Fueling the Grind: Candy Slices and Pickle Juice Triumph in Unorthodox Gravel Racing
Fueling the Grind:
Candy Slices and Pickle Juice Triumph in Unorthodox Gravel Racing
I just spit out my half chewed twizzler after that death defying descent!
In fact, I did a heap of things in last Saturday's gravel race that go against the traditional advice, what the "guru's" might say I "should" do. To go against everything you thought you knew about riding or competing in cycling events-- whether it's a gravel race, bikepacking trip, or another big ride in your neck of the woods.
Here's a list of 5 strange things I did... that worked!
1) Sliced up and measured my candy.
Yup, candy (mostly sucrose and glucose) is fuel and to make the most of my pockets, I cut it into bite sized bits and measured how many to eat every 30 minutes
2) Calculated in "pieces of candy" how many grams of carbs to eat each hour (I targeted 60-80g/hr).
That might sound like a lot of food, but I've been training and experimenting with the optimal amount of carbs for performance and 80g has been my sweet spot in training. Racing is slightly different, intensity is higher, so I wanted to try and mimic training and see what happened.
3) Drank 10 oz of pickle juice, straight (no chaser)
Everyone can have an off day and make silly mistakes. I got behind on my electrolytes. I was grateful for the opportunity to correct that mistake halfway through the event by slamming some pickle juice.
4) Didn't go as hard as I could even though it's a race.
Having loads of experience at mass start events like this, and knowing where I'm at in my training, I set my expectations and selected heart rate zone "guard rails" and made sure to stick to it. That's right, DO NOT go as hard as I could, and was rewarded for it by NOT blowing up!
5) Singing, to myself, out loud.
You might be thinking WHAT does that even have to do with racing? Singing or talking out loud is a way of staying present and grounded. I find when I'm scared of a feature, singing, or even counting out loud helps keep me calm, focused and present. And that's what it takes to focus on getting downhill and overcoming emotions like fear.
This is the kind of experience and information you can't buy. It's why we hire coaches. This is what having a great coach does for you.
We coach our athletes through whatever their big, hairy, audacious goal is. And with over 15 years of experience in doing things that scare me, or using counter-intuitive methods that actually work, my toolbox is overflowing with ways to guide, support, motivate, and coach you to your dream podium and a fantastic finish, full of confidence and overflowing with pride of accomplishment.
It's why we started Level Up 1:1 Coaching in the first place.
To see more women full of confidence, supported in your big goals, doing things that scared you but now exhilarate you. A program to download won't do that for you, it's just a series of workouts put together in a specific way. But a good coach will, she'll dig into her 15+ years and share her experience, help you cut out mistakes, show you how to do things that scare you, and share which counter-intuitive methods will actually work for you.
- Coach Marissa