Food for Thought: Pre-Triathlon

Triathlon Ireland’s Official Food Ordering App, Just Eat, give their advice for nutrition and recovery throughout the triathlon season in their monthly blog.

Prep pre-race – What foods are best?

So, you have been training hard for the last few weeks or months and the big race day is only days away. In the days before a big race, you might be thinking how you can alter your diet in order to boost performance. Small changes to your diet and lifestyle will go a long way in the days before your big race to get you prepped for the day.

Just Eat have enlisted the help of Michelle Loughlin in Spectrum Nutrition Clinics to explain what pre-race foods are best! 

Getting your nutrition and lifestyle right is so important. Not only will you be putting your body under intense pressure during a triathlon, but also it is more enjoyable competing when you are fuelled efficiently.

Here are some important factors to bear in mind in the final hours before your event.

Top tips for prepping pre-race:

1)    Top up your Glycogen stores: In simple terms, sugar is stored in your liver and muscles as glycogen. During exercise glycogen is broken down into glucose to supply the working muscles with energy. This will keep you going for longer during your race. In the days before your race, it is a good idea to start loading up your glycogen stores so that you are prepped and ready to go on the day. Make sure to start the day with a healthy breakfast delivered direct to your home or office. You can do this by increasing your carbohydrate intake at meals and snacks in the days leading up to your race. Think:

✔   Bread/Baps/Rolls/ wraps 

✔   Cereals/ porridge/ Weetabix 

✔   Potatoes/Pasta/Rice/ couscous

✔   Dairy foods; milk and yoghurts

✔   Fruit

✔   Scones/Crackers/Fruit cake

2)    Know your quick release sugars – although all carbohydrates will eventually break down to sugar to fuel the body, some are broken down quicker than others. During your race, you will need to top up your carbohydrate stores. It is a good idea to do this regularly so that you don’t hit a wall. In this case, you will most likely turn to quick release sugars which take little digestion time and fuel the body within minutes. Play around with these in the weeks prior to the race if possible, so that you know what suits your body. It is always recommended to choose nutritious sources if possible. At Just Eat we recommend a smoothie from The Juicery.

Quick release sugars include:

✔    Jam/ honey/ marmalade

✔    Fruit- bananas, dates, raisins

✔    Boiled sweets, jellies

✔    Fruit squash

✔    Biscuits, cereal bars (granola bars)

✔    Sports gels/ energy bars/ sports drinks

3)    Protein – it is a good idea to make sure that you take in adequate amounts of protein during your training and in the days before your event. When you are doing strenuous activity, your body’s requirement for protein will increase and it is important to meet your body’s demands to avoid potential muscle loss or delayed recovery. Simply add eggs, chicken, fish, turkey, lean meat, tofu or legumes at meals and snacks and this should be enough to meet your needs. You can order perfectly balanced meals from Mao who have created amazing Macro Meals.

 

4)    Re-pay your Sleep debt – in the run up to a race, it is not all about food. Sleep is important for the body to recover and perform at its best, especially after weeks of tough training. A lack of sleep may leave you feeling fatigued and sluggish. When we skip on sleep, we can accumulate a sleep debt. Make sure to increase your sleep in the days prior to your big race so that you are feeling fresh, energetic and at your best.

 

5)    Hydration-when training is ramped up, the body can easily become dehydrated. Even mild dehydration can affect energy levels and performance. Although hydration is always important, it is particularly important to hydrate the body adequately in the days leading up to a race. Aim for a pale straw-coloured urine. Make sure to pack plenty of fluids for the day of the race so that you are adequately hydrated. Water is best but you can also use sports drinks or fruit juice. 

 

6)    Taper down your exercise – prior to your big race, it is a good idea to taper down the quantity and intensity of training that you are doing in order to allow your body to rest and recover and perform at its best. There are plenty of training plans online if you are unsure of what level of exercise you should be doing in the days before your event.

 

7)    Prep for the day: It is so important to think ahead and plan food and drinks for the day of the race. The last thing you want is to be miles away from a re-fuelling station completely parched and fatigued with no reserves to hand or worse yet expecting food provided on the day only to find out that there is none! Questions to think about include:

✔    What will you eat in the morning? 

✔    What snacks will you bring? 

✔    Will there be food provided on the day or do you need to bring food? 

✔    If food is provided, at what point are the stops? 

✔    Will you need to bring food/snacks to keep you going until that point? 

✔    Portability- as you will be on and off the bike, running and swimming, is it realistic to bring packed food or will this be difficult to transport? 

✔    Weight- will you be able to carry the weight of your food or will it affect your performance? 

✔    Hydration- will you rely on water alone or will you add electrolytes and /or use sports drinks?

✔    Will the race organisers provide water? Can you carry all the water that you plan to bring? 

These are just some of the considerations to bear in mind coming up to your race. If it is your first race, then it is a good idea to pack more food and drinks than you will potentially need just in case. As you become more experienced, you will get to know your body and what it needs during a race and then you can gauge the quantity of food and snacks that you pack.

Post race, treat yourself to something tasty from hundreds of your favourite local restaurants in your area on Just Eat