I don’t know a whole lot about endurnace nutrition.
Would you folks mind sharing what you’ve used, wished you’d have used, would like to use, etc for a 1/2IM race?
I am interested in knowing what you consumed when and why, is possible.
I am doing long bricks and rides in my peak weeks, and I am looking to try some of your recommendations in practice … and then use what works best (for me) in the race.
Thanks in advance.
Note: I have a lot of resources describing IM nutrition, but I am not sure how that applies to 1/2IM races/training.
300 calories an hour: 1 gu with water plus one bottle of sportsdrink (for me custom blended infinit nutrition every hour, but I imagine any 200 calorie drink will get in the right amount of calories). The gu is 100 calories and the sportsdrink is 200 calories. Simple. Gatoraid at every aid station on the run, gu with water or bottle of sportsdrink in T2. Salt tab in T2 and at mile 6 or 7 of the run.
OK, I’m horribly inexperienced (1 1/2IM, 1 IM to date) but here’s what I did at IMUSA this past July:
Swim:
20 oz bottle of Accelerade (Orange) in the hour prior to swim start
Bike:
Had an alarm set to go off every 15 minutes.
At xx:15 and xx:45, I ate 1/4 of a Promax bar (chocolate mint) along with a couple of gulps of Accelerade
At xx:00 and xx:30, I took 1 Succeed! electrolyte capsule along with a good drink of water.
Also took in a bit of water whenever I road through an aid station.
Run:
Followed same 15 minute schedule but used HammerGel (Espresso) in place of Promax bar and water instead of Accelerade
Once the chicken broth showed up, I started drinking that at every other aid station (stations were 1 mile apart).
Breakfast ~three hours before race start: oatmeal, soy yogurt, raisins, nuts, grape-nuts all mixed together
Pre-race: Nuun electrolyte drink (very low sugar and calories, good way to start hydrating, but not cause blood sugar spike)
Bike: sip more Nuun drink for the first 10 min or so of bike while stomach calms down after swim, 2 x 400 calorie bike bottles (1 scoop cytomax, 1 scoop accelarade, 2 scoops carbo pro), I blend these using a hand-mixer the night before the race, chase with water
Run: if it is really hot (like at Eagleman this year), I’ll run with a fuel-belt (only 2 bottles) so I can make sure to hydrate really well right out of T2 and not have to wait for the aid stations, I’ll have more Nuun electrolyte drinks in the fuel-belt bottles, then water, sports-drink and maybe a little gel from the aid stations
I’m around 160 lbs…my plan covers me for around 4:30 to 4:45, if you’re racing longer, you’ll need more calories.
Half Ironman Distance Race Nutrition Race Day Breakfast Consume 8 -10 calories per pound of bodyweight 3 to 4 hours prior to the start. Prioritize low glycemic index carbohydrates. Minimize fiber at this meal. Include about 1 gram of protein per 10 pounds of bodyweight. Choose foods that digest easily and do not cause gastric distress. Pre-Race Eat regularly, but lightly, about 100 to 200 calories per hour between breakfast and the race start. Emphasize low glycemic index foods with very little protein. Stay with liquid or very easily digestible foods. Drink a bottle of sports drink in the last hour before the race start. Drink a mixture that includes sodium between breakfast and the race. If you drink plain water, make sure to have a sodium source with it. Bike Consume 2 calories per pound of bodyweight per hour throughout the bike segment. Consume about ½ gram of protein per 10 pounds bodyweight per hour in the early and middle parts of the bike segment. Discontinue protein consumption for the last hour of the bike. Carry all of the fuel you require, depending on aid stations only for water. It is fine to use fuel from the aid stations, but have enough with you that you don’t require fuel from any other source. Do not use solid food throughout the race. Consume 1 ounce of water per hour per 7 pounds of bodyweight per hour. Mixed drinks count as water. Consume about 600 mg of sodium (1 gram of salt) per 150 pounds per hour on the bike and run. Getting too much salt is not a problem unless carried to excess. Remember to include sodium from all sources. Some athletes find that their minds wander, causing missed feedings. many are successful setting a watch to beep every 15 minutes as a reminder. Run Consume at least 1 calorie per pound of bodyweight per hour. All calories consumed should be carbohydrate. Use only plain water, not a sports drink, when consuming gels.Consume as m
Steelhead was my first 1/2 so I’m no expert, but I can tell you that I felt very good on the following plan:
Breakfast: 1 Cliff bar (cookies and cream) yummy, some gatorade, and a bunch of water.
Swim: Lots of delicious lake michigan water
Transistion: Just a touch of my own vomit and a little bit of sand from the guy in front of me.
Bike: 1 Gu after 20 minutes. 2nd Gu after 1:15, third Gu at 2:10. Gatorade and water as I felt I needed it. In fact, I have no idea how much of either I consumed.
