Benchmark Statistics & Nutrition Targets

Nutrition is massive and without it you can’t train, injuries are frequent further preventing training and on race day without the proper race day nutrition you body will shut down. There is some information here that you may find interesting in terms of calories and general nutrition. Also this gives an idea about how scientific the nutritional component is to achieving the goal of finishing.


So here is my starting weight, body fat and muscle mass. The goal is to keep these levels right through training through proper nutrition to no strength or endurance is lost. The other battle is to peak at the exact time.

Currently
Weight in lbs = 155lbs * 2.2 = Weight 70.4 Kg
Body fat 7.6% (11lbs of fat and 144 lbs lean muscle)

Caloric target formula = 30 calories per kilogram

Training Targets
Benchmark Caloric target 2112
Daily Protein target grams 140.8


Add the following calories for 1 hour of training
Swimming add 0.16 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 675.84 extra calories for a 1 hour high performance swim

Cycling add 0.17 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 718.08 extra calories for a 1 hour high performance cycle

Running add 0.21 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 887.04 extra calories for 1 hour of high exertion run

Strength training add 0.1 calories per minute per Kg of body weight e.g. 422.4 extra calories for 1 hour of high exertion strength training


Post Training Recovery
Consume liquid or solid fuel 15-20 minutes after long or exhausting workouts
Fuel should contain 1.6 grams of carbohydrates per Kg of body weight and 0.5 grams of protein per Kg of body weight
Regular snacks of 50 grams carbohydrate every 2 hours to aid recovery


Sources of Calories
Carbohydrates 40-65% of total calories 1 gram of carbohydrates contains approximately 4 calories

Fat 15-30% of total calories 1 gram of fat contains approximately 9 calories

Protein 15-30% of total calories 1 gram of protein contains approximately 4 calories

1 gram of alcohol contains approximately 7 calories


Liquid and calorie targets during the race - Dehydration is the largest obstacle during the race
Liquid Target consumption during the Ironman = 1 cup of fluids (8oz) every 15 minutes = 4 cups per hour * 12 hour target = 48 cups or 12 Liters of fluids

Caloric target consumption during the Ironman = 500 calories per hour * 12 hour target = 6000 calories of which Carbohydrates should equate to 50 grams per hour

Sodium = 500 milligrams per hour


Examples of race day fuel
SWIM - 1 liter of coconut water before the start with full fat yogurt and 1 peach

BIKE - 1 liter of coconut water and 1 whole wheat bun with Nutella in the transition zone and 2 liters of Ensure on the bike with grain bars

RUN - 1 banana in transition with 1 liter of coconut water and another whole wheat bun with Nutella and

Getting ready to train

So this is the last weekend before the real training begins. So far I have been training on general strength and fitness, building my nutritional plans and trying to work on repairing any outstanding injuries. The next 6 months are going to be long and difficult but the idea is that 6 months of training and eating right will allow me to finish the race within a 12 hour window. I actually feel very good going into the training but the battle will be to keep my lean muscle mass above 140lbs and to keep my strength in check while concentrating on massive amounts of cardio and endurance.


I now know what I need to do, what I need to eat day by day, hour by hour, what I need to consume during the race, how much water etc so I can finish the race. The largest battle is consuming the massive calories that I will need day in and day out. On the long training days i will be consuming close to 4000 calories and burning about 2500-3000 calories. During the race my body will probably burn approximately 10,000-12,000 calories so diet is essential.

I will be listing everything from training, injuries, how I feel, meals I create, nutrition plans in order to give some insight into the task I've undertaken. It’s going to be fun and horrible at times but interesting so stay tuned......