Planning your nutrition should start long time before race week, but I appreciate things don’t always go to plan, nor do we always have the luxury of lots of time. I will run through a few important aspects to consider in the run up to a race. 

Training

The most important aspect to nailing your nutrition strategy is to practice. Nutrition is very individual, we all have different preferences, nutritional requirements, training volume and different foods that we can tolerate. The current recommendations are to aim for up to 90g carbohydrate/hour if you are training for longer than 3 hours.  

Just because your ultrarunning idol appears to run only taking one particular gel (that they are probably sponsored to take anyway) doesn’t mean that is what you need to eat. There are so many options of sports products out there. 

• Gels – different sizes, flavours, consistency, with additional electrolytes and caffeine.
• Sports bars – high protein, added nutrients, recovery bars. 
• Sports drinks – electrolyte mixes, carbohydrate drinks, powders and ready-made. 

These can all be great options but they don’t have to be the only option. Don’t forget about real food. For example I will always take a cheese sandwich with me on my long runs. You may be thinking this is an unconventional choice, but I really like them. I choose the white fluffy rolls which are high in carbohydrate and easier to digest. The cheese makes it tasty, and also provides a small amount of protein which is necessary on longer runs. 

So when you break it down not actually a terrible option, but this is individual to me and what I have found works. Don’t be afraid to test out some different foods, but the key to this is to try it out several times and consider the climate and length of your run as well. 

If you are racing somewhere hot then will the food last in the heat? If you are going abroad will you be able to find the foods? I have an ultra race scheduled in Turkey in October; will I be able to buy cheddar out in Turkey – I am yet to fully research but thinking this is unlikely so I need to modify and think of another option in advance and test it out.    

It is important to not forget about hydration, especially on training runs. Whether you use a bladder system, soft flasks or a bottle hidden in a hedge, get used to drinking regularly. You should be aiming for 150-350ml fluid every 15-20 minutes. Measuring your sweat rate can be helpful to ensure that you are replacing what is lost. 

You may consider using a sports drink with carbohydrate added to provide you with fuel as well as fluid. Especially if the race is in a hot climate, or simply a warm day, you may need to consider additional electrolytes. I often make my own sports drinks as I find them more palatable. But once again practice taking on fluids during training, especially if you are going to try some of the sports drinks. 

Most events tend to have a specific sports company who will may provide gels, sports bars etc. Find this out, if it doesn’t state on the website, drop them a message and I am sure that they will happily let you know what will be provided. If the website is a little more elusive, then I often find other runners blogs quite handy to get more of an idea. 

This gives you an opportunity to test out the specific products. If you enjoy them and can tolerate them whilst running then this gives a good chance to pack lighter and take advantage of the feed stations. If the products don’t work for you in training, then don’t be tempted to try them on the day.  

If possible, consider doing a recce of the course or at least part of it. Otherwise review the course profile and look at the website. This helps to plan your nutrition strategy. 

You need to consider:

• Where are the feed stations, how far between them is it?
• Is there a bag drop part way round?
• When are the hill climbs (if there are any)?
• If you will have any spectators, where are they likely to be?

If you are running a hilly race, it is important to consider when you will be eating. Although you may be walking up hills, they may not be the best time to eat actual food but a gel may be easier. You may also be using poles and therefore more difficult to eat. Consider eating on the flats or at the peaks, as this may be the easiest strategy. 

Race Week

In the week leading up to the race this is when you will be tapering your training, and getting your bags packed. Write a list of all the food that you need, so you have plenty of time to get the products ordered if needed. 

Be organised, if you are carrying a selection of food, try to separate out into individual bags to help you keep track of how much you are eating but also makes it easier to find in your race vest. Runners often find that they think they have eaten a lot more than they actually have, so being prepared and pre-portioning out your food is a good way to avoid this. 

Whilst getting organised don’t forget about your meals in the lead up to the race. Carbohydrate loading is an idea that is often discussed and the reason for the night before ‘pasta parties’, but in fact it is a well researched area that has been found to significantly improve performance.  

The theory behind carbohydrate loading is to ensure that your muscles’ glycogen stores are topped up to then be able to provide more energy to allow you to exercise for longer before fatigue sets in. This technique is only really beneficial in events lasting longer than 90minutes (or events that involve heats or a number of matches over a short period of time). Carbohydrate loading has been found to increase time to exhaustion by 20% and improve performance by 2-3%.

