As a triathlete and a Triathlon Youth Coach, I am always immersed in conversations about nutrition to improve performance. What does an athlete eat to train more effectively, race faster and recover quicker? What nutrition bar is the best to help the competitor meet or beat their race personal best? As I look at all the eager young faces, looking at me, searching for answers that not only will feed their minds but their bodies, all I can say is .. I eat their dust.

I don’t eat just anyone’s dust. I primarily eat the dust of those athletes better than myself. And, some great athletes have dusted me. For that matter, some average athletes have dusted me. To be totally truthful, I have even been dusted by injured athletes. Sometimes my only source of sustenance is a dust diet. It is a kind of sports nutrition in and of itself. It feeds the spirit inside the “competitor” that motivates them to do better.

Dust Nutrition is not exclusively beneficial to triathletes. Any athlete can benefit from dust eating. The premise here is that an athlete will improve while trying to keep up with the person ahead of them. Runners improve by running with someone who is slightly better. Tennis players experience gains after battling with an ace opponent. Athletes in this demanding situation have to push just a little harder, resulting in improvement over time. It goes back to that old adage, what does not kill us, will make us better.

We have all experienced a good dusting. Only triathletes experience it in three different ways. I have been swamped by a human torpedo during my swim, swished by a cyclist during my biking and smiled at by runners running towards me on their return lap. My very worst dusting was being passed by a runner… while I was on my bike. Oh, the agony of defeat! As each athlete passed me, I felt more energy drain from my body. The lake seemed longer, the road seemed steeper and the sun seemed hotter. Without realizing it, I slowed down. I felt like a flagman waving motorists by at a road construction site.

That’s when I tap into my energy reserves, both physically and spiritually. Like Popeye opening his can of spinach, I ate dust. Just the taste of dust made me feel it was all systems go. I felt self-challenged. Rather than complete, I wanted to compete. I focused on the athlete in front of me. I may not have been able to catch her but maybe I could shorten the distance between us. I didn’t necessarily want to beat her, but that day I wanted to move up and run in the same pack as her. Setting an immediate, short term goal while in the race setting, gives athletes of any level a sense of empowerment. When you tell yourself you can do it, there is a better chance that you will reach your goal. So, super-charge your race day performance with positive self talk.

Of course, there will always be athletes faster than us. We can not power up every time a fellow athlete cruises by. After all, we must run our own race and try to beat our own best time. We are really only competing with ourselves. However, beating the clock in every race becomes mundane. Occasionally, we should use that athlete in front of us as our new yardstick. Racing someone who is clearly a better athlete will make us better. In fact, we need each other to perform at our best level.

After the race, we will have valuable information about ourselves to reflect upon. We will better know how to adjust our training, race day strategy, recuperation and nutrition. Our USA Triathlon coaches can better advise us on how to better complete and compete in our next triathlon. Best of all, we feel alive and realize why every race is different. If you have ever tapped your inner strength, you know what I mean. Your mental & emotional energy will propel you to success.

Obviously we have to ration this kind of fuel. Over indulgence can lead to injury and perhaps depression. Recovery can be hampered by an inability to digest all that is consumed. The nourishment comes from the knowledge that the athlete tried their best at that given moment. This fuels the athlete’s spirit. And for that moment of pure optimism, that athlete experiences the buoyancy of self-confidence and hopefulness. Provisions like this keep the kids asking for seconds and thirds. It tastes great and feels satisfying as it goes down.

Build Dust Nutrition into your training program. It might be the most rewarding diet you have ever adopted. And as you pass me, I will be satisfied to eat your dust too.