Not every runner needs to take electrolytes. Electrolyte intake will depend on how much you run, how long, how much you sweat, how much sodium your body eliminates during running, and even how much salt you consume per day (there are some countries where the general population—including runners—consumes more salt than they should per day).

There are many new brands of electrolytes on the market today, and many influencers promoting these brands. This ends up confusing a lot of people.

But the fact is that high salt consumption over time can lead to high blood pressure. 

Carb gels are not all the same. Some contain caffeine, others taurine, others sodium, others vitamins, different amounts of carbohydrates per serving, some are more liquid because they contain more water, others are more solid, some do not need water to be absorbed by the intestine (hydrogels, examples: Maurten brand), etc. 

Nowadays, there is a wide variety of gels and brands on the market. There is no such thing as the best. The best gel is the one that suits you and does not cause GI issues.

It is not mandatory to drink water during a 5K race, but it is not prohibited either. It all depends on whether you will be hydrated before starting the race, whether you will be running extremely fast and feeling thirsty, whether it is very hot and humid, whether you will sweat a lot, etc. 

I once had a client who told me he never drank water before or during a race. After I told him to drink certain amounts, he said he never felt thirsty during training again and started to perform much better.

Yes, you need to carb-load before a marathon. Carb-loading is a tactic to ensure that muscle glycogen stores are full before a race. This will prevent the famous “hitting the wall” = a rapid and dramatic drop-off in performance due to muscle glycogen levels becoming critically depleted. Therefore, your pace slows, and your muscles may start cramping and feeling fatigued.

Through carb loading, runners store excess carbohydrates in the liver, making it easier for their bodies to release them during races and long-distance runs.

Runners who skip breakfast miss out on calories that provide the energy needed for training and racing.

Skipping a meal = not fueling properly = loss of energy, recovery, performance, and progress.

Runners need processed foods to meet their daily energy requirements for training and competitions. Generally, fresh foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, milk, nuts, seeds, etc.) are low in calories, and large quantities would be needed to meet macronutrient and energy requirements.

Processed foods that are essential for runners:

The same concept applies here as skipping breakfast or meals.

To date, I have not seen any well-conducted studies with good methodology that prove that fasting improves performance.

And it has been proven by several well-conducted studies that well-fed individuals and athletes (including those with high amounts of carbs) have improved performance and other parameters. 

In long races, intra-workout nutrition is absolutely necessary. 

After a period of running (> 60-70 minutes), the sugar in your blood begins to decrease, causing a drop in energy. At this point, intra-workout carbs come in to raise that sugar level and sustain exercise for longer.

After a period of running, your body loses fluids through sweat, which needs to be replaced with water and, if necessary, sodium and other minerals.

I strongly advise against wearing new clothes, sneakers, or supplements that you have never tried before in a race.

When you race, wear the sneakers you are already used to (that won't hurt your toenails or cause blisters), with clothes you like and that don't cause friction, and use supplements that you like the taste of, are familiar with, and don't cause gastrointestinal disturbances.

Using new things in a race is a mistake made by uninformed runners. Don't make that mistake.

This week's Product of the Week is an SIS gel that I recently tried and loved. A friend gave me 3 lemon & lime flavored ones to try. I tested them all during long workouts and had no problems or discomfort.

It has a mild flavor and is not sweet. I can't stand extremely sweet-flavored gels, so I loved this one.

If you prefer more citrus flavors, like me, I recommend trying this gel.

This week's Track of the Week is really cool. I don't remember how I discovered this song, and I love it when it plays during training.
I think it's perfect for regenerative training.

Broken Barriers by Miguel Migs