Imagine this!
You are on a long road trip in a car that doesn’t have a functioning fuel gauge. Scary, right? Every chance you get, every fuel or gas station you see, you will top up the fuel levels of that car.
Maybe the same should apply to your race fuelling strategy as well.
Your fuelling strategy will tell you exactly when you need to consume your energy gels during a race. But early in the race, if your legs feel good, your breathing is steady and you feel energetic, there is a good chance you will postpone consuming this gel.
That decision right there is what will cost you later in the race.
Here's why
Energy loss doesn’t just appear all at once; it gradually builds over the course of the race and by the time your body tells you it needs fuel, your energy stores are already running low.
The point we are trying to make is:
Your body won’t give you any signs or indications that it is using energy;
it will only act out the moment it has nearly depleted its energy.
The moment your body begins showing signs of running out of fuel, you frantically and almost immediately consume an energy gel to replenish your energy stores. But then, you are hit with another issue.
The gel absorption gap
This gel which you have just consumed will take about 10-15 minutes to reach your working muscles as the gels have to be digested and absorbed into the bloodstream before traveling to the muscles.
Basically, any gel you consume during a race will show its effect only 2-3 kilometres down the road.
If you wait until kilometre 25 to take your first gel when you feel yourself fading, that fuel only kicks in around kilometre 27 or 28. You should’ve ideally consumed up your gel at km 20 or 21.
So when should we ideally fuel when running a marathon?
Take your first energy gel at kilometre 7 to 8, around 35 - 40 minutes in. You will feel like you don't need it. Take it anyway. Then repeat every 30 to 35 minutes from there. Not when you feel like it. Not when you start to fade. On schedule, regardless of how you feel.
The runners who hold their pace through kilometre 35 and 38 are the ones who began fuelling right from the get go.
If you've already missed the window:
Do not take two energy gels at once to make up for lost time. It puts too much sugar into your gut at once and can cause stomach discomfort, which could just add to your woes.
Instead, take half an energy gel at that moment and the other half in 15 minutes. Drop your pace slightly for a few minutes. This helps move blood back to your gut, which speeds up how quickly your body can absorb the fuel. Pair it with an electrolyte drink rather than plain water. You won't fully recover what was lost but you can still finish the race well.
Fuel on a schedule, before you need it, and trust the plan more than you trust how you feel.
