Should I Train With A Hangover? | GTN Coach's Corner

Why is my blood sugar dropping during training? How should I structure a run-only block?
Should I exercise on a hangover? How can/does team sports (like football) fit into triathlon training? Mark & James are here to answer your #gtncoachescorner questions!
Welcome 0:00
Blood sugar drop 0:40
How do I get more competitive on the run? 5:44
Team sports & MTB to triathlon train? 9:58
Training on a hangover? 12:57
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[@85paulbeck]

A perfectly timed video upload! Thank you!

[@ngdawgs1]

HAPPY NEW YEAR GTN CREW!! Wish y’all an awesome 2024 🤙🏽😎. Thanks for all the amazing content. Can’t wait to see all the great adventures 🥳🍻. 🏊 🚴🏻 🏃🏽

[@ajchaskar]

Really fun session & quite interesting! Got to learn quite a lot.. Thank you team GCN & Happy New Year ✨

[@thedarkfalafel9323]

Just as I was wondering about that. Great timing lol

[@desroin]

Easy bike rides are the best for run recovery. It's what I admire about runners doing "recovery runs". Running is always hard at least to me 😅

[@jermacdonald1831]

Happy new year🎉🎉 GTN. I know the crew is always looking for new challenges. Can I suggest the SAS Fan dance. I'd love to see you guys take it on.

[@lucav808]

Hey #gtncoachescorner I’ll be travelling to Central America for eight weeks for work next April to early June, but have some races lined up late June and July. Whilst I’m away I’ll of course be able to run, and should be able to do some open water swimming, but can’t imagine I’ll have access to a bike. What’s the best way to approach training once I get back? Should I load more bike work into my plan and keep the running and swimming ticking over, or keep it more balanced? Don’t want to be in the same situation as James’ triathlon on run fitness video Thanks as always for the great videos, happy new year

[@EdwinRager]

Happy new year GTN crew! keep up the good work. I have a question for #GTNCoachesCorner I’m currently 8 weeks away from my first marathon as a way to prepare for my first full Ironman in November. I’m training 6 days a week + 4 days of strength training. Currently using creatine and protein to help with my performance I’m used to do fasted training sessions for my “normal” triathlon training and I’ve recently started to experiment with doing my long runs fasted as well. My question is should I drink my protein immediately after the session? How about the creatine? Is it better to do strength training after eating something? Thanks and greetings from Colombia :)

[@BANCROFT9391]

I'm ex forces and we regularly did training with a hangover. And doing welsh castles relay have Don PBs😂

[@westbrookwellness4366]

Hay @GTN, long term follower, long term Triathlete here, I've signed up for IM Wales as my first full IM event, what's the transition difference and do you have any tips, I've completed in half iron distances before including the Trans Vorarlberg Triathlon and am using fairly swift, but I understand IM Transitions are perhaps a bit different.... Any advice much appreciated 👍🏼🙏🏼 love what you do and when you smash the GCN crew too... Sorry Si you know it's true....

[@mikeelkins3133]

Hi #gtncoachescorner First off, I’ve been following you since I got into triathlon, 2 years now, and always love the content! Can you help me understand why my Garmin provides me 2 separate VO2 max metrics for run vs. bike? I haven’t seen anyone else discuss 2 distinct vo2 metrics for the 2 sports. Does the body truly have different vo2 max volumes for the 2 sports or is this just a Garmin calculation?

[@jeffreywilliams3646]

Sorry to be nosy, but, James, what did you do to your wrist?

[@pedro.thurler]

#gtncoachescorner I'm currently focusing my training in a 200k gravel bike race (The Rift Iceland) in July. To avoid losing my running fitness for future triathlons, I'm still targeting two running sessions during the week (currently I'm only biking and running, with no swum sessions). However, this week, I've been diagnosed with a low back injury, and so I have to avoid exercises that cause impact on my back. Having that said, I have to avoid running and some biking. So my question is: can I replace these running and bike sessions for swimming sessions? I know it's not the perfect scenario for training for such a long bike race, but giving the circumstances, is it a decent option? Any recommendations on my training plans? Thanks in advance and congratulations for the great content.

[@pedro.thurler]

*focusing my training on

[@1carus1]

I’ve nearly always trained just before a meal (so ~4 hours since my last meal). Very interesting to hear I should eat 1-2 hours before training. Would love to hear more about this. Eg I usually swim early before work the have breakfast. Have lunch a 2. The after work run or cycle at 7 to 8 then eat dinner. Is this very wrong?

[@GhostTrainPhoto]

#GTNCoachesCorner Hey GTN Team! I am a newbie to triathlon, I did one sprint in 2021 and am now training for my first 70.3. One issue I'm finding is that I'm running VERY, very slow (14:00min/mile) and can't seem to run any faster without my heart rate going through the roof. I run about 3x-5x per week but mainly Zone 2 runs. Is it possible to do too much Zone 2 running and plateau on speed? Do I need to be incorporating more speed work to eventually be running at a 10:00min/mile pace at the same heart rate that I'm currently running a 14:00min/mile? Thanks!!

