The Process of Change

I'm training for an Ironman triathlon. This means 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running back to back to back. Because of the distance, nutrition becomes a big part of the success or failure of race day. I did my first Ironman at Ironman Coeur d'Alene in 2005. I had no idea what proper nutrition looked like. During training, I would deplete myself on EVERY bike ride and come home on fumes. I thought this was normal. I would eat sandwiches, pretzels, energy gels, sport drink....whatever I had at home prior to the ride. I wouldn't eat enough of it and suffered every ride. After finishing the race and deciding I wanted to keep doing Ironman, I learned that bonking during a ride is not normal and I would need to start practicing eating/drinking just as much as the physical part of triathlon. I tried a lot of things settling on a 4:1 carbohydrate to protein drink. It worked well for me and got me through the 2007 Ironman Coeur d'Alene and Silverman Full Distance Triathlon. I continued to use it but in 2010, it just stopped working for me. I would get stomach bloating, gas and sometimes a feeling of nausea. I fought change at first but eventually, my body won the battle and I started experimenting again. I found that I do not handle solid foods well. I tried different products, settling on PowerGel. These worked great for me and were incredibly easy to use. I have used these, almost exclusively, since 2009. This year, I haven't been doing great during races with my nutrition. I had made some changes in electrolyte timing during races and I wasn't eating as well in general in my everyday diet. This was the case at all three Ironman 70.3's I did this year and many long training rides. I have tried some different things since then. I tried a superstarch, I've tried solids and tried using sportdrink as my main fuel source. Nothing seemed to work. Along the way, I have cleaned up my diet and am seeing the changes in body composition. After trying all these different methods, I looked up my personal notes from the 2010 Ironman Coeur d'Alene. Starting 45min into the bike, I was taking a gel with 6-8 oz of water every 20-25 minutes. I also took an electrolyte capsule every 30 minutes. After reading this, I decided to go back to this formula with one change. In addition to what I mentioned above, I started my ride by taking a dose of X²PERFORMANCE®. 

I also took one 2.5 hours into the 5+ hour ride. This combo was absolute gold! I know, I know...it was just one training session but it was the best one I've had so I'm not changing a thing. I had gradually changed the timing of my fuel over the years and I think that negatively impacted my performance. Going back to what worked did the trick last week and expect it to do the same again this week. I sure hope so since Ironman Arizona is coming soon. I learned a valuable lesson here. Change is good but don't wait so long to make it. My race is coming soon and I'm not 100% dialed in nutritionally. That is a rookie mistake. I have some big goals in 2014. In order to reach them, I have to have my nutrition become so second nature that it's almost like breathing. I will try new things next year if I find that my current process doesn't work come race day or the sessions leading up to it. My point is, identify the problem and fix it early so you don't have to go to an important event with any questions marks.