💡 Fuel For Thought

The skill behind a successful nutrition strategy

Last week I messaged Michael, one of our Fuel To Thrive Academy graduates, after Colin from the Australian Satellite Champs Team mentioned they’d actually met through the Academy sessions.

I loved hearing that. One thing I probably don’t talk about enough is the ripple effect these sessions can have. People come in to learn how to fuel themselves better, but along the way they also connect with other athletes, swap experiences, and support each other.

Michael told me he recently crewed a backyard ultra when one runner started having gut issues early in the race. Drawing on what he’d learned through the Academy, he was able to help troubleshoot what was going on and make some practical adjustments.

That runner went on to win the race.

Now, I’m definitely not claiming Michael’s nutrition input was the reason they won. Backyard ultras are far more complex than that. But I do think the story highlights something really important.

A nutrition strategy is much more useful when you know why it works.

Anyone can be handed a plan that says, “eat this much carbohydrate,” “drink this much,” or “take this product every hour.” But races rarely unfold exactly as planned. Appetite changes, the gut becomes unsettled, conditions change, and what worked in training suddenly doesn’t feel right.

That’s when understanding matters.

If you know what nutrition is trying to achieve, what may be contributing to a problem, and how the body is likely to respond when you change something, you can make much better decisions if things stop going according to plan.

That’s a big part of what I want athletes to take from the Academy. Yes, it’s about building a nutrition strategy for you. But more importantly, it’s about understanding that strategy well enough to test it, troubleshoot it and adapt it.

And apparently, every now and then, it might even make you a pretty useful crew member too. 😉

🚀 Endurance Highlights

1️⃣ Common questions and misconceptions about sodium bicarbonate

For years, we’ve known about the benefits of bicarbonate soda for short, high-intensity efforts. More recently, sodium bicarbonate has gained popularity in endurance sport, raising the question of whether its benefits extend beyond explosive events. This new review examined the evidence on how bicarbonate works, which types of exercise may benefit, and the practical issues around dose, timing, and gut tolerance.

For endurance athletes, the authors' view is cautiously positive. They note that growing evidence suggests bicarbonate may improve longer, high-intensity endurance performance, particularly when races involve surges, sustained hard sections, or a hard finish.

Benefits have been reported in events such as 1-hour cycling, 16.1 km and 40 km cycling time trials, and longer running efforts, but results are inconsistent across studies. The authors also caution that in-race “top-up” dosing is used in practice, but there isn't yet enough evidence to say it is better than a single, well-timed pre-race dose.

2️⃣ A faster way to deliver caffeine

A key consideration when timing caffeine intake is how long it takes to become available in the body. While caffeine from capsules typically peaks around 45–60 minutes after ingestion, caffeine gum can start raising blood caffeine levels within about 5–10 minutes. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed whether faster caffeine delivery translates into better physical performance.​

Overall, caffeine gum produced a statistically significant but very small performance improvement. Most studies used around 2–4 mg/kg of caffeine, and chewing for 10 minutes appeared more consistently effective than 5 minutes.

The main practical appeal is flexibility. Caffeine gum may be useful when you want caffeine to act quickly, including shortly before exercise or potentially later in a longer event. However, the evidence was rated low to very low certainty, most participants were male, and the overall performance benefit was small, so it is better viewed as another delivery option rather than a clearly superior form of caffeine.

🕵🏻‍♀️ Retail Finds*

This week's product review: Precision Fuel Chew - Watermelon

These chews are among my favourite sport chews, so I've been looking forward to trying this new flavour

Features & beenfits

• Facts per serve (1 packet /34g): 120 kcal, 30 g carb, 0 g protein, 0 g fat and 0 mg sodium.
• Nice and soft
• Mild flavour
• Easy to chew

Things to keep in mind

• $4.25 AUD per packet.

Final take

While energy chews are relatively similar, these are more carb-dense and softer. Now that I have tried all Precision Fuel Chews flavours, this is how I'd rank them from least sweet to sweetest: Original, Watermelon, Lemon, and Mint.

*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​​​

Spiced Chai Energy Balls Energy balls can be a great snack throughout the day or even something to try mid-training. This recipe is packed with interesting flavours, adding a nice spin to your usual rotation.

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. Ready to build the nutrition system behind your best performances?

Inside the Fuel To Thrive Academy, we work together to build a personalised nutrition system around your body, your training and your racing.

You’ll have the roadmap, tools and ongoing support to fuel every stage of your endurance journey, so your results can finally reflect the work you’re putting in.