Ironman Nutrition

In article w_jBb.485455$Fm2.471378@attbi_s04 said:

I'm doing an ironman race this year and wanted to get some opinions on what people use for
nutrition during the race.

I've raced for 2 years and I've primarily used Gu, PowerGel,Carboom as my nutrition. This worked
fine for shorter races ... but I've done a 1/2 ironman (5:21) and 3/4 ironman (9:08) and I've
struggled with my stomach and nutrition so I'm going to emphasize figuring out what nutrition will
work for me particularly during some long brick workouts.

I was so consumed with training and getting comfortable with the distance I didn't spend a great
deal of time figuring out how to sustain my effort (dumb!) During the 3/4 ironman race I burned ~
9,000 calories so not having an effective nutrition strategy was really dumb (as such I threw up 8
times during the race - which was a PR for me :-).

This is what I did:

I consumed a Clif bar, a bagel, a Quaker breakfast bar, and a 24 oz Gatorade before I lefton the way
to the race. I ate a couple Clif Shot gels during the final race prep, and another 24 oz. Gatorade
and a few Endurolyte electrolyte capsules as well.

[Note: To me, the Clif Shot gels are the best. They taste good, and they digest easily. They're made
with brown rice syrup instead of maltodextrin. No, they don't endorse me, or any other 16:25 Ironman
finishers :-) ]

I ate 2 gels during T1 and a Clif bar in the first hour of the bike, then I did a gel every 30
minutes on the bike, except at the special needs area, where I ate a bunch of raisins instead. I
probably drank a 24 oz bottle of Gatorade every 30-60 min, and I was drinking water as well. It was
hot! Oh, and I had an endurolyte about every hour on the bike.

In T2 I opted for half of a "Mojo" bar. I thought something salty would be good, but it didn't
thrill me as much as I thought it would.

During the run, I did water and not so much Gatorade. I was having trouble choking down gels at this
point, so I stopped until the special needs area, where I'd stashed caffeinated gels. Not long after
that my tummy felt a bit queasy, but I had some chewable Pepto Bismol along, which settled me right
down. I switched to flat coke around mile 15 or so, and never quite made it to the point where I
wanted to try the chicken broth. Oh, and I had a bit of banana and pretzels along the way as well.

I think I pretty much covered my calorie needs on the bike, so that even though I didn't want to eat
on the run so much I was okay. I *think* the endurolytes helped, but it could just be psychological.
Oh, and I had to pee like crazy during the run (well, for me, mostly "walk"😉, like 10 times, but I
guess that's better than all of the people who dehydrated.

One key was that I got really used to my nutrition plan by practicing it over and over on long runs
and rides. I knew I could choke down gels late in a long ride without any ill effects (after 12
gels, I don't care how good they taste, you just don't really WANT anymore). I also tried to rotate
flavors and to save my favorites for later in the ride.

I hope this helps.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

In article w_jBb.485455$Fm2.471378@attbi_s04 said:

I was so consumed with training and getting comfortable with the distance I didn't spend a great
deal of time figuring out how to sustain my effort (dumb!) During the 3/4 ironman race I burned ~
9,000 calories so not having an effective nutrition strategy was really dumb (as such I threw up 8
times during the race - which was a PR for me :-).

Whoops! I forgot to congratulate you on your PR!

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

Excuse my ignorance ... can you explain why I'd take:
- Endurolyte electrolyte capsules
- caffeinated gels

I read on this group about drinking coke during a race ... had never considered that ... but when my
stomach is upset a Mt. Dew, Coke, etc helps settle my stomach so I'm going to try that out for sure.

I've read about things like: CarboPro, Ensure, Ultracal, Boost ... but don't know anything about any
of these so was looking to enlist the experts.

BBB "Harold Buck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article w_jBb.485455$Fm2.471378@attbi_s04 said:

I'm doing an ironman race this year and wanted to get some opinions on

what

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

people use for nutrition during the race.

I've raced for 2 years and I've primarily used Gu, PowerGel,Carboom as

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nutrition. This worked fine for shorter races ... but I've done a 1/2 ironman (5:21) and 3/4
ironman (9:08) and I've struggled with my stomach

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nutrition so I'm going to emphasize figuring out what nutrition will

work

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for me particularly during some long brick workouts.

I was so consumed with training and getting comfortable with the

distance I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

didn't spend a great deal of time figuring out how to sustain my effort (dumb!) During the 3/4
ironman race I burned ~ 9,000 calories so not

having

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

an effective nutrition strategy was really dumb (as such I threw up 8

times

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

during the race - which was a PR for me :-).

