Sprint race nutrition

I drink a small bottle of sport drink (0,5 l) during the bike leg - but only after I have settled
after the swim. Nothing in transition or during the run.

So basically I use km 3-18 during to bike to drink that bottle - works for me. In order to stay
aero I will drink it in only 2 portions dont sip all the time - it costs time to get out of the
aero position.

Pros drink nothing usually during a sprint.

Water might be sufficient, I would add some carbs, not for the carbs worth but because the water
will be absorbed better.

Quoted message said:

OK, this may sound like a pretty last minute question, but I race my first sprint distance
tomorrow, and am wondering about other people's habits in taking in nutrition for this distance.

In training, I hydrated well after swims. I drank water during the bike and that got me through the
run while doing brick workouts. Yesterday, I started wondering about how this will go when I put
the three disciplines back to back. I guess I will need to drink more on the bike than usual, since
I'll have just finished a swim. But I don't want to drink to the point where a bathroom break is
required. Hope I can hold it and still race well.

I normally do not take sports drink during training for this distance, nor do I bother with gels or
any food. I always replenish well after workouts. Do many people do the same as I do, and come
through it all fine?

Yes, I'm sure I'm ready and will do fine in the race, but as usual, a million thoughts and worries
enter my mind as race day approaches.

Thanks for any info,

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

Provided you finish under 1:30 - just eat good meals the week prior. You could slam a Gel just
before you get off the bike - other than that just sip water and roll! Glycogen stores should have
ample calories to carry you through.

Cam Wilson <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

OK, this may sound like a pretty last minute question, but I race my first sprint distance
tomorrow, and am wondering about other people's habits in taking in nutrition for this distance.

In training, I hydrated well after swims. I drank water during the bike and that got me through
the run while doing brick workouts. Yesterday, I started wondering about how this will go when I
put the three disciplines back to back. I guess I will need to drink more on the bike than usual,
since I'll have just finished a swim. But I don't want to drink to the point where a bathroom
break is required. Hope I can hold it and still race well.

I normally do not take sports drink during training for this distance, nor do I bother with gels
or any food. I always replenish well after workouts. Do many people do the same as I do, and come
through it all fine?

Yes, I'm sure I'm ready and will do fine in the race, but as usual, a million thoughts and worries
enter my mind as race day approaches.

Thanks for any info,

Cam

In article said:

I drink a small bottle of sport drink (0,5 l) during the bike leg - but only after I have settled
after the swim. Nothing in transition or during the run.

So basically I use km 3-18 during to bike to drink that bottle - works for me. In order to stay
aero I will drink it in only 2 portions dont sip all the time - it costs time to get out of the
aero position.

Pros drink nothing usually during a sprint.

Water might be sufficient, I would add some carbs, not for the carbs worth but because the water
will be absorbed better.

ok, i'm getting positive feedback on this, so i'll just stick with my water and this ought to work
fine. as for carbs, i think this would be risky to do considering i haven't done any of that during
training. i was kinda thinking of throwing half a banana in a ziplock bag and i could much on that
while i dry my feet and put on my shoes in T1. then that could easily be digested during the ride,
and i'd be fine to run. i often eat a half or whole banana directly before a training run, but
wouldn't want to do it in the race.

thanks for the thoughts,

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

In article said:

Provided you finish under 1:30 - just eat good meals the week prior. You could slam a Gel just
before you get off the bike - other than that just sip water and roll! Glycogen stores should have
ample calories to carry you through.

yeah, i may finish a bit over 1:30, but i've been eating lots of carb meals this week (though I'm
taking it easy today to avoid any stomach probs tomorrow.

I'm there. thanks!

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

Cam Wilson said:

In article said:

I drink a small bottle of sport drink (0,5 l) during the bike leg - but only after I have settled
after the swim. Nothing in transition or during the run.

So basically I use km 3-18 during to bike to drink that bottle - works for me. In order to stay
aero I will drink it in only 2 portions dont sip all the time - it costs time to get out of the
aero position.

Pros drink nothing usually during a sprint.

