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You have been training your stomach the entire time you have been riding, running and swimming (you DID swim, right?) in preparation for this race. You taught it what to digest and when to digest it.  Your stomach also trained you: you now know that 4 beers before a long-ride day OR fried foods pre-workout are both BAD IDEAS.  The key focus to IM nutrition is to not lose sight of what has worked for you (even if someone has a miracle fuel available, you haven’t trained with it!).  Some important points to remember are:

• Sip water and sports drink (Gatorade, etc., but NOT the race day flavor) as you watch bad day-time TV the day before the race.
• Eat well and early the night before (preferably by 6pm). Give yourself plenty of time to digest your food.  Continue sipping.
• Eat a good breakfast.  Do this early enough so you know it will settle down (but you are only swimming after all).  Eat what has worked for you (not what your roommate thinks is good). If necessary, wake up, eat and  go back to bed.
• Start with your nutrition plan, but adapt as needed. The weather, your pace, the course will all wreak havoc with your plan.
• If you are thirsty – drink.
• If you are hungry – eat.
• If it is hot – drink more and consider upping your salt/electrolyte intake.
• If it is cool – keep drinking. You need it!
• Stick with your liquid calories, supplementing some solids perhaps at the halfway mark (I prefer peanut butter & jelly).
• If you are having issues, take care of them. If you need to go to the bathroom, go. If you need to back off the pace, back off. Better to take a few minutes here to solve your issue before it becomes a full-fledged problem.

There are many resources on IM nutrition out there – read them all and choose wisely. Consult your friends/fellow triathletes. Find a plan that works for you and stick with it.  Use it on race day and re-evaluate as you go.  You will be in a new world on race day, and you never know what might get you to the finish line (it took a handful of jelly beans for me at IMFL in 2001)…whatever it is, make sure you have it and you will be ready to rock!

IM 101 | IM 102 | IM 103 | IM 104 | IM 105

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