Going Ironman Perform only and ditching the concentrated Infinit and water.
Somewhat inspired by Patrick's (and Jordan Rapp's) IMTX race and nutritional reports.
Going to experiment with higher calories, Perform only and little to no water for at least the bike portion. I think I have always had some issues figuring out the proper amount of water to chase down my Infinit concentrate.
I have the Syracuse 70.3 in three weeks. Four bottles of Perform (80 ounces) would give me 700 cals and 2000mg of electrolytes. My ride should be in the 2:25 range. That would equate to roughly 33 oz. of fluid, 289 cals and 826mg of electrolytes per hour if my math is correct. I will also carry one bottle of water and a couple of Salt Sticks just because it's hotter and more humid here than what I'll likely experience in NY.
0
Comments
Just sounds like a lot to me for the more intense HIM But you're doing enough races you can experiment.
(yes I heard PM's podcast and am also interested in hearing more about that phase of his race.)
I normally go with 250 cals/hour for a HIM so it's not a huge jump in calories.
I'll start to find out in about an hour when I start riding.
In off season, I began working with the folks at the Core Diet, which also recommend the IM Perform fueling strategy. I have been a concentrated Infinit + water user for the last 3+ years, so this new fueling strategy was a fairly significant switch.
Yesterday during the Mooseman was my first time following the plan during race conditions, and it worked great. No nutritional/hydration/cramping issues.
Brad
Patrick is recommending 600+ cal of sports drink and about 520 cal of food. Call it 1100 calories total in 2.5 hours. That's 440 cal/hour.
Here's the skinny on this morning's RR. Ended up doing 59 miles (2:42 for about 22mph). NP was 241W which is .80 IF. Hoping to be around 245-250 but I'm training on REAL TIRED legs right now. Just didn't have a great effort in me today as the legs had no zip to 'em. I'm in that 3-4 weeks from a race fatigue rut right now. We've all been there.
I drank 80 oz. of Perform and maybe 8 oz. of plain water about halfway through. The Perform went down pretty well. There were times that I was forcing myself to drink it but that's what experimenting is all about.
I ran four miles off the bike instead of six. The fatigue thing was just making the run uncomfortable so there was no sense in prolonging the misery. I just wanted to make sure the Perform was sitting well in my tummy. Ran the EN +30 seconds for the first two miles (since I knew I wasn't going six miles) and then picked up the pace a little. My tummy felt a little sloshy but that's more than likely due to drinking more fluid than normal. 88 oz. might have been too much for me and it was hot/humid. Otherwise, no issues regarding feeling sick.
My takeaways - I still feel better when I eat something for real. Hunger pangs were back and I don't get those when I eat something like a stinger waffle. I think I might drop one bottle of Perform and add back a Honey Stinger Waffle. It's about the same from a calorie perspective. I'll just have to remember to pop a Salt Stick or two to make up for the electrolytes lost from dropping the fourth bottle of Perform.
The newer plan looks like three bottles of Perform (525 cals + 1500 mg electrolytes), 1 Honey Stinger Waffle (160 cals), some water, maybe and a couple Salt Sticks (approx. 800 mg electrolytes).
@Brad/Patrick/others - how the heck will I carry all that liquid on a training ride??
Thanks!
I made my route so that I would swing by my vehicle about halfway through. I took two bottles with me to start and stopped by my truck and swapped them for two new bottles I had in a cooler.
That's what I was thinking - I don't care about weight on the bike for training rides. I can do four bottles, but that still would not get me to even two bottles per hour for a three hour ride (let alone three bottles per hour!)
I generally know where a few key water fountains and convenience stores are on my routes. A zip lock baggy with powder or two in the jersey and you are set. That is usually what I do with Sustained Energy on Saturday long rides.
I have friends who often work the aid stations on the run portion of IM CDA and they tell me that what is poured into the cups often gets diluted with water, so if you are counting that into your calorie mix just be aware that you could be getting less than what you think.
Here's a blog I wrote about fuel vs. fluids a while back that may help: http://blog.eatingforperformance.com/2011/04/08/nutrition-vs-hydration/
Most people max out for fluid their GI tract can absorb at about 48 oz of fluid per hour. Some can take in more, some less. All of this race strategy stuff is finding what works for you.
This is a HUGE issue. Might want to carry some extra calories so you can cover the gap if you feel an energy drop.
Do you mean huge issue is that it is true and has caused issues in the past, or could potentially be a huge issue if true?
I'm doing IMLP in July and have been counting on using the bottles of Perform on the bike, and maybe bringing along some of my own calories just for a change of taste and variety. Part of my thinking is that my friend who is also doing IMLP (and who has done it twice before) has given me the impression that mixing ratios are much more reliable on an IM sanctioned event as opposed to smaller events. So I'm curious whether this is true or not, or maybe it's different on the bike vs the run?
The run can be a different story, typically the aid stations mix the drink in right there. I know with the old Gatorade endurance they used super concentrated drink and put about 1 oz in a glass and then added about 5 oz of water. I'm not sure exactly how they do it with the perform on the run, but my assumption is that they mixx either powder or concentrate at the aid station. If the aid station team is very precise it is no big deal, but if they get lazy you could be getting more or less calories than you expect.
The other thing to keep in mind is at some races i've had cups that are less than half full at one aid station, but the next one they are almost completely full.
At the end of the day you just have to be flexible and adjust.
Awesome - thanks.
Does anyone have any input on making a 3 hour bottle of perform and just using water for total hydration? Im thinking that would give me the calories and sodium i need for IM distance then pick up a new bottle at 1/2 way on the bike ride.
wouldn't recommend doing that. The taste and electrolyte concentration will be WAY too much. The reason/advantage to switching to perform is you can grab it on the course during racing. The challenge for me in prep for IM CdA was having to carry 6-7 bottles of perform with me (or 2-3 with power to mix when you stop at gas stations and get water)
no way to get 3 hours out of 1 bottle of perform. the max you can get in a 24oz bottle is 3 scoops of perform (210 calories). that will only give you enough for an hour (some people take 30-40 oz per hour). Just keep grabbing bottles from the aid stations. Very easy to do, no stopping required and you do not have to load up your bike with bottles for each loop. just keep grabbing.
Thanks, I wasnt sure how they gave it out. So the bottles handed out have how many calories? Im trying to do coach Rich's math of 250 calories and 2 bottles of fluid. If the calories are in the hand out bottle and I drink one other water bottle each hour I should be good for the bike ride? I know that number of calories works for me just havent done it yet with perform.
@Terry, The perform bottles they hand out are 20oz (with special sip tops on them by the way). If i remember correctly, that equates to 170 calories per bottle so you can calculate how many oz or bottle (s) to take in for the number of calories you are aiming for.
The only Perform I have found to train with is the lemon/lime powder. Is that the same flavor they have one the course typically?
the last two years the ONLY flavor on the bike course is that orange/? flavor (which I happen to like better than the lemon lime). unfortunately power bar does NOT make it in powder form and I have not seen bottles this year for purchase.