Ep 15 Sports nutritionist Evan Lynch on caffeine, fuelling, hydration and supplements
· Trail Running Ireland Podcast
Eoin Flynn talks to sports nutritionist and former international race walker Evan Lynch about caffeine, fuelling around training, fasted running, hydration and the supplements worth taking. Simon Kelly reports on the first global edition of Big's Backyard Ultra, and René Borg explains aerobic and anaerobic training. The episode also welcomes new show sponsor Coros.
Simon explains the backyard ultra format, in which runners complete a 4.1-mile loop every hour until only one is left. With travel impossible in 2020, the event went global, with national teams of up to 15 runners. Belgium's Karel Sabbe won with 75 hours. In the US race, Courtney Dauwalter reached 68 hours alongside Harvey Lewis, and the Irish team, running in Northern Ireland, finished ahead of the UK team on the same course. Eoin reports that Sarah McCormack set a course record at Italy's Trofeo Vanoni, and covers the Golden Trail Championship stage race in the Azores.
René uses the image of a hybrid car to describe the aerobic system as a combustion engine and the anaerobic system as two batteries that produce ATP. He explains how drifting into zone 3 on easy runs stops the aerobic engine from growing, why the aerobic system needs six to twelve weeks and plenty of volume to respond, and why short sprints and strides can be kept in the base phase without harming it. He also explains why the varied pace of trail races lets the two systems recycle energy.