An Ironman is a long day, that is for sure. Even the best are out there for at least 8hrs. Most seem to come in around 10-14, then the survival group, out there exercising for 15+ hours. It’s next to impossible to account for everything that’s going to happen on race day when you’re dealing with that amount of time. Even 8 hours is a ridiculously long training day. Here are some things to ponder.
Hunger at mile 90 of the bike, what should I do? Getting hungry at mile 90 of the bike is not a good sign, it generally means you’ve undershot your calorie intake and have some catching up to do. How are you going to do that before getting off your bike and running a marathon? Answer: slow down so your heart rate lowers and you can digest properly, take in a bunch of food and gradually get the pace back up. Ideally you would catch that problem before mile 90 as it can often be hard to eat at that point of a race.
What happens if you can’t eat solid food anymore? You need calories, so what is your plan going to be on race day? Can you drink Coke for the remaining distance? Are gels your weapon of choice? Can you force a banana down? Have your answer ready as best you can so you know how to deal with the problem.
I’m feeling weak and and can’t get myself going even though I know I’ve had enough calories? Are you hydrated enough to keep the digestion going? Have you had enough electrolytes for your body?
There are endless problems that could arise and everyone is going to have their own to deal with. But there is most always a solution, you just have to THINK about the problem and how to solve it. Your day is not over if you’re hurting 5 hours in, be smart, think about the problem and figure out a remedy.
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Thank you for your contuning tips/advice, I always look forward to reading the the information here.
I am doing Ironman LP, my first, getting nervous and reading your tips help.
Geoff Sullivan
Hey Geoff, thanks for the comment. Best of luck with your race in Lake Placid. I’ve heard that’s a great course, enjoy.
I did my first ironman AZ, and became severly nauseous around mile 80 on the bike that lasted almost through the entire run. I’m wondering what caused this? I ate the same things I normally do on a training session, and even kept the pace slow, so that my heart rate was always in zone 1. The nausea was so bad that on the run I had to walk simply because the bouncing was making it worse. Physically I felt fine & could run no problem except for the nausea. I ate Gu’s & sport jelly beans & some fruit chewy snacks, all things I always eat on a long bike ride. Any thoughts on what I should try/change so I don’t encounter this problem on my next race? I have done several half ironmans & never ran into this problem.
Thanks-Jenny
Hi Jenny,
I (Trevor) was at IMAZ as well dealing with very similar issues. Though, I didn’t feel any un-easiness on the bike like you did. Pacing/effort level on the bike is always the first question, you obviously know that and stayed where you needed to be. This was something I tested this weekend as well, yet still came up with gut issues. Having now talked with a few different people and thought of alternatives you may want to look at a few of the following points:
-Concentration: Did you take too many gels and sugary products without enough water. Keep in mind if you were drinking Gatorade the whole day you’re adding even more calories and sugar to your system.
-Only sugar in the belly: Perhaps when you’re out training you have a bit more real food sitting in your stomach. Whereas in the race you’ve already swam 4 kilometers after a potentially light race morning breakfast. If you have nothing but sugar in your stomach and you’re not used to that it could easily have made you feel sick. Think about grabbing some Banana from an aid station, they’re generally easy to digest and can help fill the void a bit.
-Type of calories: Sounds like you didn’t ingest any fats or protein. Not necessarily a bad thing! I’ve always used that Ensure Plus meal replacement thinking I needed that calorie source. I am now starting to realize it’s probably too heavy to digest properly during a race.
Feel free to shoot us an email if you’d like to discuss further. We’ve got access to some great coaches and knowledgeable people who are keen to help! twurtele (at) gmail.com.