Coach Carter

Sitting in Starbucks, Newcastle sharing thoughts on ideas for this blog post, I tell Dan of the title I am considering using. “Am I in it then?” he asks....that comment confirmed the selection of this title!!

When Dan and I first considered attending this conference, we looked at the keynote speakers and it won us over. It is not very often you get a group of sport scientists like this to watch and learn. I had the pleasure of listening to some of these people last year in Seattle at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference, but to get them in Europe is rare. Whilst completing my PhD, myself and Gary (a fellow PhD student) used to pride ourselves in collecting photos of us alongside “Sport Science legends” – sometimes the academics were very willing (if not a little confused at their fandom!) but other times we had to be a little more ‘subtle’. It was a lot of fun and I still have this collection of photos. I may have exchanged the photos with those of cups of the coffee I drink (!) but, my excitement of listening to these ‘wizards’ speak is still evident.

Dan and I thought it a good idea to take you through the key names of the 3 days, and share with you the odd “soundbite”: the one liners or comments that made us prick up our ears or feel left inspired. Certainly, that is the feeling I will leave this conference with – definitely worth the trip.

Dave Martin, physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sport

Dan chose "Don’t get distracted focusing on the one-percenters". A very interesting quote given it is the philosophy of one of the Australian track cycling team coaches and is at the opposite end of the spectrum to BC’s focus on ‘The aggregation of marginal gains’. My attraction to this quote was its relevance to the working athlete or those with limited resources. The majority of performances gains come from ‘the basics’ – consistent training, considered recovery and solid nutrition. Don’t let the minor details detract from what’s really important.

Helen chose Dave's words around "belief and conviction". It wasn't the only time this concept was raised in the talks given by the key speakers. Matt Parker (see later) was also keen to bring this across. In order to hit peak performances, an athlete needs to belive not only in themselves and their ability, but to also possess the conviction that EVERYTHING they are doing is 100% right for them. We often hear of the 'placebo' effect - for example, if we are told we are taking carbohydrate drinks, we will probably perform better than if we are told we are drinking water. Likewise, if the coach presents a sound arguement for interval work, the athlete will probably engage more in that session. The application of this concept? Buy in totally to the training plan, the nutritional guidance, the recovery strategies - let doubt set in, and energy gets diverted. 

Louise Burke, sports nutritionist at the Australian Institute of Sport

Dan chose "Applying the sprinkles to the icing on the cake". Apart from the reference to cake (talks on nutrition always make me hungry!) this quote immediately struck a chord. We’re all guilty of searching for a ‘quick fix’ in this area. Louise reiterated how an athlete’s nutrition must be built from the ground up. First a good, mixed diet taking care of the basic macro (carb, protein, fat) and micro (vitamins and minerals) nutrients (the cake). Then, the introduction of correct feeding around training and racing ie pre-, during and post-ride nutrition to support the session and promote adaptation and recovery (the icing). Finally when all this is in place the introduction of specific supplements and ergogenic aids if necessary, for example sodium bicarbonate, sodium phosphate, carnitine, GAKIC or any of the other weird and wonderful substances we can use to find that extra improvement (the sprinkles). So, no more factsheets on the latest ergogenic aid until the basic dietary information is in place and the introduction of some basic meal plans and ideas to promote a healthy, balanced diet!

 Helen chose the concept of "periodizing nutrition" as it made complete sense yet is something so often overlooked. Nutrition should always be used in SUPPORT of the plan, Louise started with this precept before running in to the quote Dan has mentioned above. So, if we look at the training and consider the aims each training cycle may have, think about what your body might need in order to maximise the training gains. For example, if one of the aims of the training during the winter is to increase lean body mass, we might look at strategies to lessen overall calorie intake (if stripping back excess body fat), or to increase protein (if building muscle tissue). Enter the build towards the season, and carbohydrate needs might increase because of high intensity intervals which have a higher rate of energy turnover (quick access energy). There is a lot of research now directed towards how eating certain foodstuffs might actually augment training adaptations - we'll be sure to keep our athletes posted on these through our factsheets, workshops and talks on training camps.

Inigo Mujika, the physiologist and trainer for the Euskaltel Euskadi professional cycling team between 2006 and 2008

Dan chose "Overreaching is necessary for peak performance". Not to be confused with overtraining, overreaching is the idea of pushing the envelope or lifting the training load beyond that which is tolerable in the long term. Inigo described how his modelling showed increased performance if athletes were deliberately overreached in their final training block before competition. It is important to note using this strategy required a significantly longer taper than ‘normal’. This is not necessarily a new idea – elite athletes have known the importance of stepping very close to the edge in order to squeeze the most out of themselves but it was nice to see it scientifically (even mathematically) validated. I think this observation can give both coach and athlete confidence that it’s okay to be tired! Sailing a little close to the wind at times is important for getting the most out of your performance.

