We spend so much time planning and preparing for a major competition or even the issues of post-race recovery, physical and emotional rarely comes into calculations. It’s time you dealt with the likely post event hangover through planning and preparation. A major multisport effort such as the Freycinet Challenge or Goldrush; a tough adventure race like the AROC Series; and the rigors of a 24 hr MTB solo takes a real toll. You need to allow yourself a good month of recovery before contemplating your next step. This article outlines a program to rid yourself of post race funk.

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It is now practical to measure running economy. As with any performance variable once it is able to be measured it is more easily understood and prescriptive programs formulated. Why bother? We should aim to make the most of our training efforts, across each discipline. Training for adventure racing and multi-sport is time consuming, tiring and expensive. Surely, we owe it to ourselves to train smartly, to cover bush trails between kayak and MTB legs in the least painful and energy conserving manner? This, from the Institute of Sport (UK) on running economy.

“Economy is measured during the aerobic endurance test on the treadmill and is expressed simply as the volume of oxygen (VO2), relative to your body weight  (ml/kg/min), that your body requires in order to run at a submaximal speed. It is a measure of the “cost of the body’s movement” during each stage of the test. Improving your economy would result in a decrease in this cost of movement. This would result in a smaller amount of oxygen being required to run at a given speed. Running economy can differentiate between runners that have very similar VO2 max values but different performance times and athletes with poor economy should aim to improve this aspect of their fitness.

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Selenium is an essential trace element. It is an integral part of enzymes, which are critical for control of the numerous chemical reactions involved in brain and body functions. Selenium has a variety of functions. The main one is its role as an antioxidant in the enzyme selenium-glutathione-peroxidase. This enzyme neutralizes hydrogen peroxide, which is produced by some cell processes and would otherwise damage cell membranes. Selenium also seems to stimulate antibody formation in response to vaccines. It also may provide protection from the toxic effects of heavy metals and other substances.

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