But this whole "endurance sport" thing (and I continue to hesitate to call myself a triathlete-in-training (which should be evidenced by the fact that to this day, I still do not know how to spell the word athlete and must rely on spell check every time I type it - like i just did twice in this aside)) requires some clear attention to what, how, and when I eat. I can't just rely on hunger as my indicator of when I should chow down.
Here are a few things I've learned.
- I have to eat at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours before I work out or I get very bad cramps.
- 1 cup of coffee and no more before a morning or afternoon workout. If I work out after work, another cup is okay before noon.
- Caffeine has a half life of 11 days. Consuming a gel with caffeine will have no effect, except psychological, if you have had coffee recently.
- Fried rice is the perfect pre-race meal.
- I am hungry all the time. 3rd breakfast is not uncommon.
- Eat apple or vanilla gels and electrolyte drinks while running. Eat Clif Bars, Power bars, electrolyte and protein drinks while biking. Don't eat chocolate flavored gels, pretzels, or crackers.
- I probably burned about 1600-1800 calories in my workout yesterday.
- Eat a recovery snack with protein shortly after working out ( Yesterday - Powerbar 229 calories, Wheat Thins 136 calories, Gatorade - 80 calories)
- Then eat a more substantial meal later on (roast beef sandwich and potatoes)
- And don't be afraid to have 2nd dinner 3 hours later (spaghetti and meatballs)!
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