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Take the pound. A.K.A how to have a family holiday and train for an Ironman.

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Review on Strawberry and Banana Edge

video blog - why I use UCAN by Paul Bradford

When I was younger, I was a notorious sleeper. A true night owl, I would stay up late and get up late. When I first took up marathon running in my mid-20s, the thought of waking up early enough to run before work was about as alien to me as the thought of enjoying running 26.2 miles! As a child on family holidays (normally to Spain or some Mediterranean island), I would often sleep until gone midday, my parents leaving me in the hotel room snoring whilst they went off to enjoy the sunshine beside the swimming pool. This made for an interesting dynamic – me waking up just as the Spanish were thinking of heading off for a nap. Perhaps that’s why my Spanish is so poor – a lack of exposure due to conflicting sleep schedules. C’est rien. ; ) Why am I telling you this? Because even though I have managed to shift my circadian rhythm enough to drag myself off to the pool before sunrise, or onto the turbo before the rest of my family wakes up, my years as a late sleeper prepared me for life as an endurance athlete in one very important way – I can eat breakfast within minutes of waking up. Like, straight away. When you spend years waking up to find out you’ve got breakfast and lunch to account for, you get pretty good at chowing down whilst still rubbing the sleep from your eyes. In fact, I find it more difficult to limit what I eat when first waking up – so that I don’t have issues digesting it during my first training session of the day - then I do with getting something in. I know not everyone is like this. My wife likes to take a far more casual and reasonable approach to breakfast. Our son will normally happily engage in some other sort of activity for an hour or so before he starts to make eyes at the kitchen. I know a lot of endurance athletes who really struggle with getting calories in immediately on waking, resulting in them either having to go into sessions fasted or having to wake up insanely early to allow them to wake up, finally eat something and then digest it before a race or training session starts. Timing calorie intake before training and racing can be a tricky customer. Whilst certain targeted fasted sessions may be beneficial, consistently putting yourself in a large calorie deficit early in the day can be problematic for both short-term and long-term training goals. So below I’ve outlined a few different training and racing scenarios and how I approach fuelling them. There’s some overlap here with what I addressed in my last blog post, but there’s also some more detail for those who want some more ideas. *How I breakfast with UCan in different scenarios* As I mentioned in my previous blog post, for some specific endurance sessions – long aerobic swims, rides or runs, breakfast will either be an omelette or (very occasionally) nothing at all. However, there are several situations where I will want some carbohydrates first thing. 1) Hard training session first thing When it comes to high intensity training, most athletes are going to benefit from including some carbohydrates in the meal that proceeds the session. This can be problematic when doing so first thing, as the blood sugar rise that follows consuming carbohydrate-rich foods is often followed by a decline as the body releases insulin and begins to store the carbohydrates. A significant issue I have experienced both myself and with athletes I coach, is when this drop in blood sugar coincides with the start of a training session, known as reactive hypoglycaemia. Research into this area is still at an inconclusive stage, but this normally seems to occur when the timeframe between eating and beginning training is around 45-60 minutes. The result is a terrible feeling of dizziness, feeling faint and/or feeling extremely weak. If you’ve experienced it, you’ll know! One of the biggest benefits I’ve found with using UCan in the morning is that it satiates my initial morning hunger, allows me to get in adequate fuelling before big sessions, but also prevents me experiencing this blood sugar rollercoaster. The slower release of the carbohydrates also takes away the fear of experiencing this sugar drop during my warm-up. As I outlined in my previous post, this will be prepared the night before and be waiting for me in the fridge in the morning: 1 scoop Cocoa Delite UCan 30g Oats 15g chia seeds 15g coconut flakes 100ml coconut milk Enough water to get just the right consistency Top tip – mix the UCan, water and coconut milk before adding the other ingredients to ensure the powder is well mixed in. I’ll normally do this is my Nutri-bullet and then just mix everything else in. I’ll normally eat it straight from the NutriBullet cup (don’t judge me!). If the session is a run, I will normally take out the coconut milk as the fat can lead to a bit of acid reflux. 2) Race simulation sessions Closer to race day I will include several sessions which mix in race intensity. For ironman or half ironman this mid-level intensity can be a tricky one to fuel for. Ensuring the body is still utilising fat as its primary fuel source early in the session is a priority, but recognising the duration of the session as taxing to carbohydrate stores must also be addressed. Here I will typically go for a very simple 2 scoops of UCan about 30 minutes before the session starts. This will normally be lemon or cranberry-raspberry flavour as I find them just that little bit more palatable when I’m going to begin the session so soon after drinking it. Recently, I’ve been using the Edge gel as a pre-training fuel source. This is particularly useful as it can fit in a kit bag without needing mixing. It’s also mimics what I do on race day (more on that next blog). 3) The race breakfast I typically like to finish my pre-race breakfast no closer to the race than 2 ½ hours before. Luckily my iron stomach first thing means I only have to wake up about 2 hours and 35 minutes before the race starts to achieve this! My pre-race breakfast before a long-course triathlon is focused on getting a balance between getting in calories, increasing carbohydrate stores, and trying to avoid too large an insulin spike, which would have a damaging effect on my substrate utilisation (I want to maintain my body’s ability to utilise its fat stores, preserving the vastly more limited carbohydrates stores for what will be a long day). My tried and tested pre-race breakfast looks like this: 3 hard-boiled eggs (cooked the night before) 2 Scoops UCan Cocoa Delite 20g Barley Flakes (The biggest ones you can find to slow digestion) 15g Coconut flakes Just in case it’s not obvious – the UCan is mixed and then the Barley flakes and coconut flakes are sprinkled on top. The eggs are consumed first, separately and with a very generous coating of salt. Perhaps the most important thing to note in the above scenarios is that they are tried and tested. I’ll repeat that for those who are skim-reading (how dare you!) TRIED AND TESTED. Science underpins the rationale behind the different elements of the various breakfasts I consume, but practicality and experience are the deciding factors. Find what works for you. I’ve gotten my breakfast wrong on dozens of occasions. The mid-ride bonk, the dizziness in a warm-up, the gurgling stomach that tells me I ate too much/ didn't eat early enough, I’ve been victim to them all. The sacrifice for a lack of variety in my pre-training breakfast is reassurance that I’ve gotten what I need to allow me to perform at my best. After all, the pre-training breakfast is only the first breakfast of the day. Breakfast number two can be the chance to unleash the suppressed chef in me.

