White Lake 1/2 Ironman Race Report

Brian, that sounds like you had a great race. It's interesting to me how you have detailed your fuel intake throughout the day. This is my first season of triathlons, and I am still befuddled by the nutrition puzzle. I have yet to do any workouts where I needed anything more than Powerade and a banana to make it through. That is what I usually do for a 2-hour bike ride. For my long runs (1-hour+), I have begun bringing water along. For my races thus far, I have only taken in Powerade, but I have only done Sprint Triathlons.

I have goals to do a Olympic race in July and a Half-Ironman in September. I know I will have to take in some fuel during the former and a lot during the latter. How can I determine 1) my calorie needs and 2) my calorie absorption ability? Also, do you recommend only liquid/gel intake on the bike and run? Or could you go for a Clif Bar at, say, the start of the bike?

Phil,

Don't feel bad about trying to determine how to put the 'nutritional puzzle' together. Trust me, one of the main reasons I take such a copious amount of notes after a race is that I am still trying to find that 'perfect' mix myself!

With regards to your questions:

1. How can I determine my calorie needs? Everyone is different which is why you will need to experiment in training and use your training log to note how you're feeling. For example, lets say in your prep for the Sept 1/2 you do a 3hr ride in January and take in 400 calories. You try to run for a few miles off the bike and feel absolutely drained. There are a lot of things which could be contributing to that fatigue (lack of fitness, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, etc..), but often it is inadequate calorie intake. The following weekend you do the same ride and consume 600 calories and feel fine. You need to make note of this information in your training log so when it comes time to race it's less of a guess.

2. How can I determine my calorie absorption ability? This is a tougher question and there is an even greater variation. Generally speaking your tolerance or ability to ingest calories will be higher at lower intensities and lower at higher intensities. What this means is when you're racing a sprint tri you'll be physically able to process less calories than you will at a 1/2 IM. That's fine as the amount of calories you need in a sprint is significantly less than that in a 1/2. On Saturday, my absorption ability was less than it normally was due to the heat and the fact that I had over consumed fluids leading into the event (intentionally). This meant on the bike I couldn't get in as many calories as I had hoped, but I was able to get in enough and maintain adequate levels of hydration which still allowed me to run fairly well.

3. Do you recommend only liquid/gel intake on the bike and run? Or could you go for a Clif Bar at, say, the start of the bike? If you go to the link below, I've noted my feeling on solid foods during a race. My basic philosophy is that you want all of your energy to be focused on getting to the finish line in as short a time as possible. Whether it be 8 hrs or 17 hrs, we all want to get there a little bit quicker! When you consume a solid food vs. calories in liquid/gel form, there are a number of things your body must do to it before it can turn it into usable fuel. I feel the energy it takes to break down a solid food (even an energy bar) would be better spent helping me swim, bike and run that much faster.

There's some additional information on 1/2 and IM nutritional strategies posted here, and you may find some of the Q&A's helpful.

Thanks again for the note and let me know if you have any additional questions.

Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

Brian,

I hope you don't mind asking for advice. During a spring triathlon, what is your cadence following T1 when hr is stil high? is there enough time to "settle" in or do you focus on hammering away since the bike is so short.

Phil, are you doing the Tall Texan 1/2 IM in September?

It's either the Tall Texan in Boerne or the Texas Man in Dallas. The Olympic race that I am doing in July is at the same site as the Texas Man, so if I like that race, particularly the bike route, I will probably return in September. The hills in Boerne scare me just a little. I live in Houston and my only hills are overpasses...

Thanks for the quick answers, Brian. There are so much info on nutrition out there, it can become confusing to take it all in. I wonder if you could estimate how many calories a fella my size (6-5, 200) would burn while riding at about 20-22 mph and running at 7:00 pace?

I will be doing both in Beorne and will be impossible to miss.... big guy in jammers.

During the running leg of the Texas State Tri (in the hill country) I spent some time with several people from Houston who had been hurt by the hills....

I was visiting with some friends in Schertz on the day of the Texas State Tri. If I can talk the wife into the expense of a wetsuit, I might try that one next year... It would be a good test for me to see if I could handle the hills in a triathlon. But as for this year, if I like the layout in Dallas, Dallas is where I'm going for my Half.

Always enjoy your race reports, Brian! Amazing times considering the injury. Keep it up. Also, I find your nutritional strategies very, very helpful.

As you are the only 1/2 IM and full IM I know 'personally', it gives me a strategy to begin with and then I can modify as I see fit.

Again, congratulations on your race,

Dana

Just to respond to a few of your questions:

1. Lori: During a spring triathlon (I assume you meant sprint :o), what is your cadence following T1 when hr is still high? is there enough time to "settle" in or do you focus on hammering away since the bike is so short?

Whether it be a sprint or IM, my cadence is relatively similar (92-95) w/ the exception that I am pushing a bigger gear during a sprint (hence you'll go faster). Remember, you can have a high cadence and low HR depending on what gear you are in. In a sprint, I do not wear a HRM as I'm going pretty much as hard as I can from the start and aside from a very slight 'settle-in' period, it is a very high effort. In a sprint, I am at the point where there is less concern about pacing as I am basically racing a swim, bike and run with each segment just about flat out.

2. Phil: I wonder if you could estimate how many calories a fella my size (6-5, 200) would burn while riding at about 20-22 mph and running at 7:00 pace?

At 6'5" I would suggest a juicy steak while in T2!! Seriously, it'd be difficult to even make an estimate with someone your size as there are huge variations in terms of economy. A very economical 6'5" runner may expend 150 calories per mile, while an inefficient runner may expend 250 calories per mile. Those are #'s you're going to have to establish yourself but if you want a starting point, look at my consumption for the 1/2 and full IM and multiply that by 1.35 (your roughly 35% heavier than me). As I mentioned, this is only going to give you a starting point for you to work from and determine if you really need more/less.

Hope this helps, good luck with your seasons!

Brian Shea
www.PersonalBestNutrition.com

Funny. Some people complain about setting aside a separate category for Clydesdales, but when you think of it in those terms, it seems we are at some disadvantage in completing tri's that last more than an hour and a half.

Thanks again for the advice. I know it is just something that I have to experiment with to find the magic formula. It just helps to have a starting point.

My question is about liquids and solids-

What constitutes a liquid? Is a fruit smoothie liquid? I know this may sound gross- but a salad that has been thru the blender?