Fueling tips and tricks for an ultra-marathon.

Ever thought about running an ultramarathon?  What kinds of food do I need prior, during and post? Knowing what it takes to make sure you are properly fueled to complete the race is what we will explain in this blog.   

One thing to always remember “listen to your body” it knows better than you do. 

Fueling for a marathon is just like any training you do in the gym.  You need to practice with fueling to find what types of food work with your body. Each run you do to prepare for your ultra-race you will want to take with you different types of food you would want on the “real” course.   Carb loading about 2-3 days prior to a race is a practice to get used to which is just as important or even more important than the actual race day itself  - you will want to eat twice the amount of carbs you are currently eating with fruits, vegetables or high carb foods.  When deciding what your goals are for a race, either a slower pace for those just starting to run ultras or a faster pace to try setting a PR.  For those that are running at a slower pace - solid foods such as pb&j, potato chips, avocados or a turkey roll works great, these also help with recovery and aid in preserving muscle mass.  If you are the athlete out to set new PR’s steer clear of the solid foods; gels and sports drinks or other gummy types of fuel work great.  Water consumption - knowing your ratio of water with gels or other carbs need to be dialed in.  Too much water can result in hyponatremia which is too low of sodium in the body which can lead to nausea, headaches, etc… which can lead to gastric distress.  Sometimes hard to come back from in a race.  

Post-race you will not want to go out and binge eat.  You will want to replenish your body immediately with fluids some protein about 15g of protein and about 300 or more calories of carbs.

Before beginning training for an ultra-marathon make sure you have at least 3 years of running experience and completed some marathons.   You will want to be physically and mentally strong enough to complete the race and also adapt to the concept of nutrition and the foods that will fuel you correctly.  Next select the race just to set a personal goal whatever that goal may look like.  Give yourself about 1 year to plan and prepare and good luck for your first ultra.

“You’re an experiment of one.” “Find what works for you.”   -  Bryon Powell