Often, when I’m cooking or baking with my son, I’ll search for a recipe online on my phone. As he becomes more and more impatient, usually clearing the kitchen cupboards of utensils and ingredients, I’ll desperately scroll past the long introduction food bloggers seem to insist on writing before they get to the recipe, frantically searching for what we’ll need and how to actually begin creating whatever masterpiece we’re attempting that day. If for some very strange reason you’re in a desperate rush to know how I use UCan products in training, I’ve marked the start of that section of this post with some bold letters and stars to help you with your scrolling. If, however, you like a little bit of a story with your nutritional advice (and assuming you don’t have a 7-year-old clearing your cupboard of UCan powders and bars) I thought I’d share a bit of a tale as to how I first came across UCan. So, make a coffee and get comfy, because we’re going back to October 2019 and the beautiful sunny island of Hawaii… Kailua-Kona (or Kona as it is normally referred to in triathlon circles) has already been on my radar for around a decade as I sit watching the Ironman World Championships in October 2019. Since I first heard about it from a friend who inspired me to first attempt marathon running in 2008, the thought of trying to qualify for the age-group world championship, held on the island simultaneously to the professional race, has been one that has developed from crazy idea to wild obsession. As I watch the 2019 edition Jan Frodeno is comfortably pulling away from the field, matching my pre-race expectations and confirming my belief in him as the greatest long-distance triathlete to ever do the sport. It is another athlete, however, that is getting most of my focus. As Alistair Brownlee fades away, Tim O’Donnell who has been riding with Brownlee and Frodeno all day, continues to look strong on the run. Whilst not exactly an underdog, he finished fifth in 2013 and third in 2015, few pundits had been talking up O’Donnell’s chances pre-race, perhaps believing that, at 39, his best years were behind him. Yet here he was, looking as smooth on the run as his world-champion wife, with whom he stars in the fantastic “Tim and Rinny” YouTube channel, running along through the lava fields to a second-place finish. Shortly after this achievement O’Donnell is a much sought-after guest on triathlon podcasts and in triathlon circles. The same pundits who had largely ignored him pre-race, were now desperate to get some insight into O’Donnell’s success. Time and again he talked through his race and the preparation that had been marred by injury, but it was his nutritional approach that most piqued my interest. In 2019 I had attempted my first full-distance triathlon (3.8km swim; 180km bike; 42.2km run), only to be disappointed when the British summer time delivered a monsoon on race day, cancelling the bike segment of the race. It had put an end to my first full season of triathlon racing, in which I had completed my first two half-distance races, with my one big take away being that nutrition was going to be far more important and challenging than it had been in my years as a marathon runner. O’Donnell repeatedly mentioned a product called UCan, something he referred to as a “superstarch” and sang its praises as a way of providing a slower release of energy through the race. This was of particular interest to me as my build up to my first full-distance race had seen a decent number of nutritional issues – namely riding the rollercoaster of blood sugar highs and lows, nausea and, to put it mildly, a loose stomach. Professional triathletes singing the praises of a sponsor’s product is nothing new, so I’m always somewhat sceptical of the championing they give, but this seemed worth investigating if nothing else. So, with my science hat on (I have an MSc in Applied Exercise Physiology) I went looking into the background of UCan. What I found was a remarkable story, steeped in the tradition of science at its very best – problem-solving. The backstory appealed to the father in me, the O’Donnell success - the triathlete and the question of whether it would live up to the hype - the scientist. So, I ordered a tub of lemon UCan and the rest, as they say is history. I now use UCan most days in training, in the days leading up to races and during races. Over the next few blog posts I’d like to show you how and why I do… **HOW I USE UCAN PRODUCTS IN TRAINING** Pre-training fuel In