MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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So I did another sprint triathlon yesterday (Swim 400m, Bike 20k, Run 5k) I had a great time (I've done some before but not for exactly 1 year, when I did the same event). Start time was 1101 so at 0700 had some Oat so simple, and at 0830 some small pieces of malt loaf. I had some energy drink for the bike (a small bottle). I never use gels and barely energy drink, it was just I had some freebie tablets from a Chainreaction order. At the end I don't feel hungry but felt like I should eat due to it being 1230 and lunch time knowing I'd exerted myself and done some hard exercise and not eaten much. So ate a bagel wi th cheese and ham, felt fine. Get home get the munchies so have some stuff to keep me going until tea and a smoothie. come the evening I always have horrific stomach ache and I always get this after any endurance event I enter, no matter what I eat or when.
So suggestions on what I should be eating when? are gels/energy drinks really what they are cracked up to be? Or can I just stick with water?? I just can't figure out why I always get it, no matter when I eat or what.
What are your recommendations? I am slightly worried as on Sunday I'm doing a 90 mile sportif, we are leaving Oxford at 0730, night before we'll be having some pasta and the usual but what should I eat when? Please help so come Sunday I won't have horrific stomach craps and just want to go to bed!!!!
I ate two bananas and drank some Lucozade Sport before my tri yesterday (10am start) - all seemed okay.
Stomach ache thing doesn't sound good. Might be worth asking a doctor.
I would aim for a normal breakfast, with extra carbs like more toast and jam, a couple of gels on the bike, then a bottle of recovery stuff immediately after the finish. I use the SIS strawberry stuff, and it works very well to refill you after exercise.
( Incidentally, remember the motorbike stuff? I found the cheque you sent in the fruitbowl last week; filing is a problem.... So I binned it :)....)
Do you think it's the energy gels giving you stomach ache? I've heard lots of people have a bad reaction to them.
For a sprint triathlon I just have water for the bike section (and even then rarely drink it), I carry some jelly babies just in case but never needed to resort to them. I wouldn't have thought a sprint triathlon was long enough endurance to cause a problem so suspect the energy drink would be the culprit.
For longer rides I drink fresh juice diluted with water
Crikey that's so funny! do you want me to send you another one?? They have been very useful thanks!!!
Ebygomm I didn't have any energy gels that's my point. I had a bottle with some energy drink in it, but I always get this stomache ache thing even if it had just been water. i'm wondering whether it was as a result of he swim?? As just thinking about it now ages ago I posted about stomach after swimming, I think we deduced I was taking on too much air, hence causing wind in my stomach, but would that take 12 or so hours after to take effect??
I've never thought about recovery stuff after exercise, do they work? where would you recommend buying it (good deals and all that!).
Never heard of that one before.
Deffo see a doc!
Torq recovery drink btw is fabulous stuff. But that just stops you feeling achey the following day - nothign to do with stomach ache!
Dr's are rubbish with stomach ache! Had various problems about 1 month ago with horrific stomach pains and bad diarrehoea (no I can't spell!) they just said "well it could be a number of things, wheat intolerance, dairy allergy, bacteria not balanced right in your stomach so try eliminating these things one by one" .. mmm useful input that I thacould have found it out use t'internet and googling my issue!!
Anyway that's sorted now, just was asking for suggestions on what to eat and when, plus whether gels and the like are any good. i've always thought about that recovery drinks bu again wasn't sure. Do you always use it after hard exercise or just the bigger events?
So what should I take to eat on a 90 mile road ride sportif next week???? They all laughed when I said I was planning on taking my camelbak.....
If you are having cramps and the runs try cutting out wheat for a couple of weeks. It used to give me highs and lows in energy as well as causing other problems, so you might find it easier to maintain your energy levels.
MC, its fine, don't worry. I did wonder what on earth it was doing in the fruit bowl though... 😆
I ride a lot, and I try to keep myself acclimatised to using gels; it's an expensive way of fueling yourself, but it works for me.
