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| Eric Hodska's Race Day Nutrition Plan |
- The day before. I recommend eating a healthy, substantial breakfast the day before the event. Most people ask what I suggest, and the answer is what you would normally eat for breakfast, plus maybe an extra helping. Also eat a substantial lunch, maybe a turkey sandwich, with some pasta salad. Dinner should be on the lighter side. Also, I always suggest finishing dinner before 7pm and getting off your feet after that. No eating after 7pm the night before a race. This assures proper digestion and better sleep. I also suggest that if you are racing in a hot climate the next day, salt your foods a bit or eat a small bag of pretzels at lunch. Sip water throughout the day, but don’t overdo it! If you are peeing every 15 minutes and it’s very clear, then you have overdone it. Drinking too much or taking in too much salt will throw off the balance of your electrolytes in your system.
- Breakfast! If performing in a half Ironman or Ironman distance race, I recommend getting up 3 to 4 hrs before the race and doing an easy 10 min jog to awake the system, then eat breakfast. You want to make sure you finish this meal at least two hours before your big event. This allows plenty of time for digestion and relaxing of metabolic functioning before race time. Breakfast should consist of 100 to 150 grams of carbohydrate and 25 to 35 grams of protein, give or take a few grams depending on your size. Do not skip breakfast before long events or you’ll set yourself up for a longer, harder day. Breakfast will provide the calories you need for the early part of the race. It will prevent your physiology from going into a catabolic state, or breaking down lean tissue for fuel. Breakfast will tap off your glycogen levels and provide nutrients for the big day ahead. Some of my favorite race day breakfasts are plain bagels with peanut butter, rye toast and eggs, or my smoothie concoction of soy milk, whey protein powder, a banana, frozen strawberries, and a tablespoon of flax seed oil all blended up. If the event is a sprint or Olympic distance event, I recommend a lighter breakfast, and mostly in liquid form, such as my smoothie concoction, or a supplement I like called Perpeteum by hammer gel. Again, this is to be eaten at least two hours before the event. Avoid high fiber foods on race day, and the day before also. Opt for white flour over whole wheat. Sip water until the race start, but again, don’t go nuts!
- Race time! Sprint distance: (under 90 minutes) drink water on the bike, and maybe a gel ¾’s of the way through the bike (I like Hammer Gel. It’s from a low glycemic source, and doesn’t mess up your stomach like other gels). Water or diluted gatorade on the run. Olympic Distance: a gel with lots of water 5 miles into the ride, and again at the 22 mile mark. Another gel packet at the 1 mile mark of the run. Drink water and diluted electrolyte dring throughout the bike and run. You should go through one whole water bottle on the bike, more if it’s hot. Half Ironman: 5 miles into the ride, either sustained energy or perpeteum, with hammer gel, or half an energy bar. The same at the 25 mile mark, and the same at the 45 mile mark. Gel every 3rd mile of the run. One water bottle every hour on the bike and run.
- Ironman Nutrition: This is where many people make big mistakes and unfortunately, race much worse than their training indicated they were capable of. Here’s a chart with suggestions of caloric intake per hour for an Ironman event based on body weight:
| Weight |
Calories |
| 110 |
190 |
| 120 |
215 |
| 135 |
235 |
| 145 |
250 |
| 155 |
270 |
| 165 |
290 |
| 175 |
305 |
| 190 |
330 |
| 200 |
350 |
You want the majority of these calories coming from carbohydrate. This is a rough estimate, and you
should practice this during long training to really personalize this. You can get your calories from
solid or liquid form. I prefer liquid, because they are digested much easier. You should also consume
between 20 to 25 ounces of fluids each hour. Keep in mind that if your body is not processing the
calories or fluids that you put into your system, it doesn’t matter how much or how little you
consume. Use carbohydrate sources that you are used to, that are low glycemic, and that are digested
easily. Also, during Ironman events, I recommend getting a little bit of protein in with each feeding
to prevent catabolism and assist carbohydrate absorbtion. I prefer the carbohydrate source maltodextrin because it’s low glycemic. Stay clear from the carb sources that end in “ose”.
Start consuming your estimated calories per hour after 15 minutes on the bike. For the first 15 minutes, drink only water and settle into bike mode. Give your physiology a chance to adapt from swimming to cycling. After the initial 15 minutes on the bike, start consuming your hourly caloric needs. They key to the Ironman nutrition is to start the marathon in as little caloric debt as possible. I prefer to save caffeinated beverages for the marathon. Keep in mind that caffeine is a diuretic, and once you start using it, you have to continue using it every 10 minutes or so. Once you start the marathon, stick with your nutrition plan, but don’t wait until you are hungry or thirsty to eat and drink. Otherwise, you have waited too long, and are probably in for some trouble. Mid way through the marathon, get in whatever calories you can tolerate.
Of course these are general guidelines. The key is to practice your nutrition plan in your training , especially during key workouts. Bon Appetite!
Cheers,
EH
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