As endurance athletes, we must get our fuelling needs, both before and after runs, sorted. But perhaps the hardest fuelling to get right is mid-training/mid-race nutrition. Studies show that there are improvements in performance when taking on carbs during exercise over 60 minutes in duration, as this is the point when depleting glycogen stores start to affect performance. However, if we wait for 60 minutes before refuelling, those glycogen stores will already be getting low, so we need to start fuelling earlier on in the training/race. Even if you don’t yet feel low in energy, it’s important to start taking on fuel – it will benefit you later in the race, when you might find it harder to stomach.
I know a lot of runners don’t get on that well with gels, and yet there aren’t many other convenient options available, short of packing yourself a mid-race picnic. Sports nutrition products are designed for fast absorption and ease while out on your run, but part of the reason these gels and specially formulated drinks work so well is the combination of carbohydrate sources they combine. The body can’t absorb more than 60g (2oz) of carbohydrates per hour, if ingesting it from a single source. However, if you mix your carbohydrate sources, you can absorb up to 90g (3oz).
For this reason, many of the recipes I have included in this chapter combine sugar and other carbohydrate sources – not to try to make them sickly sweet, but to make them more easily utilized by the body. I also use a lot of coconut water, which is basically nature’s sports-performance nectar, containing a mixture of glucose, sucrose and fructose, plus the electrolytes potassium and sodium.
The reality is, if you’re eating ‘real’ food or homemade energy gels when running, you will need to ingest more per hour for maximum benefit. However, I hope that these recipes are a little more palatable for you to enjoy – not to mention cheaper – than most of the gels on the market. It’s all about what works for you and your body – whether that’s gels, chews, ‘real’ food, bars or drinks.
GENERAL FUELLING RULES
| Run duration | Needs |
| Under 1 hour | no fuel needed; water if it’s hot |
| 1–3 hours | 30–60g (1–2oz) |
| 3 hours + | 30–90g (1–3oz) carbs per hour (depending on what works for your body!) |