I am making the transition into IM training to do IMFL next November.
I already use Gu and shot block on long runs and rides, gatorade with the occasional salt packet after exercising in high heat and humidity, and have a good, balanced diet.
What are the best nutrition supplements that are musts for before/during/after workouts? (accelerade, endurolytes, salt stick and tabs, etc…)
Thanks a lot for any suggestions
DF
whatever sugar tastes good to you and doesn’t make you poop
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i’ve never done an IM or HIM so i can’t really comment on how this stuff would carry over onto the run, but…
for medium bike rides, i use gu and gatorade. for long rides, i usually take a clif bar to eat in the middle. i really like having something solid as a change from gu, and i’ve tried a few things - pb&honey, fig newtons, nature valley bars - and like clif bars the best.
this is the kind of thing that probably varies a lot from person to person though. try a few things and see what works.
I am wondering how that would work on the go during the bike or run. I am aiming to not stop during the race so I do not think I would be able to chow down a dry clif bar. Also, isnt it hard to digest something that solid during an IM distance race?
For my recent (only) HIM, I used Hammer sustained energy mixed with HEED and a water bottle with NUUN on the bike. I used gels on the run. No solid foods the whole time. During training, I take in less calories. I also like something with protein afterwards.
At what distances/times would you recommend taking those supplements like sustained energy and NUUN? During exercises that are 1+hour? 2+ hours?
At what distances/times would you recommend taking those supplements like sustained energy and NUUN? During exercises that are 1+hour? 2+ hours?
Tough to say; I’m a 115-lb female, so my needs are probably different from yours. I use NUUN on anything over 45 minutes usually, because I’m a heavy sweater and live in Florida. Hammer nutrition’s site has a guide where they suggest which of their products to use for certain time durations, but I typically like a little sustained energy one rides around/over 2 hours.
OK ill check out the Hammer website. Can I ask if your suggestions are based on just personal opinion and experience of if you chose to use those supplements based on physiological/scientific evidence for nutrient replenishment like sodium, etc?
Personal experience, for example, I used to get terrible headaches after 1-2 hour bikes drinking Gatorade+water. Since using the NUUN or HEED, no problems.
Salt packet? Really? I would choke if I tried to down a packet of salt from the table at Denny’s. There are several other electrolytes to consider beyond sodium, particularly magnesium. However, electrolytes are seriously overblown in the tri community as a fix all for what ails you. I have reduced my electrolyte intake to almost nothing on long training days and racing with ZERO negative impact.
Give this a listen: http://tritalk.libsyn.com/tri-talk-triathlon-podcast-episode-74
Eat whole foods. Take a vitamin D3 supplement (3000-5000 IU) and Fish Oil (Omega 3, and not the cheap shit from Costco or wal-mart). Eatr plenty of fat and Protein, don’t get crazy with carbs. I know people who have a “balanced diet” and when we dig deeper it is so full of processed foods and empty calories its funny.
The best thing you can do for yourself is get 9-10 hours of sleep every night in a totally dark room.
Cheers,
Dave
OK ill check out the Hammer website. Can I ask if your suggestions are based on just personal opinion and experience of if you chose to use those supplements based on physiological/scientific evidence for nutrient replenishment like sodium, etc?
The best thing to do is try it out. What works for triathlete X may or may not work for you. Go out on a saturday/sunday, do your four hour ride and try nutrition strategy A. If A works great, wonderful, you’re done. If it doesn’t, try B. Then C. When you find something that works, stop there and refine it. Figure out your timing, concentrations, etc.
Find your own strategy, don’t rely on what works for other people.
John
I am at the point though where I do not know how to define “works for me”. I may feel fine taking in the supplement, but am I getting what my body needs? How will it hold up in IM conditions? Are there solid regimens that are out there that have all the nutrients I need to not get very ill or hurt myself when going for 140.6 or that will stand up to all the workouts leading up to the race?
I want to get input on stuff that will keep my vital nutrient levels at the proper spot for long endurance races and endurance training.
Sage advice
.
I have done a few long distance adventure races and I still haven’t got the food thing sorted out.
Most (at least a lot) of the carb based drinks use maltodextrin. I have been playing around with different strengths to see what works for me.
As an example the last adventure race I did took 12:30hrs. I used my malto mix and had stomach issues for most of the race yet I had trialled the strength numerous times before and had no issues.
I ended up doing a Macca and just drank coke for the last few hours. Felt better as soon as I started on it. maybe a placebo but I didn’t care at that point!
As someone said earlier what works for you may not work for me.
Vitamin D and Fish Oil.
Ben Greenfield
Are those for general health and everyday supplements or should I introduce those into my race/training nutrition? What do they do?
OK ill check out the Hammer website. Can I ask if your suggestions are based on just personal opinion and experience of if you chose to use those supplements based on physiological/scientific evidence for nutrient replenishment like sodium, etc?
I second the recommendation for Hammer Nutrition products.
Everything is all natural and easily digestible. HEED (high endurance electrolyte drink) comes in palatable flavors which I tend to rotate through. Perpetuem (basically HEED with Protien and fats), or Sustained Energy (basically unflavored HEED with protien) are their long-distance fueling products, which I’ve had great success with. I will typically determine my caloric goals (~300cals/hour on the bike), and mix HEED and Perpetuem, based on a number of factors. They also make Enduralytes, (salt pills), which I dissolve 2-3 per bike bottle.
(Disclaimer: they sponsor my team, so I get their products at a discount. I used them exclusively before the discount though.)
Do you have any experience with taking any of these supplements on a run? Should I get a fuel belt and keep a bottle of each of the mixtures on me?
Get in touch with BrianPBN on the forums, or check out his site here . He was a huge help in getting my long course nutrition nailed down.
Figure out how many calories you need to be taking per hour.
Figure out how much you sweat per hour.
With those two numbers you will have a pretty good target for training and racing.
Stick with liquids IMO
The products that have multiple carb sources will allow you to absorb more calories by 25-30%. You want simple sugars.
Taking too much stuff into your gut is generally worse than running at a deficit.