For beginner triathletes, sports nutrition can be a daunting topic, but the principles of training on a balanced diet are actually simple. With some basic knowledge and strategies in place, you’ll be able to fuel your body to reach your training and racing goals.
We’ll cover everything from understanding macronutrients, hydration strategies, and fueling during training to pre-race nutrition so that you can get the most out of your workouts without relying on too many sports drinks or gels.
Lastly, we’ll leave you with some intuitive and easy-to-use resources, endorsed by USA Triathlon, to get you started on the best possible eating plan to support your training program.
Understand Macronutrients
Macronutrients are the three main sources of energy that our bodies need to perform and consist of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Carbohydrates offer a boost of energy, while proteins aid in the repair of muscles post-exercise. Fats also provide long-term energy storage as well as a number of essential nutrients for overall health.
Carbs get much of the spotlight, which makes sense as they serve as the main energy source for your body during physical activity. But that doesn’t mean you should prioritize simple carbohydrates by drinking bottles of Gatorade® at breakfast or eating highly processed foods like sugary cereals before every session.
Irrespective of your training volume, you can usually get almost all the carbs you need by consuming complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. A general rule of thumb is that for workouts of an hour or less, you don’t need any additional simple carbohydrates. So for most of us, that means only supplementing our carb intake with energy drinks or gels during our long rides or runs.
Optimal protein intake is a critical element to focus on, particularly as your training load increases. Protein is made up of amino acids, which form the building blocks for our muscles. These play a critical role in muscle repair after exercise. As with carbs, the main callout with protein is to avoid getting it from highly processed foods as these are often also high in saturated fats and sodium.
One last point about protein is that it is beneficial to eat a protein-rich meal (typically protein and carbs rather than protein alone) within 30 minutes of the end of your workout to get the most benefit.
Fats play an important role in providing slow-burning fuel throughout prolonged activities such as triathlons since they provide a steady-state energy source for the body to use when we’re not pushing an all-out effort.
Healthy fats from foods like avocados, olive oil, and nuts can help keep you satiated between meals so you don’t have cravings for unhealthy snacks when hunger strikes mid-workout.
Saturated fats come in the form of processed meats like pepperoni, dairy products, and basically every other food that makes life worth living. Your new training program doesn’t give you a license to pig out on these, unfortunately.
Protein for vegetarian and vegan athletes
Endurance sports such as triathlon put a lot of stress on our muscle tissue, so all athletes need to obtain adequate protein intake for maintaining muscle mass and strength. Fortunately, there are numerous plant-based sources that supply the necessary amino acids required by vegetarian or vegan athletes.
Raw nuts provide a nutrient-rich source of protein and healthy fats, and peanut butter is also a great source of both protein and fat. Nut butter can be added to smoothies or spread on toast as a quick snack before or after workouts.
Seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame are all full of protein compared to other plant-based foods. They’re easy to add to salads or cereals before you start your training day.
Beans such as chickpeas (garbanzo beans), black beans, lentils, and kidney beans have become increasingly popular among vegetarian athletes because they contain good amounts of both carbohydrates and proteins while being low in fat content – making them ideal pre-workout fuel.
This isn’t news to most vegetarians, but quinoa is an ideal choice for those looking to up their protein intake without relying heavily on animal products.
Consuming a plant-based diet with all the nutrient requirements we need to be successful is absolutely possible for triathletes of all levels.
Prefer your cows to be happy in a field rather than medium rare? No problem.
Hydration Strategies
Hydration is essential for triathletes. No news there.
There are a couple of simple things to keep in mind to get the most out of what you drink, however.
The first is that you wake up dehydrated by default, so you should start drinking water early and often during the day. This is particularly important if you train first thing in the morning. Waking up, grabbing a cup of coffee, and then completing a 45-minute run before your first drink of water is not a great strategy for adequate hydration. Drink water first, and save the coffee for after.
The second is to decouple hydration and electrolytes from caloric intake.
What are electrolytes? Electrolytes are essential minerals that help regulate muscle contractions, nerve impulses, and water absorption to keep us from becoming dehydrated due to fluid loss.
