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nutrition - I haven't a clue

Hi all,

i'm really having problems with my nutriton... was hoping that someone could help.

I've no experience of endurance nutrition.

Two probs

1: Riding

My rides are currently 1hr to 1 3/4 hrs long - i've seen people say that you should need nothing much to eat for this length of time but after 1 hr i really feel like my legs are burning/dead - i usualy eat a banana before i set of and have water after.

I''m planning on uping the miles over the winter - soreen seems to be all the rage - so just have a lump of that after 45mins?!?!? or a fruit bar?

Energy gells seems to have worked in the past but....

2: Pre-race

Last tri - had a gell 30 mins before the start and then proceeded to bring it up through the swim. Burping etc.

So this weekend - had toast, peanut butter and jam 1hr before then a gell 45 mins before (trying to have it a bit earlier before the swim) - then went to datchett for a swim - this time my stomach was really bad - to be blunt had the shits, stomach craps after about 400m.

Runs up to an hour - generally banana before then no water until i get back.

I have a bad stomach anyway - stress related - spicy food - prunes(fibre?)

Also makes it even trickier as veggie with a mainly vegan diet....

Really struggling with this as going up to 70.3 next year and could really do without cramps/shits/etc.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

WIll

Comments

  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Experimentation will probably be your best option over the winter.
    I reall do not like gels & stepping up distances I will have to find a solution that works for me..I think mostly fluid, however I won't be 70.3ing for a while yet so no real dramas..anyway back to you.
    I personally cannot stomach anything with fat in it close to racing training...the peanut butter thing would not be pretty for me, but I can tolerate cereals/porridge (I know but its true) before either comfortably.
    During I rely on fluids mostly & cannot tolerate highly flavoured stuff, I use maxim flavour free either as is (which is a bit weird but OK in the doesn't taste of anything but I can taste something way), or add some ribena....and yes I can tolerate soreen on the bike easily. So the gel thing may be a particular make doesn't agree, or flavour perhaps. Same with drinks.
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    This is what I do..

    Pre Race: 2 x Gels - 1 caffeine gel, 1 normal gel an hour before the start. this gives it time to get into your system plus deal with any toilet issues you may have before race start.

    Bike:
    For a ride of over an hour I will use a couple of gels at 25 min intervals. Taken with water or weak squash.
    For anything over 90mins I will use an energy drink (High 5 Extreme) with a Nuun tablet dropped in plus Gels every 25 mins, alternating caffeine + normal again taken with weak squash or water.
    For rides over 3 hours I will stick in half a Trek Bar every 45mins on top of the gels every 25 mins.

    This works for me fine but it may not work for you. Experiment with it. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids though.

    Trek Bars are suitable for vegans etc check them out at this link..... if you decide to try them and order them for here then mention that I recommended them to you and you may get something extra... not guarenteed though! lol I am sponsored by them and I find them awesome! Peanut and oat are the best:)

    www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    I have really struggled with getting it right this year and its begining to come good now!

    I always have a good breakfast before s a seesion/race and that would be porridge with cranberries or raspberries. Its a good power provider which is slow releasing.

    I am always eating pasta or rice of some sort so I keep my muscles fueled when the burn kicks in so that might help with your leg burn (pasta, brown if you can stand it)

    As for gels and cycleshots i cant stand them. The sugarery tatse and the caffine turn my stomach inside out all over the pavement and my trainers. As the Lord Britpin has mentioned soreen is ok and works well when on thebike and the feet.

    I am a great fan of GEO ceral bars and my favourite are the apricot ones.


  • jacjac Posts: 452
    I was using SIS gels but have just switched to High5 Isogel and Isogel Plus. So far so good - and no need to have water with them. The Plus ones contain caffeine though so make sure you give them a good try to make sure they don't upset you.
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
    Cheers everyone.

    Going to try a bit more trial and error - gels 1hr before the swim (thanks hussler). If that doesn;t work then a change of gel's may be worth a go....

    Been using the SIS Go gels - which work pretty well - if you forget about the stomach probs!!

    Going to give the Trek bars a go - match my bike as well!
    Bike:
    For a ride of over an hour I will use a couple of gels at 25 min intervals. Taken with water or weak squash.
    For anything over 90mins I will use an energy drink (High 5 Extreme) with a Nuun tablet dropped in plus Gels every 25 mins, alternating caffeine + normal again taken with weak squash or water.
    For rides over 3 hours I will stick in half a Trek Bar every 45mins on top of the gels every 25 mins.
    That's a hell of a lot - bit more than my banana on my triaing rides - think i might have been underfueling!! :roll:
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
    so the nuun keeps you hydrated and the gells give you energy? (nuun doesn't give any energy?)
  • risris Posts: 1,002
    i eat trek bars on my return commute, usually at the top of a long hill. i don't need much so a bar lasts most of a week. i like the peanut and oat ones and the raspberry and pomegranite, not so convinced on the cocoa.

    i suffer with my stomach while running so tend to avoid anything on the bike at the moment. water seems to do me fine for sprint - oly distances but if i go up from there or really want to improve my times then i wonder if i need to fix my nutrition strategy more.
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    Yeh im not over keen on the cocoa Trek Bar, however ill eat them anyway as they are free:)

    Yep Gels, high 5 and Trek Bars for energy, Nuun for hydration.

