Even if your Ironman is still a few months away, you should definetly start thinking about what you eat. As endurance athletes, many of us are guilty of thinking it doesn’t matter what we eat, as we train hard enough and long enough to burn that burger combo and thickshake off. Nothing could be further from the truth. The accompanying stress endurance training places on our muscle fibres, muscle glycogen (the body’s stored carbohydrate (CHO) stores) and immune system is the very reason we need to pay even more attention to our everyday eating.
Nutrition should be considered as the fourth discipline in triathlon. In many of the elite races, regardless of the sport, any one of the top five or six ranked athletes could finish first. It is the finer details – things like nutrition, the amount of recovery, the mindset of the athlete – that will determine who takes it out on the day. Regardless of whether you are out to complete the Ironman or looking to be competitive in your age group, it’s likely your goal is to front up on race day in the best possible shape, and perform to the best of your ability.
By starting to make small but necessary changes to your diet now, your ability to train effectively, recover properly and remain injury-free is greatly enhanced. The nutrients providing energy in our diet are carbohydrate (CHO), protein and fat. Below is some information on the amounts required in everyday life for those of us training for endurance events.
Carbohydrate (CHO) is important to fuel muscles and for the immune system, particularly during periods of heavy training. Most athletes who train 60-240min per day require around 7-10g CHO / kg body weight – for an athlete weighing in at 75 kg that equates to 525g – 750g a day; on days where the training load is heavier (say a 4 hour ride) more is necessary to ensure muscle glycogen stores are replenished after training.
o Good sources of CHO include grainy bread, wraps, wholegrain bagels, cereals low in sugar, pasta, rice, fruit and vegetables (kumara, potatoes and corn in particular.) Refined CHO (such as white bread, lollies, biscuits and soft drinks) are energy dense yet nutrient poor, offering little in the way of nutritional benefit to an athlete’s everyday diet.
Protein is required for muscle repair and recovery, and would ideally be included in all meals and snacks. Athletes participating in endurance events need to ensure a protein intake of 1.2 – 1.4g / kg body weight – the same 75 kg athlete will therefore need an intake of 90-105g low fat, high quality protein to help muscles repair and adapt to the stresses of endurance training.
o Quality sources of protein include lean red meat (high in iron), lean poultry, seafood, low fat dairy products, eggs and legumes (such as red kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils.)
Good sources of fat are essential to maintaining good health, reducing inflammation and play an important role in immune health. There are no specific requirements for athletes, yet should be included in small amounts to each meal.
o Good sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats include olive oil, canola oil, flaxseeds, unsalted nuts, avocadoes and fatty fish varieties (such as salmon and mackerel.)
Finally, keeping a food diary will help you identify areas in your diet that might need attention. Once established, choose two of these to focus on over the next month and set goals to start changing your food intake for the better. Much like training, dietary changes are more sustainable if they are realistic, planned for and gradually introduced.
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