I don't do IM, but I do extreme ones (Canadaman, Norseman, etc.). My times would translate in the 10:30-11:00 range on a normal IM (aka, not a pancake flat bike course). Maybe not uber fast, but my nutrition is not a factor in my times.

I eat, usually in that order, on the bike...
- A pack of Clif bloks
- A Mars bar
- A PB&J bagel
- 6 fig newtons
- Half a roast beef wrap

At that point, I'm usually around 130-140k... At that point I switch solely to liquids.

Is it just the infinit concentrate for all calories or do you drink gatorade in addition to water ? o do you take extra salt ? What does your run nutrition look like?

Infinit is the only calories on the bike, I've done 4 IMs that way. I'll take extra salt if it's a hot race. No Gatorade.

I'm still toying with run nutrition. A few years ago I tried running with Infinit in a hand bottle. But it gets a bit frothy bouncing up and down, and quite frankly by that time I am getting rather sick of Infinit. Last year at IMFL it was on-course Gatorade and Clif Bloks, switching to Coke in the last 4-5 miles. That seemed to work ok although I did have a rough last 2 miles.

No matter what I eat, running in temps of 80F or higher seems to give me stomach problems on the run, especially in the 2nd half of an IM run. This is true even in training. So I haven't figured out that part yet.

I tried a lot of stuff but ultimately wound up using whatever the on-course nutrition was (Gatorade Endurance at the time) and a Gel Flask filled with a flavor I could tolerate. Using those 2 I was able to get down more than enough calories and water at the same time.

Two bottles of Two Scoops of EFS 4 Scoops of Carbopro

I also have a peanut butter and honey sandwich in my special needs bag, I wash it down with an 8 ounce can of Pepsi

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Clearly you need to do some work on your running....and possibly your swimming too.

Similar for me, though I was a little slower (a couple of PRs in low 9:40s) and I would also eat bananas and sandwiches.

Still do the occasional IM, but you wouldn't call it racing these days. I'm pretty comfortable with solid food, especially something savoury. I'll happily scoff some baked potatoes with garlic and oregano or gorganzola sandwiches on the bike (the stinkier the better).

Black olives have long been a "go-to" during the run. On my last few IM races they have been accompanied with some wine. While I prefer a red, a dry white certainly works OK too.

One day someone is going to to pick up the wrong special needs bag, open mine and go "WTF!!!"

I think people need to qualify times with the course and year... 4:41 at Texas this year is more like a 5:06 depending on what group you were able to latch on with. Or IM Canada 2016 pro top 10 4:31-49 (faster) vs 2018 pro top 10 4:40-52 (arguably better bike field this year with Talansky and Vanhoenacker vs Potts 11min clear in 2016)

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/nbrowne1

That's the process I'm looking to use at Kona. I bonked on the marathon at IM Canada I think due to low calories (was doing 200cal/hr with a Gu gel every 30min @ 77kg / 170pounds). After researching pro nutrition they tended to do 50-75% more calories so instead adding that many gels I'm experimenting with F2C glyco-durance (F2C GD).

Plan:

1. Torhans Aero 30 on aerobars (2 scoops F2C GD, 1 flavoured, 1 unflavoured) - refill with water from aid stations, mix with concentrate in behind the saddle bottle
2. Behind the saddle "super bottle" (normal bottle, 6 scoops F2C GD, 3 flavoured, 3 unflavoured) - F2C website recommends using a blender rather than just shaking it...
3. Dark Speed Works Speedpack 915D on the top tube (10x Gu gels, 6 salted watermelon caffeinated, 4 other caffeinated flavour)
4. Marathon use a spiBelt dual pocket as my number belt and race nutrition (6x Gu Gels, 4 salted watermelon caffeinated, 2 other caffeinated flavour)

First test of the "super bottle" + gels on Saturday. Gonna be tough to force all those calories in!

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/nbrowne1

Hah touché. Yes to be fair this was at IMTX, staying away from the pelotons. Had a crap swim and just an OK run after overbiking a little in an attempt to not get too far behind the cheaters.

What's your guys equation to figure out your calorie needs per hour via your body weight?

Others might be more scientific, but mine was just trial and error. I think I read on here that the normal range was 250-400/hr. Being a lightweight (140lbs) I started off at the low range and just experimented in long rides with runs after. I settled on 275/hr.

I really struggled with this as I like numbers and I was always trying to be exact, every single hour.

I found that it was best to ignore the hourly rate and focus on getting in the total amount of calories for 5 hours. Once I found the total amount of calories that worked for me during a 5 hour bike (~1700 calories) and I could run afterward with no GI distress, I then calculated what that hourly rate on the bike was (~330-340) and make sure I just focus on spacing the 1700 calories out over the duration. I don't worry if 1 hour I am over or under that hourly rate as it can be difficult to get it exact every single hour depending on your numbers. If you are like me, you will drive yourself crazy trying to hit those hourly numbers every time. What matters is getting in the total amount over the duration.

