Hi Saturday Morning Fan,
It probably goes without saying that we recommend fueling all sessions with Saturday. The app accounts for different intensity levels and conditions, prescribing a recipe designed to support each training session. Even for a short workout that you could complete without fuel, proper fueling might aid recovery and support future sessions.
That being said, we also want to be pragmatic. The goal is to do the best you can and use Saturday in a way that works for you. This week, we received a great reminder from a user in the members' hub.
Kevin's example
As endurance sports junkeys we love (usually) doing out workouts.
But being the time crunched people, that many of us are, we feel the need to have a specific training objective for many of our sessions. Sometimes chasing that target wattage or HR zones diminishes that pure joy that just comes from moving our bodies.
Here's what I do to help ensure I can accomplish both!
For about 3 workouts each month, I make my MAIN purpose of the session proper hydration/nutrition. No worry about any other thing other than getting in the time and making sure that my race nectar bottles are all empty at the end of the session.
Gee I wonder why these are among my favourite workouts?
I wonder why I don't do these more often!
What we think
This is great! We love that Kevin made fueling his priority and that those sessions felt great. This is a smart way to incorporate fueling-specific training into a structured plan.
While we always recommend practicing race-specific nutrition during key sessions and simulations, Kevin’s approach provides additional opportunities in a training cycle to focus on nutrition.
Setting Priorities for training sessions
One approach I like to give my athletes is autonomy in executing and adjusting their training plan. I use three priority levels for training goals and this same framework can also apply to session fueling:
Priority A: Execute your fueling plan perfectly.
Priority B: Be a bit more flexible, test different fueling strategies, and see what you learn.
Priority C: Just get out the door. Don't stress too much about fueling—grab something that mostly works and go with it.
It is probably intuitive which sessions fall into which category, but a little advanced planning at the beginning of the week (or coordinating with your coach) can help set you up for a great week of training.
Don't let perfection be the enemy of good enough
Fueling well can enhance performance, and of course, you want to get it right. But you don’t need to be perfect in every session.
Follow Kevin’s example of incorporate fueling-focused sessions, set training priorities, and experiment to find what works best for you. That way, when it really matters, you’ll have a strategy that’s dialed in.
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