His first duathlon, his first international race and his first time in GB colours …. but what was his nutrition plan?
First off, what is duathlon? Rather than swim bike run in triathlon, duathlon is run bike run. Mike qualified to represent GB in his age group (50-54) in middle distance duathlon at the European Championships in Alsdorf Germany. He managed a pretty respectable 10th place. Not bad for a day of firsts amongst some stiff competition!
What wasn’t new was his nutrition plan. Mike tends to drop a kg or 2 on the build up to an event. Hills are always easier to climb when you are feeling lighter. He eats nutrient dense food (rather than calorie dense food) on days 0 – 5 the week before, then carb loads and super hydrates the 2 days pre race.
He’s up early on the morning of the duathlon for some regular breakfast nutrition (oats and fruit) leaving enough time for a loo stop before the race! When finish times at the top of the table are separated by only seconds, spending minutes in a portaloo half way round the course is not an option!
Compared to middle and long distance triathlon, the duathlon is relatively short, just over 3 hours for Mike. That means food and drink can be kept relatively light. Energy gels on the bike and both runs are the order of the day for sugars and are the mainstay of nutrition. Mike uses #SIS . For every 750ml bottle of fluid, Mike will also drop in an #SIS electrolyte tablet to maintain salt levels. If he drinks during run 1, Mike can get away with just 2 bottles on the bike, then a last bottle to take on the last run.
While most race organisers provide fluid and gels on the run and bike courses, this does not allow athletes to use specific products they have found help and suit them. For absorption and circulation Mike likes to use #ArgiPlus For energy Mike uses #Q10 and for combatting the effects of muscle fatigue, a shot of #Supergreens is the order of the day. You can check all of these out and more HERE
So, what’s next for Mike? Qualification for the European and World duathlon teams starts soon. While triathlon is Mike’s first love, his swimming is not at a standard that will allow him to compete at the top level. So that means training is focussed on duathlon and triathlons are just for fun! Keep an eye on the page as there is exciting news on the way if you have ever thought of doing a triathlon for the first time #FirstTri