Topics:
Items of Interest: Books available soon: Racing to the Extreme and Without a Paddle; Local paddlers signed up for Yukon River Quest; and more
Events and Races: FCPA races; Suwannee River Challenge; and more
Article: Nutrition for Endurance Events

Marty Sullivan
(my Love/Hate relationship with computers has been more on the Hate side this month)

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Rod Price's book Racing to the Extreme: My Journey from Florida to the Yukon 1000-Mile Canoe Race is available now, You can contact Rod at 407-227-5606, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Warren Richey's book Without a Paddle: Racing Twelve Hundred Miles Around Florida By Sea Kayak will be available in book stores June 8, 2010. Preorder the book at Amazon.com. Warren will be doing a reading and book signing at the Vero Beach Book Center on July 10. At 9 a.m. there will be a "paddle with the author" event sponsored by a local kayak shop, then at 3 p.m. there will be a regular reading and discussion at the bookstore. There will also be readings at Inkwood Books in Tampa on July 8 and at Books & Books in Coral Gables on July 7.

Watch for Anita Allen and Rod Price in the 460-mile Yukon River Quest, starting June 30, 2010. See info and results at http://www.yukonriverquest.com/ .

Demo Day and Clearance Sale, Sweetwater Kayaks in St. Petersburg on Saturday, June 5, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. At the Shop, 13060 Gandy Blvd., St. Petersburg, FL 33702. Call Russell Farrow at 727-570-4844 for details.

Florida Competition Paddlers Events (usually 10 miles and 4 or 5 miles in protected waters):
June 5, 2010, Wascissa River Race, Tallahassee, FL, Contact George Blakely, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 850-385-4974
June 12-13, 2010, Sunshine State Games, Alachua County (Poe Springs/High Springs), FL, See www.flasports.com, Contact John Edwards, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-459-6366
July 11, 2010, Mere Mortals Canoe/Kayak Race, Suwannee River Park, FL, Contact Larry Frederick, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 352-495-9846
September 11, 2010, Tarpon Springs Puffer Fish Race, Tarpon Springs, FL, Contact Cindy/Karl Vogel, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-938-7685
September 18, 2010, St. Johns River "Paddle Battle", Orange City, FL, Contact Marty Sullivan, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 407-484-0112
November 7, 2010, Paddle of the Pass, Matlacha, FL, Contact Nancy Macphee, www.floridapaddlingtrails.com, 239-707-7275
January 15, 2011, Wakulla River Race, Tallahassee, FL, Contact Jack/Anke Toth, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
January 23, 2011, Estero River Race, Ft. Myers, FL, Contact Paula, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 239-992-4050
February 26, 2011, Crisp Park Race, St. Pete, FL, Contact John Edwards, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-459-6366
March 12, 2011, Great Pickle Race, Tampa, FL, Contact Glennis Williams, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-455-9188
March 19, 2011, Manatee Run, Orange River, N. Ft. Myers at Manatee Pk, FL,

Workout Paddle Around Hontoon Island from Highbanks, 18 miles, Saturday, June 5, 2010 8:30 AM, see http://www.meetup.com/adventuresinflorida/calendar/13663118/

Introduction to Kayaking Class, Winter Park, FL, Dinky Dock, Saturday, June 12, 2010 8:00 AM, contact Greg Pflug, 407-924-3375

Bioluminescent Kayak Tour, Titusville, FL, Sunday, July 18, 2010 7:00 PM, see http://www.meetup.com/adventuresinflorida/calendar/13631053/

ECOQuest - kayaking adventure and family fun day festival. June 5-10th, festival June 12, 2010 Event designed to invite people outdoors, create awareness of our environment and promote land conservation efforts. Geocaching contest with $3,500 prize money. North Guana Landing, 4415 Mickler Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. For more information see www.ecoquestadventure.com.

Back to the Chattahoochee Race and Festival, June 12, Atlanta, GA. 8 and 10 miles. contact Tammy Bates, 404-352-9828 ext. 12, www.chattahoochee.org.

