You’d be a fool not to fuel

Something that appears to have importance beyond getting your training runs right is taking on enough carbohydrates or as I like to call it “sugaring yourself”

I didn’t always believe this was important. Initially I filed ‘race nutrition’ in the taking it too seriously bracket of recreational running. Funny for someone who was an obsessed with getting up to 70 miles a week for his marathon training to the point he had shin splints 3 times in as many marathon builds…

I thought oh gels. That’s just marketing. Was Pheidippidies supping on science in sport when he ran the first ever marathon? No! Did he then collapse and die… errr

I really thought fitness was earned and gels were sort of cheating. Much like the wisdom of drinking on an empty stomach. There’s lots of things I would like to go back and have a word with young Charlie about but we are where we are.

And what a place I am (mobile phone won’t let me post a pic of the river exe here… please imagine its beauty)

I’m on the train to Exmouth. For the second of my big runs with marathon effort in. Today the plan is 34-35k with 20 at marathon effort. I’ve come round to the idea of sugaring myself because I took that seriously on my three ultra distance runs and it really helped.

Also let’s look back again at the marathon performances. Lewa 3.18 - 2 gels (except I gave one to a Kenyan I got chatting to mid race only for him to overtake me as my quads ran out of energy…. Hmm 🤔). Lake Toya - fell apart around mile 21 after feeling great. Can’t remember having gels there. London - looking good for 2.45 early on but only taking two untested Gu gels, finishing in 3.03

I blamed the training. But I did wonder about carbohydrates. I liked them in every other walk of life

In my race belt today are 7 gels with 23g of carbohydrates in each of them. I also have a flask of tailwind containing about 50g. I’ve had a big bowl of porridge. I had more gels last week and I’m convinced they will help. This is a dress rehearsal today but obviously I’m not running the full marathon distance. That might be a bit much four weeks out from the race.

However the best bit of nutrition today will be when I go to the local scoop in Dawlish after the run for a double croissant waffle with ice cream. Again carbohydrates are needed for recovery and there is protein in ice cream. Eat like a champion and you might just run like one….