    The reason why I stick a Nuun tablet in the High 5 Extreme is that I find it hits 2 birds with one stone so to speak. Alot of people try and hydrate using carb drinks, this doesnt work on its own after a set period, so having a separate bottle of juice with no carbs in sorts this issue out and means you can take the Gels on without overpowering your stomach with carbs.

    I mentioned above what I eat/drink on the bike, this is what ill be having a hard ride... for an easy base session ride I would drop the gels to possibly one every 45 mins with a bar on the hour etc.

    My hard rides are generally holding a HR of level 3 and above or feel of not alot below race pace so just breathing hard. I find I need the energy.
    Even if I am not running off the bike I will try and mimic my race nutrition throughout so treat it as I am running of the bike. This prepares my body to get used to the extra fuel needed to run 20-42km off the bike.
  • md6md6 Posts: 969
    without trying to derail this, how much nutrition would be needed on the bike for an OD tri in general? I've done a few sprints and tend only to have water on the bike plus a gel at the start which i have in T1, then a little water in T2 and one to throw over my head on the run - might have a sip if it's hot. I tend not to take much water on the run as in training anything below half mara distance i won't take water so i am fine for 5k. I was guessing that for OD i would take one gel in T1 then maybe have 1 after about 25k on the bike, plus water and possibly a small bottle of energy drink just in case. Would that sound like i'm under fuelling? I would expect the bike to take me about 1:20-1:30 unless lots of hills
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
    So Hussler,

    You have one bottle (high 5 with nuun), one bottle of water and energy gels.

    Take the energy gels with the water and drink the high 5 inbetween the gels?

    So my new plan is

    Gel 1 hour before swim
    Gel at start of bike with water
    Sip high 5 inbetween gels
    Another gel after each 30 mins of cycling.
    For OD (with 50min run time) a final gel after 10 mins of run!!?????

    So for my OD i'll use 4 gels in total (1 pre, 2 on bike, 1 on run).

    70.3 - continue with same plan and then have a bar as suggested...

    Can't help but think the high5 and gel do the same thing or am i missing the point?
  • hussler.hussler. Posts: 390
    Firstly yes high 5 and gels do the same thing......however if you were to drink enough fluid to fuel yourself in a long race then you might aswell pull a tanker behind you. Gels help the energy equation as there is more in one shot than a sip of energy drink... therefore combined you will stay away from 'the wall' longer than using fluid alone...

    OD nutrition -

    2 x gels an hour before race
    1 x gel asap on bike
    then 1 x gel every 25 mins ish so that would be 2 for me.
    If I am over 70mins on the bike then it must be a tough 40k or over distance therefore take a gel at 70 mins, if its less than 70mins ill have a gel 2-3km before T2.
    Nothing on run for me other than grab a cup of water at the drinks station take a sip just to wet mouth pour rest over head. run will take me 40mins max, unless hilly.

    For a run longer than this ie half marathon, then take the gel 2-3km before T2 then take a gel every 30 mins so that would be 2 possible 3, with the last one prob mainly as a psychological boost.

    Drinks would be water/weak squash with nuun in to take with gels, 500ml
    High5 Extreme with Nuun in, 500ml
    But I wouldnt drink as much as that, its there just in case something goes wrong, better to have more nutrition than not have enough.

    Half IM and longer - same times for gels etc, with the possibility of half Trek Bar every 45mins..... but Ill only eat 2nd half of bar if the bike leg is a tough one ie over 2hrs20 for me. That gives my body an hour to digest it and use it before the run otherwise you run the risk of cramps as all blood is in the stomach digesting the bar and not enough to function anything else. If the bike leg is a normal one ie sub 2hrs 20 then ill have the half bar at the 60min point rather than 45mins.
    I will know how long the Bike leg will take me after the first 10 miles give or take a few mins.

    Hope this helps:)
  • willtriwilltri Posts: 436
    that's great stuff - thanks Hussler.
  • pataallenpataallen Posts: 94
    Andy McNab used to swear by guiness and a bag of chips the day before a big event,i find that works well for me. The morning of a race i have a full english with a couple of strong coffees...during a race i have 1 bottle of water,1 of lemon squash....works well for me, however might have to review this for IM next year!!
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