Diagnosing the Triple T

The weeks have flown by since my last race in California 70.3.  My time has been filled with a lot of training but even more with soul searching; where to next? 

Racing has started to become a large portion of my life, especially in the absence of a true 9-5 white/blue collar job.  Getting up on a Monday morning knowing that there are 14-20 workouts before next week may scare some people but it’s like anything I guess.  Once you get in a routine, you naturally adapt to the stresses.

When I’m not training, I’ve been spending a lot of time studying about nutrition.  My interests are the science behind food: how it breaks down, how fast the process takes, how can it be faster/slower, are there better/worse things to eat, etc.  What I’ve noticed is there is still so much information that is unclear.  The biggest problem, with the lack of concrete evidence, is everyones bodies are different.  What might work for me could cause you gastric distress.  So much about eating and exercising is trial and error.  Those that do their homework, figure out what they need for what their doing, come out on top (or at least have a better shot at accomplishing their goals).

All this food practice is going to be tested in the Triple T in Ohio this weekend.  On tap is four triathlons in 3 days.  The schedule:

Friday 5pm - Swim: 250m Bike:8K Run: 1.6K

Saturday 7:30am - Swim: 1500m Bike:40K Run: 10K

Saturday 3pm (double olympics) – Bike: 40K Swim: 1500m Run: 10K

Sunday 7am: – Swim: 1900m Bike: 90K Run: 21.1K

This is a stage race so time is cumulative (all added together).  Also, top 3 finishers get a 30s bonus. 

Climbing is the hidden gem behind this race.  Every course has lots.  Bring your climbing gears has been mentioned on just about every page of the athletes hand book.  I’ve seen the profiles, they’re like jagged teeth.  But you can’t change that, so you may as well have fun with it!

So how does one tackle an event like this?  Well, just like the stages in cycling, eat and drink often.  How much?  Let’s break it down.

Fridays “Super Sprint” is basically negelible.  As long as you ate right the day of and after the race it should be ok.  Saturday to Sunday is obviously going to be a tough one to tackle. 

 Table 1 – Calories expended and sweat loss during the race.

Table 2 – Calories consumed and hydration gain during the race.

 As you can see from these tables, there is going to be a loss of 1700 calories (3400) for both races.  There isn’t much you can do in race to make those numbers higher except, eating smart before and after.

Pre-race storages have to be topped up and the in between race is going to be crucial to get calories in.  I think it’s possible to get in close to 1600 calories (800 x 2) in between and after the races.  The key is to have food available that is easy to digest: starches such as rice and potatoes. 

If it’s hot hydration could be an even larger enemy.  Losing a kilo of water weight may not affect you the first race but if you haven’t replenished after the second race, kiss Sundays results good bye.

Sunday is about survival.  It’s going to take a strong person to win the overall competition. 

 Table 3 – Calories and sweat loss during the race.

Table 3 is basically double Saturdays races combined.  There is a potential to lose over 4 more pounds of body weight!  Eating and drinking almost become survival to those who want to finish.  This isn’t a race it’s a weight loss plan!

But seriously, it’s going to take a lot of fuel to keep everyone moving.  From my exchange of emails it sounds like the race director has an army of cooks to prepare food for all the participants.  Good news as they are going to need it!

Happy (I want fries on everything!) Trainin!

Cliff