Nutrition and Hydration Ideas

I have done a lot of thinking and research on some questions runners have asked me over the past year or so. Seeing all the crazy reports of 120 carbs (not calories) an hour – and realizing that is 3-4 gels got me thinking and reading/listening. I think we all realize that getting calories into your system is important, just like hydration, but we can overdo both. I think most of us start out by trying to do a gel or so every hour but that falls apart quickly due to a couple of things. These are stomach capacity and slower emptying rates that are common when the body is under stress. For longer races, it is almost 85% or more runners who report GI issues. By focusing on these issues in training, we can better prepare ourselves for race day. Some foundations we should look at:

1. Practice. The stomach can “learn” to take more in during exercise. Do this during long runs and experiment with your fueling practices. Periodically test before and during shorter runs, etc. I will talk about the “how to” in a minute. You would never show up to a race and try a new pacing technique that you had not practiced or show up with brand new shoes – but people consistently show up to races and have not practiced fueling and drinking. Practice it when there are no consequences!

2. Know what works (we get this through…practice). The hard part is it often changes. We learn this through experimentation. Gel fatigue is a real thing, so having different flavors, different consistencies, knowing what real food works, perhaps using liquid (in the water fuel) etc. When I used to be fast (for me) at JFK 50, I exclusively fueled with CLIP or Hammer nutrition products you put into your water. Now, that would not work for me unless I practiced it – I simply get too hungry eventually. I heard at MOAB 240 from a medical tech – eat what your body wants, it knows. In other words, she was telling me not to force calories that made me queasy or cause GI problems simply to get fuel. Sip water/sip energy drink – eventually our bodies will tell us what to eat. An athlete who did the Dark Anchor race recently and put in 102 miles told me that he had serious gel fatigue and GI issues. Later in the race it was hot ramen/broth that brought him back. We all have these stories – that leads to the next thing. There have been many fads and the latest is that carbs are king – it was once fats – some believe protein/carbs together, blah blah blah. Simply put, get in what you can – ideally this is initially carbs, but you will eventually need all three – which is one reason why many crave protein and fats later in races. Again, if you don’t practice it….

3. Adaptability. What works early will likely not work later. Back to the practice aspect, we can learn lots of this through thinking ahead (back to the wargame idea I have discussed with many athletes). Knowing when to switch or to try something different is a problem-solving skill – one we can train in workouts. The more we “train like we fight” the more adaptable we will be. Does switching to all liquid help? Going to real food only? Or maybe sucking on some ginger candy or some ginger ale? We should know this through practice. The beauty is most of us have events to do this where we can learn ahead of our A races.

4. Hydration. Similar to eating and nutrition. Practice and learn. How much do you need? You don’t want to end up like me certainly at this linked story:

https://www.adventureupcoaching.com/post/what-it-feels-like-to-fail

At the same time, we don’t want to overdo it and contribute to GI issues or even the dreaded hyponatremia. We learn this through practice (clearly, I didn’t before Bigfoot – I underestimated the dry heat at altitude vs. the humidity of VA that I trained in…they are different). I know some folks who have experimented with sweat/hydration monitors to understand how much they lose per hour – I have never done so myself and always suffer a bit in the heat – MMT 100, Bigfoot above, Georgia Death Race, Grindstone, Keys 100 to name a few are all races where the heat will make you suffer if not prepared – and of course any event in the south in the summer. Races in the mountains add altitude and stronger sun to the mix. Heat exacerbates GI issues so the hydration and nutrition issues are totally linked – again practice makes it doable – nobody would ever say practice makes perfect for an ultra-event ha-ha.

So, what. Some good points above…but what do we do with them? For you and the others I work with my advice – seek to get 60-80 carbs – or other energy source (2 gels or liquid/real food) per hour unless you have major GI issues in which case you back off a bit until you can. Sip on energy drink until you can eat again. Switch up what you are eating and drinking if it is not working. Think through what this looks like ahead of time and practice 1-2 times a week if feasible. If not do it at least on runs over an hour. Why 60-80? I base this on observation and experience of doing 100 of these events officially/unofficially – most simply cannot ingest 100 carbs an hour without major GI stress – unless they have dedicated a lot of time working on the ability to do so. Again, practice this and you will know better what you need and how to more quickly adapt when the dreaded GI issues or dehydration hit – and they get us all eventually. Can you train to be David Roche and try to get 140 carbs an hour? Maybe – but science suggests (based on several recent studies) that 120 is likely the top end for most no matter how hard they train their system – I simply have seen GI issues derail way more people than under eating. What I am suggesting is a balance. Again, we are all different so one of you may be able to do 100/hour and some may only manage 40. Figure it out ahead of time!