Training/Racing Nutrition

With our latest Hammer Nutrition contest going on I thought I'd blog about how important nutrition is in an athletes life. Personally, having hitting the wall or "bonking" more times than I'd like to remember I've learned how important fueling myself while training and racing is. Most of the times I've hit the wall have been in relation to fueling, more specifically not hydrating or taking in enough calories. I'll post a few important tips for proper fueling while you train and race. You should know however, what works for one person might not work for you, so test out energy gels and drinks and find out what works best for you.

1. This is by far the most important tip. DO NOT try something race day that you have not used in training. Experimenting race day is not the time to be doing that, stick with what you trained with. Trying something new might result in stomach problems or a multitude of other things. Ending your race because you decided to try a new product is not very smart
2. Dehydration is the single largest contributor to fatigue when training or racing. Making sure you have a hydration plan is extremely important. Remember that your sense of thirst doesn't kick in until well after you're dehydrated. A way I remember to drink is to set my watch to beep at me every 9 minutes while I'm training. That way I'm always being reminded to hydrate.
3. When running, a sports drink and energy gels are the most practical fuel options. Make sure to select an energy gel that provides sodium along with carbohydrates, such as Hammer gels. Energy gels are designed to be consumed roughly every 30-45 minutes during exercise, along with fluids.
4. Getting in protein, and fluids immediately after exercise is very important! You must get in protein immediately after exercise to repair and build muscle tissue. Obviously, you must also get in fluids after exercise to rehydrate. These two things are key in proper recovery nutrition.

Those are 4 pretty basic points about training/racing nutrition. There are many more points that could be covered but those will give you a good starting point. Remember to try different products and find out what works best for you.