Talkback: Gauge your fuel

Why no advice in the 'Fuelling on the run' section. Really hard to guage what is right for you on long runs, I try to take in 160-200 kcal an hour on longer runs, is that good or not? No website seems very clear on this important issue.

Comments

  • Phil_HPhil_H ✭✭✭

    This is an interesting argument, and one that still seems to have something missing, even with the latest thinking on carbs not being the 'golden fuel'.

    I race 10k-21k and train without using pre or during run carbs. But I have found by trial and error that if I start taking glucose tablets 20min before and then continue them at about every 20mins then my pace is more consistent and faster. I also do not seem to get any '40-min' effect from my glycogen. Whatever I eat the previous day seems irrelevant, and my only rule for breakfast on the day is eat something, but more importantly don't eat too much.

    I'm now 57, 1.85m, 70kg, only run offroad, flatish 10k time sub45min, 10k fell ~60min, so not bad for my age.

    Does anyone else relate to this ?

    Should I actually be fuelling up during my training runs ? (So far I would say that training at 'less than perfection' and then racing at 'fully fuelled' does the trick for me.)

  • Phil_HPhil_H ✭✭✭

    Hi monocep, I've done a few calculations on energy burn and kcal intake, and my 1 glucose tablet every 20 mins seems to balance my typical hill-race requirements.

    There are a couple of things to remember: 

    Glucose is the only thing that requires no digestion before its available - your blood sugar level is actually your blood glucose level.

    It can take 20mins for any other fuel to be metabolised and become available as fuel.

    Sugar (sucrose) is only 50% efficient as a quick fuel as it is 50/50 glucose/fructose, and the fructose has to be metabolised and is hence not immediately available as fuel. Therefore you don't get all the hit you think when you eat 'sugars'.

    Some of us cannot metabolise Fructose very well and can get stomach pains from too much !

    Hope that wasn't too much in one biteimage

  • Hi Phil, with you on those stats,

    Thanks for the feedback, lots of food for thought, branching out on the longer runs and no advice from RW on any of it, luckily there's forums. 

    I know this is a HM thread and sorry for that but even HM training runs can run into the 3rd hour, dont normally fuel on the run under 2hours but like what you're saying, very close really on intake. Might need to scale down my calories, just gotta find what works I suppose,

    thanx again, I got quite a bite lol

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