Prerace fueling and refueling during races
I was reading Tim Long's blog about fueling up for a big run and refueling during race. I thought it was very interesting how he went about getting his body adequately nourished for race.
This started me thinking about what I did to fuel up for a race.
The first step is consider the type of race that you will be running. This will set the tone for the type and amount of nourishment required by your body.
Let's start with the shortest race.
Pretty much anything up to a 10K to 15k, I am not really concerned. I feel like as long as I have decent diet then I are going to have enough reserves on board to run the race. As personal preference, I usually don't eat anything right before race, but I will drink some Gatorade about an hour before. If the race is in the evening, I will usually will not eat anything after lunch. I like my stomach to be empty. I guess it goes back to something my high school coach told me "A hungry dog hunts best".
During the race, I may grab a water at an aid station. If it is hot, I am more likely to dump it over my head than drink anyway.
Races between 15k and 20 miles, I will to load up on some pasta the day before the race. Although, if I am traveling to a race, I am careful about eating out the night before a race. Too many times, I have seen it have unexpected side effects which end up ruining your race the next day.
On race day, I follow pretty the same routine as with shorter races. I take some Gatorade about an hour before the event.
In the race, I will usually take on some water and maybe Gatorade. Depending the distance, I may take along some Gel Shots. I prefer the "Power Gels" over the the brands. Mainly, they tend to taste better to me later in the race. But it is all personal preference. Note, I will rarely take the "Gel" shots given out during the race. While you may know the type of "Gel", you may not know the flavor. There is nothing like expecting chocolate and getting strawberry or banana.
For races 20 miles through 50k, I am usually pretty heavy on the pasta for the last 2 to 3 days leading up to the event.
During the race, I will make sure to take water and/or Gatorade every 5 miles if at all possible. I will also carry along my "Gel" shots. I have the shorts with the little "Gel" pockets on the back which make carring the "Gel" rather easy. Although, I have one tip here. Tie your shorts snuggly because the "Gel"s can start to pull down on your shorts.
If you are looking for tips related race fueling beyond 50k, I am sorry but I will not be much help. The longest race that I have completed is 50k. But there are several good blogs where ultra runners describe their fueling process. It never hurts to read up on what others are doing. It helps provide you with insight as well as potentially reducing your trial and error time.
This started me thinking about what I did to fuel up for a race.
The first step is consider the type of race that you will be running. This will set the tone for the type and amount of nourishment required by your body.
Let's start with the shortest race.
Pretty much anything up to a 10K to 15k, I am not really concerned. I feel like as long as I have decent diet then I are going to have enough reserves on board to run the race. As personal preference, I usually don't eat anything right before race, but I will drink some Gatorade about an hour before. If the race is in the evening, I will usually will not eat anything after lunch. I like my stomach to be empty. I guess it goes back to something my high school coach told me "A hungry dog hunts best".
During the race, I may grab a water at an aid station. If it is hot, I am more likely to dump it over my head than drink anyway.
Races between 15k and 20 miles, I will to load up on some pasta the day before the race. Although, if I am traveling to a race, I am careful about eating out the night before a race. Too many times, I have seen it have unexpected side effects which end up ruining your race the next day.
On race day, I follow pretty the same routine as with shorter races. I take some Gatorade about an hour before the event.
In the race, I will usually take on some water and maybe Gatorade. Depending the distance, I may take along some Gel Shots. I prefer the "Power Gels" over the the brands. Mainly, they tend to taste better to me later in the race. But it is all personal preference. Note, I will rarely take the "Gel" shots given out during the race. While you may know the type of "Gel", you may not know the flavor. There is nothing like expecting chocolate and getting strawberry or banana.
For races 20 miles through 50k, I am usually pretty heavy on the pasta for the last 2 to 3 days leading up to the event.
During the race, I will make sure to take water and/or Gatorade every 5 miles if at all possible. I will also carry along my "Gel" shots. I have the shorts with the little "Gel" pockets on the back which make carring the "Gel" rather easy. Although, I have one tip here. Tie your shorts snuggly because the "Gel"s can start to pull down on your shorts.
If you are looking for tips related race fueling beyond 50k, I am sorry but I will not be much help. The longest race that I have completed is 50k. But there are several good blogs where ultra runners describe their fueling process. It never hurts to read up on what others are doing. It helps provide you with insight as well as potentially reducing your trial and error time.
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