There you are, deep in the woods, having one of the best runs of your life. Then things begin to change. Your legs get heavy. Your stomach starts rumbling. Your mind begins to wander. You’re about to hit the proverbial wall. There could be a multitude of reasons as to why this is happening to you. Welcome to ultrarunning, where solving problems on the fly is part of the adventure.

The biggest reason something like this could happen to you is the timing of your fueling strategy. Did you eat early enough? Did you eat too much? Did you eat? Did you blow by the aid station because you felt fine? (I’m guilty of this one more than I like to admit).

The timing of your fuel is just as important if not more important than what you eat. Think of fueling like keeping a campfire burning. You keep adding logs before the fire dies. If you wait until it’s almost out, it takes much more work to build it back up. If you wait until you’re already getting tired to start replenishing your Glycogen you’re going to be way behind and will possibly have to restart your body.

Fueling the system starts before you even start running. You need to eat before your race. You want that to happen somewhere in the 1-4 hour range before the run. This meal should be carbohydrate-rich and then if your stomach can handle it another smaller snack 30-45 minutes before the race. This “tops off” your system before you start burning it. This should also be something you have already practiced—not a race-morning experiment

The next thing you have to remember is to eat every 20-30 minutes. This number comes from the amount of carbs your body needs and what you are using for fuel. That schedule is not a rigid rule. It is simply an easy way to spread your planned hourly carbohydrate intake across the hour instead of trying to consume it all at once.

For example, a runner targeting 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour could consume:

20 grams every 20 minutes; 30 grams every 30 minutes; or another combination that reaches approximately 60 grams by the end of the hour.

Personally, I use a gel that has 90 grams of Carbs in it so I have half of it every 30 minutes. Remember: you are an experiment of one. What works for me may not work for you. You have to practice during your long runs.

You may hear that runners should save solid food for later in a race. That is not always the best approach. Some runners tolerate solid foods more easily during the earlier stages, when the pace feels comfortable and the stomach is relatively settled. As the race continues, gels, chews, sports drinks, or other simpler options may become more appealing. Other runners can handle solid food throughout an entire ultramarathon, while some prefer mostly liquid nutrition from the beginning. Rather than following a universal rule, practice several types of fuel during training. Learn what your body tolerates—and what you will still be willing to eat after several hours of running.

For a 4-hour run:

Time	Fuel
0:30	Gel
1:00	Chews
1:30	Banana
2:00	Sports Drink
2:30	Potatoes
3:00	Gel
3:30	Candy

This is only an example. The serving sizes would need to match your planned carbohydrate target. Using a schedule keeps fueling at the front of your mind. If you tend to forget, set your watch to vibrate every 20–30 minutes—or at whatever interval fits your plan

The last problem that a lot of runners deal with is the thought.

I feel fine…I’ll skip this one.

Don’t

The problem is that the fuel you skip now may be the energy you need later. Missing one interval does not automatically ruin your race, but repeatedly falling behind can create a deficit that becomes increasingly difficult to correct. You do not need to eat everything at every aid station. Instead, know your approximate hourly target and make intentional choices.

Depending on your plan, aid-station options might include:

• Chips
• Gummy bears
• Crackers
• Fruit
• Potatoes
• Gels
• Sports drink
• Other familiar foods

Do not grab something simply because it is available. Choose foods that fit the strategy you practiced in training.

All of this being said you have to train your gut just as much as you train your body and your mind. Every long run is an opportunity to learn something about yourself. Practice eating at regular intervals. Test different products and combinations. I encourage every athlete I coach to keep notes after every long run.

Write down:

• What you ate
• How many carbs you consumed
• When you ate
• How your stomach felt
• How your energy felt

Those notes become your fueling playbook.

You may discover that you tolerate solid food early but prefer gels later. You may need small servings every 20 minutes rather than larger servings every hour. You may find that a product you enjoy during a two-hour run becomes unbearable after six hours.

Use those lessons to improve your plan.

In closing;

Your legs aren’t the only thing you’re training during a long run.

You’re training your stomach.

You’re training your race-day routine.

You’re training your confidence.

Every long run teaches you something.

Learn from it.

By race day, your fueling shouldn’t be a guess.

It should simply be another part of your plan.