2652: How to Fuel When Running a Marathon - Runner Gel Products & Staying Hydrated When Jogging

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[00:01:00] more. That's wonderfulpistachios.com. It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, episode 2652. And I'm Dr. Neal Mollick. Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your health questions related to fitness,

[00:01:19] diet and nutrition, and more. You send in the questions and I answer them for you. Now, if you're in the US and send a relevant question in, we'll visit the post office and

[00:01:29] personally mail you a physical copy of the Optimal Living Daily Workbook. Now I'll tell you how to send in a question at the end. But once a month, usually during the first Q&A episode of the month,

[00:01:40] I mention a bit about my background and credentials so you can better understand where my perspectives come from. And given this is the first Q&A of the month, it's time. Now I've always been obsessed

[00:01:51] with Batman, but I wasn't always interested in the things I talk about on this podcast like nutrition, exercise, health and wellness. In fact, at one point I asked my parents when I was a kid

[00:02:02] whether I could be an armchair athlete, meaning can I just watch sports on TV instead of actually playing them? But being diagnosed with a chronic disease at the age of 19 definitely changed my

[00:02:15] life's purpose. It was at that time I decided to focus my attention on helping others so that no one else had to experience a chronic disease diagnosis like I did. Plus, I did change my

[00:02:26] lifestyle and found that gee, it seemed to be helpful for managing my chronic disease. Now in order to help others, I wanted to have some credibility. This is not meant to be a humble

[00:02:36] brag but instead gain your trust. I received both my master's and doctoral degrees in public health and to make sure I covered all of my bases, I also became a registered dietitian nutritionist, a certified health education specialist and a certified exercise physiologist through the

[00:02:52] American College of Sports Medicine. I've been teaching in higher education for a long time now and I'm currently faculty within the California State University system. I've published multiple peer-reviewed studies, I presented at national and international conferences and have been

[00:03:07] interviewed by over 70 different media outlets for my expertise on basically all the things I talk about on this podcast. So all of this to say that when I provide my commentary after each

[00:03:18] episode and I answer the questions you send in like today, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place of truth. My only intention is to help you feel your best. Now, today's question

[00:03:31] which we'll finally get to very much relates to last week's Q&A. If you remember, last week, I answered a listener's question about preventing injuries while running. Now, today, we're going to

[00:03:43] discuss how to keep our bodies fueled and ready for that long distance run. So with that, let's hear today's Q&A as we optimize your life. Today's question came via email. Vicky writes,

[00:03:59] Hi Dr. Neil, I've been really enjoying your podcast for several years and I'm excited to finally send in a question. I'll be training for my first ever half marathon race soon and have some questions

[00:04:11] related to fueling during long runs like this. I'm still new to running and have read many different things online and now I'm unsure where to even start when doing research into this topic.

[00:04:22] My first question is, is it necessary to fuel or does it depend on one's fitness level or the time one would spend running or their pace and so on? Second, if we choose to fuel,

[00:04:34] how often and how much should we fuel? Lastly, does the fuel source have to be one of those runner's gel products or can it be something we normally eat as a snack like fruit gummies

[00:04:45] or an uncrustable sandwich? Thank you so much. Thank you for taking the time to send in your question, Vicky. I'm so glad you enjoy the podcast and thank you so much for being a devoted listener. When it comes to training for endurance events like half marathons and marathons,

[00:05:02] fueling your body properly is important. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the two main nutrition-related priorities when completing an endurance event like a half marathon are 1. Fuel sources and 2. Hydration. So, these are the two areas I'll discuss. I always recommend we

[00:05:22] get personalized advice whenever possible. So, if you're willing and able, try and find a registered dietitian in your area that specializes in sports nutrition. To do so, you can go to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website eatright.org and then select the Find a Nutrition Expert link.

[00:05:43] But in the meantime, here's my take. Multiple studies have found that the most important energy source for endurance events are carbohydrates. Consuming the right types and right amounts of carbohydrates has been found to improve performance during these types of events.

[00:05:59] Because the body doesn't have unlimited stores of carbohydrate and during a long endurance event like a half marathon, the body will use up all of its stored carbohydrate. So, it does become important to refuel with some extra during the actual race. Now, what about fat? Can't the

[00:06:16] body use fat for energy during the race? Yes, absolutely! And this does happen. In fact, the body is likely using both fat and carbohydrate as fuel almost all the time and especially while

[00:06:27] running a marathon or half marathon too. But we don't want to eat a whole lot of fat before the race. This is because fat takes longer to digest than carbohydrates. So, if we consume foods that

[00:06:39] are rich in fat before the race, then we may feel like food is sloshing around in our stomachs while we're running which of course is not ideal. Now, back to consuming carbohydrates. Studies have

[00:06:51] found that those that consume higher carbohydrate diets in the weeks leading up to the marathon tended to perform better than athletes that consumed a lower carbohydrate diet. So, we don't

[00:07:01] want to think about just fueling up properly the day of the event but in fact, the weeks leading up to it too. For those training for an endurance event like UVickey, the general recommendation, again according to the American College of Sports Medicine, is to consume between 5 and 12 grams

[00:07:18] of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day. Okay, let's try and make sense of this. First, 5 and 12 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight is quite a big range, I admit it.

