Just yesterday I was in the car with my friend Kyle, who recently just completed his first marathon, and his girlfriend, Nikkita, being my uber-nerd self, barking about how important race nutrition is.
Personally, I've experienced some of the worst problems due to lapses in nutrition and hydration during races... or even too much nutrition before a workout! I've had stomach cramps during racing like you wouldn't believe and I've felt re-energized in the middle of a ride just from eating a pack of sports beans. I've run around praying for a bathroom or an inconspicuous spot in the trees... and haven't we all?
The other day, I was looking at the labels on Marathon Bars and couldn't believe the amount of fiber in them!! Who wants a ton of fiber? Who wants to feel energized... and full of poop? That's the worst combination unless you've got a bathroom every two miles. I frequently go with Clif Bars as they were a sponsor for my college team. A bit less fiber than the marathon bars and they pack a bit more calories if you're looking to sustain yourself. That being said, they are pretty grainy. Then you've got Luna protein and Builder bars (also by Clif) which melt on the outside and are really more ideal for recovery - definitely don't take them in the heat unless you want a sticky mess. Larabars are delicious but almost impossible to take with you - they mash and squish and break in your back pocket until you unwrap them and find.. mushy mess. Powerbars have a similar problem and man do they taste weird and grainy sometimes.
For during the race, I definitely think simplicity is key, though after a year of strawberry Shot Bloks, it is truly a challenge to chew and swallow them. This year I've been racing a lot with Sports Beans - both caffeinated Cherry and uncaffeinated Berry and I finally got over my fear of gels, and started on peanut butter and chocolate flavored Gu. Personally, I find the peanut butter to taste a tad like sesame seeds, but the chocolate outrage is where it's at! I find Clif Shot gels to be a little grainy tasting and though I'll eat them on rides, I'm definitely a bigger fan of Gu's product. I'm definitely pro-Gatorade, but sometimes I get so much liquid in me that I need something solid not sloshing in my stomach.
This, however, does not make me any guru on sports nutrition options. In fact, compared to the vast field of options, I have made but a small dent in my sampling.
I was reading a fascinating article on Slowtwitch about Skratch Labs and Allen Lim's whole philosophy on the types of nutrition he gives endurance athletes, but just before my half ironman, I wasn't about to go experimenting with new nutrition. Still, I like the idea of eating real, natural food.
That's the other huge thing I've found a lot of new athletes never realize: the benefit of having a solid, repeated nutrition plan that you KNOW will not make you sick. One of my friends once said it best - have something on the bike with you that you look forward to eating! During the half ironman, for me that was chocolate gu. I just watched my friends complete a marathon just eating whatever was offered to them. One tried downing some Honey Stinger waffles and it just wasn't working for him. I'm not saying I empirically know, but I think his inability to have nutrition he liked was a huge factor in making those last 6 or 7 miles pretty treacherous.
Back to Kyle - I was trying to stress how important it is to have a tried and true nutrition plan. He complained about all the options and I told him about my wearing experiences with strawberry shot bloks. Though delicious, I cannot eat another one without feeling a little nauseated. Then I mentioned my teammate Rich, who used to get awful stomach issues after races from his nutrition plans - some people suggest these things come from intolerances to certain kinds of sugar that are in one product but not another. Then there is my friend Zoe, who is allergic to so many things her options are severely limited and she has to get a little creative in her nutrition. Man, are options important.
On that note, I didn't just start this entry to rant on about nutrition, though apparently I had a lot to say as someone who has suffered through some bad times with bad race nutrition. I started out of total excitement for these guys:
http://www.pickybars.com/
Picky Bars has created yet another option... that I'm pretty darn excited about. It looks like it has a little bit of Larabar mixed with the philosophy of Skratch Labs and a whole lot of love for pro-triathlete Jesse Thomas, his dietary restrictions, and sports nutrition in general! Right now, I'm bummed that I'd have to drive all the way to Boulder or ship a bunch to get my hands on these guys, but I'm excited to have a natural, pre-packaged alternative to the daily grind started by some seriously elite athletes.
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