Athletes are routinely advised to consume adequate dietary carbohydrate to fuel their active life-styles. So, it's not surprising that athletes (and the public in general) felt betrayed by their forks when the New York Times ran a front page headline earlier this year stating that "Pasta Makes You Fat." This news was especially confusing and disturbing in light of current advice from public health agencies to include more pasta and other complex carbohydrates in the diet.

No athlete likes to be passed during a race. A natural reaction is speed up and attempt to keep pace with the person whose dust you are now eating, but in doing so you just got pulled out of your game and put into theirs. Most likely you have no idea of their performance potential, pacing, or strategy (if any). Multi-sport events often have a relay team category in which a single athlete will use up everything they have in the one leg. The point is, to be truly efficient and race your fastest you must know and race within your limits, not someone else's.

The longer the training/racing event, the more critical proper hydration and fueling becomes. An event like an Ironman is essentially an eating contest on the bike and run. The "race" doesn't start until about mile 16 of the run. The smart guys pay very close attention to getting this stuff dialed in before the race. I have a well-wired plan based on hundreds of hours in the saddle and on the road.

Fueling

Wow, here I am on the other side of Ironman New Zealand 2004 - 9hr 40min, 30th overall, stayed focused through the event and pushed hard when it hurt at 32-36km on the run. 11 years on from my last Ironman NZ and I've finally come back. I've got to be happy with that right?