This is what I did:

I consumed a Clif bar, a bagel, a Quaker breakfast bar, and a 24 oz Gatorade before I lefton the
way to the race. I ate a couple Clif Shot gels during the final race prep, and another 24 oz.
Gatorade and a few Endurolyte electrolyte capsules as well.

[Note: To me, the Clif Shot gels are the best. They taste good, and they digest easily. They're
made with brown rice syrup instead of maltodextrin. No, they don't endorse me, or any other 16:25
Ironman finishers :-) ]

I ate 2 gels during T1 and a Clif bar in the first hour of the bike, then I did a gel every 30
minutes on the bike, except at the special needs area, where I ate a bunch of raisins instead. I
probably drank a 24 oz bottle of Gatorade every 30-60 min, and I was drinking water as well. It
was hot! Oh, and I had an endurolyte about every hour on the bike.

In T2 I opted for half of a "Mojo" bar. I thought something salty would be good, but it didn't
thrill me as much as I thought it would.

During the run, I did water and not so much Gatorade. I was having trouble choking down gels at
this point, so I stopped until the special needs area, where I'd stashed caffeinated gels. Not
long after that my tummy felt a bit queasy, but I had some chewable Pepto Bismol along, which
settled me right down. I switched to flat coke around mile 15 or so, and never quite made it to
the point where I wanted to try the chicken broth. Oh, and I had a bit of banana and pretzels
along the way as well.

I think I pretty much covered my calorie needs on the bike, so that even though I didn't want to
eat on the run so much I was okay. I *think* the endurolytes helped, but it could just be
psychological. Oh, and I had to pee like crazy during the run (well, for me, mostly "walk"😉, like
10 times, but I guess that's better than all of the people who dehydrated.

One key was that I got really used to my nutrition plan by practicing it over and over on long
runs and rides. I knew I could choke down gels late in a long ride without any ill effects (after
12 gels, I don't care how good they taste, you just don't really WANT anymore). I also tried to
rotate flavors and to save my favorites for later in the ride.

I hope this helps.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

Check out Gordoworld.com He has some great tips that work well for many people. G-man knows
his stuff.

BD

In article 8foBb.347536$ao4.1162484@attbi_s51 said:

Excuse my ignorance ... can you explain why I'd take:
- Endurolyte electrolyte capsules

To replace the electrolytes you lose from sweating, especially when it's hot out.

Quoted message said:

- caffeinated gels

Caffeine is known to enhance endurance and is legal, even in the Olympics, in reasonable doses. My
idea was to save it until the last half of the Marathon to give me a boost when I needed it. I'm not
sure how much it helped.

Quoted message said:

I read on this group about drinking coke during a race ... had never considered that ... but
when my stomach is upset a Mt. Dew, Coke, etc helps settle my stomach so I'm going to try that
out for sure.

It's smart to try it out in training, but I didn't. It worked fine for me, though. One rule I've
heard: once you swtich to Coke, no more Gatorade. Once you switch to chicken broth, no more Coke.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

I threw up one more really good time on the way home (my wife was impressed). So 9 total throw ups
in the day (another PR). I couldn't keep anything down other than crackers for 24 hours or so after
the race. Luckily I have the greatest wife ever.

"Harold Buck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:no_one_knows-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article w_jBb.485455$Fm2.471378@attbi_s04 said:

I was so consumed with training and getting comfortable with the

distance I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

didn't spend a great deal of time figuring out how to sustain my effort (dumb!) During the 3/4
ironman race I burned ~ 9,000 calories so not

having

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

an effective nutrition strategy was really dumb (as such I threw up 8

times

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

during the race - which was a PR for me :-).

Whoops! I forgot to congratulate you on your PR!

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

Wow Harold, just reading what you ate makes we want to puke. I have a pretty good tolerance for most
things but that mix would do me in. I'll settle for the boredom of GU plus a banana or two on the
bike. I take four packets of GU in each 5 oz plastic GU bottle and top it off with dark coffee for
thinning and the caffeine kick. I carry 4 on the bike to avoid the aid stations except for fluid. I
strive to take in at least 100 cal in addition to what I drink per hour. More than that and I start
to bloat. I like to do every other bottle of fluid with plain water. I usually get off the bike a
bit cramped and start my run slow. I like to take in about double the cal for the first 6 miles then
begin to pick up the pace and reduce back to 100 cal per hour of GU, bananas or other fruit handed
out along the course. Water at one station then sports drink at the next, GU type stuff at every
third one. When done correctly, I am about 3 to 5 lbs lighter at the finish than when I started.

