Since we went over pre- and post-workout nutrition in previous blog posts, this week the spotlight is on intra-run fueling!
Generally, you’ll want to fuel with carbohydrates, fluids and electrolytes during long runs (or any other type of endurance effort — cycling, xc skiing, hiking, etc.) lasting ~90 minutes or longer, or speed workouts of ~60 minutes or longer. The table below provides some recommendations regarding about how much of each fueling component is recommended per hour of activity.
| Carbohydrates | Hydration |
| 40 – 90g per hour (ideally 60-90+ g/hr) Mixed glucose + fructose for increased rate of carb oxidation | 16 – 24+ oz fluids per hour 300 – 800+ mg sodium per hour *also consider potassium, magnesium, chloride, calcium |
| Examples: Skratch, Clif gels/blocks, Gu, Hammer, Maurten, Muir, Ucan, Huma+, Honey Stinger, Precision, SIS, fruit snacks, Nerd gummy clusters | Examples: SaltStick capsules/chews, Nuun, LMNT, Tailwind, Hydralyte, Skratch, Osmo |
I think it can be helpful to visualize what this might look like in a long run by writing out a fueling schedule like the one below (which uses my preferred fueling products):
| Minute | Fuel |
| 15 | 4 oz water from handheld bottle |
| 25 | Huma Plus gel (20 g carb, 250 mg sodium) + sips of water |
| 35 | 4 oz water |
| 50 | Huma Plus gel (20 g carb, 250 mg sodium) + sips of water |
| 60 | 4 oz water |
| 75 | Huma Plus gel (20 g carb, 250 mg sodium) + sips of water |
| 90 | 4 oz water |
| 100 | Huma Plus gel (20 g carb, 250 mg sodium) + sips of water |
| 115 | 4 oz water |
| 125 | Huma Plus gel (20 g carb, 250 mg sodium) + sips of water |
Fueling tips:
- Carry your nutrition with you!
- It might take some getting used to, but carrying a handheld water bottle is so handy (pun intended) for getting in adequate fluids during your long run or race. I’ve tried to drink from aid stations in the past, but meeting your fluids needs of 16+ oz per hour is nearly impossible when you’re relying on aid stations.
- You can even get TWO handheld bottles and have someone hand you a full one halfway through the race so you don’t have to stop and fill it up.
- Bring 1 or 2 more gels than you think you’ll need, just in case you drop one or something else goes awry
- Do your course research
- Find out what nutrition will be on the course and where the aid stations will be. Races often only have 1-3 aid stations with gels, the remaining aid stations having just water and electrolyte drink mix. But as aforementioned, don’t rely solely on course aid stations for your nutrition!
- If needed, rope a family member or friend into supporting you on the course. I have enlisted my partner as my certified race supporter — he is an expert at this point!
These are just the basics, and it takes a lot of practice to hone in on the fueling strategies that best work for you. If you need any help fine-tuning your race-day fueling plan, feel free to reach out! Happy fueling!
Gabriella Rao, RD 
Leave a comment