Nutrition expert Caroline Rauscher explains how you can optimally prepare your body for extreme conditions and perfectly manage your recovery.
Preparing for an extreme competition like the Ironman Hawaii demands everything from the body. During a webinar by Team Germany Kona26, pharmacist and nutrition expert Caroline Rauscher, who coaches Ironman World Champion Anne Haug among others, gave valuable insights into her fueling philosophy. According to Rauscher, the foundation for success on race day is already laid in the final two months before the start.
These strategies are not only crucial for professionals in the lava fields, but can also be directly transferred to the training and competitions of recreational athletes. Anyone who wants to master extreme conditions must learn to precisely tailor their nutrition to the workload and systematically build up the digestive system as a key performance factor.
A core principle of Rauscher's is to coordinate basic nutrition exactly with the training sessions. What, how much, and when you eat depends on the respective session of the day. This maximises physiological training adaptation. At the same time, every fueled key session serves as important training for the race stomach.
An often underestimated factor is recovery. Only those who recover perfectly can optimally process the training stimulus. This is especially true for the tapering phase, when training volume decreases but intensity remains high. For travel to distant competitions, the expert recommends starting already well-rested and hydrated, and immediately adjusting nutrition and sleep to the destination time zone.
Your takeaway: Adapt your nutrition daily to your training and train your stomach just as consistently as your muscles.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.