The more I researched, the more I realized how hard it was to find a definitive answer on what you should be doing. So this is how I think about things now, as simply put as possible, I break my training/racing into two categories:
- less than 3 hours
- more than 3 hours
For events lasting up to 3 hours, I have no set routine for my caloric needs. I usually just use what ever I have laying around which typically is a few Gels, apples, some type of bar ( I have been making my own "larabars" lately ). Sometimes I will even make a few tortilla roll ups with peanut butter and honey in them. I generally am not to worried about my exact nutrition needs during a 0-3 hour training session, but for a race I try to consume about 250 calories per hour(based on my weight). A product like Hammer Nutrition's HEED is perfect for this.
Where I have really struggled in the past is how to fuel myself for long duration workouts which in the last few years have been on the bike and have lasted 6-8 hours of a steady effort. I use to follow my same game plan as I previously stated of just using what I had laying around, but most of the times I would be a mess by the time I finished the ride. My legs would have no power left in them and I would come home almost nauseous with hunger. The next day typically I would be sore in the legs which I believe to be my muscles being cannibalized from insufficient caloric intake.
This year for the first time I have found a system that I love. A friend of mine told me how he had been fueling during his endurance cycling events and I gave his advice a try after a little research. I have used it now on a hand full of rides lasting 6+ hours and have finished the ride feeling great and not even hungry when I got home. I also experienced no muscle soreness the days following. I now swear by Hammer Nutrition's Perpetuum. I think the best flavor is Strawberry Vanilla, fyi.
I wish I was a Hammer sponsored athlete!
They are a pretty incredible company to check out. Their website is a wealth of information on how to fuel properly for events. Sign up for their catalog and literature via email about endurance fueling. They are a tremendous resource. For more information on nutrition from Hammer Nutrition, click here
The system I follow is this:
I break up my efforts into 3 hour blocks and consume the following during each 3 hour block:
- (3) 22 oz water bottles
- (1) 22 oz "multi-hour bottle" of perpetuum
- I mix a 3 hour bottle, which means I use 6 scoops of perpetuum and fill the rest of the bottle with water
- which equals a 270 cal per hour intake; slowly sipping the bottle every 10 minutes or so
- I also use their "Endurolyte" tablets and I really enjoy Cliff Bar "Shot Blocks" which give me a little burst of flavor to break up the boredom of everything else.
Whats important to note is that I consume NO other foods than what I listed above. It was a hard thing to grasp in the beginning, but I have found that keeping it a liquid diet the whole time, my stomach has been a lot more stable and I am not even hungry when I finish my ride.
So back to where it really matters for right now. Big Shoulders.
My plan is to rehydrate the day before and in the morning I am going to consume a bottle of HEED before I get down to the lake and another bottle in the thirty minutes or so before the swim starts. I am not much of a race day breakfast eater, which is why I think I like the whole concept of a liquid diet.
You may think differently, but this is what works for me.
Does anyone have their own opinions on nutrition? I would love to hear about your experience and methods! Please comment below.
Good luck Everyone!
Coach Steve
