What’s the fuel you recommend for the Marathon?

Question

Drew Wartenburg · Answer

Fueling for the marathon is an aspect of marathon training and performance that deserves its own attention and planning and strategy throughout the training block so that you can experiment with the protocols that are going to be most effective for you. The essence of fueling in marathon training and then on marathon day are going to basically involve two elemental components. One is going to be hydration which is important to make sure that the level of fluid in your blood and then in your muscles is going to be at least an equilibrium state so that you don't go into a dehydrated mode while you are racing. The other side of the fueling equation is going to be a readily available energy source and we're talking carbohydrates here. In a marathon you don't have enough time to break down protein that you're consuming so you're going to need a readily available source of carbohydrates to keep your blood sugar at a level that is going to allow your brain and your muscles to keep functioning throughout a race. There are lots of different ways that you can integrate fluid and carbohydrate fuel during a marathon. It's worth doing your homework. Oscar Juchendrup is a really good sports scientist who can talk about this and so it's really good to do your homework and develop a plan.

Brad Hudson · Answer

So, I am a big fan of Martin. I like their Elite program. I like their product, Martin 320. But one of the most important things when you're fueling is to understand your fuel tanks. And so we have four primary fuel tanks. And the first is your muscles which contain glycogen, which is so important before you compete that you have good stores of carbs. Then your second storage is your liver. And that depletes overnight. That's one of the first things that depletes is it's a small tank, your liver. And then fat is your next fuel tank. And that just comes from all different parts of the body. And that is a huge fuel tank. But it's not great going fast. And it's not super efficient. And then lastly is your stomach. And that is the tank that you want to have fueling going in all the time and absorb more fueling. But one of the most important things to do with fueling is to make sure whatever you drink has transportable carbs. And that is both fructose and glucose. There's two different pathways in the body that your body uses to absorb carbs. And glucose uses the SGLT1 pathway. And fructose uses a different pathway, which is the GLUT5. And you can absorb more carbs by using these combination of sugars. So make sure your drink has different sugars. Practice this. It takes time to get good. It takes time to individualize. You're going to individualize this, okay? When you take in sugars during exercise, it is like no time when you take in sugars. Your body absorbs it. So make sure the product you're taking is carbs. Don't have other stuff in it, okay? People are different. You realize how sensitive some people are to different products.

Deena Kastor · Answer

The right fuel is part of the marathon game and I have a couple recommendations here. One would be if you're gonna carry your own hydration then you could drink whatever you want and my recommendation in that regard would be to find something that you actually enjoy the taste of that you are excited to to reach into at at 10k and just drink the whole bottle because it's so delicious and refreshing so make sure you enjoy it make sure your stomach it agrees with your stomach and if you are not going to carry your own hydration I would say to practice with what the race is offering so if it's Gatorade if it's Martin if it's Powerade whatever it is practice practice practice and your long runs in your easy runs in the summer months when it's warmer and it's critical to hydrate practice with what the race is offering and train your body to digest it well

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"What’s the fuel you recommend for the Marathon?"