Sorry for the noob question but I was wondering how many cals one should be taking in on the run during a HIM. I have been going on my long runs with taking one gel (100 cals) every 5 miles and that has been working pretty well but after reading some race reports from some pros, it seems that I could be taking a few hundred more…possible around 400 to 500. With Eagleman coming up and the weather possible out there, I could go for a couple more gels. I have been told and probably will, to stick with water on the course and avoid the gatorade.
What does everyone else take in during these events for the run and the bike?
As a general rule, you’ll want to maximize calorie intake on the bike and then do a bit less on the run. It’ll be easier to digest it this way. For a HIM I’ll take ~350cal/hr on the bike and then I’ll drop down to ~130/hr on the run.
I weight about 163lbs.
Ultimately, you’ll have to adjust for your body and do some trial and error to find out what is best for you. Also, how long you are out there will be a factor as well.
-Tim
I would say the absolute most important thing you can do is trying new nutrition the day of the race. For example, if you’ve been training with four GU gels on your runs, you should stack up on Clif Shot Blocks and eat them like candy the whole way. It is guaranteed to give you that extra little burst. Also, fill up your tri bike’s bento box with mass amounts of bacon and try drinking beer instead of Gatorade. If you play it right, you can take in 600-800 calories per hour in shot blocks, beer and bacon.
http://www.hammernutrition.com/hnt/1275/ How much to consume
Now that you know what kind of carbohydrate to use, the next question is, “How much?” With some allowances provided for very large athletes, the average size (approximately 160–165 lbs/approx 72.5–75 kg) human body can only return (from the liver to muscle tissue) about 4.0 – 4.6 calories per minute, or about 240–280 cal/hr. Most of the time, when the majority of athletes consume more than 280 cal/hr during an event, the excess remains undigested in the stomach, or passes unused into the bowel, where, in the unmincing words of Dr. Bill Misner, “they accumulate in gastric or intestinal channels in 100–degree temperatures and putrefy in time.”
You may be burning up to 800 cal/hr, but your body cannot replace that amount during exercise. Trying to replenish calories at the same rate as depletion only causes problems. Instead of having more energy available, you’ll have a bloated stomach, and perhaps even nausea and vomiting. You’ve seen it happen, but it’s not a necessary aspect of intense competition; more likely it’s the result of improper caloric intake.
I agree with the others that it is bit of a personal prefrance/ability to keep it down issue but think that you should err on the side of less is more. If you manage to take in some decent cals on the bike you really should not need much to get through the run. Maybe one near the start and anotherjust past halfway. Feeling hungry or “having a twinge” is not a great indicator if the goal is to run as fast as possible. Also depends on how long you are going to be out on the course. Also remember that while you may want to take in more calories during a long training run with an eye on the best possible recovery, on race day you can not bother and just eat a bit more after the race is over. Good luck.
Thanks for the link. I use Hammer and have been working with their recommended dosage. I am just a little worried about the bike cal intake. 135 cals/hr seems a little low. I weight 145.
How long are you going to be on the bike? How long are you going to be running?
I think people tend to get as much of a mental boost as a physical boost when they take gels running. I really do not know how fast something consumed can be used as energy but imagine it is longer than 10-15 minutes.
Also - have you done any short/med runs after a 2:30-3:00 hour ride (with your expected nutrition consumed on the bike).
I just did my first HIM at Oceanside with about 300 cals per hour on the bike. Took my last pull of EFS Liquid shot with about 10 miles to go and washed it down with a Gatorade. I was a little bloated, but not pukey or farty. Just didn’t have the stomach for anything other than water for about 4-5 miles of the run. I was able to knock back a GU Roctan then. I took another GU (this time the Espresso Love - needed that caffeine).
When doing open Half Marathon races or long runs, I dont ever get that “damn I am too full to eat anything else” feeling.
I plan to be on the bike somewhere between 2:30 and 3 hrs. I really dont know how flat Eagleman is but by the looks of last years results, its pretty damn flat. I have been doing about 20 miles/hr on a semi hilly and not fully maintained course here in Indiana. I am hopeful this will work to my favor for a 22 or 23 pace. Honestly I am not sure. So I plan to go with 250 cals per hr on the bike and a 1:30 or so half for about 100 cals per 30 mins.
I am going to give it a go this weekend. This will basically just up my cals by a little so hopefully Ill adjust.
Also depends entirely on what your level of intensity is when you run, and what your fuel mix (fat vs. cho) at that intensity. For example; f you run at an easy pace, and have good aerobic efficiency, you might burn a total of 10 calories per minute, with 9 of those coming from fat stores. So if you ran a 2 hour half mary then you would burn 600 calories per hour, but 540 would be from fat, so you would need very little caloric replacement. In theory a single gel pack could do it without risking GI distress, in actuality, especially after the swim and bike, you would probably be better off with 150-200 Kcal per hour.
If you are running at high intensity, where aerobic efficiency drops very low, you might burn 15 Kcal per min ( or 900 kcal per hour), and maybe at the higher intensity you only pull 5 kcal/min from fat stores, so then you have a caloric deficit of 600 kcal, which you will NOT be able to replace. Especially since digestion decreases with increased intensity.
So they key is to know what your body is burning at a given intensity. A lab metabolic test will tell you this. One of the things that separates elites from recreational athletes is their ability to digest larger than normal amounts of calories at higher intensities.
Fueling strategy is the fourth discipline in any long course race.
And as previously mentioned, this is assuming you fueled properly on the bike.
I aim for ~250 cals/hr on the bike, and then 2 to 4 gels (usually 3) total during the run for a HIM. Only water, no Gatorade (my belly no likey).
I have experimented a bit over the years, and like w/ Goldilocks: 300 cals/hr was too much, 200 cals/hr was too little, so it seems that 250 or so is “just right”.
YMMV.
PS - hot weather = LESS stuff you want in your gut, not more.
Heat/humidity can make it hard(er) to digest things, you don’t want to be dumping more in there right when you may be least capable of handling it well.
PPS - what ‘works’ for pros may/may not work for you, me, or anybody else (or even them, frankly).
I’m pretty close to 250 an hour on the bike between Infinit and GU. That works well for me despite being so small.
I’ve experimented to see how much I can put down on the run (mainly if I get behind on the bike). I have been able to effectively put down a gel every 2 miles (7:50’s) with no problem but normally go every 3 to 3.5 miles depending on the day.
A lab metabolic test will tell you your substrate usage in a well-fed state from 20 to 30 minutes after your workout starts. That will have a passing resemblance to your substrate usage in a partially depleted state after 3.5 hours of aerobic exercise. Substrate usage changes with nutritional state and also changes with the length of the exercise bout.
Your point is well taken - it varies from person to person. But the estimate you will get from a metabolic test will still need to be tested extensively before it can be trusted.
I forgot to mention that for the bike the estimate is 1.5 → 1.75 cals / lb / hr. Once again something you need to try in practice and adjust accordingly.
Eagleman is perfectly flat but can be quite windy.