There are a host of choices for supplementing your Ironman diet. I'll give you descriptions of a few that I found helpful to my Ironman training and racing. I won't delve too deeply into the world of vitamins. This is an area best left to the experts. As I said earlier, if I have not used a product or diet or anything else concerning Ironman training, I won't recommend it. Here are a few of the supplements I had good success with.

I always made a point of including the anti-oxidants vitamin C, Vitamin E and Selenium to my list of vitamins. Actually I would buy the vitamin C with Selenium added. Their main function was to act as a deterent to the forming of free radicals in your body when you eat unsaturated fats.

It seemed that every few years, Ironman Canada featured a "really" cold swim. It doesn't bother a lot of people, but I had quite a hard time with it. Being super low in body fat has its disadvantages. I came across the vitamin supplement pantothenic Acid that plays an important role in energy production. I also discovered that pantothenic acid is a key antioxidant for athletes who compete in extreme conditions, especially cold water. I added it to my vitamin choices and never had problems with cold water again. If the location of your first Ironman is in a part of the world where warm water is no guarantee, I would highly recommend using it. Otherwise it probably isn't a necessary choice for you. If you do purchase it, what you ask for is calcium pentathonate, the calcium salt of pantothenic acid.

I also noticed an improvement in energy levels when I used branch chain amino acids. Amino acids, the molecules that make up every protein in our foods and bodies and can also function as anti-oxidants. I believe this vitamin supplement would be valuable to almost anyone doing the intense training demanded to prepare properly for an Ironman Triathlon. It also compensates if your diet is a bit lacking in protein. I was on such a high carb diet, that this choice was ideal for me.

My all-time favorite for a supplement is L'carnatine. I could take this one and three weeks later be five pounds lighter. I also notice a marked impovement in my energy level and recovery from training. Every Ironman hopeful should give this a try. Its "very" expensive, but well worth it. If you can find it, I would use it. I believe its available over the counter in the U.S.

So there you have it. Thats the vitamin package I use leading up to an Ironman. It took years of hit and miss to finally come up with this combination. All the doses except for Vitamin C and Selenium were 500 mgs. I would take more (1000) vitamin C with 50 mgs of Selenium added.

I also had a lot of success with algae products and its something I would certainly look into.

Regardless, anyone doing the demanding training needed to impove their Ironman chances should seriously consider vitamin supplements.

NOTE: Don't fall into this trap.......If something works really well for you, don't assume that more will be even better. Stay with the amount that seemed to make a difference.

Training for Ironman competition over a 20 year period gave me the opportunity to try many vitamin supplement combinations. My hope is that you find this information useful in preparing for your first ironman triathlon.

The name of my website is "Ironstruck."

My address---http://www.triathlon-ironman-myfirstironman-ironstruck.com