There are a few different regimens that have been researched, but the most popular is to have 10-12g/kg body weight per day for the 36-48 hours pre event.  For example if your race starts on Saturday then switch to a high carbohydrate diet for the Thursday and Friday. It is worth noting that the carbohydrate recommendations are really high and therefore can be difficult to hit. Individuals will have different levels of tolerability; common unwanted side effects include bloating and general gastrointestinal discomfort. If you decide to give carbohydrate loading a go, then rehearse it during your training to see if it works for you and you can tolerate it. 

Day before the race

There are a few additional considerations: 

• Choose meals that are high in carbohydrate, lower fat and lower fibre. For example, a pasta dish with a tomato-based sauce, rice or noodle dishes. 
• Avoid alcohol 
• Focus on hydration: carry fluids around with you to ensure you are properly hydrated
• If you are travelling, do some research ahead of time at suitable places to eat out. 
• Stick to familiar foods and don’t try anything new. 
• Relax and try to get a good nights sleep!

To conclude there are a number of different strategies to consider when preparing for a race, but the key thing to remember is to practice, practice and practice again. 

About the author: Rachel is a sports dietitian and ultra-runner. She supports athletes with their performance nutrition via Rachel White Nutrition. 

Header photo courtesy of XNRG

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Recovery is a vital part of training and if you don’t give your body time to recover post training or competition then you may find that you are not able to complete the sessions you had planned. You may also find you are more prone to injury or feeling fatigued. Your recovery should be taken as seriously as your training.

The focus of a nutrition recovery strategy is to: 

• Optimise muscle adaptation
• Help repair damaged tissues
• Restore muscle energy stores
• Replenish lost fluids
• Help prepare the body for further training/competition. 

There are four main areas to focus on when discussing recovery:

1. Refuel
2. Repair
3. Rehydrate
4. Rest

Refuel

Refuelling is about replenishing your muscle glycogen stores using carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is needed to fuel almost all activity, and the amount of glycogen in your muscles and liver has an effect on your performance. When we exercise we use these stores; in the first hour of exercise most of our energy comes from muscle glycogen which will quickly deplete.

As you continue to run your body searches for other energy sources, and it utilises your blood sugar (glucose). This sounds great, but the supply is limited and when you start to reach the end of this supply you will ‘hit the wall’. This is why you need to take on some carbohydrate whilst exercising for longer periods. 

The time that it takes to refuel is dependent on the intensity and duration of your session. The higher the intensity and the longer the session, you will need to allow more time to refuel. Some types of training can cause muscle fibre damage, especially seen in heavy-weight training, plyometric training or hard running. This can take up to 7-10 days to get back to full glycogen stores, as muscle damage delays this process. The higher your carbohydrate intake is, the faster you can refuel your glycogen stores. 

Repair

Eating protein post exercise can help with improving training adaptations and enhance your performance. This is both in strength and endurance athletes. Particularly after resistance exercise, dietary protein is used to help rebuild any damaged muscle fibres. Over time this results in bigger and stronger muscles which is advantageous for both resistance and endurance performance. 

Rehydrate

You need to ensure that you replace the fluid lost during exercise. The simplest way to work this out is to weigh yourself before and after training, as it is worked on the basis that 1l of sweat is equivalent to 1kg weight loss. So, you need to drink 1.2-1.5litres of fluids per kg body weight lost during exercise. This does not need to be all drunk straight away, drink however much you are comfortable with straight away then split the rest and continue until you are fully hydrated. Sports drinks that contain sodium (salt) and carbohydrate may help speed up your recovery; these can often be labelled hypotonic or isotonic. These can be particularly useful when you have a short period between sessions, and when fluid losses are especially high. 

Rest

Although not strictly on the topic of nutrition, making sure you get a good night’s sleep and put your feet up is equally important. Aiming for 7-9 hours per night is optimal. Studies have found that increase in sleep duration and quality is associated with improved performance and competitive success. Studies have also found that sleep can reduce the risk of illness and injury. So, all in all, many reasons to go to bed early.  

Timings

This is a hot and widely debated topic. Some feel that you must finish your training session and pick up a recovery drink straight away otherwise the session is wasted. However, this is not quite the case. The shorter the time between sessions, the more important the timing is. If you have back-to-back sessions within 24 hours then try to aim to have a recovery meal/snack within two hours. This should consist of carbohydrate and protein (in a 3:1 ratio). Recovery drinks are good to have, but if you have a balanced meal planned within a few hours of finishing then they may not be necessary. Generally aiming for ~1g carbohydrate per kg bodyweight + 20g protein is a good starting point.