For a 90 mile sportive I would use two bottles of energy drink and get through about 6 or 7 gels, starting an hour in. It did give me an upset stomach the first time, but I'm used to it now.
Recovery drinks, although frowned upon by SFB and others, really work for me, allowing me to escape that day after dead legged feeling and help to avoid the tendency to eat ten tons of rubbish post event.
I only use it now after big rides so a bottle of SIS powder lasts a while, but my top tip is to make it up with milk and keep it cold; it tastes like a strawberry milk shake, and 500 mls is easy to get down.
The perfect meal for the master race, sorry triathelete 😉
[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_green ]Soylent Green[/url]
OK OK bad joke, poor taste. Really no offence meant, just in awe of your physical prowess!
I don't think you need many carbs for short distance stuff. For most stuff about an hour-ish I normally use a bottle of energy drink. Tri is a bit different though I found I couldn't drink energy drinks on the bike as I was feeling sick so I didn't really bother. For stuff like Aquathlons I wont bother at all as it's not as easy to eat on the run. So I wouldn't have thought your stomach ache is down to not getting enough carbs in in the race. Eating after is a good idea ideally protein rich foods. On the 90 mile ride you will need some form of carb drink/gel/bar I would use a couple of 750ml bottles of carb/energy drink and some energy bars (or real food) if you haven't used gels before. It's best not to try new things at an event as your body might not react to them well so proper food might be the best option something like bananas cereal bars etc.
Iain
Hmm triathlons difficult because of the running, I can't eat any less than two hours before running or terrible stitch.
When I used to XC race (1.30 - 2hrs) a HUGE bowl of porridge 3 hours before the start, double your own weight in porridge if you can, then an energy bar an hour before. Gel on the start line and carb drinks all the way around, gel every 30 mins in the race.
Use to eat the porridge in the car if the race was late/close enough to travel to that day !
90 mile sportif ? 4-6 hours or so ? I would subscribe to the 500ml per hour of fluid, and you won't be going all out so should be alright with Clif bars etc. I can only eat so many gels...
USed to have real problems eating after the race, would make me feel sick, so recovery drinks were good, just accept it and try and have a good meal later when you feel ready, won't kill you.
MC, if you've no time to try out any energy stuff before your sportive, don't try them on the day. If you can try something out before it, try high 5 4:1. It's made a huge difference to my road riding for long distances - kicks in when I'd normally tire. I'd use two or three sachets of it, depending on how I was feeling and what else I'm eating/drinking. I don't use gels/bars, so rely on the high 5, cereal bars and malt loaf. Then recovery drink afterwards.
Have you tried keeping a food diary of everything you eat before the tri to see if there's any similarities?
For long rides, the VERY BEST THING EVER is Torq caffeinated gels. Absolute rocket fuel, but only at the end of a ride when you get really tired...
For the sprint tri i did on saturday, I had a small bowl of porridge at 6am, then drank High5 2:1 energy drink on the drive to the race. Then a zipvit energy bar at about 730 while I was racking the bike for an 810 start. 2 mouthfuls of High5 2:1 energy drink at 15k on the bike.
Felt fine throughout the race, and posted the 9th fastest bike time of 967 entrants so was doing something right.
About 15mins after the finish I had 300ml of milkshake and half a powerbar ride bar. No gutrot, no gravy bum, no cramps, and fine the rest of the weekend.
Trick i find is to eat little and often as you don't want bulk but you want the slow release, so on a sportive you need to find an energy bar that's not too dry to eat while you're riding. Again, I rate the zipvit chocolate ones as they're light and chewy, but break down quickly with just saliva.
You won't need a camelbak, get either a bento for the top tube or just tape a few bars and gels (masking tape is king for that), couple of bottles, fill them with diluted energy drink and you'll get through - easy enough to get some more liquid from the feed stations.