4 Weeks To Do a Kona Acclimation and Completely changed my nutrition

Training in San Diego is amazing. Sunny, mildly warm (75 degrees on average), and the riding around here is absolutely amazing. However, when it comes to training for Kona, trying to find heat can get tough, so I had to find ways to do it without spending an arm an leg to find heat and humidity.

Objectives

In the last 4 weeks I tried to focus on absorbing twice or thrice as much as I normally do on the bike, or between 2 to 3 bottles an hour (48 to 72 OZ of fluids an hour). In a 5hr ride, that takes the fluid consumption at 10-15 bottles. I never stopped that much to pee (on average every 1 1/2 to 2 hours).
Ultimately, the goal here was to not only be able to compensate for the Kona heat and humidity, but also train my gut to deal with that much fluid.
On the run, I also forced myself to drink more, about 1 gatorade an hour. I also made an effort to take 1 gel every 30 minutes to get used to taking something in. This was something I was not able to do in the 6 IMs I raced.

Overall

It was challenging to drink that much fluid, especially when I trained and raced with 1 bottle/hr for the past 2 years. And taking 1 gel every 35 minutes wasn't easy either. With Kona having Clif gels on the course (but not knowing what flavor will be offered), I've bought a boat load of gels from Trisports.com with all the flavors that Clif has. That way I got my taste buds accustomed to each flavor (the chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla are high on my list, Mocha and double espresso need some work!).
Just like almost anything, we get used to a new routine, and so did I. My body was able to handle a lot more fluid and nutrition as I trained it in the past 4 weeks on all my runs and rides. Below is a breakdown of some of the key training sessions I've done.
In addition to getting used to all this fluid intake, the amount of carbs, calories, and sodium I took in was a LOT more than what I used to do, and my body seemed to have reacted well to all of it. I am really hoping that these changes will pay off at Kona and that I will be able to reproduce on race day what I've done in my t


September 10: 3.5 hour ride
7 bottles (5 bottles of Gatorade Endurance - 2 bottles of water)
5 Clif Gels
How did it feel? I almost threw up after the first hour. As the temps rose, it started to be a bit easier to take in that much fluid, but it was not easy. I knew it would require more practice.

September 14:
1 hour run: I ran with some heavy sweat pants, 1 base layer, a turtle neck tech long sleeve, and a long sleeve shirt.
I drank 1 gatorade and took 1 gel
How did I feel? HORRIBLE! I felt ok for the first 15 min, but as soon as the road started to go up, it got hard. I felt like I was overheating, had to stop to take the gel in, and made it home feeling dizzy. This was a good workout that made me realize that I was not prepared at all for Kona. Work in progress!

September 17: I went to Tucson, AZ for the weekend to train with Dan and get some heat training in. It did not disappoint (see video here). We started in 60f weather and by the time we got off the bike the temps warmed up to 101f.
5.5 hour ride:12 bottles (8 of Gatorade Endurance - 4 of water) - 9 Clif gels
How did I feel? It was a lot easier to take in that much fluid this time around as it got hot really quickly (about 1.2 bottles an hour). There is this inevitable pit stop after the first hour to pee, but after that it was all good. I felt great throughout the entire ride, and surprisingly good running off the bike in a 103+ weather.


September 24: Long training day with 30min straight swim, 6hr bike ride, and 15-20min brick run. It is easy to get some good elevation when riding east-bound, so instead, I tried to find a route that would allow me to spend more time on the aero bars, yet with some climbing (around 5K ft). After a very good swim where my ankle felt okay, I started the ride around 8:30. The temperatures where in the low 70s, but it quickly warmed up. The last 2.5 hours were in the 90s and the last 35 mile stretch had strong headwinds.
How did I feel? It was probably the most accomplished training of the season. After the swim, I had a very strong and consistent ride, similar to the 5+ hour rides that I did before Whistler when I felt like I was at the peak of my bike fitness. I rode at a higher intensity this time, and felt great throughout the ride. I would LOVE to be able to reproduce the same consistency and intensity at Kona, because I felt great on the bike and on my brick run.
I drank 9 bottles of gatorade and 4 bottles of water. After a first pee stop at the 1h20 mark, the route that I took had enough gas stations or stores along the way for me to be able to find water. I carried all my gatorade powder in ziplock bags, 6 ziplock bags, or 1 for each bottle. I also took in 9 gels, and the last 4 gels had caffeine in it. The mocha and double espresso flavors were a bit too much for me. I've completely stopped drinking coffee since September 17, and I could feel the caffeine jolt right away. I was very happy with it, and I also know that I will try to avoid these 2 flavors on the course.

September 25: Long run - 2 hours
There was a hit wave for a few days here in San Diego due to the Santa Ana winds, and with that it allowed me to do my last long run in hot conditions. I chose to wait until 12:30pm to start my run. The temperatures averaged 90f, with a high of 94.
How did I feel?: It was a good test to run on tired legs. I actually felt decent in the first 4 miles, and it got a bit challenging in mile 5 through 10. I focused on my nutrition (3 gels, 2 bottles of gatorade total), and was able to maintain a very consistent pace at around 7:09/min mile. Given the heavy training of the prior and the heat, I was very pleased with my run. It was the last long run before Kona, and the last long run of the season, so time to get some rest and stay healthy for Kona.

...and we finished this last training block with a big, delicious steak from Tip-top Meats!

Next stop is IM World Champs and I cannot wait to be there! 

Happy training all!