Cross Country Skier, with Diabetes and 2 mmol lactate threshold training, this is a GREAT piece.

Kris Freeman Skis for Olympic Gold in Italy
Excelling at one of the most grueling of all sports

Scott King
February 2006

Kris Freeman, 25, is a three-time national champion and the number one cross-country skier in the United States. In the history of American cross-country skiing, Freeman is the second most successful skier of all time.

Freeman also has type 1 diabetes—a condition he manages while excelling at one of the most grueling of all sports. Freeman was diagnosed with type 1 in September 2000 while training for the 2002 Olympics. Needless to say, he thought his skiing career was over.

He quickly learned, however, that with a balanced diet, frequent blood glucose monitoring and insulin therapy, he could gain control of his disease and remain competitive.

We talked with Freeman in Park City, Utah, where he was training for the 2006 Winter Olympics, which will be held February 11 through 25 in Torino, Italy.


What have you been doing lately?

I just got back to Park City, Utah. I’ve been in Alaska doing some training and did four races.

How has having diabetes changed your cross-country skiing?

Nothing has really changed except for the extra preparation that I have to do before and after training and racing. I had to learn how my body reacts to certain types of foods and stresses and how much sugar I need for each hour of training. Once I figured those things out, nothing really changed.

In terms of having extra insulin and eating extra carbs, do you find you have more energy than before?

No.

When we talked to you last, you were taking NPH and Humalog. Are you still on the same regimen?

Three years ago I switched to Lantus for my long-acting insulin, and I use Humalog for my short-acting insulin.

How many units do you take of each?

At this point, 2 to 3 units [of Humalog] before each meal is my norm. For the Lantus, depending on the altitude and the amount of training, I will take 1 to 7 units once a day at bedtime.

That’s not a lot of insulin. How do you know how much to take?

The higher the altitude, the less I take. Also, when I am training for so many hours, my body is so revved up from recovering that if I take any more, I can’t train, because I would go low immediately.

Do you think that if a diabetic like me trained as much as you did, I would require less insulin?

I believe you would. I think the more physical activity you do, the more sensitive you become to insulin and the less you are going to need. Also, the more muscle mass in relation to body fat you have on your body, the less insulin you use.

What is your body fat percentage?

I think it’s at about 4 percent.

That’s very low! What’s your diet like when you aren’t training?

When I’m not exercising, I eat less. Because it’s easier to control the diabetes that way.

Do you need to take more insulin at those times?

When I’m not training, my insulin needs can go to the top end of my Lantus, and I can take up to 20 units of Humalog a day for all of my meals.

So I guess you’ve never had a weight problem, have you?

No. Some people eat for luxury and enjoyment, but I feel that’s not a luxury that a diabetic has. To eat for enjoyment, from my point of view, is self-destructive. So even if you are taking care of yourself, if you drink a Coke, its glycemic index is so high that your blood sugar is going to skyrocket, and then it’s going to drop very quickly if you take insulin to correct it.

I hear coffee can help an athlete’s performance. Do you find that to be true?

Caffeine can have a positive influence on your performance. But I have found that before a race I get so amped up that it makes it hard to control my BGs as is, because you’re releasing adrenaline, which in general raises your BG. Caffeine has the same effect. So I try to stay away from stimulants before I go into a race.

What is your daily meal plan?

For breakfast, I eat fat-free yogurt with bran flakes or granola, or oatmeal with soy milk. My midmorning snack is usually an energy bar, and I’ll drink a sports drink when I am working out to keep my blood glucose higher. For lunch, usually I have a turkey sandwich or wrap and a lot of fresh vegetables. If I’m still hungry, I’ll eat raw carrots or veggies. My afternoon snack is normally low-fat plain yogurt and cereal. I try to eat low glycemic index fruits. When I sit down in a restaurant, I don’t look at what is going to taste the best, I look at my dietary needs and try to balance whatever meal on the menu is the closest to that. And if tastes good, that’s a bonus. I think most people eat too much for their own enjoyment and not for what their body needs. Food is fuel, especially when you are a diabetic. I think it’s a healthy way to eat.

