Nutrition Learning & Workshop Resources
Confluence Running · Research in practice
Nutrition Learning & Workshop Resources
Use these discussion modules for a class, staff session, or athlete workshop. Each connects the explanation to a practical decision.
Four teaching modules
| Module | Explain | Apply |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Daily energy and carbohydrate | How workload changes fueling decisions. Distinguish daily meals from during-race intake. | Compare an easy day, an interval day, and a long-brick day. Explain changes in food timing and portions. |
| 2. Before, during, and after | Why race duration and recovery time change the plan. | Compare a 30-minute 5K, a two-hour half marathon, and a long-course triathlon. Record assumptions before choosing intake. |
| 3. Hydration and gut tolerance | Separate water loss, sodium intake, carbohydrate concentration, and symptoms. | Calculate a sweat-rate estimate, identify its limits, and design a rehearsal changing one variable. |
| 4. Product claims and evidence | Separate label facts, controlled research, consensus, and marketing. | Read two product labels. Compare servings, carbohydrate, sodium, and caffeine. Identify claims requiring independent evidence. |
Case discussion
An adult athlete plans a two-hour run. Four non-caffeinated 25 g carbohydrate servings provide 100 g, averaging 50 g per hour. A drink adds 40 g. The new total is 140 g, averaging 70 g per hour. Ask the class whether the extra intake fits the athlete’s practiced tolerance rather than assuming more is better.
Then change the case: the next session starts in three hours, the weather becomes hot, or nausea appears. Students revise the plan and explain what information remains missing. Keep fluid and sodium decisions separate from carbohydrate arithmetic.
Facilitator notes
- Use fictional cases rather than asking students to disclose weight, medical history, menstrual status, or food tracking in public.
- For school athletes, use food-first examples and omit adult stimulant dosing.
- Ask learners to explain a decision and its limits, not repeat a single target.
- For staff, practice explaining labels and referring individual clinical questions to a sports dietitian or clinician.
Use the existing guides
Daily meals · Workout choices · Gut practice · Hydration · Planning worksheet
Source: Thomas, Erdman & Burke. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Joint position statement, 2016.
Source: Australian Institute of Sport. Sports drinks: carbohydrate guidance by exercise duration.
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