general, I will consume very few calories pre-training, mostly as stomaching a lot of food before getting going can be a bit of a challenge. If the session is a longer endurance effort than I will normally have an omelette and a cup of coffee, deliberately trying to ensure my body is utilising its fat stores during the session – a key component of fitness for long-distance triathlon. If there is going to be some more higher intensity efforts included in the session, then I will look to have some carbohydrates to fuel the work. Here I’ll turn to my tried and tested overnight porridge mix which will be waiting for me in the fridge in the morning. Here’s my recipe: 1 scoop Cocoa Delite UCan 30g Oats 15g chia seeds 15g coconut flakes 100ml coconut milk Enough water to get just the right consistency Top tip – mix the UCan, water and coconut milk before adding the other ingredients to ensure the powder is well mixed in. I’ll normally do this is my Nutri-bullet and then just mix everything else in. I’ll normally eat it straight from the NutriBullet cup (don’t judge me!). Fuelling long days Inevitably, training for a race that covers over 200kms, including running a marathon at the end, requires some long training days, typically consisting of a 4-5 hour ride and a run immediately after. Staying fuelled during these sessions is a question of what you can stomach and what you can carry. If the aim of the session is basic endurance riding, then I’ll normally do the first 1-2 hours with just water and electrolytes and then have 2 scoops of Ucan (either Lemon or Cranberry and Raspberry) mixed in a 950ml bottle which I’ll carry on my bike and drink through the remainder of the session. I’ll normally mix in a fat-based fuel source in another bottle, or in with the UCan as well. I find this keeps me out of too large an energy deficit, a hugely important issue when looking for training consistency. I’ll also have a UCan bar in my jersey pocket or in the bento box on my bike. Having this to look forward to after 3-3.5 hours is a fantastic mental boost. As I get closer to race day these sessions will begin to include more intense efforts, replicating the sort of effort I’ll be looking to do on race day. For these I will start consuming my race mix, which consists of UCan and other carbohydrates after around 90 minutes. What’s in my race mix? Well, I guess you’ll have to come back for the race nutrition blog and find out… Between session fuelling Like most triathletes multiple training sessions in different disciplines is not uncommon for me to include in a single day. Perhaps unlike most triathletes, my multiple sessions often come with a quick turn-around. As an endurance coach (shameless business plug – thenwerun.com), I am fortunate to be able to fit my training in around coaching and doing the school run with our son every day. This normally means my training occurs during the hours he is at school. This is great for our family life, but it often means the gap between sessions is very short. Whilst I would love to sit down and consume a fancy meal in this time, it simply isn’t practical, so I tend to lean towards having something concocted in my trusty NutriBullet and then save the culinary delights for family dinner time. Here’s a typical mix I might go for between two sessions: 30g Whey protein Plain UCan (number of scoops will depend on how hard the sessions are that day, between 1 and 2) 100-200g blueberries 200ml coconut milk (lots of calories, which is perfect!) A whole avocado That and a coffee and I’m ready to go again in an hour or so. So, there we go. There’s 3 ways I use UCan in my day-to-day training. Nothing particularly fancy or ground-breaking, just what works for me and if there is one thing I would like anyone reading this to take away, it is this…find what works for you. I very much doubt you’ll be in the same situation I am in, have the same training or racing goals, or nutritional requirements, so have fun experimenting and finding what keeps you feeling strong in training and racing. Think about the aims of the session you are undertaking and fuel that work appropriately.

on the 24th September we are relocating to Wisbech St. Mary in Cambridgeshire. This will mean that there will be no post going out on this day. We hope that the internet will be transfered to the new address on the 24th, so that orders will not be effected on Monday the 27th. If there are any issues with getting the post out on the monday we will ring the customers concerned.