Health maintenance for the triathlete

PART I: GENERAL HEALTH FOR THE OFT-EXERCISED
PART II: POOL HAIR



PART I: GENERAL HEALTH FOR THE OFT-EXERCISED

by Dan Empfield 11/1/00

Maintenance is a drag. It isn’t a moving forward, but a staving off of entropy. It's running in place. Maintenance of my own body is no exception, and this attitude of mine can be a problem for a triathlete. Vigilance against bodily mechanical breakdown is needed, like it or not, or problems are just around the corner.

I perform anticipated maintenance because I must. I am lazy and anal at the same time, which is a terrible combination. Better to be lazy and ambivalent, or to have a work ethic that equals one's compulsive tendencies. Me, I have a compulsion to work but no desire to. What does this make me? Full of chronic paranoia and guilt. I spend half my life desperately trying to develop good work habits and the other half telling myself the lack thereof should not overwhelm me psychologically.

I have developed, over the years, a set of habits that keep me healthy and safe while catering to my natural tendencies toward laziness in a general atmosphere of mañana. I shall outline them below.

One thing I should say at the outset: Most of what I write about in Part I pertains more to men than women. It is no secret than men are, in general, grungier, slimier, and more disgusting. Being a man myself I can only say thank God for that.

First, we shall talk about your cycling shorts and mine. I'm going to put aside any thoughts of warming you up to this and, instead, dive right in. You shouldn't feel embarrassed. I'm the one who's got to write this and sign my name to it. All you have to do is read it—anonymously.

The name for most bad things that happen here is tinea, which covers any number of fungal infections of the body. Tinea cruris is jock itch. Like herpes, once you get it, you've sort of got it for life. You can keep it at bay, but if you get careless you're going to have trouble again. I used to spend a lot of time traipsing around in the tropics for weeks and months on end, and I contracted mine on one such trip. So I've got to take steps. Something to remember about tinea cruris is that warm, moist environments aren’t the only things that bring it on—rubbing and abrading can be catalysts, too. Cycling shorts are prime incubators.

There are three ways to make sure tinea cruris doesn't bug you (heh heh).

One is to always ride in clean cycling shorts. Now, getting back to my, er, relaxed tendencies toward chore-type things, I do my laundry perhaps once a week. Had I only one or two pairs of cycling shorts I'd succumb to occasionally riding in the same shorts twice, perhaps, before a wash. I therefore have invested in many pairs of cycling shorts. I've got shorts, knickers, bibs—I could outfit an entire pro cycling team with all my shorts. You can't have enough shorts—that's my motto.

The next thing you can do is to make sure that you, too, are run through the wash every time you ride. Just like your shorts.

Finally, a good powder is indicated, and I'm partial to Lotrimin.

Tinea pedis is athlete's foot. It’s basically the same thing, just a little south of the border. Your shoes are warm and moist, and they abrade you. Just throw a little Lotrimin powder in all the shoes you wear once a week: running shoes, walking shoes, everything. Oh, by the way, I've got lots of socks, too.

Your cycling helmet is also the scene of a crime. After a lot of good, hot summer riding your helmet can get pretty skanky. I'm talking about the pads—especially the one that rests against your forehead—and the straps. Water alone won't cure your helmet of what ails it. A water and alcohol mixture will do it, though.

While we're on the subject of cycling, let's talk about your water bottles. This is another area where—you guessed it—I've got a truckload. I never use my water bottles unless they've been freshly run through the dishwasher, and of course (me being me) I only run the thing when it's packed full. Ergo, I've got to have a lot of clean water bottles handy.

I know a female pro triathlete, retired now, who was having a very bad time of it for about a year. Just a lot of general fatigue, the sort of thing one might associate with Epstein-Barr disease. She didn't know what was bothering her. Come to find out she had a deep, unnoticed infection in one of her molars. A root canal, a little dental work, and she was good as new. After that she was always Johnny-on-the-spot with dental check-ups.

I know another pro athlete who was almost kept out of this year's Ironman because of a leg infection caused by an ingrown hair. It's unimaginable how the small things can set you back. Making sure that you keep your toenails clipped—little things like that—can stave off big problems.

I suffer from hemorrhoids. This isn't a malady restricted to old men who don't eat roughage. Greg Welch had terrible hemorrhoid problems during his pro career. But these are manageable—and not only through suppositories and no-fixes like that. If you've got hemorrhoids, or think you might, these can be easily and quickly fixed via a 15-minute doctor visit. I won't go into details, but besides Metamucil or lots of broccoli to keep you from getting them in the first place, you're not past the point of no return if—like me—you've acquired them, good habits notwithstanding.

I have terrific problems with bronchial infections, and have since I was a child. This also is not something that is without remedy, and I talk about this in some length in an article elsewhere on Slowtwitch called Stealth Asthma.

If you do have the misfortune to crash on your bike—or even fall on a trail run—it's a good idea to have all the first-aid stuff already at hand. Betadine, gauze, and all that stuff is good to have around. There's that elastic netting bike racers use that's good to keep handy, along with the self-sealing elastic wrap that comes in different colors. One hint about the wrap: They sell the same stuff at pet supply stores and it's a whole lot cheaper.

