No matter what level you compete at, from first timer to experienced triathlete, optimising your nutrition will maximise your performance, and allow you to race to your full potential. Paying attention to good dietary practices will also aid recovery, which is vital to success in a sport requiring many hours of training, often with several sessions per day. Rapid recovery will facilitate more effective training on a day to day basis, and reduce the risk of fatigue.
FUEL
• Carbohydrate (CHO) is the source of fuel for exercising muscles.
• CHO is stored as glycogen in our muscles (largest amount) and liver, and in small quantities as glucose (sugar) in the blood.
• Exercise uses up these stores of glycogen – average muscle glycogen stores last for about 90 minutes of continuous exercise.
• A diet high in carbohydrate will maximise these glycogen stores, and allow the athlete to exercise for longer periods of time before fatigue sets in, and training becomes ineffective.
• Include nutritious CHO rich foods at each meal and snack. These include
o Bread
o Breakfast cereal
o Pasta
o Rice
o Noodles
o Other grains such as couscous
o Fruit in all its forms
o Starchy vegetables-potato and corn
o Legumes-lentils, baked beans, kidney beans
o Low fat dairy foods such as low fat milk, yoghurt, custard, fruche, fruit smoothies
o Pancakes, scones, low fat cakes or muffins
• Serve meals and snacks so that CHO foods take up most of the room on the plate.
• Sugar and sugary foods also provide CHO- they can be used to add extra fuel if energy needs are high.
• Triathletes training every day for an hour or more each day have high CHO needs- these are best met by including regular CHO rich snacks throughout the day, rather than relying on just 3 meals per day.
• Make sure you top up your glycogen stores before a race by eating plenty of CHO rich foods for 24 hours before the race (or 3 days for a longer race), and reducing your training during that time.
KEEPING BODY FAT LEVELS LOW
• Lean athletes tend to have an advantage in the cycle and run legs of a triathlon, over those carrying more body fat, as they have less weight to carry around the course. Higher body fat levels can be an advantage in the swim leg, however, due to increased buoyancy.
• Most triathletes try to achieve low body fat levels.
• To reduce body fat levels the athlete must reduce their energy (calorie) intake to less than their requirements. This is best done by maintaining a high CHO intake but reducing intake of dietary fats and oils.
• Remember that food should be enjoyable and is often an important part of a social event, so don’t be too restrictive in your diet, and do allow yourself a “treat” from time to time.
• Strategies for reducing fat intake include
o Reduce serve size of meat & choose lean cuts, remove any remaining fat or skin.
o Choose low fat and reduced fat dairy products
o Use low-fat cooking methods
o Don’t smother food in oil, butter, greasy sauces or dressings
o Be aware of hidden fats inside baked or prepared food items
o Remember some “healthy” sounding foods are high in fat
• Find lower fat alternative
o Learn to read labels to identify the total fat content of food
HYDRATION
• It is essential to look after fluid needs in order to perform at your best
• Sweating is our body’s way of getting rid of the heat produced be exercise-sweating increases with hotter environments and more intense exercise.
• Even low levels of dehydration will result in a drop in performance, so make sure you replace the fluid lost from your body as sweat.
• Failure to replace lost fluids may result in chronic dehydration, the symptoms of which include
• Muscle cramps
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Nausea
• Concentrated urine
• Strategies to replace fluid over the day include
• Keep a supply of fluids on hand during the day-carry a water bottle
• Take extra care in hot weather or when you suddenly move to a hot climate
• Pre hydrate (500 ml 2 hours before exercise)
• Drink during exercise- a rough guide is drink 500-750 ml per hour of exercise. You will need more in warmer climates.
• Rehydrate quickly after a training session or race
• Drink at each meal
• Monitor urine volume and colour – reduced quantity or dark coloured urine usually indicates inadequate fluid intake.
• Monitor body weight – day to day fluctuations in weight are due to fluid changes in your body, not fat loss.
