The low down on coconut oil (and some weird uses!)

Coconut oil has become something of a "superfood" in recent years. But just how useful is it to endurance athletes, and how should we be using it?

Coconut oil comes in jars and is a semi-solid, slightly opaque fat with a very slight coconut smell and taste. But what are the health and performance benefits of coconut oil for endurance athletes? 

The reason coconut oil is different to other oils and fats is because it is an MCT. What-what, now? MCT - medium chain triglycerides - is a type of saturated fat with a distinct molecular structure. MCTs are different to long-chain fatty acids (most other oils) because they are more soluble in water and therefore more quickly absorbed by the body. This is one reason behind the recent popularity of coconut oil as an energy food before training.

Product Review: Bounce Energy Balls

I don't do a lot of product reviews, so you know something's really good when I do recommend it! Today: Bounce Energy Balls.

These little on-the-go snack balls (essentially a bar but in ball form) are great for endurance athletes. What are they? All-natural, high-energy combinations of various nuts, dried fruits, sometimes with seeds and natural sugars (from honey) - everything hard-working runners, cyclists and triathletes need to fuel activity the natural way.

Most of them are gluten-free, they have no added flavourings or preservatives, and the only sugar comes from fruit and other natural sources like honey. They're not dairy-free (because of the whey protein) but it's a relatively small amount, and some of the balls do use non-dairy protein. They're obviously full of carbohydrates from healthy sources, but they're also a good source of protein and healthy fats (something a few of us could do with more of in our diets). And they are full of fibre, too, something which is easy to miss out on if you use energy drinks and more processed types of energy/protein bars.

You can get them online and in store at most well-known health food shops and I've even seen them in supermarkets. The flavour list is currently: Cacao mint, apple and cinnamon, peanut, coconut and macadamia, spirulina and ginseng, almond, cashew and pecan, fudgie walnut.

I think I've tried every flavour now and I throughly enjoyed them all… although Peanut Protein Blast was my favourite.

In terms of texture, the balls are soft enough to eat easily on the go (ideal for on the bike), although on very cold rides they might harden up and be more difficult to eat. On cold days, they'd be a great option for eating during your coffee stop! Also, they're firm enough to keep their shape in your pocket or in your gym bag as they won't squash or crumble.

My verdict? As we know there's no substitute for real food, but this is about as real as it gets from snack bars (or balls in this case): nuts, dried fruit, protein powder and very little else. Real food, chopped up for you and squished together in a little ball. As a quick snack to take the edge off your appetite when on the move, these are spot on. Two enthusiastic thumbs up from me!

#Operation PB - setting the scene!

#OperationPB, what’s all that about?

Well, #OperationPB is charting coach Mark’s journey to Ironman Frankfurt on 5^th July 2015. Ironman Frankfurt is an amazing race, one of the biggest and best in the world, hence the reason I wanted to do it. Here’s a list of stats I ‘borrowed’ off the official Ironman Frankfurt website: 

• Athletes start with a 3.8km swim in the quiet waters of the Langener Waldsee.
• The two loop swim course has a short run between the laps.
• The water temperature is between 22°C and 24°C.
• The two loop bike course guides the athletes through the middle of Frankfurt.
• The course, which is closed for traffic, is hilly and challenging.
• Thousands of spectators are cheering the athletes on the 180km bike course.
• The 42.195km long and flat run course consists of four fast laps, which allow the athlete to reach PB marathon-times.
• The race will be surrounded by thousands of spectators along the promenade next to the river.

During the next 21 weeks or so I’ll be sharing with you my goals and ambitions for the race, reporting on how my training is going (both good and bad), sharing some training secrets (not too many!) and what equipment I plan on using in training and on race day; basically you’ll be sharing in all the pain and pleasure of training and racing for one of the biggest Ironman races in the world! I hope you enjoy the journey!

First race of the season!

The 2015 race season has officially started! 

The Lliswerry 8 mile road race was held this morning and we had several WhittleFit coached athletes and friends of WhittleFit racing including Rich, Neil, Richie, Jon and Nick, amongst others. 

For the last 28 years Lliswerry Runners have organised the Lliswerry 8 mile road race around the lanes of Goldcliff and Nash villages on the edge of Newport. The course is flat and fast and is known as "the flattest on the planet!", so is an ideal race to kick off the season and potentially set some PB's.

Everyone ran well on a windy day, with some super fast runners really pushing the pace up front early on. It's so tempting to start off too fast on this course, as it is so flat, so it's a real mental test to hold back for the first 2-3 miles and pace yourself correctly.

Well done everyone who raced this morning, the full results can be found HERE.