Do we need to fuel mid-run?
It depends. If you run is >60 minutes or is a tougher run, YES! Shoot for fueling every 30-45 min with an easy-to-digest carb-based source: an energy gel, a carby snack (graham cracker, fruit gummies, rice krispy, apple sauce, etc) or carby drinks. You will want to avoid high fat, high fiber, and high protein foods as this can lead to digestive distress mid-run.
Why? When we run we deplete our glycogen stores (stored sugar that our body uses as an energy source) and this puts our body in an energy deficit, which can negatively impact performance but also impact our entire bodily function (muscle health, digestive function, hormone health and more). Our body can turn to stored fat and even protein, but these are harder to utilize for energy and often require us to slow down, impacting performance (especially where we have pace goals!).
Women, especially, are sensitive to energy deficits! When we constantly run in a depleted state, we set our bodies up to have hormonal dysfunction, weakened muscle and thus weakened bone (think: loss of period and INJURY!). This is dangerous and absolutely something we want to avoid.
Intra-run fueling has a dramatic impact on performance and has been proven to improve race times. Avoiding it or skipping it is to your detriment and not something to take lightly.
It’s best to practice intra-run fueling to find energy sources that work for you and to find a routine that’s doable for you! Try energy gels first (my suggestion) as there are many different brands and varieties (Huma, Gu, etc.).
You got this!
