Sucking down a cup of gatorade at the start of the run at the Cheyenne Sprint Triathlon in Wyoming, 2008.So you’ve maintained a healthy and balanced GF diet throughout your training, you’ve carbo loaded and tapered the week before the race, and now it’s time for “the show.” That’s today’s focus – Part 3 of Going the Distance – the during race nutrition.
Nutrition while actually racing is nothing to scoff at. In fact, the longer the race, the more important the during-race nutrition becomes. Your body needs sustained energy, and continued intake of fuel (calories, liquids, electrolytes) to keep from bonking and hitting the wall. But what to eat? It’s one thing to plan meals around training. It’s quite another thing to eat when you’re pushing hard in the middle of a race.
As a general rule, you want to consume foods that are easy to digest, don’t sit in the stomach, and most importantly, that digest and metabolize quickly, providing needed energy. The most readily available form of energy during actual racing is probably glucose (a simple sugar), followed by its next of kin, fructose (the sugar found in fruit). The tricky part about ingesting sugars during a race, though, is accounting for their impact on blood sugar and insulin levels (the glycemic index). Foods with a high glycemic index and load will cause a spike in blood sugar (good for a rapid burst of energy), but they’ll also result in a subsequent crash in blood sugar levels (not good when you want to sustain your effort over the course of a race).
What to do? You have two basic options: a) stick to foods with low glycemic index and loads, or mix high and low index foods, or b) continue to periodically ingest foods and frequently sip a sports drink in order to keep the sugars flowing in (this, in turn, sustains blood sugar levels until after the race, preventing the crash until after it really matters).
For short distances races (10k and under), I usually don’t worry about eating during the race. Depending on race conditions, hydration can be a factor, but I don’t focus too much on eating. For middle distances races (those lasting 1-4 hours), I’m a huge fan of GU’s energy gels, which come in a variety of flavors. They’re easy to carry, easy to eat on the go, and they’re balanced with a good blend of sugars, nutrients, etc. For long distance races (such as a 12-hour adventure race, which usually takes me about 9 hours to complete), I mix it up a bit more. At transition areas where gear is stashed, I’ll also have bananas, oranges, chocolate, and other foods waiting. This provides a better variety than simply sucking down a billion GU packets, though I continue to use them as well.
With that said, I’m now three days away from the Xterra Buffalo Creek. I’ve been tapering this week… did my last speed workout on Monday, my last brick (bike immediately followed by run) yesterday, and my last swim today. Thursday and Friday are rest days so I’ll have fresh legs come Saturday morning. I’ve also been chowing down… marinated steak with roasted potatoes and grilled Vidalia onions last night for dinner, an Asian rice noodle bowl for lunch today (almost pure carbs), and grilled pork tenderloin with rice and veggies tonight for dinner.
Last but not least, Part 4…post-race nutrition, will appropriately enough come next week…post race. Between then and now, there will be the usual Friday Foto, but otherwise, I’m getting into race mode. Wish me luck!
– Pete