• Suitable fluids include sports drink (e.g. Gatorade), cordial or water
RACE PREPARATION
• Important to fill up your muscle glycogen stores and be well hydrated before an event
o Follow your usual high CHO diet
o Drink plenty of fluids
• Practice race nutrition strategies during training – NEVER try anything new on race day!!!
• Eat a high CHO diet the day before the race
o reduce your fibre intake slightly by choosing some white bread and refined cereals, rather than large quantities of whole meal products.
o Avoid excessively spicy food the day before, especially if you are not accustomed to it.
o Avoid alcohol the day before the race, as it can cause dehydration.
• Your pre-race meal should be no less than 2 hours before race start, which often means an early start. You might find you have trouble eating much early in the morning, especially if pre-race nerves have taken effect.
• ALWAYS try your pre-event meal out BEFORE race day-preferably experiment with it before a hard training session. It should be
o Easy to digest
o High in carbohydrate
o Low in fat
o Include fluids
• Suitable meals include
o Plain breakfast cereal with low-fat milk
o Toast, muffin, or crumpet with honey/jam
o Pancakes/pikelets
o Spaghetti with low-fat tomato based sauce
o Roll or sandwich with banana and honey
o Fresh fruit salad with low-fat yoghurt
o Liquid meal replacement e.g. Sustagen if you cannot tolerate solid food
NUTRITION DURING THE RACE
• You should feel confident as you approach the start line knowing that your body has been fuelled well leading up to the race, and well hydrated.
• Hopefully you won’t swallow too much water during the swim! If the swim is in salty water, you might feel very dry in the mouth after the swim, so have a drink, or at least rinse your mouth, as soon as you can on the bike.
• It’s much easier to drink while cycling than running, so maximize your fluid intake during the cycle leg.
• Practice drinking on the bike during training – when you first try you may feel a little unsteady, but you’ll quickly become more confident if you practice regularly.
• It is compulsory to carry a drink bidon (or other fluid container) on your bike, so remember this in your check list when packing.
• You might like to invest in a special drink container which allows you to drink while staying in the “aero” position, or avoiding taking one hand off the handle bars to drink. Ask your local bike store or check out the sponsors display on race day- equipment includes bottles positioned in front of your handle bars with a straw to drink from, or pressurized pouches of fluid positioned behind your seat, with tubing from the pouch to the front of your bike.
• Even for short races taking in a sports drink will optimize your performance as it provides CHO, electrolytes (salts) and fluid in one product.
• Aim for an intake of 500-750 ml sports drink per hour during the cycle and run legs.
• Drinking on the run requires practice, in order to avoid wearing most of the drink!
o Squeeze the top of the cup to form a smaller opening to drink from.
• You may need to slow down as you go through aid stations on the run, to be able to drink enough fluid- if you become dehydrated because of inadequate fluid intake your run time will inevitably be much slower than if you had slowed down to drink adequately.
• For a longer race (lasting more than 2 hours) you should take in some CHO during the run, in the form of a sports drink, CHO gel, or a high CHO sports bar.(e.g. Powerbar)
POST RACE RECOVERY TIPS
• Congratulations on finishing the race- you’ll no doubt want to celebrate with your friends, and compare race experiences, but don’t forget to refuel and rehydrate.
• Try to take in plenty of fluid as soon as possible after you finish-usually you will be provided with a sports drink near the finishing chute.
• Taking in some CHO within 30 minutes of finishing will speed up the replenishment of your muscle’s glycogen stores, so improving recovery. A sports drink will provide both CHO and fluid, so is an excellent choice, especially as you may not feel ready to eat solid foods. If you feel like eating there are usually several options provided at the race.
• Suitable post race foods include:
o Fresh fruit, canned fruit
o Fruit juice
o Sweet muffins
o Fruit bar, dried fruit
o Breakfast bar, muesli bar
o Sports bar
o Low-fat flavoured yoghurt
o Fresh fruit salad with low-fat yoghurt or low-fat dairy dessert
o Smoothie, based on reduced-fat milk, low-fat yoghurt & banana/mango/ berries
o Soy smoothie, based on reduced-fat soy beverage & blended fruit