Race Week: Triathlon Gear

Its the final day before the race. I just started packing and organizing my gear. This is the last time I have a chance to pick up any new gear that I may need tomorrow.

Bike : Cannondale (I have no idea what model it is. My friend Schuyler, another Ironman, was not satisfied with me not knowing). I am pretty psyched to have this bike. I have officially been out swimming more than I have biked, so I still have a ton to learn about bikes. Just having it is awesome to me. Thanks Bree Sherry!

Dan: Rack your bike by the seat post on the bar. Make sure to alternate your bike from the person(s) next to you to allow you to easily get your bike off the rack. You want your handle bars to be alternating from people next to you. If you get there early enough, try and take the spot closest to the end so that you do not need to between the racks to get to your gear. I have a very high seat post so I always make sure to test my spot on the rack and make sure that I can take my bike off the rack and roll it under the bar. Make sure you pump up your tires the morning of the race. ( I pump them up the night before as well that way you can check them in the morning and to see you lost any air over night which may lead you to realize you have a small puncture in your tire. There will be bike mechanics on site the morning of the race so if you do not have a bike pump they will be able to do that for you.

Bike pump: Blackburn Airtower I just purchased this pump and have yet to use it. I will be testing it out later tonight and will be sure to pump up my tires one last time in the morning.

Helmet: Bell Venture After seeing what types of helmets are out there, I know this helmet is more of a casual recreational helmet. Maybe an upgrade in the future.

Water bottle - I bought a water bottle last week and didn't realize till now that it doesn't fit into the water cages. Der!

Dan: One water bottle should suffice for a sprint distance race. You may want to think about putting G2 in there as opposed to water if you feel you may need some additional calories during the race.

Wetsuit: Rented Xterra sleeveless You can read more coverage here.

Goggles: Aqua Sphere Kaiman I just purchased these goggles the other day. What an upgrade from my last pair! They look huge on my face though.

Clothes: I still haven't fully figured out what I am going to wear. I do not have a tri outfit. I was looking at some shorts the other day and haven't decided whether I will splurge or not (haven't seen any less than $55 at retail.) Maybe I could get by with these spandex shorts and a bra. I am going to check some more out today.

Dan: Who needs it? - Try and have as much of what you are going to wear throughout the race on before the race starts. It will make your transitions faster and keep you from struggling to put on clothes while your body is wet.

Socks: When I ran my first half marathon, I did purchase running socks. Hello comfort. That was a great purchase. While putting down $9 or so for a pair of socks seems crazy to me, it was worth it.

Dan: Put these on before the bike (might consider bringing a towel to wipe off feet before putting them on)

Sneakers: Nike Pegasus I have put many miles on these shoes and will need a new pair soon...but not today.

Nutrition: GU and Shotbloks I am not sure I will need these or not, but will pack just in case.

To add:

Towel
Spare bike tire
CO2 cartridge

Dan: Race belt - to affix race number to. Have to have your number on the front part of your body during the run. (some races make you wear your number on your bike during the bike so this is where a race belt come in handy. You can flip it to your back on the bike and turn it to the front for the run.

Have I forgotten anything??

Race Week: Food for thought?

It is Wednesday before the race, have you thought about what you are going to eat before the race? During? After? This can help you have a great race instead of just a race. Nutrition and rest are as important to a triathlete as training. You need to keep your body fueled throughout a race to ensure you have the energy to push yourself and finish with a smile on your face.

Never try something NEW leading up to a race. If this is your first, whatever you have been training with stick with that, you know it works and won't upset your stomach.

The night before I always try and eat a "Carb Load meal" and usually consists of carbs and protein so my choice is Chicken Parm with pasta and a side of bread and water. A day or two before the race I will try and drink water to hydrate myself. The night before a race I try and go to bed early so that I can get some rest (I am usually up at 4 for a race starting at 7) so I will try and be in bed by 10(ish). During the night your body is going to burn calories (may be anywhere from 500-800) and these will need to be replenished in the morning prior to the race.

The morning of a race I love a bagel with peanut butter (bagel will be about 250 calories and PB is about 180 calories per two tablespoons. I will usually have about three servings on my bagel. Once I get to the race I will usually drink a Gatorade Prime (Fruit Punch) or have a Honey Stinger Waffle (Vanilla flavor- my favorite). The Prime has 100 calories in it and the Honey Stinger has 180. Try not to eat too close to the race, if I am taking the Honey Stinger then I will eat that at least 30 minutes prior to the start, if the prime I will take that about 15 minutes prior.

