Create an effective energy plan
A well-planned energy plan can often mean the difference between achieving a new personal best, securing a podium finish, or hitting the wall completely. In previous articles, we have explained why carbohydrates are the most important energy source for performing during training and competition. We have also highlighted why a trained gut will perform better in competitions if it is accustomed to carbohydrates during activity.
But how do you create your personal perfect energy plan?
Creating an Energy Plan
Planning your intake can feel complicated, especially when it starts to talk about fluid amounts, grams of carbohydrates, and intensity zones. But it’s really not as complicated as you might think.
We will now do our best to provide you with basic tips that you can use in all your races regardless of distance, goals, and sport. With a little foundation and some simple tips, anyone can put together a true professional plan. With a well-planned energy plan, you also increase your chances of sticking to it; relying solely on hunger, perceived energy, and thirst increases the risk of both hitting the wall and gastrointestinal issues, and you've spent far too many training hours to slack off on energy intake on race day.
To easily create an energy plan, you can ask yourself 5 questions, after which you will easily be able to choose exactly what you need in terms of energy to perform at your best in the next competition.
Five questions you should ask yourself for an AWESOME energy plan
1. What is the goal of your training/competition?
Is your goal to win or simply to participate? The goal can to some extent dictate how much weight you put on your plan. If the goal is optimal performance, you should always strive to optimize your energy plan. If you are approaching the competition as an adventure or a more relaxed experience, you might afford to "slack" a bit more. For example, you could then eat a little more solid food, but this may increase the risk of stomach problems and a troublesome stomach rarely leads to a fun competition experience. However, it’s better to learn where your limits are in a competition or training where the goal is not optimal performance compared to an A-race.
Regardless of your goal, our recommendation is almost always the same as indicated by research, namely to aim for 90g of carbohydrates per hour when you are going to continue for more than 90 minutes. If you take it even further, you could say that you should aim as high as you can before your stomach starts to protest. For some, that limit is around 70-80g and others can push up to 100-130g/h. For simplicity, we will base this on the recommendation of 90g/h, which is a dose that most people with a little training can reach.
2. How long will you be going?
Okay, now you know what you need to consume per hour. Now it’s time to calculate the total intake. Let’s say you’re going to run a marathon in 4 hours, 4x90=360g. So your total energy intake for the entire race will be 360g of carbohydrates. Starting from these calculations gives you a good overview of how much energy you need to consume during the race. This calculation works pretty much from 90 minutes up to 24-hour ultramarathons. If you are going to do even longer races/challenges, a high carbohydrate intake is still of utmost importance, but then the total energy intake and minimizing calorie deficits also play a larger role. Read more about energy intake for ultramarathons here.
3. Where will the energy come from?
The types of products your carbohydrates will come from depend on several factors such as taste, liquid or solid energy, what you have tested before, and of course, what you feel comfortable with. Rule number 1 is to not try anything new during a competition. If you have time for preparation, test the energy sources you want to consume during training. Another good rule is to let a majority of your energy intake come from gels or sports drinks. These are easy for the body to absorb and simple to carry, plus they provide a good overview of your intake. Bars and more solid food take longer to break down and increase the risk of stomach problems. During longer races, you can use bars as flavor enhancers or if hunger becomes too great. But we "don't need" any solid or "regular" food just because we are going for more than 12 hours. Want to learn more about the differences between gels, bars, and sports drinks? Read here.
Also, consider what types of packaging suit your activity; can you open a bar on the go? A screw cap or pull tab on the gel? Or would it suit you better to pour it into a soft bottle before the start? An energy plan is only effective if you can actually consume the intended energy even on bumpy trails, technical descents, or when you are tightly packed in a group.
Is it a running race, cycling race, triathlon, or cross-country skiing you are going to undertake? Are there energy stations, or do you have to bring all your energy yourself? Is it cold or warm? The higher the temperature, the more fluid you need to ingest. These questions play a significant role in your choices of energy setup and which products you should use.
One way to simplify your plan is to separate energy intake from fluid intake. If you have, for example, 2 bottles on your bike or 2 soft bottles in your running vest, you can mix one of them with sports drink. U Sport 1:0.8 has been developed to be easily mixed, both strong and diluted. Let's say you plan to run for 3 hours at a steady pace, that would mean 60g of carbohydrates per hour, totaling 180g of carbohydrates. Mix 9 scoops (1 scoop provides 30g of carbohydrates), and you'll have all the energy in one bottle for the entire session. The other bottle can contain water for you to drink as needed.
Will you rely solely on the energy stations along the course/route? Then check what is served there and how much you need to consume at the stations to stick to your plan. In competitions where Umaras sports drink is served at the stations, a cup with 1.5dl of sports drink contains about 10g of carbohydrates. So it might be good to do some math and perhaps supplement with a few extra gels before your next marathon.
5. When should I start taking in energy and how often?
A little and often is a good mantra to keep in mind here. Start your intake after about 20 minutes and try to maintain it around 2-3 times per hour throughout the race. This way, you reduce the risk of "traffic jams" in the intestines and optimize carbohydrate absorption.
But what about loading and supplements before and just before the start?
If you really want to optimize your performance, there's a lot to gain from taking supplements such as caffeine, beta-alanine, and nitrate before the start. Learn more about these supplements here.
Put together your plan
Okay, now you know how much you need to take in, how often, and which products you should choose. What might it look like when you put together a plan? Below we give examples from a trail race. The runners all want to finish in 4 hours and therefore aim to consume 360g of carbohydrates. However, they have slightly different preferences, and that’s why their energy plans differ a bit. But all three provide optimal intake and pave the way for an awesome performance.
Johanna relies solely on sports drink. She runs with a hydration pack and mixes a 1.5-liter bladder with 12 scoops of U Sport, which provides 360g of carbohydrates. She consumes this continuously throughout the race. If it gets very hot, she has water in an extra soft bottle.
This plan provides 90g/h for 4 hours.
Simon likes to have something to chew on during longer competitions but does not want to risk an upset stomach. Therefore, he chooses a mix plan with both sports drink, bars, and gels.
Energy plan:
- 2 soft bottles of 500ml mixed with 6 scoops of U Sport, (3 scoops per bottle, totaling 180g carbohydrates).
- 2 U Bars = 50g carbohydrates
- 3 U Gel 2:1 = 60g carbohydrates
- 2 U Gel 1:0.8 = 60g carbohydrates
Total intake = 350g
Usage:
- Drink continuously from the sports drink throughout the race.
- 2 U Bars after 1.5h and 3h.
- U Gel 2:1 at the following times: 30min, 2.5h, 3.5h.
- U Gel 1:0.8 after 1h and the second at 3h.
This plan provides 87.5g/h for 4 hours.
Elov does not want to carry too much weight in the form of liquid. He is focusing on an energy plan consisting of gels. By pouring U Gel Bigpack (300ml) into a 500ml softbottle and mixing flavors of U Gel 1:0.8, he gets a good mix of flavors and lightweight packing. If it gets really hot, he has water in an extra softbottle.
Energy Plan:
- 1 softbottle of 500ml with a whole U Gel Bigpack (180g carbohydrates) + fills up with water to fill the bottle.
- 6 U Gel 1:0.8 = 180g carbohydrates
Total intake = 360g
Usage:
- Drink continuously from the softbottle, it should be empty after 2h.
- Consume U Gel 1:0.8, 3 between hour 2-3 and 3 between hour 3-4. (Preferably, half of these gels also contain caffeine).
This plan provides 90g/h for 4 hours.
With these tips, we hope you now have the tools to start testing your own optimal energy plan. We wish you the best of luck in your upcoming competitions from all of us at Umara.