How To Fuel For Your Runs and Races
If you’re interested in learning more about fuelling, I’m hosting a free webinar which my Substack subscribers are very welcome to join. It’s called "Fuel Right - Run Strong," and will be on Wednesday, 23rd October at 8:30 PM for more valuable nutritional insights. Sign up here! Verity Wright: New event created: Fuel Right - Run Strong
Thank you for all the feedback on my last Substack, The Fuelling Deep Dive. If you made it all the way through (it was jam packed!) you’ll know, that last week we dug into fuelling generally and tackled some of the barriers we all, but especially women, have to fuelling ourselves properly.
So this week, we’re going to dive into the research and guidance on specifically how to fuel properly right before and during your runs and races.
Let’s just say that theoretically, after reading last week’s post, you’ve now completely fine-tuned your nutrition leading up to your long training sessions or race day, making sure you fill your days with enough carbs to fuel both your daily activities and your runs. So, you’re feeling good- your brain is clearer, you’ve been training consistently, and that nagging little niggle is finally subsiding. Because of this long-term approach, it means you don’t have to do what you previously might have done- load up on all your carbs the night before a big run, which very likely used to leave you feeling bloated (and reinforcing the myth that carbs make you fat!).
Develop a Runs and Race Fuelling Plan to Fuel with Purpose
Where to start?
Your runs and race fuelling plan should be individualised to you due to several factors, like how long your run is, how fast you’ll be going (going faster burns more energy/fuel), and how easy it is to ingest your fuel on race day. For example, aiming for a time on a road marathon (where every second counts) is a different beast from an off road, technically challenging and hilly marathon; most endurance races have mandatory kit requirements which include having enough food to sustain the duration of the run.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a one size fits all race fuelling plan because, as we know, sports nutrition is complex; a multitude of influences shape our relationship with food in ways that can make eating decisions emotionally charged, conflicted and sometimes anxiety-inducing.
Add into this our own personal food tastes, habits and choices, and it’s easy to see how hard it is to get your head around what, when and how to fuel your longer training runs and races; I completely understand why ignoring it or getting by on the bare minimum is the easiest option, whilst still listening to the internal chatter of “you’re not a real runner” so you don’t need to worry about fuelling (even the word "fuelling" gives the impression that it's only relevant for elite or "serious" runners- this is not the case!!).
So, let’s look more closely at the potential issues of why you might be under-fuelled during training runs and/or races. It could stem from years of “managing body weight” by restrictive food intake, creating the sometimes lifelong habit of being under-fuelled in our daily lives. How many of us have become used to feeling hungry, ignoring hunger signals, skipping meals, taking up fad diets or fasting? Many of us have been conditioned to believe that feeling full = feeling fat. Do you remember the quote “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”
This culture creates a mindset where these thoughts and behaviours are normal, it’s part of everyday life. I really do get it, and I see how easy it is to carry this same narrative into running, thinking there’s no need to approach fuelling on a run in any other way other than what you’ve done all your life. Research shows that, compared to male counterparts, female runners are more prone to “fuelling reluctance”, meaning they avoid carb dense snacks or sports drinks pre-run, during a run and post run for fear of gaining weight, with the added belief that eating less makes them faster. Unfortunately, this often results in performance decline and potential injury.
I also understand the impact of the under-representation of females in sports science and how this can reinforce some internal bias or belief that you’re not worthy of fuelling a run, that gels/sports drinks are for proper runners and this lack of research adds to feelings of being an outsider in the running world, that these products don’t deserve the headspace or time because there not tailored to a females needs, and anyone who tasted the early days of sports gels knows exactly what I mean!
But we should endeavour to find what works for us and believe that we are worthy of all the sports products available. Food is fuel; a properly fuelled runner will perform better than an un-fuelled runner.
Where to start
The research is quite robust in recommending 30-60g of carbs if you’re running anything between 1-2.5 hours, and 90g-120g of carbs an hour for runs over 2.5 hours. The Complications arise, not only from my previous paragraph but how to consume these carbs without a) causing too much disruption to either your run/pace, b) not upsetting your tummy* c) having to carry a full-blown picnic hamper on your back!