Do you ever drink protein shakes?

I eat energy bars but not protein shakes. I get plenty of protein in my diet.

So you have a variety of energy bars on hand, and you decide what you need at the moment?

Yes, if I’m about to go to bed and need a snack, I go for the bar that’s higher in protein. If I’m waking up and going to run 15 miles, I have the higher-carb bar.

So it’s like fuel and medicine?

That’s the way I have learned to deal with diabetes—totally through diet. By looking at food as, What do I need to eat now to do what I want to do? Not, What do I want to eat now to make myself feel better?

I know people who aren’t convinced that food is fuel.

I find it disappointing that 95 percent of the diabetic population is type 2. I would say that 90 percent of those people could improve with a good diet and exercise—nothing too extreme. It’s a matter of getting Coke and Frito Lay to go away! From a nutritional sense, the American public doesn’t know much at all.

So you and I have to be nutritionists?

I think everybody should be looking at their diet. It’s nice to be able to eat something because it tastes good, but that shouldn’t be the case every time you put something in your mouth.

Do you have a back-up kit for your diabetes supplies?

I travel with two LifeScan Ultras. That’s what I think is the most reliable meter as far as accuracy. I can whip it out and take my BG in 10 seconds. I travel with three or four vials each of Humalog and Lantus.

Do you use the meter’s memory features?

I have not utilized the memory features because I haven’t found them useful for my lifestyle. I’m constantly changing environments and time zone and I don’t have a set pattern. My training isn’t the same every week.

How many times do you test each day?

It depends on how long I have been in the area. When I first arrive somewhere, I’ll test very diligently—up to 12 times a day—to figure out what is happening to me in this environment. And once I get it dialed in, I can figure out how much Lantus I need at night and how much Humalog I need before meals.

Have you considered an insulin pump?

My A1C is 5.5% doing what I do now, so if it’s not broke, I’m not going to fix it.

Would you be interested in a continuous monitoring system?

If I were not a professional athlete, I would be on the pump, but because of what I do—intense training out there in the cold—the potential problems I could have outweigh the potential benefits.

Who are your sponsors now?

My personal sponsor is Eli Lilly. I’m also sponsored by LifeScan, Nike, Power Bar and Red Bull Sugar-Free. Lilly is my hat sponsor.

Do you have a good relationship with your doctor?

My first few doctors were very disappointing in that they had such little hope that I could continue to do what I wanted to do. They said being an elite athlete is not an option for a diabetic, and I didn’t want to hear that. That’s why I went home and figured out what I needed to do on my own. One thing was to learn about the glycemic index and how to utilize Humalog insulin.

So you’re pretty much self-educated about diabetes?

If nothing else, I think when it comes to diabetes, the responsibility is mostly your own. Whatever the doctors say are guidelines. Only you can know how your body reacts to sugar 24 hours a day. You doctor isn’t there all the time. Take some responsibility, eat right and balance your insulin appropriately.

Do you have a fan Web site or a way for our readers to contact you?

The best way would be to send me an e-mail at krisaoc@aol.com.

Does being an Olympic athlete make it easier for you to get a date?

I’ve had the same girlfriend for four years.

Tell us a bit more about cross-country skiing.

It is about the hardest endurance sport there is. I can’t think of any other sport that involves the duration of time you are out there; the number of muscle groups you use; and the coordination and aerobic conditioning you have to have to be a cross-country skier.

What do you think about while you are skiing?

I think about my body. I try to think about not red-lining, because once your body implodes, there are very few rest stops. Generally, I try to think about how fast I can go, how hard I can maintain this pace, how I can be as technically efficient as possible. Sometimes, you want to get as much speed as possible without any thought to energy expenditure, but other times you have to go as fast as you can with the least amount of expenditure. It all depends on how you are feeling and how long your race is. I’ll approach a 10-K completely differently than a 15-K.

Do you feel your heart beating during a race?

