A number of PowerBar
® Team Elite™ members are among those vying for spots to represent the United States in February at the XXI (21st) Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Three of them took time out of their busy training and pre-Olympics competition schedules to share the nutrition plans they use when preparing for competition.
In
Part One of this two-part series, we heard from Bryan Fletcher, who is a member of the U.S. Ski Team and is hoping for an Olympic berth in the Nordic combined event. Here in Part Two, we get the lowdown from two Olympic veterans — cross-country skier Kris Freeman, who is attempting to make his third trip to the Olympics, and skier Sarah Schleper, who is shooting for her fourth Olympics.
Athlete: Kris Freeman
- Age: 29
- Height: 5'11"
- Weight: 175 lbs
- Hometown: Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
- Olympic events: Cross-country skiing
Q: Tell us a bit about your path to a third Olympic Winter Games.
Kris: As a teenager, I won multiple junior national championships in cross-country skiing. I raced for the University of Vermont on a full athletic scholarship for one year, winning both races at the Eastern Collegiate Championships in 2000. I postponed my studies in 2001 to train full time for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. I made the team and helped the 4 x 10K relay team to 5th place, the best U.S. finish in Olympic history. In 2003, I won the Under-23 World Championships in the 30K classical race in Bormio, Italy. In 2006, I competed in my second Olympic Winter Games, in Torino. I placed 4th at the 2009 World Championships in the 15K classical race in Liberec in the Czech Republic. And I’ve won 12 U.S. National Championship races.
Q: In which events are we likely to see you in Vancouver?
Kris: I will most likely compete in the 15K freestyle, the 50K classical race, the 2-man freestyle sprint relay, and the 30K pursuit race. The freestyle sprint relay is done on a 1.8-km loop. One man skis a lap and then tags his partner, who skis a lap. Each man does three laps. The pursuit race is divided into two 15K sections. The race begins in the classical format and then switches to skating for the second 15K after a "triathlon-like" change of equipment. Classical is the traditional striding technique, and freestyle resembles speed skating with poles. Freestyle is faster, so it’s not allowed in a classical race.
Q: How do you train for competitions?
Kris: During the summer, I do about 25 hours of aerobic training a week. I break the training day into two workouts. The bulk of my training is done on rollerskis, which resemble long rollerblades and simulate skiing on pavement. I also run, bike, and kayak. In the winter, I train between 10 and 20 hours a week, depending on my race schedule.
Q: What is your overall approach to nutrition to support your training and competing?
Kris: I have type 1 diabetes. It was diagnosed just before my first Olympics. So while I need to consume enough carbs, protein, and fat to support my training and racing schedule, I also need to balance the carbs I eat with the insulin that I take. Consistency is important to keep my blood sugar controlled. I always try to eat the same amount of calories and carbohydrates that I burn off during my workouts — no more and no less. PowerBar is a great resource for me because of the high quality and consistent nutritional makeup of each product.
Q: Do you have a goal for how many calories and carbs you consume in a day?
Kris: The longer and harder my workouts, the more carbs and calories I eat. My diet ranges from 2,500 calories to 5,000 calories a day, depending on the level of exertion. Most of those extra calories on heavy training days come from carbohydrates. On very easy days, I eat fewer carbohydrates. The amounts of protein and fat I eat pretty much stay the same.
Q: What is a typical pre-race or pre-training snack or meal, and when do you consume it in relation to exercise?
Kris: Balancing my blood sugar is always tricky before a race because of nerves. Pre-race nerves cause adrenaline to be released, and this can cause my blood sugar to rise too high. I use insulin to lower my blood glucose and
PowerBar® Gel Blasts™ energy chews to raise it. When I’m training, nerves aren’t an issue and I frequently eat
PowerBar Harvest® Energy bars and Gel Blasts energy chews 15–30 minutes before a workout.
(Editorial note: Athletes with similar medical conditions should consult with a physician to determine how to best incorporate PowerBar® products into their diet.)
Q: What do you do to stay hydrated and fueled when you’re out on the course training or in a race?
Kris: When I’m training, I stop every 45 minutes and consume 4–5 Gel Blasts energy chews with water. During 30K and 50K competitions, I consume 8 oz of the lemon-lime flavor of
PowerBar® Endurance sports drink every 10K.
