bathroom brake HIM

I've done two and didn't take a bathroom break either time. The first one I drank too much and by the end my bladder was going to burst, but I just didn't want to stop and it was cool enough, that I wasn't sweating enough to mask it if I peed myself, so I held it. I honestly think it gave me the boost to finish at the end, and I ran straight to the port a potty.

The second one I balanced my fluid intake a bit better, had to pee by the end, but it was manageable. I do pee like crazy during my "warm up" in the water, to make sure the tank is as empty as possible before starting.

I don't think 5 hours is beyond reason to hold it, especially since you're sweating the whole time. I just manage my fluid intake to make sure I'm hydrated, but not overdoing it.

Port a potty in T2. I can't pee on the bike. Nor am I pro. Thinking about it I can only pee in wetsuit, OW or pool. Just kidding about the last one mostly

being this will will be my 1st HIM, i'll assume my time will be a little higher than 5hrs the thought is if i'm closer to 6 1/2 -7 hr race time, because i'm slow

knowing that I also haven't trained more than 3 1/2 hrs at one time(i didn't have to go during that time on bike only), I'm on a learning curve for nutrition past that mark and whatever happens will be new.

Reading the nutrition threads, everyone is different of course, so I'm trying to plan for everything.

We have what we call "going greyhound" If you have ever been to the dog races and you see a dog take a crap, bet on that dog! The lighter the better! Thus our family's saying of going "greyhound." I think getting your greyhound routine down pat is quite a necessity. And if you need to pee that's where the swim comes in handy, open water of course.
Now personally I have not done it but I know I have been behind or around peeps doing it on the bike but I don't see how you can relax enough to let it out. Now #2 during the race? Small plastic bag with a few baby wipes will literally save your a$$.

Stealing that.

I #1 and #2 on the bike, I only get off when I get to T2. As for the run, I will stop at a port a potty as long as there is no line. If there is a line, I go while I run.

I have no problem peeing at any time during the race si I don't even try to manage that. As far as #2, I drink a number of espresso double shots when I'm getting ready for the race. Wakes me up and gets the colon rollin'

i do the coffee thing in the morning too, and being a early morning guy anyways, i have trained my system for #2.

I just figured if some folks eat solids on bike, that with the run, the system tends to work faster for me. Some of my training has had me back at the house shortly after my start for rd 2


BTW-- As I wrote the subject line I was thinking stopping to go to bathroom and wrote brake instead of break :P

Experiment systematically with foods during your long rides/runs in training and try to find something that won't make you need to go #2. Everyone is different in that respect, but suspects to avoid would be anything with a lot of fiber or fat. I sometimes eat dates in training, for example, but I don't think I'd risk it in a race. Ditto for anything with wheat or dairy (energy bars, etc.) You are probably safer with gu, chews, liquid nutrition, etc. Most people apparently can't do what I do and use dark chocolate as bike nutrition! (Really--I have eaten it even while running out of T2, with no issues.) I apparently have an iron stomach as long as I avoid my personal bugaboos of wheat and dairy (which, oddly, I have no trouble with except before running or racing).

At least if your race is in the developed world, there will probably be porta-potties on the course in the event that something goes awry. (Heat, race-day nerves and higher effort levels can sometimes cause issues that don't happen in training.) At IM Vietnam last year there were NO PORTA-POTTIES on the run or bike course (local regulation, apparently, prohibits them). Only option was to use a few public toilets on a beach. (Most definitely no TP or anything else.) Or "hold it" to T2 or the finish.

So putting together your 2 responses in 2 threads, you suggest people dope and crap themselves ?

I think Shane's question has been answered.

Edited by marcag 2016-03-19 6:57 AM

That's nice for you, but I would rather lose 1-2 minutes dashing into a port-a-potty than spend the entire race uncomfortable and distracted.

I go when I need to go. I do the coffee thing before race to clean things out. I try not to over hydrate during race. I mostly drink when I'm thirsty and don't drink on some sort of schedule. My first HIM I had to pee on run and that was it. My 2nd HIM I had some GI issues and had to stop on bike, at T2, and twice on run. HIMs are uncomfortable enough I won't make them more uncomfortable by holding it in

I've done 4 70.3's and have always taken one bathroom break going into T2. There has always been a bunch of port a potties as soon as you come out of the water and into the parking lot with the bikes. I've tried to go while I'm in the water but I can't make myself go while I'm swimming and I really don't want to stand in the water just staring at people while they are running out of the water.

He probably has no control over #1 and #2 because of his doping habits! Based on his last post he still can't beat us old guys, so his dirty draws is the only thing he has to show for it.

My HIM I was in the same boat time-wise. Mine was on a cold day, so not much sweating to release the fluids. There was supposed to be a port-a-john at one of the turns on the bike course around Mile 29, so I was reliant on that. It wasn't there Tried to just hold it until T2 but too much pressure on the bladder was making things really uncomfortable. Now, this was where being a slower competitor came to be an advantage - it wasn't hard to find a stretch of road that was free and clear of people and so I learned to pee on my bike. I wasn't proud of it, but I certainly felt much better.

Had I needed to go #2 I would have been royally screwed. It had rained pretty heavily and so there was standing water in the ditches on either side of the highway we were riding on, plus it was farmland for most of it so that would have been super muddy as well. Most likely my bike cleats would have gotten stuck in the mud trying to fertilize the fields...what a sight that would have been LOL

Well at least you could have just claimed that it was mud running down your leg!

For me, just thinking about a race is enough to get #2 going, so race morning, everything is cleared out. Dang...that just made me think about a sprint I have in two weeks, gotta run....

Ha! I'll have to remember that one for future races!