A Confession
My run recovery might have also been slowed by a 140-mile ride that I did 48 hours after that run (see xtri.com). Those of you that I coach know that I would never recommend that for you. With good reason! One week later, I decided I was over-reached. While a great day out, that ride resulted in ten days of recovery. Crazy endurance events are best done a long, long way away from your A race. Fortunately, I don't need to start "real" training for IMC until the second week of June.

Post-Race Food
Training with you guys at the camps and in Cali has been great. Having watched you, I see that most of you take your recovery very seriously. That's good. I have also noticed is that after your long workouts you are probably not eating quickly enough. As a general rule, for each pound of body weight, target 1 gram of carbohydrate (CHO) and 0.25 gram of Protein (PRO) as soon as possible after you finish. If you are working then I know it is tough to get food right after. However, if you plan ahead then your recovery will be quicker, you will feel better and will get quicker.

Protein
I have noticed that a number of the athletes I coach are a bit light on their protein intake. I have seen this particularly with the female athletes that I coach. My experience is that Ironman Athletes benefit from 1.5-2.0 grams of PRO per kilo (2.2 lbs) of body weight. Please note that the USRDA is 0.8 grams per kg. Personally, I eat 1.0

Weight
If you are trying to shed a few pounds then watch your high GI carbos in the morning and the evening (I am assuming that you have already eliminated all bad fats from your diet). You MUST adequately reload after training. I have trained with many people that are trying to lose weight and don't eat after training. Please eat after training, otherwise your body will "eat itself". You'll lose weight but it will be lean body mass that you are losing. If you are training 60 mins or less then sports drinks and bars are not required. You've got enough energy on board. I recommend water only for these workouts.

Water
When it gets hot out then you might want to start monitoring your pre and post workout weights. If you drop more than 1/2 - 1 pound then you will want to drink 20-24 oz of water for each pound lost. This is about 150% of your fluid lost. If you are consistently losing more that 2 pounds on your workouts then you will need to increase your hydration during exercise. Find what works for you but 12-16 oz pre-workout and 4-8 oz per 15-20 minutes is what most folks need.

Intensity
Many of us are in the Build/Peak phases of our training now. Once we crank the intensity, it is very, very important to take your easy sessions easy. There should be a large variation in the intensity of your key sessions. Those of you have trained with me were surprised with just how slow I go on my easy days. If you find yourself

Iron
I had someone recommend Iron to me the other day. In talking with my Ultrafit colleagues, I learned that iron should only be supplemented under the direction of your doctor (and s/he should have your blood analyzed before making any recommendation).

Familiar Foods
Many of us travel to our A races. I recommend that you keep the EXACT same diet for race week that you used for training. Your diet got you through all the training, why change it for race week. You have enough stress without modifying your food intake. I like to reduce the amount that I eat when I reduce training volume. Two exceptions I make: (a) for hot races, I increase my sodium intake in the 72 hours prior to the race start; (b) for all long races, I go to a low fiber diet in the last 18 hours before race start.

Supplements
Have a look at all the bars, powders and other things that we take. Many of them contain saturated fats (hydrogenated oils, coconut, fractionated oils, tropical oils). Even the "leading brands" like Met-RX, Balance Bar, etc., contain these. With a few exceptions, I like to get vast majority my nutrition from lean protein and huge amounts of fruits and veggies. During and after training is when I load up on high GI carbos. I supplement Vitamin C and E.