Somthing happened at Timberman thats never happened before to me after 5 years of doing this race (and others):
I peed on the bike (once) and twice on the run (and hell no, I didnt stop!). Very unusual for me. Let me describe the scenario:
-Usual morning meal at 4 am.
-Sip accelerade about an hour before swim start
-Eat 2 Endurolyte capsules and one espresso love gu 15 mins before swim start (then swim for 40 mins)
-Get on bike and eat 2 more endorolytes and a GU to start the bike. Drink one 20 oz bottle of accelade on the bike in 1st hour (and usually I drink a bottle an hour on the bike, and follow the 2 caps and one gu protocol hourly)
At the start of the second hour on the bike, I feel like I have to pee, but I cant. I go drink my second bottle of accelerade but my tummy doesnt like it, and I can only sip, at best for a good half hour (almost like I was overly hydrated). I also eat another 2 endurolytes and another gu to start the second hour. Suddenly 30 mins in to the second hour I finally pee on the bike, and feel much better, and then continue as normal with drinking with no problem.
I start the run after 2:45 on the bike and within the 1st half mile I pee again (I never pee on the run). Then at the mile mark, I again eat 2 endorolytes and an espresso love gu. I go through the aid stations drinking coke and/or water, usually at every other mile. Then I pee again about another half hour later. Then I run normally and eat normally for the balance of the race.
So what happend? I practice this nutrition routine for all my long ride and runs and dont see this happen to me. My body just usually absorbs this protocol with no need to pee. I am 52 years young, 5’8", 140 lbs, 8 % body fat. I figure I burn about 300 cals and hour, and thats just about what this intake protocol is (200 cals of accelede, and 100 cals of gu, plus lytes in the caplets). It was 82 degrees withabout 85% humidity.
I am off to Kona in six weeks, so I would like to figure out what happened and what adjustments (if any) I should make to keep things in order in the nutrtion department.
Thanks in advance for your help!
TT
did it hurt your performance? If not, then don’t worry about it. You can’t expect your body to react the EXACT same way every single time. It’s all about planning for the ‘usual’ but being prepared for the ‘unusual’ and making the two meet somewhere in the middle.
No, it didnt really hurt my performance. I just didnt feel good when I felt like I needed to pee but couldnt. I went three minutes slower than last year, but last year it was my A race and this year it was a B race with NO taper. It was also much hotter and more humid this year. So no serious performance degredation.
It was just very unusual for me. I am regular like clockwork, so anytime something like this happens, my radar is activated. I just dont want this happening at Kona. So if there is something I can learn from this, I am all ears. Thanks!
TT
my immediate thought was that it was a well executed nutrition plan. You drank enough in hot humid conditions to need to pee a couple of times. That you think this was out of the ordinary makes me think you might be used to competing and finishing in more of a dehydrated state.
The only other thing I have is the mix of Accelerade and Endurolytes. Personally I find that the bit of protein in Accelerade especially when combined with temperature extremes tends to screw up calorie absorption rates. What is the particular reason for taking Endurolytes? If it’s for added electrolytes/sodium. I feel there are much better products on the market that really do have more electrolytes/sodium in them, but that is just my opinion.
Thanks Mike. Yes, the addition of Endurolytes is to add more lytes as I always felt that Accelerdade and GU just were not quite enough. I used to use E-Gel (which has a little more of everything), but like the way Endurolyes help keep my body feeling “wet” when I race.
I have tried multiples of sports drinks, and my body seems to like Accelerade the best. It just “stays” in me, where others either bloat me or just pass through me too quickly. This is the first time in 8 years of racing I felt this weird I have to pee but cant thing.
I hear you about the protien in Accelerade. I plan to drink more water in Kona and mix it up a bit. Maybe I should go back with the Accel/E-Gel combo and give that a try? If you want to PM me on the other ideas for lytes, feel free. Thanks very much for your advice!
TT