Whilst training hard and competing well throughout the summer I have been working hard on getting my race day nutrition correct. Even though a Standard Distance Duathlon lasts for circa 2 hours getting my fuelling right is important as in the past I have suffered with stomach cramps and discomfort on the second run.
I have generally managed to remove the temptation of sugary snacks and replaced them as much as possible with Protein rich alternatives such as Nut Butters and Greek Yoghurt. Variety can always be tricky but using great recipes from a nutritionist such as Renee McGregor has helped ensure there is little repetition or boredom with food.
The main thing for me was to ensure that I had practised my race day nutrition on my numerous brick sessions in the build-up to the race.
An ever-popular Duathlon race which in October 2016 was the culmination of the qualifying events for the ETU Standard Distance event in Spain 2017. As a result, it was a very well attended race but was amazingly well organised and the fantastic track setting served the event well.
There were in the region of 300+ competitors with a good group of us vying for qualification!
I am a stronger cyclist than runner so was very happy with my time of 32:15 for the opening 2 laps of the circuit (8.6km) 8th quickest in my AG, after a decent transition it was out on the bike for 9 laps (38.8km) of the circuit and although it was quick it wasn’t flat and it was very busy! I soon got up to pace and finished the cycle in 59 mins flat 3rd in AG making up good time on my rivals.
My second run has historically been letting me down, so I have been working hard on running off the bike and making sure I have fuelled well during the cycle to run hard. Although I ran well, I was a little off the pace and managed the 4.3km in 16:34 10th in AG.
Overall, I came 22nd and 8th in AG which I was really happy with as I felt I raced well!
The race started at 13:00 so I set off from Wiltshire bright and early with a banana and cup of Matcha Green Tea inside me. On race days I normally aim to have a bowl of Overnight Oats around 3 ½ to 4 hours before the race is due to start. I normally look at around 80gms Oats, 2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds, 275ml Milk and around 4 tablespoons of low fat Greek yoghurt topped with nuts and seeds. Although this might seem a lot it settles well and provides a good mix of carbs and protein which digests easily.
Then about 1 hour before the race I will have an Raw energy bar supplied by Sponsor @oompfenergy again with all natural ingredients I find they settle very well in my system and give the final bit of energy needed. I tend to also have a cup of TrueStart coffee.
During the actual race itself I tend to sip water on the bike leg and consume 2 – 3 gels I have experimented with numerous types over the seasons and on this particular occasion used SIS and they worked well.
