The Dominon - Beginner Focused Group - Closed (Page 14)

First, I know this is a little out of the scope of our forum. But you new guys doing sprints or maybe Olympic distances this year can use these same item and principles. Your body need carbs to burn for fuel and protein to recover while staying hydrated no matter the distance.

Here's what my hydration and nutrition looked like per hour for my two 2016 races, 140.6 last spring and 70.3 this past fall. Before 2016 I used GU gels which is really close to Clif gels but has less sugar and if you pick the right flavor you can get 1g of protein. I did eat a Clif Bar Mini or two during my 140.3 and several  previous 70.3 races because I wanted something a little solid in my gut and the added protein to prevent muscle catabolism (where your body starts burning protein for energy after several hours of extended work and if the protein isn't there you're body starts eating muscle for fuel). However my last 70.3 was without any protein.

Most manufactures recommend 10-15% or so of your calories be from protein. That's also way so many companies are adding protein to their mixes. Perpetuem is a good example of one of the first. It's formulated to give you everything you need. Mix it as strong or weak as you need for the length of the workout/race and sip accordingly. The Tri Shop in Dallas has a full shelving unit with drink mixes just like it.

I take in 240 calories on the bike then drop down to 180 for the run (nothing solid and one gel per hour). I have no trouble at all although most manufactures recommend 150-200 calories per hour. Sometimes I feel a little full and choose to skip the Clif Bar bite. Sometimes I realize I have pee again after only an 1.5 hours so I cut back on the water a little. And I end every race and/or workout with recovery drink.

Every hour:

10-14 oz. of plain water and 10-14 oz. of water mixed with electrolyte drink, Gatorade End, BASE Hydro, etc.

 I added that Base Salt because it makes a difference for me and after months of workouts making sure my hydration as spot on. Sometimes I go too hard on the bike and it's difficult to tell if it's lack of nutrition or I just went too hard. Also, Base Salt has lots more to it not listed.

Hope this helps.

X

Hammer Nutrition has become my one stop shop for endurance nutrition information. I’ve read several books, websites, and many forums (which is like rolling the dice) and I always find myself back at Hammer. Yes, they recommend their products but the information they provide isn’t product specific. And it’s on target with everything I’ve found that I would consider trustworthy, most of which I’ve had to pay for, i.e. books. I suppose that I find the Hammer website easiest for me to navigate around and find what I need quickly.

Below is a link to the Knowledge Base Getting Started page. You’ll find links on the left on that page to progress through their info and if you scroll down you’ll find their Five Secrets for Success with link that details each category. Also there’s a downloadable PDF file on the same page I HIGHLY recommend reading. I’ll link that also.

1. Hydration

2. Caloric Intake

3. Electrolytes

4. Pre-race fueling

5. Recovery

http://www.hammernutrition.com/knowledge/getting-started/

http://www.hammernutrition.com/media/downloads/SOS.pdf

Also, I visit product websites that I use or going to use and read their recommended usage and get nutrition details to plug into my spreadsheet for calculations. Most all agree with each other but some are easier to navigate and understand than others. Also, Some sites just use independent writers for their articles and after a little reading I’ve found conflicting information.

Gatorade:

http://www.gssiweb.org/en/sports-science-exchange/training-performance

GU Energy has a “Plan” page where you select which sport or triathlon distance you’re doing and it estimates the nutrition you’ll need for it, I’ve never tried it. Most of their site is independent articles and I personally don’t have time to dig through it all looking for what I need.

https://guenergy.com/nutrition-plan/activity/triathalon/

BASE Performance:

BASE is the sponsor of my 140.6 in May and will supply course nutrition. I’ve used BASE Salt for years (the official salt of IRONMAN) but never their Hydro (Gatorade Endurance equivalent) or Amino. Here’s a pdf file about their products and some info. Page 9-11 has an interesting sodium depletion chart and why salt is important.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1261/7461/t/4/assets/Base-Product-Protocol.pdf?9005791601330642035

I’ll end with one point, I’m frugal! I have kids in college and several other hobbies I enjoy that cost money. My nutrition plan (diet) is minimal in comparison to what’s recommended for an athlete, I don’t take lots of supplements. And, for the most part, I stay healthy and try to keep a “clean” diet. I choose gatorade, gel packs, and clif bars because it’s cheap compared to what’s out there and it works for me. I buy RecoveRite for my recovery drink after years of Whey Protein because I know how important recovery is and I’m not skimping there after I put in a hard workout!

Swim: 7h 00m - 22750.00 Yd
Bike: 18h 43m - 299.22 Mi
Run: 16h 05m - 98.16 Mi

I knew taking five days off for a vacation would set me back a little but unexpected weather on long bike days hurt more. Anything more than an hour or so on a trainer or stationary gym bike is absolutely horrible for me! 

The good news and bad news: I'm six weeks out from race day and it only getting tougher from here. But, in six weeks it will be over!! 

Nate, I personally have never had "sloshing" during a race. I came close during a half once and cut back my intake drastically during the race. 40 oz is probably ideal for a half M if you're running it in two hours on a warmer day. Side note: I won't drink that much for a race/workout under 2-3 hours. But it depends largely on the ambient weather and you. I might drink 16 oz per hour in the winter and 28 oz in July. Practicing your hydration/nutrition long before race day!

Good luck with your sprint this weekend!!

Lastly, beer and steak. Give me till the end of May and I'll start catching up! My beer intake is very regulated right now. 

Edit: I'm very happy to note that today is an OFF day. No work, no workouts, just rest!!

Hi everyone,

Sorry I've been out of touch for a while. I got sick with Strep for about a week. Once that cleared up we took the kids down to the Gulf for a spring break vacation. Obviously my training has been lacking quite a bit lately. Tomorrow I will start seeking consistency in my training and try to get things headed back in the right direction. 

Hope everyone's training is going well!

Glad you're well. Welcome back!

I got in my longest workout of this training cycle yesterday. And tomorrow starts my last four weeks of training before my tapper so more of the same ahead! It was a swim/bike/run brick although I drove to the gym and back for the swim. The bike started off beautiful, 60*F, blue sky, and no wind. I guess we only heated up to the upper 70's but as usual the wind came in furry. I wasn't feeling great and NOT motivated at all which is a problem I've had lately and need to find a way to fix it.

I sipped lightly on my water/mix bottles while on the bike because of the cool weather. Then I started drinking more to accommodate the full sun, wind, and warmer temps. I still think I got behind. I was soooo thirsty when I got off the bike I couldn't help myself and drank too much. Luckily it was only a 30 minute run because I got the slight feeling of cramps in my gut!! I sipped on water/electrolytes the rest of the evening. I got up today little sore and stiff but not bad at all. I have an hour recovery ride to stretch out my legs today that I'll probably do in the gym for better spin and resistance control. Yesterday was one of those little milestones in your training plan that makes statement. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Good job, Nate! It looks like you had strong runners in your AG.