One of the most frequent questions we receive is about modifying the Speed Nectar recipe or fueling recommendations to account for carrying capacity. This is an excellent question because the practicalities and logistics of carrying fuel can be challenging. In this week's newsletter, we're exploring how runners can carry their fuel in various scenarios.
(1) Scenario: You can carry everything!
This is obviously the easiest scenario to prepare for, as an athlete has the capacity to carry all their fuel. On shorter runs, in cooler weather, and at lower intensities, this may be the case. In this scenario, the athlete will carry Speed Nectar in their handheld bottle, waist pack, or hydration pack. Everything is with them, making fueling easy.
Of course, you could also separate the fueling components and have plain water in your bottles or pack, then carry the carbs and salt separately as gels or salt pills. Alternatively, you could have a salty drink and carry the carbs separately.
This scenario is likely for shorter runs or perhaps for trail runs where there are no supplies along the way. In longer races, it may be possible to take everything for the next section of the race and then repeat that after refilling at an aid station.
(2) Scenario: You can carry all the salt and carbs, but not water.
Water is always the heaviest component of Speed Nectar and fueling in general, so finding a way to save on carrying this weight would be beneficial. In this scenario, we'd still recommend taking your carbs and salt with you but relying on external sources of water along the way.
One option would be to make a concentrated bottle or flask with all the Speed Nectar sugar and salt, but only enough water to fill the bottle and make a gel or paste. Then, you carry a separate bottle or flask for water and fill this up along the way. Alternatively, using gels and salt caps to carry your nutrition could work, and then collect water along the way.
This scenario is one of the most common we see, as it is often possible to fill up with water at aid stations during a race, at fountains or stores during a long training run, or even by filtering river water for more extreme adventures.
(3) Scenario: You don't want to carry anything!
In this scenario, you're relying on getting everything along the way and not carrying anything yourself. In a race, this is possible for elites who may have bottle tables with their own mixes or for amateurs who are willing to just use what is available on the course.
In training, it's possible to run loops and leave all your fuel in water bottles at a fixed location, passing by that spot every loop.
This approach will require careful calculations and assessments of what is available on the course. It is possible, but it may actually be slower in cases where you're stopping or trying to find what you need at aid stations.
Risk vs. Reward; Cost vs. Benefit
As you progress through the three scenarios above, you'll see that the reward or benefit is carrying less weight each time and also having less complicated clothing or gear. The risk or potential cost is the possibility of not achieving your fueling plan. Please note, we're not saying the cost is following a sub-optimal plan, but rather that the risk is not achieving the plan because something goes wrong along the way and you miss an aid station or they don't have what you need.
In general, for training, we'd recommend reducing the under-fueling risk and planning to take more with you. A bit of extra weight and complexity during training is worth it to fuel properly and ensure adequate recovery. In racing, you will need to make your own cost-benefit calculations and decide what is best for you. In most cases, fueling well and removing the risk of under-fueling is probably worth the cost of weight, but careful planning can mitigate this risk and allow for lighter race options.
