Triathlon nutrition tips from SiS

On hearing that I am due to embark on my first triathlon with Team Tricurious, the nice people over at Science in Sport sent me over some nutrition tips to help me on my way.  Sharing is caring and all that, so read on for some advice from the professionals...

With all the excitement over your shiny new race kit, elastic shoe laces and changing times to rival superman, your nutrition might not be the focus of your attention.

You’re likely to need 1-2 hours to complete your event, which means you need to pay some attention to your nutrition to enjoy your race and get through it comfortably.

Ideally you should have a carbohydrate-based meal the evening before the race, based on pasta, rice or potatoes. Some lean protein is fine but try and avoid anything too fatty (cheese, processed meat, pastry etc.) that will be slow to transit through your gut and may increase the risk of GI distress during your event.

You're bound to feel nervous on the morning, but it’s really important that you try and have a decent breakfast. It should be based on high GI carbohydrates, at least 2-3 hours before your event starts.

This could be cereal, porridge, toast and jam, or fruit and yogurt. Ensuring that you are well hydrated is also very important. Ideally you should drink 500-1000ml of fluid from waking to starting your event. This could be SiS GO Hydro or if you’re struggling to eat too many carbs in the form of solid food then try SiS GO Electrolyte. 

The swim starts are usually staggered, so you may have to wait a while before you dip in! Keep some SiS GO Electrolyte with you so you can keep your energy and hydration levels up.

During the event the bike is really the only opportunity to take fuel and fluid on board, and typically lasts 30-60 minutes depending on speed. It is useful to carry one 500ml bottle of SiS GO Electrolyte to sip from during the ride.

You may want to carry a gel with you to take just before the end of the bike leg to give you a lift for the run.

After around 1-2 hours of intense racing you will have used a good proportion of your muscle glycogen stores. This needs to be replaced as quickly as possible after the race. Your metabolism remains lifted for around 30 minutes post-exercise, and you will absorb nutrients much faster in this period. SiS REGO Rapid Recovery contains carbohydrates, proteins and electrolytes to replace what you have lost during the race. It can be mixed in your training bag or transition box ready to go as soon as you finish.

Keep hydrating afterwards and make sure you stretch properly. Have a balanced meal within 1-2 hours of finishing and then enjoy your achievement!

Emma Barraclough is the Sensior Sports Nutritionist for Science in Sport, www.scienceinsport.com

So there we have it! I sometimes find nutrition is the last thing on my list to think about, but I sure notice when I do let it slip! I'll be sure to practice these tips during training and hopefully this will help me towards traithlon success....fingers crossed!

Do you have any other triathlon tips? Leave a comment or drop me an email!

Goodness, Gracious, Great Balls of....Energy?! - Crandon Runs Friday Photo #18

Hello there! Sarah is on holiday and she's asked me to take over her blog while she's away. The power. And the pressure - this is an award-winning blog you know.

So for the next few days you'll have my random thoughts on running instead. Let me introduce myself, I'm Katie, Sarah's biggest sister and I live in Cardiff.

Confession; I'm much more of a 'brisk walker' than a runner, particularly when you compare me with Sarah's marathon efforts. But I do love a gentle plod around the park and it was actually me who got Sarah running in the first place.

Yummy homemade energy balls- the prefect pre-run snack

So what have I decided to write my first post on? Balls of course! By that I mean energy balls. If you're a runner you've probably tried energy balls, or at least heard of them, but if not, let me explain. Energy balls are basically little snacks made from protein-heavy ingredients - to give you a quick hit of energy pre-run, or a protein boost following a workout.

I first tried the pre-packaged variety you can buy in shops last year and they weren't really to my taste. Although the first bite tasted OK, they were dry and left that awful cardboard-y taste in my mouth that I've only ever experienced with energy bars and baby food (it must be some sort of preserving agent - yuck).

However I did find that the energy ball was a really good mid-morning energy kick, which didn't lead to the afternoon crash I'd get from something less healthy like a chocolate bar. I also noticed that my legs were not aching as much as usual after my workout, which I'm putting down to the protein hit.

Since then my husband Gavin and I have been experimenting with making our own energy balls at home. Deliciously Ella has some great recipes if you're not sure where to start (the cinnamon and raisin bites are so, so easy).

After much testing, we've found a recipe that we really like, so here's a very loose idea if you want to try them. I'd encourage you to play around with the ingredients and see what works for you, which is why the measurements are not very technical.

Ingredients:
A large dollop of peanut butter
A large dollop of almond butter
Chia seeds
Flaxseeds
A couple of dates
Small handful of sultanas
Handful of chopped almonds and peanuts
Desiccated coconut.
Method:
Whizz all the ingredients except the coconut together in a food processor until combined, you may need to scoop up a handful and squidge it together to make sure it sticks. Then roll into balls.
Dip each ball in the desiccated coconut and leave them to chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Hey presto! Lovely, scrummy little balls of energy.

The balls should keep in the fridge for around a week or can be frozen for around a month. Eat them whenever you're craving a snack, with a smoothie for breakfast or for a pre-run boost.

Basically add whatever you fancy - oats, cinnamon, different nuts and seeds, a scoop of protein powder if that's your thing post run. Just give it a try.

I'm heading to Cardiff Park Run tomorrow so will definitely be having one before I head out.

Sarah AKA Crandon Runs is currently on holiday.

If you're in Cardiff, you might want to follow my blog cardiffgirl.wordpress.com