The Importance Of Fueling During Training And Racing

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When you are preparing for a race, or striving to keep a certain level of fitness, adhering to selected dietary rules can help boost your training results.

By doing some research and getting organized, you can work out what foods to eat when to consume them, and the amount of nutrition necessary for your body. Giving consideration to the food you consume before, throughout, and after your jogs can have an impact on your capability and state of being.

No two runners are the same, so no single nutrition plan will be effective for all of them. If you posed the question to 10 marathoners about how they nourish their bodies, you would receive a varied range of answers. To figure out the best nutrition plan for your training, you must apply the basic rules and then experiment with them.

If you are exercising in arid or sweltering and moist conditions, you may need more hydration and electrolytes than anticipated.

If you intend to go for a jog that will take more than 90 to 120 minutes, it would be wise for most runners to make sure they have a supply of energy.

The success of your endeavours will be influenced by your commitment, physical preparation, and the intensity you choose to work at. For Zone 2 workouts, you can last longer without nourishment, while for endurance runs designed to improve lactic threshold performance, you should have food ahead of time.

Runners who are well-educated and have a solid cardio foundation can take up to 1-2 hours or more of running without having to eat anything during the exercise. Athletes who are continuing to challenge themselves for several hours beyond their usual ability will need to replenish their energy. Using the above zone 2 speed requires significantly more energy.

The amount of calories someone needs depends on their weight, height, muscle mass, and the amount of physical exertion they are doing. Your body can only have a limited amount of energy for Glycolysis, the metabolic process by which glucose is employed to power high-intensity activities.

Athletes who are in good shape and have consistent groundwork training are using more fat to power their performance. We possess enough fat reserves within our bodies to provide energy for extensive, low-impact workouts.

People who do not usually do intense aerobic activities or runners who want to do more exercise than they usually do will need to ingest food to sustain their energy levels or else they will become exhausted, which is often referred to as bonking or “hitting the wall”.

The quantity of water you need to consume is determined by the length and severity of your run as well as your body size. You should arrange to incorporate these calories during your jog. Do not wait until you start to feel fatigued.

The type of calories you eat has an impact on your performance. All three essential nutrients (fat, carbohydrates, and protein) are essential for maintaining your energy levels. Yet, they’re not all needed for the same reason.

The Power and Role of Carbohydrates in Training

Studies are still demonstrating the efficacy of carbohydrates for endurance athletes. A 2014 meta-analysis found that the majority of studies (82%) indicated that a greater carbohydrate-to-fat ratio was linked to greater time spent exercising, as well as improved performance.

Beginning a physical activity session with adequately filled muscle glycogen levels can enhance exercise results.

The reason? When doing long-distance running, the body generally utilizes fat and glycogen as its primary energy sources. In tougher efforts, glycogen becomes the rate-limiting fuel source.

Carbohydrates consumed in our diet are used to create glycogen, which is kept in the muscles and liver to be readily available when energy is needed. But our glycogen stores are limited.

The typical quantity of glycogen in muscles falls between 300 and 700 grams. The liver stores anywhere between 0-160 grams. The amount of glycogen particles in an active muscle depends on:

body composition: more muscle mass means more glycogen storage
type of exercise: certain activities activate more muscles. For example, indoor biking uses fewer active muscles than trail running.
fitness level: untrained individuals store less glycogen. This is most likely related to muscle mass, as well as how efficient their muscles are in using and storing glycogen.
diet: individuals eating a low-carbohydrate diet have less glycogen stored because we cannot store fat and protein as glycogen.

How long do glycogen stores last

The level of stored glycogen varies depending on the kind of activity. Generally after around 80 minutes of exercise at a medium pace, most people’s energy reserves are used up.

Carbohydrate use is directly correlated with intensity. The more energetically you move, the more carbohydrates your body consumes. Once your glycogen stores are depleted, your exercise session is finished.

The Roles of Fat

Fat is an essential energy source for your body. Converting fat into energy is not very efficient and the process takes a while. During gentle exercise, the principal fuel your body utilizes is fat.

The extent to which you can use fat as an energy source will be considerably impacted by how conditioned you are in aerobics. Practising in Zone 2 will increase your stamina and ability to take advantage of fat as a source of energy.

As the work rate rises, the body turns to carbohydrates as an energy source. Highly-skilled athletes still rely on fat for energy long after athletes who lack training have moved on to primarily burning glycogen.

The major benefit stemming from numerous hours devoted to a low-intensity, zone 2 practice is the development of a formidable endurance base.

How to maintain glycogen stores during exercise

If you need to sustain your performance level over a long period, it is essential to think of ways to keep your glycogen reserves intact.

One possibility is to lower the intensity, which will cause carbohydrates to be burnt at a slower rate while fat burning is increased. It is possible to keep the glycogen supplies for an extended period due to this. This buys you more time at a lower intensity.

The second option is to consume carbohydrates during exercise. The majority of athletes can consume 200-300 calories per hour when they are engaged in running. Try eating or drinking 80-100 calories every 30-40 minutes. The quantity necessary will be dependent on the duration and difficulty of your run and your size.

Daily Carbohydrate Needs for Endurance Athletes

It is essential to consume adequate amounts of carbohydrates each day both before and following physical activity to ensure that muscle glycogen is preserved and restored.

This chart provides recommendations for daily carbohydrate needs. Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

One gram of carbohydrate is equal to 4 calories.
Your intake levels can vary depending on the type of training days. If you have easier, lower training days, decrease the amount of carbohydrates on your plate and increase the protein. Take notice of how you feel when you change your plates based on your training levels.
Your total carbohydrate intake can include the carbohydrates you eat during your activity.
1 kilogram of body weight is equal to 2.2 pounds. To convert your body weight from pounds to kilograms, divide by 2.2.
An example: If a person weighs 160 pounds,
- 160 lbs / 2.2 lbs = 72.7 kgs
- For a moderate exercise day = 72.7 kgs X 5 grams of carbs = 364 grams of carbs per day or 1454 calories per day from carbohydrates

Training and Racing Consumption

The best approach is keeping it simple. I typically advise athletes to consume only fluids during races because there is no health advantage to eating solid food (although it can be enjoyable to do in preparation).

