Nutrition Plans for Ultrarunning Races by Shawn mcDonald
Ok, so you are getting ready for an upcoming ultra race. You might be wondering, how will I keep fueled and hydrated while avoiding or minimizing nausea and other gastrointestinal problems ?
One thing you can do is to come up with a nutritional plan for the race, or a set of guidelines.
First, consider what will be available at the race for aid stations. How long will you be between aid stations and what is offered at the stops ? If you will be more than a hour or so between aid stations, plan on carrying some foods. Try out several types in training to see what gives you consistent energy, tastes good, and does not bother your stomach. For the race, if you are allowed, pack some of these tested items in your drop bags.
Some people work better on more of a liquid diet (using electrolyte drinks, beverages such as Ensure or Sweet Dreams, and mixed fluids such as Mango Juice with Carbo- Plex, which is a type of starch). In the liquid diet one can suppliment the fluids with just a little solid food. Trying different things in training can show you what works best for you. In general, try for a mix of items whereby the bulk of the calories are from carbohydrates, with about 10% from protein and 20% from fats.
In terms of frequency, try to eat small portions on a regular basis, maybe every 30-60 minutes. It is not possible to take in as many calories as you will be burning per hour. A good goal total on calories is 300-400 per hour. To maintain this rate, it often works best to carry foods such as candy, cookies, pretzels, and gels in your pack, and then eat items such as fruit, sandwiches, and soup at the aid stations. Another popular food that will give you consistent energy and be well tolerated in your digestive track is potatoes, coated with salt.
Soups are good later in the event, when you have lost a lot of sodium and when your stomach will have more trouble handling sweet or starchy foods. The fats may help settle your stomach and the warmth is nice when you are running overnight at a 100 mile race.
The thing to remember is that what you eat and when does affect how you feel and do in a race. At the slower pace of longer ultras (50 or 100 miles or more) your stomach emptying rate is not
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