Tour de Fredericton

Hellooo!! How was everyone’s weekend? I got a solid 7.5 hours of sleep last night, which was desperately needed. I was feeling pretty chipper as I munched on my chocolate macaroon breakfast cookie at work.

I tried to eat a little more calories at work today to fuel for the looong bike ride I planned for this afternoon. More munching ensued with some trail mix and apple sauce.

Then it was on to my biggest egg white pillows yet.

Six egg whites! It was the rest of the container. Keeping one egg white in it would have been silly…

 Crunch!

After work, I came home and watched an exciting last 8k of the Tour de France. Dear Senor Contador, it is hard to support you when you make a “gun” upon your finish…

Then it was straight to bed for a glorious one hour nap. It was one of those naps that felt like I blinked, and woke up feeling rejuvenated.

I continued my day of fuelling by trying out a new product I was sent a while back.

 
Training Day specializes in sport drinks. This Game Time drink is meant for immediately before activity. They also have a Pre-Season drink meant for helping build strength and muscle, and Post Game meant for recovery after activity.

According to their website…

GAME TIME is the first sports nutrition supplement designed to support athletes on game days and fuel workouts between competitions. GAME TIME is formulated to increase energy, explosiveness, endurance, intensity, and lean muscle tissue.
Drinking GAME TIME will power you through the 4th quarter, the 9th inning, the final leg of the race, and the last set in the weight room.
Ideal for: athletes, weightlifters, cardio exercisers.
What to expect:
[ + ] Noticeably increased energy within minutes
[ + ] Increased intensity and motivation
[ + ] Endurance that lasts through competition and training
[ + ] Increased strength and explosiveness
[ + ] Increased blood flow which carries more oxygen and key nutrients to muscles
[ + ] Muscle fatigue resistance
[ + ] Lean muscle tissue growth and support

Mix one packet of GAME TIME with 8 oz. of water and drink 15-30 minutes before a competition or workout. Additional GAME TIME packets may be taken as needed during a competition or workout for added energy and endurance.

I mixed my berry flavour with 8oz of water, and realized it was waaay too strong for me. So I diluted it with about 6 more ounces of water.

Taste-wise, it was okay. I think it’s supposed to taste like Kool-Aid, but it tastes just a bit off. Still drink-able though and quite refreshing. 

I had it to chase down my no-fail pre-workout snack.

Banana and peanut butter. Helloooo beautiful ;)

I was totally excited for my bike ride. I love it when I get pumped for workouts!

Today’s ride had no big goals besides putting in some “saddle time,” as Chris puts it. I picked a pretty easy route, just a few minor climbs, and didn’t push my speed the whole time. It was pretty windy in some parts though, which definitely slowed me down.

Duration: 2 hours and 11 minutes
Distance: 53 km (33 miles)
Avg Speed: 24 km/hr (15 mph)
Max Speed: 44 km/hr (27 mph)  
Avg HR: 147
Max HR: 164
Calories: 1084 (!!)

I got off the bike around the 55 minute mark and ate four dates with peanut butter. They were definitely needed, but not quite at that point. I think I would have been better off eating them around the 90 minute mark to get me through that last slog of the ride.

This is also my longest distance to date! Yay! They’re only going to keep going up too ;) I noticed it was a lot easier after my hill workout earlier in the week. Just goes to show how beneficial hill training can be. Definitely something I will continue to do!

Luckily, Chris wasn’t with me. He would have been embarrassed by my newbie chain marks :P

I at least did not fall off my bike getting unclipped today. I fell off the last time, something I “conveniently” forgot to tell you guys :P It’s borderline ridiculous, but not surprising. I really am uncoordinated. Oh! Speaking of which, I tried to practice standing on my bike while coasting, and got a little better at balancing myself. I’ll be standing and pedalling soon I hope!

Refuelled immediately with a smoothie.

 

• 1 serving Vega smoothie infusion
• 1 box coconut water
• 1/2 a banana
• frozen papaya chunks
• 2 scoops plain yogurt

This was my best combo yet using the Vega stuff! I loved the taste of coconut water in it, not to mention all the additional electrolytes. I’m running low on my frozen papaya and think I may get some more. While it may taste gross fresh, it’s pretty good frozen in smoothies.

I drank this while doing lotsa stretching and foam rolling. Me knees are stiff like they were after the triathlon. Hopefully this isn’t a new “thing.” I iced them and took an advil, and they’re getting a little better. The stiffness didn’t last long after the tri either.

I tried out some of my roommie’s old meatballs for dinner. Sounds appetizing, no?

They were President’s Choice veggie meatballs and pretty good! I haven’t tried them yet because they are quite calories dense, even for me. I’ve noticed this is a trend with a lot of their frozen meatless products. I added them to some spelt penne noodles and Classico roasted garlic and onion sauce. I added a dash of chili powder for some heat.

I basically just made the noodles cause that’s what you eat with meatballs, but I still wasn’t a huge fan.

Just too mushy and bland! I do much better with smaller noodles like angel hair that aren’t so thick.

I finished my day of fuelling with a piece of “congratulatory chocolate.”

A square of 90% Lindt and a smear of PB. I figured I deserved it after that ride ;)

I know it looks like I burned a ton of calories, but I feel like I did a good job of keeping on top of it throughout the day so I wouldn’t have to load up on calories tonight. I sneaked in a few extra calories during my work eats, and then fuelled up before, during and after my bike ride with plenty of quality calories that would carry me through and help me recover.

Based on my estimates, I’d say I have a “net” calorie worth no smaller than I do on my usual workout days. I also think it’s important to remember that it’s easy to stack on the calories! I could have loaded up on the meatballs and chocolate afterward thinking I was okay because I burned so much. But that’s not always the case either. To be honest, I’m not even that hungry, so I guess my body knows what’s going on ;)

On the topic of “fuelling,” I got a kick out of Lance Armstrong today, when he pulled out a pastry and started eating it during the race!! I bet there are soooo many sports nutrition companies out there who would give him free bars to eat during the Tour. But instead he opted for some “real food,” likely stopping by a bakery before the race’s start. That’s sort of my thought process behind eating dates as mid-workout fuel. I don’t need any fancy goos or anything. Just something that I know will give me a boost of energy and sustain me till the end.

What are your thoughts on “sport fuels?” Real food all the way? Or do you think they have their place?

Hope everyone has a great start to the week!