Understandably, ex boxer, turned triathlete, Michael Welsh, who was a completely different athlete to Jason (who we spoke to last week), had a very different race nutrition plan.

Here is Part 2 of our podcast mini series where we lifted the curtain on athletes’ race nutrition plans for Sunny Coast 70.3.

Michael came to me because his old plan, from another dietitian, was super complicated, hard to remember and hard to get down! Only his third 70.3 but by making some changes he managed to smash his goal of going under 4 hr 30 mins.

This week I spoke to Michael where he compared what he used to do to what he does (now that he knows better) and the difference it's made to his performance. 

Michael also shared some of the fundamentals he took care of with his new plan. Namely: 

• His race nutrition plan
• How he practised his nutrition in lead up events
• His pre-race nutrition – his carbohydrate loading
• The bike and run fuel plan we designed to cater to his need...

When building a race nutrition plan – no two plans are the same.

Every athlete needs to tailor to their specific needs based on their size, their race speed, the event and what actually works for them.  There’s no one size fits all when it comes to race nutrition plans.

To demonstrate how different the race nutrition needs can be from one athlete to the next, I recently interviewed Triathlon Nutrition Academy member, Jason Currie. We talked about his race nutrition plan for Sunny Coast 70.3 - where he smashed out a 1 hour PB!! 

In Jason’s case, despite having done a crazy amount of racing (including 10 x Ultra marathons, 2 x half Ironmans, 1 x full Ironman and several short races in the space of 12 months!!), he had NEVER had a race nutrition plan prior to joining the Academy . 

Jason explained that through the support and knowledge he garnered from being within the  Triathlon Nutrition Academy,  he was able to not only develop...

When it comes to body composition - so we're talking muscle mass, body fat, visceral fat, BMR and bone mineral content, there is absolutely no point in measuring something if it cannot accurately track progress. That's why Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) scans are NOT the best tool.

When I was at the gym last week, I decided to do a spur of the moment experiment on myself - I did a BIA scan right before a gym session & again straight after.

Not planned – the machine just happened to be available – I thought it would be fun. And I knew it would highlight how easy it is to manipulate these types of scans.

So, a disclaimer – this was not a controlled experimental study by any means:

      didn’t measure my sweat losses

      didn’t empty my bladder before

       was not fasted

       glycogen levels – normal CHO stored in muscle

     ...

If you are a triathlete who counts calories this is important to know so you can ensure you’re getting the kilojoules you need when consuming nuts.

The Atwater System (introduced over 100 years ago) is the system used globally for calculating the total energy value (kcal/kJ) of foods.

• Measures available energy of a food – they burn it in bomb calorimeter and factor in faecal and urine losses
• It determines kilojoules (kJ) based on grams of fat, protein, carbohydrate and alcohol in a particular food
• Carbohydrate and protein ~4kcal/g : CHO (3.87 – simple sugars) (3.57-4.12 – complex CHO) rounded to 4
• Fat 9kcal/g
• Alcohol 7kcal/g

However, new research out of the University of Wollongong (and presented at the Dietitians Australia conference last month) found that the actual kilojoule, or calorie content of nuts, that we actually absorb in our body, is significantly less than what's on the food label - up to 26% less calories!

They found:

• Almonds had 18...

 When it comes to pushing yourself as a triathlete, the Ultra355 is up there!

It’s a 3-day endurance event not for the faint-hearted. Over three big days, you swim 5km, ride 300km, and run 50km.

Recently Triathlon Nutrition Academy athlete, Jody Walker, competed and not only finished as the first female overall, but also smashed a bunch of course records in the process.  Woohoo!!

When she was preparing for this race, she found there wasn’t a lot of information out there about the Ultra355 (race reports or interviews), so naturally, we asked her to jump on the podcast and share her experiences with you.

What made her want to do Ultra355?

      A goal/deadline - motivation to recover from an injury

What type of training prepares you for a 3-day endurance event?

      Training - anything from 16-18 hours to 20 -21 hours

      Taking nutrition seriously – getting professional advice

 ...

