💡 Fuel For Thought

If I could give you just ONE nutrition recommendation...

It would be this: Start now.

After a huge weekend of marathons in Perth, Melbourne and Chicago, some athletes will be celebrating PBs, while others might be processing a disappointing race.

If you're in that second group, remember: a disappointing race doesn't have to become a recurring story.

My client Leanne knows this well.

After two marathons derailed by gut issues, nausea and dehydration, including a DNF at Perth, she reached out determined to make her next one different.

She'd been putting in the training, but her race-day performances weren't reflecting that effort.

When we started working together, we uncovered a significant gap in how she was fuelling her training. She was getting the sessions done, but not getting everything she could out of them.

The answer wasn't another gel or simply eating more before a run. We looked at the bigger picture and built a clear strategy that connected her daily nutrition, training fuelling, and race-day execution.

Within two weeks, she noticed improved energy. Over the following months, she built the habits and gut tolerance to support her performance.

Over the following months, Leanne achieved PBs across the 5K, 10K, half marathon AND marathon, a Sydney Marathon with even splits, no fade and no gut issues, and a qualification for the 2027 Boston Marathon!

But my favourite part of her feedback was this:

And THAT is exactly the point.

Better performance doesn't always require more training. Sometimes, it requires a better nutrition strategy.

If you're wondering whether your nutrition is supporting your training, join me for my FREE live workshop on Thursday 29 October.

I'll show you how to spot common fuelling mistakes and make better nutrition decisions so you can train with more energy and race with full confidence.

​Click here to save your free spot​

🚀 Endurance Highlights

1️⃣ When better results hide a bigger problem

I came across a clip from this conversation on Instagram and immediately knew I wanted to watch the full interview. Olympic steeplechaser and now HYROX athlete Colleen Quigley shares some honest reflections on her career, including her relationship with food, body image, injuries, and the pressure to constantly push harder.

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Colleen talks openly about how losing weight can temporarily improve power-to-weight ratio while an athlete is still strong and healthy enough to perform. The problem is that this creates powerful reinforcement: the athlete gets lighter, perhaps gets faster, and receives the message that eating less is helping. The consequences may only become obvious later, when recovery deteriorates, injuries appear, and performance starts moving in the opposite direction.

That delayed consequence is exactly what makes underfuelling so difficult to recognise. Colleen also reflects on periods when she was injured, training extensively and deliberately eating too little, only later realising that she was asking her body to heal without providing it with enough energy to do so. It’s a thoughtful conversation about why short-term results don’t always tell us whether a nutrition strategy supports long-term performance.

2️⃣ Carbohydrate loading: How much is enough?

Carbohydrate loading has been studied for decades, and yet I often see many athletes confused about how best to approach it. This recent systematic review and meta-analysis examined 63 trials involving 641 participants to better understand which factors influence how much glycogen (stored carbohydrate) our muscles can hold.

The findings confirmed that the amount of carbohydrate is the most important factor, with higher intakes generally leading to greater muscle glycogen stores. Based on the available evidence, the researchers suggested consuming more than 8 g/kg of body weight per day for 36–48 hours before competition.

Interestingly, despite decades of research, the authors couldn't establish a precise upper limit beyond which eating more carbohydrate provides no additional benefit. Overall, carb loading works, but the exact approach matters less than eating enough carbohydrate and allowing enough time to build your stores. The strategy still needs to be practical, achievable and well tolerated.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Retail Finds*

This week's product review: Clif Bloks Sours

Features & benefits

• Facts per serve (3 pieces): 80 kcal, 21 g carb, 0 g protein, 0 g fat and 107 mg sodium.
• Less sweet than the regular version.
• Gluten-free.
• Low FODMAP

Things to keep in mind

• Less carb-dense than the regular version.

Final take

If you're tired of every nutrition product being sweet, these gummies can add a nice twist to your regular rotation. They're also convenient if you prefer distributing your energy in smaller intakes.

*Special thanks to my client Kristina from Coast To Mountain Running, who sent me a package with a wide range of products to review, including these samples.​​​​

👩🏻‍🍳 Kitchen Creations

​Download the recipe​​​

Gluten-free breaded chicken Here's a nice chicken recipe that's in between a plain pan-fried breast and a chicken parmi. Serve it with your preferred vegetables and carbs for a complete, balanced meal.

I'm committed to sending the most valuable endurance nutrition newsletter. I want to make sure that every piece of content you receive includes information that helps you on your journey toward achieving your personal best.

Happy fuelling!

Gaby | Endurance Nutrition Specialist

p.s. Your next race might still be months away, but that's exactly why now is the time to work on your nutrition. The biggest improvements often come from what you do consistently throughout training, not just on race day. Join me at the free workshop and learn where to start.