Race Day Nutrition Test...

Last weekend I had my longest ride of the year on the schedule. With Ironman only 7 weeks away, I know how important it is to get my race day nutrition figured out. Without trying to complicate things too much, the plan was to use the same game plan as last year.

Now I am not a nutritionist and who really knows if this is the best plan but it worked for me. When you are racing anywhere from 9+ hours, making sure you have proper fueling and enough calories to get through the entire day is very important. Making sure you body can handle the supplements and still function at such a demanding level is even more critical.

As I left this morning, I had to practically fill my jersey pockets to the top since I was going to be out on the road for 4.5 hours. I tried to grab a mix of different GU gels and GU Chomps. Though I have flavors I really like (Banana is the best) too much of one flavor can get old quick.

So here is the plan: eat GU Energy Gels at :15 and :45 past each hour spent on the bike and half a bag of GU Chomps at :00 and :30. It equates to 380 calories per hour but more importantly it is VERY easy plan to follow. There is no adding time or trying to figure out what I am suppose to take or how long it has been. When I see 15 I take a gel, when I see 30, I go for the Chomps. If I learned anything during last years race, make your fueling plan as SIMPLE as possible. The last thing you want to do is eat on the bike and having to think about it is even worse.

What is left after a 4.5 hour ride...

As you can see it makes for a ton of wrappers when you are done.

I have also struggled recently with hydration, rarely ever drinking enough to keep my above that imaginary BONK line. Today I really focused on many small drinks and by the time the ride was over, I was out of GU Brew and water...Success!!!

I am excited to say that this worked great for today's ride and unless anything crazy happens in one the next few rides, I am pretty sure I will carry this all the way through race day.

Out near Loon Lake...a great new loop!
Less than 5 minutes after this picture the rain and hail started. Thankfully it only lasted a few minutes.

As for the ride itself, went really well even though actually sitting on that saddle again sounds like the worst idea ever. But in all reality, I can only hope for a few more just like it.