Please critique my training/race nutrition

Triathlon Forum
1

I’ve been working on my training/race day nutrition, and would appreciate some advice.

Firstly, let me add that I live in Brunei, and there is nowhere in the country that i can buy gels or sports drinks. Shipping stuff in is very expensive due to the bulk/weight of gels and drink powders, plus customs have told me I would need an import license from the department of agriculture and food, which is near imossible for an individual to get. ALL parcels must be collected at the post office and opened in front of a customs officer.

However I have found High5 gel powder that I have been bringing back from the UK in my luggage, and I get every visitor to bring more for me so that I have a stock. Each tub gives me 33 shots of gel, and is much lighter than an equivalent box of gels. I’ve based my nutrition around this.

3 shots per hour gives me the following:

235 cals, 60g carbs, 90 mg sodium, 39mg potassium.

From what I’ve been reading about race nutrition, I should be aiming for around 300 calories per hour, so I should either add another shot, or something like a fig roll (fig newton) which I can get most of the time here. I’m experimenting to find out which I prefer and which I can tolerate better.

I fill my bottles up with water, and put a couple of gel flasks in the bento box. This gives me 10 shots or enough for 3 hours. If it’s a longer ride, I can put another couple of flasks in my shirt pocket. I set my HRM to beep every 10 mins, reminding me to drink, and I take gel shot every 20 mins (even 10’s). When I’m running I find I tend to have a gel shot every 30 mins and drink water from my fuel belt. I do this on pretty much every ride or run longer than an hour, to get my body used to the regime before race days.

Because of the heat and humidity here, I sweat a lot when training, around 2 litres per hour on the bike and up to 3 litres per hour on the run. My concern is that I’m not getting enough electrolytes and that the larger amount of water I’m drinking is diluting the gels too much. I’m thinking of taking salt tablets which I can get here, but I’m not sure how much sodium I should be taking in per hour.

When I’m in the US in August for Timberman, I’m aiming to pick up some bottles of endurolytes to give me a more balanced electrolyte profile.

After long rides or runs, I have a pint of milo, which gives me 350 cals, 50g carbs, 20g protein. Sometimes I’ll add a bit of extra whey protein. This is the nearest I can get to endurox.

So, could you critique this and offer any improvements?

Thanks,

Justin.

2

Just a couple of comments:

  • Don’t forget that the maximum absortion rate is around 0.8-1l/hour. So drinking more than that will only lead to bloating.

  • For after a workout or even during a bike workout, don’t underestimate the power of real food. If gels and energy bars are scarce, there’s nothing wrong with eating fruit, especially bananas, or even jelly sandwiches during your rides. For post-workout food, nothing wrong with any real food, as long as it’s got the appropriate amount of carbs and protein.

Other than that, you’re doing fine :slight_smile:

3

SAC,

Great points. The one about Max absorption rate is key. Many don’t get this. It’s critical because that is the optimal rate and under the best conditions - not 50 miles into an IM bike ride, hunched over in a cramped position on a brutally hot day!

Many people tend to under shoot(dehydrate) or overshoot( hyper-hydrate with a possibility of hyponutremia) the right amount. It’s important to find out what each person needs to do under the stress of training/racing and then develop a plan.

Agreed on the real food. It’s unbelieveable to me the complicated sports drink conconctions and game-plans that people brew-up for these long races. To me it seems to be a recipe for disaster. Bananas, other fruit, bagels even a peanut butter and jam sandwich are easier to use, easier on the stomach and way less money. Too simple I guess!

Fleck

4

SAC,

thanks for that, very useful. Didn’t realise I could only take in up to 1l an hour. If I’m sweating out as much as I am, I don’t think I’d want to run for much more than a couple of hours here. If I drop 4kg, that’s 7% bodyweight, which I don’t think is healthy.

I do occasionally take a banana out with me, but I find sandwiches hard to swallow as they just get mushed on a ride. I generally have a big bowl of fruit salad in the fridge, and have that and cottage cheese on the rare occasions that our shop has cottage cheese in stock. Mmmmmm

Thanks for the advice, good to know I’m on the right track.

Cheers,

Justin.