Athlete Spotlight: From beginner to 2 x Ironman finisher with Bec Baird

Athlete Spotlight: From beginner to 2 x Ironman finisher with Bec Baird

I spoke with one of my longest-standing clients ever, Rebecca Baird about her journey through triathlons and what she has learnt about nutrition along the way.

Here’s what she had to say:

Some background about Bec

• Bec is a single mum to Roy and lives in Mackay. She works as a podiatrist and first got into triathlons in 2015 after playing and coaching netball. She has since competed in many triathlons of all distances including 70.3 and two Ironmans.
  
  

Bec’s Plans for the next 2 years

• Mooloolaba Tri next year in March
• Looking into the ultra-running scene – either 50 or 100km
• Ironman distance again in 2023
  
  

What made her decide to invest in a Sports Dietitian?

• She read a blog post about another triathlete and how she'd been training for ages and had put on weight while doing massive volume even though she thought she was eating okay. She'd been to see her friend Taryn at Dietitian Approved and with her help managed to lose weight, fuel herself properly and was feeling a lot better.
• She was training for Mooloolaba Tri and was exhausted from all the training and not fuelling properly. Knew something needed to change
  
  

What were some of the biggest mistakes she was making with her nutrition before seeing a Sports Dietitian?

• Under fuelling – not eating enough and not eating the right things at the right time for her training load
   

What are some of the key things that she’s learnt about optimising her nutrition over the years?

• Periodisation and not eating the same thing every day
• Eating to reflect daily training load
  
  

What are some of her favourite things to eat on long rides?

Lots of real foods like:

• Bananas
• Megabake Bars
• Grape flavoured Gatorade
• Vegemite or honey sandwiches
• Allen’s Snakes
• Gingernut biscuits
  
  

Do she have any advice for other athletes that haven't got a sports dietitian in their corner yet?

• It’s well worth the investment
• You spend all this money on a bike, a coach, registration but it can all unravel if you don’t have your nutrition right
• “I've learnt a lot and I don't think I'd be the triathlete I am today and have had the success that I've had within my races if I hadn't ticked that box of getting my nutrition sorted.”

To go deeper, listen to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Podcast Episode 17: Athlete Spotlight From beginner to 2 x Ironman finisher with Bec Baird for more!

Listen in wherever you listen to your podcasts 🎧

If you are looking for a Sports Dietitian and want to learn more about working with me, click on the image below to see what I offer for private, 1 on 1 consultation.