IRONMAN FUELLING AND NUTRITION TIPS 
                               
       OVERVIEW 
        
       When it comes to preparing for an endurance event an athlete’s focus is dominated by training. 
       Every athlete wants to ensure he arrives at race day in peak fitness for his event. More and more 
       the Ironman circle discussions revolved around cycling, running and swimming mileage.  
       The biggest lagging factor though is the amount of time and consideration put into proper nutrition 
       training to ensure that the athlete also arrives at his event with a strong immune system and a 
       proper fuelling plan to maximize his potential for a strong finish.  
        
       A nutrition program for Ironman should be well thought out, tested and documented for the big day. 
       There is no point arriving at an endurance event in top physical condition only to succumb to the 
       forgotten ills of digestive issues such as cramping and nausea and also lack of energy and fatigue. 
       Fitness is one thing but proper fuelling is another and on race day the time on the body is far more 
       than you have done in any single training session. In this discussion we are going to provide some 
       useful nutrition tips on ensuring your Ironman nutrition is down packed and ready for race day. 
        
       There are a few main areas to consider which need addressing these are: 
        
       1.       Nutrition the week leading up to the event 
       2.       The 48-72 hrs before the event 
       3.       Morning of the event 
       4.       During the event 
        
                     
       THE WEEK BEFORE IRONMAN 
        
       The week before Ironman is a critical week in terms of nutrition. Training time is over and you are in 
       a complete taper period meaning reduced training volume and maximized rest and recovery.  
        
       A lot of athletes put focus on eating a lot more carbohydrates in this week in order to maximize their 
       glycogen levels(natural carbohydrate stores in the body) however this should not be the case. By 
       tapering your training and eating properly and normally you will naturally top up your glycogen 
       stores before an endurance event. 
        
       Eating excessive carbs will only lead to weight gain, sugar dependency and digestive discomfort 
       (See previous article on Carbo-loading (http://www.facebook.com/notes/32gi/why-shouldnt-you-
       carbo-load/10151500576468058) 
        
        
        
        
        
        
                                                                      
                                                                                                                                           
               
              Focus on eating the following: 
               
                  ·    Complex carbohydrates such as quinoa, amaranth, oats, sweet potatoes 
                  ·    Easily digestible and lighter proteins, soya, fish, chicken eggs 
                  ·    Healthy fats such as flaxseeds, coconut oil, avocado, salmon etc. 
                  ·    Nuts and Seeds such as almonds, cashews, walnuts, chia seeds, sunflower and sesame 
                  ·    Fruit and Vegetables higher% on the vegetable side so 2-3 fruit max preferably low  to 
                       medium GI such as apples, mango, berries, peaches  and 3-4 vegetables in the good carb 
                       protein range such as the greens, spinach, broccoli, rocket, chives, cauliflower 
               
               
              I personally eat a diet that is low in carbohydrates, appropriate in protein (1-1.4grams protein per kg 
              of body weight) and high in Fat. This boils roughly down to 10%-15% carbs, 20%-30% protein and 
              55%-65% fat. We are of course all unique so don’t drastically change your diet but focus more on 
              the type of calories you are consuming as that’s truly what counts from an energy and immune 
              system perspective. 
               
              What to avoid the week leading up to Ironman? 
               
                  ·    Processed foods such as instant microwave or quick meals such as take outs 
                  ·    Deep fried foods completely 
                  ·    Sugar and sugar laden foods, meaning sweets, chocolates, instant cereals, tinned fruits, 
                       honey  - every product states the amount of sugars contained in it on the label. 
                  ·    Heavy milk products and bad fats such as yellow cheeses and your more problematic 
                       saturated  fats like margarine's etc. 
                  ·    Excessively high fiber food which can cause bowel discomfort 
                  ·    Excessive stimulants like numerous cups of coffee and tea limit to one a day if possible 
               
              (See previous article on caffeine benefit http://www.facebook.com/notes/32gi/caffeine-benefit-or-
              drawback/10151340719668058) 
               
              One of the most important factors in leading up to the event is to focus on proper hydration. Ensure 
              you take in at least 2 liters of water a day. If you consume a cup of coffee increase that amount by 2 
              cups of water for every cup of coffee consumed.  Caffeine has a diuretic effect and you land up 
              losing liquid. You want to arrive at your event properly hydrated, so ensure you drink consistently 
              through the day. 
               
               
              THE 48-72HRS BEFORE IRONMAN 
               
              From a nutrition point of view ensure you are eating and hydrating consistently, and not skipping 
              meals. At this point in the week you need to put even more focus on clean eating. You don’t want to 
              land up with any stomach issues due to bad food which could leave you feeling terrible on the day.  
              Avoid heavy red meats, they take a long time to digest and eating it too close to the event could 
              leave you feeling lethargic on the day. Put some focus on keeping your feet elevated and getting 
              much needed rest, you want to maximize your energy levels for the big day. 
               