Here are some examples: 

• Sports recovery bar
• Chocolate milk
• Fresh yoghurt with fruit, honey or granola
• Smoothie (for example: 2 heaped spoons peanut butter, 1 banana, 100g fat free yoghurt)
• 2 slices wholemeal toast with nut butter
• Salmon/tuna/chicken/tofu with stir fried vegetables and rice
• Jacket potato with tuna

So now we know what to focus on, here are some of the top tips to help you achieve your optimal recovery:

• Start actively thinking about how nutrition fits into your recovery period after training or a race. 
• If you have another training session within 24 hours or racing a multi-day event then ensure you really focus on achieving all the 4 R’s. As a general rule, the shorter the recovery time, the more important the timing and composition of post-exercise nutrition.
• Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, try to establish a bedtime routine.
• Aim for 3:1 ratio (carbohydrate: protein) for the best-balanced recovery meal
• If you struggle to eat after training, then choosing a liquid recovery snack is a great alternative. However, you may find that leaving it a little longer post your session before you try eat may work well for you. Remember you don’t need to eat immediately after training.  
• Practice: find what works for you, there is no one size fits all so you don’t have to eat or drink the same as everyone else, just because it works for them. 

About the author: Rachel is a sports dietitian and ultra-runner. She supports athletes with their performance nutrition via Rachel White Nutrition. 

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Fuel

Statistics from post-race surveys consistently point towards gastrointestinal (GIT) distress being the number one cause for athletes dropping out of 100 milers. Interestingly, this applies to both novice and seasoned ultra runners with elite athletes often citing GIT issues as the reason for a poor performance. But if nutrition and hydration is “trainable,” and one assumes that elite athletes are training close to race distance even for ultras, why are they not getting it right consistently? And how can you, as a first-time ultra runner, be expected to get it right? Let’s take a look at what the science says!

Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are the three macro-nutrients from which we derive all our energy for physical, physiological and mental demands. What differs from one activity to another is the composition of the fuel mixture used, which depends on the rate at which the energy is required and macro-nutrient availability. At rest and low-intensity exercise the majority of energy used comes from fat – a great energy source but slower to break down into usable fuel than carbohydrates. Does this mean you don’t need carbohydrates on an ultra with a slow pace or low intensity? Well in theory, yes. We can survive on body fat alone for weeks, not hours. But we don’t run ultras to test survival – we expect to arrive at the finish line alive; we’re more interested in how quickly we can get there. Even the last runner on the course is racing the clock for cut-offs. So include carbohydrates in your ultra nutrition plan to keep you moving quicker than at mere survival pace.

According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), athletes competing in a single-stage ultra marathon should aim to consume 30-50 grams per hour of carbohydrates and 5-10g/hour of protein, through a variety of calorie-dense foods. While protein is essential for muscle repair, immune function and enzyme production, it is not a major source of energy during exercise. Focusing on consuming sufficient carbohydrates should result in adequate protein intake as a “by-product” of what you consume for calories, except in extreme circumstances such as multi-day ultra runs and stage races. Some sources recommend a higher carbohydrate intake of 60 to 90g/ hour. This is based on the fact that the body is able to use approximately 1 gram of exogenous (from an external source) carbohydrate per minute while exercising, and if different types of sugars are consumed in the correct ratios you may be able to engage additional mechanisms to utilize up to 1.4g/min.

So what do all these figures imply when planning nutrition for your first ultra? Simply put, you should aim to consume a minimum of 30-40 grams of carbohydrates per hour. This is a good target for lighter, female athletes that struggle with nutrition (females burn carbohydrates at a slower rate than males.) If you’re an average sized male or female without a history of GIT issues then aim for 50-60g/hour. If you’re taller than average or looking to run at a more competitive pace then a target of above 60g/hour would be preferable. These estimations are based on an equation called the caloric burn rate which states that you burn one calorie per kilogram per kilometre of flat running.

It is therefore safe to assume that the more ascent in your race and the more you weigh, the more calories you will require. If you are aiming for the top-end 90g/hour of carbohydrates then it is advisable to do additional research on glucose and fructose absorption, or work with a coach who has a particular interest in nutrition. Ingesting more carbs than your digestive system can process is a common cause for gastric distress. The excess carbs remain in the gut, which has an already compromised blood supply during running, and intestinal bacteria acting on the carbohydrates cause gas release which leads to bloating and nausea.

