How many of us have suffered the dreaded “bonk” in a marathon?
“Bonking” is probably the greatest fear when training for and competing in marathons.
Most know that the human body doesn’t store enough fuel to make it
through the whole distance. So, the question then becomes – what do you
need, how much of it do you need, and how often should you take it?
In this podcast, we’re going to chat with the head coach at
RunnersConnect, Jeff Gaudette, about his experiences with marathon
nutrition. He’s also going to tell you how you can calculate your own
specific fueling needs to avoid the bonk and explain how the Marathon
Nutrition Blueprint can help.
Here are the primary topics that Jeff and I discussed:
1. Jeff’s early struggles with marathon nutrition.
In his first attempt at the marathon in Chicago, he had no
pre-defined strategy for nutrition. He decided to use only sports
drinks, didn’t take enough, and lasted until around 19 miles. At the
Twin Cities Marathon the following year, Jeff went the opposite way – he
started fueling too early and ended up with a very upset stomach.
Take Action:These 2 results made it clear that you can’t go into a marathon
using generalized advice. So, Jeff did the research, found the right
calculations and developed several innovative ways to practice drinking
and taking other nutrition while training and racing.2. The importance of glycogen, fats, and electrolytes in the fueling puzzle
The human body works most efficiently when burning glycogen but as
most marathoners know, the body doesn’t store enough by itself to make
through a full marathon. When glycogen runs out, fat has to take its
place. However, teaching and training the body to use fat as a fuel
source is easier said than done.
Take Action:“I believe the most effective way to train the body to burn fat as a
fuel source is through the use of what are called “depletion runs.”
These are workouts, ideally at or around marathon pace, that are done
after having put the body in a glycogen-deficient state.3. How to calculate your specific needs to avoid the “bonk.”
How you can use the data from your weight, goal pace, fitness and
individual sweat rate to calculate your own nutritional needs. Plus, we
cover how the Marathon Nutrition Blueprint can do this all for you.
Take Action:It’s critical to work with your individual physiological demands for
energy. This helps you avoid taking too much fuel and feeling sick or
not taking enough and hitting the wall.4. Specific practice tips for fueling on the run
How to go about finding which products work best for you and how to get good at drinking and/or eating while running.
Take Action:All of the nutritional knowledge and strategy in the world won’t
help if you haven’t practiced fueling while running, specifically at
marathon pace. We cover a couple of different methods to get better at
this, especially drinking out of cups.We’d like to thank Jeff for his time and wish him good luck with the release of the Marathon Nutrition Blueprint.How to Avoid the Marathon Wall by Calculating Your Specific Fueling Needs: An Interview with Jeff Gaudette