T2: A sizeble fly and a cup of gatorade.
Run: Water at every aid station (but I’d only drink a couple of sips) and gatorade at every other one. Plus, 1 Gu about 1/2 way in (note: make sure there is an aid station near by with water and gatorade as running with Gu residue in your math can be a bit if a bummer).
Finish: Pizza
Later that night: Enough beer to make me say and do embarrassing things.
Gator, I like your plan! Being a vegetarian, I’ll have to substitute for the fly. Perhaps some grass from the transition area? Other than that is sounds like a winner! I am planning to print and use it at my next race !
This is what I did at Steelhead, first 1/2: Breakfast - Peanut Butter Nature Valley Granola Bar, 1 Clif Bar (Chocolate Chip), 16 oz OJ, water. After warming up on bike: 1/2 Clif bar, water 15 minutes before swim: 1 Gu, water Bike: Water for first 30 minutes, Hammer Gel at minutes 30, 1:20, 2:05, one Clif Bar by ~ mile 40 (I break mine into chunks in a ziploc bag and pull them out of my Bento Box). Starting at minute 30, I chug a few gulps of Gatorade Endurance from my Neverreach, had 64oz by mile 51. I go water only the last 5 miles on the bike (~ 15 minutes). Run: e-Gel at miles 2 and 7.5, only consumed 8oz of Gatorade Endurance, and lots of water. I had planned on 16oz of Gatorade, but the stomach wasn’t feeling it.
Total Nutrition consumed: Pre-Race - 860 calories, 178g carbs, 500mg sodium. During Race: 1,116 calories, 281g carbs, 2,485mg sodium. (average per hour of 253 calories, 64g carbs, 563 mg sodium).
This was slightly less than I originally anticipated consuming, but I got to the end of the race and didn’t suffer any cramping and I didn’t take any electrolyte supplements. Also worth noting, I weigh ~ 165 lbs.
The most important thing I can tell you is figure out your plan ahead of time and stick to it, no matter what!! My stomach was bloated for at least half the bike and if I would have listened to it, I wouldn’t have eaten a thing. Plan your water usage carefully on the bike, try not to get caught without and if need be, get a fresh bottle at every aid station. Clif Bars require a lot of water to wash down. I planned on consuming 40 oz of water on the bike, and probably went through close to 70 oz (that’s > 130 oz in 2:40).
Saturday I hydrated well. 2 32 oz. nalgenes at least plus soda (and a beer and wine! before 7:30 p.m.)
Ate the typical pasta, bread and salad 6-7 Sat evening. Munched a little bit at 8 or 9.
Sunday a.m. I ate a Cliff bar and a banana 2 hours prior. Ate a powebar 1 hour prior. Drank 16 oz. water and 8 oz. gatorade, most 1-2 hours prior.
During the race, I managed to down 5 serving of GU and 5 Endurolytes, most during the middle hour of the bike.
Maybe 2 more GUs early in the run. Drank about 60 oz. of mostly water on the bike. Slugged and sipped all through the run (maybe 2 oz. x 5 or 6 times). It worked great.
Gordo has a great half-IM pace & nutrition plan - the philosophy worked well for me.
One key highlight from this was – listen to you body:
“If you are having trouble getting your HR up then get on the sports drink or cola if available. If your HR is running very high but you feel OK then this could be a sign of dehydration - water, water, water.”
The most important thing is to know what works for you.
You should start integrating your eating plans with your training. It is not only about minerals and energy, but also what does and does not agree with your digestive system. Some stuff that taste okay, may make you feel like vomiting for 4-5 miles of agony when consumed during near maximal efforts.
Find out what will be provided on race day, and see if you can get the stuff in a local shop - and get used to it.
I stop drinking any coffee 2 weeks before the race. Then, have a strong one in the morning before going to the transition area for last checks. It will wake you up.
During my HIM race last year, I started eating 20 minutes after the swim, relaxing on the bike and also drinking 500ml sports drink. From then onwards, I took smaller controleld amounts throughout the bike ride when I can’t go fast (such as a steady climb). But I make sure that I stick to calories and fluids intake that I have planned (on an hourly basis).
In my case it consisted of water, Gatorade, PowerBar and bananas.
In the run, only what you eat in the beginning would be digested on time, the run is too short for eating all the time. So, I mainly just drink defizzed Pepsi, Gatorade and water, in the aid stations.
I had problems with planning my breakfast, as I stayed in a local hotel and could not have breakfast at 5:00am. They left some toasts and fruits outside my door which was a bad plan. Get used to PowerBars or similar.