Hydration

In addition to satisfying energy demands while running, it is necessary to take in sufficient fluids. Hydration is even more important than nutrition because while low energy can be corrected within 30 minutes by consuming calories, a poor hydration status takes hours to correct. Also, body fluid plays a multitude of essential roles for the ultra athlete such as:

• It is largely responsible for core temperature regulation by sweating – the body’s primary cooling mechanism through evaporation.
• It affects gut motility and digestion. In order for gastric emptying to occur (movement from stomach to intestine) the concentration of the stomach contents needs to be correct. This is the reason that gels require a certain amount of water to be consumed simultaneously. In the intestine, water is again required for optimal osmolality to ensure nutrient uptake into the blood.
• Water is critical in maintaining blood volume. Approximately 5 litres of blood constantly circulates through your body, performing tasks such as carrying heat away from your core, delivering oxygen to muscles and nutrients to cells, and donating fluid for sweating. Inadequate hydration results in reduced blood volume and these functions become compromised.  This places athletes at increased risk of hypothermia in cold, wet mountain ultras and heatstroke during extremely hot events.
• Removal of metabolic waste products is another important function of body fluids. Ultra runners in particular experience a significant amount of muscle damage over the course of 100 kilometre and 100 mile events. The by-products of muscle breakdown are filtered from the blood by the kidneys, but dehydration impairs this process and can lead to permanent kidney damage.

Right, that’s informative. But how much fluid do you actually need to consume on an ultra?  According to the ISSN fluid volumes of 450 to 750ml/hour are advised, but this does not take into account body weight, intensity or environmental conditions. I recommend a minimum of 500ml/hour in cool conditions. As with caloric requirements, fluid requirements increase proportionately to body weight. To obtain a more accurate and individualised estimate, perform a simple sweat test and repeat it several times under similar conditions to determine your own average sweat rate per hour. In an ultra dehydration adds up significantly over many hours, making fluid replacement more important than during marathon races.

There is no fixed percentage of your sweat loss that you should aim to replace (do not try to replace 100% of fluid lost – this is dangerous and can lead to over-hydration and hyponatraemia.) Rather, you want to avoid becoming more than 2% dehydrated in the early part of the run and aim to finish no more than 4% dehydrated. If you’re unable to eat, feel nauseous or aren’t thinking clearly then you may be excessively dehydrated. Use the value obtained from your sweat testing to place your fluid needs somewhere along a scale of 500 to 1000ml per hour. Then experiment to find your optimal fluid intake in different conditions.

Electrolytes

The third and final element of ultra hydration and nutrition is proper electrolyte replacement. Sweat rate is only one component of sweat testing, the other being sweat sodium concentration. This is the amount of sodium (a constituent of salt) which you lose per litre of sweat and another highly individualised value. Sweat sodium concentration is more tricky to test for and usually requires a sports laboratory or medical facility, but fortunately sodium intake guidelines for athletes are relatively consistent across sources. The ISSN recommends a sodium intake of more than 575mg per litre of fluid consumed. There are two important points to make here. One, unlike fluid and caloric intakes which are based on per hour of running, sodium must be consumed relative to fluid, hence the per litre of fluid consumed measurement. Secondly, the ISSN notes that a value of 575mg/L is above that provided by most commercial products, so pay special attention to the sodium content of your electrolyte sport drinks.

Depending on whether or not you’re a particularly “salty” sweater, it would be reasonably safe to aim for a sodium intake of 600-800mg per litre of fluid. Assuming you’re using an electrolyte product (drink mix, electrolyte tablets or sodium tablets) as well as eating solid foods like bars and taking gels, you’ll need to add up the sodium content of everything you consume during your long run. Divide this by the total volume of fluid ingested on the run to find your sodium intake as a milligrams per litre (mg/L) value.

This may seem like a lot of information to digest (excuse the pun) but it might also give you a better idea of why even seasoned ultra runners still struggle with hydration and nutrition. Unfortunately, there is no better way to figure out what works for you personally than through trial and error. That said, use the ball park figures given above along with what you already know in terms of your own weight, sweat rate and expected conditions on the ultra for which you’re preparing. Develop a nutrition and hydration schedule, or work with a coach or sports nutritionist to design one, and test it as much as possible in training. Rule out what doesn’t work for you and include that which does work in future sessions. Then arrive at race day with your nutrition plan in mind and follow it as closely as possible, without being too unadaptable. After the event, and every long training run in fact, log your fluid, calorie and sodium intakes in a diary along with how you felt and any notable dietary “yays or nays.”

