run.
Before Your Run
Carbohydrate is your body’s preferred fuel source for moderate to high-intensity running.Starting a session under-fuelled can lead to earlier fatigue, reduced endurance and poorer
performance.
Before training sessions or races, aim to choose foods that are:
– High in carbohydrate
– Low in fibre (particularly if you’re prone to gut issues)
– Easy to digest
– Familiar—race day is never the time to try something new.
For harder or longer sessions, gradually increase your carbohydrate intake in the hours leading up to your run, then top up with an easy-to-digest carbohydrate snack or “primer” 15–
60 minutes beforehand. Across the 4 hours before the run aim for 4 g carbohydrate per kg
body weight.
As a guide:
– Primer 15–60 minutes before: approximately 0.5–1 g carbohydrate per kg body weight. Examples: Banana, dates, fruit juice, gels, rice crackers, pretzels, lollies, oaty muesli bar.
– Snack 90 mins- 2 hours before. Examples: toast with jam, raisin bread, rice bubbles or coco pops.
– Meal 3-4 hours before. Examples: pasta dish with a red sauce, rice with protein and some veg, salad roll plus fruit and juice, oats with banana and honey. If running early in the morning, dinner and supper will be the pre run meal and snack with a primer upon waking. If doing a long run try to allow enough time for a snack or meal in the morning.
During Your Run
For runs lasting longer than 75 minutes or high-intensity sessions over an hour, fuelling during exercise can improve performance and delay fatigue. Aim for 30–90 g of carbohydrate per hour, depending on the duration of your run, your goals and what your stomach tolerates.
Good options include sports gels, sports drinks, chews, dried fruit or even lolly snakes.
The most important part of your race nutrition plan is to practice it during training so you know what works for you. The gut is a muscle so can be trained to tolerate more fuel during running. Start small with one bite, one sip and build up over time.
If targeting >60g per hour you will need to consider multiple transportable carbohydrates (different types of carbs – glucose and fructose) as they use different transporters to move from the gut into the blood. SiS Beta fuel, Maurten, Precision fuel and Pillar Performance gels all use glucose and fructose.
After your run
Recovery nutrition is just as important as pre-run fuelling. Refuelling after exercise helps replenish glycogen stores, repair muscle and prepare your body for the next training session.
After your run, focus on:
– Carbohydrates to replace energy stores
– Protein to support muscle repair
– Fluids to replace sweat losses
– Fruit and vegetables to provide vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
If you don’t feel like eating immediately after a long run, start with a smoothie or protein milk before having a balanced meal. Aim to start refuelling as soon as possible, at least within the hour after your run finishes.
Don’t Forget Hydration
Hydration needs vary between runners and depend on the weather, exercise intensity and your individual sweat rate. Aim to begin your run well hydrated and avoid losing more than 2% of your body weight through sweat during longer sessions.
Drinking consistently throughout the day and monitoring your urine colour are the best ways to maintain and monitor hydration. For most runners, water is sufficient for shorter sessions.
Electrolyte drinks may be useful during longer runs or in hot conditions, primarily because they encourage drinking rather than dramatically improving performance.
Translating Training to Race Day
If you’re preparing for a half marathon or marathon, practising your nutrition strategy is just as important as practising your pacing. Trial your pre-race breakfast, carbohydrate intake during the event and hydration plan well before race day. A well practiced nutrition strategy can reduce the risk of gut issues, maintain energy levels and help you perform at your best.
If you’re training for an endurance event and are after some nutrition or fuelling advice, jump online and book an appointment to see Alice, Sports Dietitian at The Injury Clinic. CLICK HERE TO BOOK WITH ALICE
