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.