First 70.3

1. Getting a hydration and calorie intake plan that my system would tolerate throughout the race and practicing it during my long workouts. (every 10 min drink, every 20min small calorie intake and drink etc...)
2. Doing some brick workouts on the actual course if possible that boosts my self-confidence.
3. Open Water Swim, need at least 3 before that race
4. Making sure I can stay aero for 2.5 - 3 hours with no pain or discomfort in the saddle, back or hips.

Mike, I see what you did there. That song came out the year I graduated. God I'm old...

Alex

SaltTabs!!! If you dropped 30lbs, and are racing a half in August, adjust your salt intake. Gatorade/Heed/whatever sports drink you choose is not enough not to cramp up. I take 2 SaltTabs every hour, starting on the bike. For reference, I am 6'2", 185lbs when I race.

Also, as others have said, test your body for your nutrition. Over 5+ hours, your body reacts much differently to nutritional intake than a sprint/Olympic. There are plenty of sites out there for carb intake during a race.

Good luck and enjoy the training!

1) a race/pace plan. It will be hard to hold back but you need to in order to not burn out on the run. I learned this hard way in my first 1/2
2) practice nutrition. I recommend using your own on the bike and use the course on the run. Key is practice as you will be out there much longer than any other races you've done. Do a few long bricks to practice it.
3) I also believe in Salt. Many don't but I'm a big believer in base salt. I had major cramping in my first 1/2 but it was really hot. After switching to Base I haven't had issues.
4) nothing new on race day
5) as far as transition goes. Pretty much the same as a sprint or Olympic in my opinion.

Spot on Nussy.
ditto on #4. I don't know how many people I have talked to who were like "I couldn't find a gel pack so I ate a xxxx bar on the run, never had one before." Next line goes something like "man I almost crapped my pants"

Don't bike too hard or the run will be miserable.

As for salt tablets, it is only 1 electrolyte. You are better off using gels and drinks that have a balance of electrolytes and carbs that you need. The human body actually can not use the sodium with out the proper amount of potassium in the system, so once your out of balance it's not doing you any good. There is a placebo effect if you truly believe.

Do some long hard workouts well before the event to practice the nutrition and see what combination works for you. Almost no one gets its perfect for their first 70.3. If you think you got it right the first time you probably could have raced harder

this is spot on. I would adjust #3 a bit to say electrolyte tabs rather than salt tabs per se. Same concept, but a bit of a different mix in the tab itself. And it will depend on how hot it is on race day. if you are a big sweater, then having salt/electrolyte tabs are very important.

Sunscreen, as someone else mentioned, is very important.

my last comment would be to enjoy the longer 70.3 race. a 70.3 race is (obviously) different than a short race, and you have to race it differently too. don't overcook yourself on the bike, and since I assume you're a weekend warrior like most of us are, a good strategy might be to walk through aid station and on the uphills, and run the rest. Unless you're competing for a podium, there is no reason to land in medical at the end of the race. Don't get me wrong, you should push yourself because it is a race at the end of the day, but pushing your body hard for +/- 6 hours is very different than pushing your body for +/- 1 hr.

enjoy and good luck!

very true..LOL!

I'll second/third the "nothing new".

Practice hydration/nutrition during your training. If you follow a decent plan, you'll have enough long days to 'practice' it and see what works. What works for someone else might not work for you. It's not rocket science...at least for guys like me. I was worried about "knowing" what's right. It was pretty straightforward in the end for me. If your pee is the color of battery acid and as thick as jello, you're being dangerous. If it's at a lighter color at the end of the race/long day, you'll feel a lot better for the last hour or two. Maybe a little less so if it's darker. If you don't feeling 'dead' towards the end of those workouts and the pee is good, could be you need some sugar, or needed a little bit more protein or something for breakfast and/or a couple hours before your workout.

My 'horror story. I don't drink Coke anymore.....except after a race and on Christmas Day.

I figured I'd have some from an aid station on the run in the last 2-3 miles. A little sugar. A little treat. Figuring I could get through 2 miles if it didn't agree. I didn't 'practice' that.

Race day, had some with 3 miles to go. Just a few ounces. It didn't agree. It wasn't a violent disagreement, but a good chunk of that second to last mile was pretty burpy and slightly uncomfortable. It mighta continued into the last mile, but at that point I could see the finish line. Not even the lady barfing in front of me in the 'finish shoot' was going to slow me down. Hers was purple. If I had that coke with 5 miles to go, or a little more of it, mine would have been dark brown.



Edited by jhaack39 2016-03-04 4:02 PM

My biggest tip after knowing for sure you will not drown and can cover the swim distance is,

Be prepared for the bike because it will have the biggest impact on your day and how much you enjoy it / suffer. Know what HR or Power you can maintain for the 56 mile ride and do so accordingly. Every bit of extra energy you use or are not prepared for on the bike will take away from your run portion no matter how good of a runner you are. Also a lack of a well thought out & practiced nutrition on the bike will cause your run to suffer. I know that from my first to my second half, I made sure that the 56 mile ride felt like just a training day so to speak, which made all the difference for me on the run, which was faster than my stand alone Half Marathon PR. I was also much faster on the bike because I was way more prepared for it.

Another +1 on the sunscreen. I didn't "bother" with re-applying after the swim it on my 70.3, and just wore my normal tri onesie, and I had a bad sunburn to add to my other recovery woes post-race. My next 70.3 (this summer) I will put a small tube in my onesie pocket and apply during all three legs of the race.

I also agree with what others have said about the importance of nutrition - I used gel pouches, water and Gatorade just like I do for normal training and the shorter races and I was fine. I guess I was surprised by how much more quantities of the aforementioned I consumed during the race - I was filling up my bottle at every aid station opportunity, and coming to the next empty. Sometimes I only re-fill my bottle once on a 60+ training ride. You really can neglect nutrition on a sprint & hydration to a lesser extent. You cannot on a 6 hr race.

Good luck on your journey!