Australian Triathlete — December 2017

AustrAliAn triAthlete | 91

NutritioN

Training TOOLBOX

This is particularly the case for those early
morning flights.
If you have an early morning flight,
don’t feel like you necessarily have to have
breakfast beforehand, especially if you
leave home at zero o’clock. What you
could do instead is - while at the airport,
go to a café or the newsagent and buy
some milk that you can then pour onto
your regular cereal. Yes, you may have
seen me outside an airport somewhere
tucking into my favourite fruit muesli, and
the overpriced milk.
There is no reason why you can’t bring
your own food to the airport, or even onto
the plane. Depending on time frames, you
may be flying only a few days before the
event, while trying to ensure adequate
carbohydrate intake. Airline food may not

Because your sports products

are high density they don’t take up much

space, so they are the perfect option

for your backpack.

—Peter Herzig

RoAd

Okay, so you’ve packed your

bike, the rest of your kit and

double-checked all your

race foods and bottles. Always double

check! Driving to a race (unless you have a

smart car) may give you extra space to

pack what you want. This should include

meals and snacks for the road if travelling

a long distance because, how often have

you got in the car and driven away thinking

you would stop in so-and-so town but

oPTIons: don’t be caught off-guard with

aeroplane food. Be prepared and have plenty

of your usual snacks on hand in your carry-on

bag. Additionally, a great tip is to take an

empty water bottle through security so it isn’t

taken off you and then refill it before

boarding to stay adequately hydrated during

the flight.

cater for your portion sizes or tastes.

For that reason, I would always

recommend taking some food options on

board. Options like muesli bars, fruit or an

apple scroll are great. Think about

carbohydrate-dense foods that will top

you up. Also, if you’re flying later in the day,

why not take your lunch with you?

One thing to note though - different

locations (most notably Tassie and WA)

kindly request that you dispose of any

fruit products before entering their states.

For those on longer flights, for example,

Brisbane to Perth, this is where hydration

becomes more of an issue. The combination

of altitude and air-conditioning, with

reduced humidity, may mean you will lose

more water. Of course, alcohol

consumption may compound this issue.

To combat dehydration, take your water

bottle through security. Even with now

increased security at airports (similar to an

international flight) as long as it is empty,

you are fine - previously a full water bottle

wasn’t an issue domestically. While you

don’t need to go crazy with hydration,

particularly a few days before racing,

keeping yourself hydrated will keep your

body systems in balance. There is nothing

worse than that post-flight headache.

As always, drinking with your meals is the

best time to hydrate.

Finally, some of you may struggle

eating meals on the plane due to feelings

of bloating. To avoid discomfort, you may

be better to wait until after your flight for

your next main meal (within reason).