Written by: Jim Vance
Posted: Friday, 25 July 2008
There’s a saying about racing off-road, and how complex it
is. To be a good off-road triathlete, you must master the art of
off-road racing. And when it comes to the complexities of nutrition
logistics, there is definitely an art that must be mastered.
Off-road nutrition is much more of a logistical mystery than a
simple road triathlon, where you can use a bento box, carry a bar of
some type or use gel packets. Off-road, you can’t take your hands off
the bars to reach for a package, tear it open, and eat it anytime. Try
doing that on a volcano in Maui, or on the twisty, winding roots of a
single track trail and you’ll soon be licking fresh wounds.
Let’s
not forget your water demands either. If you ride a full-suspension
bike, you might have only one water bottle cage. Due to the intensity
and length of many major off-road triathlons, you’ll need more than one
bottle of water when you’re racing anywhere from three to five hours!
So
what can you do? What can you eat? What’s the best strategy for getting
the calories you need? What about water? What about electrolytes?
The
best strategy you can employ is consuming liquid calories, complete
with all the electrolytes you need, supplemented with plenty of water
for the conditions. This simple plan will help to keep your hands on
the bike more and allow for fewer risks, easier consumption, and more
efficient use of your time on the bike.
There are four points to
consider with a liquid-nutrition plan; the amount of fluid and calories
you actually need; the amount you can carry; the amount available on
the course; and finally, where you can actually consume it during the
course. It is very important to consider each of these.
The
amount of water and calories you actually need to consume in the race
is the most important thing to know. Not getting enough water and
calories for the race demands will certainly lead to underperforming,
while taking in too much can lead to intestinal issues and wasted time
from slowing to consume needless fluids and carrying the unneeded
weight.
The amount of water and calories you need is dependent
on two things – course length and climate. The longer the race, the
more calories you will need. The hotter it is, the more water you will
need.
How much fluid you can carry is also an important variable
to know. This amount is determined by how many bottle cages your bike
has available on it. If it has only one, you may very well need to find
another way to carry fluids, such as a hydration backpack, if the race
is long enough to require more.
What’s available on the course is
just as important to know in advance, and can be the determining factor
for whether you bring a hydration pack or just use the water and
nutrition available on the course. Consider the time it will take to
complete the course, and how much water you will need given the time
and conditions, as well as your caloric needs. If there are enough
opportunities with aid stations to give you what you need, you should
be fine. If not, you must figure out how to fill in the voids.
Once
you know how much you need, how much you can carry, and how much is
available on the course, you can make better decisions about how to
execute an effective hydration and nutrition plan.
The final step
to your strategy is determining where on the course you can actually
consume fluids. Some courses are wide open, and reaching for your
bottle isn’t a problem at all. Some are so rough it’s hard to ever grab
your bottle during the race. Many races fall somewhere between these
two extremes.
If the course has rough sections, you must plan
to hydrate and consume your calories during the easier sections, even
if it means backing off at times. If the course has very little space
to easily consume, you may have to utilize a hydration pack to make
drinking easier.
If you carefully consider each of these four
points when planning your next off-road triathlon, you’ll be sure to
avoid surprises for an improved performance!
Jim Vance is a
USAT Level 2 Certified Coach for TrainingBible Coaching, and a
professional triathlete. He is also a former XTERRA Amateur World
Champion. Questions or comments can be sent to jvance@trainingbible.com.
Its time to change the mindset. The opportunities to train outdoors will be limited over the next few months. This month we address fitness from two perspectives — Setting sport specific goals and using a fitness ball to stay in shape. In addition, you'll find the Metro Detroit Ski Council Ski Guide inside, filled with a ski club directory, a bunch of trips to try and information on skiing safely. 
