24 Weeks of Training

This is the 24th week of our training program so I thought that it would be fun to review my training log and generate some statistics. Since starting the program I have done the following:
1) 227 training sessions (47 bike rides, 82 runs, 65 swimming sessions and 33 core training sessions)
2) trained for over 210 hours (8.75 days)
3) rode 1181 miles
4) ran 405 miles
3) swam 96000 yards (60 miles)
On average, I have trained 6 days a week, up to 3 times a day, for 10-12 hours/week. This will increase over the coming months as we ramp up the mileage.

75% and climbing

After last weekend's hellacious training sessions, we got to have a recovery week. Although we still trained six days this week the intensity of our training was lighter and the duration shorter. I felt fine early in the week but the weekend caught up with me later in the week. Next week we are back on the pyramid.
This week also saw another fundraising landmark with my total reaching $5700 or 76% of my goal. Thanks again to you all who have supported me.

What did you do this weekend?

This was my training program for the weekend.

Saturday (Treasure Island):
45 minute swim in the Bay
45 minutes of run drills
45 minutes of spinning
45 minutes of road cycling
45 minutes hill repeats (this was one mean hill - I thought that I was going to throw up at least twice)
45 minutes of core training
45 minutes of spinning (including lots of single leg exercises)

We were supported by Raj's sister, Karmjit and her family, Raj, Jeevan and Simran, who were visiting from Toronto. It was great to be cheered on my Jeevan and Simran who seemed to enjoy their visit to Treasure Island despite the lack of treasure.

Sunday (San Jose):
One hour swimming
One hour run
One hour cycle
30 minutes circuit training
30 minutes spin
30 minutes running
30 minutes spin
One hour pool running and cool down.

Basically, we did 5-6 hours of exercise each day. One of the major objectives of the weekend was to ensure that we were adequate nourished and maintained a good electrolyte balance. I have been experimenting with a whole range of sports drinks over the last couple of months. However, my options boiled down to two products that are designed for endurance events: Sustained Energy and Perpetuem. Both products can be mixed up into concentrated drinks that can last for up to 5 or 6 hours which is really useful when you are cycling a century. They have several other advantages over your average sports drink. One of the major differences is that they contain protein which is important for long workouts in that you need to ingest protein otherwise you might end up using your muslces as fuel. Anyhow, I gave up on Sustained Energy last week as it was making me feel sick, and spent this weekend evaluating Perpetuem. Fortunately, I tolerated it well - many people get GI upsets. So it looks like it will be my energy drink of choice. Also I have fallen in love with peanut butter and honey sandwiches which taste amazing when you are working out hard.

Next stop a half-IronMan (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile cycle and 13.1 mile run) on April 8.

Glucosamine for Knee Pain

Like many people I have periodically suffered from knee pain, which I usually attribute to increased wear and tear from running. Fortunately, I have observed over time that my painful knees tend to resolve on their own regardless of whether I do anything about them or not. On a couple of occasions I have tried supplementation with glucosamine but I could never be sure whether the subsequent resolution of my knee pain was a result of treatment or just natural resolution. So I was interested to see some new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week.
The study by Clegg et al was a randomized, placebo- and celecoxib-controlled (Celebrex) trial of 1500 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride daily, 1200 mg of chondroitin sulfate daily, or the two in combination. The study did not find a difference between the three supplement groups and placebo. However, there was a significantly greater response seen in the celecoxib group compared to placebo. In an editorial, Hochberg notes that the findings are not surprising and consistent with a meta-analysis of eight randomized trials of glucosamine hydrochloride or sulfate. Although there are other studies to the contrary that demonstrate that glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate have resulted in improved function in patients with arthritis of the knee. So what does this all mean? Hochberg recommends that patients with symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee should try treatment with glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate for three months to establish if there are any benefits. He also notes that there is no evidence that these agents prevent the formation of osteoarthritis in healthy persons or that they are effective in persons with knee pain and normal radiographs. So unless you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis then I would save your money.
The big problem that I have with nutritional supplements is that they are not subjected to the same standards as regular drugs in terms of determining whether they are safe and efficacious, and are not reviewed by the FDA before they are marketed. In addition, many are not manufactured to the same standards as regular drugs, so it is not unusual to find that there is a lot of variability in the contents of products. So be careful what you buy. If you do buy supplements then try to find a company that adheres to good manufacturing practices.

$5000 and climbing

This week saw my fundraising total cross the $5000 mark. As of today, I am at $5400 which leaves just another $2100 until I hit my target. Considering that I am only about half way through the training program, I am rather pleased. Thank you all who made this possible. In fact, 42 of you have sponsored me to date with an average donation of $128.57.
I also heard that our team fundraising total is now over $250,000 and that we are looking good for a grand total of $500,000.

This weekend we will be cycling 55 miles and running 3-4 miles on Saturday, and on Sunday we get to swim in Aquatic Park for an hour be followed by a 100 minute run. Bring it on!

Have a great weekend.