Need Nutrition Help - Why Can't I Race to My Potential?
I am posting this in this in the NUTRITION FORUM for now,
but not sure if it is the right place. I guess I’ll find out!
I am starting to see a pattern developing in my long
course races that I do not like and am coming to the team for some much needed
advice. I have now completed 5 HIM’s and 1 full distance race. Of those 6
races, I have had what I perceive to be nutritional issues that have hampered
my results, mostly on the run and perhaps on the last third or so of the bike
as well.
My last race (Quassy Half) was this past Sunday and I
suppose I could write it off as an aberration since I was just coming off a
stomach virus days earlier that seemed to sap me of my get go. However, I had
some familiar symptoms that I promised myself I would address when the race was
over.
At some point into the last third of my bike, I seem to
lose a little focus and my power slips. I just do not seem to be able to
generate the same power that I did throughout the first 2/3. Typically my run
will start off well enough and then I will experience either nausea, cramping
in my torso or both. Also there is a feeling of reflux. At this point I find it
very difficult to get down additional nutrition. In a HIM distance, I can
usually gut it out, but when I raced my first full at IMLP last season, the
last 10 miles were pure mind over matter
to get it done. Run times seriously fall off when this happens, even in the
Half distance.
Here comes the strange part: I do not experience these issues in training, and this
includes race rehearsals. And, in 2 of the HIM’s that I’ve completed, I was
also not afflicted by any of this. In those races, I was able to race closer to
my potential and shaved lots of time off. I felt awesome afterwards and sadly,
my nutrition wasn’t much different than it was on races where I had the
opposite experience.
I train fairly hard and have enjoyed seeing myself get
stronger and faster (mostly through testing, shorter course tri’s, and standalone
running races). I know what my potential is. I’ve caught glimpses of it on
occasion, but just can’t seem to get there consistently. This is why I am
finding this very frustrating.
I race mostly with what is offered on the course and plan
ahead by training with the same in advance. I have IMMT in August and am at the
point where I am questioning many things. Is this purely a nutrition issue or
could my pacing be off? If I can’t race
to my training potential, is it worth it? Why do I have these problems when
racing and not in training? I just don’t know.
Any advice would be appreciated as I value this team’s
wisdom very much. Thanks!
Comments
For a 6hr HIM or less nutrition really does not come into play as much as we would like to think it does but it sure does help... You could certainly race pretty much all out for 2hrs with nothing... 5-6 hrs really doesn't require that much... However fueling well makes a huge difference ... IM is a different animal and really must be fueled for that run....
My immediate thought was you just went too hard. After all if in general you can't hold the same watts for the last 1/3 of a ride then you chose the wrong watts for that length ride for that day..... But I reviewed your STRAVA bike file and IF .74 should be well within reason. AP178/ NP184 with a VI of 1.03 is stellar for that course.... Some of the lower wattage 5 mile splits and then the last few are on hard sections of the course to maintain watts having lots of downs on them.... Pull up my file and compare it to yours... They are almost identical , I had AP179 / NP 186 for a VI of 1.03 , set up with 5 mile laps so you can see most of my lower intervals matched your lower intervals.... So I dont think you went too hard or rode an exceptionally weak last 1/3.... Cut yourself some slack from the sickness.....
Going forward... TRY race rehearsals above planned race pace+.... Combine this with race fueling +.... Race day should be easier, make sure you are under your race rehearsal pacing and nutrition... Much more important for a full than a half but sounds like you should try it on the half as well since it doesn't bother you in training...
Losing focus- Caffeine ?
Not sure about the Reflux or Nausea but cramping in the torso sounds like an effort/intensity thing again.... I've gotten cramps under the ribcage and had to slow down.... Maybe it was the sickness but if you've experienced these before it could be something more?
Lets go over your nutrition in detail... And have you listened to the Core Diet Webinar?
@Tim - It usually feels in that last third, that I went too hard also. But in this last race, I went in thinking that I could race at .80F (195NP), which I still felt was conservative. I realized about 10 miles in that I was off that day (very disorientated feeling as soon as I got on bike). Still felt harder than it should've later on the bike for some reason, which is pretty typical for me. I've listened to Core Webinar (I should listen again since its been awhile). Here is my typical nutrition for HIM:
Week of race: Move from higher fiber/protein/fats towards higher carbs as I get closer to race day, lots of hydration day before race
Morning of race: Bagel/jam, banana, coffee, sip sports drink in transition prior to start, 1 gel (powerbar gel) 15' before swim start
Bike: Begin drinking 15' into bike (Gatorade when served on course). Typically drink 1 - 1.25 bottles/hour
Begin eating 20' into bike (powerbars but into 1/4's). Eat every 40', In last hour on bike I go to a gel w/ caffeine
Salt stick caps beginning at :30 and continuing 1 cap every hour on bike
Run: Try to get down a gel in mile 1-2. Water with gel. Attempt to stay with Gatorade as long as I can (this has been a wildcard depending on nausea, reflux in races). If need to go to water, add salt caps every 40' or so. If feeling good, will take one more gel w/ caffeine @ mile 7-8. When all else fails, I got to coke, but will hold off to minimum of mile 8 for this.
