70.3 nutrition: just Gu or more real food?

My first and only HIM I took a gel every 45 minutes; that was enough for me.  Practice it on a long training day and see what works best for you.

I get hungry, so I eat on the bike. I like cliff bars cut up in my bento box.

I use liquid calories and real food on the bike, gels on the run. 

I can't do 6 hours of straight gel.  After about 2 hours on the bike I'm usually craving something else.  When that feeling hits, I pick up a banana at the next aid station, then I'm good to go back to gel.  On the run it's whatever looks tasty at the aid station.  Unfortunately, all of the things I usually think I would want (cookies, chips, etc.) seem totally unappealing, so I almost always end up going for more fruit, with water and whatever other drink they have at alternating stops.

I've been preping for Boise 70.3 which is a 12 start so I know how you feel.  I've been doing noon start practice bricks what I've found works the best for me is to do blocks and gels with a banana and nuun mixed in with my water.  The longest brick I've done was this saturday and that was 95 minute bike followed by a 65 minute run.  By the way my goal is to beat 6 hours with a special goal of 5:30 or less.    Not sure when your tri is, but you have lots of time to experiment.  Good luck in your training.

I've done 70.3 the last 2 years. First was a gastronomic disaster on the run beacause I had too much gel and fluids on the bike. Abdominal cramping was so bad that it limited my ability to run. Last year I consumed fewer gels and fluids on the bike and was fine during the run. Gels only, no solid food, as that is how I trained.

For me, less was better, and I didn't bonk at the end. Time was 5:54.

Try something like Hammer Perpetuem for the bike.
I aim at around 200-250 calories p/hour on the bike.
During the bike I have 1 bottle with plain water that I exchange at water stations, another bottle with 3 scoops of Perpetuem (405 calories) and 3 Hammer gels (270 calories), which is 225 calories p/hour. During the run I just take in gels and coke/water from the aid stations.

Most importantly use whatever nutrition plan you use during training during the race. Don't try to change something specifically for a race. So try a couple different nutrition strategies during training until you find something that works.

Edited by Lukasz 2012-02-26 2:04 PM

If your stomach can handle it, eat real food. During my IM training I ate uncrustables and Pay Day bars. (mmmm salty and sugary). See what your stomach can handle and go from there !

Just Gu works for me for a HIM.

Paydays sound great! thanks for the tip.

I use nothing for but cliff shot blocks for 1/2's and IM races.

I made it through a 14+ hour ironman on GU and perpetuem.  Every 45 minutes on the bike, 30 on the run.