Half marathons and marathons are just around the corner. Are you ready to restart? And above all, have you already fine-tuned your AI? No, I’m not talking about artificial intelligence, but more simply about those two aspects that determine the (good) success of a race, especially in the medium and long distance: training and integration. We are well aware that leaving it to chance and hoping for good luck is not a strategy that pays off. In training as in integration it is necessary to test, choose and plan. So let’s see how to build a correct integration strategy, which will allow us to maximize our efficiency and, at the same time, reduce the risk of abdominal stress. In other words, to enjoy our half marathon and marathon.
In (half) marathon you need sugar
Let’s start from the base: the integration strategy is not optional. In fact, our body does not have enough energy to cope with the 21.097 km of the half marathon, much less the 42.195 km of the marathon. What to do then? The answer comes from scientific guidelines: in races lasting more than an hour, thanks to the integration of carbohydrates during exercise, we can improve the intensity of the race, reduce muscle fatigue and recovery times after exertion.
Which supplement for the (half) marathon?
Let it be clear: one supplement is not worth the other. According to scientific studies, the most advantageous supplements for offering maximum energy in the shortest time are mixtures based on two sugars, one with rapid absorption, such as maltodextrin, the other with slower absorption, such as fructose. In case you are sensitive to fructose sugar, there is an alternative solution: they are sports gels based on maltodextrins only, already diluted, specifically designed to reduce the risk of abdominal stress.
When to take supplements during the race
So now it is clear to us that carbohydrate-based supplements are our most precious allies in half marathon and marathon. But this is obviously not enough to build our integration strategy. In fact, it is equally important to know how to use supplements. This will protect us from bad experiences, already experienced by more than one of us.
First rule: we avoid using sports gels only when we feel the need, because it’s already too late. Second rule: let’s take the right dose of supplements, the one that our intestines are able to tolerate. The solution, therefore, is to start integrating from the first minutes of running, no later than the first half hour, and consistently take a minimum amount of 30 g of carbohydrates every hour. In practice, a sport gel every 40 minutes.
Train your gut to… run the (half) marathon
I know, often, as we have already mentioned, the intestine plays tricks, and precisely during the race. To avoid any risk, just… train him. In fact, the intestine is a highly adaptable organ, like skeletal muscles. Let’s prepare it, then, to perform its function, that of absorbing carbohydrates while being shaken by the movements of the race. As? Using carbohydrate-based supplements even in those training sessions that are similar to a race in terms of duration or intensity. Thanks to these “training-tests” we will not only understand the most suitable supplements for us, but we will properly prepare our intestines to better absorb the single droplets of glucose and therefore to “support” us throughout our race.
Integration strategy for (half) marathon out of the box
1. Choose the right supplement and test it in workouts of similar duration to the competition.
2. Testing supplements during training will allow you to “train” the intestine to better absorb sugars.
3. In training and in competition, take a gel every 40 minutes at least from the first half hour of the race if the race lasts longer than one hour.
Now you just have to… start running and enjoy your race.