Ken

"Harold Buck" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:no_one_knows-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article w_jBb.485455$Fm2.471378@attbi_s04 said:

I'm doing an ironman race this year and wanted to get some opinions on

what

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

people use for nutrition during the race.

I've raced for 2 years and I've primarily used Gu, PowerGel,Carboom as

my

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nutrition. This worked fine for shorter races ... but I've done a 1/2 ironman (5:21) and 3/4
ironman (9:08) and I've struggled with my stomach

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

nutrition so I'm going to emphasize figuring out what nutrition will

work

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for me particularly during some long brick workouts.

I was so consumed with training and getting comfortable with the

distance I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

didn't spend a great deal of time figuring out how to sustain my effort (dumb!) During the 3/4
ironman race I burned ~ 9,000 calories so not

having

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

an effective nutrition strategy was really dumb (as such I threw up 8

times

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

during the race - which was a PR for me :-).

This is what I did:

I consumed a Clif bar, a bagel, a Quaker breakfast bar, and a 24 oz Gatorade before I lefton the
way to the race. I ate a couple Clif Shot gels during the final race prep, and another 24 oz.
Gatorade and a few Endurolyte electrolyte capsules as well.

[Note: To me, the Clif Shot gels are the best. They taste good, and they digest easily. They're
made with brown rice syrup instead of maltodextrin. No, they don't endorse me, or any other 16:25
Ironman finishers :-) ]

I ate 2 gels during T1 and a Clif bar in the first hour of the bike, then I did a gel every 30
minutes on the bike, except at the special needs area, where I ate a bunch of raisins instead. I
probably drank a 24 oz bottle of Gatorade every 30-60 min, and I was drinking water as well. It
was hot! Oh, and I had an endurolyte about every hour on the bike.

In T2 I opted for half of a "Mojo" bar. I thought something salty would be good, but it didn't
thrill me as much as I thought it would.

During the run, I did water and not so much Gatorade. I was having trouble choking down gels at
this point, so I stopped until the special needs area, where I'd stashed caffeinated gels. Not
long after that my tummy felt a bit queasy, but I had some chewable Pepto Bismol along, which
settled me right down. I switched to flat coke around mile 15 or so, and never quite made it to
the point where I wanted to try the chicken broth. Oh, and I had a bit of banana and pretzels
along the way as well.

I think I pretty much covered my calorie needs on the bike, so that even though I didn't want to
eat on the run so much I was okay. I *think* the endurolytes helped, but it could just be
psychological. Oh, and I had to pee like crazy during the run (well, for me, mostly "walk"😉, like
10 times, but I guess that's better than all of the people who dehydrated.

One key was that I got really used to my nutrition plan by practicing it over and over on long
runs and rides. I knew I could choke down gels late in a long ride without any ill effects (after
12 gels, I don't care how good they taste, you just don't really WANT anymore). I also tried to
rotate flavors and to save my favorites for later in the ride.

I hope this helps.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

"booner" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:i7FBb.77020$_M.379900@attbi_s54...

Quoted message said:

I threw up one more really good time on the way home (my wife was impressed). So 9 total throw ups
in the day (another PR). I couldn't

keep

Quoted message said:

anything down other than crackers for 24 hours or so after the race. Luckily I have the greatest
wife ever.

After reading what you ate, I do believe you.

ken

It's taken me 6 attempts at ironman distance *racing*, but i think that i have finally figured out
what works for me. (Nausea has always been my nemesis during longer events, and i've tried all
sorts of foods and supplements to fuel/combat it.) My solution, of course, may not work for you,
but FWIW...

I discovered after several years of trial and error that the only way to get through a long day of
exercise was to stay away from seriously solid foods (mainly, energy bars in any form), and simple
sugars as much as possible.

I found that Hammer Gel products (no; i only WISH i were sponsored by them; i should be part owner
of the company for all the revenue i've provided them these past few years!): Hammer Gel, and their
Sustained Energy drink mix (which depending on the strength you mix it provides mostly carbs, but a
bit of protein as well, and is very mild in taste; you can actually 'flavor' it with a splash of
your choice of Hammer Gel), and Endurolyte capsules (which saved me during Ultramax last year when
it was in the 90's, and down at the Buffalo Springs Half in Lubbock Texas in June) work perfectly.

