Will Fasted Running Make You Faster?

Just because you can run fasted doesn’t mean you should. 

The ongoing debate "to fast or not to fast" sparks passionate discussions within the running community, with proponents highlighting benefits like improved fat adaptation and weight loss, while opponents raise concerns about performance, health, and weight gain.

Pro ultrarunner @kilianjornet has publicly discussed occasional use of fasting before easy, low-intensity runs to understand how his body adapts to running with depleted glycogen (carb) stores. Meanwhile, other elite ultrarunners, like @mountainrocheattribute the “high carb revolution” as the primary catalyst for the increasing rate at which endurance running records are being broken.So, what’s the real story behind fasted running, and is it a strategy worth considering for your training? Check out my full article at Outside Run.

7-day meal plan for marathon runners

Do you intentionally change how you eat throughout the day depending on your workout(s) for the day? 

When an athlete works with me on daily and sport nutrition, the above is a question that I often ask when athletes expresses their struggles with injury, health issues, fatigue, and a performance decline. 

Checking off those hard-earned miles is only one element in preparing your body for an endurance event. 

Often underestimated—yet vital for success—is daily nutrition. For many athletes, busy schedules and a rushed lifestyle alongside training can make it difficult to eat enough of the right foods, at the right times to support your active lifestyle. Even with the best intentions, if you end up tired or hangry, good intentions can easily give way to fast food or mindless snacking. 

Marathon training challenges your body daily in a variety of ways, so your diet must change to support these different stressors. 

In my recent Outside Run article, I go into detail about the importance of changing your diet to support marathon training. To help take away the guessing, you can check out my 7-day meal plan that I created to help support your marathon training. 

And if you have a dietary restriction (like myself, who is a 33-year lacto-ovo vegetarian) - not a problem. In the article I provided some easy dietary tweaks to fit your needs, whether it’s for allergies, health, or ethical reasons.

Check out the article HERE.

Triathletes should not fuel like runners

 

Although we have a tremendous amount of research on sport nutrition strategies to optimize performance in runners, there's very little research on long distance triathlon.  It's impossible to isolate one variable in a triathlon-focused experiment. For example, with so many different environmental, physical, mental, terrain, pacing, fitness and physiological factors contributing to performance in a 70.3 or 140.6 mile event, it's impossible for research to create specific sport nutrition guidelines for swimming, biking and running when there are so many unpredictable and uncontrollable variables.

We must recognize that running off the bike for 13 or 26 miles in a half or full distance triathlon (respectively) is very different than running a stand alone half marathon or marathon. For example, a stand alone endurance runner will start the race is cool or cold conditions, first thing in the morning with a body that is glycogen loaded and well-hydrated. Marathon races are often issued a heat warning if a race is predicted to reach over 75-degrees. The pacing strategy of a marathon is usually one of holding back and increasing the pace as the race continues (negative split). The race course is generally flat and training is based on preparing to hold a specific pace. With all this in mind, a runner goes into a race with little to no added physical stress. 

A triathlete couldn't be more different. 

A triathlete starts the run in moderately warm or hot conditions. The triathlete has already been exercising for 3-6+ hours when the run begins. The triathlete is now needing to run with muscles in a fatigued state while attempting to avoid extreme dehydration and glycogen depletion. There's also the mental fatigue of racing for 5-15+ hours compared to a stand along marathon that lasts 2-3 hours for the elite athletes. 

A few other physiological changes are taking place when running off the bike: 

• Oxygen consumption, respiratory frequency, ventilation rate and heart rate increase more when running off the bike vs. stand alone running. 
• Metabolic changes - triathletes are running in a state of glycogen depletion, dehydration, ventilatory respiratory muscle fatigue, decreased stroke rate and volume and increased core body temperature. 
• Biomechanical changes - triathletes are running 13 or 26 miles with muscle fiber damage and different running economy than that of stand alone running. This includes increased ground contact time, increased vertical oscillation, decreased running economy, altered foot placement, decreased stride length and gait frequency, tight hip flexors, less stored elastic energy in the muscle-tendon complex. 
• Neural fatigue - neuromotor patterns are reduced when running off the bike. When running off the bike, triathletes also experience inefficient muscle recruitment patterns, central nervous system fatigue (inability to send signals/recruit muscles to contract), decrease in the voluntary activation of muscles, decrease in the frequency and synchronization of motor neurons, reduced drive from motor cortex. 

Having said all this, when it comes to the nutrition guidelines for runners, we can't apply the exact same fueling and hydration strategies to triathletes. Even if research doesn't offer specific guidelines for triathletes when running off the bike, it is clear that triathletes can't fuel and hydrate in the same way as stand along runners. 

Simple sport nutrition tweaks for hot weather training - run

RUN

I feel many triathletes need a constant reminder that they are not runners. Certainly, runners do not need to be reminded that they are not triathletes.

