Argus Nutrition

Posted by Ian Craig | 18 Feb 2010| comments (0)

Are you doing the Argus - it seems like half of the town is! Well, Michael and I are giving 3 workshops next week on the final preparations of it: Cape Town on Tues 23rd, Somerset West on Wed 24th & Stellenbosch on Thur 25th. As usual, Michael will be covering training and I will be seeing to the nutrition.Just to whet your appetite (pardon the pun), here's a few dietary things to consider in the weeks before:In the weeks before, you need to get the basics right - eat for optimal health ...

DC Race Day Nutrition

Posted by Ian Craig | 19 Nov 2009| comments (1)

Okay, so what do we eat on the day of the race? That is a personal choice of course - I will supply you with a few suggestions, but make sure that you do what you're comfortable with and have done before. The Morning of the Race – the Last Meal •       The race is long and you will start steadily, so your breakfast should be decent •       Do what you usually do and if you are going to change anything, do it wee ...

Loading up for the DC!

Posted by Ian Craig | 18 Nov 2009| comments (2)

In preparation for the DC, today is when you should start thinking about Carb Loading and Water Loading: During the actual DC ride, depending on your own metabolism, about 50% of your energy will come from fat burning and most of the rest from carbs (5-10% will be muscle breakdown). So, in preparation for the race, fat burning will be important, but without sufficient carb supplies, you won’t hit your higher paces. Therefore, it would be sensible to spend a few days Carb Loading b ...

DC Strategies + caffeine

Posted by Ian Craig | 23 Oct 2009| comments (0)

Michael and I have just had great fun doing our first DC Strategies workshop in Somerset West. Michael talked about training up to the day plus team strategies on the day, depending whether you're racing for a place or out to enjoy the view! I dealt with the nutrition and talked about carb loading vs. fat loading, water loading, the pre-race meal, the hour before, liquid and solid foods during the race and speeding up recovery after.You will be very pleased to know that we are repeating the ...

Anyone for Grapes?

Posted by Ian Craig | 08 Oct 2009| comments (0)

Last time I told you about the virtues of Rooibos tea. Well, something else that South Africa has a lot of is grapes. I've just read a piece of research that examined the effect of grape extracts on oxidative stress in elite athletes. The research found that oxidative stress was decreased in athletes taking an extract of grapes and performance was even increased in some. If you want to read more, follow the link: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Naturex-builds-sports-case-for-Powergr ...