Nutrition - TriDot

Misconceptions about Carb Loading in Triathlon

At some point over the past four decades or so athletes created a picture in their mind of what carb loading looks like. And that image became a big bowl of pasta the night before a race. In reality, effective carb loading for any endurance event, much less triathlon, is much more involved than this. First of all, why do we “load” carbs prior to a race? The reason is because of glycogen. Glycogen is the most accessible store of energy in the body. Glycogen is what you’ll be burning as fuel during a triathlon. When you eat something like pizza, most of the carbohydrates from that pizza get stored as glycogen in your body. Thus, eat pizza the day…

Why a Nutrition Plan for a Half IRONMAN Triathlon Can’t Just be Doubled for the Full

Allow me to take the opportunity to spoil the plot of this article from the very beginning. Your nutrition plan for a full iron distance triathlon will be less than double what it would be for the half. There, you can leave now. However, for the inquisitive at heart let me digress as to why this is the case. Disclaimer: I will only be focusing on calorie consumption (and to a lesser degree carbohydrates) in discussing this topic. Your “triathlon nutrition plan” is a term painted by a broad brush. Glucose, liquid intake, sodium intake, protein, and so on could all have articles devoted to each topic separately. So for the sake of simplicity we will only concentrate on pure…

How Does Sodium Intake Relate to Hydration in Triathlon Training?

We all sweat water out of our bodies. However, did you know that key electrolytes—the most predominant of which is sodium—are also lost along with our sweat? Actually, the very definition of sweat by the National Institutes of Health website, Medline Plus, is “the release of a [salty] liquid from the body’s sweat glands.” Most triathletes in training are aware of this nowadays. But a few decades ago nearly everyone attempted to hydrate by simply guzzling down as much water as possible. Case in point: Jan Ripple’s (in)famous crawl at the 1987 Hawaii IRONMAN triathlon. As Torsten Abel describes on his blog, “She was leading until about mile 20 of the run until she collapsed, made the comment that she…

Triathlon Training: What’s Really Required When It Comes to Protein?

Protein is a hot topic among triathletes these days. Hearsay and the wrong advice often flood the triathlon marketplace of ideas. Amidst the confusion, several questions regarding this subject demand answers. How much should I consume daily? Should I be consuming protein before my workout? During? After? What’s really required when it comes to protein? Let’s take one step back first. What exactly is protein anyway? Protein is one of the three macronutrients and is essential for building muscle mass. The other two macronutrients are carbohydrates and fat. Carbs provide the energy for our muscles. Fat does the same as a reserve along with protecting our overall body with much needed insulation. What’s been trending for the past decade or…

Triathlon Nutrition – Metabolic Efficiency

In the triathlon world, there are a wealth of opinions and theories as to which nutritional method is best. For years we were taught that a high carb diet was an athlete’s best friend. Now science is putting that idea to the test. Metabolic efficiency, a term coined by sports nutritionist Bob Seebohar, is one such method of controlling our nutrition in and outside of training in order to perform better. Metabolic efficiency simply refers to how well our body uses our stored nutrients for energy. In our body, we have two main stores for energy: fat and carbohydrates. Fat predominates our energy stores considerably more than carbohydrates. The body stores close to 80,000 calories of fat and only 14-18,000…

Triathlon Nutrition – Metabolic Efficiency

What, How Much, and When Should You Nutrition During a Triathlon?

Triathlon nutrition is going to look different for everyone. There are no magic formulas that can be applied to all triathletes because, let’s face it, we all function a little differently. Susan experiences GI issues from ‘Gel X’ while Michael has no problem with it. Frank needs to consume 350 calories per hour on the bike, but Amy only needs 250. And yet they’re biking at the same speed. Why is that? Nutrition in triathlon must be approached like a science experiment. First we begin with a hypothesis based on truths of nature. Then we test this hypothesis in real time, learn why unexpected results were encountered, and move forward. The “What” First and foremost, you need to know what…

The Top 3 Points to Consider in Your Triathlon Race Strategy: Nutrition

Part 3 in a 3-part series. While pacing is the foundation of triathlon race strategy and swim strategy the starting point, let’s now move on to the final strategy that keeps everything in check: race nutrition. Nutrition Race nutrition as a triathlon race strategy means planning for the following: what you’re going to use as fuel, when to consume it, and how you’re going to consume it amidst constant movement. We won’t get into product specifics because nutrition is so highly dependent on the individual. However, there are a few takeaways for your triathlon race strategy, which apply to nearly everyone. First, what you consume needs to work for you based on how many calories you need per hour, what…

Where's the Line in Getting Outside Assistance in Triathlon?

A roommate of mine once posed a difficult question for me to answer. “So then you’re cheating right?” he asked. My brow furrowed. I smirked a condescending smirk as spittle flew from the side of my mouth. Cheating? I laughed to myself. Of course not. Rewind one minute. Before this exchange took a turn for the worst, I was refilling my bottle with another strong dose of Generation UCAN before heading back out for the latter half of a 100-mile ride. “What is that stuff?” he asked. I then generously explained the purpose of my triathlon nutrition product of choice. “Ok, what you’re saying then,” he retorted, “is that it gives you an advantage.” “Yes,” I replied. “I’d be better…