How Many Carbs Do You Need For Your Next Race?
Recently, I was talking with Scott Jurek about ultramarathoning and he said that he thought that one of the keys to successful marathoning and ultramarathoning is the ability to eat and drink on the run.
In an article that Scott wrote in the May 2011 issue of Competitor magazine, he suggests that runners take in between 0.7-1.0 grams of carbohydrates per hour per kilogram of body weight.
Following these guidelines, a person who weighs 150 pounds (68 kg) should consume between 48-68 grams of carbs per hour, taking some in every 20-30 minutes. That’s the equivalent of taking one gel every 20-30 minutes.
Counterintuitively, Jurek recommends staying toward the higher end of the range if you are running for more than 3 hours and toward the lower end of the range if you are running between 1.5 and 3 hours at a faster pace.
This isn’t because the body’s need for carbohydrates is less during shorter runs at a fast pace; it’s actually greater. The faster you run, the higher the percentage (and amount) of energy that comes from burning carbohydrates. The problem is that your body usually can’t digest carbs (or anything else) when you are running at higher speeds, since most of your blood flow is diverted away from your digestive system to your muscles.
Scott Jurek said that he eats less on a hard uphill segments than he does on the downhill parts of his trail ultramarathons for the same reason.
How many carbs do you use during your long races? What impact does it have on your racing? Have you ever had a stomach upset from taking too many carbs? Tell me in the comments.
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