This is what I recommend for my athletes (and do myself)....

Breakfast — For a longer race, I like to include some "real" protein along with something like oatmeal or 12-grain cereal. So, I will eat a chicken breast with my hot cereal. I prefer hot cereals as they are less processed than store bought. For a shorter race, I might only have a couple of bagels with cashew butter and jam. I prefer 100% nut butters as they do not have hydrogenated oils and added sugar.

I like breakfast completed two to three hours before race. The heavier the breakfast the longer the digestion time you need.

Pre-Race — I hydrate normally until 60 minutes before the race then back right off.

Last-Hour Food — If you are going to eat before the start then I recommend that you eat immediately before the start. Some athletes like a gel five minutes before the start. Personally, I think that eight to 16 ounces of sports drink would be more readily digested. I do not recommend food in the five to 60-minute pre-race window as it can screw up blood sugar levels. Better to eat more in the two- to three-hour pre-race window.

Race Food — We are looking at a four-hour or longer race, about the length of time it takes me for a half IM. I would recommend 350 calories per hour on the bike. That's a bar and a gel each hour — two bars and two gels total for the bike. If you eat that then you can go sports drink only on the run without difficulty — your planned gel would be fine but won't really give you much for the run. The key fueling period is on the bike. Being able to eat is an important benefit of holding back a touch in that first quarter of the ride.

Post-Race Food — Often overlooked is post-race food. I plan my post-race food well in advance and ensure that I have a high quality source of carbohydrates and protein waiting for me when I cross the line. Typically, I will consume 560 calories of Endurance R4, then hydrate well. After I have showered, stretched and cooled down, I will eat a mixed meal of carbs and protein.

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Volume vs. Work

Now that we are in the race season, it is important that you remember that your training focus will be ensuring a limited number of breakthrough (BT) sessions. Many, many athletes equate "volume" to "work". In other words, the more volume they do, the more work they do. Almost every athlete training for their first Ironman race will do too much volume.

"Work" is a mixture of volume, intensity and frequency. As a coach, it is my job to mix these variables in the most effective manner for my athletes. It's natural to have pride in a week that is high in volume. However, I can assure you that total volume completed tracks VERY poorly to race performance. Indeed, even one to two hours of excessive volume can leave you exhausted, slow your key sessions and greatly reduce the quality of your overall training.

As your "A" race approaches, your goal will be to prepare your body to go fast.

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Huge Gear

Some tips for those of you doing HUGE gear work...

1. Remember that this is a force workout. Keep your HR under control.
2. Don't worry about speed, focus on making strong controlled circles.
3. Start with an easier gear and drop down through the session. For example, if you think that you "might" be able to handle a 53x12 for, say 10 minutes, then start with a 53x15 and move down through the period. It is far better to finish strong than blow early.
4. As you fatigue, you will find that your legs start emphasizing the downstroke. Remember circles the whole way — don't worry about pace, keep the HR down and work those circles.
5. Your position must be race specific — either sitting right up (for climbing) or down on the bars (TTing). Stay in the saddle.
6. No matter what your position, you will find that you can engage your entire body for better power output.

Climbing Technique

My main tip here is a reminder to continue to pedal circles throughout the climb. Like the huge gear work, as you fatigue you will find that your recovering leg gets a bit "heavy". This robs you of watts! I like to "think knees" when climbing as this helps me maintain a light recovering leg.