The Truth - Part 2

Train and recover, train and recover. That is likely the cyclical nature of every day, week and month of a competitive triathlete. In order to optimize this cycle, the training, recovery and nutritional protocols are critical to become the fastest, most durable athlete you can be.

As promised, here's a run down of everything that "I'm on". Note; my supplements of choice are very First Endurance centric. The reasons for this are many but I've been using their products for years and most importantly they work for me. I'm a sponsored athlete. All first endurance products have been formulated to work together and are all legal by WADA, USADA and UCI standards.

 
 Racing and Training Nutrition
EFS - has the highest electrolyte content, drink product on the market.  It's easily mixed/diluted to liking and conditions.  It tastes great and is so electrolyte dense, in most conditions, salt caps usually aren't even required!

EFS Liquid Shot - a 400 calorie wallop in a single, reusable package (vs the traditional 100cal gel pack). It's easy to dilute concentration or mix Pre-Race. It's also easily fits in jersey pocket or a bento box.

Pre-Race (caffeine) - I prefer the power mix and usually mix 1/2 a scoop with a liquid shot during long endurance ride (over 3hrs) and when racing. This stuff is like rocket fuel...assuming you don't overdo it with caffeine consumption when not training. (avoid building a natural tolerance with frequent use)

Coffee - I avoid caffeine/coffee during the week and only fuel my weekend workouts with 2 cups of coffee with breakfast. Within the past few years I discovered caffeine as a pretty incredible racing/training supplement. The most noticeable effect caffeine has on me is a reduced cardiac output at effort and also a reduced RPE (rate of perceived effort).

Recovery Nutrition and Supplements
Ultragen - after particularly intense workouts or for recovery during high volume training block, I'll drink a serving of Ultragen immediately after a workout or a race to quickly restore nutrients within that 30 min sweet spot.  Depending on the phase of my training, I'll drink 2-5 Ultragen shakes a week.

Protein Powder - Muscle Milk made the photo but I'll usually just buy what's on sale. Mixed with milk and/or frozen berries makes a killer post workout treat or meal replacement.  I'll usually make 1 or 2 of these a week. 

Glutamine Chews - I found these last year. I refrain from sweets on the lead up to my biggest events. These taste like giant jelly beans after a long training day. Two is all I need to satisfy my sweet tooth.  Once or twice a week depending on training phase, I'll indulge on these.

OptygenHP -  is one of the most incredible products I've found. It boosts the body's ability to adapt to training stress, increases aerobic threshold and reduces latic acid. If I had to eliminate all but one thing found within this post, OptygenHP would be the one and only supplement that would remain.

Vitamins - off season I buy generic and then switch to First Endurance MultiV during the peak of my season. I try to eat as healthy as I can but it never hurts to add a great mufti-vitamin when you're really taxing the system and trying to avoid illness.  Also when my run miles get up above 35miles a week, I'll start taking Glucosamine, it's lube for your joints and I'm a believer. And a little Fish Oil for some Omega-3s and I'm good to go.

Real Food - this one is huge one and probably the most important. I've been "going long" enough and have struggled with food choices so many times, I can honestly say that what you chose to put in your body has a dramatic effect on performance. I've read about the importance of nutrition all over the internet but I'm very thick skulled and continue to learn this one the hard way.  The fastest way to a performance breakthrough is by fueling your body with as much real food as possible ("kill it or grow it").

Conclusion
So that's my list, it might seem a bit extreme to some but I kind of look at it like this, when you start training for your first marathon, it's impossible to fathom a 20 mile training run.  If I could have read this post 10 years ago when I got starting with long distance training and race, I would have told you, "you're crazy, what do you need all of that stuff for?!"  Just like the slow build up for a marathon, my recovery and nutritional supplementation has naturally evolved to provide my body with the nutrients it needs to handle training stress which leads to being able to optimize my performance.

Train, Recover, Repeat.  There are no secrets.

Next Time: Time Trial Tunnel Vision, Garmin GPS, training update