Thanks for sharing your carb strategy in detail! I’ve been experimenting and have enjoyed Precision gels, as well as Huma, SiS and carbs gels. I find Gu a bit thick but enjoy some of the fruity flavours… I just can’t handle the creamy ones!
I love stroopwaffels and buy the regular 10-pack at the grocery store, which is way cheaper than the running-specific options. But the MVP of my big mountain run last summer was a small ziploc of butternut squash ravioli with a little bit of olive oil and a lot of salt—it was so nice to have a savoury option after hours of sweets!
I'm saving this for fueling ideas for a possible/likely ultra in July. I'm also wondering what, if anything, you've heard about the opposite kind of fueling: very low carbs. We hosted a friend for the Boston marathon who did exceptionally well and was working with a coach who was explicitly limiting carb intake. Low GI, too. Thoughts?
Thanks for reading! I really do not believe in the high-fat-low-carb approach for runners. You’re compromising performance. Of course, protein and fat along with complex carbs are important for all meals outside of mid-run fueling. Now that I’m fueling with more carbs during longer runs (50-60g/hr), I feel the benefit for recovery, meaning I’m not so depleted at the end or during the next day.
I have to say that that has been my experience, too. My best performance in an ultra was the one where I diligently consumed 80 grams of carbs each hour. Probably more than I needed, sure, but I felt strong the whole time. I like my carbs. Glad to have support for this approach :-)
I find it so interesting that we're "returning" to crab fueling, after a decade of "fat adaptation". While I experimented with cutting carbs in a real life, my race strategy had never, ever changed in 25 years: 2 gels and at least one bottle of drink with calories per hour. I still prefer use word "calories" vs carbs, but I guess it would be more correct for me to count better. Especially considering that now we have gels with different amount of carbs/calories. With that, in the last 4 years, I utilized a rotation idea: 1 gel with 100-120 cal, 1 gel with 150-200 cal. Repeat on the hour. After 4 hrs into the race, I grab a Quesadilla to go, and after maybe 6-8 would go for a broth/soup/sloshy mashed potatoes. I'm relatively blessed with a robust stomach while running, and don't care for taste - I refer to it as a "job": no matter how disgusting, I HAVE to consume it, so I don't let myself think. I just finished Canyons 100k, crushed my prediction by an hour, and my recovery was 2 days - on Tuesday I did 2 shorter but relatively moving runs, and today is a modified quality workout.
Side note - have to agree with you, the utmb production was disappointing considering how big of an entity they are, I expected more, but got less then from mom'n'pop events in terms of pre- and post-race, like swag, awards, etc. The volunteers are always the key, and those folks are free and awesome. Where does the money goe to?
Olga: I do a similar strategy, eating every half hour and rotating through a 100 calorie gel, a 160 calorie gel, and a solid snack for 100-150 calories (that would cover a total of 1 1/2 hours moving time).
Thanks for such an informative post Sarah. It really has me thinking about my fueling strategies on long runs and how I really need to pay more attention to what I eat! I've always tried to take in lots of protein and fats and haven't really thought too much about carbs. I always carry with me a mix of nuts and dried fruit like craisins for on the trail, I'll often add a bag of the honey stinger gummies to the nut mix and love the sweet and salty combo! At the aid stations I'll eat lots of carbs- I love a grilled cheese or quesadilla. I love the idea from one of the other comments for a bag of tortellini on the trail!
I've tried gels over the years but dislike their taste, texture and high sugar content. I will sometimes take the small pouches they make as snacks for toddlers (and ones for adults)!! Fruits and veggies.... and I like the more natural taste and texture of these. I have not looked at carb content much but am certainly going to give that more consideration in the future, so thanks again for your input and for inspiring me to be more scientific about what I eat on a run. Really enjoy your articles :)
I’ve tried the SIS beta fuels and they didn’t seem to work well for me. I felt way better running on sour patch kids and Swedish fish. Haven’t tried the other high carb gels though. I do really like the skratch gummies. Gu and Clif Shotbloks work well too. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to take a gu, or any nutrition, every 30 minutes. Taking something every 45 minutes is mentally manageable for me. I’m also good about eating much larger real food meals later in ultras without consequence, so hopefully I that helps me catch up on the deficit. One thing that I’m really trying to change is to make sure I don’t run on an empty stomach. It’s hard to eat at 5am, but I’ve started to like eating a Bobos bite before I head out the door. Only 150 calories, but I guess it’s better than zero.
yay carbs! Mashed potato pouches have become a lifesaver for me, especially during 100s when my stomach turns against sugar. I need to try Koop's rice balls - I've heard great things!
