What should you eat during a tough endurance event?

One of the advantages of being a serious endurance athlete is that you can get out scot-free. All that training burns serious calories, which is why you can do real damage to all-you-can-eat buffets.

In fact, sometimes it may seem like you’re hungry all the time, except during a hard workout or race. In such situations, the “fight or flight” response initiates a message Nervous system It increases speed and suppresses your appetite so you can focus on the job at hand.

The only problem with this little hormonal AF is that it can cause you to burn a lot of calories, so if things go on for too long — say, more than 90 minutes — you’ll run out of gas.

To avoid running on an empty tank, here’s how to fuel your body during a race.

How your body burns fuel when you exercise

When you exercise, your body can draw fuel from several places:

• Adipose tissue (through lipolysis — lipolysis)
• Muscle mass (through proteolysis — protein hydrolysis)
• Carbohydrates (Through glycolysis – the breakdown of glucose, also known as blood sugar, which is also stored in muscle cells and liver as glycogen).

When your Effort level Low, or when you train at Low heart rate zoneYour body burns a greater percentage of fat than carbohydrates as fuel. Even lean athletes have enough fat to last them for a while, so if you’re working out in recovery mode or building a base, nutrition during exercise isn’t as important (but… Moisturizing It still is!).

In fact, many athletes intentionally do so Training in a fasted state (i.e. glucose deficiency). During these types of workouts to teach their bodies how to better use fat as fuel. But as the intensity of your exercise increases, your body’s reliance on carbohydrates for energy also increases.

If you plan to put in any real effort, or if you plan to train for more than two hours, it’s best to fuel up with carbohydrates as your body burns through glycogen stores.

What is glycogen?

Glycogen is essentially a reserve source of blood sugar. It is easily converted back into glucose for use as energy. Liver glycogen can circulate throughout the body, including muscles, but muscle glycogen only acts on the specific muscles in which it is stored.

When your glycogen stores are fully filled, you should have about 90 to 120 minutes of fuel to work with. After that, you “Bonk” Or “Hit the wall.”

If you’re in the middle of a training session and suddenly feel like the simplest task was an epic challenge, that’s ridiculous. Technically, you can still function at that point, as you still have fat and muscle stores to draw upon, but you won’t perform as well.

How to refuel during a long event (more than 60 minutes)

1. Get a head start on carbs

Increase your carbohydrate intake a few days Before your raceSince there’s no easy way to know when your glycogen reaches 100 percent, hedge your bets by eating a carbohydrate-rich meal a few hours before it starts.

2. Fuel proactively

Start feeding about 30 minutes after starting rather than waiting for the first signs of fatigue to appear. Why? Because if you wait until you’re tired to refuel, you’ve waited too long. (Our bodies have not evolved to optimize fuel production during 140.1 miles Iron man Races and double horns.)

During intense exertion, the human body can burn between 800 to 1,000 calories per hour. Unfortunately, we can only accommodate approx 360 calories from carbohydrates hour, meaning we’re dealing with a case of diminishing returns right from the starting line, so getting a jump on glycogen replenishment is important.

Since a gram of carbohydrate contains four calories, 360 calories from carbohydrates equal 90 grams. But getting those 90 grams isn’t as easy as eating a jelly donut, as different sugars are absorbed in different ways and at different rates. If you only consume glucose, you will only absorb about 60 grams per hour, for example.

3. Combining types of sugars

There is a trick to maximizing carbohydrate absorption: Fructose is absorbed differently than glucose. It needs to pass through the liver. This process can occur simultaneously with glucose absorption, so if you consume a combination of the two, you should be able to absorb more carbohydrates overall – 90 grams per hour.

But while this number is backed by some respectable science, don’t take it so hard and fast. Just because you can ingest 90 grams of carbs per hour doesn’t mean you can He should. During “shorter” events lasting between one and two hours, you probably won’t need 90 grams per hour, so it’s best to save your digestive system the stress and stick to food. 30 to 60 grams Every hour.

However, if you’re going longer, your best bet is to keep 60gph as a baseline, and add up to 30gph on top of that depending on what your system can comfortably handle.

90 grams may seem like a lot of carbohydrates to absorb, but as with most aspects of training, you can increase your body’s ability to handle it. Start with the amount that suits you, then slowly increase your intake. Just remember to experiment during training, not during races.

