To use this body again we have to look after it

We have just come back from Western Australia. Thirty of our athletes competed in the WA Ironman in Busselton. It’s a beautiful venue for a race and we’ve all enjoyed ourselves.

It’s not uncommon for athletes to get sick after smashing themselves over an Ironman distance race. Often the reason they get sick, is simply not looking after themselves right after the race.

I have found athletes will take any supplement they can lay their hands on in the week before the race, but right after it’s over. They’ll forget to take their vitamins. Worse than that, they’ll eat things which they’ve been denying themselves for months. So going from “The body is a temple” to “the body is a trash can” almost overnight.

Most of us want to celebrate our performance. Have a few drinks, eat some of the foods we’ve been craving. That’s all OK but how about refuelling the body before letting loose.

Over the years I’ve found my body is hungry for essential oils right after a long hot race. It must be the amount of anti oxidants used up during the extended effort.

My usual nutrition plan for right after an Ironman is

* The day before the race I make a big pot of salty chicken and vegetable soup to have when I get home. I find small meals every 2-3hrs is good for a stressed stomach.

* As soon as I finish i start refuelling with sugar (soft drinks) and a little bit of the food offered at the finish line.

* As soon as I get back to where we’re staying I make a large drink of Endura Opti (about 6 scoops in about 200-300ml of water)

* With that Opti drink, I take 2000mg of vit C, 4 x capsules of fish oil, 1 x zinc capsule and 200mg of Q10

* The supplements above are to quench the free radicals in my system. I find the temperature of my outward breath is reduced within 20min, indicating to me, a return to balance. Try this after long hard workouts.

* The chicken soup is then available anytime I get hungry through that first night. I find I have to eat three or four times before breakfast next day.

* Then the next day can be treated like any other. By that evening it’s OK to start celebrating. Most of the immediate recovery has been done.

I have found this recovery feeding plan has helped me avoid the inevitable illness right after an Ironman. I do keep the vit and fish oil up for the whole week. I intend using this body for many more races in the future.