Fuel like a race-ready Queen!

Fuel like a race-ready Queen

Like anything new, practice makes perfect! It is so important to look into how nutrition can impact your performance. Let’s take a look at why fuelling is important and how you can train your beautiful, glorious gut to tolerate fuel during your runs.

What is glucose?

Ever heard of it? Well, glucose is the main fuel source that powers our muscle cells and we can either get glucose from the breakdown of Glycogen, our bodies store of glucose, or from carbohydrates containing foods and supplements which we can take on during exercise sessions. It is important to note that you only have enough storage of glycogen to sustain muscle performance for ~60 minutes, so if you are running longer than 45-60 minutes it is recommended you take on additional glucose top ups to make sure you don’t hit that dreaded “wall” during a run. If you’ve been there, you don’t want to revisit.

So where to start? 

There are many options of fuel sources that you could use to top up your glucose tank during a longer run. Ideally you want to use quick or simple sugars as they will be less likely to cause any stomach upset and their absorption is much faster, meaning the energy gets to your muscles quicker. Even so, I recommend allowing around 20 minutes for your energy to come into effect. So if you are aiming to need additional fuel at the 60 minute mark you actually want to start taking on glucose at the 45 minute mark! You know the old saying - “fail to prepare = prepare to fail”, so preparation and timing of taking on glucose is super important to maximise performance.

Let’s get down to the details

Your next question will likely be - “well how much glucose do I need?”. Your carbohydrate requirements will differ depending on your individual physiology, fitness and duration of exercise but a great starting point is 30g per hour of exercise. Some examples of common fuel options and carbohydrate count include:

• Sports electrolyte 250mls = 15-20g depending on brand
• Gels x 1 = ~25g
• Jet Planes x 5 = 35g
• Jelly beans x 15 = 20g
• Snakes x 3 = 25g
• Sports Chews (such as Gu chews) x 8 = 20g

I recommend playing with different flavours, fuel types and brands to see what you enjoy and can tolerate best. You can also use a combination of options, such as 250mls of electrolyte plus a serve of jet planes to get to your carbohydrate goal.

It also takes practice to learn:

• How to carry fuel you could try in your pocket, tucked into your sports bra, belts or running vests.
• Remember to fuel at the optimal time in your run - set alarms, estimate landmarks on your run (for example hitting a certain park or street at the 45minute - 1hour mark of your run).
• The logistics of opening a packet, chewing and eating while on the move! It's often not glamorous and can be messy but like anything you will get better at it with time. To start with you might opt for stopping and taking on fuel/hydration but if you’re practising for race-day it’s important to nail your nutrition while on the move.

The most important advice I can give you is to simply be brave and give fuelling a go. Many women who change from running without nutrition to having a fueling plan comment how they cannot believe they haven’t been using this tool before!

Practicing with fuel targets and types of foods during your training will make all the difference come race day. Try not to compare your needs and preferences to others and remember to never try anything new come race day!