NUTRITION PLAN IN TRAIL RUNNING RACES: THE THREE ENERGY SOURCES
The nutritional and supplementation plan for a competition or training must be developed considering various aspects, including the profile of the track, the weather conditions, and the time of day.
The 3 main energy sources used by trail runners are gels, bars and energy drinks. They have pros and cons but taken alternately and with a precise sequence they perform an excellent synergistic job.
Tab. 1 Pros / Cons
The 4 fundamental rules to always keep in mind are:
- It is necessary to develop a nutritional and supplementation plan for the competition or training when the duration exceeds 3 hours, below it is sufficient to have eaten an adequate meal
- The energy sources used perform a complementary and different function for which it is necessary to carefully evaluate their content and digestion time
- In the choice of gels it is preferable to focus on those with a high content of carbohydrates immediately available; for bars it is better to opt for mixes in terms of type of sugars
- Energy drinks also contribute to water intake, as well as maintaining constant blood sugar levels (if taken regularly, every 20-25min in small sips). They do not replace pure water
ARE YOU running an Ultra Trail?
Find out more about our Race Plans: Here
endurance nutrition, nutrition for trail running, nutrition for trail running athletes, nutrition in trail running races, nutrition in ultra trails, nutrition plan, nutrition plans, sport supplementation, sports diet