Subject: RE: Do you eat (or drink) anything during a sprint triathlon? Originally posted by gsmacleod Studies suggest taking something with sugar, even if you just rinse with it, during shorter events can help an athlete race at a higher intensity. The idea is that your body will start to slow as glycogen levels dip; when the body knows sugar is coming, it will not work as hard to preserve stored glycogen and you can therefore push a little harder. So yes, you should take something; at high intensity, probably best to use sports drink (possibly diluted) so as not to stress your gi system too much (vomiting during a race is not much fun). Shane This is what I advocate too. The strategy of rinsing with a carbohydrate drink and spitting it out for "shorter" races is often overlooked. Similarly to the way things like pickle juice can alleviate exercise induced cramping, just rinsing without ingesting carbohydrates seems to send a signal to the brain that the body is getting what it needs, so the brain can relax the governor a bit, and allow the body to push closer to it's physiological limits. |