Your body needs adequate amounts of fluid and electrolytes, but if you’re just starting out and your training sessions are less than an hour in length, then you don’t need the simple carbs that come with a sports drink just because you’re topping up electrolytes.
Taking salt or electrolyte tablets instead of sports drinks for shorter workouts or races can be a smarter option.
Remember that electrolyte needs may vary based on perspiration levels; if you’re sweating more, then up your sodium intake with salty snacks or pretzels rather than relying too much on sugary sports drinks or gels.
Fueling During Training
For triathletes, fueling during training is essential for success. While energy drinks, bars, and gels can provide quick bursts of energy in certain situations, it’s important to focus on healthy eating for most workouts – especially those that are less than an hour long.
Eating a balanced diet with complex carbohydrates like oats and quinoa will help you maintain steady energy levels throughout your workout session.
Including protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, or nuts in your meals before and after exercise will help repair muscles faster so you can get back out there sooner. Staying hydrated is key for keeping fatigue away and avoiding injuries, so make sure to consume enough H2O throughout the day – not just when exercising.
It’s key to find what works best for you when it comes to pre-workout nutrition; some athletes prefer lighter snacks while others need more substantial meals depending on their activity level. The reason you want to focus on this in training is that it gives you a roadmap for what will work best on race day.
For instance, if you’re going out for a longer run or bike ride then it might be beneficial to eat something like oatmeal with fruit or a banana smoothie beforehand so that your body has enough fuel for the duration of the workout session.
On shorter runs or swims where intensity is higher than distance covered, consuming easily digestible carbs like dates or dried fruit may be more appropriate as they provide quick bursts of energy without feeling too heavy in the stomach mid-session. Experimenting with different combinations until you find what works best for you is key.
Don’t overestimate the number of calories you just burnt in your workout and go big at the buffet on training days. According to the Mayo Clinic, an average adult burns about 600 calories at a slow run pace, running for a full hour.
That’s only a little over one Big Mac®… throw in fries and you’ve gone way over anything you’ve burned.
Pre-Race Nutrition
Prior to competing, triathletes should need to ensure their caloric intake lines up with the energy expenditure they can expect to burn during the race.
The good news is, for shorter races (anything up to Olympic distance triathlons), you don’t need to do anything different from normal – carbo-loading for example. Stick with familiar foods that you have tried during your training program. Typically, some complex carbs and lean protein will serve you well.
On the morning of the race, breakfast should be eaten about two hours prior so that your body has time to digest it properly and provide energy when needed later on in the event. A balanced meal containing both carbohydrates and proteins is ideal for this situation; oatmeal with nuts and fruit is a great option because it provides complex carbs as well as healthy fats from the nuts which can help keep hunger at bay during longer races.
Shorter races don’t require carbo-loading, unfortunately.
Another good choice would be whole wheat toast with nut butter and banana slices; this combination gives some quick-burning carbs along with long-lasting energy from healthy fats found in nut butter like almond butter or peanut butter.
What is the single worst thing you can do? Roll into race day with a brand new gell/gummy/drink combination your brother/cousin/random stranger told you will make you 43% faster on race day. The best-case outcome if you follow this strategy is constant burping around the course. The worst case involves the other end to where the burps are happening.
We’re yet to see anyone run 43% faster while clenching their butt cheeks together tight enough to avoid an accident.
What Resources Can You Use to Plan Your Nutrition Strategy?
Here at swimbike.run, we like to keep things simple. Yes, there are loads of formulas we could share with you for how many grams/ounces of carbohydrates you should consume for every pound/kilogram of body weight, but doing so just complicates things unnecessarily.
To simplify things, we’re including a link to Athlete Plates®, a concept developed by the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and endorsed by the USA Olympic Committee and USA Triathlon.
The resource gives you easy visuals to guide your mix of whole grains, proteins and fruits and vegetables, based on the training cycle you’re in (Easy, Moderate and Hard).
Feel free to use these as a simple guide to your eating plan, and adjust to suit your specific needs.