eating plan for 70.3

[cyborg]

hi guys

doing first triathlon in 1mnth but have no idea what or how much to eat.HELP

[Cycle Fan]

Think you're going to need to be a bit more specific.

 

Eat on the day, before the race, etc?

[cyborg]

race day menu or eating plan PLEASE

[Guest agteros]

hi guys

doing first triathlon in 1mnth but have no idea what or how much to eat.HELP

 

What have you used on your long rides and runs so far?

[cyborg]

Can tolerate most things except pepto pro. Usually take 2 bottles energy drink and banana or dates on 3-4 hr rides. Concerned about 7 hr triathlon tho. Low gi or not , meal replacement, gels, etc. .... Would appreciate any input as to wot u guys take in. Thanx

[Raceface]

hey Cyborg

 

Probably loads of difference in opinion but maybe you can pick up something from what I did.

 

I did my first Iron Man (i haven't done a half yet) in April - so take the bottom with a pinch of salt.

 

Get up a good couple of hours before the start and have big (not huge) breakfast at least 1H45 2 hours if possible. I got up 2h15 before start, ate quick and went back to bed for a bit. Don't want heavy stomach in the water.

 

I had a bowl of oats, with raisins, honey and banana in....as well as my Muscle Fuel (USN) and a bottle of Revolution before I got to race start. About 30min before start I had a bar, half a banana and 200ml water.

 

I prefer not to take gels before the swim as that mixed with salt water can make you feel sick. I put a gel in my wetsuit for in case I cramp in the water!

 

In transition - have a couple of sweets handy just to get the saltwater out of your mouth. I actually had couple of halls....opens up the nose too! A sip of water in your transition bag.

 

On the bike I just had water, revolution, baby potatoes, bananas, one or two bars and a gel every 45min (no caffeine gels on the bike, as you don't want to get a slump later). Don't be too scared to fill up on the bike to have energy on the run.

 

On the run, some jellybabies, caffeine gu's and a couple of bars.

Something I read about a lot lately and tempted to try is 32Gi, requires a lot less food intake it seems...but you will probably have to start using that sooner rather than later!

[cyborg]

thanx raceface..that helps..have also been trying 32GI with good results as long as the pace and heart rate is not too high. assuming it will work well for ironman as i would hope to stay out of the red..what to eat with the 32GI however i have not yet figeyred out. thanx again

[Face Plant]

if you going to do the 70.3 i am going to assume that you have done some bricks? so you would know by now what your requirements (in terms of fuel) is. i wouldnt change from what you have been doing in training

[MDW]

Hi Guys

 

I saw this and thought to jump in for some assistance. I feel I can provide some help as Jan will be my 17th 70.3 :-), but wont be in East London will be racing overseas on the 21st.

 

Ok so again the race is very time dependent, different for a guy doing sub 4:30 to a guy doing 7 hours, lets forget about supplements on the day and focus first on the days leading up to the event.

 

The week before try to keep your caffeine content to a minimum, keep sugar to a minimum, try to eat more complex carbs, easily digestible proteins, less acidic and spicy stuff, you want to ensure you maximize glycogen stores without gaining excessive unnecessary weight, keep your energy levels up and balanced and remain properly hydrated. So plenty of liquid during the days, nice frequent eating 6-7 meals a day, plenty of fruits and veggies, no need to overdo any meals. You can use a drink to carbo load, I would only do this on a 70.3 about 2-3 days before the event. I use 32Gi of course, but its your choice.

 

2 nights before and the day before the event are where your meal become most important, no need to stress on the night before meal. So again, dont over do it and over eat. Just be comfortable, again, balanced carb meal, complex carbs are best, meaning quinoa, wild rice, lentil rice, rye pasta etc. Easily digestible proteins as red meat takes a good solid 48 hours to process, I would stick to the chicken, turkey and fish proteins, even eggs.

Remember to hydrate nicely the days before.

