Training Clinic with Karen Smyers

Yeah max, I also want to know any details about the nutrition end of things! Sounds like a great day!

Well, I guess it all boiled down to practicing in training what you want to do during the race. The secret is to see if your body can handle eating certain things at certain times. She said she had a hard time eating solid foods during a race, but I'm chalking that up to the fact that she probably races a lot faster than we do, her intensity is higher! She recommended making sure you eat on a regular interval, say having something to snack on perhaps every 1/2 hour, whatever is comfortable for you. And making sure that if you use energy gels that you wash them down with LOTS of water. A sip isn't enough. Those gels are made to be most effective at a 7% concentrate, so you need a good part of a water bottle to properly keep their nutritional concentration at the proper level.

She also mentioned that in long distance races, some people get that full stomach feeling and that it won't seem to empty. It's because your blood level in your digestive system is reduced due to a lot of it being used to power your muscles, so the digestion suffers. She recommends to just keep drinking water, but to back off on eating until you feel better. A lot of the problems stem from a basic dehydration standpoint.

Most people don't eat and drink hardly enough in a long event like an ironman. Stick to a plan and it will be a lot easier on you. And try it in training first! Go out on a long bike ride, eating & drinking what you plan for the race, then do a running brick afterwards, perhaps for an hour to see if your stomach is tolerating your eating and drinking habits. Modify as needed. She couldn't stress enough the need to do all this well in advance of a race. By race day you should know EXACTLY what your body needs to get through 6 or 8 or 17 hours of racing.

Edited by max 2005-01-17 1:50 PM