I remember telling you at Zion 100 in 2017 that I’d eaten my last gel in 2014. Then you insisted I take a GU because I was barely moving forward. 😂 Well, I too have gone back to gels, mostly GU now that we know Spring’s gels were a scam. I’ve been trying to take in one gel every hour or two, supplemented with honey stinger waffles or clif bloks or bars. I love your idea of tortilla rollups minus the peanut butter - I love honey so may try that option (tho it sounds messy). Also love the comment above re using ravioli (or, I’m thinking tortellini) as a savory option. I love rice balls but have not had success in getting them to stay compact - when I make them they just turn into a hard-to-eat mess. I have made my own oat bars and they are very yummy tho sadly a bit dry. Another option you may remember from Zion: rice pudding! If you have room to carry an extra small flask, it’s an easy and carb-rich thing to slurp down. 😊
Yeehaw for the carb revolution. I started eating what at the time, I thought was a massive and even terrifying increase in my carb intake on longer and hard efforts, but quickly saw that it completely changed my relationship with running. I'm (almost) embarrassed to say it, but I ate an average of 140g of carbs per hour on my 25k race last Saturday. I wouldn't have eaten quite this much on a normal three hour training long run, but I pushed hard with a higher heart rate for a majority of the race and felt like I needed the extra fuel. I felt great during and after the race and
my recovery was good but for some slick-rock induced DOMS. Since I've started all of this, I feel better during my runs, but most importantly I think, feel so much better afterwards. I don't come home eat a huge meal and crash, but eat a normal sized lunch and actually get some things done. I think it really helps my recovery which means better feeling and more fun runs mid-week. I've been relying on gels (I like Precision and Science in Sport) and Skratch high carb mix. I also throw a Precision 1000 tab in my bottles. I'm so happy all of this is working for you Sarah and can't wait to hear how it goes for the Quad Rock. Speaking of which, we're just down the road from the race so let Jen and I know if you need any support.
Thank you Bob, and congrats on you race. 140g does sound borderline frightening to me (lol) but I think you being a taller, larger man and me being a smaller woman plays into different energy needs. I tried Skratch’s super carb mix but found that when I tried to quickly refill mid-run, it created hard-to-dissolve clumps in my soft flask that clogged the valve, have you had that prob?
Ha, I definitely think that size matters - I have to think that someone who weighs 185 pounds needs a little more than someone smaller. And I definitely think that on longer races, I need less per hour, like when I ran a 65k last fall, I think I averaged about 105g/hour. What I'm learning, almost by feel, is that during the higher HR periods, I feel better with higher numbers. I was in mid zone 3 to low zone 4 for much of the three hours on Saturday and so consumed a lot and felt great. But during the longer races, I have to keep my HR down into mid zone 2-low zone 3 and I need less. Its taken me awhile to get the feel of what my body needs, but now that I'm a couple of years into it, I'm not going by something like "eat x every y mins), but rather calibrating the amount of grams of carbs by level of effort. I still keep an eye on my average over the course of a race so I don't fall behind though. All of this took some preactive, including eating that much, but my gut has tolerated it very well, which I never thought would have been the case. In fact, I almost think that my gut is doing better precisely because I'm so well fueled and wonder if past gut issues were the result of being depleted? As for the Skratch clumps, yes! And its gross. I've actually started mixing it at about a 20g/carb per 16 oz soft flask (or sometimes just 15g) and then it is less of a problem. It also tastes less heavy that way, but its also why I've been throwing the Precision 1000 tab in there, otherwise, I'm not getting enough electrolytes. Gosh, what a dorky email, but the science brain that I'm burdened with makes me think too much about this stuff :).
