ATC 335: Ironman Fueling Plans with UCAN and More, Transitioning from Ultras to Ironman – Mindset and Training Style Adjustments, and More Fun!

Andy asks:

• Don’t change who you are. Don’t change your mental outlook, this is part of who you are and what drives you to
• Make the training work for your mental outlook.
• Follow your gut intuition and what makes you feel good and confident.
• Ease off on the run a bit.
• The run training for ultra has added a massive amount of durability. Durability is everything to avoid injury and setback.
• Your ability to absorb load will be greater due to previous run training; don’t shy away from cycling volume (way less stress on the body
• You could totally do the race distance(s) each week.
• Doing 112 mile rides is totally reasonable, even more.
• Don’t do your biggest workouts 4-5 weeks out, it’s too risky and too close to race day. 
• Starting 20 weeks out start you can be doing your longest rides, relates to the 20×20 idea.
• Drive cycling volume safely because non-load-bearing.
• Defining performance?
• You don’t need to be doing speedwork in the run for Ironman; too non-specific. If you do do speedwork, make it 20+ weeks out from the race.
• Just remember- when you come off the bike in Ironman your run mechanics are going to not be the same as when you’re running fresh or doing shorter races.
• Ditch speedwork for run-specific strength workout: long tempo runs and threshold runs.
• Too many athletes focus on the last 5%… but what about the volume that matters e.g. 40 weeks of 40 mpw. 
• For this athlete, run less (e.g. 30-35 mpw) and boost the bike and swim! 
• Then ~16 weeks out can add the threshold-type stuff (not traditional speedwork).
• Two-hour trainer rides have value. 
• Be realistic with a good kind of hurt vs a bad kind of hurt when you’re in a workout.
• Fins metrics/data to guide duration and intensity of a workout. E.g. watch your HR and don’t over-stress yourself. Don’t bike yourself into “useless puddle.”
• If you do destroy yourself, take the next day EASY or off (hop into the pool if you must do something).
• Triathlon swimmers: It’s OK to use the pull buoy and paddles (with a caveat on the paddles)!
• But also don’t always use toys a crutch.
• Wetsuit similarities to a pull buoy.
• If it helps you enjoy the swim more to use something like a buoy, maybe that’s not such a bad thing! Especially if it helps you swim more without problems or loss in good form.
• Ironman Cozumel mention: Kristian Blummenfelt and Dede Griesbauer- amazing performances!

Mel asks:

Using UCAN and other sports nutrition ideas for Ironman-distance racing

What the coaches say:

