What it takes
Going long requires hours of training to make one day a success. Continuous laps of the pool, a million revolutions on the bike and hundreds of steps are needed to get your body fit and your mind mentally tough for the grueling 226 kilometers that will lay ahead of you on race day.
Programs are laid out over three months in advance as athletes make tiny steps to build up stamina and endurance over the distances. Races are slotted in to test fitness and strategy. A fine balance of training, work, family and friends is juggled. It's all part of being focused, dedicated and motivated to cross the finish line hearing what all entrants want "you are an Ironman!"
Nutrition is your fourth discipline
Get your nutrition right and you can unleash your potential, get it wrong and your day will be hard, frustrating and may end short of the finish line. Developing your eating and drinking plan doesn't just start with the race day; it is the foundations on which you can train on day in day out. Your nutrition needs to be treated with as much dedication and training as the swim, bike and run.
Understanding that keeping carbohydrates and essential nutrients replaced during exercise will enable you to go further for longer is crucial. Fatigue occurs in endurance training due to the depletion of carbohydrates and essential nutrients such as sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium and branch chain amino acids (BCAA's). As your body becomes depleted of glycogen you lose the ability to burn fat for energy, your brain will struggle making you think the effort is harder and you will get progressively slower. In extreme cases it can leave you on the side of the road watching your race go by.
Combating compounding fatigue of the three different disciplines is achievable by using a range of products at various stages in the race. The vehicle in which you replace nutrients will change, so will the nutrient requirements. You will need to constantly be topping up your body, even past the finish line.
Practice makes perfect
Swimming does not take long comparatively to the other disciplines, neither is it as taxing, yet many get caught out gasping as working out in a hot pool or wetsuit can result in up to a liter of sweat loss. Try sipping Viper Active on the way to the swim and in between sets to keep your fluid, sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium topped up. Consuming the right concentrate of carbohydrates in Viper Active will enable you to be strong towards the end of the swim too.
Out on the bike time can fly by as you feel great, then all of a sudden you start to slow and can eventually bonk before realizing you haven't touched your nutrition. Set your watch to beep every fifteen minutes and drink Viper Active, aiming to consume a 750ml bottle per hour. This will replace carbohydrates at the recommended isotonic rate while constantly topping up your nutrient levels, including BCAA's. For your longer rides have a Viper Boost bar towards the end of the ride, the 139mg of caffeine coupled with guarana and tyrosine will enable to you stay focused and give you the little kick to get to the end.
Many dread the run; it is the last to tick off, tough and usually in the heat of the day. Getting your nutrition right here will give you the power and more importantly the mental strength to put one foot in front of the other to the finish line. Keeping hydrated is the key; again use your watch to remind you when it is time to drink. Viper Active gels are easy to carry and give you 25g of carbohydrates in a 70g pouch. Taken with water this will keep the power on without aggravating your stomach. When the going gets tough switch to fast acting Viper Boost gels. 100mg of caffeine will give you the extra push to get past the pain barrier.
Nothing feels better than crossing the finish line, be it on the day or through the front door. Repairing you muscles is essential to being able to get up and do it all again tomorrow. Having Recovermax 3:1 carbohydrate protein formulation with in a 20 minute window of completing exercise will replace nutrients, giving you a faster recovery. After all you want to be able to get up on the podium the next day with out a limp!
Perfecting your race day nutrition in training will enable you to not only train harder but also will help your body get used to the rhythm of eating and drinking on the go. Much like your swim stroke, your nutrition will become second nature. Your body will be better equipped to cope with and use calories added under stress with practice, enabling you to go faster and further.
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