Stacy Sims - Fuel For What You’re Doing: Rethinking Fueling and Hydration
There are a lot of options for fueling and hydration products on the market. But beyond taste and marketing lies efficacy: is the product doing the job you need it to do when you need it to do it? There are also some misconceptions and myths that, while generally accepted, are not actually based in physiological fact. And muddying the waters further are the inherent physiological differences between men and women. If you’ve ever been confused standing in front of a sports drink display, you’re not alone.
Enter Stacy Sims, an Environmental Exercise Physiologist and Nutrition Scientist specializing in sex differences of heat and/or altitude stress, recovery, genetics, and nutrition to moderate adaptive responses for performance. Stacy is a Senior Research Fellow at The University Of Waikato and author of ROAR, which helps women understand and work with their physiology for better performance.
That’s not to say that there’s no information in here for men. Stacy passionately explains the why’s and when’s of fueling, hydration and more for both men and women. This episode will help you re-evaluate your fueling and hydration strategy to provide more optimal results.
3:37 What is your background in endurance sports?
4:35 What prompted your interest in Nutrition Science and Environmental Exercise Physiology?
5:25 What was your mission with Osmo, what is your mission now with Nuun and what is the history of the sports drink industry?
6:59 Has the sports drink industry been geared more towards palatability than osmolality?
8:55 Have you discovered that it’s better to separate fueling and hydrating altogether?
10:55 How does this play into recovery & post-workout drinks?
12:45 What would be a good fuel strategy during a marathon or long run?
14:36 How do you feel about all natural gels?
16:01 Why are you not a fan of electrolyte pills or salt tabs?
18:34 Does cramping have anything to do with dehydration or potassium deficiency?
19:43 How should a runner determine how and when to hydrate as well as to take electrolytes?
21:57 How do women’s hydration needs vary throughout the stages of their menstrual cycle?
23:49 How should a woman who is having her period leading into a race alter her hydration strategy?
24:40 What do you mean by “Women are not small men” and how do men’s and women’s protein and carb requirements differ?
27:30 Are you not a proponent of oral contraception for high performance female athletes?
29:04 What would you suggest to female athletes as a safe alternative to the pill?
30:07 What is your take on the popular high fat / low carb diet in general and for men vs. women specifically?
33:01 Do women need carbs as endurance athletes?
33:36 Does sugar actually inhibit one’s ability to use fat as fuel?
35:01 Out of all the different types, which sugars are best?
36:39 What about honey?
37:06 What are the best solid foods to use to fuel for training and competition?
38:28 How does ambient temperature affect how people process different foods?
38:41 What should people consume post-run, especially post-workout or post-long run to facilitate glycogen repletion, fluid balance and overall recovery?
40:16 How has your partnership with Nuun been so far and what’s in the works with them?
43:08 What is the new product Nuun just released?
47:50 The Final Kick Round
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Dr. Stacy Sims - The University of Waikato profile
"No Sweat": Nina Stachenfeld OCP research article
Book: Becoming a Supple Leopard - Kelly Starrett
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Running podcast to motivate & help runners of every level run their best. Sinead Haughey interviews running influencers, scientists, psychologists, nutritionists, & everyday runners with inspiring stories.
Beet juice has become all the rage in the running world over the last few years, and for that we can thank Dr. Andrew Jones (aka @AndyBeetroot on Twitter).
With the help of his team at the University of Exeter, Andrew discovered beetroot’s natural performance enhancing benefits back in 2014 and continues exploring new ways for runners to fully capitalize on them. These benefits include a reduction in the cost of oxygen during exercise (and therefore perceived effort) as well as a boost in cognitive function, which, let’s face it, we could all use when the going gets tough at the end of a race.
And Andrew’s scientific pursuits don’t stop there. While he’s known more recently for his work with beetroot, Andrew is also the associate dean of Research and Knowledge Transfer, a professor of applied physiology, the Head of Sport and Health Sciences, and the leader of the Bioenergetics and Human Performance Research Group at the University of Exeter.
When he’s not studying beetroot’s ergogenic effects, he’s one of sport’s leading physiologists. Specializing in VO2 kinetics, he works with a variety of elite athletes and was the longtime physiologist to both Jo Pavey, who just 3 years ago became the oldest European female 10K champion at the age of 40, as well as Paula Radcliffe, who holds the world record in the marathon.
Let’s just say Andrew knows his stuff, and between all his groundbreaking research and expertise there’s a good chance you’ll have a hankering for some beets by the end of this interview.
3:31 Andrew’s background
5:53 Working with endurance athletes in your role as a physiologist
8:10 How important do you think VO2 Max is to athletic performance?
9:18 What studies are you currently working on?
10:53 How did you originally become interested in beetroot?
14:54 In your study, how long did it take for subjects to start seeing results from beetroot?
