05/19/2025
Training for long summer trail runs and ultras and working on figuring out your fueling needs?
Throwback to my talk at this past winter’s trail running workshop hosted by where I used the analogy of ‘Building a Pizza’ to inform some best practices for fueling for endurance running. Key points:
The Dough = As an endurance athlete, a majority of caloric consumption should be comprised of carbs, not precluding the need for a balanced diet including proteins, produce, fiber, healthy fats.
The Sauce = Iron promotes oxygen availability and improved performance. In low animal-product eating regimens especially, consuming iron-rich foods along with Vitamin C has been shown to improve iron absorption. More info on iron needs:
The Toss = One of the main reasons pizza makers toss dough into the air is to look up at it from below and check for spots that may have gotten too thin when they were stretching it out - weak spots. Use your long training runs to check for weak spots in your fueling strategy, ahead of race day. See what foods work for you on the go, how many you can carry, and what frequency per hour you need to consume water and calories to stay ahead of fatigue.
Toppings = Eating regimens and fueling strategies necessarily vary for everyone due to preferences and personal needs. Additionally, training and race days needs will be dependent on weather and course conditions: heat, humidity, elevation gain, altitude etc. Do what works for you.
The Bake = On race day, do what you know and have practiced. Balanced eating in the months leading up to race day contributes to a better experience and improved performance on race day, so practice how you want your fueling regimen to look not just on race day, but in the training period leading up to it, and then proceed with what you know on race day.
💫 This information was compiled based off of my years consulting with and learning from nutritionists and sports dieticians, to address key components of endurance fueling needs - from a coach’s perspective. Though not a nutritionist myself, I am happy to provide recommendations.
🍕Coach Alexa
