Hi All - Hope everyone is well. Did a lot of searching of the forum and put together what I think is a decent nutrition baseline to train with for IMLP in July. I’m a novice (did an oly in 2021) and “think†I’ll probably be MOP. I’m 38, 6’, 210lbs. I mixed my own stuff for the oly, but plan to use on-course nutrition for simplicity. I plan to do several larger bricks to test this plan. Thanks for any feedback in advance!
IM Race Day Pre-Swim Nutrition (expected swim time 1:10)
4:30am wake up
4:45am oatmeal w/ fruit (60g carbs)
5:00am depart for Mirror Lake (expected ~20 min drive)
5:15am - Clif Bar (45g carbs) + SaltStick Cap (215mg sodium)
5:30am arrive at Mirror Lake
6:15am - Maurten GEL (25g carb, 34mg sodium)
6:45am - Swim Start
IM Race Day Bike Nutrition (expected bike time <6:30) Needed per/hr - 90g carbs, 600mg sodium, ~32oz Water
On-Course - Gatorade Endurance (44g carb, 620mg sodium) + Maurten GEL (25g carb, 34mg sodium) every aid station (e.g., every 15 miles)
IM Run Nutrition (expected run time <4:30) Needed per/hr - 50g carbs, 600mg sodium, cup of water at each aid station
On-Course - Maurten GEL (25g carb, 34mg sodium) and water every third aid station (e.g., every 3 miles)
IM Recovery (expected race time ~12:10 hours) Needed - 1-1.5g per kg of body weight (95g-140g)
Skratch Labs Recovery Drink (70g carb, 16g protein, 500mg sodium)
Other real food
Does your bike nutrition add up to 90 grams of carbs per hour?
Could you try to eat more calories before the start?
I am 200 lbs and do 1000 calories before a HIM
Thanks for the input! Assuming I’m riding @ ~17-18mph I’ll be around ~83g/hr. I could add a second gel, but then I’d be closer to ~110g/hr. Maybe something I’ll need to test.
Looks like my pre-race carbs/calories are too low, assuming pre-race nutrition should be 1x lean body weight in carbohydrates. I’ll reassess as my current planned intake is ~600 calories.
I’d eat more beforehand if you can stomach it. Maybe close to double.
I’d try to push on-bike nutrition closer to 100-120g/hr. If you can manage it, it bodes well for larger folks (I’m the same size as you) once you hit the run.
Regarding recovery: do what you like as long as it also includes carbs, and fluids. Post-event details matter far less than most folks think, unless you’re competing again in the next 48 hours.
I’m doing my first full-distance pretty soon and while I can’t offer advice based on experience from the race, I can say that I’ve practiced quite a bit over the last couple of months with indoor rides in the 3.5-4.5 hour range followed by a brick run of 30-60 minutes. I have found that a per hour consumption of 100 g of carbs and 700-800 mg of sodium on the bike has left me feeling good on the run. Not hungry at all; no feeling of being either hollow or bloated. FWIW, I weigh just under 140 pounds.
I’d eat more beforehand if you can stomach it. Maybe close to double.
I’d try to push on-bike nutrition closer to 100-120g/hr. If you can manage it, it bodes well for larger folks (I’m the same size as you) once you hit the run.
Regarding recovery: do what you like as long as it also includes carbs, and fluids. Post-event details matter far less than most folks think, unless you’re competing again in the next 48 hours.
I followed Dr Harrison’s advice. Used his simple inexpensive mix recipe
For breakfast I’d suggest more carbs. 3-4g per kg bodyweight is not unreasonable. Although you are going to want this 3-4 hours before the race starts. If you don’t want to wake up early you should still be able to manage 1.5-2g of carbs per kg bw at your planned breakfast time 2 hours before the race. Either way worth practicing this prior to the race to see how it feels and modify accordingly.
If you have a bigger breakfast you can skip the cliff bar at 5.15am.
The 6.15am gel I would move to closer to the race start time. Taking it 30mins before there’s a bigger risk of reactive hypoglycemia than <15mins before start. (Granted the risk is probably quite low but why take that chance when you can avoid it at no real loss).
As said above some good evidence that the more carbs (providing you can absorb them) the better and 120g per hour is a good aim. Realistically you are only going to absorb about 60g of glucose per hour (due to limited number of sglt1 in gut), so you need to make sure your carb sources contain other sugars too.
For breakfast I’d suggest more carbs. 3-4g per kg bodyweight is not unreasonable. Although you are going to want this 3-4 hours before the race starts. If you don’t want to wake up early you should still be able to manage 1.5-2g of carbs per kg bw at your planned breakfast time 2 hours before the race. Either way worth practicing this prior to the race to see how it feels and modify accordingly.