I had quite a long conversation with Steve Born, the founder of the company, at the Ultramax expo,
who informed me that nausea and bloating during a long event or a long training session was often
caused by the body's inability to process the simple carbohydrates found in most energy gels and
drinks. In addition, the burst of energy you get from ingesting simple carbs is followed by real
energy low. I know i sound like a commercial for Hammer Gel, but i can really tell the difference
between their products (complex carbs) and say, GU or Clif shot, in terms of the 'even burn' of
energy. I never really felt like i was out of gas during my last Ultramax, and didn't have the
nausea that i had in and after previous races (not to mention the medical tent experiences!).

I had stashed my back up cans of ginger ale in my special needs bags and transition bags, but didn't
need them at all this go round. The only other thing i ate during the event was a banana midway
through the run.

And i agree with Ken, Harold, i don't know how you ate all you did without puking!

Good luck........

"IMKen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"booner" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:i7FBb.77020$_M.379900@attbi_s54...

Quoted message said:

I threw up one more really good time on the way home (my wife was impressed). So 9 total throw
ups in the day (another PR). I couldn't

keep

Quoted message said:

anything down other than crackers for 24 hours or so after the race. Luckily I have the greatest
wife ever.

After reading what you ate, I do believe you.

ken

In article <[email hidden]>,

trihard said:

And i agree with Ken, Harold, i don't know how you ate all you did without puking!

Well, when people asked me about my strength in triathlon, I always answered "My ability to eat." It
might also be significant that I'm a BOPer, but I don't know. All I can say is that I practiced my
nutrition plan, was cofortable with it, and it worked for me on race day.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

This type of sophistication for 12+ hour finishes is amazing. I heard of Sabatschuss (8h
finisher) that he did his best IM on cola only because he forgot or lost some of the foods he was
planning to eat.

I heard of many pros not having much of a strategy, just take the gel theyre sponsor provides
some water some energy drink and make up the plan on the way. What good is a nutrition plan if
you throw up?

I have no idea, but I will do my first IM next year without that much of a plan, just take some gels
and bars with me and eat them whenever possible. The race makes my plan, what good is a beeper that
goes of when I am in a 12% climb or on a 50mph downhill?

I did a half ironman this year - with a plan - this plan was worth nothing after i put the bike
on the side for a pee break and lost all my energy dring :-) stored in the aero bottle. After
half of the bike portion all the energydrinks were given away and I had to do with water and the
one bar that I brought with me as a backup. Was a great race though and I finished one hour
faster than my plan.

So much for plans ...

Quoted message said:

In article said:

And i agree with Ken, Harold, i don't know how you ate all you did without puking!

Well, when people asked me about my strength in triathlon, I always answered "My ability to eat."
It might also be significant that I'm a BOPer, but I don't know. All I can say is that I practiced
my nutrition plan, was cofortable with it, and it worked for me on race day.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

booner said:

I'm doing an ironman race this year and wanted to get some opinions on

what people use for nutrition during the race. <

I use Hammer gel, endurolytes, & plain water. I set the "countdown" timer on my watch, & every
25 minutes I swallow a serving of gel. Depending on how hot it is, I'll typically 6 to 10
endurolyte tablets. I build up stomach acid pretty easily, so I typically use the "plain",
unflavored hammer gel. Also, I might stash some Tums or Rolaids in the bike & run special needs
bags. It works well for me,

Good luck.

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Theodor Seiz) said:

I have no idea, but I will do my first IM next year without that much of a plan, just take some
gels and bars with me and eat them whenever possible. The race makes my plan, what good is a
beeper that goes of when I am in a 12% climb or on a 50mph downhill?

Um, it reminds you you're supposed to eat, so you do at the next convenient time? I don't think
anyone is advocating slamming on the brakes so you can eat your gel just because your alarm went
off. Of course, if you plan well enough, you'll make sure your alarm is only set to go off when your
on the flat or a gentle slope. :-)

Quoted message said:

I did a half ironman this year - with a plan - this plan was worth nothing after i put the bike on
the side for a pee break and lost all my energy dring :-) stored in the aero bottle.

I had frame bottles, too, since I didn't want to risk running out.

Quoted message said:

After half of the bike portion all the energydrinks were given away

That sucks. I'd be [censored] if they ran out, especially with what races cost these days.

--Harold Buck

"I used to rock and roll all night, and party every day. Then it was every other day. . . ."