We do so much training and monitoring of ourselves. When I am working out easy, I like to keep my lactate threshold below 2, and at the end of a race, it’s at around 12. We monitor it so much that you just kind of learn to feel it. And you learn what your heart rate is in correspondence to lactate threshold.

Do you have to submit to drug testing?

We are subject any time of year randomly by the two bodies of government that test for drugs. Every three months, I have to submit a list of where I will be every day, and if that list changes, then I have to notify them.

Do you take any vitamins or supplements?

Yes. I take supplements from Shaklee. They are a sponsor.

What work do you do for Eli Lilly?

I’m a spokesman for the Lilly for Life program. It’s a program that recognizes people who do extraordinary things with diabetes. There are several different categories, and people submit applications from around the country, and we get some amazing entries.

So you get to review the submissions?

I am a spokesman and I review the admissions. I am an evaluator.

What do you do for LifeScan?

I give talks and go to their diabetes education conferences around the country.

Are kids inspired by your stories?

Yes, I love to see the look in their eyes after being told they can do something they were told they can’t do.

2003


Finished sixth and fifth in two consecutive World Cups, the best finish by an American in 20 years.
Became the first American ever to finish in the top 20 overall at the end of the season. Finished fourth in the 15-kilometer classical race at the 2003 World Championships in Val di Fimme, Italy—the second-best finish by an American cross-country skier ever and the best American finish since 1982.
Won the opening leg of the relay at the World Championships, finishing ahead of a field of Olympic and world champion medalists.
Won the 30-kilometer classical at the inaugural Under 23 World Championships in Bormio, Italy, and two national championship titles at the 2003 Chevy Truck U.S. Cross-Country Championships.
Took second place in the 10-kilometer freestyle at the U.S. Cross-Country Championships.
2002

At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, Freeman burst onto the world scene with two top-25 finishes. He placed 22nd in the 15-kilometer classic and 15th in the 10- kilometer pursuit. He also obtained the sixth fastest time overall in the 4 x 10 kilometer team relay, helping the U.S. team obtain fifth place—the best Olympic finish for the U.S. cross-country ski team in history.
Took third place in the 10-kilometer freestyle, U.S. Cross-Country Championships.
2001

Took second place in the 10-kilometer freestyle, U.S. Gold Cup, December 2001.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Training Program March April first week cycle

Training Program February March 2006

Follow the sequence of workouts. Don’t do hard workouts back to back. The goal is to still build the aerobic capacity. With this program shall keep you motivated and to achieve this I will bring variety to your longer rowing pieces. Repeat this program every two weeks since it is specific for 14 days at a time. The key to becoming extremely fit is to make sure that the time-spent training is done at the right level of intensity. Strap your heart rate watch on and buckle down. Achieving solid aerobic fitness is cooked up at a small steady flame.
N. and C., this program is more than you both have time for. So focus on the first workout of each day. If you need to change routines, then go ahead and swap the workout with a X-training exercise. This can be a variety of activities. The most important with X-training is that you move the body and don’t get injured. For both of you I strong suggest to do 100 push ups and 100 biceps/lat exercises every second day after a 90’ row. Get in touch with me if you need further information on that.
T., this is a preliminary workout schedule. Since you are going to the National Selection Regatta we will adjust some of this but for now stick to this for the next three weeks. How did the bench rows go? Do incorporate bench row in the weight lifting sessions. You, like Nicole and Chance, will benefit tremendously from strengthening your muscles through lifting.