Yellowfly Challenge, June 19 Saturday, Ocklockonee River, Tallahassee, FL. 68 miles downriver from Lake Talquin dam to Bald Point State Park near the coast. See web site details at http://yfpc.org/ and flyer at http://www.ktlcb.com/Home/2010YellowFlyPaddleChallenge.pdf . It can be done as a relay. If you're interested, let me know.

Yukon River Quest, June 30, 2010, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. 460 miles. Terrific race with tremendous community support, an event of a lifetime. Check it out at www.yukonriverquest.com

Savannah Paddlefest, August 21, 2010, Augusta, GA, 8.5 miles. contact Andy Weed, 706-826-8991, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Suwannee River Challenge and Marathon, October 16, 2010, (52 and 26 miles), White Springs, FL, Contact Rod Price, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 407-227-5606

Florida Paddlers' Rendezvous, October 21 - 24, 2010, Silver River State Park campground. Day trips, potluck dinners, campfires. Make camping reservations at the State Park. Sponsored by CentralFloridaSeaKayakers@yahoogroups.com.

Alafia River Challenge. November 13, 2010, See http://www.alafiachallenge.com/ for details. This is a fun, 9-mile run from Lithia Springs, near Brandon, Florida, ending with music, food, etc. Sign up early since it fills up.

NUTRITION FOR ENDURANCE EVENTS
Send me your opinions and food choices, and I'll print them next month.

It's tough to keep "fueled up" when we have to divide our energy between paddling and digesting fuel.  Digesting food takes energy, and blood must be diverted from our working muscles to our stomach and intestines to process and use the fuel. So, a balance must be found between energy for propulsion and energy for processing our fuel. We run at a negative energy balance, burning more fuel that we eat, and finding that tolerable balance is one of the keys to success.

For a one to 3 hours event, eating well the night before, eating an easily digested breakfast, and drinking plenty of fluids can be enough. An event that stretches beyond that up to, say 6 hours, we can get by with various carbohydrate supplements like carbo-electrolyte drinks and Power Gels. But when it goes beyond that time, our body needs more comprehensive fuels including protein and fats as well as carbohydrates. Everybody's needs are different, so finding the right balance is a personal thing found out through trial and, hopefully not too drastic, error. On a 36-hour adventure race one of our team members decided chicken would provide him the right fuel, up until the 22nd hour when he got to see all his chicken again from on his hands and knees. His mistake was not trying his fuels ahead of time. So, the right fuels consist of certain foods and liquids right for you, that you determine by trying different foods and drinks.

This article talks about how to stay fueled and healthy for a multi-day event, such as the Everglades Challenge. For a paddler, the length of time for the 270-mile race is generally 4 to 6 days depending on level of effort.

First, how much fuel is needed, as measured in calories. Calories needed depend on body weight and on level of effort. Body weight assumes reasonable fitness and body mass index. Resting rate calorie consumption per hour is approximately equal to body weight in kilograms (1 kg = 2.2 pounds). A 165-pound person consumes 75 calories per hour at rest.

Calorie consumption for different activities can be calculated as a multiple of resting rate calories. For example, paddling at a moderate pace, calorie consumption is 5 times resting rate. At a hard pace such as sprinting, fighting a strong head wind, consumption is 10 times resting rate. So, a 165-pound person would consume 375 calories per hour at a moderate pace or 750 calories per hour at a very hard pace (Mier, "Calories Burned").

Here are estimated calorie requirements per day in doing an Everglades Challenge.
Assume paddling at a moderate pace, 5 times resting calorie consumption rate
Assume paddling 16 hours per day (5 X resting calorie consumption rate).
Assume 2 hours of setting up camp, cooking, eating, breaking camp (3 X resting rate).
Assume 6 hours rest (perhaps 2 hours during the day and 4 hours at night) (1 X resting rate).

Do the math, and for a 165-pound person the daily calorie consumption is 6,900 per day; a lot of food (5 X 75 X 16 plus 3 X 75 X 2 plus 1 X 75 X 6). For other body weights, calorie requirements per day would be: 120 pound, 5,060 calories; 150 pounds, 6,256; 200 pounds, 8,372.