Water might be sufficient, I would add some carbs, not for the carbs worth but because the water
will be absorbed better.

ok, i'm getting positive feedback on this, so i'll just stick with my water and this ought to work
fine. as for carbs, i think this would be risky to do considering i haven't done any of that
during training.

THIS IS THE MOST SALIENT FACT! Never, ever, ever do something new on race day. Never wear new
googles, never wear new shorts, never try out a new bike mounting strategy, never eat or drink
*anything* before or during a race you haven't eaten before or during training before.

Quoted message said:

i was kinda thinking of throwing half a banana in a ziplock bag and i could much on that while i
dry my feet and put on my shoes in T1. then that could easily be digested during the ride, and i'd
be fine to run. i often eat a half or whole banana directly before a training run, but wouldn't
want to do it in the race.

How long is this race ie, how long do you think it will take you to finish it? If it's less than
about an hour or so, the benefits of eating during the race will be minimal if at all present.

--

Cheers,

Walter R. Strapps, Ph.D

"The sheer closeness of our two countries and the intensity of our mutual interaction combined with
the disparity between us in terms of wealth and power--all these things guarantee there will be
problems in U.S.-Canadian relations without anybody having to do anything to deliberately worsen the
situation."

Robert L. Stanfield, Oct. 28, 1971

Skip the banana. Concentrate on a fast transition instead. If you have to have a banana, eat it
on the bike. You loose less time going 30kmh instead of 35kmh for a minute than you loose
standing around.

Again I would rather not eat. In a sprint oxygen delivery is critical, you need your oxygen in the
muscles not in the stomach.

Only sportdrink (or some homebrew copy like 1/3 applejuice 2/3 water) or water. You dont need
mineral supplements, vitamins, aminoaicids or whatever [censored] they are selling now in a sprint.

You cant plan on digesting a banana during a 20K ride. Digesting a banana takes at least 20-30
minutes - your ride is over then. And you cant digest with 4-5 mmol lactate in your blood.

If you are not used to race with a banana eaten at that level, chances are high that u will finish
the race without it anyway. A sprint is not an ironman or a marathon.

If you are not used to sport drink, a little bit of table sugar or nothing in water will be fine.
You dont need the carbs - they just help the body to absorb the water faster.

Quoted message said:

In article said:

I drink a small bottle of sport drink (0,5 l) during the bike leg - but only after I have settled
after the swim. Nothing in transition or during the run.

So basically I use km 3-18 during to bike to drink that bottle - works for me. In order to stay
aero I will drink it in only 2 portions dont sip all the time - it costs time to get out of the
aero position.

Pros drink nothing usually during a sprint.

Water might be sufficient, I would add some carbs, not for the carbs worth but because the water
will be absorbed better.

ok, i'm getting positive feedback on this, so i'll just stick with my water and this ought to work
fine. as for carbs, i think this would be risky to do considering i haven't done any of that during
training. i was kinda thinking of throwing half a banana in a ziplock bag and i could much on that
while i dry my feet and put on my shoes in T1. then that could easily be digested during the ride,
and i'd be fine to run. i often eat a half or whole banana directly before a training run, but
wouldn't want to do it in the race.

thanks for the thoughts,

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 13:02:00 -0400, "Walter R. Strapps"

Quoted message said:

THIS IS THE MOST SALIENT FACT! Never, ever, ever do something new on race day. Never wear new
googles, never wear new shorts, never try out a new bike mounting strategy, never eat or drink
*anything* before or during a race you haven't eaten before or during training before.

Which is almost impossible after all if you think about it. How do you train the nutrition strategy
for a sprint? You go deeply anaerobic in training and simulate the stress and speed? You simulate
bike tourists

crossing your lane during your drinking ...

For me a sprint in itselve is a learning experience and I always experiment in races. Only key races
are important and only then I do whatever I tried in minor races.

Of course there is a limit to experiments, but trying a new brand of sport drink in a sprint is
fine. (Though I wouldnt do it on a long distance). The worst thing is to throw it up - and that
happens from time to time if you go hard anyway :-)

In article said:

Skip the banana. Concentrate on a fast transition instead. If you have to have a banana, eat it
on the bike. You loose less time going 30kmh instead of 35kmh for a minute than you loose
standing around.