Monday
Row 90’ on or off the water, cut the time rowing in pieces. Warm up ten minutes light paddle stretching body from the hip joint. Make sure that you fully extend the arms at the elbow, relax the grip. Push 15’ at a time varying stroke rates every three minutes. Start out by rowing 18 and then push the rating up by 2 strokes for the next three minutes. The cadence variation will look like this: 18/20/18/22/18. Create a music mix that keeps you happy. Take a couple minutes for a break each time your done with a 15’ segment. Then in the end after five such pieces, take a nice 5’ paddle, making sure you are sitting up and hinging from the hip joint.
X-train/row 80’ at target heart rate
Tuesday
Lift 70’-90’ This is a weight circuit. Find exercises that train the core muscle groups used in rowing and their ANTAGONIZING muscles. Train them at 25 reps each. Circuits might have up to twelve stations. Pick the weight so that you can push each station for one minute and complete 25 reps.
X-train/row 80’ at target heart rate
Wednesday
Row 90’. Make sure you are using your heart rate monitor. Row six minutes at a time with stroke rate variation every 2 minutes. It looks like this: 20/22/20. After the six minutes break the stroke down from full slide all the way down to arms only. Repeat this twice to complete the piece. This is a total of twenty minutes. Do this four times. At the end take 10’ to paddle it off, making sure you are sitting tall, hinging from the hip joint and relaxing the shoulders. This is a good time to row with one arm at a time to stretch out the lat muscles.

Thursday
Lift 70’-90’ Same as Tuesday
X-train/row 80’ at target heart rate, use a good mix on your IPOD and have fun.

Friday
Row 90’ 10’ warm up. Then push ten-minute pieces 6 times. Alternating rates every 2 minutes from 18-20-22. After each two-minute segment pull for one minute upper body and arms only. Make sure you sit tall and hinge from the hip joint. You can be fairly aggressive in that minute, since it also works as an upper body strength exercise.
X-train/row 80’ at target heart rate, listen to that IPOD and put in the time.
Saturday
Row 90’ 3 times 7 minutes. Ten minutes rest between. Don’t use the heart rate monitor to cap your effort. These pieces are all out as hard as you can. Because it is a low stroke rates, it does not dig too much into lactic acid production. Nonetheless you push has hard as possible. Take your time to warm up for ten to fifteen minutes. The first 7-minute piece is composed of stroke rate 18 for 4 minutes, 20 for two minutes, and finally 1 minute at 22. Second piece 3 minutes at stroke rate 20, two minutes at stroke rate 22, and finally 2 minutes at stroke ate 24. The final 7-minute piece is 3 minutes at stroke rate 22, 2 minutes at stroke rate 24, one minute at stroke rate 26, and sprint as hard as you can in the final minute. After this take ten to fifteen minutes to paddle. This is extremely important because you want to make absolutely sure that you leave the rowing machine or the water with a lactic acid concentration that is back to normal.
X-train/row 80’ at target heart rate. Have F U N, go swimming, stairs, whatever you feel gives you a good cardiac pump. DO not do anything that hurts you joints.
Sunday
X-train your choice 120’ Same as above.

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

From Mark, whose presence I enjoy every time he joins us for a workout, thanks for your kind words!

Hey Xeno, Mark here....This is my article that maybe you can post
to the blog...


I have worked for the Long Beach Police Department for approximately 15
years. During my career I have had many bumps and bruises, two stand
out in particular. While stopping a stolen vehicle, the suspect decided
that instead of going to jail he was going to use his car as a battering
ram and the intended target was me...he hit my vehicle and the opened
car door struck my right knee. The suspect was apprehended after a bit
of a foot pursuit,it is amazing what adrenaline will do, but after my
knee swelled up and was pretty stiff, I didn't think much about it and
went on. The second incident occurred in a liquor store when a suspect
decided he would rather fight than go with us. The fight ensued and when
we fell on the ground, (I do believe that a liquor store needs way more
space to fight in) my right knee struck the floor. So what has this got
to do with rowing.

During my first 12 years as a police officer, I was an avid runner, 2
New York Marathons, 10ks, 5ks, and I was also on the police department's
Baker to Vegas Team. Baker to Vegas is a race between police
departments throughout the world. It is a 20 person relay team covering 120
miles, from Baker, California to Las Vegas. In June 2002, my right knee
finally gave out. After my third surgery in December 2004, my doctor
notified me that there was to be no more running. He said try the eliptical
machine, the stationary bike or anything of low impact. I started to use
the machines but never felt the same as when I went out on a run. I
needed to find something because I surely could tell that my weight was
going up...from my running weight of 195, I was now up to 225.

