Hello Runner,
Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!
Happy Weekend!
How are you?
I'm doing well. I'm slowly recovering from the muscle contracture near my Achilles tendon. Some days it bothers me, and other days I don't feel a thing. It's kind of crazy. But I'm stretching a lot and doing massages to help it get better.
Tomorrow I’m running the Cursa de la Mercè (10K) here in Barcelona; I hope it doesn’t bother me.
Other than that, I’ve been working a lot and getting positive feedback from my clients, which makes me very happy!
I’ve talked about and mentioned energy gel here in the newsletter a thousand times.
I always end up harping on about gel because it’s one of the most practical options while running.
It’s easy to carry, store, and take; it’s pure carbs, sometimes with a few additives (sodium and caffeine), in short… it’s wonderful.
Several brands and types are available on the market, with varying carb counts and prices.
And it’s never too late to remember that there’s no such thing as “the best” gel. The best gel is the one that sits well in your stomach and the one you like.
Today I want to teach you how to plan your hourly carb intake during a training or race. I don't want any runners using guesswork.
This strategy is infallible.
1- Start with the duration of your training or race
How long do you plan to run?
Carbohydrate requirements vary depending on:
60 min
2 hours
4 hours
8 hours
2- Set your CARBS/hour goal
Up to ~2 hours
→ typically 30–60 g/hProlonged events: over ~2.5 hours
→ 60–90 g/h
Specific endurance contexts and trained athletes (Sebastian Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha, Eliud Kipchoge, etc.)
→ 90–120 g/h may be considered
This is not a one-size-fits-all formula.
3- Now look at your gel
EXAMPLE 1
Target = 60 g/h
Your gel = 20 g carbs
60 / 20 = 3
→ You need to consume 3 gels per hour
OR
→ 1 gel every ~20 minutes
EXAMPLE 2
Target = 60 g/h
Your gel = 30 g carbs
60 / 30 = 2
→ You need to consume 2 gels per hour
OR
→ 1 gel every ~30 minutes
EXAMPLE 3
Target = 90 g/h
Your gel = 30 g carbs
90 / 30 = 3
→ You need to consume 3 gels per hour
OR
→ 1 gel every ~20 minutes
The math is just the beginning.
4- The higher the goal, the more important the composition
Above ~60 g/h, combinations of carbs that are transported via different pathways become more important.
Example: GLUCOSE + FRUCTOSE or MALTODEXTRIN + FRUCTOSE
You know that gel whose packaging says “2:1 Carb Mix Formula”? That’s the one I’m talking about.
It may also have ratios of 1:1 or 0.8:1.
There’s no single ideal ratio for glucose + fructose, but ideally, there should always be more glucose than fructose!
5- Train Your Gut
Don’t do anything in the race that you’ve never done in training!
Test:
✅ amount
✅ frequency
✅ product
✅ combination
✅ fluids
✅ tolerance
✅ race intensity
A strategy that looks perfect on paper can be terrible if your gut isn’t prepared for it.
6- Gels aren’t the only source
Your carb goal per hour can come from:
Gels + drinks + energy gummies + food
It’s the total that counts!
Finally, never do this:
Gel + sports drink + energy gel + solid carbs WITHOUT ADDING IT ALL UP.
You might think you’re consuming 60 g/h, when in reality you’re trying to consume 100 g/h.
In summary
1- Estimate the duration
2- Set your carbs-per-hour goal
3- Check how many grams are in each product
4- Add up ALL sources
5- Spread them out over the hour
6- Practice the strategy
7- Adjust based on your tolerance
Develop a strategy; don’t go crazy.
Did you find this confusing and need some help? Reply to this email, and I'll help you.
Product of the Week
This week's Product of the Week is the Maurten HydraPak Gelflask 150 ml
Since we’re on the topic of gels, I found this gel flask REALLY cool to take on runs.
It’s by Maurten, but you can put any gel you want inside the flask.
It looks like it holds 5 of the brand’s gels, which would be 200 g of gel.
The cool thing is that, instead of carrying 5 individual packets to your run, you can carry it all in one flexible little bottle. Much better.
Scientific References
• Morton, J. P., Hearris, M., Fell, M. J., Owens, D. J., Halson, S., & Trommelen, J. (2026). UCI Sports Nutrition Project: Nutritional Periodization: Strategies to Enhance Training Adaptation and Recovery. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 36(3), 279-304. Retrieved Sep 17, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.2025-0073
Track of the Week 🎧️
This week's Track of the Week is a song I discovered this week, but it's also an old one. It has a more relaxed beat. It's great for Zone 1 and 2 training sessions.
I’ve chosen Divine - Original Mix by Jamie Antonelli
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