That's a lot of food, more than we can eat and process. So, what's a good way to get it into your system with a tolerable negative energy balance? First, we need a balance of carbs, fats, and protein in a way that our body can easily digest. Secondly, for a competitive event the food must require easy, quick preparation. Thirdly, it should be "dense," that is, high calorie content for the amount of weight and volume.

Here are sample suggestions from "Fueling the Fire," (Isaac, 2002). For breakfast eat a high carb and moderate protein breakfast bar, such as HarvestBars and ProteinPlus, both from PowerBar.  Some fat is OK but try to keep it down. During the day consume high carb snacks with limited protein.  Carb to protein ratio should not exceed 4 to 1.  Keep the fat content down as much as possible. In case extra energy is needed to fight tides or wind, have PowerGels handy just in case. Use a combination of PowerGels, apples, oranges, bananas, chips (low fat), pretzels, and limited jerky (low fat) for snacking during the day.  Unless you can stay in zones 1 and 2 [below 70% of maximum heart rate], forget traditional gorp, nuts, chocolate due to too much fat. For an evening meal, whether at 8 pm or 3 am, still treat it as dinner since it's a major refueling activity. This is also the time to fully hydrate your body so you are ready for the next day. Mix up a recovery drink such as offered by Hammer Nutrition, http://www.hammernutrition.com/.  Keep drinking water. Boil water and have a freeze dried meal for 2, a meal that has its own mixing bag so there is no cleanup. Have as much desert and fat as you want.

My diet consists of the following. For breakfast I eat a hard-boiled egg and some type of breakfast bar for complete carb/protein/fat fuel. During the day I eat gorp consisting of raisins, cranberries, almonds and cashews, being careful not to eat too much at once since this is a rich snack. In addition I have one or 2 per day of an 8-ounce nutrition drink like Ensure Plus, Boost Plus, etc., which provide 350 calories and are easily digested, as well as providing electrolytes. Also I eat one or two energy food bars. All along I'm sipping water. In the evening I have a freeze-dried meal for two. I carry some tortillas and squeeze tube of peanut butter as an emergency food supply. I carry gel packets, like Power Gel, some with caffeine and some without but save them for emergency energy since the boost doesn't last long and can be followed by a sugar crash. This menu provides me about 2400 calories per day, a deficit of around 4000 calories. I usually lose 5 pounds or so during an Everglades Challenge.

For an excellent discussion of performance foods including negative energy balance (calorie deficit), fat/protein/carbohydrate balance, and high-calorie low-weight balanced foods, see the reference "Calorie Intake," Mier 2007.

Last but most important are hydration and electrolytes. Maximum fluid or water the body can absorb is 1 liter per hour. It's critical to keep fluids up, and constantly sipping on water is the way to do it. I monitor the color of my urine and up my fluids intake if it's not light-colored. I keep a CamelBak tube at hand at all times. Some folks like GatorAde, although it's mostly sugar and little electrolytes in spite of the advertising. They usually dilute it 1:1 with water. When I come off the water I drink as much as is comfortable. Keeping electrolytes in balance is also very important. Some foods, such a nuts and fruit, provide electrolytes, but a supplement is a good idea. The best electrolyte supplement by far in my experience is Hammer Nutrition "Endurolyte" (http://www.hammernutrition.com/). Nutritional drinks like Ensure and Boost contain electrolytes also.

I didn't discuss comfort food and drinks, but whatever works for you, bring it. I alway have a thermos of coffee handy, making a new thermos of instant coffee whenever it runs out. Maybe you want a Pop-Tart, baby carrots, M&Ms, or whatever keeps you happy.

References:
"Total Calories Burned While Kayaking," Constance Mier, Ph.D., 2007 http://www.cmierphotoandfitness.net/files/Calories_burned_while_kayaking.pdf

"Calorie Intake for Kayaking Trips," Constance Mier,Pd.D., 2007 http://www.cmierphotoandfitness.net/files/Calorie_intake_for_trips.....pdf

"Fueling the Fire," Steve Isaac, 2002
http://www.watertribe.com/Magazine/Y2002/M12/SteveIsaacFuelingTheFire.aspx