Nutrition Plan Advice Needed
I have been trying to put together a nutrition plan for IMAZ, which is now about three months out. On the recommendation of Coach P, I began training with Gatorade Endurance after my debacle at IMSR in April to try to simplify my nutrition and "live off the land". I have come to the conclusion that GE just isn't going to work for me - when I mix it per the instructions, it is just way too sweet. This was reinforced by a forum post by @Sheila Leard I read where she warns that the sugar content is too high in GE and can cause dehydration (no thank you!). Is 3 months out too late to abandon ship and try a new product? I'm doing the "big day" this weekend, and still have three months and the race rehearsals to test a new plan out.
According to the calculator, I need about 575 cal/hour, which seems like a lot. I am 6'04 and about 230 right now, hoping to get down to 225 or 220 by race day.
I have used Infinit products in the past with mixed results, and was considering using them again or switching to something like First Endurance products. The more forum posts and articles Ii read, the more it makes my head spin...I am worried that I am overcomplicating things.
Thank you in advance.
Comments
@scottschneider
Yes, living off the land is easier but if you can't tolerate GE than go to self support. Based on your weight, your hydration and calories needs will be on the higher end, so you should separate out fueling from hydration. Concentrated calories could leave you dehydrated. If you do Infinite you still need more hydration.
Here are some points to think about:
For the run, getting calories is easier. You won't need as much if you did a good job of fueling on the bike. Maybe 200/hour.
You have plenty of time to figure this out. Just stick with it. IM fueling is a puzzle.
@SheilaLeard pretty much summed it up for me. I can't tolerate the high sugar concentration drinks where it is all in one (GE, Infinit, Tailwind etc). Have tried them all and they do the same thing...dehydrate me and shut gut down. Don't think it is too late to start trying something different, especially if what you doing now doesn't work. I owe a lot of my current fueling strategy to her sage advice.
Nutrition is highly personal. What works for one of us is often disaster for another. With that caveat, and after doing my own IM AZ Big Day on Thursday, I remain wedded to my own strategy. I've found that a combo of fuels and fluids works OK, and is much more tolerable than slamming the same thing hour after hour, from Dawn to Dusk and beyond. Caveat: I'm 146#, and nearly 70, both of which mean I can tolerate less and need less than you will.
First 3-4 hours of the bike, I use a bit of solid food - 1/3rd of a Clif Bar per hour, or one of the minis that IMs sometimes have at the aid stations. That's about 100 Cal. I also carry with me 420 calories/32 oz of Infinit, and re-up the same amount @ Special Needs. AND, I carry along a flask of EFS gel (another 540 cal). Total of 1700 cal minimum for an estimated 6 hour ride. If I get thirsty due to higher temps (usually not a consideration in AZ In Late Nov.), I grab a few sips of GE and water @ an aid station.
On the run, I dilute the GE with water 50/50 @ each aid station, and carry another flask of EFS. I am training with all of this for the last three months before an IM.
I think that you have 8-10 weeks to get this figured out, which you should be doing on at least 2 of your rides every week (the back-to-back ones listed on Sat & Sun). You need to have your plan dialed in for your last race rehearsal, about two weeks to go.
Sheila is spot on with her cal/hr recommendations. Caveat: it's surprising how many calories people take on the run, because they are slamming fluids and other things without thinking every 10 minutes or so. Advance planning is critical here, knowing (a) how many ounces you are taking with the average "cup" at an aid station, an estimate of the calories per ounce, and some guess as to any additional calories in any solids you grab, like pretzels, gels, bananas, etc, etc. That's a hidden risk of the IM run, and where some discipline is required.
Scott -- you have plenty of time to get this addressed. Start with NBS as Sheila suggests
Test out using solid food for at least the first half of the bike, and make it simpler as you go along. Maybe start with a Clif Bar, then a stroopwafel, then Shot Bloks or EFS. Also try to decrease calories by hour; this worked well for me last year at Louisville; I had about 450 cals the first hour, then cut it back to 300 cals by the fifth hour
I think the run is trickier to figure out, assuming you want to completely avoid GE. You could do a combination of EFS, electrolyte capsules, and on-course water. Or you could consider a hydration vest with NBS (or whatever you find works) and never need to stop at aid stations
Not much to add...but I've been fighting the belly issue many years. I've tried just about everything. I weigh 150-ish and am 54. This year I got a metabolic test and found out I am a very good fat burner (who knew?) So, instead of eating 300c an hour on the bike I am closer to 150-175. Seems to be working so far.
I recently switched to using EFS Pro and love it. Very low flavor is key for me and not sickly sweet. Granted, I only use 240c over 3 hours vs 240 an hour, but it is going down smoothly and my riding has been getting stronger all season. For something to eat I've enjoyed the gu and honey stinger waffles. @matt limbert introduced me to them at Al Camp and I look forward to eating them while riding. I've just started playing with efs liquid shot for the run as well. Easy to carry, I control the amounts, no gel agents to upset the gut. Definitely sweeter than the drink, but I can dilute and control.
I hope you find a combo that works for you!
Wow - thank you all for the suggestions. It seems like most of you recommend separating calories and hydration on the bike? I will be doing the sweat test this weekend which will give me a better idea of fluid replacement needs. I bought EFS electrolyte and EFS liquid shot to try, as they are available at my local tri shop. I will figure out some options to get the extra calories as it is only 96cal per serving. Its also only 300mg of sodium, so I will supplement to get that up closer to 800.
I'm close to 6'1" and about 215 right now (get down to ~200 for my IMs), and training in North TX heat and humidity REQUIRES the separation of hydration and calories. Even as a bigger guy, during an IM bike leg, I can stick to 100-150 cals/hour, just seem to be somewhat more efficient than I'd guess, but it's been tested out time and time again for me, so it works.
I use Nuun Hydration and Honey Stinger (disclaimer: sponsored by both, AFTER I started using them).
Most important takeaway, if you ask me...test it out before race day!
So after multiple sweat tests, I am losing one pound after an hour despite drinking 48oz of fluid. This is for both cycling and running. So does this mean during a race I need to try to consume 64oz of fluid per hour? @Sheila Leard you recommended 35-40oz, so does this sound right? (I sweat a ton)
It's great to see your results @Scott Schneider -- keep on testing!
My answer to the 64 ounce question would be "absolutely yes" for the bike, but "definitely no" for the run. On the bike that would mean 2.66 bottles per hour, and that's nothing unusual. I need 2.5 bottles on a hot day. The trick is knowing how much to cut back because of cooler temperatures, and dialing it back that last hour so you don't start the run in a bloated-gut state
And as for the run, anticipate ahead of time that you will lose weight. There's probably no way to avoid it. Your body just cannot absorb 64 oz per hour. But if you nail the bike hydration and minimize weight loss there, the run shouldn't be an issue
Try targeting 6 ounces per mile on your longer runs. On second thought, target that number for ALL of your runs. Get used to taking in fluids while you're running. After a while you body will tell you when and how much to drink, without having to do any math
@Scott Schneider
Paul's advice is spot on. Try to to drink more than two bottles an hour and then assess if your sloshing or bloated .... If so, back off. If you don't pee 2-3 times on the bike then you need to drink more.
Remember - it's hard to absorb calories if you're dehydrated. Hydration is priority.
I'd definitely recommend the sweat test. I did that last year, upped my fluids significantly and it has made a huge difference on race performance.
I'm lucky enough to tolerate Gatorade Endurance so that, with power bars and gels will get me through an IM pretty well.