Hello Runner,

Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!

Happy Weekend!
How was your week?

My week was pretty laid-back.
In last week’s race, I did well up to the 5 km mark, but then my muscle contracture started to bother me, and I had to stop a few times to stretch before crossing the finish line.
Since I’m still not 100% better, my coach and I decided to take a break from running this week. Instead, I rode a bike and swam.
This week was all about full recovery! I slept VERY well every day and had a hard time waking up.
I have a myofascial release session scheduled for the next few days. I hope it helps with my condition.

Today I want to talk about carb loading. I’ve written about this before in this newsletter, but I see that it’s a topic that runners still have a lot of questions or difficulties with.

By the way, I ran a poll on my Instagram (a while back), and most runners said they have trouble with carb loading.

Since I’ve already explained what this strategy is, how to do it, and so on, I won’t go over everything from scratch. I recommend going back to the post where I explain everything in detail to better understand how it works. Click here to read it.

Today I’m going to list the main mistakes runners make while carb-loading and what to do instead.

Just a reminder: Carb-loading is a short-term nutritional strategy involving high carbohydrate availability, reduced exercise, appropriate food selection, and individual GI management.

Now, don't make the mistakes listed below.

This is probably the classic error. What I see happening most often.

→ A huge pasta dinner doesn't compensate particularly well for several days of inadequate carbohydrate intake.

If the race is Sunday morning, the important period is generally Friday/Saturday, not merely Saturday evening.

What to do instead:

A better approach is to distribute carbohydrate across the day:

Breakfast → snack → lunch → snack → dinner → evening snack

rather than attempting to consume half the day's carbohydrate at dinner.

More food isn't necessarily better.

You don't need to STUFF your plate with food to do carb loading.

For most runners, stuffing their plate with food will cause bloating, slow gastric emptying, and may lead to acid reflux and gastrointestinal problems. Not to mention excessive consumption of fat and protein alongside carbs.

In carb-loading, the target is carbohydrate, not simply calories.

What to do instead:

Here, the best option is to choose foods that are sources of simple carbohydrates, foods that contain a large amount of carbohydrates in a small volume.
Examples include white rice, honey, jam, candy, cereal bars, granola, etc.

Another option is liquid carbohydrates. A carbohydrate drink can deliver substantial carbs without requiring another enormous plate of food.
Think: sports drink, fruit juice, carbohydrate powder mixed with water, smoothies.

Fat isn't inherently bad, but fat is energy-dense and can make it harder to achieve a very high carbohydrate intake without becoming excessively full. Not to mention that it slows gastric emptying.

→ Croissants, pain au chocolat, and other pastries are high in carbs but also high in fat.

→ The same goes for pizza: the crust is high in carbs, but the toppings (cheese, cold cuts) are high in fat.

→ This also applies to nut butters, fast food, fried foods, fattier cuts of meat, etc.

Once again, the focus of carb loading is on carbohydrates, not fat.

What to do instead:

Avoid high-fat foods and focus on low-fat, carb-rich foods. Think of: pasta, noodles, potatoes, bread, pancakes, white rice, banana, grapes, applesauce, fruit juice, pretzels, crackers, etc.

Even though we have guidelines for amounts, the strategy is highly individualized and will depend on how well your gut has adapted during your training sessions.

As you follow this strategy, keep in mind that you want maximum glycogen without maximum gastrointestinal distress.

I advise all runners to seek help when they need to do their first carb-loading ever.

The first time is always more complicated, but you’ll gain experience as you go.

If you don’t know how to do carb-loading or have a lot of questions, find a professional who can help you. Don’t throw away months of training.

If you need anything, I’m here to help.

Scientific References

Any questions or something you would like to share? Drop me an email

Wishing you a great weekend and week ahead!

Here’s to health and good runs⚡️

Ana Paula Alonso