Fueling to go LONG
"Well of course it
is!" you may say……."if his has no fuel". Yet many triathletes, after the 1st hour of a long race
will try to operate this same way.
First, let's break this
down to the most basic parts……..the fuels themselves. Know that proteins, fats,
vitamins, & minerals are all BUILDING
materials used by the body. Their function is to facilitate the REPAIR
that takes place.
Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are mainly your body’s source
of FUEL. Carbs
are used on a short-term basis…….like gas in your tank. The critical keys to
race success (especially in longer events) lies in the questions of which carbs, when, how, and how much.
Carbs also reduce the use of muscle protein being used
as a fuel source, rather than as a repair material. If you can spare muscle
protein, you can spare the muscle mass that propels you in a race.
Our goal should be to
formulate your carb fueling with the primary goal to achieve the highest levels
of muscle glycogen…….and then to MAINTAIN that level as much as possible
before, during, and after training and racing.
Here are some fundamental rules for endurance
fueling:
1-You Must take in between 250 and 450 calories of carbs
for every hour after the 1st hour of exercise. 'How much?'
depends on things like your weight, metabolism, racing heart-rate, and muscle
mass. The bigger the engine……the more fuel per hour you'll need. The faster the
engine 'runs'….the more it needs, too.
Know that when an athlete slows
in a long race, it is NOT because they've run out of enough blood-sugar to
burn…….yet, it IS because they've run out of enough blood-sugar to facilitate
FAT metabolism. The fuel your body uses when going long is a combination, or
ratio, of fats and carbs. The higher the percentage
of FAT in that ratio…..the more you spare the glycogen it takes to tap into the
fat……and the more metabolically
efficient you are.
This is precisely the
reason we limit heart-rate on long training sessions where the goal is to
'dial-in' the metabolism towards that ideal burn-ratio.
2-Eat complex carbs (NOT
the simple sugars that fluctuate insulin levels) in
small meals throughout the day. Complex carbs have a
low "glycemic index"…..which means they take
longer to digest and enter the bloodstream. This is a GOOD thing…..because the
insulin 'flow' is more steady and less erratic. [A
favorite at the Dyer household is Grape-nuts cereal. Next time you're at the
grocery store, look at it's complex carb count
compared to its low amount of those carbs as sugar.
Check out non-instant oatmeal as well.]
3-Use a glycogen replacement drink (liquid form) that
contain nearly ALL of their calories
from COMPLEX carbs……and not so much sugar.
Simple sugars slow
the exit of the carbs from the stomach under the
stress of racing and/or heavy training by changing the osmolality of
the stomach and actually pulling water OUT
of the working muscles to dilute the 'sweetness' and make it useable as fuel.
Carb drinks that are primarily derived of maltodextrin are best for this reason……..little sweetness, lots of energy and
very quick passage. Avoid those with
sucrose and corn syrups.
4-Timing is everything! In a half-iron distance race,
I tell our athletes to set the countdown timer on their watches to alarm and
remind them during a race every 15
minutes to hydrate and replenish calories. Eighty calories every 15 minutes
gives you 320 calories for the hour.
Before the race (or training), we recommend that an athlete start with a full tank.
Trying to do so strictly with solid foods/carbs just
isn't feasible due to gastric distress of breaking down the solids. One hour
before the big race, take in 100 to 200 calories of your complex carb solution
to stay "topped-off".
5-After
hard/long training or a race……..you
MUST ingest the same complex
carb solution to avoid muscle catabolism. A 'catabolic' process is one that
breaks muscle tissue down to rob it of its caloric value….This occurs when
you're glycogen depleted and strips you of hard-won muscle mass. The
"break-down", catabolic process is the opposite of the (more
preferable) "build-up", ANABOLIC process which ensures adding
strength, endurance and energy.
Do everything to STAY
ANABOLIC & maintain good blood-sugar!
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There you have it……..the
basics of fueling. Realize that everyone's stomach and nutrition plan can be as
different inside us as we all are on the outside. So practice your game-day
fueling in training as you prepare to go long.
In the macro-view of a
season, on occasion, I'll have an athlete who will say, "
I was training well and then, all of the sudden, I have felt tired
almost daily." Often, this is an athlete who thinks that they're taking in enough calories……….yet isn't, and is
generally underestimating how much fuel they're actually using in their
training. The dead giveaway is when this same athlete says, "
I always eat and yet am still hungry."
Almost always, we remedy
this by having them take an additional 200 to 400 calories each day in the form
of a complex carb "feeding" or drink. In a week…..energy levels are
back up and we're back on the road to progress.
Good luck in your 'Fueling to go Long'!!!
For more information on
the TRImyCoach.com training programs, you can visit our website at www.TRImyCoach.com