Nutrition in Training

In this article, we'll show you the best ways to use carbohydrates, fat and protein in your diet, to help fuel your training and recovery.

Macronutrients

Carbohydrates are the most important fuel for endurance athletes. They are the primary source of energy during the first 20 minutes of exercise and higher intensity exercise. Your body can store enough carbohydrate to fuel 90–120 minutes. After this, you will need to supplement your carbohydrate stores. Each gram of carbohydrate provides four calories of energy.

Protein is required for recovery from high-intensity and endurance workouts. It repairs muscle tissue and maintains a healthy immune system. Each gram of protein provides four calories of energy.

Fats are stored in your body and are a valuable source of energy for endurance athletes. They are not as efficient as carbohydrates in releasing energy and can only be converted to energy during lower intensity exercise. Each gram of fat provides nine calories—over twice the amount of energy as carbohydrates and protein.

Fuelling Guidelines

Workouts from 1-3 hours - Consume up to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour. You can use sports nutrition products such as gels, chews, and energy bars. If you prefer you can choose 'real foods' which are low in fat, protein, and fiber. Refuel regularly about every 20 minutes. Training is an ideal time for you to experiment and practice with foods and nutrition. Get used to the products as well as how you carry, and consume your fuel.

Workouts longer than 3 hours - Consume approximately 60-70 grams per hour of carbohydrate. Research shows that athletes who have not practiced fuelling during training are twice as likely to develop GI distress on race day.

After Exercise - Post-exercise nutrition helps to replenish your body, restore muscle, and replace fluids/sodium lost to sweat and respiration.

Fuel Specifically - Early in your training take time to find out which on-course nutrition products will on offer at your race. Aim to use these products during all training sessions in preparation to reduce the risk of GI discomfort during your event.

• Consume 6-8 servings of fruit and vegetables per day to ensure you get a sufficient and varied supply of vitamins and minerals.
• Pay attention to what and when you eat, learn about yourself, and understand what works best for you to support your training.
• Experiment with your sports nutrition choices. Try different energy bars, gels, and sports drinks to choose the products that work well for your body later in training and racing.
• Find out which on-course nutrition products will be offered at your race. Use these products during training sessions to reduce the risk of GI discomfort during your event.

Build Phase Focus

• Stick with the energy bars, gels and sports drinks that worked well for you in your Prep/Base cycle. 
• Eat often, snacking is beneficial in this phase which has the highest training loads.
• Consider salt tablets. Depending on the race environmental conditions and the distance, these could be of benefit. Try them during your long workouts to see how your body handles them.
• Ensure you have the right balance of calories to support your training and enable you to nail every session.
• Focus on your recovery and make the most of your training by fuelling for maximum benefit.

Peak/Taper Phase Focus

• Choose a lower fiber diet if you race longer distances to avoid GI distress
• Keep a check on your hydration
• About two weeks from your race, consider adding extra salt to your diet. This is particularly key for events of 4 hrs+ and/or in hot and humid climates. (This assumes you do not have a pre-existing health condition that could be affected by an increased sodium intake).
• You should know what your race-day nutrition plan is now, don't try anything new.

Check out Phil's Blog for more on Nutrition.

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