4. Set reminders

Also take advantage of all the great data technology you may have invested in. Set a timer on your computer/phone/electronic implant to remind you to drink and eat at regular intervals.

How to hydrate during an event

The science behind the event feed is surprisingly mysterious, but the science behind the event is Moisturizing It is relatively durable, so by installing that, you can simplify the feeding part.

Your fluid intake should vary depending on your sweat rate, which, according to the American College of Sports Medicine, can range from 8 to 67 ounces per hour During an event. Finding your ideal hydration level can take some time, but cyclists typically start with about 24 ounces per hour. This is roughly the size you would find in a regular water bottle, making it easy to keep track of.

Should you use a sports drink?

You might be tempted to fill that bottle with loaded sugar Sports drink So you can get your nutrition and hydration out of the way at the same time. There is a small chance that this will work with your unique physiology, but chances are that Hypertonic (More concentrated than blood) The nature of this delicious drink will not be absorbed effectively.

It can lead to stomach distress or, as in many cyclocross races, vomiting. It’s best to have a hypotonic (lower blood sugar) drink that contains less sugar. Such solutions tend to be absorbed more efficiently and effectively.

A good sports drink The carbohydrates will be presented as a combination of fructose and glucose. One share of Beachbody Performance Moisturizer It has 10 grams of carbs, so if you’re drinking four servings an hour, that’s 40 grams, which means you’ll only need to eat 20 to 50 grams (or about 80 to 200 calories) of carbs from food in that hour.

You can always try to get all your carbohydrates in liquid form, which is popular during this time Triathlonbut this presents some problems. First, if you stick to a low-stress mixture, that means lots of water.

Second, consuming just one item for hours on end while you suffer mentally and physically is a recipe for flavor fatigue — where you feel so nutritionally averse that your exhausted, overworked brain effectively prevents you from eating or drinking. By mixing liquids and solids, you have a better chance of avoiding flavor fatigue and maintaining your appetite.

What types of foods should you eat?

Anything that tastes good and is primarily carbohydrates will likely work. You want to absorb these sugars quickly, so High glycemic foods (i.e. those that raise blood glucose levels quickly) are great in this case.

Some common tasks include: BananaWatermelon and other low-fiber fruits and small pastries. (Three to four hours after a particularly challenging event, I also get a kick out of an 8-ounce can of Coke. Shout out to carbs and caffeine!)

But if your event is going to be stressful or constantly jarring on your system – Triathlon Marathons come to mind, as gels and chews are easy-to-digest nutrition options. Again, check this Read the ingredients To check the sources of sugar.

Triathlon swimming dilemma

You, Ironman, are probably confused, given how difficult it is to refuel while swimming. And by “difficult” we mean impossible.

So make sure to eat and fully hydrate before the race starts and focus on refueling the moment you hit Terra firma. Have a full bottle either on your bike or in your transition bag to sip as best you can while you change.

As for eating, it’s up to you to determine how much you can tolerate and/or accommodate. If you can grab a bite or two during the transition without slowing down, that’s great. Otherwise, make sure you eat during the first few miles on your bike. Keep in mind that it’s easier to eat when cycling than when running, so don’t fall behind here.

However, suddenly stuffing your bowels can lead to digestive problems, so it’s important to know your intake limits here. Treat this transitional stoke like any other part of your training.

A word about protein

while protein It is essential after the event, and should play a very small role in it Nutrition during the event. Your goal is to restore glycogen as quickly as possible, and protein slows down its absorption.

The exception is a multi-stage race. In this case, you want to keep protein turnover (muscle synthesis and degradation) as balanced as possible, so some protein during such an event is a good idea. Just keep carbs at the top of your diet, and experiment with protein during training to see how much you can handle.

Final word: Do what you love

While all of these tips give you an excellent starting point for juvenile nutrition — or hopefully a way to troubleshoot your current method — keep in mind that personal taste and biology go a long way toward determining which foods are right for you. Never experiment while racing. But when you’re training, don’t be afraid to try different foods, in different quantities, and with different solid-to-liquid ratios.

Also, don’t be afraid to grab the samples offered at the race registration booths (for later), or mock your friends when they have something you’ve never tried before.

Look for the intersection between what works scientifically and what works personally. Once you discover this, you will be unstoppable.