Long distance nutrition pre/during/post

[El_Scorchio]

Some help if possible please

I am planning to do an event August 2008 that will involve a 100 mile bike ride at speed.

I will be training over the next year for this event i have a basic knowledge of Nutrition with regards to fit ness, but nothing this extreme.

I was wondering what advise the experts( thats you), can give with reagards keeping my energy levels at there optimum during this event and the training over the next year.

Bear in mind i will be on my bike so cant carry half a chicken and a dozen jacket potatoes in my pocket.

thanks for any and all help in advance.

[littlewaywelt]

Pick up the book by Chris Carmichael called "Food for Fitness." It will answer all of your questions.

You can stop and buy food though, right? Bring cash and by stopping at 7-11s you'll easilly be able to stay fueled. On a ride like that where you're buring 4-5k calories, you can fuel with all kinds of different things. I've never heard of an organized century that didn't have food stops etc.

For rides >60m I usually carry a banana, pb&j sandwich, and several gels, along with a drink mix.

I have what I think is called a bento box on my bike. Mine's a version by Profile. It's a small nylon pouch that sits on top of the top tube right behind the stem. It can probably hold the equivalent volume of four cliff bars. Between that and jersey pockets there is plenty of space for food.

[ericgu]

Some help if possible please

I am planning to do an event August 2008 that will involve a 100 mile bike ride at speed.

I will be training over the next year for this event i have a basic knowledge of Nutrition with regards to fit ness, but nothing this extreme.

I was wondering what advise the experts( thats you), can give with reagards keeping my energy levels at there optimum during this event and the training over the next year.

Bear in mind i will be on my bike so cant carry half a chicken and a dozen jacket potatoes in my pocket.

thanks for any and all help in advance.

What sort of event is it, and what do you mean "at speed"?

I second the "food for fitness" recommendation, but there's a whole lot to learn about what works for you.

[El_Scorchio]

Its an iron man, i have a year of training coming up so will probably find whats right for me over the next year, but wondered if anyone found a specific thing better than others to keep the energy levels up

[Richard Cranium]

I will be training over the next year for this event i have a basic knowledge of Nutrition with regards to fit ness, but nothing this extreme.Wow, just think, if you don't have knowledge of "extreme nutrition" - long rides will be too tough.......

Why not use your "basic knowledge of Nutrition" - but repeat every 20 miles.........?? In any case, everyone and every situation is different - you have to determine what works for you - the same way you always have.

[littlewaywelt]

Its an iron man, i have a year of training coming up so will probably find whats right for me over the next year, but wondered if anyone found a specific thing better than others to keep the energy levels up

Half the point of your brick workouts and long training days is to experiement with what works to keep your energy levels up.

For a race, you can put food in the transition area and in your bento box. I'd go heavy on gels, bananas and maybe a sandwich.

You should go check out one of the tri forums. Beginnertriathalete.com is a good one if you're just getting started.

[Six jours]

Wow, just think, if you don't have knowledge of "extreme nutrition" - long rides will be too tough.......

Why not use your "basic knowledge of Nutrition" - but repeat every 20 miles.........?? In any case, everyone and every situation is different - you have to determine what works for you - the same way you always have.

It always annoys me when I agree with Cranium.

Racers didn't used to obsess about food the way we do these days. Twenty years ago if you'd mentioned the word "fueling" to a bike racer he'd have looked at you funny. Most road racers would subsist on miniature sandwiches made with ham, jelly, peanut butter, or whatever the individual liked, on small pieces of bread or bagel and wrapped in foil, then stored in the jersey pockets until needed. Many racers also liked bits of dried fruit, or the ever-present banana.

Now, of course, it's Powerbars and Hammergel and whatever, which work fine and are convenient. For long days in competition conditions, I'd usually dump a bunch of Powerbars into the jersey pockets and eat half of one every half hour. And you can find an energy drink -- one with carbs -- that remains tasty over the course of a long day.

The bottom line is to find food and drink that is pallatable even after many hours on the bike, then to keep a steady trickle going into your system; enough to support the workload but not so much that you are diverting blood to your stomach and causing cramping, bloating, and decreased performance. Most people find +/-300 calories per hour to be the sweet spot.

HTH!

[ericgu]

Its an iron man, i have a year of training coming up so will probably find whats right for me over the next year, but wondered if anyone found a specific thing better than others to keep the energy levels up

I second the advice of needing to figure stuff out on your own. It's also true that the longer the event - especially if you have speed aspirations - the more important nutrition gets. You can get away with lots on a 2 hour event, less on a 4 hour event, and when you get upwards or 8 hours you need to have things figured out. For me, it was realizing that I need a significant amount of supplemental salt

I'd also suggest spending some time on the ultracycling website. I know there are good tri sites as well, which will able to help you with the specifics of tris (I always have food and water because I have pockets and bottles, but you don't have that luxury when running).

[thebeatcatcher]

Half the point of your brick workouts and long training days is to experiement with what works to keep your energy levels up.

For a race, you can put food in the transition area and in your bento box. I'd go heavy on gels, bananas and maybe a sandwich.

You should go check out one of the tri forums. Beginnertriathalete.com is a good one if you're just getting started.

+1

Remember that it helps to view a triathlon as a single event, not a swim then a bike then a run. What might be appropriate nutrition for a cyclist going out on a 112mi ride might not correlate directly to what a triathlete needs.

I like the trifuel.com forums myself, but there is not that much traffic on it. You could also try the forums at slowtwitch.com.

My goal is an ironman in 2009, good luck to you!!!

[MTBMaven]

See my post on the Century-A-Month. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?p=4991945&highlight=Hammer#post4991945

After 7 centuries in 7 months I think I have a system down. I just have a problem staying vigilant about consuming enough calories during my rides. I get in a zone and want to keep riding. Problems occur when I don't stay on top of things early. Playing catch up is a very hard thing to do and generally requires slowing down significantly or stopping to wait for the body to digest the lack of caloric intake.