Q: What do you eat for recovery after training and racing?
Kris: I try to eat a
PowerBar ProteinPlus® protein bar within an hour of completing a tough race or workout. This helps to get my recovery started.
Q: What do you consider to be your favorite PowerBar products?
Kris: During tough training weeks, I will consume about 1,000 calories of PowerBar products a day. My favorites are the strawberry banana flavor of
PowerBar Gel Blasts energy chews, the cookies n cream flavor of
PowerBar® Performance Energy bars and
PowerBar ProteinPlus protein bars, and all the
PowerBar Harvest Energy bar flavors that are dipped.
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Athlete: Sarah Schleper
- Age: 30
- Height: 5'4"
- Weight: 135 lbs
- Hometown: Vail, Colorado
- Olympic events: Slalom and giant slalom
Q: So you are an Olympic hopeful yet again.
Sarah: Yes. I’ve been training to go to the Olympics since I was 11 years old. So far, I’ve been to three, and Vancouver would be a fourth Olympics!
Q: Tell us about your two events.
Sarah: I’m an alpine skier, and slalom is the most technical event. It’s quick and you are armored up to block the gates out of your way so you can take the straightest line possible down the hill. Giant slalom is the classic skiing event, with medium-radius turns down technical slopes. Now they use water on the slopes, which makes the courses very icy and more challenging, but it’s fairer for all the racers because the conditions hold up. Both slalom and giant slalom are the combined times of two runs on two different courses.
Q: Describe a typical training day.
Sarah: I wake up at 6 a.m. and warm up with core exercises and stretching for 20 minutes. Then I eat breakfast. I’m on the hill at 7 a.m. and train until about 11 a.m. In the morning session, I’ll take a warm-up run, inspect the course, train on the course with 4–8 runs normally, and then some cool-down runs. After that, I eat lunch. In the afternoon, I do a few hours of low-intensity exercise as part of my active recovery. Then it’s off to massage therapy, and then the team meeting. I usually eat dinner at 7 p.m., and it’s lights out by 9:30 p.m.
Q: Do you have a particular nutrition strategy in order to keep up with the energy demands of training?
Sarah: I just try to keep a very balanced diet in terms of the balance between carbs and protein, and I limit fat intake. I try to snack between runs to keep my energy up and I’m constantly trying to stay hydrated. I think staying hydrated is the most important and most difficult aspect of sports nutrition for skiers.
Q: What do you eat before a training session or race?
Sarah: The night and day before a competition, I like to eat fast-acting carbs that don't take a lot of time and energy to digest — foods without a lot of fat, like pasta and potatoes. In the morning, I have whole grain cereal, some coffee, and fruit. I like to drink a lot of water before I race, and that makes for a lot of pee breaks, but I don't mind. I also really like
PowerBar® Gel before I race. Tangerine is my favorite flavor. The gels are great because I don't like anything too heavy.
Q: When you’re on the hill, what do you do to stay hydrated and fueled?
Sarah: In between runs, I will usually have a
PowerBar® Nut Naturals Energy bar and I take in a lot of fluids with electrolytes.
Q: What do you do afterwards to promote recovery?
Sarah: I drink a bottle of
PowerBar® Recovery beverage because I get the calories, carbs, and protein I need for recovery, and I get fluids to stay hydrated. I also like to give myself a little extra protein, so I’ll have a
PowerBar® Performance Energy bar or maybe some elk steak from my dad’s kitchen! Another key for me after training and racing is to carry a water bottle everywhere I go and sip from it constantly.
Q: What are your favorite PowerBar® products?
Sarah: I use PowerBar Gel before races and I like the original Performance Energy bars and the Nut Naturals energy bars between runs or whenever I feel a little hungry. And I especially like Recovery beverage and tend to use this every day after training.
PowerBar is not sponsored or endorsed by any national or international Olympic committees.
*PowerBar Team Elite consists of athletes, coaches, fitness trainers, and dietitians, ranging from world-champion competitors to regional teams and local educators. PowerBar sponsors Team Elite members with PowerBar products and gear; in return, Team Elite members share their passion for their sport and PowerBar products with their communities.
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