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Triathlon Nutrition Tips
Congratulations on setting a goal of racing the Gordon College 9th Annual Spring Triathlon! Proper nutrition in your daily life as well as before, during, and after workous is key to ensuring you have a successful triathlon. Eating and drinking appropriately will ensure your body has the energy to complete workouts as well as the nutrtients to heal efficiently afterwards. Use the resources below to help guide you!
Daily Nutrition
As an athlete, your nutritional needs will vary depending on your activity levels for the day. Use these guides to help you balance your nutrients according to whether you are on an easy/recovery day, moderate training day, or hard training/race day.
Fueling and Hydrating during a Workout
Aim for 4-8 ounces of sports drink every 15-20 minutes of training. Depending on the intensity of your workout and your individual sweat rate, you may need a bit more or less. Click the link for more detailed information!
Pre-Workout Snack Ideas
Aim to eat your last full-sized meal 3-4 hours before your workout so that you have enough time to fully digest it but not so much time that you are running on an empty stomach. Eat a smaller snack that is high in carbohydrates about 1 hour-30 minutes prior to your workout to top off your fuel stores.
Post-Workout Recovery
Refueling and rehydrating promptly after workouts is essential to recovery, injury prevention, and a healthy immune system. Since you often do double workouts in a day, recovery is especially key: make it a priority to consume .25–.4 grams of carbohydrate/pound body weight and .15-.25 grams of protein/pound of body weight in the hour post-workout (within 30 minutes is ideal!)—regardless of time of day. DO NOT consume fat at this time as it will slow absorption of the carbs and protein. Be sure to replace lost fluids as well (if you're not sure how much you lost, check the scale and rehydrate back to your pre-workout weight!).
To summarize: Within 30-60 minutes...
-Replace lost fluids
-Eat 30-50 (125lb) / 45-70 (175lb) grams carbs
-Eat 18-30 (125lb) / 25-45 (175lb) grams protein
-Avoid fats