HOW TO FUEL LIKE A CHAMPION
Consume a new personal best – and the competition – with these essential training and racing nutrition tips
01 MACRONUTRIENT SPLIT
Mark Kleanthous is a multisporting monster who’s now in his 38th year of triathlon. He’s completed 40-plus Ironman events. In short, he knows his stuff, whether that’s training, racing or, for the purposes of this feature, nutrition. “You must train below 7.5 out of 10 (75%) so your body learns to use stored fat as fuel,” he says. “And you need to consume no more than 15 to 20% of calories burnt per hour, ensuring this is ingested every 15mins. For instance, if you burn 600cals per hour, aim for 90 to 120cals per hour (or three to four gels).”
02 ART OF RECOVERY
“When you’re training more than once a day, get on top of your recovery nutrition,” says endurancesports nutrition specialist Jo ScottDalgleish. “Know what you’re going to eat after your training session before you start it. If possible, have it ready in the fridge. Try overnight oats with yoghurt after an early morning run. Or a pot of rice and chilli to heat up after a lunchtime swim. If you won’t eat a meal for more than an hour, consume a recovery bar or drink containing both carbs and protein.”
03 TIMING IS KEY
“If you’re always hungry or calories don’t improve mood swings, or foods don’t pick you up when you have low morale or low on energy, you must improve the timing of your food intake,” says Kleanthous. This is something that sounds so natural but isn’t, Kleanthous continues, due to a number of factors including the environment. “When it’s below 10°C, you’re unlikely to drink enough when out on your bike so won’t consume enough fluid calories, so focus on solid foods every 15mins. You could try this running, too.”
04 FAREWELL TO FIBRE
“Think simple lower-fibre foods in the run-up to race day,” says top-level triathlete and acclaimed nutritionist Claire Fudge.
“Often I see athletes piling their plates with beautiful salads, nuts, dried fruits and bowls of fruit the day before. Yes, this is healthy but this much fibre can cause GI distress on race day. Also, note that you shouldn’t over-eat the day before; eat too late the night before; and make sure you plan for enough time to eat pre- race, allowing for digestion and for your bowels to function before the start.”
05 TRAIN YOUR GUT
Taking on enough nutrition to complete an Ironman takes practice, says Scott-Dalgleish. “Gut issues are commonly experienced. Use your long rides, long runs and brick sessions to practise fuelling, using the products that’ll be available to you on race day (if Covid allows, of course). Experiment with a mix of sports drinks, energy bars and balls, gels, and foods like dried fruit or bananas, calculating how much carbohydrate and calories you’re taking in per hour. Try to increase the amount per hour as your training progresses.”
06 DON’T SWEAT IT
“Do you know your sweat rate,” asks Fudge? “You might need extra sodium if you’re racing in hot or humid conditions, or if you have a high sodium sweat rate. Often, sodium salt tabs are easier to carry and can be neatly stashed in a top-tube bag. But remember: don’t slip them into your race suit before you swim as they won’t be there when you get out!”
07 MEALS ON WHEELS
“Because of Covid, it’s likely that many races will require you to carry all of your fuelling needs. This may be the same with hydration,” Fudge says. “So think about whether you’ll wear a bladder pack or how many bottles you can carry. And whether you’ll use your bottles for carbohydrate and then another bottle for sipping on water. I’d recommend sipping from a bottle between your TT bars as you won’t forget to drink. It’s also worth using a transparent bottle so you can see what fluid you have left if you’re planning on a certain amount every 2030mins. You can even use a marker pen to draw on lines if it makes it easier!”
08 NATURAL PAINKILLER
Triathletes pride themselves on managing and defeating pain. And if they don’t, there’s always a painkiller like ibuprofen. The problem is, long-term use of drugs like ibuprofen can threaten bone health, worsen respiratory conditions and even raise the risk of cardiac issues. That’s why you should look to keep things natural. Garlic’s a favourite of many because of its anti-inflammatory nature. Those anti-inflammatory benefits derive from polyphenols, whose levels rise by as much as 50% when cooked. If you’re looking to thin your blood, however, you’ll have to brave raw bulbs as the sulphur compounds that are believed responsible for thinning blood aren’t ‘heat stable’.
09 EASE OF CONSUMPTION
“Cut bars in half and keep them in packets so they can easily be identified in your pocket,” says Fudge. “Also, they won’t stick to everything in the bag. There’s nothing worse than sticky hands in a hot race on the bike leg!” Fudge also recommends breaking bananas into halves or even thirds for easier rear-pocket storage. “Athletes benefit from taping gels to the top tube, too, as it’s an easy way to keep on track of what you’re eating.”
10 STICK WITH THE 80:20
We’ve said it before but if you can eat well 80% of the time and not so well 20% of the time, you’re on the right fuelling track.