Tenac Championship Coaching

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The Tenac Community

Our approach to coaching sets us apart from the standard experience because we strive to develop a sense of community among our athletes. We are, after all, founded on family. We are a team through support. We encourage our athletes to reach out to fellow teammates and work to support each other as goals are sought. Need a ride route? Need a domestique? Need a training partner?  Reach out to the team and we will be there for you.

To encourage this sense of community, we have created some outlets on social media to enable you to reach out. We are designing specific webpage of all our athletes so we know who is who and where who is.

We have a private Strava club(Tenāc Championship Coaching) that we use as a forum and some friendly competition. We’ll keep a close eye on everyone’s progress there.  You can use this forum to search out team members or ask questions.

We also will post to our Facebook page, twitter account, and instagram.  If anyone uses Flipboard, we love posting our favorite articles to the Tenac Championship Coaching magazine.

We encourage you as athletes to tweet, post, and celebrate your championship victories whether that is accomplishing your year goal, having a break thru workout, or even winning the city limit sprint.  When you do this, use the hashtag #goTenac so we all can celebrate with you.

Sweat Rate Calculator

Fuel in, Sweat out
Fuel in, Sweat out

Summer has arrived and along with it, a rise in temperatures. Increasing temperatures increase your hydration rate during workouts.  Typically, we assume 20-30 ounces per hour is enough for most athletes, but when the temp rises, the need to increase hydration AND electrolyte intake also increases. But how much do we increase that number?  There are general guidelines suggesting 0.185 ounces per pound of body weight but this is just a “general” recommendation and as we know we are all very different. To properly predict how much fluid you need to replenish, you need to keep in mind factors like heat, humidity, metabolic rate, intensity of training, body core temperature, body surface area, etc…That’s a lot of science and calculations. It could get expensive testing all this in a laboratory not to mention that it all changes as the environment changes; and you change too(typically the fitter you are the higher your sweat rates). But there is a simplified approach which is also cost effective. Use a scale.  Yes, a simple scale like one you typically have in your bathroom.  Most of the weight you lose during your workouts is water weight.  So weigh yourself (dry) before and after your workout.  Note the environmental conditions to get familiar with how your body reacts to conditions. Then – and most important – know how much you drank during the workout and how many minutes the workout lasted. When these three variables (nevermind environment for just a minute here) are known, you then have the ability to create the equation for what your sweat rate is. We have a nice outline and equation below. But before that… When it comes to the consideratioin of environment, what we are looking for is standardization of the elements. We tyically ride through consistent blocks of weather as we prepare for – and during – the season: the winter cold, the spring rain, the summer heat. Each of these “zones” are relatively consistent. In that, your sweat rate will different in each, and so, it goes to say that when you learn what “zone” you’re in, you can adjust your hydration rate based on what you learn of your sweat rate. Now, for a very important note: One pound of water equals 15.4 ounces or 1 kilogram equals 1 liter of water. Now, experiment. Find out what your needs are and how good you are at managing your hydration by doing the pre-ride and post ride weigh-ins, then noting your consumption during the ride.  I suggest measuring for a week in similar environmental conditions to get a good guideline for yourself.  By the end of the week, you’ll know before you even get on the scale how well you did during your workout. Sweat Rate Calculator

A. Weight Pre exercise                                          ________lbs

B. Weight Post exercise                                        ________lbs

C. Change in Body weight (= A-B)                       ________lbs

D. Volume of fluid consumed                             ________oz

E. Sweat Loss (=(C*15.4)+D))                               ________oz

F. Exercise time                                                       ________min

G. Sweat Rate (=E/F )                                              ________oz/min

All measurements in ounces (oz) and pounds (lbs)  To convert to metric system:

    • 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
    • 29.6 mL   = 1 ounce

Why is all this important?  Hydration is the number one reason for fatigue during exercise.  Even at 2% loss in hydration, you can expect a performance decrease.  Stay ahead of the curve and DRINK! Do note that your sweat rates will change with changing environments (ex. winter vs summer).  Also if you are just changing to a higher temperature environment, that your sweat rates should increase in 10-14 days as you acclimate to the warmer temperatures. If you would Tenac Championship Coaching  to calculate your sweat rate, simply contact at info@gotenac.com with the subject line: Sweat rate

Breck Epic Training Camp, 2014

With the 2014 rendition of the Breck Epic just around 50 days away, it was time to throw down the gauntlet of a Breck Epic Training camp. This was the essential moment to take advantage of peak fitness development given the span of just under two months before the event. For this to have maximum return on fitness, we developed a six day training camp, closely matching what we could expect at the Breck Epic.

For our efforts, there was no better location than Flagstaff, Arizona. At 7,000 feet above sea level, and having nearly endless singletrack and climbing options, Flagstaff is arguably one of the best places to train both for high-altitude preparation and terrain similarities much like Colorado.

Day 1: Shake out and Skills

After traveling to Flagstaff, we met up at Flag Bike Revolution to have their expert mechanics build our bikes and to take in some local roasted coffee. Then we set out to “shake out” our legs and work on some skills.  We briefly went over the MTB basics of Balance, Brakes, and Cornering and then moved on to an essential to riding Flagstaff’s technical terrain, step ups and drop offs.  Everyone rode well and further increased their MTB handling skill level.

Day 2: The Test

This day started with a series of field tests to determine new baseline power measurements for our athletes. Also it gave our athletes from lower elevations a sense of what to expect when they first arrive at the Breck Epic.  After the tests, we put our skills to the test and climbed a series of technical singletracks to end our day with over 5000 feet of climbing in just over 30 miles.

Day 3: Around the Peaks

A must ride in Flagstaff, Around the peaks, gave the riders a variety of terrain and challenges. At 55 miles and right at 6000 feet of climbing, it was more a challenge of focus than climbing.  The climbing came in two distinct periods in which we used the power data from Day 2 to pace the climbs.  We wanted to verify the field tests and also see the ability of each athlete to recover and repeat climbing efforts.  This day provided some of the best scenery as we climbed into the inner basin of the San Francisco Peaks.

Day 4: The “Easy” Day

After two hard days, we took Day 4 on the easy side keeping the climbing to sub threshold power and just under 3000 feet of climbing. We also utilized many of the dirt fire roads to let the brain and body rest from the previous day’s rocks and roots singletrack.

Day 5: The Devils Pitchfork

Named for the profile this ride resembles a devils pitchfork as we accumulated over 7000 feet of climbing in 30 miles.  This day resembled much of what we will see at the Breck Epic.  We climbed, climbed, and then climbed some more.  Of course, what goes up must come down so we enjoyed the sweet single track descents that Flagstaff has to offer.  Fatigue had definitely set into the athletes after this day.

Day 6: Did I say Singletrack?

We headed east on this day following the Arizona Trail along the Walnut Canyon rim.  The climbing stayed just below 4000 feet total for 42 miles but most of it came in the last 10 miles.  However, this ride had lots of pedaling which gave us the kilojoule totals close to what we will see at the Breck Epic. Plus it gave us yet another view of what Flagstaff has to offer with fast sweeping singletrack along a canyon rim.

We finished tired but happy and more importantly better prepared for what lies ahead.