Ironman Canada is only a few weeks away.
This morning I was doing my CrossFit Endurance workout in the lake, 8 x 200 meters. It always creeps me out a little when looking into the murky Greenlake water. The visibility is only a few feet, so I’m always wondering what’s beyond my view. Fortunately the CrossFit Endurance workouts have me working so hard that I don’t have the time to think about what might be down there because I’m more worried about getting my next breath and not drowning.
As I crawled out of the water I ran into one of my friends hanging out by the lake, and we got to talking about Ironman nutrition.
My friend had done an Ironman before and so we were talking about what he did for his last Ironman race. He’s a big fan of the Hammer Perpetuem race fuel, and he told me how the Perpetuem was his main source of fuel for the bike and run legs of his Ironman.
This sounds like a great idea, and I would love to rely on only one source of fuel the whole race, but if you read my post on my ChelanMan Half Ironman race, you know that my stomach is very sensitive to the easily digesting foods.
The conclusion that I’ve come to is that I need more solid foods that will digest more slowly to avoid an upset stomach.
The plan that (I think) I’m going to go with is, an almond butter and honey sandwich on whole wheat bread when I first get onto the bike, sip on Perpetuem for 50-60 miles, eat another sandwich, sip on Perpetuem for another 50-60 miles, and see what I’m craving when I start the run.
From that point I’ll have some gels, sport beans, bananas, and oranges ready to go. I will also have a few more bottles of Perpetuem to take on the run if my body is feeling good about it.
Something that I’ve noticed is, it’s pretty crazy how your body will crave different things when it’s stressed and working hard.
Hours 5 and 10 into a race are two completely different beasts, and there’s a chance that my plan could all go to shit. And, if that happens, I’ll end up doing something completely different.
After the race, the first thing I’ll consume is a huge Pergenex Recovery protein shake, and then I’ll hit the Ironman Canada buffet tables. Then, once I’ve showered and relaxed for a bit I’ll grab a large pizza, and go back to the race to cheer on the competitors still finishing.
I’ll let you know how it goes. It’s going to be an amazing day!
Now get outside and have fun by working hard! 🙂
