DURING THE EVENT
ENDURANCE FUELLING
ENDURANCE FUELLING
DURING THE EVENT
ENDURANCE FUELLING DURING THE EVENT Endurance fuelling is one of those aspects of racing that many athletes get wrong . Many athletes fail to be able to consume proper food consistently through an event which leaves them falling short . Would you go without food and only consume fluid from the time you wake up until you go to sleep ?
The answer is of course not as you will starve the body of much needed nutrients . Now throw an endurance event into the day where you are burning off far more calories and you will experience a chronic lack of energy and emotional instability from fuel depletion . The key to a decent endurance event such as an ultra-distance triathlon is proper feeding and this is where most people go completely wrong .
HYDRATION VS ENERGY REQUIREMENTS Let ’ s for example say that you are relying on liquid calories for you race . The big day arrives , the temperatures are lower and fluid consumption is far less as you are not sweating out that amount of fluid . Now you are taking in fewer calories which will lead to under fuelling which will ultimately lead to energy depletion . Always keep your hydration and energy requirements completely separate .
ONLY drink to thirst . Forget how many carbs or calories are in the bottle unless it ’ s very hot the percentage of calories from fluid early on is minimal it increases with time as temperatures ride , so early on focus on food solid or identifiable calories . The bottle does ultimately help with faster fluid absorption . But don ’ t depend on it solely for energy when temperatures are low . Make sure you are able to measure your nutrition intake easily . If you are not able to eat food solids and are reliant on a liquid feed then it ’ s best to make a concentrate of your carbohydrate drink and mark the bottle so that you know how much to consume per an hour in order to reach your desired hourly caloric intake .
Eat small and frequently ( measure your food intake by time ) Frequent consumption is the key to a decent endurance event . Your bike is your kitchen . This is the time to feed and fuel up so that you can hit the run with energy levels stable and rearing to go . Once you are on the bike and you are in a comfort zone , meaning a point of equilibrium where aerobic engine is stable , breathing is regulated and you are in a rhythm , it ’ s time to feed .
In an endurance event such as Ironman there are many theories around + -60 - 90 grams of carbs per an hour , maximizing absorption rate with the right combination of carbohydrates and even trying to go beyond that . It ’ s certainly not about how many carbs you can fit in your mouth , is about what your body is capable of absorbing and utilising do not fall into the category of an overeater it can ruin your day . Plan this properly .
Many people forget you have a huge amount of fat which is available as an incredible source of energy , and most nutrition experts forget to take that into account . A combination of correct carbs , fat and glycogen will see you through the event .
ENDURANCE FUELLING DURING THE EVENT | FUEL GUIDE