My mom’s in town and I have to get to work, so I’m going to keep it short.
Just a quick reminder…
It’s never too early to start fueling.
I have a lot of conversations with people about their fueling strategies for longer distances.
And even after we talk about fuel and why it’s important and how much they should be trying to consume on a daily basis…
Occasionally, I forget to explicitly state one key piece of information and it often causes problems.
When you create an hourly carbohydrate target, that means every hour – including the first one.
Don’t wait until 90 minutes into your run.
Don’t wait until you start to feel hungry.
Don’t wait until the person next to you has decided they’re going to take that first gel.
None of that.
Fuel early.
Fuel often.
Initiate your fueling strategy while you’re at the start line waiting for them to begin the race.
Or leaving your front door on a long run.
Then continue fueling from that point on.
If you wait, you’ll be playing “catch-up” the entire rest of the day.
Which never goes well.
So just stay ahead of it from the start.
Fueling is difficult for longer races.
It will take some experimentation and practice.
Yet I guarantee the secret sauce isn’t waiting until 90 minutes into the race – when you’re already significantly depleted on glycogen – to take your first dose of food.
Fuel early.
Fuel often.
Fuel well.
If you aren’t sure what fueling strategy might work for you, then you know what to do.
Send me a message and we’ll chat.
Hope you’re having a great week.