My new bike & the bike I will ride in the Ironman
Heh. Now I have to get a matching helmet and shoes too. My bike shoes are yellow and my helmet is blue / grey. I surely can't wear those to race now that my bike is red. :)
I've got a coach and I'm on a structured training plan now so my racing schedule next year will definitely be much slimmer than this year. New Orleans will be my first 'official' half in April 2009 and Florida will be my first full in November 2009. (or Hawaii if I get in) If I get a lottery slot to Hawaii then I'm probably going to treat Florida as a long training day and do the swim and bike and opt out of the run. At least that's what my coach is telling to do if that situation happens. We'll see. I'm not one to quit races but with Hawaii and Florida being within the same month that may be the best option.
My girlfriend and I are volunteering for IMFL this year to get in the special line. Hopefully that is going to guarantee my spot.
Race nutrition... Ahh... One of my favorite subjects. I've experimented with lots and had sucess with little. Gel packs go straight through me or make me dump. I'm currently having limited success with peanut butter but I'm having issues with packaging. I can't seem to find a distributor that sells peanut butter in a little pack like the get packs come in. I'm currently training with peanut butter mixed with flavorless protein and a tiny bit of sugar. I stick those in ziplocks and put them in the fridge to stay hard. They stay intact for the most part but they are still messy as hell. I talked to my doc and he prescribed a little blue pill (not Viagra) that is some form of a gut narcotic. It's worked for me most of the time but I forgot to take it the morning of TriAmerica. It wasn't just the lack of taking that pill though. The distance, heat, dehydration and other contributing factors led to my digestive problems. I would have had issues with a normal digestive tract I think.
Good luck in Lake Placid and Arizona. From what the guys in my tri club have told me Lake Placid is one of the best events they have participated in. They pretty much shut the town down and concentrate 100% on Ironman.
After 18 months of experimenting, I've finally found the right mix for me.
A Clif Bar and a banana, 2 Hours before the race.
3 Thermolyte Electrolyte / Sodium capsules 30 Minutes before the swim.
3 Clif Shot Blocks 15 minutes before the swim. (I can't do gels, either... but, if I let the shot blocks just melt in my mouth, and then chase it with a little H2O, I'm all good)
4 bottles of Cytomax (3 on the bike, one in transition) with some crystal light thrown in to make it taste better. As I finish a Cytomax on the bike, I jettison the bottle and grab a water at the bottle exchange.
3 Thermolyte Capsules ever hour on the bike.
1 Clif Bar Half way thru the bike.
3 Clif Shot Blocks during the last 5 miles of the bike.
3 More Thermolytes in Transition (Can't take em on the run, because the get wet with sweat & dissolve in your pocket... gross. I learned that the hard way!)
I take my transition bottle of Cytomax out on the run and discard the botttle when it's finished.
I keep 2 bags of shot blocks (the kind with sodium) in my race jersey pocket, and suck on them, one at a time, throughout the entire run.
I hit every aid station for as much water as I can handle.
Post race... A banana or two and a LOT of water.
Later that night... 5-6 beers!
Of course, This is just me... but, none of this stuff seems to cause me any GI distress.
I think we should all get together and write a book...
"Training & Race Nutrition for Post-WLS Endurance Athletes"
We probably could sell a couple o' dozen copies!
-Be Well,
A.J.
Scott The first time you do something - It's going to be a personal record!
on 6/20/08 10:45 pm, edited 6/20/08 11:13 pm - Island Heights, NJ
Only 17 Months 'til IMFL '09... Get of the computer and get back to training, :rofl:
Congrats!
-A.J. 
