BHannahs's Group - FULL! (Page 14)

To Carly's question.  For especially hot race days, I have frozen bottles before placing them in transition.  Be careful, though - in one race, my bottle was still frozen when I got on the bike, so I couldn't drink it.   Better a warm drink than a frozen one, I guess - live and learn!    You might want to just use ice cubes unless it is really going to heat up prior to you being on the bike and you're definitely sure it will melt.  Insulated bottles can also be a good idea.

To Adam's question - the biggest nutrition mistake one can make in a sprint is taking in something that your body is unfamilar with - and having your body not like it or taking in too much and ending up bloated and miserable.    You really shouldn't have to worry too much about taking in too much for a sprint.  Make sure you eat a decent breakfast - something that agrees with you - and that energy should be pretty sufficient for a sprint distance.   Drink water on the bike (staying hydrated is the most important consideration) or maybe some sports drink, which would give you a few more calories and energy, as well as keeping you hydrated.  Taking in a couple of gels on the bike along with some water can also be done if you find your energy levels flagging. 

That should do you for most sprints.  Some sprints, however, are more challenging and may require a little more consideration to nutrition.  If that's your case, you might consider a little more sports drink or a gel or two.  (For longer distances, there are other products and strategies that can be discussed, but that's a different discussion for another day)

Many beginners - myself included! - overthink nutrition for short races.  Chances are, you more than cover the distances in your training, and have trained for longer periods than your race will cover.  Stick to what you did during training.  I found that the closer I used to get to race day, the more I had a tendency to overthink things because I had a lot of nervous excitement/anxiety and I was excited about the race.  It's natural - and sometimes referred to as 'taper madness'.  You might also have a strong impulse to go out shopping for a new piece of gear or equipment - that STILL happens to me. 

Embrace it and indulge it a little - it's new, fun, and exciting - just steer clear of crossing the line into sabotaging yourself.

To add to what Dave said - Clif Blocks and similar products (Sharkies, Luna Gels) and others, are a good substitute for pouch gels, don't melt, and are more palatable for some than gels.  I have also used Sport Beans, which I like.

Post your tips!

So here are a few tips I found along the way. I thought it might be a good thread if everyone posted a few tips that they’ve learned along the way. These are just random tips if we get enough of them I’ll organize them.

1.)    Want more speed on your bike – check your tire pressure at least once a week maybe more.

2.)    Check the Velcro closure on your wetsuit to make sure it’s not rubbing on your neck.

3.)    Body glide is your friend - don’t leave home without it.

4.)    Practice looking up and sighting during you OWS’s if it’s rough this can be hard to do come race day practice it

5.)    Hot & humid out - try jogging at night at the track – it’s a good change of pace and sometimes it’s cooler and less humid.

6.)    Practice mounting and dismounting your bike as you would in a race every time you ride.

Tapering?

Next week is my last building week before I start to taper at least according to my plan. Last year I did a 1 week taper but honestly my training this has been much more consistent and more training in general. I’m having a hard time gauging from what I did last year to this year.

Is a 2 week taper “normal” or do you only taper for 1 week? What do you recommend?

For a sprint, you shouldn't need to do much in terms of tapering - certainly not two weeks.  The week before, you might want to reduce your volume a little and make the efforts a little more intense (especially considering you've been building for a few weeks).  The day before, I find a very short bike/run brick is good (15-20 minutes on the bike and 10-20 minute run).  It gives you a safety check for the bike and also gives you a practice T1. 

Dave:  Congratulations on your first Olympic!!!  It sounds like it was  really tough day out there withthe conditions.  It looks like you learned a lot with the experience - that's awesome - every race - especially the first at a given distance - should give you some things to take away and apply to your next one.  For me, it's normal to get to a place where I start to question myself - the 'dark place', I call it - over time, I have learned what things I need to tell myself to work through it.  Even so, I still have races where I lose my mental focus when my body starts getting tired.  Given the conditions, I am sure you weren't the only one struggling out there.  Mentally, there have been occasions where a bad swim haunted me on the bike or run a couple of hours later.  Experience helps with that.

I'm not sure, but your queasiness may not have been due to the product you were using, but the conditions.  In that heat and humidity, it is difficult to keep cool and hydrated.  That has upset my stomach on a few occasions, and it took me a couple of years of racing just to get myself to drink enough - it sounds so simple, but I would tend to get distracted and fall off my plan.  Use your long training sessions to work on nutrition and hydration, especially in similar conditions to race day.  All things considered, even after a tough day, it sounds like it was overall good experience, and you're looking forward to your next one - very cool!  It's that quest for the perfect race, where everything falls in place, that keeps us coming back.  Once again, congratulations on a big milestone!!   

By the way, I am not sure what shoes might be good for sockless running, but K-Swiss and Zoot are possibilities

Dave,

WOW an Oly nice job that’s a big notch on your race belt – congratulations!

I would bet most of why you felt ill was due to the condition and some of it may have been due to not taking in enough calories or fluids. I’ve seen this before hiking with friends. At the end of the day they physically spent and I know some of it’s due to being partially dehydrated. You also said it was hot and humid at the start and then you were freezing during your run after the rain started. Your body is just not meant to do this. Partially dehydration, extreme weather shifts and high physical output yeah you might feel a little off at the end of the day – tell why do we do this again

I’ve tried to run without socks and I couldn’t do it. I use nike air moto’s and I sized them for use with socks. I use fairly thin under armour socks. For my bike I use an older model shimano tri shoe TR 50 and I don’t wear socks but I also bought a slightly smaller size shoe than I would normally wear since I didn't plan to use socks. My only issue with not wearing socks with my bike shoes has been cold feet. Those shoes are great for tri’s with all the mesh and drain holes but they do tend to cool my feet off.

Here is my race report.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=214171&posts=1&start=1

So what’s your favorite discipline?

I love the water, fishing, boating, scuba diving and just lounging at the beach. Swimming has always been a part of my life and I really like it. I really enjoy biking too. I like the speed and distance you can achieve. But hands down it’s running for me. It’s the most rewarding and enjoyable of the three for me.