The Trio of Hydration
My triathlon friends have a saying: There’s four parts to their sport, not just three.
Can you guess the fourth?
No, it’s not trail running, although it should be.
It’s nutrition!
I’m not going to tell you to follow the food pyramid (click on that link if you want a taste of my childhood). You probably know how to eat well, or at least do your best. But do you really know how to fuel?
Fueling is the hardest part of any ultramarathon for me. This is partly because I don’t do the races that require you to climb two Mount Everests. But it’s also because fueling properly is really, really hard. You have to figure out how to take in up to 75 g of carbs an HOUR, or around 200 calories an hour, depending on how you want to think about it, and it helps if you don’t puke. You have to balance this with some fairly intense physical activity. And you have to understand that your plan may not work that day, even after you’ve tested foods on your long runs.
But I have some food for thought for you (I promise that’s the last food pun of the day). You can try what I call the trio of hydration to get your calories in.
Hydrating, I think, is the most important way to stay fresh during a race. Dehydration causes fatigue. But now there are ways to take in calories AND stay hydrated.
Here’s the trio:
• Sports drinks — If you love Gatorade or Powerade, and it works for you, hey, great. But there are many other formulas now that, I think, are easier on your stomach. My favorite is Tailwind. It’s the easiest way to measure your calories - one scoop = 100 - and it’s very gentle on my stomach. It also doesn’t have an overpowering flavor. Full disclosure: Tailwind sent me a bunch of free product a few months ago. But I used it before they did that, and I’ll continue to do so. Tailwind is an easy way to take in 100-200 calories a pop.
• Water — OK, duh, right? My only recommendation here is to keep water in your bladder or bottles and use tailwind as a separate thing. I get tired of the taste of even a mild flavor after a whole day of running, and so I stop drinking. Drinking water should be a pleasure, so make it as easy on yourself as you can.
• Soda — Soda, or pop, or whatever you call it, has been demonized lately, and there’s good reasons for that. But those reasons don’t apply to racing. In fact, they are an ADVANTAGE. Soda has a ton of sugar and is a source of “empty” calories. But you WANT that sugar when you’re 40 miles in. You WANT those calories. Plus, let’s be honest: Soda tastes really, really good. It’s also a good source of caffeine, and you probably need caffeine at midnight in a race. ‘
I don’t think you should overdo it, but a decent shot of soda every hour can really help, or you can save it for your secret weapon late into the race.
I still think you should eat real food and even use runner food at times, such as chews or gels. You want a large variety of foods that can help you finish a race.
But I have felt much better in my last few races, and the trio of hydration has been a big reason for that.