Training and RR's are basically the same. I'll sometimes go with Cliff Bars + Powerbars on the bike during training if not bricking. My long training runs are really solid. I can push the pace (VDOT 48-49) and drink Gatorade/water and take powerbar gels without incident. I can almost always neg split and finish strong, even on my long runs (12+ miles).
The only other thing I'd add after thinking this through and reading Tim's comments is that I'm starting to think there is a decent variance of my FTP on the trainer and outside. I do all training indoors throughout Winter and into Spring. This includes my testing. On the roads, I have a much harder time riding steady watts and hitting the same targets that I do on the trainer. Hills/Traffic/Road Conditions all certainly a factor, but the effort seems greater a lot of the time for me. I've tried testing outside, but find this impossible to do where I live. Tough to be able to ride steady for extended stretch without hitting hills, stops, etc. But this still doesn't explain why I've had a couple of good races with really good runs while the others have not been.
Thanks again for any help!
Over the years I have come to understand my own metabolism is better suited to higher protein. When I don't focus on getting adequate protein, everything is off - I feel thick and sluggish, hydration gets wonky, weight becomes erratic (likely the hydration issue) and just don't feel sharp. With more protein (~.7g / lb) my weight is lower, more stable, I have more energy, recover faster and just plain feel better. I don't change my diet at all except for the last 24 hours pre-race just to be sure my gut is clean on race day.
This my not be an issue for you but just though I'd throw it out there.
Maybe it's swim related. How has your swim training been? Have you tried a hard 1hr swim and then getting directly onto your bike. If you're swallowing a bunch of lake water and are parallel to the ground for a long time and then go immediately upright and start shoving down fluids it might cause some of the cramping, etc an hour or 2 down the road. Also don't underestimate the amount that a "hard" swim in lots of traffic takes out of your body, maybe unknowingly burning a bunch of matches.
I agree with Tim that for HIM specifically, less is more from a nutrition standpoint. It could also be a salt thing... Are you taking in too many electrolytes in a race? not enough? Getting this balance correct is imperative.
I agree with hammering your bike in some long workouts or RR's. then dialing it way back during your actual race. There's an added adrenaline/excitement of a race that does weird things to your body that amplifies your actual output effort level.
Regarding pre-race diet: I do not completely cut out protein/fats leading up to the race. I just try to make a conscious shift from one area at the beginning of the week to the other towards race day. I will say that last week was an anomaly since I was hit by a stomach virus and really had no choice but to simple carb heavy all week. My diet was really a mess last week, which I know affected this performance in particular.
Regarding swim: I don't typically swallow a lot of water and had never really considered this to be an issue, but it has made me think. I was totally out of whack coming out of the water/T1/1st 30 min on bike in this last week - really almost to the point that I was a little worried about my unsteadiness on the bike for awhile! I suppose I can chalk this up to me getting over being sick again, but definitely something to watch. I have done many training sessions Swim-Run, but few (if any) Swim-Bike. I am going to throw some in, and as Tim as suggested, S, B and R to really put it to the test. However, debilitating problems usually do not begin until after 6-7 miles on the run....this makes it even tougher to test, since I couldn't see doing a RR longer than 6 miles on the run!
Other thoughts/ideas:
-I need to properly test FTP outdoors, in aero (I will address this in another forum to get ideas to get an accurate number).
-I am thinking that me being locked in aero and drinking/eating could possibly be causing a digestive issue (just an idea) and in my next RR, I will focus on being locked in aero as in race day.
-I plan to document EXACTLY what I eat/drink on and before key workouts going forward (pain in the ass, but probably a huge help)
-I happen to be seeing a doctor next week, who is a gastro specialists - I will mention this to him (although I find that doctors look at me like I'm nuts when I tell them I race IM distance!)
-I will make it a point to due some extra hard bike sessions (long ones) which exceeds IF for upcoming race as Tim and JW suggest. I like the idea of tougher prep making my race day easier since the bike seems tougher than it should be on race day for me.
Anything else? Thanks again team for taking the time to read, comment and suggest ideas! I'll follow up with any changes....