Triathlon is a tricky sport. You can train perfectly and diligently, yet have a crummy race. Yes, I know this because as a Sherpa wife, I have witnessed MANY races. The good, the bad, the ugly. But after years of racing and a few trial and error “tactics,” I think it’s safe to say the kiwi knows what it takes to execute a GOOD race.
That being said, today I’ve asked the Kiwi to spill his RACE DAY TACTICS!
Hydration & Race Day Tactics via James Cotter
www.kiwicotter.com
Arriving at the start line of your race fit and ready to cover the distance is easy for majority. But arriving hydrated and staying hydrated is where we all can sometimes fall a little short and in the end can really hurt your performance.
I’m sure you all have read the stats about how our performances suffer with the smallest amount of dehydration. When we sweat we also loose water and salt from the blood. Once this happens the blood gets more viscous, your heart has to pump faster and it leads to the whole stall, spin,crash , burn, fall to pieces. We as athletes want to avoid this scenario at all costs. (yes, I’ve been there.. hence the IV in the picture below back in 2009).
So during any race it is crucial to remain hydrated leading up to the event, during the event, and after to help promote better recovery. This will help you get back to training (post race) sooner.
I like to keep my hydration levels at optimal levels using a supplement called Drip Drop. Not only does it help keep you hydrated during races, it is great for using during traveling.
Drip drop has very low osmolarity so it is easily absorbed into your system. The latest information out there says you drink to hydrate and eat to fuel. The caloric count in drip drop is low which helps with your gastric emptying rate, so your chances of suffering from GI issues during racing are greatly reduced.
Here are so tips to go into events hydrated to perform at your best:
- Night Before: one to two packet of drip drop on 18oz of water as a little load as drip drop contains 2 times more sodium than leading sports drinks.
- Race Morning: Very cold 18oz of water with on pack drip drop. I find cold solutions keep the gut cooler before the race when your core will really start to heat up. Being cool is just as important as hydration.
- Race: I will use drip drop in one bottle during the bike. Then i will make sure to have a cooler in T2 waiting for me before the run. Again this will be chilled as well to help cool the gut with cold fluid.
- Post Race Recovery: Instead of getting a post race IV during a long car ride or flight home, another pack of drip drop will do the trick =. This will help to get the levels of hydration back to optimal levels
*James (Kiwi Cotter) was asked to review drip drop during his racing and training, all thoughts and opinions are honest and his own.
I’d say those tips are pretty MARVELOUS! 😉
Do you have any set race day tactics or hydration tips?
Cheers,
Crazy Cotters
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Hi, I’m Lindsay! Gluten Free Nutrition Specialist, food photographer and author of 
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I know you and kiwi do absolutely everything you can to make sure race day goes right. I am working on that for this segment, as it angers me that fueling was the primary reason i bombed my debut marathon. I am NOT letting that happen this year in Chicago. For that reason, I am not going to share any tips, but I am interested in trying out Drip Drop. I am adamant that I am going to figure out which solution I can have in my bottles for Chicago in plenty of time, so I can practice a lot! Thanks for sharing, always great to read how others prepare!
email me if you want to brainstorm together! i would love to help!
It’s always fun to read the Kiwi’s posts. So much great experience to share! This is a cool sounding product that I’ve never heard of before–will have to investigate!
i like hydrating with cocogo 🙂 🙂 when i was running, i always loaded up on tons of water the couple days before and then the morning of i wouldn’t drink very much so i wouldn’t have to pee mid-race! 🙂
ahh yes, so true! the mid race pee pee dance. haha
Thanks for sharing. I’ve not heard of this product. I feel like I’m constantly trying to stay hydrated, especially this time of year.
what an interesting solution!! I definitely think for me it’s been more about electrolytes than hydration, but who knows, always open to learning more!
my husband sweats a lot, he’s also a sugar burner, so hydration is key. I think you found a good electrolyte balance for you! especially in that FL humidity!
p.s.
Let’s catch up soon, k? I need an update on YOU
Interesting stuff! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve never heard of DripDrops before, but they sound pretty stellar! I’ll need to look into those!
OH MAN! I’m going to have to check those out. The heat and humidity always wreck me; perhaps some real preventative action can be done. 🙂 Thanks and love to the Kiwi!
Looks like an interesting product! Hydration is on my mind lately as I’m starting to think about my long runs that will take place in August while training for philly. I haven’t nailed down summer long run hydration strategy yet. I also have a 10 mile trail race in early august to think about hydration wise! I like that it is gentle on the stomach since that issue always comes into play with long races too. Thanks for the info!