One day while reading the Daily Pilot, I saw a coupon for a free
workout at the Iron Oarsman. Indoor rowing? What the heck, I've tried it all,
why not this? I stopped in one Tuesday morning and Xeno introduced
himself and put me on a rowing machine. Needless to say that after the
first class, I really felt like I had run some distance (only no pain in my
knee), I was hooked.

I would like to thank Xeno for his enthusiam and encouragement. My
right knee feels better and I'm gaining back a lot of strength without any
unnecessary pounding on my knee. But most importantly, I'm still able
to be a productive member of the Long Beach Police Department.

Thanks again Xeno.

Thanks again

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

Info from the Cycling world. The importance of lactate testing for rowing and indoor rowing.

PEZ Interviews: Pro Dr. Inigo San Millan
Tuesday, February 14, 2006 5:45:44 PM PT

by James Hewitt

At the Saunier Duval training camp in Murcia, we talked to Dr. Inigo San Millan of the medical team. He provided an interesting insight into what it means to be a doctor for a ProTour team today as well as revealing some of his thoughts on the future of cycling.

Inigo is one of four doctors working with the team and whilst he may be touted as “chief” of the medical staff, Inigo was keen to dispel this myth. “It’s a big team with a lot of riders and 250 days of competition. We are a team of four and this is necessary to divide the work. I’m more in charge of coordinating. I was traveling 120 to 140 days a year and I hope to be able to coordinate more of the work from home this season. It’s much easier to work with riders individually from home. At races there is too much going on and it’s not possible.”


The team has a staff of 4 medical personel to share the duties of keeping everyone healthy and properly trained.


But what does it mean to develop a training programme for a rider? “We work
in the most scientific way possible. We work with SRM systems and physiological tests to develop individual training programmes for the riders. We use the tests to see how the riders are absorbing the training load and to make sure they are not over trained. That [over training] happens on a lot of teams. Riders arrive at the races already fatigued. There are so many races in the calendar, for the last races of the season, many riders arrive just messed up.”

There are a number of parameters used to discern ‘over training’ and I was interested to find out what the Saunier Duval team was analysing. “We test for free radicals to determine the damage that is occurring. Free radicals cause a lot of damage. The life span of a red blood cell in a regular person is about 120 days. In a cyclist at this level it may only be 70-80. They destroy a lot more red cells than a regular person. Many cyclists diet too much, they have hypo caloric diets. It’s better that a rider has a better diet. I would prefer a rider to be 1 kg over weight with strength than underweight. Hypo caloric diets are fine during winter but during the middle of the season if your body fat percentage is ideal you need to eat a lot! Many cyclist are buying into the marketing of these new diets: 30-40-40, high protein, low carbohydrate and they are turning up to training camps with them. These might be fine for a regular person but the demands on a professional cyclists are much higher. This is clear from muscle biopsies on glycogen storage and in the battlefield. Riders with low carbohydrate diets show up at races empty.”’’


David Millar gets wired and recorded in the name of going faster.

“We try to organize training in the most scientific way possible. Lactate is the most important parameter for us. VO2 max. is significant, but it is more an indicator of cardiorespiratory adaptation. At this level, most riders will have developed this to its maximum capacity. Whereas lactate tells us more about what is going on inside the muscle cell, how efficient a rider is and provides a better parameter to prescribe appropriate training.” However, there are riders from the old school who have difficulty adapting to the ‘new cycling’. That’s why it is good to have a manager like Mauro who is committed to development with the new mentality, the testing, the wind tunnel... We are a very international team which is good because we have lots of new blood”.

It is clear that the past few years have seen a shift in the cycling super powers. With the “old” European dominance being superseded by nations such as Australia, the US and Nordic countries, a sentiment shared by Inigo. What did he think were the causes of this shift? “Here in the old Europe, there are not many top riders any more. In Italy there are thousands and thousands of riders so there will always be a few who rise to the top but the bottom has fallen out in some countries such as France. Spain hasn’t reached the bottom yet, but in a few years...”

