While race week is getting progressively out of hand (yes, I can’t believe it either), I wanted to get back to you with a more lightweight topic: Fueling. Probably the thing I get asked about the most. Right after which shoes I am going to wear at States. So here’s the plan.
I’ve been doing very well with Maurten for about 2 years now. Drinks as well as gels. I can really consume a lot of it (and I mean A LOT) without getting sick. To make sure I eat AND drink enough, I will mainly rely on Maurten Drinks as my main source of energy.
Especially at heat battles like Western States there is a certain risk of consuming too much carbs when you combine them with your liquid intake. However I never get sick of too much carbs and I will also carry one flask of plain water to get some extra liquid without carbs.
My goal is to consume ca. 300 kcal per hour, which is more or less one 500ml flask of Maurten 320 drink. That’s the equivalent of 1 pancake with chocolate spread, 1 peanutbutter & jelly sandwich, 3 potatoes or 1 small plate of pasta. These examples are not accidental, since these are my "bulls eye" real foods, as Jason Koop calls them. They are high in kcal, I can eat them any time, love their taste and texture and most of all have tested all of them on various training runs and races. My crew is going to offer these real foods at aid stations and I am also capable of bringing them on the trail. Well maybe not the plate of pasta…
Even more important: Coffee. Yes, I drink coffee at long ultra races like Western States. I love the taste and the caffeine makes running at night much more bearable. I have picked Blaek Coffee for this journey, because their instant coffee is easy to handle for my crew and tastes awesome.
Well, 100 Miles is a long way to go, so there’s going to be A LOT of intake on this trip. My crew member Marie is keeping track of what I consume and makes sure I keep on eating like a linebacker until the race is over.
I estimate that I will consume 10-15 liters of water and 5000-8000 kcal. If all goes well. As you know, fueling is one of the most delicate tasks to solve during an ultra marathon. If your stomach turns its back on you, you are doomed. However I can proudly say, that this usually does not happen to me, which I am thankful for.
What did I tell you! Writing about food made me hungry now haha! Time to sleep here in Truckee. More madness coming tomorrow.
