Run: 2M TT
Row: 2k TT

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Electrolytes (from Power, Speed, Endurance by Brian Mackenzie)

Electrolytes–which include sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium–are minerals that are not only responsible for water retention, but also allow nerve transmission, muscle contraction, muscle relaxation, glycogen formation, ATP production, bone health and more.

As a general rule, each pound lost from sweat also results with the following loss in electrolytes:
- 220mg sodium
- 63mg potassium
- 8mg magnesium
- 16mg calcium

Electrolyte balance is critical for performance and proper body functions. These minerals help retain water throughout your body, including your muscles.

Electrolyte management can be very personal and can vary dramatically from athlete to athlete. However, as a general guideline, drinking just water during the first hour of training or a race is fine. After that, you need to start supplementing with electrolytes. This will prevent hypernatremia, nausea, and cramping.

Hypernatremia is caused when sodium in the blood reaches extremely high levels. While overconsumption of sodium can be the main factor in this condition, it is usually associated with dehydration. As water leaves the body, sodium levels increase, causing dehydration. Hypernatremia can also be a result of eating something extremely high in salt or ingesting massive quantities of electrolytes, which is why you get thirsty after eating salty food–your body is instinctively seeking balance.

Hyponatremia is caused by sodium loss in the blood from underconsumption of electrolytes, usually as a result of drinking too much water. Put simply, if you haven’t maintained a healthy electrolyte balance, your body has a tough time absorbing water. This is characterized by what is commonly referred to as “slosh gut,” which is when your stomach is full of water but your body can’t absorb the fluid as fast as you’re taking it in. This sodium-free blood travels to the brain, saturates brain cells, causing the brain to swell. In extreme cases, this can be fatal. Although this condition is rare and limited to novice endurance athletes, you still have to be careful. To prevent this from happening, be sure to add salts to your real food diet and supplement with electrolytes/salts for any effort longer than an hour.

Run: 3 x (100m + 200m + 400m), 1:1 work:recover
Row: 3 x (125m + 250m + 500m), 1:1 work:recover

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Dehydration Levels (from Power, Speed, Endurance by Brian Mackenzie)
- Less than 3%: manageable loss (performance is affected)
- 4-6%: sleepiness, headaches, nausea, tingling in arms (performance and reaction time are affected)
- 10-15%: muscles lose control, hearing impairment, dim vision (central nervous system and motor skills are affected
- 15%: death

The key is to drink water steadily throughout the day rather than pounding a gallon in one sitting. This is especially important during long races. If the target is 20oz of water an hour, drink 5oz every 20 minutes.

To start your day off right, drink 16-20oz of water (or more) the moment you wake up (before your morning coffee) to replenish water lost during the night.

Run: Repeat 1200m, recover 3:00 min, until form/pace deteriorates
Row: Repeat 1500m, recover 3:00 min, until form/pace deteriorates

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Sweat-Rate Test (from Power, Speed, Endurance by Brian Mackenzie)
1. Make sure you’re fully hydrated
2. Weigh in right before you train or race.
NOTE: Weighing in without clothes is recommended to ensure accuracy.
3. Perform a time-trial effort at race pace.
4. Weigh in immediately after you train. Again: Weigh yourself without clothes to ensure accuracy.
5. For every pound lost you need to drink at least 16 ounces of water. So if you weighed in at 150 pounds before the time trial and 145 pounds after, you need to drink 80 ounces of water. And to that total, add the amount of water you consumed during the effort.

NOTE: You should do a weigh in before you go to bed and when you wake up to show you how much water is lost through respiration and sweat during the night.

Hydration protocol for efforts longer than 60 minutes becomes increasingly difficult and is largely dependent on the individual. However, as a general rule, for athlete’s training/racing longer than 60 minutes, if the temperature is 72-76 degrees, 16-20 ounces per hour is an adequate target. Again, this is subjective to the individual and should be tested prior to competition in climate-controlled environments. (To confirm targets for higher temperatures, please visit the consumption calculator at www.gssiweb.com/FluidLoss.aspx).