Night before dont eat a ridiculously large meal and expect to give yourself energy, you want to sleep comfortable the night before not feel like a bloated hot air balloon rolling tossing and turning in bed. Eat a nice simple meal, balanced and just feel comfortable you will feed in the morning again.

 

Morning before the race, there are a few options, low GI is key here, you want to load your stores and give yourself a slow sustainable energy release, but dont over do it, you still want to feel comfortable in the swim not have your food floating around in your belly making u suffer for overeating. My favourite meals are:

2 Slices of Low GI toast, with Jam and Sugar Free Peanut butter, or honey.

Oats with half banana and some berries

Pronutro

Future Life

 

dont take in any Kellogs products, or Wheat Bix etc, they are higher in sugar and you can rest assured a high fibre cereal will get you running to the loo, this can be avoided. Also stay away from milk products if slightly lactose again it impacts the digestive system negatively, no need for discomfort :-).

 

I take 32Gi chews and bottles of 32Gi with me for the race, I always take a high GI gel as a backup in case I hit a flat, in my case the races are anywhere between 4:20 to 5:20 depending on the type of race and conditions. The longer events I cater for differently, remember in a 70.3 the feed time is the bike :-). No where else only the bike, you also want to make sure you feed yourself accordingly so that when you go onto the run you are not uncomfortable so eating periods and frequency and type of foods are important. So this is what I recommend.

In transition setup and getting ready keep a low GI energy drink with you just to sip on, or low GI food, such as 32Gi chews, nothing over the top to fill the stomach up too negatively.

One thing I want to say is in previous posts there was mention of redlining, in a 70.3 or Ironman you dont redline u race in a comfortable pace zone, or you going to blow. You save your real pushes and surges right for the end, meaning only on the run, unless you r sure you can push hard on the bike and still hold a great run leg.

I tend to sip on 32Gi in the transition zone, I hate too much liquid before a race so I keep my water intake to a minimum, I actually make a concentrate. I have a weak bladder. I eat sometimes a few chews depending on how close I am to the race start, but dont eat at all 30-45minutes prior.

On my bike 32Gi and Food. My food is generally just chews, I dont like meals, in the case of a 6-7 hour event, you need to up that calorie intake, throw in some oat cookies, maybe a peanut butter sandwich, but remember to break it down into smaller portions and eat it over a period of time, dont eat too much at once. The body cannot digest as easily, while exercising. Keep hydrated, but dont over-hydrate, its one of the biggest mistakes I see, over-hydration can lead to terrible discomfort and nausea. Listen to your body and drink when you require it, remember under hot conditions you lose more water, so you up your liquid intake. Ensure you drink a electrolyte drink, NOT just plain water, if you dont take in electrolytes u will land up feeling terrible especially over that period of time. Most energy drinks are iso or hypo tonic. Again in my case 32Gi is my energy drink and I use it throughout. I start to up my GI intake as I get closer to the run and take in more chews.

Onto the run, plenty of water tables etc on route, I avoid water i just use it for pouring over my head, I tend to take a small bottle of 32Gi on the run, and use it for the first 30minutes or so, then I toss it and last 45 I give myself some more rocket fuel, a little sugar, sometimes in the form of sips of coke. I ensure though that the spike will carry me to the finish.

 

 

Remember if you do take in a gel, or a spiking product, you cannot stop taking it in, it means you need to be able to feed yourself constantly and not miss a feed in the alloted spike time, because if you do miss you will feel terrible and hit a fatigue zone. So remember if you take a gel, then depending on the gel, every 30-40 minutes u will need another one.

 

Hope this helps, its pretty generic, but something I have been doing for a long time, and I find it works very well.

 

all the best

M

[Thug]

Excellent post Marc !!

[cyborg]

Thanx mark. Very helpful

[Guest agteros]

Hi Guys

<snip>

all the best

M

 

Great advice, and plenty of common sense in there!