Our friends at Umara gives their best tips.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> A well-planned energy plan or not can often mean the difference between setting a new personal best, securing a podium place, or completely hitting the wall. Carbohydrates are the most important energy source for performing during training and competition and a well-adjusted stomach will perform better in a competition if it is accustomed to carbohydrates during activity.<\/p>\n<\/div> But how do you create your own perfect energy plan?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> It can feel complicated to plan the intake, especially when discussions about fluid amounts, grams of carbohydrates, and intensity zones start. But it\u2019s really not as complicated as you might think.<\/p>\n We will now do our best to give you some basic tips in a simple way that you can use for F\u00fdri Trail, regardless if you are going to run 18k,29 or the F\u00fdri Ultra 56k. With a few basics and some simple tips, you can put together a real professional plan. With a well-planned energy plan, the chance also increases that you stick to it. Simply going by hunger, perceived energy, and thirst increases the risk of hitting the wall and having stomach problems. You\u2019ve spent too many training hours to slack off on your energy intake at F\u00fdri Trail. The energy requirement to maintain performance increases with the intensity and duration of the activity.<\/p>\n To easily create an energy plan, you can ask yourself five questions. After this, you will easily be able to pick exactly what energy you need to perform at your best in the next competition.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Five questions you should ask yourself for an AWESOME energy plan.<\/em><\/p><\/h2><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> 1. What is the goal of F\u00fdri Trail?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Is your goal to win or simply complete the race? Your goal can partly guide how much emphasis you place on your plan. If the goal is optimal performance, you should always strive to optimize your energy plan. If you view the race as an adventure or a more relaxed experience, you can afford to be a bit more relaxed. For example, you might eat more solid food, but that can increase the risk of stomach problems. A troublesome stomach rarely leads to a fun race experience.<\/p>\n Regardless of your goal, our recommendation almost always aligns with research, which suggests aiming for 90g of carbohydrates<\/b> per hour when you will be active for more than 90 minutes<\/b>. To push this even further, you could say that you should aim for as high a carbohydrate intake as possible until your stomach objects. For some, this limit is 70-80g, while others can push up to 100-130g per hour. For simplicity, we will base our advice on the recommendation of 90g per hour, which is a dose most can achieve with a bit of training.<\/p>\n<\/div> 2. How long will you be active?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Ok, now you know what you need per hour. Now it’s time to calculate the total intake. Say you’re running a marathon in 4 hours, 4×90 = 360g. So your total energy intake for the race will be 360g of carbohydrates. Starting from these calculations gives you a good overview of how much energy you need during F\u00fdri Trail. This calculation works well for anything from 90 minutes up to 24-hour ultra-races.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> 3. Where should the energy come from?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> What products your carbohydrates come from depends on several factors like taste, liquid or solid energy, what you\u2019ve tested before, and of course, what you’re comfortable with. Rule #1 is not to try something new during the race. If you have time to prepare, test the energy you plan to use during training. Another good rule of thumb is to have most of your energy intake come from gels or sports drinks. These are easy for the body to absorb, convenient to carry, and give a clear idea of your intake. Bars and more solid food take longer to digest and increase the risk of stomach problems. For longer races, bars can be used to break the taste or if hunger becomes too strong. But you don\u2019t «need» solid or «normal» food just because you’re racing for more than 12 hours.<\/p>\n<\/div> 4. What are the race & weather conditions?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> How many energy stations will you pass during F\u00fdri Trail, will the required energy that you need to carry last or do you need more energy?? Is it cold or hot? The higher the temperature, the more fluids you need. These questions greatly influence your energy plan and product choices.<\/p>\n<\/div> 5. When should I start taking in energy and how often?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> A good mantra to keep in mind is «a little and often.» Start consuming energy after about 20 minutes and try to keep it to 2-3 times per hour throughout the race. This way, you reduce the risk of a \u201ctraffic jam\u201d in the intestines and optimize carbohydrate absorption.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Ok, now you know how much you need to consume, how often, and which products to choose. How does it look when you put together a plan? Below, we provide examples for F\u00fdri Trail 29k. The runners all aim to finish in 4 hours and therefore plan to take in 360g of carbohydrates. However, their energy plans differ slightly due to personal preferences, but all three provide optimal intake and set the stage for an awesome performance.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Johanna\u2019s sports drink plan<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Johanna relies only on sports drinks. She runs with a hydration backpack and mixes 1.5 liters with 12 scoops of U Sport, providing 360g of carbohydrates. She drinks from it continuously throughout the race. If it gets very hot, she has water in an additional soft bottle.<\/p>\n This plan provides 90g\/hour for 4 hours.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Simon\u2019s mixed plan<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Simon likes something to chew on during longer races but doesn\u2019t want \u2022 2 soft bottles of 500ml mixed with 6 scoops of U Sport (3 scoops per bottle, a total of 180g of carbohydrates). This plan provides 87.5g of carbohydrates per hour over 4 hours Elov\u2019s lightweight plan<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div> Elov doesn\u2019t want to carry too much weight in the form of liquid. His energy plan consists of gels.<\/em><\/p>\n Here is the translation: This plan provides 90g of carbohydrates per hour over 4 hours. Get tips, inspiration, and exclusive offers delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div>Put together your plan<\/h2><\/div>
\nto risk an upset stomach. Therefore, he chooses a mixed plan of sports drinks, bars, and gels.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u2022 2 U Bars = 50g of carbohydrates
\n\u2022 3 U Gel 2:1 = 60g of carbohydrates
\n\u2022 2 U Gel 1:0.8 = 60g of carbohydrates
\n\u2022 Drink the sports drink continuously throughout the race.
\n\u2022 Eat 2 U Bars after 1.5 hours and 3 hours.
\n\u2022 Take U Gel 2:1 at the following times: 30 minutes, 2.5 hours, 3.5 hours.
\n\u2022 Take U Gel 1:0.8 after 1 hour and the other one at 3 hours.<\/p>\n
\nTotal intake = 350g, this plan provides 87.5g\/hour for 4 hours.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\n\u2022 1 soft bottle of 500ml with a full U Gel Bigpack (180g of carbohydrates) + fill up with water to fill the bottle.
\n\u2022 6 U Gel 1:0.8 = 180g of carbohydrates
\n\u2022 Drink continuously from the soft bottle, it should be empty after 2 hours.
\n\u2022 Take 3 U Gel 1:0.8 between hours 2-3 and 3 between hours 3-4. (Preferably, half of these gels should also contain caffeine).<\/p>\n
\nTotal intake = 360g, this plan provides 90g\/hour for 4 hours.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Join the F\u00fdri Trail Community and become a part of our inspiring network.<\/h3><\/div>