The distances and sports nutrition
Note ... The tips and advice below must first be tried out during a training before you apply this in a competition!
The sprint triathlon
- 750m swimming,
- 10 km cycling,
- 5 km running.
The Sprint Triathlon is a strange distance with regard to sports nutrition. The tricky thing is that you act on the tops of your heartbeats, the switches have to happen super fast, and that every second counts. The toppers take just under 60 minutes, but many of us will take between 1: 10 am and 1: 45 hours.
In high intensity, the body only has 1: 10 am and 1: 8 pm in carbohydrates that are stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. This is differences per person, so how many carbohydrates you have, you will have to fix experimentally by simulating a competition in a training.
A sprint distance is therefore a competition that takes place at maximum intersity. Theoretically, the body in the physiological field stops this intensity with the absorption of nutrients. According to this theory, it does not have to take anything with you, but there is also such a thing as the mental factor.
Having nothing with you can cause unrest ..What if I get hungry ", "There is a chance that I will get an energy tip" etc., for this reason, it is advisable to take a gel in your back pocket and to have a small bottle with sports drink on your bike.
With this distance is the period in front of and after The competition very important. If you start a sprint triathlon, it is advisable to have your moisture management in order and to have your carbohydrate stock as large as possible.
A correct moisture management can be achieved by taking 1 to 2 water bottle (A 500ml) with a 100% hydration drink. This drink complements the required salts and minerals (electrolytes) in the body without having an effect on the rapid carbohydrates in your body. These drinks therefore only contain electrolytes.
You can also drink a bottle of this on the day of the competition.
In the 5 days before a triathlon you will have the intensity of your training sessions decreased in length and intensity. This is to give the muscles the necessary rest. If you take extra slow carbohydrates during this period, the body will store these carbohydrates in muscles and liver. This provides an extra buffer (stacking carbohydrates). There are 2 ways to do this ... 1. Extra carbohydrates intake via normal food (pasta, rice, couscous, etc.) or 2. to use a carboloader.
On the day of the triathlon, the intake of electrolytes is therefore recommended. You can also eat a carbohydrate rich for 1.5 to 2 hours (and try this out at a training at competition pace), but fiber poor meal.
About 10 to 15 minutes before the start you can still take a gel together with a few good gulps of sports drinks. This gives you the necessary energy while cycling. At De Wissel we recommend that you always have a water bottle so that you can still drink from this during the switch.
On the bike we always have 1 gel with us and a small bottle of sports drink. If the weather is warm, we recommend using a thirst quencher over an energy drink.
At the last switch you can take a few gulps from your water bottle and then immediately towards finish.
Recovering well after such an effort is nice. You have pushed your body to the limit in a short time. Try to take a recovery drink within 30 minutes of the effort. Such a recovery drink is a combination of proteins (building material for the muscles), electrolytes and carbohydrates. These elements are the basis for a good recovery. As soon as it is somewhat possible, you can switch to normal food again (not too fat and preferably no alcohol). You can also also take a protein bar.
Try to drink 1 to 2 water bottles with electrolytes in the hours after the game and preferably also the next day. Taking up your moisture management will promote your recovery in the hours that follow this is certainly recommended in warm weather.
