Race Nutrition
NUTRITION
FUELLING DURING AND POST
To get the best results at the Brisbane Trail Ultra® requires your fuelling to be correct for the entire event. If you don’t fuel your muscles correctly you won’t be running anywhere fast. Running out of glycogen is dangerous. It can lead to muscle meltdown. Think of all those marathon runners collapsing before the finish line. They have used up all their glycogen stores in their muscles.
Glucose is the preferred fuel for the brain and the body. So you must put it in.
BUT HOW MUCH AND HOW OFTEN?
I must stress that everyone’s body is different. Your requirements can be different the fitter, the more conditioned you become, how hard you are working, as well as the terrain you are running over.
How much you weigh, how much muscle mass you have will also determine how much and how often you have to eat.
Practice your fueling and hydration plan in training and you will get it right on race day.
HERE ARE MY KEY NUTRITION POINTS TO FUELLING FOR AN EVENT LIKE BRISBANE TRAIL ULTRA®.
Our body fat will be used as the main energy requirement for the event. We have 100,000 Cal in the form of fat stored in our cells. Enough for you to walk from Sydney To Melbourne, or Brisbane to Sydney, ( it may not be pretty though ;). We will be using anywhere from 400 Calories to 800 calories as fuel per hour throughout your ultramarathon. Most of this will be from fat.
WHEN WE EXERCISE WE USE ENERGY IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS;
When we start running, we use 95% Glucose 5 % Fat
30 minutes after we start, we begin to switch to using more Fat as the main choice of fuel. We have run out of Glucose in our blood. That is why we can feel low after 30-40 minutes of exercise.
After 1 Hour of running the ratio changes to 50% Glucose 50 % Fat
After 2 hours or more of running it changes again to mainly using fat as a fuel with 5 % Glucose 95% Fat.
Have you heard of Runners Gut?
MOST BODIES CANNOT ABSORB MORE THAN 280 CAL/HOUR. IF WE DO IT ENDS UP AS A GASTRIC UPSET.(SOME PEOPLE ARE FREAKS AND CAN EAT MORE, MORE OF US CAN’T)
KEY POINTS ON SUGARS
We have to drip feed the stomach to avoid vomiting or diarrhea.
Glucose will be absorbed straight into your stomach will cause energy spikes and lows. Severe energy spikes will bring on a diabetic-like reaction, severe sweating, nausea, overheating etc (sound familiar) even flu-like symptoms.
Choose Maltodextrin Two Glucose Units and Fructose One Glucose Unit, with an even burn rate in your sports drink or gel.
Too much fructose can also cause stomach upset.
When we run out of glucose we get grumpy, teary, lethargic, depressed, and irritable (sounds familiar? We want to give up and think we can’t complete that event)
Keeping our brain and body fuelled sufficiently in an event may mean the difference between you reaching your goals or not. Being able to concentrate on your event or not.
Keeping well fuelled will also help you to stay safe and may event Prevent an injury or a trip or a fall. It will also mean that you can focus on looking after yourself for the entire 160km of the Brisbane Trail Ultra®
EVENT TIME AND LENGTH
For Events under 3 or Less Use Hammer Gel/Gels or Heed. All these products have a small amount of amino acids with glucose but not enough to prevent muscles from deteriorating for longer than 3 hours. It is good practice to take amino capsules 30 minutes before exercise with a full BCAAs profile.
FOR EVENTS OR TRAINING OVER 3 HOURS USE
Sustained Energy, Perpetuem, Hammer Bars or take amino caps when racing.
You need to add some protein to your fuelling, not much just 8 parts Carbs and 1 part Protein.
Look for Maltodextrin as your main energy source with Fructose (Hammer add Pineapple Juice is fructose). Like in Hammer Gels
Branched Chain Amino Acids BCAAs like Perpetuem, Sustain Energy, and Endurance Amino. Soy Protein is easily absorbed into your stomach.