16:26 Would endurance athletes get the same benefits from beetroot as shorter, high-intensity athletes?
19:44 How much of your research has focused on the benefits of beetroot for recreational athletes vs. elite athletes?
22:03 When you studied lesser experienced runners, did you see any changes in their VO2 Max numbers?
24:37 Would this also speed up recovery rates?
26:42 Are there any other food sources that contain a high concentration of nitrate?
28:50 Are micro nutrients more easily absorbed via liquid form?
29:33 How do our bodies process nitrate?
32:41 Is there an effective beet product that is mobile-friendly?
36:17 How can people integrate beetroot into their diets and training programs for best results?
38:11 Why would you recommend 3-4 weeks on followed by a break from taking it?
38:54 Would consuming beetroot midway through a long run provide any benefits?
41:54 Are there any GI issues or side effects to be aware of?
43:40 How much headroom do you think there is for beetroot research as an ergogenic aid?
49:42 The Final Kick Round
“One of my specialities is VO2 kinetics: so when the gun fires at the beginning of a race, how quickly we can switch on our aerobic energy system to meet the energy demand by utilizing the oxygen that we breath in.”
“I’m very interested in the impact of the work that we do in the lab on actually changing practicing athletes and helping them improve their performance….So my PHD was really all about what’s the best approach we can use in the lab to measure the things in runners we know are important to their success and then relating that to the training that they do.”
“If you can understand the basis of fatigue, then that can help you understand performance more generally, and obviously that has applications in the elderly, the general public, and people with various diseases as well.”
“A chance encounter with a paper that surprised me in a journal led me to investigate the same topic further, and we’ve continued in that vein for probably the last eight years or so because the results were so - you know, it was one of those “eureka moments” that you get so rarely in science.”
“It looks as if in the condition where the participants took the nitrate top up halfway through, they were able to slightly spare the muscle glycogen concentration, which over the course of a marathon would be a beneficial thing to happen.”
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Andrew Jones’ beetroot study
Beet It (supplement product)
Break 2 Project
Book: This Mum Runs by Jo Pavey
Book: 2 Hours by Ed Caesar
We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.
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If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!
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Why Your Best Accomplishment Should Be Your Next One - Director of the Boston Marathon Dave McGillivray
Race director, philanthropist, motivational speaker, accomplished athlete - Dave McGillivray is a professional with a purpose. From his extraordinary run across the U.S. to benefit the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1978 to serving as technical director then race director of the BAA Boston Marathon since the 1980s, McGillivray has helped organize more than 900 mass participatory events since founding DMSE, Inc. in 1981, while raising millions for worthy causes close to his heart.
In this episode, Dave shares with us his perspective on how running and races have changed over the years, as well as describing his own accomplishments and outlook. The Boston Marathon is arguably one of the most iconic races and one whose meaning has grown even more since the tragedy in 2013. I know that many of you are in the final stages of preparing for this event and I think this inside view may get you even more psyched up. If that’s possible.
5:39 What is your running background?
7:22 What was your initial spark to start running?
10:34 What is the story behind your starting the first sanctioned running club inside a maximum security prison?
13:56 How was your experience with your 24-hour swim?
17:10 How do you feel running has evolved since the 1970’s?
20:40 Would you agree that there are many more recreational runners now than in the ‘70’s?
22:06 Do you feel that all races should have a qualifying standard like the Boston Marathon?
23:45 What does it mean to be a race director?
27:10 How has your approach to organizing the marathon changed since 2013?
28:39 How has the atmosphere of the race changed since then?
29:52 Besides security increases, what are some of the other challenges you have to address as a race director?
32:14 What is the best part about your job?
33:47 How do you will yourself to run the course every year after the marathon is over?
36:10 How have you managed to remain fit?
37:42 Have you had to alter your training at all or just other areas of your life?
41:16 The Final Kick Round
“I just knew as I was running across America, going through 120 degrees in the desert, or running over the Rocky Mountains or running 50-60 miles a day, even though that might have been somewhat painful, it paled in comparison to what these kids were going through.”
“Kids ask me all the time: ‘What’s your best accomplishment?’ and I invariably say to them, ‘My best accomplishment is my next one.’”
“I help raise the level of self-esteem and self-confidence of tens of thousands of people in America”
“The toughest part about running a race is signing the application.”
“I have a button in my office that says: ‘My job’s secure; no one else wants it’.”
“The runners and race management have had to learn a whole new system. And sometimes people have a tough time with change, but eventually, after a year or two, it’s not change anymore; it’s become the norm.”
“I think the spirit from all the people who realize that good will always overcome evil has certainly been infectious for everybody.”
“I’d rather not put out fires; I’d rather prevent them.”
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Book: The Haywire Heart; Velopress.com
Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises (DMSE, Inc.)
New Balance Falmouth Road Race
We really hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of Run to the Top.
The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.
If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!
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