Again I would rather not eat. In a sprint oxygen delivery is critical, you need your oxygen in the
muscles not in the stomach.

yeah, true. if it were a much longer race, the food would be more necessary.

Quoted message said:

Only sportdrink (or some homebrew copy like 1/3 applejuice 2/3 water) or water. You dont need
mineral supplements, vitamins, aminoaicids or whatever [censored] they are selling now in a sprint.

You cant plan on digesting a banana during a 20K ride. Digesting a banana takes at least 20-30
minutes - your ride is over then. And you cant digest with 4-5 mmol lactate in your blood.

If you are not used to race with a banana eaten at that level, chances are high that u will finish
the race without it anyway. A sprint is not an ironman or a marathon.

agreed. water and/or some sport drink should do it.

thanks,

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

In article said:

Quoted message said:

ok, i'm getting positive feedback on this, so i'll just stick with my water and this ought to
work fine. as for carbs, i think this would be risky to do considering i haven't done any of
that during training.

THIS IS THE MOST SALIENT FACT! Never, ever, ever do something new on race day. Never wear new
googles, never wear new shorts, never try out a new bike mounting strategy, never eat or drink
*anything* before or during a race you haven't eaten before or during training before.

Quoted message said:

i was kinda thinking of throwing half a banana in a ziplock bag and i could much on that while i
dry my feet and put on my shoes in T1. then that could easily be digested during the ride, and
i'd be fine to run. i often eat a half or whole banana directly before a training run, but
wouldn't want to do it in the race.

How long is this race ie, how long do you think it will take you to finish it? If it's less than
about an hour or so, the benefits of eating during the race will be minimal if at all present.

i think it will take me close to 1:45 to do the race. i think that fluids only will get me through.
and i'll stick to water, since that's what i've trained with and know works for me. i've done half
marathons in about this time, and i needed gels for that, but i'm not pushing myself in the same way
here. and i sure won't suddenly start using gels in this... my first sprint tri.

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

In article said:

THIS IS THE MOST SALIENT FACT! Never, ever, ever do something new on race day.

Dammit! My plan for race day includes something I've never done before: swimming 2.4 miles, then
biking 112, then runnning 26.2. If I'm not supposed to try something new on race day, should I try
to do all this the day before?

:-)

--Harold Buck

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

- Homer J. Simpson

(Theodor Seiz) said:

Skip the banana. Concentrate on a fast transition instead. If you have to have a banana, eat it
on the bike. You loose less time going 30kmh instead of 35kmh for a minute than you loose
standing around.

Again I would rather not eat. In a sprint oxygen delivery is critical, you need your oxygen in the
muscles not in the stomach.

Only sportdrink (or some homebrew copy like 1/3 applejuice 2/3 water) or water. You dont need
mineral supplements, vitamins, aminoaicids or whatever [censored] they are selling now in a sprint.

You cant plan on digesting a banana during a 20K ride. Digesting a banana takes at least 20-30
minutes - your ride is over then. And you cant digest with 4-5 mmol lactate in your blood.

If you are not used to race with a banana eaten at that level, chances are high that u will finish
the race without it anyway. A sprint is not an ironman or a marathon.

If you are not used to sport drink, a little bit of table sugar or nothing in water will be fine.
You dont need the carbs - they just help the body to absorb the water faster.

You've said this twice now and I'm curious were you got this info. I've never heard it and
have actually read somewhat to the opposite were gels are concerned. In other words if you
take a gel with to little water it may cause dehydration do to fluids being pulled from the
blood stream to try and absorb the carbs. Does a properly mixed carb mixture somehow
facilitate abosorption? Do you have any links/books/articles on this?

~Matt

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In article said:

I drink a small bottle of sport drink (0,5 l) during the bike leg - but only after I have
settled after the swim. Nothing in transition or during the run.

So basically I use km 3-18 during to bike to drink that bottle - works for me. In order to stay
aero I will drink it in only 2 portions dont sip all the time - it costs time to get out of the
aero position.

Pros drink nothing usually during a sprint.

