Fueling Your Run

A Guide to Sports Drinks, Carbohydrate Gels, and Energy Bars. 

 

It's that time of year again...summer is about to start, triathlon season is here and runner's around the country are gearing up to begin training for their fall marathons/halves.  Lately, I’ve fielded a several questions from patients and friends about running nutrition (i.e. How do I hydrate properly?  What fuel do I need pre-run?  What should I eat during long runs?).  Consequently, I decided to write up a little summary of the information based on my educational background, current research (i.e. ACSM recommendations, etc.) and my experiences competing in 10+ races per year.

Sports drinks:  Drink 1.5 to 4 cups per hour of exercise (or more if you’re a heavy sweater). A mix of carbohydrates and water, they make for a great fuel and hydration choice and significantly boost endurance (~20% according to research) for exercise >60 min compared to regular water.  Most sports drinks supply a blend of sugars with 13-19 g of carbs per 8 oz.  Research suggests that having a blend of carbs (i.e. glucose and sucrose versus a single source) improves the amount of carbohydrate that gets to your muscles as fuel because the different sugars are absorbed through different routes in the intestines.  Sports drinks also contain electrolytes with sodium being one of the most important because it is lost in the greatest amount through sweat.  It helps maintain your body’s fluid balance, promotes the uptake of fluid in the intestines, and can contribute to cramping if low.  Find a flavor you like and go with it… I like orange Gatorade or power-bar drink mix and I often water them down a bit out of personal preference.  I usually drink a cup or so before runs lasting >1 hour and then take water in my camelbak during training runs.  During races, I alternate drinking a few sips of water or sports drink at the hydration stops.

Carbohydrate gels:  Research recommends 1-3 gel packets containing ~100 calories or 25g carbs each for every hour of exercise.  These single serve packets are super portable and easily stored in your pocket.  Just tear off the top, squeeze the gel in your mouth, and wash down with 4-8 oz of water.  They’re made up of sugars and maltodextrins that are easily digested (important when your tummy is bouncing around as you run, haha) along with electrolytes to maintain fluid balance.  Some also contain caffeine (which I like) but if you’re not used to caffeine it can make you jittery, give you heart palpitations etc.  I usually eat a strawberry banana Power-gel with caffeine every 5 miles during runs and races >10 miles.  Because they are gooey, I try to eat them as I approach a hydration stop in races so I can wash it down with some water.  On training runs >10 miles I usually have my camelbak for water.

Energy bars:  Eat 1 bar with 25-40g of carbohydrate and less than 15g protein about an hour before a long workout.  There are many kinds of bars, but basically you want a bar with ~70% of its calories from carbs for fuel before and during long workouts.  Another consideration is glycemic index (GI).  Bars with a high GI are best during a workout because they rapidly release carbs into the bloodstream to give muscles a quicker fuel injection.  Bars with a low GI are best before exercise because they release sugar into the bloodstream slowly and create sustained energy.  (The protein bars are good for after your workout - of course you could just eat some other high-protein snack or some chocolate milk too).  Beware of fat content in the bars because some bars are high in fat which slows digestion and is not helpful during your run.  I like to eat Cliff Bars and Snickers Marathon Bar (plus it doesn't hurt to have accessibility to large quantities of these delicious and energizing bars through Nick and my different sponsorships).  I usually eat a bar for breakfast on race mornings and sometimes as a pre-workout snack.

While the above items are really helpful in boosting performance and keeping your body from getting too broken down as you train, “real food” like fruits are also good fuel sources and supply a shot of carbs for long runs.  Most fruits give 15g of carbs per serving.  Additionally, fruits like nectarine halves or dried fruits can be easily transported and stored on runs.  Aim to have 1-2 services pre-workout or 2-3 servings per hour of running.   Sometimes marathons or halves will give out fruit on course… I love when they have oranges :o)  

Happy Training!!