56 - Paralympian Erica Gavel

What this episode covers

If you're an endurance athlete of colour and want to take us up on our offer to help you in this sport, please get in touch [https://x3training.com/contact/].  And if you like the show, please support us [https://ei.supercast.tech/]! * 9:15 Erica's study on the effect of using a menthol mouth rinse on cycling time trial performance in female athletes * One prior study in males suggested efficacy, but there were no studies on females in the literature * Study aimed to simulated women's road TT (30k) in hot and humid conditions expected in the Tokyo Olympics * Participants rinsed their mouths with 30mL of menthol solution every 5k of the TT * Average decrease in time to completion of the TT was 2.5% * 13:30 the mechanism of action of the mouth rinse is not very well understood, but thought to be related to the perception of effort * 16:15 effects of the mouth rinse on other physiological metrics: * Average mechanical power increased compared with control * With power held constant, RPE was lower than the control * 18:45 earlier study on male cyclists saw a similar magnitude of effect * 21:00 use of progesterone-based IUD contraceptive devices did not appear to blunt the effects of the mouth rinse * 21:30 alcohol-free mouthwash is a good commercial source of menthol * 26:15 the central governor model of performance may explain effects of psychological ergogenic effects of mouth rinses and motivational self-talk among other techniques * 29:30 the role of a positive attitude in sports and life * 31:00 the path from a grad study to adoption at the olympic level of competition * 34:00 thermal regulation for wheelchair rugby * 36:36 para athletes do not sweat below the site of the spinal lesion, making thermal regulation much more difficult * 42:00 there are many opportunities to make a real difference in the paralympic space * 46:45 para athletes are like every other athlete: it's all about performance within your unique limitations