• General tips
  • Look at using more than just one product like UCAN to round out your race fueling plan.
  • Caution against highly concentrated sports drinks (e.g. cramming a bunch of scoops of any sports nutrition mix into one bottle is risky).
    • Mistakes with nutrition are much more likely when using concentrated bottles.
  • Don’t always focus on what other people are doing. If you do go this route, find people who race similar times as you.
  • We’re a huge fan of Dr. Alan Lim’s nutrition philosophy and his rice cake recipe(s), and Skratch Labs drink mix.
  • Start practicing your sports nutrition plan as early as you can to refine and dial it in so there are no questions come race day.
  • And if you’re still confused, talk to a sports nutrition professional or RD who works with Ironman athletes.
  • Keep it simple because you’re brain will be fried! Maybe “boring” is the key to success.
  • Don’t let media hype have you question what works for you!!!
• How many calories per hour do you need for an Ironman, if you are a fat-adapted triathlete, on the bike and run? These numbers are fairly general; may want to tailor further for fat-adaptation levels, needs and more:
  • Smaller people (<150lbs)
    • 300 calories per hour on bike
    • 200-250 cal on run
  • Bigger people (>150lbs)
    • 400 calories on bike
    • 300-350 cal on run
• UCAN-specific tips:
  • Preloading is a big deal with UCAN so if you do use it, incorporating into your pre-race meal is really helpful for sustained energy. Options would be like 1-2 servings mixed in a breakfast and then another bottle with 1 serving  for sipping closer to race start.
  • Tawnee prefers plain UCAN during racing, mostly to just keep it simple on the gut.
  • 1 scoop of UCAN can last you up to 90 minutes.
    • If you are more fat adapted you can use a serving of UCAN every 90 min, if less met efficient use every 60min.
  • Pro Triathlete TimO’Donnell nutrition plan with UCAN – this works for him, but is it for everyone? We discuss pros and cons to his plan.
  • UCAN’s triathlon nutrition tips for your race fueling plans
  • UCAN Facebook group – great support for UCAN users!
• Longer than 3 hours, it’s recommended to include some variety of carb sources and solids too:
  • Variety of CHO sources may help because different carbohydrates are transported into cells with different transporters becoming the energy we need and use.
  • ISSN recommends a “variety of calorie-dense foods. Consideration must be given to food palatability, individual tolerance, and the increased preference for savory foods in longer races.”
• ISSN says: A central aim of any periodized ultra-marathon training program should be to maximize capacity for fat metabolism, thereby sparing muscle glycogen for the latter stages of competition.
• Carbohydrates (CHO)
  • On bike:
    • ~300-400 calories an hour
    • CHO: 60-70g/CHO per hour (240-280 calories from just carbs) on the bike is usually the upper limit
    • Some people can handle up to 90g/CHO hr, or 360 calories from CHO, and if you are one of these people try it on the bike not the run
    • UCAN plain = 1 scoop = 90 calories with 22 CHO (basically pure CHO but as we know that is CHO in the form of super starch- low-glycemic, complex carbohydrate that doesn’t affect blood sugar)
    • So you could do 1 scoop mixes with 8-12 oz water or other drink; consider adding with a low osmo drink like 1 serving Skratch?
    • Refer to ATC 330, where we discussed sports drinks & osmolality in detail; the short: don’t pack too much in!
  • On run:
    • ~200-350 calories an hour
    • 40-50 g CHO/hr (160-200 calories from CHO)
    • This is newer to the scene but if you’re using UCAN can try UCAN EDGE gels instead of mixed bottles.
    • UCAN Edge gel is 70 calories with 19g CHO. Does have some sugar alcohols that some people may find they’re sensitive to, so test test test.
    • Then add in what else works for you
• Fat
  • Factoring your CHO needs and metabolic efficiency to then determine fat during racing.
  • Fat is a worthy fuel source (oxidation of glycogen provides only ~2500 kilocalories of energy before depletion, whereas oxidation of fat provides at least 70,000–75,000 kilocalories of energy, even in a lean adult [31]).
  • Fat needs can be subjective and a lot of variables like what your gut can and will tolerate. For some people they can safely include MCT oil, for others this may send them to the port-o-potty.
• Protein?
  • With ultra endurance events, you want to get in a source of protein/amino acids to prevent muscle breakdown + help with recovery.
  • Protein: approximately 0.25 g/kg protein per hour when taken along with carbohydrate is recommended by the ISSN to minimize potential muscle damage [9]. – so for 150lbs this is 17g/PRO/hr (can sub supplements like PerfectAmino)
  • ISSN recommends: 5-10g/PRO/hr.
  • On protein and central governor:
    • “Branched-chain amino acid supplementation still may help endurance athletes via central governor theory modulation [13]. BCAAs compete with tryptophan for transport across the blood brain barrier, and increased tryptophan may increase serotonin and contribute to feelings of fatigue [13].”
  • We like PerfectAmino.
• Hydration and electrolyes
  • Fluids: ~400-800 mL per hour; not over 1L per hour.
  • ISSN: 450–750 mL/h− 1 (~ 150–250 mL every 20 min)
  • Electrolytes 
    • Sodium: 300-600mg/hr if high sweater or 500-700 mg/L of fluid (32 fl. oz.). Some say salty sweaters: up to 1,000 mg/L (32 fl. oz.)
• Lucho’s Ironman nutrition plan:
  • 2 bottles on the bike each with 2 scoops; same bottles ready in special needs.
  • Plus a gel flask diluted with water.
  • He likes to stay as self-supported as possible in racing.
  • However, in Leadville he was forced to go lower on calories jut logistically speaking.
• References:
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6628334/
  • https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-019-0312-9