If you have a bigger breakfast you can skip the cliff bar at 5.15am.
The 6.15am gel I would move to closer to the race start time. Taking it 30mins before there’s a bigger risk of reactive hypoglycemia than <15mins before start. (Granted the risk is probably quite low but why take that chance when you can avoid it at no real loss).
As said above some good evidence that the more carbs (providing you can absorb them) the better and 120g per hour is a good aim.
Absolutely fantastic input.
Realistically you are only going to absorb about 60g of glucose per hour (due to limited number of sglt1 in gut), so you need to make sure your carb sources contain other sugars too.
Solid info here too. From lurking through a sea of n=1’s here on ST, and staring at scatterplots of individual participant’s data in the literature, I think this “60” number could more accurately be reported as “50-90g of glucose per hour.” There’s someone on this forum who reported 90g/hr from straight glucose with no gut issues. I have yet to recommend that, but some folks can just handle a lot more than the “safe” research-reported averages.
Thanks all. I’ll post my nutrition plan once it’s finalized. Some questions:
Should I keep my sodium up close to cycling levels during the run? If so, I’d probably add a SaltStick Cap (215mg sodium) every third aid station (3 miles). This would put me at 766mg of sodium if I include the gel. Or can I scale it back?How much water should I drink on the run? Seems like most runners just have a cup here and there to chase their gels?On the bike I’ll have Gatorade Endurance every hour or so (24oz). Can I count this towards my 32oz of water an hour or should the water be on top of the Gatorade?I’d eat more beforehand if you can stomach it. Maybe close to double.
Thanks! I’ve adjusted to ~1,000 calories and 174g of carbs. Is there really a major difference between eating 4 hours vs 3 hours before race time? I suppose I’m suppose to eat all these calories in one sitting?
I have found that a per hour consumption of 100 g of carbs and 700-800 mg of sodium on the bike has left me feeling good on the run.
I’ve adjusted to over 100g carbs and over 700mg of sodium per hour.
If you have a bigger breakfast you can skip the cliff bar at 5.15am. The 6.15am gel I would move to closer to the race start time.
Adjusted and adjusted.
Have you tried having a cup of coffee in the morning?
I usually do my training workouts and big bricks in the early AM (4am or so) w/out coffee so don’t want to introduce it on race day.
Is there really a major difference between eating 4 hours vs 3 hours before race time? I suppose I’m suppose to eat all these calories in one sitting?
Digestion time depends on individual digestive system, size of meal, type of food etc. So 3 hours may be fine, or it may not be. The only real way to be sure is to test it out prior to the race. However, your breakfast is still on the small side at 174g carbs so you may be fine with just two hours - normal recommendations are 1-2 hours before exercise for meals with 1.5-2g carbs/kg (yours is around 1.85 carbs/kg bw.
Yes eat it in one go. The idea of this meal is to replenish liver glycogen, some of which will be used overnight. The idea is eat → carbs into bloodstream → insulin spike → glycogen stored in liver → insulin back to baseline before the race starts. Multiple meals just elongate this process.
How much water should I drink on the run? Seems like most runners just have a cup here and there to chase their gels?
On the bike I’ll have Gatorade Endurance every hour or so (24oz). Can I count this towards my 32oz of water an hour or should the water be on top of the Gatorade?
I’m a big fan of just drinking to thirst, and believe there’s enough scientific evidence to support that approach. That’s not to say some don’t do well with prescribed hydration. The issue is if you don’t know how much you sweat you don’t know how much you need. Try weighing yourself pre and post some long rides/runs to get an idea.
Definitely count any sports drink toward total water consumption. Overhydration (hyponatremia) is imo a bigger risk than dehydration in normal conditions (i.e. not extreme weather, regular access to water etc.).
Have you considered having a cup of coffee every morning?
Never have. Starting at 4am I try to get right to my workouts so coffee would mean starting even earlier.
I eat Mike and Ikea or Dots before a race. Lots of calories easy to get down with a cup of coffee and some water
This is wild to me - I have gall stones so will probably steer clear of the candy!
I’m a big fan of just drinking to thirst, and believe there’s enough scientific evidence to support that approach. That’s not to say some don’t do well with prescribed hydration. The issue is if you don’t know how much you sweat you don’t know how much you need. Try weighing yourself pre and post some long rides/runs to get an idea.
Definitely count any sports drink toward total water consumption. Overhydration (hyponatremia) is imo a bigger risk than dehydration in normal conditions (i.e. not extreme weather, regular access to water etc.).
Thanks for the input. Gonna measure my sweat loss and reassess. Random question, but do most folks use their BTA bottle for fuel or water?
