Eat for endurance

Find out everything you need to know about fuelling your long-distance training with our expert guide that covers nutrition before, during and after your runs and on race day itself

Words: Louise Pyne

There are different types of runners in this world. There are those who like to lace up their trainers for a faster run over a shorter distance and those who prefer running at steady state over a longer distance. Both styles of running come with specific yet equal challenges, and how you fuel up is one of the key driving forces that will determine how well your session goes.

Vary your training Training to maintain a slower pace over a longer distance requires the type of fuel that will help you to sustain stamina to get through all that hefty mileage. You’ll need to be able to continue your effort for a prolonged period, fighting fatigue while covering marathon-level distances. While there are no shortcuts to help improve endurance, in order to reap the results that you are after, a good training regime is key.

If you have a sensible plan and a consistent approach, you’re likely to see progress in a matter of weeks as long as you build up your mileage slowly and steadily. The body needs time to adapt to intense training so doing too much too soon will only end in injury. A good rule of thumb is to increase your mileage by 10 per cent each week, so if your longest run so far has been around five miles, your first longer run should be half a mile longer. The second week should be increased by another half a mile and so on.