Hi there, team. Coach Alexa here.
I have had a lot of conversations with people recently about fueling and nutrition for longer runs, running in general, and sometimes January weight loss goals as well. All of that is welcome.
I wanted to share something that I believe is really useful when it comes to figuring out what nutrition works for us. Let’s face it, there is a lot of science, information, opinion, and also mild to severe misinformation on the internet about nutrition in general and nutrition for sport.
We Are All an Experiment of One
One of the most useful things you can do is keep a note. We are all an experiment of one, so what works for somebody else might not work for you.
Doing your own small scientific experiment around what works for you involves keeping a diary or some notes somewhere. This might be wherever you log your training, on paper, or even on a run log on the fridge. Wherever you keep your training notes, include information about what you are eating and drinking.
Using a Nutrition Diary With Your Training
Some of the runners I work with do this specifically around their longer sessions of the week, because that is when fueling tends to matter most and the outcomes are more noticeable. Some do it around every session, and some track everything they eat and drink.
This can be really useful feedback. It gives us a clear insight into what we are actually eating, rather than what we think we ate last week.
It can also be a helpful starting point if you want to dig into more detail, such as whether you are getting the right amount of carbohydrates and protein for different runs.
Linking Food, Energy and Recovery
The real value comes from linking nutrition with how you feel. That includes your energy levels during runs, how you feel post run, and what your recovery looks like.
This allows you to build a more nuanced picture of what is working for you as an individual.
How Nutrition Needs Change Over Time
Speaking as a woman in her mid forties, I am very aware of how things change over time. I am at a point in my life where I need to adjust things like protein intake, and pay particular attention to nutrients such as iron.
I need a little more of these now than I might have got away with five or ten years ago. Noticing these changes through training diaries, in energy levels and responses to training load, can be incredibly helpful.
Experiment, Adjust and Learn
So keep a note. Have an experiment. Change a few things, add a few things in, tweak what you are doing and see what impact it has.
This is a really useful way of cutting through all the research and the vast amount of misinformation out there, and finding out exactly what works for you.
Happy running.
