I was doing a long trail run yesterday and passed a runner going the other way who was training for a 75K ultra here in Australia. We chatted for a while (it was a steep hill and I was going down). One of the things we chatted about was what the ultra guys do for nutrition. Answer... nothing much! A few gels for a 10hr race and water. This guy is a 3hr marathoner (water only for that). His reasoning is that if you train with lots of nutrition your body gets used to it and that's what you'll need to carry in the race. "Is this common amongst you guys" I asked and he reckons most at the pointy end are doing this.
We race aerobically and that burns a high proportion of fat but we still need some glucose and that's why we take nutrition so the story goes. The more the better as long as there is no GI distress. Is this actually true though? Do we really need glucose? Is it possible to train and and then race competitively and not need anywhere near the amount of nutrition that people use. How many calories do the pointy end guys and girls actually use for an im. Sports supplements are big business and it always seems to me whenever they are interviewed their answer is never straightforward.
In my own case I do not take anything on my long training runs and a few gels on the training ride but nothing like the amount I did when I first started racing. However, when racing I take in as much as I have learned I can tolerate. It has always seemed to me I'm not racing the way I've trained. So my question is this.
Is it possible to be competitive at an im distance race on just water and a few gels?
We race aerobically and that burns a high proportion of fat but we still need some glucose and that's why we take nutrition so the story goes. The more the better as long as there is no GI distress. Is this actually true though? Do we really need glucose? Is it possible to train and and then race competitively and not need anywhere near the amount of nutrition that people use. How many calories do the pointy end guys and girls actually use for an im. Sports supplements are big business and it always seems to me whenever they are interviewed their answer is never straightforward.
In my own case I do not take anything on my long training runs and a few gels on the training ride but nothing like the amount I did when I first started racing. However, when racing I take in as much as I have learned I can tolerate. It has always seemed to me I'm not racing the way I've trained. So my question is this.
Is it possible to be competitive at an im distance race on just water and a few gels?