Rather than count calories, I’d suggest you learn to eat to fuel your body, without having to track everything you put in your mouth!

Counter intuitive for many triathletes I know - those over-achieving personality types who love data, numbers, keeping track and keeping control.

I’m not saying stop if you are currently tracking and love it BUT you don’t need to track or start tracking. You can lose weight/drop body fat without having to count calories. 

What to consider when counting calories:

• Limitations with recording – Label tolerance – did you know the labels can state 20% on either side - different from actual?
• The accuracy when estimating portions. When you eat at home you can weigh – but when you eat out you have to estimate.
• Research shows that by tracking what you eat when you record, you can change your habits BUT are you being accurate and truthful when you record?
• There are limitations with estimating expenditure...

When it comes to nutrition, triathlon is different to any other sport because you're training and fuelling for 3 sports not 1!

When you have that dialled in – you will have more energy, get to your ideal body composition, recover faster, perform better in the second/third session for the day and not be stuck on the couch after long rides – SUPERCHARGED!

The BIGGEST mistake triathletes make when it comes to their nutrition? To be honest, there are MANY! But I think the top three biggest mistakes triathletes make are:

Recovery nutrition

• Most triathletes suck at recovery (no offence)
• You need to understand how to receive properly for you
• You might think you do alright, but once you understand what you need for you, it’s often not dialled in.

Not fuelling properly during training

• Different strategies for different types of sessions, seasons and goals
• Triathletes often under fuel thinking this will help with fat loss. Wrong!
• Often triathletes wing it...

I'm a big advocate for nutrition. Your body is the number 1 thing that will get you to the finish line.

Yet most triathletes see a dietitian LAST, after they've:

• Tried and failed to get their ideal body composition
• Tried every random fad or quick fix diet
• Struggled with fuelling and vomited their guts up on the run, had to race to the loo multiple times, or planned their training runs around the toilets on their route!
• Bonked, hit the wall, repeatedly fallen into a hole or peeled themselves off the pavement
• Suffered from a stress injury/fracture or chronic fatigue. 

As an Advanced Sports Dietitian, I can help you with your training and a meal/race plan and I've worked with many triathletes, both 1:1 and in the Triathlon Nutrition Academy. What I, and they, can tell you, is the long term benefits kick in when you engage further - take ownership, prioritise your overall health and learn and understand the foundations - the HOW and WHY of nutrition.

• Control the...

 When it comes to Triathlon Nutrition there's A LOT you can do to maximise your performance.

Once you’ve figured out the basics of the sport – what you put in your mouth is the next thing you need to turn your attention to (BEFORE you drop $20K on a new bike) because nutrition really is the fourth leg! Your body is what’s going to get you to the finish line faster.

Success in triathlon comes from being minimally affected by the swim and the ride. It's about getting to the run in the best possible shape that you can so that you can continuously run without stopping or bonking or hitting the wall or vomiting your guts up and trying to keep a nice even pace on the run.

I explain the 'what, why and how to' of triathlon training nutrition 101 - the foundations including:

Pre training nutrition

•  Do you have a plan for different types of training sessions?
•  Do you know how much you need to have before a session?
•  Do you know what types of foods...

Why aiming for 120g of carbs per hour is a mistake

This statement may be seen as controversial - but if I don't say it, then who will!??

Putting my Advanced Sports Dietitian's hat on, I can tell you that aiming for 120g of carbs an hour is a mistake!

And let me tell you why...

For the majority of you, it is a mistake, because you're not going to be able to tolerate that level of fueling.

• The research (a paper in 2020* that came out of Spain by Aitor Viribay and his colleagues) was done with elite athletes, under very specific testing conditions. It's great research but not necessarily applicable to the average age grouper.
• Intestinal absorption is the rate limiter - you can consume it, but it's of no value if your body can't absorb it and the longer you're out there for, the more things will back up in your gut.
• If you are going to aim for 120g of carbohydrates an hour you need to build up to it, systematically and strategically, to avoid gut issues - nausea, fullness,...