Favorite Nutrition for Endurance Training
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Welcome to the Friday Five! I hope you are having a great week. I am heavily into my Ironman training, so it is a perfect time for me to share my Favorite Nutrition for Endurance Training. Check it out here!
Favorite Nutrition for Endurance Training
It took a lot of trial and error for me to find the right foods to put in my sensitive stomach while training for long distance events. Fortunately, I had my running nutrition pretty much dialed in before I started Ironman training last year. However, I did have to play around with the right fluids & nourishment for cycling. Here are my top 5 favorite items:
1. Bananas: Yup! The tried & true, good old fashioned whole food banana. I love having a banana, usually with a little bit of peanut butter pre-race, typically about 45 minutes to an hour before the event. They settle in my stomach easily and provide some calories to get me moving!
2. Skratch Labs Lemon + Lime Exercise Hydration Mix: I had tried a number of different sports drinks over the years for running and cycling and just could not find one that felt good in my gut. Then, I read about Skratch Labs, which is an all-natural sports drink. It replaces both fluid & electrolytes & also provides fuel for the muscles. The best part is that it is flavored with real Lemons & Limes, & there are no artificial colors or ingredients. This was a game changer for me with cycling & running!
3. Picky Bars: These bars were created by Endurance Athletes: Lauren Fleshman, Jesse Thomas, & Steph Bruce. They are all natural, gluten-free energy bars with a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein, which is considered ideal for endurance training and nutrition. I discovered these on my quest for a nutrition bar that I could easily digest while biking for 4 to 6 hours at a time. My favorite flavor is the "Need for Seed Sunflower Butter Sensation" Bar.
4. Peanut Butter Pretzel Nuggets: Some people laugh when I tell them this, but all the sweetness of gels & drinks & bars gets to my palate, so this is my method of balancing it out. I like to pack a snack bag of 5 to 10 pretzel nuggets in my Bento box on my bike for rides longer than 50+ miles. Also, I usually put 3 to 5 of the nuggets in my fuel belt for long runs over 14-15 miles. The salty flavor drowns out the sugar and is a nice treat because I Love all things Peanut Butter 🙂
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5. Honey Stinger Chews & Gels: I have tried a number of gels & chews over the years, some were ok, but my favorite is Honey Stingers. The gels & chews are organic and made from real Honey! They also include some potassium & sodium for electrolyte replacement and are gentle on the tummy! There are many different flavors to choose from, my faves are: the Fruit Smoothie Gels & the Orange Blossom Chews.
So Tell Me...
What is your Favorite Nutrition for Endurance Training? Have you tried any of the items I mentioned above? Endurance nutrition is specific to each individual and what works for one person might be a disaster for someone else, so it is very important to trial it all during training. I would love to hear what has worked for you!
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Honey stingers and Picky bars are some of my favorite! Good choices!
Yes, i love them both! Thanks for stopping by, Have a Great Week!!
I have the sensitive tummy too, which is why I fuel exclusively with Tailwind--it's an ultramarathon fuel and it is the only thing I have tried that doesn't send me to the portapotty.
I've heard great things about Tailwind! I may give that a try at some point :-)
I also like Honey Stingers. I tried Skratch's version of chews for the first time a couple months ago - they weren't bad.
Yes, the Skratch chews are good too! Thanks for stopping by!!
Well, I love a good banana, too. ;) Never heard of the others though, I'll have to check them out! Thanks for sharing with us at Savoring Saturdays. Hope to see you back again tonight (or sometime this weekend. ;)
Thanks Raia!
I clicked on your link, because I thought this post was going to be about food for long haul flights with kids! ;)
It sounds like you are an athlete extraordinaire!
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Oh, haha!! Well, I could write a post on that too :-) My tip is lots of snacks, movies, & headphones. Thank you for stopping by!
Love honey stingers!
i will have to check some of these products soon.
I'm familiar with bananas and Honey Stinger. Curious to know more about the other things on your list.
I have to try those picky bars! they look yummy
We have the same taste!! I love Picky bars, and the gels are also way too sweet for me. I use dried dates, instead. But the salty, creamy PB filled pretzels also sound like a great option! I'll have to remember that.
Good stuff! I am a HUGE fan of Tailwind. I just discovered it a few months ago, and can't get enough. That said, now that I'm entering more and more ultra distances, I'm kind of in love with the aid stations full of "real" food. (and by real, I don't necessarily mean healthy, lol). Potatoes, potato chips, watermelon, pretzels, cookies...yuuumm. Best part of ultra running ;)
I love Skratch! I won a package at a Road Runner event, and instantly fell in love! I'm also a fairly recent Honey Stinger convert. Two thumbs up on this list. :-)
Bananas are my favorite! I also am a huge fan of Honeystingers-I like the waffles pre-run and the honey ginseng gels or the chews mid-run.