Thanks for sharing your carb insights. Last year, during San Diego 100 (a very hot race), I took in my favorite gel, Gu Roctane Cold Brew, at mile 44, and instantly gagged and threw up all over the trail. Though that experience scarred me, I still pop the occasional Gu. That said, my current go-to gel is Science in Sport Beta Fuel (neutral or orange). It's super fast and easy to take and has 40g carb/packet. For drink mixes, I rotate between Gu Roctane, Skratch, and Tailwind.
As for real food, I also love PB&J rolls. I'm also a fan of turkey/avocado wraps (if the aid station has them). And once, during AC100 at 3am, I had these tangy mashed potato and avocado soft tacos. They were amazing. Of course, we can't forget pickle juice and classic potato chips.
I too like and use heartier meal-like real food at aid stations, with more fat (like from avos) and protein (like turkey in the rollup) especially around mealtimes mid-ultra. I was focused here mainly on detailing the simpler-burning carbs I carry in my pocket or bottle on the trail and use on the go.
I gotcha! Yeah, for typical training runs, gels and sports drink are my default choices. If it's more of an adventure, I'll often bring PB pretzels, dried mango slices, and/or Fritos.
Welcome to "the other side." I personally have never felt better than when I started really, truly paying attention to how I fuel my running. A lot of this is high(er) carb, yes, but it's also just making the mental adjustment that there are no heroics in depletion, and certainly not in starvation. Appreciate all the product details! Your smoothie is similar to one I make most mornings (I have one in front of me now). I love a pinch of cinnamon, drizzle of honey, and spoon of peanut butter in the mix. Happy running!
Ohh - love this (as usual!). I, too, have been focusing hard on my ultra fueling and have noticed how much easier it is mentally when I'm getting at least 60g Carbs/hour. For long, slow trail days, I love a cheese and pickle sandwich or a mini cupcake. Mini pancakes and swedish fish are staples for me, as well!
Thanks for sharing your carb strategy in detail! I’ve been experimenting and have enjoyed Precision gels, as well as Huma, SiS and carbs gels. I find Gu a bit thick but enjoy some of the fruity flavours… I just can’t handle the creamy ones!
I love stroopwaffels and buy the regular 10-pack at the grocery store, which is way cheaper than the running-specific options. But the MVP of my big mountain run last summer was a small ziploc of butternut squash ravioli with a little bit of olive oil and a lot of salt—it was so nice to have a savoury option after hours of sweets!
Ooh, what a great idea (the ravioli)!
I'm saving this for fueling ideas for a possible/likely ultra in July. I'm also wondering what, if anything, you've heard about the opposite kind of fueling: very low carbs. We hosted a friend for the Boston marathon who did exceptionally well and was working with a coach who was explicitly limiting carb intake. Low GI, too. Thoughts?
Thanks for reading! I really do not believe in the high-fat-low-carb approach for runners. You’re compromising performance. Of course, protein and fat along with complex carbs are important for all meals outside of mid-run fueling. Now that I’m fueling with more carbs during longer runs (50-60g/hr), I feel the benefit for recovery, meaning I’m not so depleted at the end or during the next day.
I have to say that that has been my experience, too. My best performance in an ultra was the one where I diligently consumed 80 grams of carbs each hour. Probably more than I needed, sure, but I felt strong the whole time. I like my carbs. Glad to have support for this approach :-)
I find it so interesting that we're "returning" to crab fueling, after a decade of "fat adaptation". While I experimented with cutting carbs in a real life, my race strategy had never, ever changed in 25 years: 2 gels and at least one bottle of drink with calories per hour. I still prefer use word "calories" vs carbs, but I guess it would be more correct for me to count better. Especially considering that now we have gels with different amount of carbs/calories. With that, in the last 4 years, I utilized a rotation idea: 1 gel with 100-120 cal, 1 gel with 150-200 cal. Repeat on the hour. After 4 hrs into the race, I grab a Quesadilla to go, and after maybe 6-8 would go for a broth/soup/sloshy mashed potatoes. I'm relatively blessed with a robust stomach while running, and don't care for taste - I refer to it as a "job": no matter how disgusting, I HAVE to consume it, so I don't let myself think. I just finished Canyons 100k, crushed my prediction by an hour, and my recovery was 2 days - on Tuesday I did 2 shorter but relatively moving runs, and today is a modified quality workout.
