Triathlon - olympic distance race fueling and hydration

Hello,

I know it's too late with less than two weeks to my next race, but I need a new race day eating plan. Currently, I take out a camelbak (@60oz.) filled with accelerade and a clif bar on the bike leg of my longest brick workout. This seems to work well, nutritionally speaking, but trying to eat the bar slows me down considerably (not to mention I'm very uncoordinated and look funny trying to eat it). Second issue is the accelerade--it seems to really knock my stomach out. I chose it for the protein they say is necessary for workouts longer than 2hrs., but maybe this is overkill.

My basic question is how much do I actually need nutrition-wise for an olympic distance race, and what are the most convenient sources to provide it. Is 60 oz. of sports drink sufficient on its own, or do I need gels, chews, blocks, etc. (and do I need to carry plain water to take them)?

Thanks!

in theory your body should be able to fuel its way through an intermediate distance race. fluids every 15 minutes on the bike and at every aid station on the run is the norm - water every 15 min with gatorade or whatever energy drink every hour. imo a gel is overkill on an olympic. maybe dropping one literally before the swim but even that's not really necessary if you've eaten properly during your training. 1/2 im is where fueling really begins to be make or break.

http://www.hammernutrition.com/images/product/ppimages/9SAM.jpg

Get some hammer gel... use a rubberband to hold it to your frame... these should do fine for the bike leg. plus they wont cause g.i. distress. I like apple cinnamon.
one hammer gel on the bike, hydrate with whatever water bottle you currently have on your bike with water.
run... you could take one...but I dont think you'll need it

My only olympic I had plenty of water before the swim, and a gel, 1.5 bottles and a gel on the bike and a 3rd gel before the run and only took water at 1 stop. You don't need any more than that and honestly I overdid it on the gel.

Let your body use whatever you got in you... then worry about eating afterwards....

um whats this protein being needed during a workout crap? Really, those proteins take hours to break down, and when they do, it goes into building muscle during RECOVERY. Keep the protein out of your race day or workout time nutrition. simple sugars is the way to go. For my olympics, i take one bottle of NUUN, and a pack of cliff shot blocks(chews). that seems to work fine for me.

Yes--that's what I'm afraid of--the protein content being at best unnecessary and at worse detrimental. Accelerade is also loaded with sugar (sucrose), which I thought was a good thing, but I've read that maltodextrin and more complex carbs are both easier to digest and better for sustained energy. I think Hammer Heed and Gu Brew contain more complex carbs and less sugar.

complex carbs are better for sustained energy because that aren't easier to digest. It takes your body longer to digest and release the sugars, thus they sustain your energy.

Simple sugars are real easy to digest and thus give you quicker energy. But because you digest them quicker, they don't stick around and you run out of energy faster.

Just to add to above, You will want a mix of simple and complex for top performance.

Holmes, go to hammer nutrition and read some of their literature. For that distance eat normally 3 hrs prior, have a Gu or two for the race and drink normally......Do not fret if you did your training and are eating well th e3 hr time line will b eenough that and a Gu just before and at some time during he ride..drink a bottle an our