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Increase in Training = Puking

Hi,

I started doing Sprint Triathlons this year and have been training hard for Sprint Distances with no issues and getting better with each event.

For the last 2 weeks I have added 1 hard brick session a week in the gym consisting of a 20k bike/spin straight into a 10k run on the treadmill. I keep myself hydrated throughout the workouts and feel fine when I am finished.

I then have a protein shake and a banana approximately 15-25 mins after and usually drink about 500ml of water/juice. After about 20mins I projectile vomit all contents!!

I have my breakfast about 3 hours before which consists of porridge with sultanas/banana and a protein shake.

Is there anything obvious that I am missing or doing wrong?

I have thought that maybe I should take a Gel in-between the 2 to keep my stomach working but thought I would ask on here first in case I am making any obvious mistakes.

Comments

  • HarryDHarryD Posts: 425
    From what you have presented it looks like the brick session was OK. I would assume it took between 65 & 80 minutes so, although not essential, taking on some energy may help sustain the effort towards the end of your run. Rather than a gel you could use a dilute (hypotonic) energy drink throughout the brick. Just drink to satisfy your thirst. Alternatively take the gel throughout in little bits. In a sprint tri there is rarely any need to take on extra energy.

    Breakfast. Looks good but why the protein shake? Serious question. Most athletes diets are more than high enough in protein without supplementation. There are no benefits in taking excess but there are risks. Excess is hard for the kidneys to process possibly leading to kidney damage. Excess can cause accumulation in the blood which is not good for brain cells. Excess protein is often converted to and stored as fat.

    Post brick. Again why the protein shake? You need a mix of carbs and protein. Why not chicken sarnies? Or chicken & pasta salad. Complex carbs and lean protein. Start eating as soon as you can after finishing the warm down. Eat little and often. With the drink - satisfy your thirst rather than try for a given ammount.

    Hope this helps

    HarryD
  • gavinpgavinp Posts: 168
    Hi

    Ditto what HarryD says.

    You should be drinking to thirst so there's no need to drink 500ml on top of a protein shake - which you've probably bolted down one after the other ? (your stomach must be swishing around like a good'un which is probably why you are throwing up).

    Milk is better at rehydrating you after exercise, so have a glass of milk with that chicken salad - yum!
  • Thanks for the responses!

    With my weird shift pattern I find it hard to maintain the required protein through food intake alone. I go off the principal of 1.3-1.6 grams of protein per Kg (I am 88kg). I eat a lot of low Gi carbs such as quinoa, whole grain rice etc so just "top up" my protein intake with the shakes. I do also eat chicken and turkey quite regularly. I also use a food diary (mynetdiary) to try and maintain 15% fat 60% carbs & 25% protein and usually manage to stick by it.

    The reason for the uplift in training is that I want to start OD triathlons next year and want to start getting used to the distances. I still have a couple more sprints to do this year and agree that I have yet to require any gels through the 2 sprints I have already done.

    I think the sickness is possibly due to gulping water/juice with the shake & banana straight after the workout. I will change to a hypotonic drink on these longer sessions as it may stop me needing to gulp water down post workout. Maybe I need something more solid post workout, before I take the shake?

    Again any comments are great fully received.
  • HarryDHarryD Posts: 425
    Tom,

    Thanks for the info. Nice to see someone caring about what they eat. Can start to drill down a little further now. Your protein intake of 1.3-1.6g/kg is not too different from the reference numbers I have of 1.2-1.4g/kg for an endurance athlete in moderate to heavy training. However, the variations in the top of the range could still account for 17.6g of protein (0.2g x 88kg).

    Is there a typo in your calorie source percentages? 60-65% (higher intensity) from carbs I understand but the protein & fat figures seem to be reversed. ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) guidance for active people is 20-25% from fat & 10-15% from protein. The ACSM figures aren't too far away from figures published elsewhere. Guessing from your weight a daily requirement of somewhere between 2700 & 3300 calories. 25% from protein equates to between 168 to 206g of protein or 1.9 to 2.3g/kg body weight. Greatly in excess of any recommendations I've ever seen.

    If your 60% of your daily calories came from quinoa or brown rice you would still get between 50 and 60g of protein from those food sources alone against a requirement of between 114-140g. The protein shortfall could be obtained from one lean piece of chicken (& no I don't sell chicken - its only an example!) weighing some 200 to 300g.

    Sorry to have gone on so long. Hope the above makes sense. Please don't think I've got a downer on recovery products - I use SIS recovery stuff if I can't get to eat real food within a reasonable window of finishing a workout. Fortunately work patterns mean I usually can.

    Hope this is of some help

    HarryD
  • Harry D Thanks for that in-depth response.

    Without double checking I cannot remember exactly where I got those figures from. I believe that I only saw them recently in the cookbook from subscribing to 220 magazine (The Feed Zone) and it just so happened that my food diary seemed to show I was already doing that.

    Just to say, whether right/wrong, I am only averaging about 2000-2300 calories a day as I am trying to shift some weight. I also have a "naughty" day once every 8 days or so where I probably consume up to 3000 calories.

    Looking back I am averaging about 110-120g Protein a day, but this is with 3 shakes that contain 22g each. I make up the rest with the likes of quinoa & veg filled wholemeal wraps etc or similar. On my days off I usually only have a shake if I go out training as I usually cook & eat more chicken/turkey/steak when I am at home. My 12 hour shifts do not leave much option for cooking nice whole meals and I usually have porridge & Shake for brekkie, then just get some rice or a jacket potato at lunch from the canteen offerings plus a shake, hit the gym after work followed by a shake, then usually some soup when I get home as it is quite late and I try not to eat anyhting too bulky too close to bedtime!

    Again thanks for your answers and it is always good when you get someone who knows what they are talking about. I am quite new to this and all the help is definitely appreciated.
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