It is the time of year when triathletes all over are emerging from their "shutdown time" or "off-seasons" (which, let's be honest, are really off-weeks for most of us) and getting back into training. Personally, between the structure of my race schedule for next year and a minor hip injury, I was off for a bit longer than planned, and have emerged with significantly more of me than I would have liked. While this is a minor problem that can be alleviated with a month of solid aerobic training and somewhat selective eating, it forced a pause for reflection and got me thinking about my nutrition more broadly, which I identified as a limiter last year. Long story short, I ate a lot of the wrong foods at the wrong times. I'm sure that this compromised both my workout prep and recovery, and thus had a sub-optimal impact on my performance over a season.
There is so much out there re; nutrition for endurance athletes that it can actually get a bit overwhelming, but I really think it can be boiled down to a few simple rules. Stick to the below and by-and-large, an athlete should set themselves up for both performance and good health. In the spirit of full transparency (and because I am marrying an attorney) I have no formal background in nutrition nor certifications in the topic. These rules are just my take as an athlete trying to make sense of all that is out there and to make it as actionable as possible. Also note, while simple to write and speak about, these rules can be quite hard to follow.
Rule 1: Don't eat sugar unless it is immediately before, during, or immediately after a workout...or, if the source of the sugar is a fruit. Yes, there is some sugar in good-for-you foods like Greek Yogurt which is fine, but I'm talking about the Lucky Charms kind of sugar and the fruit-on-the-bottom sugar...cut that out...
Rule 2: When consuming carbohydrates [especially grains], attempt to eat only true whole grains/foods such as brown rice, quinoa, non-processed breads, potatoes and unlimited vegetables. If you are going to deviate from this, do so sparingly, and ideally, in the meal following a long training session.
Rule 3: Attempt to meet all caloric targets by 90 minutes prior to bed-time. There is nothing wrong with a late-night snack, but keep it small, and ideally, something slow to digest; e.g., casein protein which is in yogurt [or can be purchased in powder form] with some fruit.
Rule 4: Count calories, but not all the time! It is good to "obsess about calories" but *only for short periods of time* so that you can uncover weaknesses in your diet. For example, I found that I can get into ruts where I eat 50% of my calories after 7PM...not good...big violation of Rule #3.
Rule 5: If you are intentionally trying to lose weight, be smart and very scientific about this. Timing is everything, and weight-loss cannot be separated from periodization in training. Remember that while lighter can mean faster faster, stress fractures, illness, and chronic fatigue are always slower...
There you have it. Nutrition in 5 simple rules. Note that this is separate from "fueling" which is what you consume during workouts, and is actually far more complicated in my opinion.
