Sleepless nights are all part of ultra-endurance racing, both for rider and crew.
It’s a bit much though when I start losing sleep with just over 3 weeks to the the next big multi-day race, with BarrUltra.
I’m currently in race nutrition planning phase, but I’m acutely aware of the multiple ways my best laid out plans can go awry.
My nutrition strategy may be brilliant, but the bottom line is this – the health and function of the ultra-cyclist’s gut during a race is often the difference between a great performance and a big, fat, disappointing DNF (did not finish)!
If it all goes horribly wrong and the gut stops functioning efficiently, your rider probably has enough stores to get through maybe four to six hours, depending on the ability to utilise fat.
It’s a given that speed decreases in proportion to the level of gut discomfort.
Sooner or later if gut issues do not resolve, your rider will come to a slow and disappointing stop with two choices – a prolonged rest period or withdrawal from the race.
Either way, it’s not the race that was planned.
Yes, this is why race nutrition keeps this ultra-endurance nutritionist up at night.
It’s 2AM and my mind sounds like this… “Okay, Joe can go for 48-hours with minimal stops. I know he’s going to push hard from the start line to lay down the race. If the weather is cold, even more blood supply will be diverted but he’s going to need more calories. What if I overload the gut too early? How can I get enough calories in to meet demand? How can I maintain core temp? What if… what if… what if!
The race nutrition plan is coming. I hope my sleep does too.
If you want an ultra-endurance nutritionist who loses sleep over your race nutrition, contact me today and let’s start working together.