3 minute read
If you or your coach are laser-focused on hitting a certain number of grams of carbs per hour during training and racing, you're missing out on many other key variables that impact your training adaptations, race prep, and race day performance.
For some reason, the above sentence triggers some people to believe I am anti-carb, which is most definitely NOT the case.
Attention to your carbohydrate intake during training is without question, an important area to focus on! But if you're fixated on maximizing that “how high can you go” target without considering what else is going on in your system and your other needs, you're likely setting yourself up for GI issues, subpar performance, or a crash and burn scenario.
And while there are certainly a number of ultra runners who are training their bodies to consume 120+ grams of carb per hour, we don’t hear about the runners who are trying this and failing hard (pukefests). We don’t hear about the long-term health implications of high carb fueling (because there isn’t much conclusively known at this point). We don’t hear about the other puzzle pieces that can make or break your performance.
SO What Else Matters? (if you want my instagram reels version, go here)
Fluids & Electrolytes: Not just how much you’re drinking, but what’s actually in your drink.
Are you getting enough sodium (the MVP of ‘lytes!) or excessive amounts?
Are your drink mixes too high in carbs for your gut to handle efficiently?
Is your hydration plan mismatched to your sweat rate or sodium losses?
Carb Source: Not all carbs are created equal (glucose ≠ fructose ≠ maltodextrin ≠ cluster dextrin)
These sources behave differently in the gut. Tolerance varies.
Choosing the wrong mix can tank your gut even if your numbers look “right.”
Nutrient Timing
What did you eat before the session?
How often are you eating and drinking during your training?
Are you self-sufficient or relying on aid stations during your race?
Whole Foods During Training
Adding fat and protein during longer sessions? This can be a good decision, unless it turns your stomach to a disaster zone.
Is the salted potato going to work better for you than the bacon?
Ergogenic Aids: the (legal) enhancers!
Caffeine, beet juice, exogenous ketones, sodium bicarb...
How much of which and at what times and for what purpose?
Metabolic Individuality
How many carbs are you actually burning per hour?
How much fat are you burning at moderate intensities?
Which system do you want to optimize? (there’s not one answer for all athletes)
This is where personalized testing comes in.
The Case for Individual Testing
This is where tools like metabolic testing and sweat sodium testing come in. These aren't just fancy add-on tests for elite athletes. These are tests that give you data about your unique physiology:
Metabolic testing shows how your body burns calories and fuels at different exercise intensities. This relates to how much carbohydrate you need to consume to better align with your expenditure. For example, you could be aiming to consume 100 grams of carb per hour, but the testing reveals you’re only burning 60 grams per hour. That’s quite a difference!
Sweat sodium testing tells you how much sodium you lose per liter of sweat. This info helps to dial in your hydration strategy based on your actual losses, not general recommendations. Your high hourly carb intake isn’t going to solve problems related to poor hydration and electrolyte strategies.
When you have these insights, combined with a professional nutrition assessment, your fueling strategy starts to become far more complete than simply a “carb per hour” target.
Bottom Line:
Maxing out carbs per hour might be trendy... but performance nutrition isn’t a game of “more is better”.
Your fuel plan needs to integrate multiple layers: energy needs, hydration, gut function, timing, training phase, metabolic efficiency, logistics, and so much more.
Don’t just chase the carb number!
Thanks for reading,
-Dina