Triathlon nutrition and checking-in with Jake Birtwhistle

Good morning everyone,

We had some difficulties yesterday with our newsletter host, Beehiiv, so things are a little less polished for this edition. Thankfully my mom, Barb Sharpe, stepped up in a big way and made this edition happen!

In today’s edition:

• 🦘 A catch-up with Aussie Olympian Jake Birtwhistle ahead of his long course debut,

• 🥑 The four most common nutrition mistakes from RD Meghan Stock,

• ⚰️ And is the death of the fabled long run upon us?

Thank you for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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ALL EYES ON

Olympian Jake Birtwhistle Makes Highly Anticipated Long-Course Debut

Jake Birtwhistle is an Australian Olympic triathlete who's enjoyed WTCS podiums including wins in Hamburg and Leeds in 2019. He also picked up a Silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. We caught up with Jake ahead of his hotly anticipated long-course debut at this weekend's Ironman 70.3 Tasmania, his home course.

It's your debut 70.3 this weekend at home in Tasmania, where’s your head at leading into this event?  

I’m just excited to see what happens. When I first decided to race 70.3 Tas I had planned to be here super fit, and totally ready to smash this longer distance. However the reality of it is a little different. I feel like I’ve only just started back training after the late end of the ‘22 season but things are feeling better each week now.

At this point, I’m just embracing the new challenge and looking forward to seeing how it pans out. I see myself focusing on the 70.3 distance after the Olympics so it’ll be a taste of what’s to come.

Check out the rest of our interview with Jake and learn:

• How he's changed his short course training for this event.

• His goals for this weekend's Ironman 70.3 Tasmania

• Why you NEED to train and race in Tasmania.

Read the full interview here.

NEWS

🖥️ Tri online: Tickets for Superleague Triathlon’s Arena Games Montreal event are now available. Check out some of the best triathletes in the world compete at the Parc Olympique on February 25th as they fight to be crowned Triathlon Esports World Champion. [Superleague triathlon]

🍑 Old race, new vibes: The Penticton Triathlon Club recently took ownership of the Peach Classic Triathlon, and plan to make the 40th edition one to remember. New distances for novice athletes, and a festive finish with food, drinks, and music will all add to the Penticton vibe of the event. [Penticton Herald]

🐧 First mover: Triathlete Raymond Braun is trying to accomplish what no one has done before. seven triathlons on seven continents, in seven days. Including Antarctica! All in support of raising funds and awareness for mental health research. Follow his endeavor on his Instagram @raymondbraun. [777-challenge.com]

🥊 Beat Cancer: Registration is now open for the 16th annual Tri For a Cure. Over 1300 women will participate and help raise money for Cancer research in what is Maine’s largest triathlon. The race will take place on July 16th in South Portland. [WMTW]

EXPERT ANALYSIS

Are You Making These Common Nutrition Mistakes?

Meghan Stock has been a registered dietician for over 15 years with a focus on sports nutrition for endurance athletes. She’s seen a lot of the same issues come up over and over again. She shares the four most common mistakes she's seen, and the basics on how to fix them 👇

1) Following fad diets

Maybe it’s intermittent fasting, going keto, or any other restrictive eating pattern, but none of them work on a long-term basis. Sure, you likely follow an athlete on social media who is doing crazy training sessions while following some fad diet, but if it is true, they’re an outlier.

For the majority of endurance athletes, restrictive eating of any kind will only lead to decreased performance, injury, or worse. Training for triathlon puts a lot of strain on your body, so you need to provide your body with the building blocks it needs to repair and strengthen itself, which means food.

To optimize performance and long-term health, focus on the basics;

• 🏋️ Healthy protein (animal or plant, or both!),

• 🥦 Lots of vegetables and starch at each meal,

• Eating healthy doesn’t need to be complicated; it’s like training; consistency pays off!

2. Under or over hydration

The focus on hydration has been getting increasingly popular since I started practicing, to the extent that I’ve seen clients who are overhydrating. This can lead to low salt in the blood, meaning tiredness and poor performance.

You can get into the weeds with hydration (and it may help once you nail the basics), but a good starting place is to look at the colour of your urine. Doing this each time you go to the bathroom will give you real-time feedback on your hydration status allowing you to adjust.

You should be aiming for a light yellow colour, similar to lemonade, if it is, you’re adequately hydrated! If your urine is clear, you’re likely over-hydrated. In this case, take a break from drinking to concentrate your urine a bit. This won’t be a big deal since you’ll be peeing frequently anyway!

If your urine is darker, like apple juice, you need to drink as soon as you leave the bathroom. Keep taking drinks frequently until your urine returns to a light yellow colour.

Sports drinks and other fluids have their place, but for hydration, water is best!

Check out the rest of our interview with Meghan and learn:

• Making the most out of your recovery.

• Why under-fueling may be holding you back.

Read the full article here

Meghan Stock is a Registered Dietitian at MLS Nutrition. She helps athletes optimize their performance by developing individual nutrition plans. She has worked with endurance athletes, powerlifters, alpine skiers, and hockey players.

• Website: www.mlsnutrition.com

I’ve been a registered dietitian for over 15 years and have focused on sports nutrition, primarily endurance athletes. Over these years, the same issues come up over and over again, which means that eating to support triathlon training is hard. Below are the four most common mistakes I’ve seen, with the basics on how to fix them. Obviously, these recommendations are general. If you’re interested in knowing more, reach out to a Registered Dietitian for individualized advice, it can make a huge difference in your performance.

Are you an expert and would like your thoughts to be featured in The Tempo? Fill out this form and we will be in touch shortly!

FAVOURITES

🏃‍♂️ Long run done: According to Ultrarunning champion Camille Herron, “long runs are overrated.” Which seems wrong coming from someone who runs for over 100 miles at a time. Check out this fascinating article that goes deep into how the body is stressed, and challenges the traditional long-run orthodoxy. [Trail Runner Mag]

📽️ Oscar buzz: Lesley Paterson, the Scottish triathlete who we featured in a previous newsletter for her Netflix film adaptation has now hit the big leagues of film. The screenplay she produced for “All Quiet On The Western Front” has now been nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay! She talks to Bicycling Magazine about the Oscar buzz, her next projects, and how she processes her best ideas. [Bicycling Magazine]

Are you interested in reaching a triathlon and Ironman audience? Then be sure to check out this form.

EXCLUSIVE TEMPO INTERVIEWS

• Scott Tindal on eating properly for Ironman training.

• Performance psychologist Alex Auerbach on why you should celebrate the small wins.

• In 2023, what is the state of the sport? Good! According to race director, Mark Wilson.

COMMUNITY QUESTION

Have a burning question about triathlon or Ironman? Want to share a racing tip? Let us know and it could be featured in the newsletter.

Are you racing this weekend? Or any epic training sessions? We'd love to hear about them! Send us your photos or a race recap, and we will feature them in next Tuesday's edition!

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