Hi all!

Well, 2021 is finally drawing to a close - and I think we can all agree it’s been a wild year in many ways. I did my first 70.3, and before Michelle did one, so basically I'm a superior athlete. (Don't tell her I said that. She'd probably beat me by an hour in a 70.3).

Soon, we'll have the official-official launch of our Alacrity Endurance YouTube Channel. Nutrition how-to videos galore coming in the new year.

(Holy cow... that's next week)

Speaking of which, I’ve done some reflection on what I’ve had the best feedback on this past year as far as the knowledge I share with you, and come up with this list of my Top 5 most ‘useful’ posts for the year. So, sit back, put a brew on, and enjoy the info below - that actually mostly involves fueling tips and tricks.

If you don't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel because we've already got 100+ videos planned answering your most common concerns from which drink mix to use and when to use it, to how to manage race day fueling, down to EXACTLY how to make your minute-by-minute race fuel plan and put it together in your kitchen.

Do you want to see anything specific in the 2022? Email me with ideas or questions any time! I’m here to help.

Merry (belated) Christmas, happy holidays, and here's to a scientifically & joyfully well-fueled New Year!

ALEX HARRISON | PHD, CSCS
alex@renaissanceperiodization.com

1) 3 hr Bike Fueling Example

Put in 1 bottle:

1️⃣ 2 tsp Sodium Citrate (easier on stomach than table salt. If using table salt, do less than 1 tsp. FYI: Sodium Citrate has about 1000mg sodium per tsp. Table salt is about 2000mg sodium per tsp.)

2️⃣ 1.25 cups sugar (yes any granulated will work)

3️⃣ 1 scoop Gatorade (yes any flavor works. no G2 is not a good idea. No Gatorade Endurance is not necessary)

2) Pre-Training Fuel Examples

Pre-training fuel? Look no further.⁠⁠
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PB & Banana ≅ 30g carbs, 15g fat, & 8g protein.⁠⁠
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Unless you're going for a walk, that's not gonna cut it for carb intake and you'd be way better off trading the fat in that PB for more carbs.⁠⁠
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Or just add carbs to breakfast in general.⁠⁠

3) Mistakes of the 3x10 lifting program

One of the mistakes I frequently see made by triathletes, and/or their lifting programs is the '3 sets of 10' plan.

If there is not more nuance to your programming than this kind of recommendation, find a new program. It's muscular endurance first and foremost, and it's the perfect rep range for hypertrophy (muscle growth), if you do it heavy enough.

4) Carb-load Examples

A generic 3-day carb-load example:

For the 3 days leading up to the race, add the following carb amounts to whatever carb intake you might typically use for the training day type:

✅ 3 days prior: Add 250g carbs, consumed evenly throughout the day.
✅ 2 days prior: Add 350g carbs, consumed evenly throughout the day.
✅ Day-before: Add 150-300g carbs, consumed evenly throughout the day, and completed before 5pm. Amount depends on your personal experience with your own gastrointestinal system.

5) Why you SHOULDN'T use high Intra-workout carbs in training

Reasons NOT to use super high intra-workout carbs in training:

1️⃣ You're training INCREDIBLY easily. Totally conversational. Coffee stop type training session. Even then, some carbs should be consumed.

2️⃣ You're deep in a fat loss plan and your training today is purely aerobic with no tempo, sweet spot, threshold, interval, or sprint work. Be sure to eat a solid meal IMMEDIATELY after training.