Side note - have to agree with you, the utmb production was disappointing considering how big of an entity they are, I expected more, but got less then from mom'n'pop events in terms of pre- and post-race, like swag, awards, etc. The volunteers are always the key, and those folks are free and awesome. Where does the money goe to?
Big congrats on Canyons, Olga!
Olga: I do a similar strategy, eating every half hour and rotating through a 100 calorie gel, a 160 calorie gel, and a solid snack for 100-150 calories (that would cover a total of 1 1/2 hours moving time).
Thanks for such an informative post Sarah. It really has me thinking about my fueling strategies on long runs and how I really need to pay more attention to what I eat! I've always tried to take in lots of protein and fats and haven't really thought too much about carbs. I always carry with me a mix of nuts and dried fruit like craisins for on the trail, I'll often add a bag of the honey stinger gummies to the nut mix and love the sweet and salty combo! At the aid stations I'll eat lots of carbs- I love a grilled cheese or quesadilla. I love the idea from one of the other comments for a bag of tortellini on the trail!
I've tried gels over the years but dislike their taste, texture and high sugar content. I will sometimes take the small pouches they make as snacks for toddlers (and ones for adults)!! Fruits and veggies.... and I like the more natural taste and texture of these. I have not looked at carb content much but am certainly going to give that more consideration in the future, so thanks again for your input and for inspiring me to be more scientific about what I eat on a run. Really enjoy your articles :)
Thank you and good luck with it!
I’ve tried the SIS beta fuels and they didn’t seem to work well for me. I felt way better running on sour patch kids and Swedish fish. Haven’t tried the other high carb gels though. I do really like the skratch gummies. Gu and Clif Shotbloks work well too. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to take a gu, or any nutrition, every 30 minutes. Taking something every 45 minutes is mentally manageable for me. I’m also good about eating much larger real food meals later in ultras without consequence, so hopefully I that helps me catch up on the deficit. One thing that I’m really trying to change is to make sure I don’t run on an empty stomach. It’s hard to eat at 5am, but I’ve started to like eating a Bobos bite before I head out the door. Only 150 calories, but I guess it’s better than zero.
yay carbs! Mashed potato pouches have become a lifesaver for me, especially during 100s when my stomach turns against sugar. I need to try Koop's rice balls - I've heard great things!
I remember telling you at Zion 100 in 2017 that I’d eaten my last gel in 2014. Then you insisted I take a GU because I was barely moving forward. 😂 Well, I too have gone back to gels, mostly GU now that we know Spring’s gels were a scam. I’ve been trying to take in one gel every hour or two, supplemented with honey stinger waffles or clif bloks or bars. I love your idea of tortilla rollups minus the peanut butter - I love honey so may try that option (tho it sounds messy). Also love the comment above re using ravioli (or, I’m thinking tortellini) as a savory option. I love rice balls but have not had success in getting them to stay compact - when I make them they just turn into a hard-to-eat mess. I have made my own oat bars and they are very yummy tho sadly a bit dry. Another option you may remember from Zion: rice pudding! If you have room to carry an extra small flask, it’s an easy and carb-rich thing to slurp down. 😊
You’re really pudding in the work! 😆
Yeehaw for the carb revolution. I started eating what at the time, I thought was a massive and even terrifying increase in my carb intake on longer and hard efforts, but quickly saw that it completely changed my relationship with running. I'm (almost) embarrassed to say it, but I ate an average of 140g of carbs per hour on my 25k race last Saturday. I wouldn't have eaten quite this much on a normal three hour training long run, but I pushed hard with a higher heart rate for a majority of the race and felt like I needed the extra fuel. I felt great during and after the race and
my recovery was good but for some slick-rock induced DOMS. Since I've started all of this, I feel better during my runs, but most importantly I think, feel so much better afterwards. I don't come home eat a huge meal and crash, but eat a normal sized lunch and actually get some things done. I think it really helps my recovery which means better feeling and more fun runs mid-week. I've been relying on gels (I like Precision and Science in Sport) and Skratch high carb mix. I also throw a Precision 1000 tab in my bottles. I'm so happy all of this is working for you Sarah and can't wait to hear how it goes for the Quad Rock. Speaking of which, we're just down the road from the race so let Jen and I know if you need any support.