Endurance Team Field Trip Time!!! We’ll meet at the gym, do some drills, and then head over to the WO&D trail (it’ll be crowded) for the WOD. For those rowing, you can stay at the gym and roll the rower out back into the sunshine to get your vitamin D too.

Run: 10M TT
Row: 10k @ 85% 10k TT pace

Run: Repeat 1000m, recover 3:00 min, until form/pace deteriorates
Row: Repeat 1200m, recover 3:00 min, until form/pace deteriorates

Video: We’re back to introducing new running drills. This one helps with ensuring you land underneath your hips. It is ALMOST impossible to land in front while doing this drill. If you ever feel yourself landing out in front, do this drill during your run to get back into the proper technique.

Run: Repeat 100m, recover 3:00, until form/pace deteriorates
Row: Repeat 125m, recover 3:00, until form/pace deteriorates

Video: With the weather getting hotter, we need to discuss proper hydration. Are you making an effort to drink half your body weight in ounces of water throughout the day? This doesn’t include coffee/tea, only water. Good rule of thumb is that you should have to go to the bathroom at least once an hour. If not, you may be slightly dehydrated. Also drinking a huge amount of water before getting to the gym doesn’t count–your body is unable to process that much amount of water and put it to good use if you chug water right before a WOD. You’ll only end up feeling bloated if you attempt this method–not a good strategy for getting your WOD on. Another thing to consider is getting sufficient electrolytes into your system. If you eat “clean” (aka paleo or one of it’s derivatives), you are most likely not getting sufficient electrolytes into your system. Electrolytes help the body retain the proper amount of water. Without electrolytes, water will simply pass through the system without getting absorbed. So it’s best to get some sort of electrolyte, whether it’s increasing your salt intake (sea salt, not processed table salt) or supplementing with electrolyte tablets. I recommend Nuun, you can get these at Potomac River Running and most cycling shops. Transition Triathlon has them or Endurolyte Fizz which is similar–they are CFI Challenge friendly (0g of sugar). Be careful of some of the other brands out there which may have added sugar. I like Nuun because it doesn’t have any added sugar and is loaded with electrolytes. We can discuss more in class, but make sure you drink enough before class or you’ll be doing burpees.

No official Endurance Class today as the gym is closed for the CrossFit Olympic Weightlifting Seminar. Here’s a WOD to keep you busy.

Run: 5M @ 90% of 10k TT pace
Run (scaled): 5k @ 85% 5k TT pace

Note: If doing the Rx WOD, this should take you about the same time as your 10k TT. If doing the scaled WOD, this should take you longer than your 5k TT.

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Run: Repeat 1:00 on : 1:00 off until form/pace deteriorates
Row: Repeat 1:00 on : 1:00 off until form/pace deteriorates

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Video: Stable arm drill (aka gun drill) tests whether or not you engage your midline as you run. If you don’t maintain you midline, your arms will go side to side. Most folks try to control their shoulders so their arms don’t swing side to side, which takes a lot of energy. All you have to do is ensure you’re squeezing your butt and squeezing your abs and magically your arms don’t swing as much.

Run: 3 x (200m + 400m + 600m)
Row: 3 x (250m + 500m + 750m)

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Video: The following drill is used to see if you can maintain midline stability with the lean. When you lean into the wall and run in place, does your form break down? To check to see if your technique breaks down, lean into the wall, run in place, and when you stop push yourself away from the wall. If done correctly, you should be in your POSE position. Do this a few times to see if and when your form breaks down when you incorporate the lean.

Official Endurance class is cancelled for Saturday–Colleen and I are unavailable. However, here’s a WOD you can still do on your own. We need to get a baseline time for several of the new Endurance Team members, so a time trial is in order. For those that have been on the team longer (you know who you are…cough cough…Ashley…cough cough…Kim…cough cough), see if there has been improvement on your times. Pay attention to your form and take note when it starts to break down–after the first, second, third mile, etc. When you notice your form breaking, go back through your checklist to regain proper form–feet under hips, get tall, squeeze butt, squeeze stomach, slightly bend the knees, lean, and pull.

Run: 10k TT
Run (scaled): 5k TT
Row: 5k TT
Row (scaled): 2k TT

Post results to BTWB.