Running
Marathon
Based on five (GEL160) to seven (GEL100) GELs in total - or 175-200g of carbohydrate:
Sub2:30 = 3:33 min/km = 70-80 g/h = 1x every 20 min
Sub3:00 = 4:16 min/km = 58-67 g/h = 1x every 25 min
Sub3:30 = 4:59 min/km = 50-57 g/h = 1x every 30 min
Sub4:00 = 5:40 min/km = 44-50 g/h = 1x every 35 min
Sub4:30 = 6:24 min/km = 39-44 g/h = 1x every 40 min
Recommended strategy
Preloading
The day before
1 x Drink Mix 320 and
1 x Solid 160
Pre-race
1–4 hours before
1 x Drink Mix 160 and
1 x Solid 160
During warm-up
15 min before
1 x Gel 100 Caf 100 or
1 x Gel 160 or
1 x Gel 100
During the race
Six Gels, one every 6k
Different options.
6 x Gel 100 or
2 x Gel 100 Caf 100 and 4 x Gel 100 or
4 x Gel 160
Half Marathon
Based on two (2x Gel160) to three (3x Gel100) gels in total, equivalent to 75-80g of carbohydrates total:
Sub75 min = 3:33 min/km = 60-64 g/h
Sub90 min = 4:16 min/km = 50-53 g/h
Sub105 min = 4:59 min/km = 43-46 g/h
Sub120 min = 5:40 min/km = 38-40 g/h
Sub135 min = 6:24 min/km = 33-36 g/h
Recommended strategy
Preloading
The day before
Nothing
Pre-race
1-4 hours before
1 x Drink Mix 160 or
1 x Solid C 160
During warm-up
15-45 min before
1 x Gel 100 Caf 100 or
1 x Gel 100 or
1 x Gel 160
During the race
2 x Gel 100 or
1 x Gel 160
5k-10k
3:00 min/km = 15 min or 30 min
3:30 min/km = 17:30 min or 35 min
4:00 min/km = 20 min or 40 min
4:30 min/km = 22:30 min or 45 min
5:00 min/km = 25 min or 50 min
6:00 min/km = 30 min or 60 min
Recommended strategy
Preloading
The day before
Nothing
Pre-race
1-4 hours before
1 x Drink Mix 160 or
1 x Solid 160
During warm-up
15-45 min before
1 x Gel 100 Caf 100 or
1 x Gel 160 or
1 x Gel 100
During the race
Nothing
Long Run
40-120 min for track runners
70-160 min for long-distance runners
What is a long run?
Low intensity running that’s slower than marathon pace, but not necessarily constant for the whole session. More commonly used for marathon training plans.
Recommended strategy
Pre-exercise
1-4 hours before
1 x Solid 160 or
1 x Solid C 160
Warm-up
10-30min
Nothing
Main set
40-160min
Per hour:
1 x Gel 160 or
1 x Gel 100 Caf 100 or
1x Gel 100
Cool down
10-30 min
Nothing
Fartlek
An unstructured run of varying pace — a mix of fast and slow.
The pacing variations are determined in-the-moment by the athlete’s feelings, rhythms, and the terrain.
What is a Fartlek training session?
Recommended strategy
Pre-exercise
1-4 hours before
1 x Solid 160 or
1 x Solid C 160
Warm-up
10-30min
1 x Gel 100 Caf 100 or
1 x Gel 160 or
1 x Gel 100
Main set
30-60min
Nothing
Cool down
10-30 min
Nothing
VO2 Max Intervals
Intervals of 2-4 min in duration at 3-10k pace with 2-3 min recovery periods in between. Typical sessions are :4-8 x 800m or two sets of 6 x 400m with 30-60s and 2-3 min recovery in between intervals and sets. This method is more specific for track runners than marathoners.
What is VO2 Max?
Source: Haugen et al., 2022
Recommended strategy
Pre-exercise
1-4 hours before
1 x Solid 160 or
1 x Solid C 160
Warm-up
10-30min
1 x Gel 100 Caf 100 or
1 x Gel 160 or
1 x Gel 100
Main set
20-70min
1 x Drink Mix 160 or
1 x Drink Mix 320 or
1 x Drink Mix 320 Caf 100
Cool down
10-30 min
Nothing
Sprints
What is a sprint session?
Repeat 5-15s runs with near maximum effort and full recoveries.
These can also be performed as strides, progressive runs, hill sprints or flying sprints.
The main aim of the session is to develop or maintain maximal sprinting speed without producing high levels of lactate.
Do I need to fuel every training session with sports nutrition?
Source: Haugen et al., 2022
Recommended strategy
Pre-exercise
1-4 hours before
Nothing
Warm-up
10-30min
Nothing
Main set
30-70min
Nothing
Cool down
10-30 min
Nothing