Edit: As far as the equation to figure out calories. I like QT2's approach (focusing on CHO). http://www.ironman.com/...g.aspx#ixzz3IacvGS3o

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blog

9h30-ish (5h-ish bike):

1x powergel (T1)
3x 55g powerbar & 4x 50cl gatorade (bike)
1x powergel (T2)

marathon: 1 powergel every 4 miles & gatorade or coke at every aid station (1 cup)

I tried a lot of stuff but ultimately wound up using whatever the on-course nutrition was (Gatorade Endurance at the time) and a Gel Flask filled with a flavor I could tolerate. Using those 2 I was able to get down more than enough calories and water at the same time.


Going with On-Course nutrition is ALWAYS a strategy to give some serious consideration to. Why?

1. In all IM and 70.3 races - It's there, it's available frequently and it's in plentiful supply. Each aid station be it on the bike or run, has literally everything you need - water, sports-drink, gels, bars, bananas, cola, and other stuff. 8x IRONMAN World Champion Paula Newby-Fraser ounce called an IM race, "the best fully catered and supported training day of your life"

2. It decreases significantly how much you have to carry on the bike - which can lead to significant aero gains and weight reductions.

3. It get's around these hyper-proprietary nutritional strategies that can all go wrong with a missed Special Needs bag (It happens), a dropped bottle (It happens), or other screw-up (they happen). Trust me - most IM races rarely go exactly to plan. That's why I'm always advocating simplicity and working with known-knowns, like on-course nutrition!

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I agree with using on course nutrition and not using special needs bags. I start with two bottles of Perpetitum and go with what ever they are handing out at aid stations. I also eat a lot during the bike. For what it is worth my run is better than my bike. I should probably rethink my pre-race breakfast of muffins, Poptarts and coffee but it works.

This^^^

Nutrition on race day isnt an exact science. It takes trial and error. I find early on in IM bikes it tough to take in the 350+ cals I normally consume, but by half way I'm usually starting to pound it and catch up. The goal simply is to get all 1900 calories in by the end of the bike. Some rides are longer, some are shorter, some days are hot, some days are cooler, so it varies race to race and you have to let your body tell you to some degree and be okay with a few less calories here or a few more calories there. We arent robots. If there is a hard section of hills coming up you will likely under fuel that part and then need to try and make it up on the downhill stretch. Kona is a great example of this where you have all those factors and the conditions are a world different from say IMFL or IMAZ.

Someone asked above about fueling on the run, for me its just Infinit on the bike, and then I switch to gel, water, and coke on the run. The gel is just easier to carry and consume at that point. I'd say all told I take in about 3000 calories total during an IM from those sources.

Another variable is heat, especially if it warms up considerably during the bike leg. At IMChoo in 2016 (97F high), I was struggling to get in the calories in the last 1-2 hours of the bike and fell behind, and in hindsight perhaps should have front-loaded my calories a bit in the first couple of hours.

Followed your link ( http://www.ironman.com/...g.aspx#ixzz3IacvGS3o) and saw this:

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8. Put the "P" in pedal
You should aim to pee at least twice during the bike portion of an IRONMAN. Athletes who fail to do this will not typically run to their potential. A good rule of thumb for 70.3 races is to pee at least once during the bike.

Originally from: http://www.ironman.com/...g.aspx#ixzz5Plfa1WRC

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Is this really a thing. Are all the fast people really peeing during a 70.3?

We use a lot of Tailwind Nutrition. Less solid foods, maybe some PB&J sandwiches. :-)

I haven't been able to pee on the bike yet in 3 IMs. Lots once I'm running though.

Agree with points through this thread of being flexible with nutrition and practicing it!

Important to look at carb intake values in planning. ~90g/hr+ on bike / ~60g/hr+ on run means you're going to start struggling to process them all unless it's a glucose (multidextrin) / fructose blend. Those different carb types use different pathways to get into your blood stream across the gut wall and can do so at the same time.

Not processing the carbs takes you to stomach issues fast! And the amount you can process increases with practice so practice the nutrition!!

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https://www.strava.com/athletes/nbrowne1

I think it varies.

I have never peed on the bike in a 70.3 (never felt the need to). But I have peed during the run at 2 or 3 70.3’s. I know there are some folks who do pee during a 70.3 bike.

For an IM, I think I peed twice on the bike and twice during the run.

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blog

No.

In a typical 70.3 I'll pee either just before the swim, or during, if I can manage it. Then I won't need to at all on the bike or run.

In a full, sometimes I'll pee on the bike, sometimes I won't. At my last full I didn't at all on the bike (though I was trying to work one up at one point to get a drafter off my tail), but I did take the 30s pause in T2 to do it in the porto potty. Didn't need to during the run at all.

At the previous full I did, I did it once on the bike, once in T2 and not at all during the run.

I totally agree with this. I will take a set number or calories with me around 1500-1700 know that I need that over the race and take in extra off the course if needed. I wont focus on getting in X number of calories per hour just making sure I get full amount in over the 112 miles. Periods of the race where HR is lower I might try to get a few more in as its easier for me to digest at lower heart rates.

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