If it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid. That’s the approach I took to my race nutrition for my 70.3 Ironman triathlon. My secret to success? Snickers. Seriously!! Snickers. Most would think that a candy bar and a race promoting health and endurance would not mix, but for me it allowed me to cross that finish line with a final time of 7:18:48. That’s 7 hours, 18 minutes, and 48 seconds of race time.Here are my top 3 tips for race nutrition to get you through a long race:
Tip#1 HYDRATE! HYDRATE! HYDRATE!
Once I finished with my Ironman there was salt dried on my skin. At first I thought it was from the open water swim, but no… it was sweat. The water has evaporate and left salt behind.Try to drink a sports drink But don’t drink too much. Nothing worse than running with a sloshy stomach.
Tip#2 Eat BEFORE you get hungry, by then it’s too late.
On the bike I made sure to take a bike every 10 miles. The Kansas Ironman had aide stations along the way as well with bananas, water, Powerade, and many forms of GU. During the run I made sure even if I didn’t grab anything from the aid station, I either took a bite of my snickers or pretzels or a nice swig from myDuring the run I made sure even if I didn’t grab anything from the aide station, I either took a bite of my snickers or pretzels or a nice swig from my Gatorade bottle. I had full-size snickers that I would take a big bite out of every 10 miles or so. I made sure I had eaten two (and a banana) by the end of the race.
Tip#3 Salt pills.
I used Salt Stick. They were amazing. Gave me power through my entire race!Never try something new on race day. Ever. NEVER. EVER. You don’t know how it will affect your body. It could make you go to the bathroom more. It could really upset your stomach
