Saturday App
Four runners, two in blue and two in orange, running down the street
Have you been underfueling your runs?
 Ever wondered if your in-run fueling and hydration could be slowing you down? Join us as we explore five little-known signs that you might be running faster if you just adjust your nutrition strategy.
 
From strange cravings mid-run to suffering more in heat or humidity, these signs could be indicating a fuel and hydration problem rather than a physical limitation. We'll dive into how epinephrine plays a role, discuss a fascinating honorable mention, and wrap up with the number one sign: fading motivation!
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Fueling: Made Simple.
A female runner finishing race with crowd of people in the background.
Understanding your bodies needs can be tough when the body is giving you so many signals. How do you make sense of it all?    
 
Dr. Alex gives us a simple glance into what these signals mean, and how to translate them into improved fueling.
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Endurance: Ideas + Implementation with Daniel Rowland
Daniel Rowland is an endurance coach and trail and swimrun athlete. His weekly newsletter provides practical takeaways from five research studies that endurance athletes can use to improve their training and performance.
 
Here, Daniel reviews a study on the the role of carbohydrates in exercise recovery.
Carb-conscious: the role of carbohydrate intake in recovery from exercise

There is a wealth of research and evidence for the performance-enhancing benefits of carbohydrates taken during and before exercise. This area is constantly evolving with recent studies showing the benefit of higher ratios of fructose to glucose being used during exercise (like the recommendations from the Saturday app) and recommendations for including fructose in a pre-race breakfast. However, most post-exercise recommendations focus on protein doses so I found this study review that looked into the optimal carbohydrates for recovery to be a useful reminder of what to consume after training.

STUDY DETAILS:
  1. Co-ingestion of fructose with glucose-based carbohydrates: fructose plus glucose can expedite the recovery of liver glycogen stores, while not significantly affecting muscle glycogen restoration.
  1. Enhanced endurance performance: three recent studies suggest that the accelerated recovery of liver glycogen through fructose and glucose co-ingestion can prolong time-to-exhaustion.
  1. Restricting carbohydrate intakes during recovery: periodically limiting carbohydrate intake during recovery from specific training sessions can delay the replenishment of liver and muscle glycogen stores. This approach may lead to a modest increase in fat utilization during exercise in a fasted state.
  1. Potential performance advantage: while restricting carbohydrate intakes during recovery may enhance fat oxidation capacity, it is unclear if this periodized strategy would improve performance in a fed state.
  1. To optimize glycogen recovery and improve subsequent endurance exercise performance: athletes are advised to consume at least 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body mass per hour during the initial few hours of recovery. This carbohydrate intake should consist of a combination of fructose and glucose-based carbohydrates.

PRACTICAL TAKEAWAY:

Athletes looking to recover and perform at their best in endurance exercise should prioritize carbohydrate intake of at least 1.2 grams per kilogram of body mass per hour during the initial recovery phase. Including fructose alongside glucose-based carbohydrates can facilitate faster recovery of liver glycogen stores. My recommendation is that athletes should keep this in mind when thinking about post-training recovery, potentially combining this with a dose of protein (20-25g), and aiming to consume both within the first hour after exercise. The form this could take should be based on practical considerations: if exercise ends at home where it's possible to make a smoothie or to eat a full meal that would be ideal, otherwise a protein shake and Speed Nectar can work for athletes who need to travel or who want a faster turnaround in preparation for a second training session later.