Thanks for the detailed information. For the Pre-Race breakfast, what sort of foods are you thinking of that are low in fibre? Are yogurt or oatmeal appropriate? Everyone seems to eat a powerbar or equivalent. Are they low enough in fibre? (Last race I had what I always have for breakfast: a bowl of bran flakes with some cheerios mixed in. It sounds like this would be too much fibre)
Great thread. Very timely for me since I’m thinking of doing the Half in Ottawa at the beginning of September.
I’m a big e-caps (www.e-caps.com) supporter. I bonked twice (once on marathon and once on 1/2IM) before being introduced to e-caps; and I’ve never looked back since.
Benefits include: e-caps performs great; there’s various products for different competitions and distances; it’s reasonably priced; and it’s incredibly portable on both bike and run (you can mix the liquid into a thick gel-like shake. On the e-caps web site there’s a great knowledge base of their philosphy and method to substantiate using their products to fuel for races and workouts (click on the “Getting Started” link). I’ve followed it very closely and have been successful (i.e., not limited by lack of fuel, just lack of my own ability, which is the way it’s supposed to be). I can go for hours in a race without any other food, nutrition, etc. and still not feel hungry or feel like a need different fuel.
On 1/2IM morning, I wake up at 4am and take 300 cals. of Perpetuem, then go right back to sleep.
Immediately prior to 1/2IM swim, I take a little Perpetuem.
For 1/2IM bike, I take 300 calories/hour of Perpetuem in a liquid form, which I can put in one water bottle. The other water bottle I fill/re-fill at aid stations with water to take with the fuel.
For 1/2IM run, I take HammerGel (e-caps product), which is like Gu (only I think it’s much better). HammerGel is very portable on the run and some 1/2IMs distribute it on the run. Make sure to take with water at aid stations.
For shorter races, I use their HEED (like Gatorade) product.
For any hot temperature races, I supplement my sodium and electrolyte loss with Enduroltyes.
Basically, since bonking and then discovering e-caps, I am a happy and shameless promoter for their products.
Just did my first HIM last week-end. I have done a few shorter tri’s and a couple of marathons-always with nothing but water. So, I totally ignored everything I heard and planned to do the half with only water. The night before I got nervous and ran to Wal-Greens and bought gatorade, which I used to make a 50/50 mix with water in one of my bike bottles. My nutrition plan:
No breakfast- didn’t want anything in my stomach before the race
1/2 bottle of gatorade on the bike
some gatorade and water on the run
All I can say is listen to the people here. Develop a plan and practice it! I had the worst muscle cramping throughout my entire body! I have never flet anything like that. I also think I saw things that weren’t really there on the run. It is now 3 days later and I still have this craving for salty pretzels!
Breakfast is muesli and milk, 2-3 hours prior (gack, early start)
sports drink to hydrate before swim. Gel 15 mins before swim start with water.
Bike: have watch set to beep every 10 mins to remind me to drink, I only have water on the bike, and flasks of gel. 1 shot of gel every 20 mins, perhaps half a banana at turnaround.
Run: water every 10mins or so, gel every 30. Will probably have some coke after halfway.
I’ll also take some endurolytes to keep the sodium up.
First 1/2 next sunday. We’ll see how it works. Comments welcome.
No breakfast- didn’t want anything in my stomach before the race
1/2 bottle of gatorade on the bike
some gatorade and water on the run
All I can say is listen to the people here. Develop a plan and practice it! I had the worst muscle cramping throughout my entire body!
TK, it’s my day to pick on you a little bit only because I’ve made some of the same mistakes, most recently at Vineman—not enough calories. From what you describe above it looks like you’re fueling for an Oly distance race, not a Half IM…does what you did above correspond to what you consume during training?
So, two things now: you have an IT issue that you say only comes up “on the hills” during the bike, and have a serious under-fueling issue that you need to work on…and you want to repeat the distance in just a few days. Not trying to be a dick here, but does this make sense?
IT issues, like any injury, can start relatively benign and then turn into something major that could put you out of commission for quite some time. The fueling issue is something that needs work in your training, unless you have another plan already in place that has worked for you in the past and was for some reason or another tossed out the window last Saturday.
Obviously all of this is up to you…but were I you I would certainly rethink several aspects of this.
As you can probably tell, I have no plans. My theory is “what fun would it be if you knew you could finish the race” So far everything has always worked out. I have never consumed anything but water during training. Of course, I have only biked 60 miles two times and I was wasted after both of them. This doesn’t happen when I run, so I thought it was a fluke. This race was my first really bad experience, though. I have scrapped the race idea for this week-end. Instead I am going to go on a 56 mile ride and practice fueling.
You guys are right, and I do appreciate the advice. I have always just raced like log workouts, but I do want to improve and these are things I need to address to do that!
Good for you on the no-race decision. Smartest thing you can do, especially if you want to continue with longer distance racing, is to do just what you’re doing—train for it.
And get that IT issue under control. It’s not fun to deal with, and I do speak from experience!