Some individuals prefer to eat actual meals (e.g. sandwiches, pretzels, bananas, etc.) during prolonged endurance activities, and this is acceptable at the beginning of the season. Nonetheless, as you approach the goal race, you ought to frequently follow the nutrition regimen planned for race day during your workouts.

This implies that you should examine and create an approach that works the best for you – which may involve an entirely independent nourishment plan or exploiting the services provided at the aid areas on the race track.

Gatorade Endurance drinks and gels can be found at Ironman and 70.3 World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) events, as well as other United States of America Triathlon (USAT) certified races.

Ensure that these items are ok for you before using them in a race; thus, examine what will feature at your next event and incorporate them into your main training to ensure you are comfortable with them.

Despite being given some sustenance during the race, it does not necessarily mean that it is the most suitable for you, so you should bring your own nutritional items.

Bringing along bottles of Tailwind, EFS, Skratch, and Base Performance Hydro are amongst the various other excellent sports drink selections. Trying different things is the key to discovering what you enjoy and can learn.

Besides sports beverages, the next most expeditious type of nutrition to be taken in is energy gels. Items like GU or Clif shots are ordinarily sold in 100-calorie portions and are fantastic additions.

Some people prefer to only eat gel packs and drink water, consuming one every 20 minutes or so. Some athletes will take water breaks mid-race and carry energy gels in their bicycle’s compartment or their pockets.

Consolidating Nutrition

A better plan than having to carry a lot of gels or having to monitor the intake of various bottles of sports drinks that contain 200-300 calories each is to combine one highly concentrated bottle and boost the amount with water.

The end product is a slightly more viscous mixture which can be followed up by drinking some more water that you find during the journey. You can write volume measurements on the outside of the container with a permanent pen so that you can keep track of the calories you are taking in while drinking.

This is advantageous because of its ease and assurance that the majority of your food intake is all coming from the same identifiable container.

Prioritize Carbohydrates, Electrolytes, and Fluid

Your physician may advise you to cut down on the amount of sugar and sodium you consume daily. What you said is good advice, however, when taking part in a race, it would be wise to disregard it.

In lengthy races, smartly eating sugar (carbohydrates) and sodium (a mineral salt) can be the deciding factor between achieving success and being unable to finish. Do not ingest plain table salt or packets of sugar, as shown in the picture above. There are healthier options available.

Carbohydrates and endurance sports are inextricable from one another. Eating a high-carb diet, including pasta and sugary gels, is often connected to activities related to running, cycling, and triathlons, which is reasonable.

Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel during exercise. You may have heard of the unfortunate occurrence of the “bonk,” which happens when your body is no longer able to access the stored carbohydrates known as glycogen.

When you don’t have any more energy, you will no longer be able to sustain the speed you were aiming for and will need to reduce your speed to a walk or jog. In terms of supplying energy during physical activity, carbohydrates are essential.

There are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate. The majority of people should strive to take in from 60 to 90 or more grams of food each hour or consume the equivalent of 240 to 360 or more calories. This isn’t the limit, as numerous competitors in Ironman races can confidently manage a cadence of between 400 and 500+ while cycling.

The harder you exercise, the less capable your body becomes in taking in carbohydrates.

In other words, you will likely be able to consume greater amounts of calories during an Ironman event or an effortless long ride, when compared to a competition of Olympic or 70.3 distance. To determine what foods you can handle while exercising at different levels of intensity, you need to do some testing during your workouts.

When searching for a sports drink, check that it contains carbs in several formats, including both dextrose and sucrose (glucose and fructose are the principal two you should incorporate, which are usually created by combining them together). Make sure the drink does not just offer only one form of carbohydrate.

It has been observed that you can take in 30-40% more calories when your drink consists of a few different kinds of fluids, which can allow for a bigger number of digestive transporters to be used. I have an affinity for Tailwind and BASE Hydration, yet numerous possible choices fulfil the requirements.

Electrolytes are just as vital as carbohydrates, and this is especially true of sodium and potassium.

Electrolytes are vital for keeping osmotic pressure steady and for the operation of nerves. When electrolytes are missing, they create electrically charged ions that are essential for muscle movement and transmitting signals in the nervous system. Without enough of them, you can experience muscle cramping.

Trying different techniques in your workouts is essential to determining what routine works best for you.

To properly process carbohydrates and electrolytes, and to replace any fluids lost by sweating, it is important to drink enough liquids.

You need to drink a certain amount of liquid based on how much you sweat, taking into account the heat, moisture level, and intensity of the activity you are engaging in, as well as how many calories and electrolytes you are taking in. It’s a balancing act.

If you don’t take in enough water compared to how much food and electrolyte beverages you consume, the nutrition will stay undigested in your stomach and you will have a bloated feeling. Drinking an excessive amount of liquid will result in an upset stomach due to excess liquid moving around in the stomach.

In light of this, it is necessary to identify the correct ratio between fluids, calories, and electrolytes. You have some room to work with, but 100 calories per 8 ounces of liquid is a good rule of thumb. This amount can be more powerful in colder events or made milder in hotter circumstances.

Typically, an individual can drink up to 32 ounces or one litre in an hour without any issues. Attempt to avoid a decrease of more than ~5% of your body weight when concluding the race, and make sure to keep hydrating in small amounts throughout.