[@BillyStinkwater]

Hello everyone! This weeks question about improving the run got me thinking…finished my second year of triathlon with two 70.3s in 2023. My weakest discipline is the run and I thought to do a marathon plan during winter. I guess I averaged around 1000km per year before with 2-3 runs a week. In the marathon training I obviously increased that a lot and it worked well for around 8 weeks, then I crashed (figuratively speaking) not sure if it was the running volume (then 6 times a week and three times the distance I did before, biking and swimming I kept on doing a bit) or other things but yeah, the last two months I am not on top anymore. So finally the question, how to sustainably go from 70.3 training to marathon training while keeping bike/swim somewhat up? What time frame should I look at? Cheers to all! #GTNCoachesCorner

[@juanperez-mm8ml]

#gtncoachescorner ¿should long runs or rides be always easy (zone 2 ) for the entirety or should there be some races paces ?

[@no7sunnyside]

#gtncoachescorner What CTL should I be aiming for when training for my first Olympic triathlon? I have completed a couple of sprint tris in recent months and have a current CTL of 45, with my first Olympic distance race in 11 weeks. What CTL should I be aiming for before I taper?

[@Shomi_brat]

#GTNcoachescorner Hello guys,happy new year to you all!My questions are: how can cycling complement running training in the best way? Which running sessions can be replaced with cycling simply due to lack of time to train? My first race in this year will be a marathon followed by a couple of triathlons so is there any way to train running really hard while maintaining a good cycling form?Thank you in advance.

[@dpil810]

Ahoy Mateys! How do I build a base for swimming?!? (Beginner triathlete here) I did my first sprint last year and decided to dub 2024 to "The Year of the Triathlon". I am entering a few more events culminating with my first 70.3 to cap it off! (#DreamBig) I am experienced with running and cycling but essentially a lost puppy, doggy paddling my way through the swimming space. How many sessions / meters / yards / astronomical units per week should I be swimming to build a base & overall swimming endurance? Thank you! #gtncoachescorner Soon to be master triathlete, Big Tuna

[@mattcalcagnini4066]

Is it a bad idea to fuel with carbs during every session? Am I limiting my bodies ability to utilize fat as a fuel source and teaching my body to rely too much on the intra-workout carbs? #gtncoachescorner

[@TamaEnergy]

lets be honest we've all doen this today

[@na-dk9vm]

Just my opinion, but i think the best triathletes, the fittest of them, wont drink the night before a hard session. Theyre completly dialed into their training and nutrition, and they have the discipline to stay away from drinking. Its about choices.

[@larrylem3582]

I'd say the even a lot of the worst triathletes won't drink alcohol the night before a hard session.

[@na-dk9vm]

@@larrylem3582 agreed. There are serious amateurs out there, even very serious beginners.

[@ribbyramone]

Sugar water with electrolyte before AND during the session works a treat!

[@gerritschoene]

I actually have two questions for #gtncoachescorner 1. I am currently training for my first middle distance race in September. I have clip-on aero bars for my road bike which were never properly fitted but feeling relatively relaxed with them. Should I continue to ride with them to get used to the aero position or wait until around April when I can get bike fitted or even get a proper tri bike? Am I seeing any benefits this early in the base block or doing actually harm to my position/training? 2. I am really lucky to have a flexible full-time remote job which means I can easily invest 15-25 hours a week for training (while also recovering well). The last few weeks I found a sustainable routine with somewhat high volume (~13-18 hours) feeling really good. I have my first middle distance race (my second triathlon overall) coming up in September. I was not able to find any good training plan which would fit into this routine or is between 15-25 hours (most are way below 15 hours). Should I continue my self-coached approach (polarised training with good recovery based on my own research), get a training plan and add/modify sessions or spend the money and get a coach even though it is my first real triathlon season?

[@se9865]

You could also just choose to not "indulge" so heavily that you have a hangover. Or even better, don't do it at all.

[@na-dk9vm]

100%. But when you say that people look at you like you've two heads. It shows how dependant people are on alcohol

[@DRD8CZ]

There is another solution to the first question asked.. Go low carb. If blood sugar never drastically rises it will not fall eather. Even when in physical activity. That's why many long distance athletes switch to keto nowadays.

[@steven7169]

I think a medical professional who specialises in sports nutrition and insulin response should be answering that fist question. All due respect, you guys really aren't qualified and missed an awful lot of possible causes of this hypoglycemic event.

[@ngdawgs1]

Oh lawd…With all due respect 😄… if the person asking the question wanted an answer from a medical professional, that person would have asked a medical professional. The GTN presenters are experienced athletes (former pros/olympians.. ya know), and many of us want to hear their thoughts on certain topics (similar to this one) since they’ve likely experienced similar symptom during training or racing, .. received advices from a professional medical staff through their careers.. and that’s why many of us send these type of question here. The kind of experience and knowledge Heather/Mark/Jame have is invaluable. I guess some viewers still need handholding through the internet and a disclaimer every flipping time🙄.

[@rundown132]

dude literally came in here to say "please give me attention" @@ngdawgs1

[@saheedshabbir]

I'm a healthcare professional and I agree that specialist sport medicine opinion should be sought. Even basic bloods like FBC and HbA1c from your GP and glucose intolerance in the first instance.