​Over the next month many of Tri-More-Fitness athletes will be competing at the 70.3 and 140.6 distance triathlons.  Nutrition is always a topic of discussion leading up to a race so I thought I would compile a few tips for the race.  Competing at these distances, nutrition is as much if not more of a factor than the training for each discipline.  Having a nutritional plan is essential to race day performance.
 
Tip #1: Start fueling for the race 48 hours prior.  To set yourself up for a good race you have to start fueling your body at least 48 hours prior to race start.  This doesn’t mean you change your diet, it is too late for that. You should go light on pasta and include protein in allmeals.  Protein should outweigh refined grains, sweets and sugary drinks.  In fact you should avoid sugary drinks all together, save it for race day.  Try to eat your pre-race dinner 10 hours prior to your pre-race breakfast.  Drink water when you are thirsty, do not try and “hydrate” drinking too much water.
 
Tip #2: Finish pre-race breakfast 2.5 to 3 hours before race start. Breakfast should consist of protein, carbs and some fats, focus on a ratio of 1:2 for protein to carbs.  If you have a sensitive GI system you still need to consume some calories.  Your body is low on fuel after sleeping and you need to get some food particularly some sugars into your system.
 
Tip #3: Don’t over hydrate prior to start.Leading up to the race start, sip water to quench off thirst, don’t drink to hydrate.  Once you are within 10 minutes of the race, sip on fuel replacement drink or eat a gel.  If you are a heavy sweater you may need a full bottle of fluids within 10 minutes of race start.
 
Tip #4: Don’t eat in transition. After coming out of the water focus on the task at hand and get through transition as quickly as possible. Your heart rate is high coming out of the water and running through transition.  Avoid an extra stress and just get through transition fast and smooth. Wait until you are on the bike and your heart rate begins to settle before you eat anything.  This doesn’t mean you can’t drink water as soon as you are on the bike.  Allow your system to settle before adding food and upsetting the GI system.  This applies to both T1 and T2.
 
Tip #5: Don’t try anything new. You should have a solid nutrition plan for the race.  Follow the plan that you and your coach have developed. If you decide to try on course nutrition, make sure it is something that you have tried during training.  The only exception to this is if your nutrition plan isn’t working.  If your nutrition plan isn’t working try a few of the recommendations from “Long Course Nutrition: What’s Going Wrong”. 
 
You have trained long and hard. Use the knowledge you have gained through training and these tips to help you be successful on race day.

The quote from Aristotle is on point, that whatever we do repeatedly becomes our habits and we become very good at it.  Whether it is training as an athlete or making excuses on why I can’t train today. If you have a desire to reach your goal, you will find a way to complete your training.
 
Consistency is a decision that you must make; you have complete control over it.  Here are four habits that will help you be more consistent with your workouts.
 
1.  Plan your week:  Your coach provides you with a training plan.  That is not enough, review your plan the week prior and plan your training schedule on your calendar.  When and where are you going to do your workouts.  Write it down and make it a priority just like you would for a doctor appointment.
 
2.  Set a goal:  Set a goal to complete your workouts as prescribed.  If your short on time, commit to completing a portion of the workout. Completing half the workout is better than skipping it all together.  When I was marathon training, one of my goals that I made with myself was that no matter how bad I felt or how little desire I had to do the workout I was committed to do at least the first 20 minutes of the workout.  Rarely did I not complete the workout.  The hardest thing is getting out the door.  A goal could be something as simple as completing 85% of the scheduled workouts per month.
 
3.  Fueling your body:  Your energy level has a huge factor on motivating yourself to get out the door. It is critical that you have a high-quality diet.  Think of your body as a race car, the high-quality fuel you put in the better you perform.  You want to get the most out of your body.  I can always tell when I am eating poorly.
 
4.  Recovery:  Sleep is essential to recovery and if you don’t get enough your body isn’t able to recover properly which will lead to fatigue over time.  Shoot for at least 7-hours of sleep.  In addition to sleep, not over doing your workouts on recovery days or weeks will allow your body to recovery so you can perform better the following day or next cycle of training.
 

Triathlete Training Scenario

Some days are pretty rough and training can get difficult and with our busy schedules it is hard to eat healthy and get the required nutrition to recover prior to your next workout. We typically wake up early and head to the gym for a swim or out for an hour bike or run.  Let’s face it, most of the workouts that I schedule will take at least an hour and on the weekends it can be much longer of pure cardio.  Typically we head straight to work from there and our time there can get quite busy and we just don’t find the time to eat or drink regularly to keep the body properly fueled.  For most triathlete training for a half-ironman or longer, I schedule a second workout.  So maintaining a proper diet throughout the day will sustain our energy to get a quality evening workout.

Some athlete workout in the evening and it is just important to sustain your fluid and nutrition intake throughout the day and even more important to have the proper post workout nutrition.  You don’t have all day to get in the appropriate carbohydrates and protein to refuel the body for the following days workout.

*  Recovering with proper nutrition after a workout will help you feel more energized for the rest of the day.

*  Avoid long periods of time without fluids or food, even if your daily activities are less intense.  It will take a toll on the body if you don’t remember to eat and drink.

*  Situation like these are very common for triathletes that have a family and must work for a living.  We get busy and forget to fuel properly throughout the day.  A little bit of preparation with the right information and prepping your post workout recovery nutrition will allow your body to recover quicker and set you up for success for your next workout.  Recovering from your workouts is more important than completing your workout as scheduled.


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