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Nutritional "Ah Ha!" Moments...

Friday, 03 April 2015 01:10

Small tweaks to nutrition made a big difference for these pros.

By Susan Lacke (triathlon.competitor.com)

There’s a reason nutrition is known as the “fourth discipline” of triathlon—what an athlete eats in and out of training directly impacts swim, bike and run performance. Though some nutritional advice is obvious (drinking water, for example), many triathletes fail to see how certain foods (or lack thereof) limit athletic capacity—that is, until an “ah-ha!” moment takes place.

Some “ah-ha!” moments are subtle, gradual realizations, while others come in the form of a brick wall mid-race. Regardless, one common thread is clear: small changes to nutrition can yield big results in performance. Today, five pros share their nutritional “ah-ha!” moments with Triathlete, along with how you can benefit from their breakthroughs.....

Jodie Swallow

“My “ah-ha!” moment was pretty epic. During Kona 2013, I took no salt at all—not even the electrolyte drink on the course—because it made me very sick.  I had a headache for the last 90 km on the bike, and my head felt like it was exploding on the run. I collapsed with hyponatremia at 20km on the run.

“I kicked myself and thought, ‘Why in the hell has salt NEVER been mentioned to me in my whole career?’ Today, I train and race with salt, and my nutrition company 32Gi has evolved a specific salt tablet for me.” READ MORE