Runners absorb a completely training stress than the multisport athlete. Furthermore, the race day effort of a triathlete is based on the race distance, which determines what time of the day a triathlete runs and what type of mechanical fatigue the triathlete brings to the run. Thus, the pacing and fueling strategy for run training and running are very different than the single sport athlete.
(Note - even for runners, I still find it valuable to set up aid stations or bring nutrition and hydration with you during long runs)

For the triathletes, you can not think like a runner when you train for triathlons.

For example, if you are doing a brick run, you can not think of your run off the bike as "only" a 20-minute run. I see it all the time - a triathlete is out on his/her bike for 3, 4, 5+ hours and then comes the run off the bike and no fluids are consumed during the run.  If you ride your bike for 3 hours and run 20 minutes off the bike, you are completing a 3 hour and 20 minute workout - you can not think that you are "only" running 20 minutes. Sure, a solo 20 minute run does not need calories or fluids but your body still requires and deserves fluids, electrolytes and calories to finish off your workout.

Once this new fueling strategy is ingrained into your head, you will notice that you are running better off the bike (not barely surviving or suffering), you are more energized and thinking clearly during a run off the bike, you are protecting your health (allowing you to train more consistently), you can reduce risk for injury and you can reduce your overall training stress, thus allowing you to recover faster. I can't tell you how many athletes that I have worked with who consistently underfuel and underhydrate while running all because it doesn't seem natural or needed to bring nutrition and hydration on a run.  By fueling and hydrating properly, not only do you build confidence for race day, train your gut and improve performance but you protect your health AND you can function better in life (your family can thank me for this advice).

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-There are many hydration belts and packs on the market so take your pick. Just please carry something with you that allows you to run with good form (I advise to not carry anything more than 6-8 ounces in your hand as it can throw off your gait and cause muscle tension in the neck/back). A hydration pack/belt allows you to hydrate and fuel consistently when YOU want to fuel and hydrate. Yes, it may feel uncomfortable at first but just like running with a HR monitor, wearing a hat/visor, running with a watch or wearing an ankle strap or race belt around your waist, you can get use to it.

-In hot weather, you need to plan for 1 x 10+ ounce flask with 70-100 calories of a hydration based sport drink with at least 250-400+ mg sodium for every 30 minutes of running - this is for any length brick run or long run. If you run on the treadmill, the same strategy applies but you can use a sport bottle instead of a flask.

-You also need to plan for 1 x 10 ounce flask of cold water for every 30 minutes of running for any brick run or long run. This will be a lifesaver as you can now use this cold water for sipping and for cooling to help control core temperature. 

-Plan your run routes accordingly so that you can make quick stops for easy refilling of sport nutrition powder (ex. baggies or single serving packets) and use water fountains or bottles for water. Many sport nutrition companies (ex. Scratch, Tailwind, Clif Hydration, EFS pro) provide single serving packets so you can carry refill powder with you when you need to refill. 

-To reduce the risk of GI upset and to optimize digestion and absorption, I suggest to sip your drink every 8-10 minutes and as needed. Never ration your hydration when you run because you don't want to stop or your  next stop isn't for an hour - sip when you want and when you are finished, refill. It's ideal to best understand when you prefer to drink.

-If you are using a hydration beverage (ex. sport nutrition product that provides calories and sodium, which is recommended), you will reduce the risk of overdrinking on plain water, as it is typical for athletes who run without a sport drink to either overdrink on water when they stop or get to a water fountain/gas station or only consume water during a long run (or after a long bike) thus depleting sodium stores.

-If you prefer gels or chews over powder, you still need to carry water with you. However, you can replace a sport drink powder with bloks/chews but it's important to still consume your calories consistently (and make sure your gel/chews contain sodium).

-If you prefer gels, use a gel flask (1 gel mixed in water in a small flask) for easy sipping. It's recommended to use a gel flask instead of consuming a gel every 45 minutes as a gel is properly digested and absorbed with 12-16 ounce of water. Using a gel flask dilutes the gel for easier digestion.

-Incorporate walk breaks into your run training regime to get more comfortable consuming fluids and calories when you are running. It can take up to 6 weeks to train your gut if you are not yet comfortable (or tolerating) consuming nutrition when you run. 

Example; If you are running for 30 minutes off the bike, bring 80-100 calories of sport nutrition in a     10-ounce flask and a 10-ounce flask of ice cold water.

If you are running for 2 hours, start your run with 1 flask of sport nutrition and 1 flask of water and refill your flasks every 30 minutes.

(This is recommended for hot weather training).

IMPORTANT - Please DO NOT ration your sport nutrition or water because you don't want to stop or because you think it is cool to underfuel.

You will gain fitness, train more consistently, build confidence in your sport nutrition plan for race day and protect your health by fueling and hydration adequately.

TIP: To prevent taste bud fatigue, vary your flavors of sport drink throughout your long rides and runs so that you are not always consuming lemon-lime flavor (as an example) every time you train.

Also, if you feel that your mouth gets tired of the "sweet" taste of a sport drink, have a sip of a carbonated drink, consume something sour or take a bit of a savory bar (ex. peanut butter, chocolate, bacon-flavored, etc.) to excite the taste buds so that you can return back to your routine fueling regime.