- Homer J. Simpson

Quoted message said:

booner said:

I'm doing an ironman race this year and wanted to get some opinions on

what people use for nutrition during the race. <

In my last two IM races I used Carbo-Pro, Thermolyte, water and balance bars. It worked great. The
company that sells carbo pro and thermolyte (Sport Quest) even sent me a protocol to use for my
weight and type of training and racing I do. Carbo-Pro is a pure complex carbohydrate and does not
have any flavor, which I prefer, but you can can add it to any sports drink or juice. You can also
mix it real thick and use it like a gel (the instructions on the container quide you on this) or mix
it like a drink. It keeps your gut clean. Thus no stomach problems. I use the balance bars for
protein and because I like to eat something solid during the race...unless it is real hot.

My new coach this past year, MaryEllen Powers, who is a pro, turned me to Carbo-Pro when I had
suffered greatly in a few races due to stomach problems. She also told me not to use any gels until
you get to the run. Because once you start using them you need to keep using the gels every twenty
minutes to keep up your blood sugar level. And after a while all that gel is going to just sit in
your stomach eventually making you sick.

And somewhere along my travels I learned that many pros have carbo pro in their bottles even though
the outside of their bottle says something else (ie, their nutritional sponsors logo).

I have played around with other products like acclerade/endurox, hammer gel, gatorade, and all
sorts of gels. I always winded up feeling bloated or actually throwing at some point during or
after the race. But with the carbo pro, following the protocol made for me, I felt fine during and
after the race.

Sounds like I work for the company...I don't. Just love their product.

So my race day plan is:

pre race breakfast: 1 hard boiled egg, toast or half a bagel with peanut butter, half a
bananna, plain oatmeal and 1 bottle of Carbo-Pro. Sometimes I can't eat all of this just a bite
of this and that.

sip water until race time.

Bike: I drink only water the first 20 minutes of the bike to let my body adjust. Then I start
sipping the carbo pro. I know I need 300 calories per hour and my bottles are mixed with 600
calories. So I drink half a bottle of carbo-pro per hour plus plain water as needed. When I eat the
balance bar, usually around 40-50 miles into the bike and then again around 100-05, I just drink
more water and less carbo pro during that hour. Depending on how hot it is I take one or two
thermolytes per hour.

Run:

First aid station: I take gu and water.

2nd aid station: I take coke if I need to...I have been told not to drink coke until halway through
the run. But I do and it works for me, so far. Chase the coke with a sip of water.

I alternate this plan for the whole run. I do take the thermolytes on the run every so often.

I have also used Motivator which is a caffeine type pill. I use that as directed on the bottle
and in my protocol. I think it is just before the start of the run. This product is also made by
Sport Quest.

To order or get more info (they are extremely helpful explaining the whole nutrition thing during
racing and training) call 1-800- 776-4363. Or online at sportquestdirect.com

Hope it helps. Diana

My background: Many 1/2 IMs and IM CDA last June. I always got sick in 1/2 IMs on the run...every
time. I determined that part of my trouble was not consuming enough calories on the bike. I liked
some of the info I got off GordoWorld..it helped me set up my system for
IM.

Pre race: Ensure Vanilla at 2 and then 4am. Very little to no solids on race day.

I consumed 4 24 oz bottles of Cytomax with protein powder (5:1) and enduralytes mixed in. 600
calories per bottle. It was hot as hell out there so I washed this down with lots of water. 2
bottles on the bike and 2 bottles at bike special needs that I put into a soft thermos bag (this is
a MUST) to keep from going bad in the heat. I also consumed about 400 GU calories (Vanilla).

This left me feeling good on the run (didn't get sick). I was on gatorade and water for most of
the time. I WISH I had started on the Coke earlier....hit that at mile 21. Next time I go on it
at mile 15.

I trained extensively with this system and tried various combo before settling in with Cyto.
Training with the nutrition means doing long rides and then doing a transition run to see
how you feel.

I, and many others I know have tried Hammer/Sustained Energy products with horrible results. I can't
digest their products. You'll have to try for yourself.

I have also heard that a number of elite AG triathletes are using the Twinky program.....all sugar
all the time...keep hammmering it down from start to finish...with no problems, and great results.
I'm going to try this system in training. I'm serious....it's supposed to work very well (much to
the chagrin of some high profit nutrition companies).

"AW" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

booner said:

I'm doing an ironman race this year and wanted to get some opinions on

what people use for nutrition during the race. <

One vote for Spiz (www.spiz.net) on the bike, along with fluids and electrolyte tablets, switching
to gu, fluids and electrolyte tablets on the run. I have not tried the Vanilla flavor, but like the
chocolate. It is fairly pricey, but seems to settle in the stomach well, and is reasonable palatable
(for me) in concentrations up to 375 Kcal per large bike bottle

Ben