Ensure as race day breakfast
I've been doing 2 bottles of Ensure at 2AM for my RRs. That's got 700 cals, 22 g fat (mono & poly mainly), and 26 g protein. However, listening to the nutrition webinar has me rethinking it. He talks alot about avoiding things that don't make you go faster...
Originally, I thought the reference was to protein. But the recommended breakfast (applesauce + 1 scoop of whey) has about the same amount as 2 Ensures: ~26 g.
Now I'm thinking it's the fat. If so, what is the risk of consuming that much fat at 2AM on Ironman morning?
Like I said, it's worked in training but I'm curious about what the risks of Ensure are on IM day.
If it's relevant, I'm a 34 YOM 133#.
Thanks.
Matt
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The story on Protein is that it's supposed to put off the feeling of hunger. That's the reason there's a touch of it in many of the InfiniT formulations. But it doesn't take much.
Other than this I am not that helpful on your specific question about Ensure. Sorry.
1. Personally I like using Ensure before races. The calorie density is outstanding (and I don't even do the "plus" ones that you clearly are). My breakfast on HIM race morning is an Ensure and a Clif Bar. In other words, a good amount of calories including some solid food too, but skewed to liquid. This works well for me. Also -- and maybe the Ensure has nothing to do with it -- but I have no problem losing a final bit of weight before the gun goes off, if you know what I mean...which is my biggest race-morning stressor.
2. You are racing your first ironman in 2 weeks. You have done several RR's. In your last RR you did the Ensure thing and it worked perfectly. If you change your plan now you are nuts. Plain and simple nuts. Try a new technique before Vegas or, preferably, an even lower-stakes race. But not before IMMT. That is taper craziness talking to think about changing stuff now, really.
I'm no food expert but 2x what Matt said about not changing anything for an IM that has worked in your race rehersals. Go with what has worked and have one less thing to worry about. Experiment later.
...and upon putting it in more context of the webinar, his beef may be the high glycemic index which would spike blood sugar and not the protein or fat. But then this question applies: does a blood sugar spike 5 hours before a race matter? I remember the old stories of Lance et al eating bagels, rice, spaghetti, etc when they were training just to spike the blood sugar...
I am, however, going to work with the apple sauce and whey, etc., to see if there is anything that works better for me. I am still very much trying to learn an optimal nutrition strategy for IM distance races. I think my biggest step forward so far has been the discovery of salt pills.
My $.02, I have used ensure/boost for my previous 4 IMs mainly as a fuel and always as a breakfast but just one serving. I have trimmed the amount back yearly as the fat/protien content backed up over the long haul (as I have removed peanut butter from my bagel as well). This year, however, I am moving the ensure to my 230am feeding and trying out perform/power bars only during bike to minimize the fat/protien intake while exerting effort.
I usually do two bottles of Ensure, applesauce, waffle and some Gatorade.
Semi related. Tremblant has honeystinger waffles on the course. Fair amount of fat in them. Does not seem like a good in race choice.
I'm a big fan of Honey Stinger Waffles during a race for the bike portion.
Fat is just hard to digest and has zero discernable ergogenic effect on same-day endurance exercise...if you read the side of your Ensure it's say's it's "great to promote weight gain!"....not your race day goal.
As others have noted, there are easy ways to get cals that aren't Ensure: applesauce protocol requires no cooking; or you could replace those CHOs with a bagel perhaps. But if you go back on the Core Diet stuff, there is minimal fat/fiber starting 2 days out....IOW, you need to have a very clean system heading in to the race.
In addition to Honey Stingers, the Bonk Breaker bars can have 8-12g of fat in them as well...I would avoid on race day!!!
N=1
I ate a pint of blueberries the day before a HIM. Needless to say, I was literally in the woods every mile of the run. I do not normally eat that much blueberry fruit at once. That was BAD.
If I do not eat salad EVERY DAY as I have since I was a child, I will get "bound up" and not be as "light" as possible on race day. The bloating and cramping are not worth skipping something that my system is well adjusted to seeing EVERY DAY. So despite all of the cautions. I eat salad the day before a race, including Vineman 10 days ago.
Because I develop a nervous stomach 12-24 hours before race time, I tend to live off liquid calories for that time. I prefer to rely on Bolthouse Farms Soy Protein shakes, or Odwalla in a pinch.
I was barely able to choke down a banana hours before Vineman. Instead I had 720 calories of protein shake.
I trained in RR with a 1/2 bar of Bonk Breaker every hour on the bike stopping 1 hour before the run. I had more mental clarity on long rides and in the race than ever before. For the run I switched to ShotBlocks and Powerchews.
Of course I am no where near trying to KQ. I am happy to be out there doing what I love.
Every morning with exercise planned is a scoop of protein with water (120 cals), 2 pieces of Light wheat bread toasted with "Better than Butter" spread and sugar free jelly (200) and some fruit, usually a small apple (60 cals). If there is no exercise planned I take out 1 piece of toast and spread to remove the extra 100 calories.
It is simple, travels well and is the same everyday......