Trip-Tips

I am receiving so many great questions! Thank you. I have recently improved my site so that I can more quickly post answers here so please keep sending them via email.

Popeye Diet Plan

[update: July 13, 2006]

First off I would like to say I like your website and look forward to more of your updates. I just have a quick question for you just out of my own curiousity on the subject. Do you follow a specific nutrition plan during your training (and even during the off season)? Is it one provided to you by your coach, something your friends have given you advice on or maybe other triathletes? If you do maybe you can log what you eat on your website since writing it all down and looking over it is sometimes shocking compared with just trying to remember all the snacks and meals, etc…

I do enjoy eating as I’m sure you and every triathlete does too and it’s always interesting for me to find out what people try to stick too even though many times it’s close to impossible to do it (especially from Thankgiving through New Years).

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the kind words and for the question. I would be happy to answer. It is really hard to say where my present eating habits come from, as I have gathered bits of information from many places, nutrition books, articles, training partners but mostly my own trial and error. We all like to eat food because it tastes good but I also like to think of food as fuel. I am actually at the point now that if I were to go out and eat an unhealthy, fried meal, it would make me feel sick, because my body isn’t used to processing that type of food. If you are eating the right foods, you should feel energized and refreshed after a meal, not sluggish and tired.

I do keep a pretty healthy diet, however I don’t feel I deprive myself because I actually ENJOY and crave these healthy foods. My diet consists of fruit, vegetables, leans meats, poultry and fish, soy milk, yogurt and carbs in the form of rice and white or sweet potatoes (no way do I deprive myself of those with all the training!). I do have coffee every morning before my first workout and then again afterwards.

Things I rarely ever touch: fried food, mayonaise, cheese, dressings, baked desserts(although I do like cookies every now and then!) and foods high in preservatives. I have had some stomach issues that have put me on a wheat free/gluten free diet. I eat rice bread and rice pasta instead of wheat breads and pastas. For "treats" I will go out for a hamburger, have a small bowl of ice cream or have a diet coke. There is this place here in Austin called Amy’s ice cream, their ice cream is so good it makes me crazy! Foods I just can’t get enough of – grapefruit, spinach, rice bread, ketchup! and coffee.

I would highly recommend purchasing the book "Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes" by Monique Ryan (it is sold on amazon.com). This book details the basic principles of optimum nutrition, glycemic index (important to understand when eating for energy) and explains eating for recovery.

Here is a typical day of nutrition when in Ironman training, obviously water all day long, occasionally gatorade post workout (I eat the same things in off season I just eat more ice cream! and less food in general). I hope this helps you! Thanks!

First Breakfast: coffee, 2 x rice toast, one with natural peanut butter, the other with honey banana or grapefruit

1st workout

Second Breakfast: coffee, corn tortilla, 2 x eggs, spinach, 1 cup plain, fat free yogurt, soy milk

2nd workout-

Lunch: protein in the form of chicken or lean meat spinach salad w/ ketchup, avocado, tomato, rice toast or potato

Snack: banana, plain yogurt w/ soy milk or grapefruit, diet coke or coffee

3rd workout-

Dinner: spinach salad w/other veggies and either chicken or fish on top corn chips, sushi from Whole Foods

The Physical Ideal?

[update: June 09, 2006]

I wonder if you can talk about the pressures (either perceived or real) for women to fit a certain “physical ideal” in the sport of triathlon. I am hoping to do a Masters in Sport Psychology and would like this to be my area of research. I know this applies to men as well, I am fully aware of how much they scrutinize their bodies too, it is just that much more emotionally-charged for women (I believe). I would love to hear your thoughts. Nicole

Hi Nicole,

Very interesting question and I am sure you will find this to be an intriguing thesis topic. I have to say that the pressure to be thin and lean in this sport is huge. Not only are we racing in front of crowds or cameras consistently scantily clad, there is the fact that being light and thin is closely equated with fast racing. In my sport there is a tricky balance because to bike and swim fast you have to attain muscle mass. My quadriceps, hamstrings, biceps, lats and triceps are all a lot more developed since I switched from pure running to triathlon. Often times this has been hard for me as my clothes fit tightly around my legs, and dresses and shirts fit differently as well. Conversely, viewing this issue from a pure runner’s standpoint, if you look at the top marathoners in the world, they are usually pretty gaunt, adding proof to the perceived theory that the thinner/leaner you are the faster you will run. However, in triathlon you have the two other sports which require strength and muscle mass, so it can be a difficult and confusing balance. I try to handle it the best way that I can, eating a well rounded, healthy diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, chicken and fish. For carbs I try to stick with whole grains and stay away from almost all processed foods, especially in season. I eat often and throughout the day, never letting myself get too hungry or too full. As for the mental side of this issue, I try very hard to stay within myself and my own mind without getting too caught up in the way other athletes look, etc. During season I have to say it is a daily struggle top