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Half-marathon fuel guide: Energy and electrolytes

From the desk of Robb Wolf

<p><span style="font-weight: 400">Oftentimes, I get questions from folks who want to know how to fuel their half marathons, marathons, and other endurance events. They want to optimize their </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-to-stay-hydrated" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">hydration</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> and nutrition for better performance.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Many of these questions come with a paleo or low-carb nuance because I’ve been in that realm of health and wellness for over 20 years. So I have a good idea of how to layer in these topics. But fear not. I’m not a Paleo or keto zealot. I know that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for diet and lifestyle, so I’ll address this subject from a broader perspective as well.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">When it comes to nutrition, my broad recommendation is that folks eat nutrient-dense whole foods and avoid sugar. Of course, on race day you may need more carbs to support more strenuous, longer-duration efforts, even if you adhere to a ketogenic diet. To learn what works best for you, you’ll have to experiment with different dietary approaches (cannibalism not included) to fuel your activities. And that’s what training is for.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">All the while, it’s essential to keep your </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-electrolytes-do-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">fluids and electrolytes</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> dialed in before, during, and after each run. And your hydration source matters. For instance, most people know that you shouldn’t slug cola or fruit juice to replace fluids. Well, not if you want your </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC6195650/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">kidneys</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> to like you. But fewer people pay as much attention to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">electrolytes</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">. We’ll cover those vital little minerals in detail today.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I’ll start by addressing whether low-carb is well-suited for endurance training. Then I’ll cover why carbs, protein, hydration, and electrolytes are important and how to use them to set your new personal records on race day.</span></p><h2><b>Keto-Fueled Endurance or No?</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Before we begin, let me admit this: I’m not the world’s leading expert on endurance nutrition. Not by a mile! I’ve learned much of what I know from guys like </span><a href="https://zachbitter.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">Zach Bitter</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, a remarkable athlete who regularly runs 100 plus miles in a keto-fueled state. And I’ve learned from my followers, usually within the context of a </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/the-best-diet-for-ketosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">keto</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> or paleo diet. I’m also the type of masochist who reads scientific literature for fun, so I like to support my claims with published evidence when I field questions.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I once </span><a href="https://robbwolf.com/2019/07/19/episode-436-qa-with-robb-and-nicki-29/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">received</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> a question from a young woman named Cassandra. She was eating a keto diet and struggling with recovery after her training runs. Adding carbs during and after her runs seemed to help, but she worried about kicking herself out of </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-to-get-into-ketosis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">ketosis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">This raises several questions. Can (and should) endurance efforts be fat-fueled? Is it okay to have carbohydrates on a low-carb training program? And what’s the sweet spot for protein?</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I’ll answer the first question by saying it depends on the person and the effort. Zach Bitter has proven that keto can fuel 100-mile runs just fine, but I would wager my retirement savings that Bitter’s fat-burning capacity would strain the Y-axis of most graphs. In other words, it’s off the charts. Also, Bitter often consumes carbs to fuel shorter, more intense efforts. The carbs fuel faster paces that tend to be more glycolytic (glucose-demanding).</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The research on keto for endurance dates back nearly half a century. Back in 1980, for instance, Dr. Stephen Phinney </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7000826/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">found</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> that obese people could walk on a treadmill significantly longer while in ketosis. Walking, however, is different from running. Running (generally) demands more glucose.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Still, some people recover best on keto. Anecdotally, there seems to be less delayed onset muscle soreness for keto or carnivore folks post-workout. But others don’t have that experience. Cassandra, for example, feels better when she includes carbs. Will the keto gods punish her for this sacrilege? Probably. But I think Cassandra should do what makes her feel and perform her best.</span></p><h2><b>When To Bring in Carbs</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">People get too hung up on following carb limits to support endurance activities. </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-to-measure-success-on-keto" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">The point isn’t to maximize your ketones</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. The point is to maximize your performance.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">From what I’ve seen, including carbs generally improves endurance performance and recovery. The optimal range is anywhere from 50 to 300 grams per day.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">But there’s a lot that goes into this. Your choice of carbs should be context-dependent. If you need a hit of energy during the race, nothing beats 10 to 50 grams of dextrose (glucose). But if you’re carbing up afterward, starchy foods like potatoes, yams, and rice are better.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">On more challenging jiu-jitsu days, I’ll include 10 to 20 grams of glucose in my </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/products/lmnt-recharge-electrolyte-drink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">LMNT</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> (electrolyte water) per hour of training. On most Saturdays I participate in the open mat at </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sbgbigfork/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">SBG Bigfork</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. This consists of 5 minute rounds with one minute of rest that repeats for two hours! The glucose gives me extra energy, plus it helps a bit with sodium absorption. But to be clear, we don’t NEED sugar to stay hydrated. Read this </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/hydration-sugar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">blog</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> for more on that topic.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The takeaway is that you should prioritize performance over carb limits. If carbs improve your energy, consume them without remorse.</span></p><h2><b>Getting Protein Right</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Keto purists also balk at high-protein keto diets. Won’t too much protein increase </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31082163/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">gluconeogenesis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> and kick you out of ketosis?