If you are still running ultras in ten years time (and many a once-off ultra runner is, I assure you!) you’ll be grateful for a detailed nutritional record somewhere down the line. I ran my first ultra in 2014 and I’ve run many since, but I’ve never kept an ultra diary. The result? I can count on one hand the ultras on which I nailed my nutrition, but I have only a vague idea of what I did right on those days. And so, like a first-time ultra runner, my quest for the perfect ultra running nutrition continues…

About the author: Nicolette Griffioen is a South African mountain, trail and ultra coach and athlete. She is trail ambassador for inov-8 South Africa and is living her best life as a Drakensberg nomad.

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With more and more individuals claiming to be “experts” in nutrition and offering advice, is there really any benefit to a bespoke nutrition plan?

Within the sports world, nutrition is integral to sport performance. While most of us will appreciate its role in fuelling training and recovery, what you may not be aware of is the extended role it plays with regards to body composition, bone health, consistency in training, mood and motivation including the prevention of illness and injury.

In fact, one of my main roles as a sports dietitian working with athletes of all levels and across a variety of sports is educating them on what makes the most nutrient dense choices dependent on their training load, intensity, general lifestyle, genetics and gender.

Training is a stimulus – every time we run, regardless of whether this is hills, race pace or a long trail run, we are further developing the neuromuscular pathway between our brain and muscle; recruiting more muscle fibres and nerves to become stronger, faster, leaner or build endurance. This process takes a lot of energy which is why when, and how, you fuel and recover around training sessions is critical to achieve performance outcomes.

Insufficient carbohydrate availability around high intensity training sessions can result in a low or no production of growth hormone which is essential for speed progression and production of lean muscle mass. Similarly, chronic energy deficiency will potentially impact every biological process within the body.

When there is a relative energy deficiency, the body has evolved to prioritise movement over physiological function; thus metabolic rate can be reduced as much as up to a third and the body will actually preserve energy, halting or slowing biological systems such as hormonal, cardiovascular, digestive and mental health.

When I work with a new athlete/runner, I take time to get to know them, not just their mileage and races. It’s important to get a feel for their life in general including the type of job they have and what implications this may have for meal times and training. Can they cook, what is their budget and general understanding of nutrition. What are their body composition goals and are they realistic?

From this you start to build a plan. If they have a coach, you work with them and the training schedule that has been developed. So, not only do you provide nutritional strategies to enhance training and allow for consistency, you also take into consideration the practicality.

If a runner has to do a high percentage of their running early in the morning, they may think it’s best to do this fasted but helping them to understand their end goals and the processes required to get there, you can provide them with suitable suggestions.

In this particular situation, I would recommend something light and easily digestible prior to their morning commute, maybe a banana, yoghurt or handful of dried fruit, followed by a portable breakfast once in the office. Good examples include Bircher style muesli, peanut butter and banana wrap or porridge pot topped with nuts and dried fruit.

Another key area of working with a nutritional professional is honing in on race day strategy – it’s such an important aspect of performance.  You should practise your race day nutrition plan at race pace, so that you can go into the race confident that this will work for you.

I work with many runners who train hard but don’t practise fuelling, only for this to be their limiting factor on race day. A good nutrition practitioner and plan will work on the principle of trialling different options, take on feedback from the runner and then devise a plan that they know works from all aspects i.e. it hits race day requirements nutritionally, it can be tolerated and tastes good.

Similarly, something I focus on with my clients is ensuring that we have a contingency plan. Even with the best build up and preparation, we don’t have control over everything so it’s good to have worked through the worst case scenarios and what your solution will be. Again, this just helps the runner go into a race day situation with confidence.

Working with someone who can help you understand your nutritional requirements around training and lifestyle is extremely important in order to get the best out of your performance. The difficulty is making sure that your nutrition information and planning is coming from a credible source.

Not only is this critical to get appropriate advice for you as an individual, but it’s also important to work with someone who can help you monitor your progress and behaviour. One thing a nutrition plan should never do is make you more obsessive.

While there are always times when you may need to be more vigilant with your diet, the most successful athletes I’ve worked with are the ones that also understand downtime and balance.

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