Hi there,

Yes­ter­day, I spoke briefly about my train­ing week down in Florida and how my work­out nutri­tion or lack thereof, was really hin­der­ing my progress/​performance. To give you an exam­ple, I used to shove a banana down my throat about a half hour before a long train­ing ses­sion (any­thing longer than an hour) and would for­get about refu­el­ing until the work­out was done. I would bonk around the 1.5 hr mark and just push through it, not pay­ing atten­tion to the fact that my glyco­gen stores were totally depleted. My mus­cles would fatigue, my back would ache and my brain would be telling me to give up but I would keep going until I just couldn’t go any fur­ther. Now, after expe­ri­enc­ing the results of proper hydra­tion and nutri­tion while train­ing, my per­for­mance has never been bet­ter. My endurance and men­tal atti­tude has dra­mat­i­cally improved with this new learn­ing. I am now refu­el­ing every 30 min­utes with a quick release carb, like a gel or chew. My water intake is timed every 15 min­utes so that my body is never hun­gry or dehy­drated and my focus stays sharp. My cousin made a good obser­va­tion about the inter-​dependent rela­tion­ship between nutri­tion and train­ing and that is, once you begin to feel edgy or ready to quit, your body is telling you it needs to be fed. She was so right! Give it a try the next time you head out on a long ride or run. You’ll be amazed at how your body will respond.

On another note, while I was in Florida, I enjoyed some deli­cious Cuban food after a long, chal­leng­ing ride. I carb loaded with saf­fron rice, navy beans and the most deli­cious starchy veg that I’ve ever tried. It’s called yuca or cas­sava and if you’ve never tasted it, you really must. All you need to do is peel it and either bake or boil it until ten­der. It’s kind of like a potato, only bet­ter. You can mash it or cut into fries and bake them until they form a crispy exte­rior and a creamy, fluffy inte­rior. I cut mine into big chunks and boiled it in chicken broth until soft. I then sauteed it in olive oil, gar­lic and onions. Just before serv­ing, I added a squeeze of fresh lemon, a hand­ful of chopped fresh pars­ley and lots of sea salt and fresh ground black pep­per. Delicious!

I bought my fresh yuca at Longo’s. Here’s a pic for you, so you’ll know what to look for.

Enjoy!