The Fourth Leg

Everyone thinks a triathlon has three legs but there are four.  It is swim, bike, run and ...nutrition.  Yes nutrition is very important in training and performing in longer distance triathlons.  Having a nutrition plan is very smart!  A lot of people are not aware of their energy demands during training and racing.  You need to be properly fueled to get the most out of your training and racing and to avoid injury.  Eat to train!  Try out different foods to see what sits best in your stomach before swimming, biking and running.  I like plain foods such as banana, toast or bagel with peanut butter or cereal.  Try higher carbohydrate and lower protein and fat.  It is a good idea to practice fueling before race pace workouts to see how your body reacts in higher intensities. No surprises on race day!

Staying hydrated is very important.  I need to work on this and have been told to drink half of my body weight in liquid ounces every day.  This doesn’t include caffeinated beverages which I have given up.  I do recommend drinking a bottle of water 1-2 hours before a workout or race.  If a race or workout will last longer than 90 minutes then drink a sports drink with electrolytes during it and drink every 20-30 minutes or drink water and take an energy gel.  I like to drink a sports drink on the bike and water and gels on the run.  Since I quit drinking caffeinated beverages taking in energy gels that have caffeine give me a nice boost during long workouts!  I like GU Roctane and Jet Blackberry!

It is good to eat and re-hydrate within 30 minutes after finishing a hard or long training session. This allows the body to recover, repair tissues and get stronger.   Eat a carbohydrate-protein combination 200-300 calorie snack.  Good choices are chocolate milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or yogurt and fruit.  Recovery drinks like Hammer Recoverite are easy and excellent as well as a lot of the energy bars out on the market.  I have my own recipe for energy bars and these are perfect for recovery snacks.  They have a good ratio of protein to carbohydrates.  The fat content is on the high side but it is healthy unsaturated fats.  Warning these are addicting!

Energy Bars

2 Cups crisp rice cereal
2 Cups regular rolled oats
½ Cup raisins
½ Cup hulled sunflower seeds
½ Cup roasted pumpkin seeds
½ Cup roasted soy nuts
½ Cup dry roasted peanuts
1 Cup chocolate chips or M&Ms
½ Cup packed brown sugar
½ Cup honey
½ Cup peanut butter

Spray 13” by 9” pan with non-stick spray.  In large bowl combine cereal, oats, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, soy nuts, and peanuts.

In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey and peanut butter.  Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes or until bubbly (beware will scorch easily).  Remove from heat.  Pour over cereal mixture, stir to combine, add chocolate chips, and then stir until the batch is completely combined.  Press into 13” by 9” pan, cool completely.

Cut into 24 bars.

Per bar:
Calories   207
Fat             10g
Carbs.      25g
Fiber         2.5g
Protein      6g

If you find that the mixture is too dry then reduce the oatmeal and rice cereal to 1 ¾ Cups next time.  I have substituted almonds for the soy nuts, peanuts or pumpkin seeds.