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Ironman Nutrition
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I was on a long ride over the weekend - 6:20 in the saddle, 7:00+ for the whole day - and while I wasn't bonking because of my gel/drink/salt tab plan, I felt really hungry about 3/4 of the way through. I nibbled on a powerbar (ate 3/4 of one during the ride), but I was wondering if I should be eating something a bit more substantial - more powerbars, maybe a banana or a cheeseburger with fries...

Thoughts?

John
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [JohnA] [ In reply to ]
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There is a new gel called e-gel which is ideal for ultra-distance events. I am using it in Ironman New Zealand. E-gel, like most new nutritional products, isn;t anything magical, but it is just good packaging, design and common sense.

The packet is larger and accomodates 1.9 oz. of gel as opposed to only 1.1oz like Gu. There is 150 calories per packet. Additionally (and more importantly for the long stuff) there is a much higher content of electrolytes, including a whopping 230 mg of sodium. No salt tablets needed. This will help stave off muscle cramps.

Using E-Caps Endurolyte tablets or Champion Nutrition Muscle Nitro is a good idea also. I use the Endurolytes in very hot weather and the Muscle Nitro in cooler conditions. Basically, your muscles get less sore I find and you can go faster longer before things get ugly.

Also, Champion Nutrition makes a product called Metabolol Endurance with MCT's as its main calorie source: An excellent "liquid food" endurance source. Another good one is Hammer Nutrition's Perpetuem, another endurance food source. Add a basic sports drink and you have everything (and more!) you need for a long ride followed by a long run.

Bear in mind your nutritional plan for the day has to be tailored to weather conditions and never try anything in a race you haven't tried in training.

Good luck!

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [JohnA] [ In reply to ]
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I get hungry on long rides with gel too. You didn't say what kind of drink you were using or if it was only water. I use Perpetuem or Sustained Energy by e-caps as my sole nutrition on long rides and for IM bike nutrition. It's all very personal. But if you're hungry, I would suggest you eat. Also, you may not have had enough calories for breakfast. For a long ride like you had, you need to fuel up before, during and after.
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [JohnA] [ In reply to ]
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John,

Could it have been the smell of the cheeseburgers and fries as we passed the Junction Cafe 3/4 of the way through? I know all I was thinking about was faking a flat and going back for a burger as we went up the next hill.

Dave
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [JohnA] [ In reply to ]
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Was looking at the english channel association's tips and this came up. Not calories per se but rather the hungry feeling.

Apparently canned peaches and bananas are big over there.

The sure fire drink is tea. Regular tea, mix in sugar, galactose or some other high zoot sweetener to a concentration you have found appropriate. They say no one has ever had stomach problems drinking tea. And remember that these folks are out there getting mouthfuls of saltwater for over 9 hours.

If you can drink it then, you can probably drink it anytime.
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [Herschel34] [ In reply to ]
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Herschel34 made a good point worth expanding upon: Breakfast.

There was some study I read that talked about run splits versus calories consumed before the race. I think breakfast before Ironman is super, super important. You have to build your prior 24 hours schedule around it.

It is important to allow enough time for the food to pass through your digestive system. That means getting up at about 3:00 AM and eating right away. I find that oatmeal with fruit on it, whole grain toast with a little peanut butter, lots of water, juice and a cup of Tea are an excellent pre-Ironman breakfast. I'm bringing my own oatmeal to Ironman New Zealand, my favorite brand.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [JohnA] [ In reply to ]
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John,

I found out the hard way that nutrition is the 4th discipline of tri. At IMF02 the lights went out after I finished. I ate and drank plenty, stuff such as CarboPro (s*cks), Gu, fresh fruit, etc., nothing I hadn't used before. For whatever reason, my stomach shut down, didn't get absorbed, came up (lots) the next morning in the hospital.

So I continued to experiment and believe I found the perfect formula (at least for me). At IMF03 I exclusively used Hammer Products, specifically, Endurolytes and Perpetuem. I skipped breakfast (other than coffee and water). During the entire race I used Endurolytes and Perpetuem and the only thing I took from the volunteers was water. I felt great, lowered my time from the previous year by 1hr34min., good enough for Kona. And the best part, got to party afterwards.

I use some of their other products, Hammer Gel and Sustained Energy, for shorter duration of <3-4 hrs.

Good luck...

KW
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [JohnA] [ In reply to ]
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I like a somewhat heavy meal before a big ride. What I mean by that is a couple of eggs and a Nutela sanwhich, which usually tides me over along with the usuall during the ride. If that isn't appealing I would eat more solids during the ride as in a couple of energy bars. There are times when we give in a go for a half dozen donuts. Once you ease back into the ride you don't even notice the fat globs in the tummy. You might also try some of the heavier but still easier to digest energy drinks like Cytomax pre performance, which is actually a pretty good "during" drink.
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Re: Ironman Nutrition [Hinds57] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, maybe. I do remember Wendy Ingraham had a cheeseburger in her special needs bag during her first IM - not sure she still does that, though.

I think the main thing might have been the breakfast. I had two PowerBars and a latte, but maybe a bagel with some jelly and an egg would have added a bit more substance. I didn't bonk, I just got hungry.

Re: other powders and elixers. I use accelerade, water, Hammer Gel and Endurolytes, and will be adding amino acids to the mix. I may look in to the perpetum, but the bastards at Hammer wouldn't sponsor me (because I suck), and that stuff is damn expensive...

My IM is in June, so I have a bit of time to get the nutrition part down.

Thanks for the input.

John
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