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How do you fuel for races?

N

Nezelette

Member
Messages
15
Location
Thailand
Type of diabetes
Prediabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with prediabetes last week (not very severe, but I need to be careful as my mum has type 2) and I am a casual runner. I used to take gels before and during races but realised this weekend that they are full of sugar and carbs, so I stopped using them. I had a race yesterday, a quarter marathon, and I totally burnt out after 8k (nearly there, I know!) I still did OK in the race but quite a few people went past me, so it definitely affected my placement.

Before the race, I had a slice of pumpernickel bread, coconut water, some nuts and coconut chips. I drank water at every station during the race. I really felt like I wan going to pass out / throw up for the last 3K. I ended up at the medical tent. I felt like I had run out of energy, I had nothing left at all.

Any ideas? What do you eat before races?

Also bear in mind I live in Thailand, where it is stupidly hot (dehydration is fast) and some food things / exercise products are not available...
 
Did you perhaps run faster than you thought at the beginning of the race and just run out of steam? Also, it is entirely possible that you were over heated and/or dehydrated - light headedness and nausea are symptomatic of heat stress.
Did you test your blood glucose level at the finish to be sure?

During 'race' conditions, it is more common (particularly for a shorter distance) to actually suffer with higher blood glucose levels. With pre-diabetes you will still be at the mercy of an adrenaline response which will trigger your liver to release glucose into your bloodstream. This will inevitably raise your blood glucose levels, as it is likely you have begun to develop some insulin resistance.
Consequently you really don't need to worry about fuel unless the distance increases significantly.

Without knowing what your BG reading was at any point then it would be difficult to advise, except to say that if you are pre-diabetic I would suggest that for distances under and around 10km then you really shouldn't need to take on board any fuel and it would be better to maintain a steady pace and allow your body to utilise fat reserves to supply energy (which it will do very effectively). F(at reserves can sustain you over a marathon if needs be!

I have suffered from heat stress, so I know only too well how it can completely sap you of any strength. Slow your average pace a bit, improve your fitness level (which will allow you to speed your pace up gradually) and consider ways to keep cool and you'll be flying across that finish line in no time.
 
Thank you. Heat and starting too fast all sound familiar... I think that because I was diagnosed last week, I was almost looking for symptoms, to be honest. It's really scared me and put me off balance. I had a great recovery run today and felt wonderful, so I think I'll be fine.

Are you saying that the "stress" of running could make insulin resistance worse, if your body produces too much glucose? I'm so confused, sorry.
 

Thanks, good idea. I have read in some places that it takes months or even years to make the transition, and that the literature from paleo experts is really quite over-optimistic on this... I have a low carb diet, but not VERY low carb. I mainly fuel with fat before races though (nuts, coconut). Maybe the halfway house thing doesn't work as well, as my body still relies on the carbs and freaks out when they run out?
 

Hi there,

Sorry to confuse you. Insulin resistance is basically an inability for your body to utilise the insulin that your pancreas produces as effectively as it should.
When we become nervous/excited or exercise to the point where our heart rate is elevated significantly, all of us (with or without diabetes) have an automatic stress response which triggers the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. Think of it as your body's way of giving you the energy to outrun a dangerous situation (which is probably how it evolved).

So, if you consider that during a race where you are trying to push your pace a bit, it is likely that your liver will kick out glucose to fuel your energy demands. If you have some insulin resistance, this can mean that if at any point your blood glucose levels begin to rise then the insulin that your pancreas releases won't work quite as effectively as it should. This is unlikely to be an issue when you're running, as your muscles will be gobbling up the excess glucose to fuel their work. When you finish running however you may notice a blood glucose rise. This is because once you finish an activity your liver doesn't automatically 'switch off' and there can be a bit of a time lag:

Liver releasing glucose into bloodstream + Low demand for energy by muscles = Blood glucose rise.

This should certainly not put you off exercise however. It gets a little complicated but here's why:
Everyone has little energy transporting cells in their muscles (they're called GLUT4 receptors) These little babies allow your muscles to suck up glucose out of the bloodstream, without any need for insulin. The more exercise you do, the more of these 'transporters' or 'receptors' you have, which means that your insulin no longer has to 'work as hard', because your muscles have an alternative route to take glucose out of your bloodstream. (So you effectively become less insulin resistant and your average blood glucose levels will improve).

Regarding your run, from how you describe it I don't think blood glucose levels had anything to do with your performance, though it would be well worth investing in a test meter. Test before, during and after your run on two or three occasions to get an average 'pattern'. That way you will feel far more confident in the knowledge that everything is as it should be.

Just as another point, as well as exercise, do make sure you watch how much carbohydrate you are eating (check out the low carb discussions on the forum). Unfortunately you won't be able to out-exercise a carb loaded diet. (Again, use the test meter to assess what sort of blood glucose rise you are getting after your meals)

Keep it up, and best of luck in your next run!
www.teambloodglucose.com
 

Thanks for taking the time to reply in such depth, very informative.
 
Sorry to butt in, but I've just been diagnosed type 2 and have yet to get my appointment for the diabetic clinic. Although I'm a fatty I do a lot of running (just completed my second marathon) and frequent the gym, and I've already come across loads of information here on the forum that I know will help me.

I'm hoping to do an ultra marathon next year, but the fueling does concern me a bit. Currently on long runs I use gels, but not sure if I will use these going forward or not.

Would love to hear from other runners and get any hints and tips you have

Many thanks
 
If you are doing an ultra, the basic philosophy is to work out what you can eat without throwing up or suffering GI maladies, you cannot take in more than you are using, you willl end up in calorie deficit, you will end up dehydrated.

As a T2 you don't need to worry about hypos due to increased insulin sensitivity (unless put on that post clinic). If that remains the case, then I would say do nothing different to a marathon, just expect more pain, and learn to enjoy it
 
I like eating stuff Got my clinic appointment through for Monday.

Hoping to do 12 hour race next September so just trying to figure out options of what to do food wise. (I like to plan ahead!)
 
With me, I go with combinations of gels, fruit/nut/date bars, compressed dates, dried bananas, bagels, cheese, nuts, fruit, jelly babies.

My particular favourite at the moment is SIS double espresso gels, but sparingly with those
 
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