Ironman Oz 2008 - Nutrition Plan

Eat and drink every 10-15min.
70g CHO/hr
700-1100ml fluid/hr


Keep it simple. Use what worked in training.


Pre Race

0400 Breakfast:
Bowl of cornflakes, honey, banana, low-fat milk.
Strong coffee


0545
200-400ml Gatorade


Race
0630
Swim:
Nil


T1:
Mouthful of water
Rinse out the salt water.


Bike:
10/15 Minute plan.

I plan on consuming fluid and carbohydrate every 10min on the bike.

I will reach between 700-1100ml of fluid per hour depending on weather conditions and take in about 70g of carbohydrate each hour as a combination of sports drink, gel and powerbars. The majority of carbohydrate will come from sports drink.


The 15min part will only come into play if I find I have trouble consuming all of this. If I start regurgitating my intake, feel too bloated or I sense my gastric tract is shutting down then I will extend the time frame out to feeding every 15min.


If this still doesn't solve the problem within two feeds, then I will have to slow down. Higher intensity can contribute to problems with gastric absorption. Also if I am having difficulties in taking in fuel, then it is very likely that I won't be able to maintain the current pace until the nutrition side is back on track.


T2:
Nil


Run:
Aid stations are approximately 2km apart. This means I should reach one every 10-13min depending on pace. Therefore at each station I aim to consume 1-2 full cups of sports drink and/or cola still aiming to get as close to 70g carbohydrate per hour as I can. Typically during the run I find I can only get in 500-800ml/fluid per hour and feel comfortable.

Comments

  1. Anonymous1 April 2008 at 18:43

    Sounds like a solid nutrition plan. Have you thought about salty foods to break the monotony of sugar, sugar, sugar? On my last two IM races I placed a salty drink in my special needs bike bag and consumed it during the last hour on the bike. That short break from sugar allowed me to keep taking my gels on the run. Salty crackers or a cheese sandwich may also do the trick.

    Have a great race!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown19 April 2012 at 19:44

    Thanks Edward... even though the post is 4 years old, it still relevant today. I'll be going over my nutrition over the last few years and trying out a few things in the lead up to a 100km ultramarathon later this year. I'll have a look through your work.

    ReplyDelete

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