[00:07:33] Now, why does such a big range exist? This is because studies have found that some athletes perform better when they consume closer to the 5 grams per kilogram of body weight and others perform better at the higher end, closer to 12 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.

[00:07:51] Let's say we have a 135-pound athlete. How many grams of carbohydrate should they aim for? Well, first, to follow these guidelines, we need to convert their body weight from pounds to kilograms. To do that, we simply divide their body weight in pounds by 2.2. So, 135 pounds

[00:08:11] divided by 2.2, punch that into our calculator, equals about 61 kilograms. So, a 135-pound person weighs about 61 kilograms. Now, we multiply 61 kilograms by the daily carbohydrate recommendations of 5 to 12 grams per kilogram body weight. So, 61 kilograms multiplied by 5, punch that into

[00:08:39] our calculator, equals 305 grams of carbohydrate. That means a 135-pound athlete training for an endurance event like a half marathon should try and get about 305 grams of carbohydrate at a minimum each day. To find the maximum amount of carbohydrate to consume each day, multiply body

[00:09:01] weight in kilograms by 12. That was again, the higher end of the recommendation. So, 61 kilograms multiplied by 12, punch that into our calculator, equals 732 grams of carbohydrate per day. Okay, so all of this tells us that a 135-pound person training for an endurance event should

[00:09:24] consume between 305 grams and 732 grams of carbohydrate per day. Again, a big range, I understand. Trial and error is important here. We would want to try different amounts within this range to see what best supports the athlete and their performance. And some may find that they increase or decrease

[00:09:46] their intakes depending on how soon the event is happening and the type of training that they're doing. But when training for the event, the important thing is to spread the carbohydrates

[00:09:56] out throughout the day and not try and consume most of them in one sitting. Now, the day of the event, the recommendation now is 1-4 hours before the event, consume 1-4 grams of carbohydrate per

[00:10:10] kilogram body weight. Here, think easily digestible carbohydrates that are low in fiber, low in protein and again low in fat. This will help prevent gastrointestinal upset. Then, during the event, in this case a half marathon, think about refueling with up to 30 grams of carbohydrate per hour.

[00:10:29] A half marathon will probably take about 2 hours to complete, so in total, you'll probably end up consuming around 60 grams of carbohydrate. But here again, experiment. Some may find that 30 grams of carbohydrate per hour is too much for them. Now, how much is 30 grams of carbohydrate?

[00:10:47] Most sports gels contain about 25 grams of carbohydrate per serving. Sports drinks will provide about 15 grams of carbohydrate per cup. Now, you would want to choose one or the other. You don't want to combine a gel with a sports drink. Instead, consume water after the sports gel.

[00:11:06] If you're using a sports drink, then there's no need to add more carbohydrate. It's really up to you though, Vicky. Which one do you prefer the taste of? Which one tends to settle well in your stomach? Which makes you feel the best? Maybe it's an uncrustable sandwich. Absolutely

[00:11:21] possible. The key is to practice. Now, what about other diets like low-carbohydrate or keto? I did mention this a little earlier but let's talk about actual study findings. A meta-analysis compared a high-carbohydrate diet to a lower-carbohydrate and keto type diet. The authors found no clear

[00:11:41] advantage to following a lower-carbohydrate or keto type diet on athletic performance. So, that brings us to our second topic, hydration. Staying hydrated can actually help the body better use carbohydrate for fuel. But of course, adequate hydration helps to ensure that the entire body

[00:11:59] works as it should before, during, and after the event. So, how much fluid should we aim for? Before the event, 5-7 mL per kg of body weight about 4 hours before the event is ideal. Fluids can include water, coffee, a sports drink which will also provide some carbohydrate.

[00:12:19] It's really up to the athlete. Now, have I mentioned how it's important to find which works best for you? Okay, I think I've made that point. There really is no need to overhydrate.

[00:12:29] Drink some fluid when you feel like you need it during the event. Then after the event, you can rehydrate with a sports drink to provide some sodium and carbohydrate to replenish your body. Most people will probably need about 3 cups of fluid immediately after finishing the event.

[00:12:45] But this may vary depending on how often the athlete hydrated during the event, the weather conditions, and so on. So again, it's important to know how your body feels. Now, once you've finished the event, caught your breath, and rehydrated, go celebrate your

[00:13:01] accomplishment! Thank you so much for taking the time to send in your question, Vicky. Now, if you want to send in a question to be answered right here on the show, plus get your hands on

[00:13:14] the Optimal Living Daily Workbook if you're in the US, you can email a question to health at oldpodcast.com. Or if you want your voice on the podcast, come by oldpodcast.com slash ask. Right on that page, you can record straight from your computer's microphone.

[00:13:31] It's really easy and you can even play back your message and do retakes before sending it in. Or you can do it the old-fashioned way and call in your question. The number is 1-61-ILOVE-OHD.

[00:13:44] That's 1-614-568-3643. Thank you so much for doing that! Answering your questions is my favorite part of the show. Alright, that'll do it for another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily.

[00:13:58] Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through. I hope you have a great start to your weekend and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits!