Q: "I completed my first IM distance race last week and found myself completely out of gas on the 15th mile of the marathon, I was also experiencing leg cramps. How many calories do you recommend an athlete intake during race day, and is there such a thing as too many calories on race day?"

A: Coach Patrick: First, congrats on the IM finish...you have joined a very distinctive (for better or worse) segment of the population! You have a bunch of questions here, so let me do my best...

First, running out of gas at mile 15 is pretty typical for a first IM. Combined with your leg cramps makes me think that you most likely biked a bit harder than you should have, and that left you with little reserves for the run. Remember that you start the day with a finite amount of energy. As you race, you keep adding calories, but you can never keep up with the rate at which you are burning them (unless you coast/walk). So by eating, you are hoping to push that inevitable crash until AFTER you cross the finishline...hitting that crash first means you used too much energy somewhere before Mile 15. Biggest culprit is an inappropriately paced bike (esp. too hard in the first 60- to 90-minutes) and/or a fast marathon start. It's important to remember that fast is all relative here...I am not implying that you rode at 25mph, just that you might have been at 20 for that first hour when you should have been at 18.5...that alone can start the downward spiral.

In terms of calories, folks should take in what they trained with. I personally tell folks to TRY and take in 400 an hour on the bike during a Race Simulation ride and then, depending on how they do, we adjust. Nothing beats real-world experience! We can dial back or add on calories as needed. Also note that I recommend most folks try to get most of their calories from liquid unless they are out for a pedestrian IM day as these calories are simply much easier to digest than eating a bar.

You most certainly could take in too many calories, especially with those killer aid stations out there...what don't they have??? Too much food would make you feel bloated, leaving you burping and sluggish. Note: This is the same feeling you get if you eat the right amount of calories BUT ride/run too hard so that your body can't process what you've consumed. Since IM race day pace is an endurance ride, it's very easy to simulate it on a big training day and find out firsthand what does / doesn't work for you.

Enjoy your recovery and have fun plotting for the next one!