Michael Lovato's Rhode Island 70.3 Nutritional Report

Every race is different, and the body reacts to things differently throughout the season. I have learned that just because it worked before does not mean it will work every time! I am constantly attending to every detail as I prepare for my races. Nutrition is a key element of success, and the outcome in Rhode Island was determined by who bonked and who did not.

Two days before the race was my travel day. And thus I did not have the luxury of sleeping, resting, or eating, as I normally would do at home. However, I did my best to follow a similar routine. My morning breakfast was Monkey Brains and coffee, and I followed that up with an egg sandwich at the airport. I only had time for a chicken sandwich and a Naked Juice at the airport in RI. I snacked throughout the day, and took with me a healthy appetite to dinner in Providence. I ate salmon, a baked potato, mixed vegetables and a salad for dinner. I upped the salt intake that night, and washed my food down with a lot of water.

Saturday before the race was a breakfast that looked very similar to race day: two packets of Monkey Brains, one bagel with PB, one banana, and coffee. Later that day I ate another PB bagel with banana, a Naked Juice, one bottle of Ultragen, one bottle of EFS, and two pop tarts. Next up was an energy bar. My dinner that night was a bit late, due to the drive to and from the beach. Normally I try to eat 11 to 12 hours before breakfast; in this case, it was only about 9 hours before. I ate about 900 calories worth of rice pasta, 100 calories worth of marinara, three cups of water, and a healthy dose of salt.

By 3:30 the next morning, I was not very hungry. Typically I have room for much more in the AM, but this day I only tolerated two packets of Monkey Brains (320cal), 2/3 of a bagel with PB (350) and one banana (100). I drank two 8oz cups of coffee and 1 8oz cup of water. My total calories were about 770 at 3:45AM.

On the drive to the start (approximately 30min), I sipped about 4oz of EFS (30cal).

At 5:40 I took 100 calories of EFS Liquid Shot. We started late (at 6:30).

On the bike I drank one 24oz bottle of Grape EFS (200calories); and I took one flask of EFS Liquid Shot (400calories); and I took one on-course caffeinated gel (100calories). I sipped approximately 30 calories of another EFS bottle for a total of 730 calories for 2hrs 10min of riding. I also drank 18oz of water.
Onto the run, I consumed one flask of EFS Liquid Shot (400cal) and one caffeinated on-course gel (100cal). I also drank several cups of water, about three half cups (6oz) of Gatorade, and one sip of coke. I took in approximately 550 calories for 1hr 18min of running.

My total calories and electrolytes were perfect; however, my total fluid ounces were low. I needed probably 18-20 more ounces on the bike to help stave of the cramping I experienced in my legs on the run. There was no GI distress.