I take Staminade with me on my 2 hour ride - 2 bottles, approx 1 litre which is about 222 Cal (kcal) - because I read that I should take in 150-250 Cal per hour on the bike. But my Polar HRM says that I burn >900 Cal in my 2 hour ride, what's with that? Am I supposed to replenish only a portion of the calories I burn or all of it?
Based on my weight, RunThePlanet says that I am burning 800 Cal per hour when I run (my Polar HRM says approx 650 Cal, close enough I guess). I never take any sports drink or gels during my run because currently I am running less than 80 mins. Should I be?
Recovery drinks - do I need them? This is one area where I am totally confused. I started with Accelerate last year, but found it expensive. Then I read that low fat chocolate milk or even skimmed milk with some sugar works the same. So I started taking low fat chocolate milk / low fat milk after work-outs (I read that the 30mins after work-out is a good time to take in some protein and carbohydrates). After a few weeks, I started suspecting that I may be lactose intolerant (a condition I had in my teens). So now I try to take soy milk (reduced sugar) instead.Of course on top of all that I am trying to eat right - more veggies and fruits, green tea instead of the 2nd cup of coffee, more fish/chicken, etc... But I am certainly not on any sort of diet. In terms of weight, I am hovering at 80-82kg (1.85m height), which puts me at 23-24 kg/m2 (which puts me just below "overweight" cut off at 25kg/m2 for Asian populations).
While we are on the subject of nutrition, R2 is getting so thin that some neighbours have asked us if he is sick. :( He is a finicky eater, so we are doing what we can to get him to eat MORE - including bribing him with a brownie-on-a-stick. :DQuick update on training front: Week 1 of 15 was indeed a 6/6! I managed to get the planned bike/run in on Sat. This week I am travelling to Indonesia, so I will push the long run and swim to the start of the week and leave Strength Training and Intervals to the hotel gym. I will be back in time for my weekend bike/run, so God Willing, week 2 looks to be on track too.
Until next time, train safe and God Speed!
11 comments:
I just love the pictures you post of R1 and R2...just makes me smile! I always love reading about the nutrition tips you get as well!
Okay, short primer on nutrition.
In serious exercise, far more calories are burned than can be consumed. You'll have to try different levels, but you're body will limit you to anywhere from 300-500 calories per hour intake (some have gone to higher extremes, but that's rare).
Only by testing can you determine exactly what you can take in on the bike and on the run.
On the bike, in two hours, I would tend to use two bottles of Gatorade (call it 200 calories), two gels (another 200), and a Clif Bar (no idea, at this point). So, that's maybe 250-300/hour. I think I could handle a bit more, and will test that when I get to longer rides.
So yes, you will only replace a portion of what you burn.
As for recovery, chocolate milk is a good, low cost option. Another good item is raisins. They have a high glycemic index (lots of carbs quickly). And everything I've read indicates the initial 30 minutes after training is vital because the body is most receptive to refueling at that time. I like a couple handfuls of raisins along with a bagel and peanut butter.
Hope that helps, a bit.
I don't think for Oly's you need any special nutrition except a bottle on the bike. its a pretty fast race really. Shorter than some of your normal workouts.
'...On-A-Stick' It amazes me how much food comes on a stick in the South Pacific. I love eating that way now. Skewers are almost as necessary in my house as sporks.
I think commercial energy and recovery foods are over-rated. They are, however, convenient. But expensive. My first Oly tri, I had half a turkey sandwich in my T-1 bag and ate that in my first few minutes on the bike. I think it worked as well as gels and energy bars.
Cute kids! Are they yours?
I have to eat/drink something high in calories every 45 min at least or I "bonk" big time.
Use what has worked for you in the past!
I am still laughing about the pick of R2 and the brownie stick!
Brownie on a stick?!!!!
Everyone has their own personal preference for nutrition. At an Olympic distance, you really only need to worry about hydration. You can really screw yourself up by taking in too many calories. Olympics are very fast so you're heart rate is higher than what's desirable for taking down cals than at longer races. However, I do like to take in some cals on the bike during an Olympic b/c I find myself getting quite hungry by the end. I would practice getting your cals in your drink--add Carbo Pro to your bottle. Only thing I worry about is if you do have a hard time getting the cals down, then you can't get down your liquids either. Other option is to take a few gels along. Try it both ways in training to help you decide.
I always eat a PB&J and glass of soy milk the night before the race, that way I'm certain to have calories "on board" should I forget or run late raceday morning. Not that you'd start the day on empty, but it's nice to "top off" the fuel tank before a big race. I have a bagel and nonfat yogurt race day morning and some Gatorade. I always take one gel just before the swim.
No matter what distance (sprint-oly-iron), that's my standard routine of keeping max calories on board without being stuffed.
As for the race, in an oly, I have one bottle of sports drink and one bottle of water on the bike and consume at least half of each. I also take one gel just before finishing the bike leg.
For the run, I drink only water and take another gel at the halfway point.
Receovery definitely needs to be done within 30 minutes after the race... earlier if possible. I ALWAYS have a Peanut Butter Bagel and sports drink. (During training, I have PB and Soy Milk.) You need a source of protein and carbs for adequate recovery. You get protein in the chocolate milk, but I'm not sure that's enough.
Kewl,
Sorry for the late reply. During my marathon training, I figure I can handle 2 gels (wash down with water) and 750 ml gatorade per hour. This equates to about 300 calorie an hour. I am using this as a benchmark to see how much i can consume. I will slowly amp up the calorie and see how much i need.
For a 3-3.5 hr race, you should get some nutriton. Play around with what you can before the actual race day.
As for recovery, I only use these on hard days. Say a long run (2-2.5 hr), long ride (4-6 hr) and any day where i exercise harder than normal. I know i tend to ingest more protien than I need (extra protein = stored fat). After weight, I also ingest protien too for recovery. I use protien powder but if need to will use chooclate milk.
Always try to eat some carbs after a workout. Like a banana.
Good job for week 1. Keep at it ;)
Is R2 so thin b/c you are stealing his food? :)
BMI measurements do not apply to athletes, so don't obsess over those numbers.
I'm gearing up for my first Olympic this September and when you get any more info please pass it down.
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