Why do I mention something as small as the treatment of an abrasion? You can never tell how far these things will go. Wolfgang Dittrich got an anti-inflammatory injection in his knee several years ago—and in trying to fix one problem another, worse, problem sprang up. Somehow a huge staph infection took hold in there, apparently crawling in though the hole left by the needle. He had to have major surgery to clean his knee out, and he's never been the same since.

Be sure to check your feet after every race. Small rocks from transition areas can get ground in as you run from the water to T1, especially if it's a long run. Better yet, wear Tevas, flip-flops or even old running shoes if you know you'll be running a while. Why? Our own Lanterne Rouge, Amy White, just about a year ago found a small, hard painful spot above the ball of her foot. It was like a callous and she thought it might be related to her cycling shoes and cleats. Off she went to the doctor when it finally got really painful.

He diagnosed a granuloma. What's that? (That's what she said, anyway.) Tiny pieces of rock from a transition area, probably way back in the spring, had embedded themselves in her foot. The body, fighting off this incursion, created a callous around them. No biggie, right? Wrong. It required two office visits, and injections of anesthetic into the ball of her foot followed by scraping with a scalpel, until the rocks were gone.

There are plenty of ways for your training and racing to go haywire because of freak and unexpected illness or infection. You shouldn't live in fear, but you should be smart. How far you should go depends on you. Dr. Matt Brick of New Zealand—a past world duathlon champion—had to subject himself to long airline flights for most of his big races. An airplane cabin is one of the easiest places to get an airborne infection. He used to wear a surgical mask on all his flights. OK, it might have looked funny, but he had the last laugh.

PART II: HAIR MAINTENANCE FOR THE POOL SWIMMER

by Douglas A. Rogers (velobunny@aol.com)

"Why is my hair so gummy? Why does it feel unclean even after I wash it? Why are my $250 highlights/lowlights looking, well, so green?" These are the kinds of questions I often hear from swimmers and triathletes at my salon.

I have been a hairstylist for the past ten years and a multi-sporter for the last six. I have tackled many of these challenges for myself and others during this time.

Chlorine is a necessary evil to combat algae and other things that could flourish in pools, but it's very bad for the hair. Porosity is the degree to which hair becomes saturated with water. Chlorine attaches itself to the porous parts of the hair and coats it, rendering it lifeless. It also can make the hair feel gummy or unclean. As the chemical oxidizes, it turns blonde hair green. Perms and colors don't take as well, either, on hair that spends a lot of time around chlorine because it interferes with the chemical processes those treatments use.

What causes porosity? Hair accepts water where the cuticular (or outermost) layer is either less thick (fine hair has this tendency) or irregular (as in naturally curly hair, most likely). Other causes include hair-coloring services (which open the cuticle to do their work), bleaching (which can totally degrade the cuticle), and perming/relaxing (services that change texture).

If you are thinking about chemically treating your hair, I have these recommendations: Stay away from double-process hair colors (full-head bleaching) unless you have hair about an inch long. This is a sure way to make your hair green if you swim. Also, if your hair is darker than a dark blonde, avoid bleach in your highlights as it makes your hair more ready to accept chlorine.

Permanent waving/relaxing makes the hair almost more ready to accept chlorine. People with these chemical processes should definitely be careful with their hair while swimming.

How can you prevent chlorine from coating your hair? Most of these are low-tech, low-dollar solutions.

First, wet the hair with shower water, not pool water. This prevents entry of chlorine by the virtue of saturating the hair with water first.

Second, put a small amount of conditioner in the hair (to barely saturate it) before putting on the swim cap. The cap alone does a nominal job of preventing chlorine penetration.

Third, get a service from the salon. I can only recommend one service by name— a semi-permanent color called Cellophanes by Sebastian. This is a true demi-permanent color that coats the hair in protein. This service helps seal the hair and gives a nice, healthy shine. This can be clear or have color. Ask a professional hairstylist.

After swimming, use a clarifying shampoo recommended by your stylist. I suggest Hair Detoxifier by Aveda. Also, use a rinse-out conditioner, preferably one that is a bit heavier than normally used (i.e., a medium-strength conditioner). I would recommend Shampure conditioner by Aveda.

A reconstructor is not necessary unless you currently have highlights, double-process color, or some kind of retexturizing service. K-pak by Joico is my favorite hair reconstructor for chemically treated hair that is also in chlorinated water.

What kind of professional help can I get for chlorine buildup? A professional stylist can recommend a clarifying shampoo or treatment. One treatment I offer is a professional-only product called Pre Art from Redken. This treatment is an extremely strong one, used either at room temperature or under a dryer. A deep moisturizer is then used afterward to seal the hair and smooth the cuticle.

Some stylists like to use a clarifier applied to dry hair and put under a warm dryer. I would rather use a Pre Art treatment as it is easier and more suited to the purpose.

These are the things I have learned over the years as a professional stylist (and an amateur multi-sporter) for dealing with chlorine. Chlorine buildup can be prevented and treated quite easily using the above methods. Ask your stylist about these methods. With all of this knowledge, you can have healthy, chlorine-free hair.