I’m happy to let runner geeks have an outlet here!
Thank you Bob, and congrats on you race. 140g does sound borderline frightening to me (lol) but I think you being a taller, larger man and me being a smaller woman plays into different energy needs. I tried Skratch’s super carb mix but found that when I tried to quickly refill mid-run, it created hard-to-dissolve clumps in my soft flask that clogged the valve, have you had that prob?
Ha, I definitely think that size matters - I have to think that someone who weighs 185 pounds needs a little more than someone smaller. And I definitely think that on longer races, I need less per hour, like when I ran a 65k last fall, I think I averaged about 105g/hour. What I'm learning, almost by feel, is that during the higher HR periods, I feel better with higher numbers. I was in mid zone 3 to low zone 4 for much of the three hours on Saturday and so consumed a lot and felt great. But during the longer races, I have to keep my HR down into mid zone 2-low zone 3 and I need less. Its taken me awhile to get the feel of what my body needs, but now that I'm a couple of years into it, I'm not going by something like "eat x every y mins), but rather calibrating the amount of grams of carbs by level of effort. I still keep an eye on my average over the course of a race so I don't fall behind though. All of this took some preactive, including eating that much, but my gut has tolerated it very well, which I never thought would have been the case. In fact, I almost think that my gut is doing better precisely because I'm so well fueled and wonder if past gut issues were the result of being depleted? As for the Skratch clumps, yes! And its gross. I've actually started mixing it at about a 20g/carb per 16 oz soft flask (or sometimes just 15g) and then it is less of a problem. It also tastes less heavy that way, but its also why I've been throwing the Precision 1000 tab in there, otherwise, I'm not getting enough electrolytes. Gosh, what a dorky email, but the science brain that I'm burdened with makes me think too much about this stuff :).
Thanks for sharing your carb insights. Last year, during San Diego 100 (a very hot race), I took in my favorite gel, Gu Roctane Cold Brew, at mile 44, and instantly gagged and threw up all over the trail. Though that experience scarred me, I still pop the occasional Gu. That said, my current go-to gel is Science in Sport Beta Fuel (neutral or orange). It's super fast and easy to take and has 40g carb/packet. For drink mixes, I rotate between Gu Roctane, Skratch, and Tailwind.
As for real food, I also love PB&J rolls. I'm also a fan of turkey/avocado wraps (if the aid station has them). And once, during AC100 at 3am, I had these tangy mashed potato and avocado soft tacos. They were amazing. Of course, we can't forget pickle juice and classic potato chips.
I too like and use heartier meal-like real food at aid stations, with more fat (like from avos) and protein (like turkey in the rollup) especially around mealtimes mid-ultra. I was focused here mainly on detailing the simpler-burning carbs I carry in my pocket or bottle on the trail and use on the go.
I gotcha! Yeah, for typical training runs, gels and sports drink are my default choices. If it's more of an adventure, I'll often bring PB pretzels, dried mango slices, and/or Fritos.
Thanks for such a great article! You answered a lot of questions I had about carb fueling in a very practical way.
Welcome to "the other side." I personally have never felt better than when I started really, truly paying attention to how I fuel my running. A lot of this is high(er) carb, yes, but it's also just making the mental adjustment that there are no heroics in depletion, and certainly not in starvation. Appreciate all the product details! Your smoothie is similar to one I make most mornings (I have one in front of me now). I love a pinch of cinnamon, drizzle of honey, and spoon of peanut butter in the mix. Happy running!
Ohh - love this (as usual!). I, too, have been focusing hard on my ultra fueling and have noticed how much easier it is mentally when I'm getting at least 60g Carbs/hour. For long, slow trail days, I love a cheese and pickle sandwich or a mini cupcake. Mini pancakes and swedish fish are staples for me, as well!