Thankfully, there is an abundance of easy-to-use, fast absorbing fuels on the market that make it easier for us to ingest carbs in the simplest form. It’s all about finding what works for you, gels have different consistencies, electrolytes, caffeine contents and flavours, and of course price, (my favourite fuel is now an eye watering £5 per gel, that’s nearly £300 for a full marathon training cycle).
Sports nutrition products – can be expensive, however, they make it easy to calculate how many carbs you’ve consumed. Typical gels contain 20-45g carbs. Most gels contain a balance of glucose & fructose, some have electrolytes.
Real Food – cheaper, more readily available and a welcome break from the sweet sports products (yep, we all know that feeling!). However, real food is harder to establish the quantity of carbs and could contain fats/protein that could upset the tummy.
Putting the guidelines into practice
1 hour to 2.5 hour run - To avoid getting fatigued during your run (glycogen depletion) your first 30g of carbs should be taken within 30-45 mins of starting your run, waiting too long before you take on fuel, (I’m sure we’ve all done this because, well, we always feel fine in those first few miles) could lead to a drop in energy later on in the run that can be hard to come back from. Subsequent fuelling should be every 30-45 mins after that, but this does depend on your pace and effort level, and this is where you need to start practising.
Energy gel = 20-40g carbs
Sports drink 30g carbs per 500ml bottle (there are brands that have drink mixes of 80g carbs per 500ml),
5 chews/gummies = 25g carbs
7 fruit pastilles = 21g carbs or 7 jelly babies = 28g carbs
28g of dried fruit (apricot/dates/raisins) = 18g carbs
Banana = 30g carbs
Example Fuelling Plan 2-hour run:
· 30 minutes: 1 energy gel (30g carbs)
· 1hour: Over the hour sip 500ml sports drink (30g carbs) OR another energy gel
· 1:30 hour: 1 banana/dried fruits (30g carbs) or a handful of chews (30g carbs)
If your run lasts between over 2.5 hours then the most recent suggested carb intake is 90g-120g of carbs per hour, again these are guidelines and not set in stone and does depend on the distance of the run, the higher end would be aimed at longer endurance runs. Start to fuel within the first 30-45 mins and every 20-30 mins after that, 30g every 20 mins = 90g.
Example Fuelling Plan for a 3.5 hour Run:
1. 30 minutes: First intake – 1 energy gel (30g carbs).
2. 1 hour: Over the hour 500ml sports drink (30g carbs) + 1 gel (30g carbs).
3. 1:30 hour: 1 energy chew pack (30g carbs) + half a banana (15g carbs).
4. 2 hours: 1 gel (30g carbs) + 500ml sports drink (30g carbs).
5. 2:30 hours: Dried fruits (30g carbs) + 1 gel (30g carbs).
6. 3 hours: Energy bar (40-50g carbs) + remainder of sports drink.
A word of caution, most runners need 10-24 fl oz of water per hour to avoid dehydration, if you are absorbing carbs from your sports drinks and gels without taking on sufficient water you could potentially become dehydrated – sports drinks and gels are hypertonic solutions meaning they become more concentrated than your body fluids, which means they pull water into the stomach and intestines from other parts of the body to help dilute them, potentially worsening dehydration.
I think the most important thing to remember is that whatever you fuel with it must be something that you like, flavour fatigue is a real thing and whatever you fuel with, it’s no good to you if it stays in your pocket.
On Training Days/ Race Day
Eat a balanced breakfast - porridge, banana, toast and peanut butter, poached eggs on toast. If you know your race is going to be a later start than your normal training runs, do at least one practise run at the time of your race for example if your race starts at 10am, eat breakfast 3-4 hours before, then top up on familiar and easily digestible carbohydrates within 15-60 minutes of starting your run, such as a sports drink, carbohydrate chews/gel, fruit, or a granola bar.
When you take all these guidelines into consideration it can feel completely overwhelming, and you could be asking yourself how and where do I carry all my fuel? A hydration vest? A running belt? A rucksack?
Take a breath, it’s literally one step at a time to see what works for you, start small and take it from there because having a fuelling plan that is well practised gives yourself the best possible chance of success.
Reminder- Substack subscribers can join my webinar, "Fuel Right - Run Strong," on Wednesday, 23rd October at 8:30 PM for more valuable nutritional insights. Don't miss out—sign up here! Verity Wright: New event created: Fuel Right - Run Strong