I am alllll about proper hydration before, during and after running. I need to try this Drip Drop! It is so important to remember to hydrate in advance – it makes a huge difference for me during my runs. You can’t get it all in right before a race at all. And for sure, rehydrating after a run/race is key to recovery and not feeling off balance and dying of thirst in the hours following. With my low blood pressure especially, staying hydrated and balancing electrolytes keeps me from getting dizzy during summer runs.
Wooo! Coming from a girl who DID NOT carry water on the races this weekend, I needed to read this. Hydration is something that I have had an on and off relationship with as well. (I too have been on an IV on a 100 mile trek…you THINK I would have learned my lesson). Regardless, this post is an awesome reminder and I love the tip for cold water for race day. Definitely giving it a shot this weekend!
Fascinating- I hadn’t heard of Drip Drop before. Hydration is key, I learned that the hard way in humid Houston!
Well, I would imagine there’s no one better to review this product than Kiwi. I haven’t heard of it but I saw “Medical grade” which makes me realize just how serious he is about hydration. Important!
Great tips James! And I am wishing you strong and happy races upcoming!
I’ve never heard of these drops you speak of. Definitely going to look into them for the husband, thanks!
I love reading James’ posts and learning about more about racing because it fascinates me! I feel like it’s an ongoing battle to stay hydrated during this time of year!
Always making sure I’m hydrated! Coconut water and water are my go-to.
oh yes! love that coconut water
Thanks for the tips and info – I haven’t tried that product yet but am interested for my tri training!
Sound awesome, I am sure anything that helps athletes stay out of the med tent is a plus! James looks thrilled in the last picture to model! 🙂
I have no idea what I need anymore. All I know is my body is not functioning correctly. I don’t know if it’s coming back from the injury, the heat, hydration, potassium or all of the above.
maybe all of the above. plus AZ is brutal in the summer, that we know!
I think many of us are awful at hydration – I know I was for years! Having finally listened during my competition prep, I noticed how much better my running performance also is with a fully hydrated “tank”. 🙂
Ohhh, this is super interesting! Will have to check this out for sure now that Marc is getting his racing mojo back! He had a great yesterday for his first race of the season, and is much more motivated to do more this summer. Leg isn’t perfect, but it’s far better than it used to be. There’s nothing sexier than a man all sweaty after a race, am I right?! (did I just write that?!) I’m just so happy to see him happy 🙂
He took Four Sigma Foods Sport Herbs before this race for the first time, helping with energy, stamina and recovery. He’s becoming a big fan! He also makes sure to take Vega Recovery Accelerator after. I know there could be better options, but he’s not a fan of coconut water.
i love that you just said that, and i sooooo agree!! p.s. I we’ve use vega sport before too. I think this works different than electrolytes. We should email. FOR SURE… I can give you details there. hehe
I love coconut water for rehydration after a hot and sweaty workout!
I’m no good at hydration. Gotta work on that!
beer hydrates, right? JK!
VERY INTERESTING!!!!!!! No racing here but great info for racers!!!!
Hello Lindsay,
Thanks for this great information about how to prepare…especially hydrating. This is very interesting about “Drip Drop” and I’m going to look up that stuff! Have a great Monday!
~Amy 🙂
Hydration is key for me, as well as finding something that’s easy on the stomach since mine is so sensitive on a good day! I went through a lot of different hydration products that made me painfully sick before finding Nuun!
i feel ya! my stomach is very sensitive too. glad you found something that works SHeena!
I’m wondering if dehydration might be some of my recent heat issues. I drink tons of water all the time but I don’t use any other products – maybe I should check out the Kiwi’s DripDrop (I like that it is low cal!).
I’ll have to look into DripDrop for any local races I do in the future. It gets SO DAMN HOT here in northern CA that running/racing any time after 8am between April and November is miserable. Getting mild heatstroke at my last race (it was also my first) was a wakeup call – if you can’t prepare yourself, you shouldn’t be racing! Thanks for sharing!. 🙂
same!!! it’s like 90F by 8am here. Hydration is a necessity, for sure!
I’ve not tried this and I like what he said about not having GI issues. Would this work for something less strenuous? Like a half marathon? Of course, I know I wouldn’t need as much.
totally!! that would be a great race to use it in.
Dehydration is the worst! And sometimes it really needs an effort to hydrate. I never heard of DripDrop, thank you for the recommendation!
I’m starting to focus more on hydration and by hydration I mean drinking electrolytes. I try to drink water with Nuun before a race, I’ll usually have some coconut water, then the same thing after to rehydrate!!
yes, good choice! for sure. what race is next for you?
Great post! I love this part: “drink to hydrate and eat to fuel”. So true! I hate drinking “fuel”.
amen to that! and very important for gut issues