I’m not going to give you a one size fits all nutrition plan for your racing and training.  Nutrition is all practical theory...it'll takes trial and error to get your own plan dialed in for you. The secondary (sometimes primary) goal of endurance bricks is to nail the nutrition plan, so use that time to be specific and deliberate in your nutrition. I’ll go over some basics and some places to start on your road of experimentation.

Pre-race is the time for light carbs, minimal fiber, minimal (but some) protein and no dairy. Oatmeal, cereal bars, muffins, meal supplement drinks, and cereal with soy milk are all good choices.  Hammer Bars are my personal favorite.  Eat breakfast 3hrs prior to the race in order to maintain proper metabolism at start time.

During the race you need calories, electrolytes, and hydration.

- Calories from non-sugar sources are best. Avoid the -ose fuels, like sucrose, dextrose, etc. ‘-ose fuels boost your metabolism and energy for a short time and then you crash, and they limit your ability to absorb calories. Some protein is good for workouts and races over 2hrs in duration in a 7:1 to 12:1 mix of carb:protein.  I like Hammer's HEED and Sustained Energy, or Hammer Gel is good for pure carbs. No sugar, all natural.  Plan for 150-275 cal/hr based on your weight. Some bigger guys, or if those who've trained this, can handle more than this, but it's not common. This is all calories, whether it be drinks, bars, gels, or bananas and Snickers you pick up at the Kwick Mart.  Pick an hourly caloric intake in this range and try it on your next long ride.  See how it goes and continually increase this until you realize stomach upset.  Then back off a bit.  The higher your heart rate/intensity, the less your body will process calories, so what works at Ironman will not work at Olympic distance. 

- Electrolytes is something you'll have to experiment with a lot in order to get right. Plan on 200-400mg sodium (in addition to the full compliment of electrolytes of Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Vit B-6) per hr on hotter, humid days or at altitude.  I've taken as much as 800 per hr, but as little as 0. Experiment. Endurolyte pills from Hammer work best.

- Hydration only counts when it's not taken in conjunction with calories. When you drink with calories, the majority of it goes to processing the calories you just ate.  Get in 20-24oz of plain, clear water each hour in addition to your sports drink—more when hot and humid, less when cool.

Post race, get in some kind of carb and protein recovery drink within 30 minutes, but you don’t need more than 1gm of carbohydrate for each kg of body weight.  A 4:1 to 7:1 ratio is best for recovery.  Hammer’s Recoverite is my recovery drink of choice.  Other options are smoothies, chocolate milk, and pb&j.  Then get in some real food at about 2hrs.

Q: Should we be eating a diet with extra salt since we sweat out salt and electrolytes?
A: The typical athlete who trains 2hrs/day needs 2000-2500mg sodium per day. The average American diet yields over 7500mg per day. Yes, low sodium is important. Too much sodium can lead to hypertension, high blood pressure, hardened arteries, and can throw off your body's chemical balance. That's just for starters. You're right, you do sweat the full electrolyte complement, so you need to replenish the full complement. After initial recovery stages where you get your electrolytes and calories back in, you'll get enough electrolytes from a healthy diet.

Q: What's the quick and dirty on carbs and protein in training?
A: It's more important to get carbs during and after workouts than protein. Carbs are the primary fuel source, protein helps in long workouts >2hrs and in recovery, but only in a 7:1 to 12:1 ratio (carbs:protein). Too much protein concentration and you're not helping your recovery at all, and you won't have the energy stores for the next workout.

Q: What's a quick and easy pre/during/post workout nutrition regimen?
A:
- pre-workout eat normally and be done eating 1-3hrs before workout--don't eat anything right before, but get in plenty of water.
- take in carbs at 100-250 cal/hr during, with electrolytes and light protein for longer workouts, and get 20-24oz water each hour.
- after workout get 1gm carbs for each kg of body weight within 30-60 minute after workout. Add in 10-15gm protein after long or intense exercise. The type of protein isn't critical (whey is better after exercise) and normal foods work as well as supplements.

Q: Supplements?
A:
- Glutamine in mild doses is very good for muscles. Take 1/4 of the dose recommended for weight lifters.
- Glucosamine has not been proven, but there's no evidence toward bad stuff either. Same for Chondroitin or MSM.  Generally the anecdotal results have been good.  Most people say take all three if you take any, and lots of people recommend this for those with cartilage problems or for older athletes.
- Take a good USP multivitamin.