Water might be sufficient, I would add some carbs, not for the carbs worth but because the water
will be absorbed better.

ok, i'm getting positive feedback on this, so i'll just stick with my water and this ought to work
fine. as for carbs, i think this would be risky to do considering i haven't done any of that
during training. i was kinda thinking of throwing half a banana in a ziplock bag and i could much
on that while i dry my feet and put on my shoes in T1. then that could easily be digested during
the ride, and i'd be fine to run. i often eat a half or whole banana directly before a training
run, but wouldn't want to do it in the race.

thanks for the thoughts,

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

Theodor Seiz said:

On Fri, 18 Jul 2003 13:02:00 -0400, "Walter R. Strapps"

Quoted message said:

THIS IS THE MOST SALIENT FACT! Never, ever, ever do something new on race day. Never wear new
googles, never wear new shorts, never try out a new bike mounting strategy, never eat or drink
*anything* before or during a race you haven't eaten before or during training before.

Which is almost impossible after all if you think about it. How do you train the nutrition
strategy for a sprint?

By eating certain things during training and seeing if they help or hinder you?

Quoted message said:

You go deeply anaerobic in training and simulate the stress and speed? You simulate bike tourists

crossing your lane during your drinking ...

You control what you can, and try to plan for what you can't control.

Quoted message said:

For me a sprint in itselve is a learning experience and I always experiment in races. Only key
races are important and only then I do whatever I tried in minor races.

Of course there is a limit to experiments, but trying a new brand of sport drink in a sprint
is fine.

While it may be for you, to suggest to other people that they try it is frankly, a pretty bad idea.

Quoted message said:

(Though I wouldnt do it on a long distance). The worst thing is to throw it up - and that happens
from time to time if you go hard anyway :-)

Uh, no, the worst thing is that it gives you the runs, or cramps, or sores in you mouth, or makes
you feel so ill you can't finish, especially if it's your first race. I think your recommendation,
given to a first timer, to try new things in his first race is irresponsible.

--

Cheers,

Walter R. Strapps, Ph.D

"The sheer closeness of our two countries and the intensity of our mutual interaction combined with
the disparity between us in terms of wealth and power--all these things guarantee there will be
problems in U.S.-Canadian relations without anybody having to do anything to deliberately worsen the
situation."

Robert L. Stanfield, Oct. 28, 1971

In article said:

The worst thing is to throw it up - and that happens from time to time if you go hard anyway :-)

but i think one of the race regulations is "No Hurling".

Cam

--
Not every race can be a perfect experience, but every race can be a learning experience.

Harold Buck said:

In article said:

THIS IS THE MOST SALIENT FACT! Never, ever, ever do something new on race day.

Dammit! My plan for race day includes something I've never done before: swimming 2.4 miles, then
biking 112, then runnning 26.2. If I'm not supposed to try something new on race day, should I try
to do all this the day before?

:-)

Preferably several times over the previous days... but if you're unable to do so for lack of time,
you may want to break the several times up into smaller bits and spread them out over the course of
several months. 🙂

--

Cheers,

Walter R. Strapps, Ph.D

"The sheer closeness of our two countries and the intensity of our mutual interaction combined with
the disparity between us in terms of wealth and power--all these things guarantee there will be
problems in U.S.-Canadian relations without anybody having to do anything to deliberately worsen the
situation."

Robert L. Stanfield, Oct. 28, 1971

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

Quoted message said:

In article said:

THIS IS THE MOST SALIENT FACT! Never, ever, ever do something new on race day.

Dammit! My plan for race day includes something I've never done before: swimming 2.4 miles, then
biking 112, then runnning 26.2. If I'm not supposed to try something new on race day, should I try
to do all this the day before?

There are two schools of thought on this. Some feel that going the distance is necessary, others
don't. When I did my first marathon, I did the distance before hand, and I believe it was very
helpful. I no longer feel the need to go the full distance in training, but I think that for my
first long event it was psychologically beneficial. I don't think, however, that I would ever make
that suggestion to someone doing a IM distance event 🙂

James

MJuric said:

(Theodor Seiz) said:

Skip the banana. Concentrate on a fast transition instead. If you have to have a banana, eat it
on the bike. You loose less time going 30kmh instead of 35kmh for a minute than you loose
standing around.

