Common Sense Nutrition:

Fueling, Hydration & Recovery

by Dave Latourette

On the heels of the last article, I had some questions regarding shorter sessions, races, or fueling in general. I hope the following might fill in some gaps for you.

FUELING:

-Pre-Event / Training Session:

Our main goal as athletes is to go into a training session or event fueled, hydrated and feeling “energetic”. The following ideas may allow us to do that:

• For mid & later day training sessions you should choose to snack frequently / eat small meals throughout the day. Our bodies are more efficient at dealing with small amounts of calories frequently as opposed to big meals infrequently. All of us have noticed that huge energy crash soon after a large meal! One of my main objectives is to eat meals/snacks that have little/no refined sugars and 20-25% of calories from protein. Less than 30 minutes prior to a training session or event your best choice should likely include less protein/fat and be higher in carbohydrate calories. For higher intensity training/racing efforts I’d advise liquid calories if you have to consume anything within 1 hour of the session.
• For early morning training sessions you should shoot to get enough calories to top off your blood glycogen levels that have been depleted overnight. If you are training for less than an hour (low intensity) something as simple as a banana may do the trick. If you are training for more than that you should consider an energy bar (something with protein) and having some fluid replacement drink available on your bike.

-During Session:

•  Sessions lasting less than 1 hour of low intensity there should be no need for fuel during this session if you were properly fueled going into it. For sessions with high intensity where fuel/energy levels are a concern you should consider a fluid replacement drink in your bottle.
• Sessions lasting 1-2 hours of any intensity there is a need to keep fuel sources topped off and glycogen (fuel) levels readily available. I believe you should start consuming a fluid replacement drink in the first 30 minutes of the session and continuing for the entire 2 hours. Total calories for the session should be 300-400 calories.
• Sessions lasting 2-3 hours of low to high intensity there is a need to keep fuel sources topped off and glycogen (fuel) levels readily available. Again my advice would be to begin drinking fluid replacement drinks within the first 20 minutes of this session or event. In the first hour you should shoot for 200 calories and up to 300 calories per hour for the remaining. You may consider solid food sources at this point. (bananas, energy bars, gels etc.)
• Any Session over 4 hours all of the ideas above apply and calories can reach up to 400 caloric needs per hour (men) after hour number one. (banana, energy bars, gels etc.) … please refer to my previous article for more details.

*** Remember, every athlete’s size, sex, energy expenditure and fitness level warrants a different caloric need. Be sure to experiment a little to see what works for you. 

HYDRATION

With regards to water, “energy drinks”, and electrolytes:

Staying hydrated, as we all know, is crucial to athletic performance. A body weight loss of even 2%, as a result of de-hydration, begins to significantly hinder performance. Below are some items that we can do to enhance our hydration levels and consequently our performance:

• One way to stay on top of being hydrated is sipping on water throughout the day. Similar to eating smaller meals the body will better tolerate small amounts of fluid frequently through the course of a day. Be careful not to over hydrate. Too much pure water can force your body to excrete valuable electrolytes and minerals.
• For warm/hot humid conditions experienced in the south, a minimum of 20oz an hour during training is a good place to start. More often athletes can and need to consume up to 25-30oz of fluid per hour. When I was training in Arkansas during the warmer months I would be shooting for 24oz of fluid per hour. For example; on a 5 hour training ride I would consume a large water bottle every hour, therefore stopping to fill water bottles at the 2 & 4 hour mark. Quite often I’d also take in extra fluid when I stopped.
• What do you put in your bottle? Low intensity training less than 1hr and water is just fine. Anything over an hour (we are talking hot & humid weather) fluid replacement/electrolyte drinks are my beverage of choice. Not only do carbohydrate and sodium aid digestion but you need the carbohydrate calories in that drink to help fuel the body.
• Electrolytes (please see the notes at the bottom regarding this)

RECOVERY (from training and racing):

• Why? Pretty simple stuff! Those athletes that pay attention to their recovery nutrition on a daily basis are the ones that can consistently come back day after day and train AND consequently have better performance. If you can’t recover from a training session or event it’s going to be difficult to come back the next day and train or race again. Considering that consistency of training is one of the most crucial factors to improved fitness and performance. It makes incredible sense for those with intent on performing at a higher level to pay special attention to their recovery nutrition!
•  When? The best time to begin re-fueling and recovering is within the first 15-20 minutes post workout or event. The body’s ability to uptake nutrients is more efficient within the first two hours after training/racing but the first 30 minutes are the best opportunity. Using a small recovery “snack” or drink also allows you to bridge the gap to your next balanced meal, preferably consumed within the next hour.
• What? The first item you need to replace is carbohydrate, considering it’s the one most depleted during training and racing. The second item to consider is a small amount of protein combined with your carbohydrate. Studies have shown a ratio of 4-1 or 5-1 (carb-protein) provides a quicker uptake of that carbohydrate. A couple simple/quick items you can use are Endurox R4, low fat chocolate milk, and Power-Bar Recover drink.

*** There are other items that can aid in recovery (i.e. - glutamine). These items can get expensive but may be worth some researching if you are having trouble recovering from sessions or are doing larger volumes of training.

Remember, if you are going to train, Train to Endure!

My Best,

Dave