Nutrition/Liquids for Olympic Tri

i think three hours is probably a grey area between not really needing anything and starting to need some extra calories and fluid. it will depend on things like how much you sweat and the temperature.

how much water would you need for a 10k run in like conditions? how 'bout for a 40k bike? i would plan on that for fluids. as for cals, depends on how long you can go before the bonk.

Well....Doing each singularly I really don't take any fluids or calories.   In terms of time for an Oly, I'd do the swim at a fairly slow pace (~45 minutes), the bike at about 18 MPH, and the run at about 9:30 per mile.  I would try to stay at about 60 to 70% of capacity (conversational pace) considering that I've never before done an Olympic and I am a bit concerned about injury and cramping up (something that I usually do not do, even when playing 2 plus hour tennis matches).

I do tend to have a high metabolism and sweat fairly moderately in hotter temperatures.  Do you think it would be wise to about 300 liquid calories toward the beginning of the bike leg?  I don't want to cramp up on the run.  Thereafter, I could grab water on the run.  Thanks for your help!

I've only done one OLY but lucked out with my nutrition/hydration.  I maintained a 70% effort through the entire race to make sure I didn't overdo it and felt great.  This is the plan that worked for me.  Based on my lurking in these forums I'm betting more experienced athletes go a little lighter on the nutrition.

Swim: 1 GU 15 min prior
Bike: Cliff bar done by first 1/3 of ride, 20 oz. bottle gator-aid, 16 oz. bottle of water, 1 GU 15 min before end of ride
Run: 6 oz. cup of water leaving transition area

for oly i take a little hammer gel on the bike or right at the beginning of the run.  sports drinks upset my stomach but the gel seems to do the trick.  i usually need around 300-500 calories.  i've never had any trouble w/ cramping.

How do you drink that much and not have to stop to pee? 

If I drink one full bottle of fluid on the bike (about one hour for a sprint...I'm kind of a slow biker), I have trouble getting through the 5k run (25-28 mins) w/o having to stop to pee.

I don't really sweat, though, so maybe a full bottle is too much liquid for me...but for nearly two hours of activity, you wouldn't think 20 oz would be over-doing it...

For an oly, I normally have a gel within a half hour of starting the race, 1 or 2 bites of a Powerbar as I go through T1, 1 1/2 - 2 bottles of 50/50 gatorade/water mix on the bike, 1 or 2 bites of a Powerbar in T2, then a couple sips of water from aid stations during the run.

The amount I drink varies based on the temperature.

My typical morning whether it's race day or a morning training session is water at wakeup then a banana and coffee.
I sip on water driving to the event.
I do a Cranksports e-Gel (150 cal) 10-15 before the start of the swim with 6-8 Oz of water.
I do another e-Gel on the bike, after half way.   I'll consumer about 16-22 oz water on the bike, depending on the weather.
Usually the run is sipping water on the run to wet my mouth and to dump on my head.  If I need a boost on the run I'll sip a water station sports drink. 

Read the hammer nutrition handbook for some understanding on nutrition. 

I think you nailed it with the sweat part.  On my 2hr / 30 mile hilly bike ride, I can drink a 32 oz Cytomax, a 24 oz water, and an 8 oz water and never have to go.  I get off the bike and twist the water out of my clothing.

Thank you....This is some good advice. 

I think for an oly, if you stick to gatorade, or infinit, you would be fine.  You get your calories and fluids.

For me, a GU or two may not hurt and I like them for my 3-4 hour bike rides if I'm just drinking water, but don't use them for races.

I pretty much don't drink anything for a sprint (but cary a water bottle on the bike), use water and/or gatorade on during an oly and HIM.  The I'm is mostly Infinit or GE, and eat whatever sounds good during the run.

Best current advice for hydration requires you to check YOUR sweat rate under conditions you anticipate for event.  Weigh yourself at baseline and after 30-60min of heavy exercise to get your per-hour weight loss (1lb = 1pint).  Important because sweat rates can vary 200+% between athletes under similar conditions.

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-302--10084-2-1-2,00.html

Just 2% body weight dehydration can produce significant (up to 10%) decline in athletic performance.  For interesting SCIENCE, not commercial hype or misinformation, log on to ACSM.org (Am College Sports Medicine) and search 'fluids and electrolytes' for some great well-referenced review articles. Remember that heavier exercise may limit the gut's ability to absorb water & nutrients (as blood flow is sent more to exercising muscles than to the gut), so intensity of exercise may functionally limit what you should take in (e.g. bloating, nausea).  So you need to think more in terms of avoiding dehydration because catching up during strenuous exercise is difficult (if not impossible).

Bottom line is for typical summer Oly you will need some significant fluids and fuel (carbs) to do your best.  Fluid requirements can be very different for different athletes & weather conditions, so you need to find what works best for you.



Edited by Oldteen 2009-08-16 10:41 PM