Helen chose Inigo's thoughts on an optimal "20 day taper" having spoken to him after his presentation. I won't say too much here - or we'll be giving secrets away that PBscience athletes can use to gain some edge over their competition! But, the headline is that there are some new ways to ensure the fine balance between being rested but ready to compete is achieved. Using a longer taper might enable that. I'm really excited to start applying some of my thoughts next season!

Matt Parker, former Endurance coach for the men’s team of British Cycling, now their Director of ‘Marginal Gains’

Dan chose “Protecting the power stroke”. Matt described this phrase as his barometer for deciding which innovations to introduce to his high performance programme in the build up to the Beijing Games. The idea is simple – anything that risks interfering with the main focus of getting faster is left well alone. For instance it was suggested that using ice baths would be a good strategy for helping the athletes recover after hard sessions. Matt questioned whether this would interfere with the adaptation process – no one on the team could answer the question so the use of ice baths was kept out of the program. The key point – training was not the focus here, it was only a means to trigger the necessary adaptation. Improving recovery and being able to train more was pointless if it didn’t result in more adaptation and improved performance. This shows the importance for the PBscience coaching team in providing our athletes with clear, up to date information on the things that can support and improve performance but also those that might hinder. For the athlete it means recognising the effect that your ‘lifestyle’ has on your performance and making an effort to align that with your cycling goals.

Helen liked Matt's equation "Mental load + Physical load = Life load", in the main because it showed the necessity that even World Class athletes have to be aware of the total stress in their environment. We can only manage so much stress before signs of over-doing it appear - whether that is true over-training, or chronic fatigue through life stress. Either way, we can call it 'burnout'. Office workers suffer from it as much as athletes - in other words, you don't need physical training stress to burnout. When an athlete is training as well as living a life, they have two lots of stress to weigh up. Don't underestimate how much impact this has on you, and be open with your coach as to how the 'life load' is. Training carries a mental load that we must always be aware of.

Tony Minichello, coach to World Champion hepathlete Jessica Ennis

We were both struck by Tony's humility - he seemed genuinely excited to see that he was already doing what the scientists advocate in planning training. But the phrase that Dan and I liked was "Caging the tiger". One of the main concepts we try to educate our riders on is racing less in order to achieve higher peaks - this is essentially what Tony's phrase alludes to. Looking at the details of the plan Ennis followed up to the Worlds, she competed in heptahlon only once before the main season's goal. Of course, there is a balance to strike - it is good to practise race events (mentally as well as physically) but as the performer moves through the levels of experience, the need for these events should lessen, leaving more mental energy for competing. Following a discussion in this conference session, it seemeda general consensus was to leave competition level training / racing to the final 5 weeks of the competition period, but to cut back entirely 2 weeks out from the major goal. As 'caging the tiger' suggests, this is not necessarily easy! Tony explained this can be a fraught time between the coach and athlete.

Other talks by Martin Gibala, Nikolai Nordsborg, Roger Palfreeman and Angela Clow also provided some great information that Dan and I will be using in our coaching work in the next 12 months. This is a perfect time of the year to be getting new ideas, as there is time to read about them before integrating them in to the new training cycle that begins in the autumn. Over the coming week, we will be posting to our ‘Cutting Edge’ blog an update on some of the areas of research we were exposed to whilst in Newcastle.

I could write about the conference for the entirety of this blog post, but that would be wrong given the major news of my week: my athlete Craig completed the Leadville 100, it having been his season long goal. Craig entered the lottery to get in this (in)famous event and had his entry confirmed back in Feberuary. Since that time we had worked on the project, paying great attention to detail on his preparation: diet, training, altitude exposure. Despite a couple of setbacks and challenges (a broken wrist and the start of a new job just 4 weeks before the event!) Craig and his Dad headed out to Denver with my ‘consent’. I had told Craig all along that I would not let him stand on the start line of such a demanding event if I did not believe he had a chance of completing it. On the Tuesday before he flew out, Craig and I got together to watch the DVD of last year’s race – when Lance Armstrong won the race in 6h 28. While Craig’s goal was just under twice that, it was no less challenging – in fact, I believe the longer it takes an athlete to complete an ultra endurance event, the tougher it is (longer to tolerate the lower oxygen, the more fuel disturbance, the exposure to heat / cold cycles etc). As we shared coffee that morning and discussed pacing and fuelling strategies, it came across how anxious Craig was. It hadn’t been a perfect 4 weeks leading in to the event: but I also saw the desire – it was that element that made me believe he had a chance. If everything went to plan on the day, he could just about do it.

50 seconds, that was all that lay between Craig and his 12h goal. I had numerous emails from him whilst still out in Denver that he wants to go back, and hit 11 hours next year. As well as being so very proud of him, I am excited to be a part of this project again in 2011. We have learnt so much about what has worked / could go better – and I have the utmost confidence he will win through. Well done Craig, you exemplify everything that PBscience represents.