Confluence Running · Nutrition education
Fuel the entire session, including the warm-up, intervals, recovery periods, and cool-down.
Evidence → explanation → your plan
During prolonged exercise, carbohydrate intake helps maintain blood glucose and carbohydrate use. Gels, chews, maple syrup, and drink mixes are delivery formats. The serving and tolerated intake matter more than the format alone.
Read the evidence ↗Fueling tolerance depends on amount, concentration, texture, effort, and conditions. Practice the race combination repeatedly. A study showing benefit from a gut-training protocol does not establish a guaranteed result for every athlete.
Read the evidence ↗| Session | Before | During | After |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easy run under 45 minutes | Normal meals. A familiar snack if hungry. | Carbohydrate is usually unnecessary. Have fluid access for conditions. | Your next meal or snack. |
| Hard intervals or tempo, 45–75 minutes total | Arrive with carbohydrate available. | Small amounts of carbohydrate are optional. Avoid trying to eat during the fastest repetition. | Include carbohydrate and protein in a meal or snack. |
| Long run or ride, 90–150 minutes | Rehearse breakfast and start normally hydrated. | Practice 30–60 g carbohydrate per hour. Use breaks or safe sections for eating. | Eat and drink after the session. |
| Long ride, long run, or brick over 2.5–3 hours | Plan fuel access for the entire session. | Build intake gradually, toward 60–90 g per hour when appropriate. Practice the run after fueling on the bike. | Plan a meal and your next session. |
| Swim session | Eat beforehand and place a drink or snack poolside. | Use rests for drinks or carbohydrate during long sessions. Never chew or swallow food while swimming. | Refuel before a second session. |
| Strength session | Normal meals and an appropriate snack. | A short session rarely needs a race-gel schedule. | Include protein across your day and enough overall food. |
One 25 g carbohydrate gel at 15, 45, 75, and 105 minutes provides 100 g total, averaging 50 g per hour. This is a worked example for a practiced athlete, not a minimum every runner must meet. If a drink also supplies carbohydrate, subtract it from the gel amount.
Record duration, intensity, weather, product, total carbohydrate, fluid consumed, caffeine, stomach symptoms, and how you felt late in the session. Change one part at a time.
Maurten | Gel 100 | Sports NutritionCheck the selected flavor, serving size, caffeine, ingredients, and live availability.
Tailwind Nutrition | Endurance Fuel | Single Serving PacketCheck the selected flavor, serving size, caffeine, ingredients, and live availability.
Tailwind Nutrition | Recovery MixCheck the selected flavor, serving size, caffeine, ingredients, and live availability.
Start with regular meals and enough total food. Add carbohydrate around demanding work rather than eating the same portions on every day. Protein-rich foods remain useful throughout the week. An easy day is still a recovery day, not a reason to skip meals.
| Training day | Food decisions | Example, not a fixed menu |
|---|---|---|
| Easy or rest day | Keep regular meals, protein foods, fruit, vegetables, and enough energy. | Oats and yogurt, a sandwich with fruit, then rice or potatoes with beans, tofu, fish, or meat. |
| Intervals or tempo | Arrange carbohydrate before the session and food afterward. | Toast and a banana before training if tolerated. Follow with breakfast or a meal containing carbohydrate and protein. |
| Long run, long ride, or brick | Plan before, during, and after. Pack food for the trip home. | Familiar breakfast, a practiced during-session schedule, then a recovery snack and regular meal. |
| Two sessions in a day | Protect the recovery gap and avoid arriving at session two underfed. | Prepare lunch or a substantial snack before the first workout, with food available between sessions. |
These examples show meal structure. Portions depend on body size, total training, appetite, dietary needs, and the time until the next session. A sports dietitian helps turn the structure into individual amounts.
Source: Burke and colleagues. Fuel availability for training and competition, 2018
