Wayne's Strait Talk: The Science Behind Bonking

6 Hour training swim Seal Beach, CA

Marathon swimming or any endurance sport requires development of metabolic endurance, nutritional training no different than the physical and mental. I recently found this down-to-earth article written for the lay person and might be especially good for 'newbies'.

During my channel swim training, especially in the heavy training months, find the right mix of fuels is critical to daily recovery but in preparation for an event or longer swim especially if in cold water. It is important for the endurance athlete to experiment in controlled steps these variables and that takes time, perhaps 6-12 months of focused effort. 

Endurance training is all about preparation

As for myself I found a mixture of pre-digested protein, carbs in the form of glucose polymers/maltodextrin and oatmeal, bananas to be very effective. While these fuels have different purposes over the time of exercise the oatmeal I found is a great stomach calming food, easy to drink, warm and filling. 

After 6 hours in the cold water, and more so in salt water, your all puckered up and your stomach feels distended and semi-solids do wonders. Enjoy the article.

Wayne's Strait Talk: The Science Behind Bonking: My coach / manager Paul pointed me to this article.   It puts forwards a few new theories around nutrition, which may or may not be true /...