Amino Acids look like “L- something” or usually end in “ine” except for Tryptophan.
WHAT I CONSUME EVERY HOUR FOR A RACE LIKE BRISBANE TRAIL ULTRA
500ml Heed 1 scoop
50% Watered Down Hammer Banana Gel
1 scoop of Perpetuem in 500ml of Water
AT CHECKPOINTS
1/3 Choc Chip Hammer Bar (I will also eat a Choc Chip Hammer Bar if I feel hungry at any
point in the event).
1/3 - 1 Whole Banana
1/2 Whole Potato Boiled and Dipped in Salt
We like to put a small amount of solid food in at checkpoints. Your heart rate has usually dropped and you will be under less stress so it will be more ready to accept food.
50/50 Red Bull and water - danger - do not use Red Bull on its own water it down 50%, it will ruin your ultra if you overload your gut all at once.
GEL FLASKS
To reduce rubbish in our National Parks we are recommending that you use pre-mixed gels
GEL FLASK TIPS
• 1 Gel Flask holds up to 5 gels portions.
• Put either 4 parts Hammer Gel-like Tropical and 1 part water to make it more watery.
Caffeine
It is recommended that you consume no more than 1mg of Caffeine for every kilo that you weigh per hour of exercise.
I weigh about 50 kilos so I can have 50mg of Caffeine/hour. Studies have shown that Caffeine can increase your muscular endurance by up to 28%.
Too much Caffeine will lead to stomach upsets. I’ve found that caffeine from Green Tea will give you less stomach upset than from coffee.
I’ve also found that cold press coffee is less acidic in my gut when racing also.
If you have a sensitive gut you may want to limit the caffeine in the first 30-50km and introduce caffeine after 5-6 Hours of running.
PROBIOTICS
I can’t stress how important they are to preventing diarrhea. If we are consuming sugar the bad bacteria in our gut loves to live off this sugar and can cause gastric upset. AKA Runners Gut or Rubbish Gut.
In 2014 I spent the last 20km of UTA walking due to gastro (Same in 2012 at SCC). Take a handful of probiotic caps the night before an event. Start to add coconut yogurt and kombucha into your diet. You might be fine, one race but the next one you are stuffed, as your gut microbiome is upset over time when using sports drinks, gels, etc.
Probiotics also help with your gut recovery post-race too.
RECOVERY
Within 1 Hour of an Event
• Check Body weight after your session, no more than 2% fluid loss, any more than 2% fluid loss is dehydration.
• Choose a Complex Carbohydrates, Pea Protein, Chia I think Hammer Vegan Protein Chocolate Recoverite and I make Chia Mouses. We also like the Vegan Recovery Bars.
• 10-20 Grams of Protein and 30-60 grams of Complex carbs within the first 30-60 minutes post-workout or race. This is also an ideal time to consume vitamins and minerals.
• The Complex carbohydrates will promote muscle growth and rebuilding. It will also replenish your glycogen stores in your muscles, ready for your next workout or race.
• Glutamine will boost your immune system.
• Rehydration Time too. You will also need to drink your re-hydration fluids as well as have your Protein, Glutamine, and carb mix. I like having Milo and Soy Milk. You can switch the milk to a Whey Protein. (I recommend a dairy-free diet though)
2 HOURS AFTER AN EVENT
• After exercise you will need to consume about 2L of water with electrolytes in the next 2 hours after an event.
• Burger/ Vego/Vegan Hot Chips are usually absorbed fast into your bloodstream.
• Ask for Beetroot and green leafy spinach salad with a squeeze of lemon.
6 HOURS AFTER AN EVENT
Protein with Complex Carbs and Vegetables
• Baked Fish, preferably Tuna/Vegan Protein with Spuds with Skin On is usually absorbed fast into your bloodstream.
• Add heaps of vegetables, spinach, to boost your vitamin intake to prevent sickness.