First half Ironman. Nutrition on the bike suggestions

[Erin Hess]

I am doing my first half Ironman this weekend. I have done many sprints, and lots of endurance bike rides. The race I am doing will not provide food on the bike, only water/gatorade at the aid stations. On long bikes I usually bring potatoes that I microwaved before the ride, and they are wonderful several miles into the ride! Fig newtons don't always sit well with me. I want to fuel on the ride since I don't do solids easily during the run. I am looking for real food suggestions for the bike portion that are obviously very portable and don't take up much space. I will bring gels with me as well for bike and run

[duncan]

one thing i like to do is have one water bottle that has perpetuem in it. that gives me a lot of the fuel i need for the day. it takes me about an hr to drink the bottle while sipping water/grade from another bottle. then at about the firs aid station, i drop off the empty perpetuem for a new grade bottle.

[JLaFren]

how did you end up doing in this race? what was your nutrition strategy? do you think you got it right?

[duncan]

thanks for asking...i think i got my nutrition exactly right. I took a bottle of perpetuem mixed w endurance gatorade (frozen overnight) and a bottle of propel on the bike to start. i replaced them with endurance gatorade at aid stations as needed. I drank 1 bottle per hr or so and also poured water over me at times (it was 96 that day). I grabbed gels at every aid station and sometimes a powerbar and ate one and kept one just in case each time. my special needs bags had sunflower butter (peanut butter substitute) sandwhiches on jewish rye bread. I chose the rye because it is loaded with sodium. i also packed just bread with no sunflower butter incase i had trouble eating it on the run. I did. i never got hungry, never bonked, never felt sick and had to pee 3 or 4 times that day. I finished in 15hrs 42minutes. slooooow but I crossed the finish line. on the run, i did the same thing at aid stations but also used the sponges, ate oranges and bites of bananas and drank chicken broth when available. that was great. by the end i was drinking soem some coke too.