You get up the morning of the race and right up to taking your first stroke in the swim, what do you eat/drink and why?
This year at IMC I plan on 2 bottles of Infinit (300 calories each) from 4 am to 6 am, then a gel about 10 minutes before swim start. (I usually swallow so much water during the swim, I could probably take another gel halfway thru the swim!)
I don’t want any solids in my stomach on race day this year.
Martin
About 3 hrs before the start, I have 600 calories of Ensure or yogurt drink. I also usually have a banana and half a bagel. Then I have a gel about 10 minutes before the start. I don’t like to start filling full.
Bowl of oatmeal, and 2-3 Boost spread out over the morning, beginning with the oatmeal and one boost as soon as I wake up.
2-3 hours prior: Large bowl of HN Cheerios, OJ or Naked Juice bottle, apple sauce (2 little cups)
90 mins prior: Country Fried Steak with gravy
1 hour prior: Red Bull and Clif/Power Bar
15 mins prior: Half cup if on-site sports drink
The CFS is a joke, but the rest is my proven routine.
I had two bottles of Ensure - Ensure because I seem to be unable to chew solid food at 4:30am, 2 bottles as that was the number of calories I wanted - and a banana. (easy to chew, has potassium)
About 10 minutes before the swim start I had a gel. I figured 10 minutes would give the muscles the final glycogen topoff for the swim and hold me until I could start taking in calories.
Someone here recently commented on the amount of fat in the Ensure type drinks. I haven’t noticed any problem from it. Ideally I would have a blender and mix up something myself but that isn’t practical when you fly to a race. I wouldn’t use Infinit as that is what I use on the bike and I wouldn’t risk getting tired of halfway through the bike.
IMLFL06
Life Cereal w/ Skim Milk(250 kcals)
Orange Juice diluted w/ Water(120 kcals)
** On the way to the start and in transition before the swim
Gatorade Endurance(150 kcals)
Crank Gel(150 kcals)
670kcals total
IMLP07
Gatorade Shake(310 kcals)
Banana(100 kcals)
** On the way to the start and in transition before the swim
Gatorade Endurance(150 kcals)
Crank Gel(150 kcals)
710kcals total
I had a better race at Placid, but I did not have any GI problems with either.
A lot of people like Ensure, but it has HFCS which is EVIL. Gatorade Shake does not have that and neither does Carnation Ready to Drink Instant Breakfast(250 kcals).
3 hours pre-race I have 2 black cups of coffee and a bowl of 1 cup uncooked oatmeal, 1 large banana, 10g protein powder and 2 heaping tablespoons of this stuff called Better N’ Peanut Butter smashed all together. I’ve never read of anyone else who uses the Better N’ Peanut Butter stuff any other users out there? It’s similiar to Nutella but looks to be a little better, less sugar and fat.
I've only have one IM under the belt:
IMLP07:
1 cup oatmeal (I cook mine in microwave) with honey, milk applesauce and frozen blueberries mixed in.
1 cup of coffee
1 banana
1/2 bagel with jam
All when I get up first thing in the AM, nothing except gatorade and water until start.
Quick Question: Do you really drink Infinit for breakfast? I assume that is what you also have on your bike…that’s alot of infinit in one day (I know we all think it’s great, but c’mon!)! I understand you want no solid food in your stomach on race day (not that anything that is in the stomach for 3hrs is remotely resembling food), but maybe you might want to consider mixing things up a bit? My 0.02
1000 calories. 2 Ensures, bottle of Gatorade/Carbo pro mix, Powelgel 15 minutes before with water.
Why - Ever tried eating a 1000 calorie breakfast at 4:00am when you have an IM staring you in the face??..plus I get my hydration to boot.
Around 4 AM I have breakfast - either a large bowl of grape nuts cereal mixed with granola, or a 1-2 PB&J’s on an english muffin. To either of those I add a 12 oz. glass of carnation and a banana. Around 5 AM while driving to the race site, I eat Fig Newtons as desired/required to keep myself feeling “full.” While setting up/relaxing before heading over to the start (5 AM - 6:30 AM), I drink water and maybe eat a few bites of a powerbar protein plus bar. 30 minutes before I have a powergel, 15 minutes before the gun I have another powergel.
I’ve used this routine seven times with no issues
I eat the same thing before any race regardless of distance - oatmeal and an Odwalla Monster C. Adjust the amount of oatmeal depending on how many hours the race start is. Might not be the best, but the combo is always easy on my stomach. Have only had issues once in the last 5 years, which was probably related to dinner the night before. Maybe a gel or some Clif Blocs (strawberry only) just prior to the race.
Pre long workout, I eat
toast with honey
gatorade or infinit
banana (possible)
Pre IM I ate way more than in practice and it was too much. I might eat a bagel 3-4 hrs before and the rest liquid like boost, infinit or gatorade.
My only caution is to practice what you will eat before a race before your training rides. I think sometimes people focus on practicing nutrition during the ride but not before.
3-3.5 hours before race starts I’ll have 2 clif bars, 3 bananas, and about 16oz of oj. Then I will just sip water until the start of the race.
Abot three hours before the start I eat the almost the same breakfast I have every morning - a big bowl of Back to Nature Hi-Protein Crunch (which is also my favorite snack) with fat-free plain yogurt and a banana (blueberries if in season) and then a smaller amount of the Hi-Protein Crunch with one or two glasses of water. I usually have a grapefruit as well - but not before a race. I used to have a piece of bread with PB&J, but began not to care for the taste of the peanut butter during the swim. I replaced that with the second helping of cereal.
I usually have a plain bagel toasted within an inch of it’s life and covered with cream cheese. I used to eat a PowerBar and have some water before the race, but this was bugging my stomach in the swim too much. I usually have a Gu and water shortly before race start, and safety-pin one to my wetsuit zipper pull for the halfway point. I usually take a Gu every 30 mins or so on the bike and run, so it just made sense to do the same in the water.
2-3 hours before 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bottle of gatorade endurance
1 hour before banana, more gatorade - keep drinking the gatorade bottle until it’s time to move to the swim
After IMFL04 I couldn’t handle gu’s anymore so I switched to “real” food.
I have only done one so far (IMCDA 2008 will be my second)
2 bottles of ensure (1st around 2 am, the second around 3 am)
1 bowl of oatmeal and a piect of toast with peanut butter around 4:30 am
E-Gel right before the start with water
No stomach issues
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