I am doing my first HIM (Duke) on Sept 11th.
I have a couple questions.
I have been using GU, Gatorade or Accerlade in training
but Cytomax will be on the run course. Should I take
a fuel belt with me w/GU on the run? How many calories
should I be looking to consume on the run?
I guess you like hills!
I’d suggest practicing with what they offer on the course. If you don’t, you’d be smartest to carry what you regularly use with you on a fuel belt or other such system.
As far as active recovery post-race…swimming a little? Watching TV while wiggling your toes? VERY easy bike spin? Just consider that there may be no such thing as a recovery “run”, no matter how easy you go. It all depends on how your race goes. If you really RUN those downhills, you are likely to be beat up pretty bad, and cold whirlpool baths may be your best bet for post-race recovery. Be careful about stretching too much, if you have little muscle fibril tears from the race (not too hard to do when running down hills that steep), stretching may actually contribute to more damage. Remember, you don’t get stronger during the work phase, you get stronger during the rest following the work phase…lean toward too much rest rather than too much work for the next few days after this effort.
Good luck at your race! That swim can be pretty rough, depending upon which way the wind is blowing!
I have ran the run course the past 3 weeks, it is pretty tough.
Thanks for the feedback.
I would (and do) use a fuel belt. Try 250-300 calories an hour on the run, plus plenty of water from aid stations (about a liter an hour for starters – maybe more).
For the hobbyist MOP AG triathlete (like me and most of us) – “Active Recovery” is an oxymoron. Race hard, take a few days off and enjoy the glow.
The Duke bike course is the most fun I have had on a half IM bike course. Just take it easy and spin up the hills or you may regret it on the run, if not late in the ride.
How much you take on the run depends on what your stomach can handle at race speed. Mine can’t take much, so I rarely drink more than water on the run. You may need something early in the run if you think you are going to be out there for a while (like longer than 1:30). I have heard the Duke run course is not as bad as the first year they went off-road (that year was a nightmare), but you know that better than me if you have run it.
Make sure you put drink down all your calories spread evenly on the bike. My first half IM, I got behind and tried to “cram” for the run and my stomach had a melt down at mile three. I walked pretty much the rest of the way. Now I set a timer that reminds me every 15 minutes.
Chad
I would (and do) use a fuel belt. Try 250-300 calories an hour on the run, plus plenty of water from aid stations (about a liter an hour for starters – maybe more).
For the hobbyist MOP AG triathlete (like me and most of us) – “Active Recovery” is an oxymoron. Race hard, take a few days off and enjoy the glow.
Thanks. I was thinking more along the lines of reducing soreness.
If you have more races in the season, my suggestion would be to take Monday off, swim short easy Tuesday AM with some easy kicking, ride easy 30-40min Tuesday PM, run ~30min Wed PM, then see how you feel from there. If it’s your season ending race I’d suggest sitting around and watching TV for a couple days, then going for a walk on Wednesday. It is a nice course, the steep downhill at mile 6.5/12.5 is a bit rough. See ya there.