A sprint distance race can range in time from sub one hour to two plus hours depending upon skill and distance. (Most sprints are about 19.35 miles (.25 swim, 16 mile bike, 3.1 run) but the bike can be shorter - 10-16 miles in length)

If you are closer to 60-75 minutes then you can effectively manage the race without taking any nutrition in if you eat your calories before the race. However, if you are taking longer than that you will want to consider taking in some form of calories during the race. (I weight @197 lbs. and will burn about 900 calories an hour on the bike and between 1000-1200 during an hour run. I usually try and replenish about 40% of those calories burned each hour on races longer than an Olympic distance. Good rule of thumb is two calories per pound of body weight.

I enjoy the Mixed Berry Carbo Pro 1200. I mix a few hundred calories with water in a bottle for most of my calories during a shorter distance race. If you need something during the run I would suggest (GU- flavor preference is on you, GU Chomps, Clif Bar Shot Blocks, PowerBar Energy Blasts, Honey Stinger Waffle (my personal favorite)(http://www.honeystinger.com/)

Race Week: Pre-Triathlon Nutrition

Ok, so maybe switching my swimming routine with a night of wine drinking isn't highly recommended by serious triathletes, but sometimes you need it. Anyway, now I am ready to focus on my nutrition for the week. Let's eat!
Julie's rules: Keep processed foods to a minimum. Eat ingredients you can pronounce (GU's do not play nicely with this rule). Eat organic when its possible. Keep distance between you and your ingredient source to a minimum: minimize processing and eat local! Moderation really is key and, its ok to reward yourself.

I came across some tips from Trinewbie.com with some good tips for race week nutrition.
1. Hydration: This is key, but over hydration will cause electrolyte imbalance. A fluid replacement drink is recommended.
2. Eat Clean: Meals should be easily digestible!
3. Last Solid Meal: The last big meal should be consumed no later than 12 hours prior to race start!
4. Race Morning: Finish eating about 2 hours prior to race start then continue to drink water-down sports drinks up till race time.

I also collected some good tips from TriMarni, a dietitian and Ironman athlete. Here are some of her main points:

As far as loading up on carbs on race week, remember that you are cutting back your training volume (yet keeping the intensity with more rest) in order to properly rest your body. Because stored glycogen (carbs) aren't being used in a high quantity to fuel intense and/or long workout, you have no reason to over-eat on carbs.

Focus on your daily diet calories (around 1800-2200 for women, 2400-2800 for men..all dependent on training volume and intensity) and add in more snack calories, rather than bigger "carbo-load" meals. Meals should be around 400-500 calories and snacks around 150-200 calories on a daily basis...Because no one wants extra calories to be stored as fat, portion controlled meals and small, frequent snacks will help promote glycogen storage rather than excess calories stored as fat.

Don't forget the pre race dinner which should be high in carbs, but eaten 2 nights before race day morning (smaller dinner, of the same food, should be eaten the night before a race so that the smaller meal can be easily digested and the bigger meal will have time to pass through the body).

My lesson learned from my first half marathon was that: don't try anything new on race day! Eat what your body knows!

@*#! It's Race Week! Am I ready?

The hardest thing for a triathlete to do is to trust your training. Athletes leading up to a race will question themselves. Did I train hard enough? Did I bike or run as much as I should? Did I swim enough laps?

The best thing to do is not worry about what you could have done. You had a plan, you stuck to it, now you are ready. Visualize positive images - getting out of the water, riding well on the bike and crossing the finish line where medals, food and camaraderie await.

If this is your first race, the biggest thing is to race your race and the goal of the day is TO FINISH! Do not worry about what others are doing or who may pass you and "STOP, looking at the left calf of everyone around you!"(that is where they mark your age or special category)

It's Monday and your race is Saturday. If this is a shorter distance race (Sprint or Olympic) I typically train until Thursday (not hard week, but out there logging miles). I will swim easy on Thursday morning, take the rest of the day off and take Friday off completely. I find that my body responds better with a little more pre race rest. This is trial and error, I know people that do something each day until their sprint distance race so it all depends on your body. You will learn what works best for you the more races you compete in.

I would suggest that this week be a three day swimming week, Today, Wednesday and Thursday. Maybe today throw in a short run after your swim. Tuesday, ride your bike followed by another short run. Wednesday and Thursday just swim. Your nerves will be with you all week so trying to calm yourself throughout the week is ideal. If you typically train with an ipod or music, try doing a workout without that distraction, so you can work on your mental state of mind. Triathlon is almost as much mental as it is physical so preparing for that aspect will only strengthen you for race day.