and listen to your body, building appropriate recovery into your training.

E is for Electrolytes

When you're running, electrolytes are crucial in maintaining your body's ability to transmit nerve impulses and contract muscles. Electrolytes serve other biological functions, too, including water balance and distribution to working cells as well as acid-base balance. The electrolytes required by our bodies to perform these functions include sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Runners need to think about replacing electrolytes because electrolytes are lost from the body through sweat. Sodium and potassium are lost in the greatest amounts via sweat, while magnesium and chloride are lost in only small amounts. For the most part, the more you sweat, the more electrolytes you'll lose while running. If you sweat a lot and/or you seem to be caked with salt after runs, you can probably assume that you're losing a fair amount of electrolytes during your runs and need to pay special attention to replacing them.

The symptoms of electrolyte imbalance are often the same as those of dehydration, since the two tend to go hand in hand. A common symptom is muscle and/or abdominal cramping. Other symptoms include light-headedness, nausea, confusion and muscle spasms.

Our diets typically provide more than enough of the electrolytes we need to perform the biological functions that

require them. Therefore, we don't really need to be concerned with restoring electrolytes before exercise.

During a run, fluid and electrolyte intake depends on a number of variables, mainly the environmental conditions and how hard you're running. The higher your sweat rate is, or the longer you exercise, the more important it is to try to replace fluids and electrolytes during exercise. When it's hot or you're working out hard enough to sweat a lot, aim to drink 8-10 ounces of fluid every 10-15 minutes. Drinking this much on the run can be difficult, if not impossible. The best idea is to drink as much as is tolerable whenever it's available.

On long runs you'll need to consider sports drinks, because in addition to providing your brain and muscles with a fresh supply of energy, the carbohydrates in sports drinks have benefits related to hydration and electrolyte replacement. Research has shown that glucose, the primary sugar in most sports drinks, can increase the absorption of both water and sodium. Furthermore, sports drinks containing sodium increase fluid retention and stimulate the thirst mechanism, which can often be delayed or masked during intense workouts or competitions (leading to dehydration).

Post-exercise is the most important time to consider electrolyte replacement, especially if you're unable to consume sufficient amounts of fluid during the workout. Fluid losses can be replaced by plain water only if taken along with a sufficient amount of food, preferably salty carbohydrates (ever wondered why we have some many bags of crisps available after our midweek league races!!!????). Plain water alone isn't the best to consume for fluid replacement because, as mentioned earlier, electrolytes (mainly sodium) are lost through sweat and need to be replaced, and plain water will dilute your blood rapidly, increasing its volume and stimulating urination. Increased urination will further lower sodium concentration and may leave you with a dangerously low level of this important electrolyte. So, a vicious cycle.

The most reliable and efficient modes of rehydration and electrolyte replacement continue to be the ones that have stayed with us for decades. Sports drinks contain sufficient amounts of electrolytes to replace those lost in sweat while also stimulating the drive to drink. However, the usual foods we eat contain far more electrolytes than sports drinks. For example, a medium banana contains about 450mg of potassium, whereas Lucozade provides 30mg per 8-ounce serving. A massive difference and another reason why you see so many bananas after races!!!!

Feedback

Members of the coaching team really value feedback from members of the club. Feedback enables us to adjust training sessions and also create brand new ones!

Whilst we think we are taking the correct steps in the design and delivery of the sessions, without your feedback we don’t entirely know! The way in which you give feedback doesn’t have to be particularly formal. Just a quick word with the coach after the session has finished is enough. If you would prefer to put it in writing after further thought then go ahead and drop the team a line at catchacoach@fvspartans.org.uk

We listen to all comments and it is a real help when we look at the forthcoming training schedules and sessions.

Thank you