💡 Fuel For Thought

Your long run isn't the only session that deserves fuel

I see this pattern all the time with marathon and ultra-runners. Sunday’s long run is carefully planned: breakfast beforehand, gels packed, fluids sorted, recovery meal ready. But Tuesday’s intervals happen after a coffee, Wednesday’s run gets squeezed in with little thought about food, and Thursday’s strength session happens somewhere between work and dinner.

Many runners decide whether to fuel based mainly on how long or important a session feels, rather than what that session asks their body to do.

When I look at an athlete’s training week, I don’t just look at the long run. I look at the demands of each session, what fuel is available going into it, and what the athlete needs to recover for next. A hard interval session might be shorter than your long run, but it can still require plenty of carbohydrate or an easy run on Wednesday doesn’t exist in isolation if Tuesday was already demanding.

That’s why “I can complete it without eating” isn’t a particularly useful measure of whether a session was well fuelled.

Your long run might be the biggest session on Strava, but it’s only one piece of the week.

So rather than asking, “Which sessions are long enough that I need to fuel them?”, try asking:

“What does this session require from me, and have I given my body what it needs to do it well?”

Nutrition is the part of the training that allows the training to work.

🚀 Endurance Highlights

1️⃣ UCI nutrition for cycling: A new position statement

This is a major piece of work, not a single study. The UCI Sports Nutrition Project brought together 54 researchers and practitioners and produced 14 topic-specific reviews, which were then distilled into this position statement.

One of the clearest messages is that no single “optimal” nutrition plan fits all cyclists. Nutrition needs to match the demands of the event, training phase and individual athlete. That means adjusting energy and carbohydrate availability across the week, prioritising adequate protein and recovery, and scaling race-day carbohydrate intake to duration and intensity.

The authors also acknowledge that while intakes of 120 g of carbohydrate per hour or more are increasingly seen in professional cycling, we still need better evidence that these very high intakes improve performance.

Perhaps most importantly, the statement repeatedly comes back to the foundations: fuel enough, match nutrition to the work being done, practise race strategies, and individualise the plan. Supplements and technology may help, but they sit on top of those basics rather than replacing them.

2️⃣ Core temperature during a 100 miler in extreme heat

There’s no doubt that performing in the heat has become a more frequent challenge for ultra-endurance athletes. But how hot does the body actually get during an ultra when temperatures approach 40°C? This study tracked gastrointestinal temperature every minute in 23 finishers of the 2025 Western States. ​

Despite the extreme conditions, only two runners exceeded 40°C, and for most this level of heat strain was brief. Interestingly, faster runners reached higher internal temperatures, likely because they were working at greater intensities and encountered some of the hottest parts of the course during the warmest part of the day. Seven runners also reached their peak temperature in the final 2% of the race, suggesting that hard late-race efforts can be particularly demanding.

Most runners prepared with heat acclimation and planned cooling strategies, so the findings shouldn’t be interpreted as suggesting that extreme heat is harmless.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Retail Finds*

This week's product review: Salt Stick Energy Gummies

Features & beenfits

• Facts per serve (4 gummies/25g): 70 kcal, 18 g carb, 0 g protein, 0 g fat and 65 mg sodium.
• Not too sweet.
• Soft and easy to chew.
• Gluten-free.

Things to keep in mind

• Sour gummies are lower in carbs (14g per serve).

Final take

Gummies can make it easy to increase carbohydrate intake, especially in smaller doses at a time. These gummies have a pleasant flavour and texture and can complement a race strategy quite well.

*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​​​

Sheet Pan Tofu & Beans Fajitas Here's a high-protein vegan option with plenty of fibre and colour that works really well for quick meal prepping.

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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 fuelling 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.