💡 Fuel For Thought

When a good race plan becomes the wrong plan

Most athletes I work with are meticulous planners. They research courses, study elevation profiles, and calculate cut-offs. They adapt their training to suit the event. Then race day arrives... and reach for the exact same fuel they used last time.

It's an easy trap to fall into. Fuelling is uncomfortable to experiment with, and if something worked before, it feels risky to change it. But what worked for a road marathon with consistent intensity, a predictable timeline, a gut that only had to cope for a few hours, doesn't automatically transfer to a trail ultra with variable terrain, power hiking, aid stations, and a twelve-hour day in the heat.

The demands are completely different. And when the fuel plan doesn't match the event, it usually shows up somewhere around hour three or four: the bloating, the nausea, the moment you look at a gel and feel nothing but dread.

Before thinking your gut is weak or that gels don't sit well with you, have a look at the strategy.

“What does this race format require from me?” That's the question you need to start with before choosing products, carb targets or timing. Fuelling starts with purpose. It is what keeps your gut happy and your performance consistent.

🚀 Endurance Highlights

1️⃣ Carbohydrate fuelling in the heat

Heat is a significant performance disruptor for endurance athletes, and emerging evidence suggests it accelerates glycogen breakdown. This systematic review explored whether carbohydrate supplementation improves endurance performance in the heat.​

Carbohydrate intake rates ranged widely (14–140 g/h), and exercise durations ran from roughly 50 to 150 minutes. Five studies found meaningful performance improvements with carbohydrate versus placebo; four found no effect. Carbohydrate ingestion did not consistently influence hydration, core temperature, or perceived effort across studies.

The overall picture is mixed, and the evidence doesn't yet support a clear revised fuelling prescription for hot conditions. This is a good reminder that heat stress demands a whole-system approach, with an emphasis on hydration and gut training, given that heat independently impairs gastrointestinal tolerance. Adequate pre- and during-exercise fuelling remains important regardless.

2️⃣ Sleep patterns and injury risk in recreational runners

Optimal sleep is a critical, and often underestimated, component of sports recovery, and emerging research suggests it may also be a meaningful predictor of injury risk. This study categorised 425 recreational runners into distinct sleep groups and examined how those groups related to injury rates over the past year.

Researchers identified four sleep profiles:

• Steady Sleepers (adequate duration, reasonable quality, few problems)
• Poor Sleepers (short duration, low quality, frequent problems),
• Efficient Sleepers (average duration, but high quality and few problems)
• Fragmented Sleepers (average duration with mixed quality and some problems).

Sixty percent of all runners reported at least one injury in the past year. Crucially, Poor Sleepers were 1.78 times more likely to report an injury than Steady Sleepers, translating to a 68% injury probability, compared to 55% in the reference group. No significant differences were found for the other three profiles.

The findings reinforce that sleep is multidimensional, both duration and quality matter. For recreational runners juggling training with work and life demands, sleep is often the first thing sacrificed, yet it may be one of the most consequential recovery levers available.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Retail Finds*

This week's product review: Maurten Additions

Maurten was among the pioneers of neutral flavour both for their drink mixes and energy gels. Now, after over a decade since their origins, they're introducing a way to add flavour to their mixes.

Features & benefits

• Facts per unit (2g): 8 kcal, 1.9 g carb, 0 g protein, 0 g fat and 0 mg sodium
• Designed to be mixed with Maurten's Drink Mix 160 or 320
• Four flavours available: Cola, menthol, orange and apple

Things to keep in mind

• $5.49 AUD for a box of 6

Final take

The cynical part of me couldn't help but think of this meme when I first saw this. However, not everyone prefers their drinks flavourless, and given recent research supports menthol as a potential strategy for coping in the heat, that particular flavour shows promise. ​​

👩🏻‍🍳 Kitchen Creations

​Download the recipe​​​

Grilled Chicken & Quinoa Bowls (correct link this time) This is a balanced, protein-packed option that works well for meal prep with a great combination of nutrients, flavours and textures. I shared the wrong link last week. Here's the link to the correct recipe.

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Happy fuelling!

Gaby | Endurance Nutrition Specialist

🏃🏻‍♂️ Want to work together?

When you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

1. ​Take the FREE Endurance Nutrition Audit. Not sure if your fuelling strategy is working? This quick 3-minute audit will reveal exactly where you stand and what adjustments could help you perform at your best.
2. ​Book a FREE strategy call. Need expert advice on your next best step? Let’s chat! In this commitment-free call, I’ll help you identify key areas to improve and map out a fueling approach tailored to your endurance goals.
3. ​Join the Fuel To Thrive Academy. Ready to take action? My signature program gives you the ultimate fuelling roadmap to unlock your full potential in sport and life, with proven strategies that have helped endurance athletes fuel smarter, perform better and break records.