Having a Good "Plan B"
As triathletes we spend countless hours perfecting our swim stroke, pedal technique, and run form, but without a well thought out nutrition plan for race day, this will all be for nothing. How many times have you been out on a long, six hour bike, and none of the nutrition you have brought along seems appetizing anymore? Or, maybe you never have problems during your seasonal training, but on race day things don't work out according to your nutrition plan? Then, it's time to think about a good 'Plan B'. Race day conditions are a variable that we have no control over. Higher or lower temperatures, more wind, anxiety, or not enough sleep can change how it will feel consuming your nutrition on race day. I experienced what I call 'nutritional burnout' during the end of this training season. The regular nutrition that I had been using most of the year started to just not taste right, and I didn't look forward to my watch alarm going off telling me to take in some more of it. I had to rethink my nutrition in order to insure I was going to take in what I needed, maintain interest in the nutrition I was using for my priority race, and not compromise my entire year's training. I started taking along some different gel flavors/brands and some solid bars, like Snickers Marathon Bars (these are an awesome creation), instead of just taking in my usual liquid and gel only. Mixing these by taking some liquid, then a bite of a bar, then one of the gels, etc., and being able to vary this process based on how things were feeling throughout the workouts, allowed me to interject some needed variation in my nutrition routine. This insured that I had a back-up plan, the 'Plan B', and did not get bored of my nutrition. This allowed me to take in the required amount during training as well as during my priority race. So, once you have developed your race day nutrition plan, don't forget to throw in a couple of 'Plan B' options just in case. For questions please contact Denny!
Train Well! Denny DePriest Triathlete / T3 Coach