               
                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                           
               
              The day before Ironman you want to be extremely careful of what you eat, stick to the plan above 
              and you won’t have any digestive issues. If you have a higher carbohydrate diet then make your 
              lunch time meal your carb meal, but do not plan on eating excessive carbohydrates the night before. 
              You night time meal before the race should be small and simple. Make it a nice combination of 
              carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats. Do not overload on this meal as it will leave you feeling 
              uncomfortable and unable to sleep, especially with pre-race nerves thrown into the mix. You need to 
              try and sleep well the night before the event. 
               
              I generally advise people to eat something simple, like a vegetable omelette on low GI bread or 
              scrambled eggs on toast with a side salad. A chicken or fish dinner with salad and or veggies is 
              perfect. There is no need to overdo it. The pre-race meal will be more critical to focus on. 
               
               
              THE MORNING OF IRONMAN 
               
              The morning of Ironman is crucial. The food you take in on the morning will be critical to fuel your 
              race. It’s best to consume a meal which will provide you stability and give you the energy 
              requirements you need during the event. This meal should be a sustainable meal meaning low to 
              medium GI with some protein in the mix. If you are caffeine intolerant you will be able to benefit from 
              taking in caffeine at this point as well (see article on Caffeine benefit). 
               
              Generally I recommend the following types of meals as a pre-endurance event meal of course it’s a 
              matter of preference and taste. 
               
                   ·   Rolled Oats, Peanut or Almond butter, Half Banana (aim for +-300 calories) 
                   ·   Low GI bread such as Rye, Oats or Seed Load, Peanut or Almond Butter, Honey Banana 
                   ·   Low GI cereal or porridge with some fruit 
                   ·   Sweet Potato, Brown rice  or Quinoa with peanut butter, soya milk banana and some honey 
               
              When heading off to transition always carry a little snack with you and a drink to ensure you keep 
              your levels topped up before the event. I don’t like to over drink as the bladder becomes loaded so I 
              generally recommend light snacking with little sips of fluid in between. 
               
              One should not consume anything heavy within 60 minutes of the race start as swimming with food 
              in the stomach can cause some upset.   
               
              There is a lot of advocating by come companies to consume heavy or blood glucose spiking 
              products just before the event starts to maximize liver glycogen levels.  
              We are against this, as it’s NOT a sprint or Olympic distant event where you will hit a high level of 
              pace closer to anaerobic threshold.  
               
              The best way to spare glycogen in an endurance event is to use your fat stores as energy and this 
              is done by correct pacing and consuming the correct foods to insure your insulin spike is not 
              excessive. Fat should be your main natural fuel for the day, never forget that in an endurance event. 
               
               
               
               
                                                                                                                                           
                                                    
      
     Secondly, consuming a high GI concentrated solution requires a minimum amount of liquid to 
     ensure a proper dilution ratio to minimize the risk of GI distress on the stomach. This is not really 
     appropriate before the swim as it can fill the bladder up making it uncomfortable, secondly by not 
     consuming the liquid with a GI spiking substance you are risking an upset stomach, nausea and 
     dizziness which should be prevented at all costs. 
      
      
     IRONMAN FUELLING – During the Event 
      
     Endurance fuelling is one of those aspects of racing that many athletes get wrong. Many athletes 
     fail to be able to consume proper food consistently through an event which leaves them falling short. 
     I constantly ask people from the time they wake up until the time they go to sleep would they go 
     without food and only fluid? 
      
     The answer is of course not as you will starve. Now throw an endurance event into the day where 
     you are burning off far more calories and you will experience a chronic lack of energy and emotional 
     instability from fuel depletion. The key to a decent endurance event such as an Ironman is proper 
     feeding and this is where most people go completely wrong. 
      
     The big day arrives, the temperatures are lower and fluid consumption is far less as you are not 
     sweating out that amount of liquid. Now you are taking in fewer calories which will lead to under 
     fuelling which will ultimately lead to energy depletion. Always keep your hydration and energy 
     requirements completely separate. 
      
     ONLY drink to thirst. Forget how many carbs or calories are in the bottle. It does ultimately help with 
     faster fluid absorption. But don’t depend on it solely for energy. 
      
      
     Eat small and frequently (measure your food intake by time) 
     Eating is the key to a decent Ironman. I always tell athletes that their bike is their kitchen. This is the 
     time to feed and fuel up so that you can hit the run with energy levels stable and rearing to go. Once 
     you are on the bike and you are in a comfort zone, meaning a point of equilibrium where aerobic 
     heart rate is stable, breathing is regulated and you are in a rhythm, it’s time to feed. 
      
     In an endurance event such as Ironman there are many theories around +-50 grams of carbs per an 
     hour, maximizing absorption rate with the right combination of carbohydrates and even trying to go 
     beyond that. 
      
     However people forget you have a huge amount of fat which is available as an incredible source of 
     energy, and most nutrition experts forget to take that into account. A combination of fat and 
     glycogen will see you through the event. 
     Secondly trying to consume 50g or more of carbs per an hour will most likely only lead to digestive 
     issues for sure, keep it simple. Ironman is a controlled paced event not something that you are 
     racing at a high speed anywhere near your anaerobic threshold. This means fat is available as a 
     source of fuel and without a doubt the best way to spare your glycogen.