So in this new age of cycling, I was eager to here his opinion concerning how much success is determined by training effectively, scientifically, as opposed to pure genetic gifting. “The more scientific the training and the preparation is, the more you can get out of cycling.” he noted succinctly. “The gifting has to be there but over the years I have seen many, many cyclists who had the genetics but were only getting 35% of their potential. With scientific training, it is possible for riders to get nearly 100% of there potential. This is what is happening in countries like Australia where they don’t have so many riders but the riders they do have are reaching their maximum potential because of the work they are doing with young riders.”

Saunier Duval is clearly committed to testing and developing their riders but do team doctors still have a traditional role in a sense that the general public may perceive? “Many conditions develop” he said “such as allergies. Riders have many problems related to allergies. In normal life it would not be a problem but when you are using your pulmonary capacity to the maximum, a small restriction caused by an allergy could severely limit your performance. Then of course there are the usual problems, broken clavicles (collar bone), tendonitis etc.”



The ProTour has also increased the number of days racing, but how has this affected the demands on the riders, I asked? “The level is higher, the riders are more prepared and there is a new wave of cyclists coming up. I was a cyclist myself and I have seen this evolution, how this cycling has changed. Riders now are so much more educated, they know how to use power, how to work with heart rate and also there are increased anti-doping measurements, that's really good. The level is higher now but it’s more pure. It’s very hard to cheat in cycling now. Some people might be adventurous to say it but cycling is one of the cleanest sports now. Cycling is one of the only sports that implicates the whole spectrum of doping measures. Some sports only use the basic tests”.

So if cycling is so clean, why does the sport seem to have a bad reputation and why are positive tests relatively common? Inigo replied with an interesting analogy. “If you always have the police at your house, your neighbours are going to think something is going on. It’s like this, if you were to test drivers for
alcohol at every traffic light in a particular city there would be many drivers caught. That city would have the highest index of drink drivers in the world. Other cities may only test at particular times or not at all. Now riders have no choice, they have to train better and eat better, they can not resort to prohibted means”.

So to finish off, I asked Inigo who were his top tips for the future. He pointed me to Arkaitz Duran, the team’s youngest rider and not yet 20 years old. “He went pretty much from junior to professional.” said Inigo. “He’s one for the future, a super hard worker and will do everything you teach him to. Riders like him may only come along every 10 years, he’s very gifted. He could go to the very top of the sport.”

I thanked Inigo for his valuable time and left him to continue the physiological testing which was absorbing his days.
LINK to Article http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=3789

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.

This is a test and has absolutely NOTHING to do with Indoor Rowing

At the end of this message, you are asked a question.

Answer it immediately. Don't stop and think about it.


Just say the first thing that pops into your mind.


This is a fun "test"... AND kind of spooky at the same time! Give it a try, then e-mail it around (including back to me) and you'll see how many people you know fall into the same percentage as you. Be sure to put in the subject line if you are among the 98% or the 2%. You'll understand what that means after you finish taking the test".


Now. just follow the instructions as quickly as possible.



Do not go to the next calculation before you have finished the previous one..



You do not ever need to write or remember the answers, just do it using your mind.


You'll be surprised.



Start:


How much is:


15 + 6

























3 + 56



























89 + 2

























12 + 53





































75 + 26



































25 + 52





























63 + 32

































I know! Calculations are hard work, but it's nearly over..


Come on, one more!




























123 + 5























































QUICK! THINK ABOUT A COLOR AND A TOOL!










































Scroll further ! to the bottom....












































A bit more...




















You just thought about a red hammer! , didn't you?



If this is not your answer, you are among 2% of people who have a different, if not abnormal, mind.

98% of the folks would answer a red hammer while doing this exercise.

If you do not believe this, pass it around and you'll see.

Be sure to put in the subject line if you are among the 98% or the 2%

Xeno Muller, Olympic gold and silver medalist, indoor rowing, rowing technique.