Run fuelling: Within-run carbohydrate intake


Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD).

Physiotherapist, behaviour change scientist and run coach.

Many people have enjoyed my 'The sweet series' Instagram posts. Some have liked the relevance of the information to their within-run fuelling, but most have really just enjoyed the comparisons. I compared the amount of carbohydrate between gels (e.g. Gu) and common snacks (lolly snakes [Image 1], muesli bars, glucogel jellybeans, jellybelly jelly beans, skittles, dates and red frogs). I also outlined how much of each snack you need to consume to meet the equivalent amount of carbohydrate found in one gel.

Image 1: Lolly snakes were yummy but really impractical!


Each of my posts included a pros and cons list related to the consumption of each snack during a one hour high intensity run, ending in a rating out of 5 stars. I didn't include any comments on how the consumption of each lolly impacted my performance because performance is influenced by much more than just within-run fuelling (e.g. regular diet, effective recovery and the menstrual cycle).

Why should I eat during a run?

I had many people ask why I needed to eat during a run that lasts for just one hour. This is a great question and the answer comes down to context.

If you don't eat before your run, then you are relying on the carbohydrate stored in your muscle (muscle glycogen) and floating through your blood, as well as some fats, to get you through your run. If you do eat before your run, you give your body new sugars (i.e. those from your pre-run food) to use in addition to what you have stored. So, those who eat before a run have the best of both worlds - new sugar and stored sugar - to help them get the most out of their running.

Those who run early in the morning and don't tend to eat beforehand, or eat very little, might prefer to fuel within their run instead. This is where fast release carbohydrates, like those found in lollies and gels, can be super handy, especially if that run is an interval session or an important training run where speed is your goal. This is my context. I'm an early morning runner, which means I am often running about 9 hours after my last meal.

Those who run later in the day after eating regularly throughout the day, or are just heading out for a cruisy jog at any time, will unlikely need or want any within-run fuelling.

So, context is key when deciding what works for you and your body.

How much carbohydrate should I eat before my run?

Again, context is key here. The amount of carbohydrate you can benefit from before your run depends on the length and intensity of your run.

A run of less than 60-90min in duration might not need a special fuelling strategy (i.e. just follow the dietary guidelines each day [Image 2]), but if you are going to make that run a really intense one (e.g. intervals or threshold run) or a long one (>60-90min) then you might benefit from having more carbohydrate on board.

See if this strategy will work for you during your next run:

Consume 30g/kg of carbohydrate (e.g. a medium banana) in the hour before your run and every hour during your run (for runs longer than 60-90min, or really intense 45-60min runs)(Kerksick et al., 2017).

Image 2: The foods that should be in a normal, healthy diet.

Fuelling can be simple, if you listen to your body.

If you feel like you run out of energy during your runs then you probably need to increase the amount of carbohydrate in your diet, regardless of the type of run you are doing. Listening to your body is always a better strategy than following the advice designed that's not tailored to your individual needs, regardless of how trustworthy it is.

Only focusing on carbohydrate intake before and during runs ignores the important role carbohydrates have in repairing our body to prepare for our next run, as well as giving it the energy it needs to operate effectively (e.g. study for exams or cope with work-related stress) around sessions. So, make sure you are taking care of your overall nutrition to put you in the best position to achieve your goals.

Keep well, fellow runners!

Resources:

Check out this great infographic from the Australian Institute of Sport on sports confectionary
 
Kerksick, C. M., Arent, S., Schoenfeld, B. J., Stout, J. R., Campbell, B., Wilborn, C. D., ... & Antonio, J. (2017). International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutrient timing. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14(1), 1-21.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Screen time and sedentary behaviour in the early years (Part 1): An introduction

Image
Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). I am often asked for my thoughts on the effects of sedentary behaviour, like screen time, on health. I often hear parents worry about the amount of screen time, like TV watch or video game playing, their children get and the effects on their health. They hear from family, friends and the media that screen time is bad for kids and so they feel guilty allowing their children to interact with screens, despite their large and important role in today's society. I thought I'd do some research to see if screen time is really that bad for kids and, if it is, what we (as parents) can feasibly do to reduce it's effects. This is post 1 of a five-part series on the potential impacts of screen time on children. What is screen time? Screen time involves a child interacting or simply watching a screen, other than for video chatting (e.g. Skype), and is a type of sedentary behaviour. Sedentary behaviour is classified as ...
Read more

The role of physiotherapy for people with eating disorders

Image
Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD). Many who are close to me know that, as a physical activity researcher and physiotherapist, I am passionate about supporting people to become physically active. I enjoy being physically active myself and do something active every day simply because it makes me feel good, like a warm bed on a cold night ( well, maybe not that good ). I am also a co-convenor of Physiotherapists for Physical Activity (P4PA) , which is an Australia-wide group (with some international members too!) of physiotherapists and physical activity researchers who are passionate about increasing the capability of physiotherapists to change physical activity behaviours of all Australians. Our ultimate goal is to see each and every Australian participate in some kind of physical activity that suits their abilities, all the way from moving their legs in bed if they are bed-ridden to participating in their first fun run if they are more independent, and...
Read more

Isolating ourselves during the COVID-19 pandemic is shit. Are there any positives we can focus on?

Image
Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD).  Physiotherapist, behaviour change scientist and run coach.     We are in the beginning of the first (and hopefully last) pandemic of our generation. The COVID-19 or "coronavirus" pandemic sees many of us having to undergo several behaviour changes that we never anticipated needing to make.  What is "coronavirus"? Check out this video for an explainer of the virus' action and COVID-19's infection outcomes. We are being asked to do things we never thought we'd need to do in 2020, like avoiding people around us by using  social distancing that includes 1.5m spacing . We have also seen a lot of the things we enjoy being taken away from us, like our  pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes ,  gardens  and  beaches  being closed. Image 1: Introverts might enjoy the isolation, but those extroverts out there might struggle without their clubs and pubs (credit: knowyourmeme.co...
Read more