written by The Trail Co.
on 2 February 2022
Food and drink consumed on the run is widely known as "nutrition" in trail running, and it comes in various shapes and sizes. Common forms of trail running nutrition are powders you add to water, bars, gels, and of course every-day normal food – all of which are packed with calories (units of energy) and / or electrolytes (essential salts for hydration) to keep you going on the trails for extended periods of time.
Trail running nutrition is made up of three simple parts: energy, hydration, and recovery products – all of which are designed to deliver different types of macro-nutrients that your body needs, or uses faster during extended or strenuous exercise.
Your body can only store so much energy and electrolytes, and depending on how hard you are running, your body will generally deplete those stores during long training runs and events. Taking in nutrition while you run is a great way to keep your body fuelled without having to run loops past your car, or come to a grinding halt when you ‘hit the wall’. Nutrition is especially important on long training runs and races, where finishing wouldn’t be possible without replenishing your body’s lost nutrients mid-run. Hello aid stations and sports nutrition.
Our guide below gives you some of the products we have tried and tested, and use for long training runs and events, to stay hydrated, and to help recover afterwards.
Energy gels are sachets of fast-acting carbohydrates, often mixed with electrolytes to deliver easily absorped energy and a top-up of essential salts quickly. Gels are easy to carry as they are small, and it doesn’t matter if you squash them in a pocket or running pack; simply rip off the top and squeeze the contents into your mouth. Think of them like a thick glug of maple syrup that you wash down with some water. Alternatively, you can add a gel to a small flask of water to dilute it and sip on-the-go.
Energy gel flavours, packet size, consistency, and number of calories vary from brand to brand, so it’s worth trying a few energy gel types and flavours to find one you like.
Energy bars are pretty similar in style to a granola bar but formulated with nutrients to meet the needs of higher energy expenditure while training, or recovering from running.
Energy bars are a great alternative to energy gels if you don’t like the goopy texture, or prefer a more ‘real’ food, and can be consumed before or after training or racing to get extra calories in, simply. Available in single serves, these bars are an easy way to keep track of how much energy you’re putting in as you train or race, and pack into running vest pockets easily.
Simply put, hydration for trail running is drinking to keep your body’s balance of water and electrolytes in check. Electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium help your body to hold water in your cells, and are lost as your body cools itself by sweating. It’s important to manage the intake of water and electrolytes before, during, and after long training runs and races, to keep you healthy and allow your body to perform at it’s best. Drinking water alone may not meet your body’s needs, so practising your hydration strategy for different climates and distances is an important part of training.
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