Comments on: Think your way through it

By: IronTips

IronTips — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:09:34 +0000

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.

By: Jenny

Jenny — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:31:49 +0000

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

By: IronmanTips

IronmanTips — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:23:24 +0000

Hey Geoff, thanks for the comment. Best of luck with your race in Lake Placid. I’ve heard that’s a great course, enjoy.

By: geoff

geoff — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:18:54 +0000

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