Hello Runner,

Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!

Happy Weekend!
How was your week?

My week was okay, but it could have been better.
I started upset because, unfortunately, they canceled the Barcelona Ironman due to a mini-hurricane that decided to form off the Mediterranean coast. I kept thinking about the athletes who trained and prepared for a whole year for the competition and simply didn’t get to compete. Anyway, there wasn’t much else to do but cancel, since the weather could have put everyone at risk.

On top of that, the Spanish government called for elections on the very same day as the Seville Half Marathon (which I was going to run), so the race organizers moved the date to another day. But unfortunately, I already had plans for that date, so I ended up selling my race bib. I was upset, and now I don’t have a target race. But I’m still training.

I got back into training in full force this week, and everything is going according to plan. I hope it stays that way.

Today I'm going to talk about something that happens all the time and never ends well: copying a friend’s, a running influencer’s, or even a pro athlete’s fueling strategy.

This is a common problem, and I believe many runners fall into this trap for countless reasons. But none of them do it on purpose, of course.

I see well-informed runners, who have access to good information and the ability to exercise judgment and make decisions, trusting running influencers who post that a piece of Spanish tortilla is “carb-loading.”

I don't see anything wrong with wanting to learn about the fueling strategies of pro athletes. Now, copying (or even trying to copy) the same strategy, given that these athletes run 200 km a week, spend hours on the couch recovering, sleep at least 8 hours a day, don’t have a traditional 9-to-5 job, and are monitored by sports nutritionists, physical therapists, sports doctors, etc., seems crazy to me.

I could give several terrible examples that I see on social media. But I also see many examples of good content online.

These good examples always come from sports nutritionists who specialize in running, as well as from some conscious pro athletes.

But my point here is to explain why copying others is a problem.

Here are a few reasons. Every runner has:

In other words, every runner is unique. And there’s no way to copy fueling strategies.

Sooner or later, something will go wrong.

It could be:

...I could go on.

⚠️ Here’s another warning:

→ Be wary of unqualified or untrained coaches who insist on prescribing diets, meal plans, tips, and recommendations.

I could write a book about all the nonsense I’ve heard from coaches who meddle in nutrition.

I know that many coaches have had a positive personal experience with a particular fueling strategy. 

However, just because someone has had a positive personal experience with a specific nutrition strategy doesn’t mean they are professionally qualified to work with an individual. 

(Sports) Nutrition is a job for a qualified dietitian or nutritionist!

I wish every runner would have their own personalized fueling strategy.

If you don’t have one yet, don’t just copy what your friend, an influencer, or a pro athlete does.

Follow a sports dietitian or nutritionist on social media and take advantage of the content they share. 

In the newsletter, I’ve already written about several nutrition topics for runners. Visit my website and read my past posts. If you have any questions, feel free to email me or send me a message on Instagram; I’ll respond as soon as possible.

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