Again I would rather not eat. In a sprint oxygen delivery is critical, you need your oxygen in the
muscles not in the stomach.

Only sportdrink (or some homebrew copy like 1/3 applejuice 2/3 water) or water. You dont need
mineral supplements, vitamins, aminoaicids or whatever [censored] they are selling now in a sprint.

You cant plan on digesting a banana during a 20K ride. Digesting a banana takes at least 20-30
minutes - your ride is over then. And you cant digest with 4-5 mmol lactate in your blood.

If you are not used to race with a banana eaten at that level, chances are high that u will finish
the race without it anyway. A sprint is not an ironman or a marathon.

If you are not used to sport drink, a little bit of table sugar or nothing in water will be fine.
You dont need the carbs - they just help the body to absorb the water faster.

You've said this twice now and I'm curious were you got this info. I've never heard it and
have actually read somewhat to the opposite were gels are concerned. In other words if you
take a gel with to little water it may cause dehydration do to fluids being pulled from the
blood stream to try and absorb the carbs. Does a properly mixed carb mixture somehow
facilitate abosorption? Do you have any links/books/articles on this?

~Matt

Here are some articles that addresses it:

ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
act ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
bstract ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
t=Abstract

Of those, you can only actually get the text of the third one.

The results are conflicting as far as I can tell.

--

Cheers,

Walter R. Strapps, Ph.D

"The sheer closeness of our two countries and the intensity of our mutual interaction combined with
the disparity between us in terms of wealth and power--all these things guarantee there will be
problems in U.S.-Canadian relations without anybody having to do anything to deliberately worsen the
situation."

Robert L. Stanfield, Oct. 28, 1971

Quoted message said:

You've said this twice now and I'm curious were you got this info. I've never heard it and
have actually read somewhat to the opposite were gels are concerned. In other words if you
take a gel with to little water it may cause dehydration do to fluids being pulled from the
blood stream to try and absorb the carbs. Does a properly mixed carb mixture somehow
facilitate abosorption? Do you have any links/books/articles on this?

The key is to have the drink more diluted than "isotonic". while isotonic is a stupid term (as it
would require analysis of the individal persons blood at all times) an indication would be 60g of
carbs or less.

Gels are food - not diluted sport drink. If you dont dilute enough the

concentration of carbs in the stomach is higher than in the blood and this sucks water out of
the system.

While not a study but a gatorade ad, I think this ad is very good in explaining my understanding:
gssiweb.comperfseries.pdfOpen ↗

This at least appears to be common opinion in Austria and Germany suported by our sport
universities, you will find that in many studies, but of course there are other studies and opinions
(some saying water is fastest, some saying you need protein as well ...)

I judge by expercience, I drink 0,75l per hour in normal conditions (<35 celsius). When drinking
water alone I pee more and I am more thirsty then when drinking diluted sport drink.

Quoted message said:

ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
=Abstract

Only opinion, no study. Though quite a good one in my opinion.

"To enhance water absorption, glucose and/or glucose-containing carbohydrates (e.g. sucrose,
maltose) at concentrations of 3 to 5% weight/volume are recommended"

Quoted message said:

ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
=Abstract

"Water transport is maximised by the presence in the intestine of hypotonic solutions of glucose
and sodium"

Exactly what I said (hypotonic means diluted while hypertonic would be a gel or overstrength sport
dring which I consider not usefull). What is hypotonic - less than 60g of sugar per liter - not
scientific but it works. For most people 65 or 68 gram is still hypotonic - but 60 is for everybody.

Quoted message said:

ncbi.nlm.nih.govquery.fcgiOpen ↗
=Abstract

This study is really interesting and not conclusive but contradicts all practical experience I have
ever heard of.

"Walter R. Strapps" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:3F182E91.6040501 @sentigen.com:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

(Though I wouldnt do it on a long distance). The worst thing is to throw it up - and that happens
from time to time if you go hard anyway :-)

Uh, no, the worst thing is that it gives you the runs, or cramps, or sores in you mouth, or makes
you feel so ill you can't finish, especially if it's your first race. I think your recommendation,
given to a first timer, to try new things in his first race is irresponsible.

Couldn't agree more. Experiment in training, go with your plan on race day.