Hello,
As the founder of le melo, a sports hydration drink, I know that the key to success in endurance sports is to consistently apply the basic principles of fueling and hydration. This may sound like a truism, but that's exactly why it's so important.
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural result of consistently applying basic principles.
In the end, it is about balancing the three acute "costs" during training or competition:
- Calories burned (mainly carbohydrates)
- Fluid lost through sweating
- Sodium lost in sweat
These three points are the basis that every solid fueling plan must take into account. Even if we only take them roughly into account, this often leads to significantly better results.
At le melo, we refer to the amounts of carbohydrates, fluids and sodium that you need to consume as the "3 Holy Levers". Let's take a closer look at how to use these levers correctly.
Lever 1 Carbohydrates: Keep the power source running
Every endurance athlete knows that adequate carbohydrate intake improves performance, especially when exercising for more than 45 minutes. There are guidelines for how many carbohydrates you should consume per hour, with the recommended amounts increasing with the duration. The reason for this is that with longer sessions, energy stores run out, which is why we need more supplies to maintain performance.
Instead of making blanket recommendations, it makes sense to make a few adjustments: Smaller, lighter athletes should adjust the guideline values a little downwards, while stronger athletes may even need a little more. And the higher the level, the more aggressive you can be with your carbohydrate intake - assuming your stomach can handle it.
The form in which you consume the carbohydrates (gels, bars, drinks, gummies) is secondary. For now, just concentrate on finding the right total amount over the hour. Simple, carbohydrate-containing energy sources that you tolerate well are a good choice to try.
And this is how you find the ideal amount of carbohydrates for you:
- Conducts stress tests at competition intensity (as close to the target distance as possible)
- Notes performance data, subjective feelings and weather conditions
- Record what and how much carbohydrates you consumed and whether you had any stomach problems
- Repeat the test and vary only the amount of carbohydrates, the rest remains the same
- Little by little you will get a picture of how different amounts affect performance and stomach
With experience from shorter races, you will quickly find your personal "sweet spot". This will then remain relatively constant as long as the duration and intensity are in a similar range.
Lever 2 Liquids: Learning from the extreme cases
While the optimal amount of carbohydrates for you remains fairly stable even under constant conditions, fluid loss through sweating varies considerably - even in one and the same person. For this reason alone, blanket guidelines are difficult.
My advice: work your way from the extremes towards the middle.
For shorter sessions of up to 60-90 minutes, you can almost completely avoid drinking fluids in cool conditions if you are well hydrated at the start and can refuel after the exertion. Except in extreme heat and humidity, it is usually sufficient to follow your thirst. If you have drunk one of our sticks, everything should be fine.
During endurance sessions lasting between 2 and 3 hours, fluid intake is necessary to avoid a drop in performance due to dehydration during peak exertion. Start by drinking 500ml per hour and then adjust the amount to suit your individual needs.
The optimal amount of fluid varies greatly from person to person - it can range from 250ml to 1.5 litres per hour. For most people, a range of 500-1000ml is a good starting point for experimentation. Start lower if you sweat a little or in mild conditions and increase the amount if you sweat a lot or in hot weather.
However, caution is advised against hyponatremia if you drink extremely high amounts of fluids. In my experience, very few people need more than 1 liter per hour over a longer period of time.
For very long sessions lasting 3-4 hours or more, I have found a rough but flexible drinking plan to be useful - at least in the first half. Just following your thirst can lead to undersupply and dehydration.
You can recognize possible under- or overhydration by the following signals:
Signs of insufficient fluid intake:
- Thirst/dry mouth
- Mild dizziness/dizziness
Signs of excessive fluid intake:
- Bloated feeling or "sloshing" in the stomach
- No more feeling of thirst
- Frequent urge to urinate
As with finding the optimal amount of carbohydrates, it is advisable to follow a similarly structured trial and error process for fluid intake. Measure your sweat rates under different conditions to develop personal "rules of thumb" for yourself.
The most important thing when running long endurance distances is to develop a keen sense of your own needs and to continually adapt your intake to the signals your body is sending you. The best athletes are true masters at this!
Lever 3 Sodium: The often overlooked turbo booster
As we have discussed in detail, the sodium content in sweat varies greatly from person to person. Combined with the different sweat rates, this leads to huge individual differences in sodium loss during exercise.
Here’s how to find out how much sodium you need by experimenting:
For shorter sessions of up to 60-90 minutes, even the saltiest sweats don't normally need to plan an extra portion of sodium. It obviously makes sense to start well hydrated and with full electrolyte tanks and to replenish sodium with liquid during recovery - especially when the next exertion is about to begin.
Between 2-3 hours of high intensity exercise and under conditions that promote sweating, sodium replacement may become important, especially for those of us who sweat a lot.
Since the body already has a "sodium store," you only need to replace part of it. That can be 1000mg per hour for those who consume the most salt, but for those who sweat lightly, values close to zero are sufficient. So that's a good range to start your experiments with.
The full range of sodium losses is evident on really long rides lasting 3-4 hours or more. The intake amounts could range from 200-300mg/hour for those who sweat lightly to 1500mg/hour or more for those who are extremely demanding.
For me, as a salt-sweaty caliber, I found that 1200-1500mg of sodium per hour on the bike in the heat was necessary to stay in top form.
I have a very high sweat rate (1.5-2 liters/hour) and my sweat is very salty (~1800mg sodium loss per liter).
Whether it's carbohydrates, liquids or sodium - with the right strategy, a little stamina and a fine antenna for the body's signals, you will find your personal fuel mix. Then nothing will stand in the way of maximum performance in endurance sports.
Enjoy the ride!
Malte
