Is your race week nutrition plan something you've actually practiced?
New research on 27 women racing the IRONMAN World Championship found that only 26% met carbohydrate loading guidelines, even though most knew them. The women who ate more carbohydrate tended to finish faster, and higher fiber intake was linked to more GI symptoms.
In this episode, Coach Chris Newport, MS, RDN, CISSN, breaks down what the study found and why race-day nutrition is as much a behavior and logistics challenge as a calorie one.
In this episode:
- The race week "panic call" and why last-minute carb loading backfires
- Carb loading guidelines (8-12 g per kg of body weight) and how to do the math
- Why fiber before a race can cause GI trouble
- "Competers" vs. "completers" and how mindset shapes fueling
- Race nerves, travel and logistics that derail good plans
- Carbs in context: gout, A1C, PMOS and type 1 diabetes
- Underfueling in female athletes and how to build up gradually
- When to start gut training
📄 Read the study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsc.70193
💧 Know your sweat rate and fueling needs with our Fueling & Hydration Test: https://www.theenduranceedge.com/sweat-and-metabolic-vo2max-testing/
📱 Track your hydration with the Hydration Edge app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hydration-edge/id6788021151
📝 Blog + show notes: https://www.theenduranceedge.com/carb-loading-female-endurance-athletes
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