70.3 Nutrition

Here's a plan I did for last year at Steelhead 70.3 race, my one and only HIM.

I am working on mine for Timberman in a few weeks.  It is close but needs some tweeking.  One gu before the swim with a slug of water to wash it down.  15 minutes into ride another GU and slug of water.  For the rest of the ride I am drinking one bottle (20oz) of Gatorade every hour and one gu every hour (with water).  On the run I am doing the same.  The exception is that drinking part is stopping at every aid station (each mile) to get a good drink of gatorade.  I plan to have some fig neutons and sports beans with me on the bike just in case my stomach gets tired of Gu.  At Timberman, there is a ton of food on the course, so if my stomach wants variety, then I'll go with the flow.

Have a plan that works for you and be flexible too.

There are a lot of threads on nutruition on the Iron Distance page.  I would search through there.

Although you can get a lot of ideas of what other people do, you really have to determine what works for you.  Start experimenting on your long bike rides.  Try to figure out about how many calories an hour keeps you feeling energized but doesn't cause GI distress, but recognise that what works at an easy pace may not work at race pace.  Also, you have to try to find something that you can tolerate for how ever many hours you are going to be on the course.  I would start by trying whatever your race will have out on the course.  If you can use what is on the course it will simply things a bit.

As a rough guildline, most people seem to be in the range of 200-300 calories an hour on the bike and 150-200 calories an hour on the run.

Once you get plan that you think works for you, try it out on a long brick.  If it works on a 56 mile bike ride/40 minute run, you are probably set.