</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">This line of reasoning bothers me. We’re talking about the essential </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/redefining-keto-diet-macros" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">macronutrient</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> for muscle recovery and we’re quibbling over ketone levels?</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">If you want to recover after a long run—or any exercise, really—you should fuel your body with protein sources that are high in branched-chain amino acids. For highly active people, this means </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26797090/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">consuming</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> at least 1.6 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight daily. That’s about 130 grams for a 180-pound person. And that’s just the baseline. Eating between 0.8-1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass each day is a great target.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Inadequate protein doesn’t just impair recovery </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">after</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400"> exercise, but also energy </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400">during </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400">exercise. Why? Because on a low-protein diet, exercise burns through your limited supply of branched-chain amino acids, causing brain tryptophan levels to </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23904096/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">rise</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Higher tryptophan levels make you sleepy. You see this a lot in cyclists who suddenly lose motivation mid-race. Not enough protein! If you catch yourself yawning in a race or training session, this may also be your body signaling that you need more protein.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Protein consumption also impacts hydration strategy. When you metabolize protein, you create several byproducts (like ammonia) that increase your </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-much-water-should-you-drink-a-day-a-science-based-guide-to-hydration" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">water requirements</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. The more protein you eat, the more fluids you need.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">My basic philosophy with protein? Better to get too much than not enough. Support your exercise, muscle recovery, performance, and </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/do-electrolytes-give-you-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">energy</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. On game day, however, we can (and likely should) drop protein to maintenance levels. Just enough to avoid issues of elevated tryptophan, but not so much that we are displacing fat or carbs.</span></p><h2><b>Half Marathon Hydration</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Speaking of performance and energy, we need to cover </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-to-hydrate-for-endurance-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">endurance hydration</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> now. It’s not super complicated, but many folks suffer disastrous consequences as a result of rampant misinformation.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The most ubiquitous mistake is gulping water on a set schedule. Organizations like the ACSM </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/pmc/articles/PMC4212586/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">recommend</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> this approach, which is why you see watering stations dotting marathon courses like campaign signs on Super Tuesday.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The result is that athletes drink plain water beyond what their thirst levels would encourage. As a result, about 15% of elite endurance athletes </span><a href="https://www.mdalert.com/article/brief-review-of-the-literature-on-hyponatremia-death-and-injury-in-endurance-athletes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">exhibit</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> clinically low sodium levels.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">It’s called </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/hyponatremia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">hyponatremia</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, and it’s the bane of endurance sports. Severe cases can be fatal, but even mild cases can cause confusion, </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-causes-keto-brain-fog#:~:text=Brain%20fog%20is%20one%20of,fog%E2%80%94are%20called%20keto%20flu." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">brain fog</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, and fatigue.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">An exercise scientist named Tim Noakes is an expert on exercise-associated hyponatremia. Dr. Noakes has treated hundreds of hyponatremic athletes that stumble across the finish line in a daze. His book, </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Waterlogged-Serious-Problem-Overhydration-Sports/dp/145042497X" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">Waterlogged</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, is a remarkable manifesto on the dangers of overhydration.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Read the book if you get the chance. But if you want the practical takeaway for preventing exercise-associated hyponatremia, it’s this: drink to thirst.</span></p><h2><b>Drinking to Thirst</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The thirst mechanism helps your body maintain fluid balance. When body water and blood volume fall, thirst </span><a href="http://s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">signals</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> your conscious self to drink something and restore equilibrium.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Critics often rebut that drinking to thirst is insufficient to prevent </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/dehydration-causes-and-symptoms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">dehydration</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> (net water loss) during more prolonged efforts. They argue that to prevent dehydration during a half marathon, you need to hydrate constantly.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">They’re not wrong. If you drink to thirst during a long race, you’ll probably become slightly dehydrated from the sweat loss. But this is healthy, normal, and okay. We’re well-adapted to temporary dehydration.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Plus, the research </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30659500/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">suggests</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> that dehydrated endurance athletes perform comparably to non-dehydrated controls. We don’t need constant water breaks. After all, our ancestors weren’t sipping water as they gathered berries under the blazing sun.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">So I recommend drinking when thirsty during most endurance activities, half marathons included. That’s at least half of what it takes to prevent exercise-associated hyponatremia. The other 50% is getting enough </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/is-sodium-good-or-bad-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">sodium</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p><h2><b>Don’t Forget Electrolytes</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">When hydrating for exercise, most people consume too much water and not enough electrolytes. This leads to poor performance, malaise, low energy, </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-causes-muscle-cramps" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">muscle cramps</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-causes-keto-headaches" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">headaches</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">, and other </span><a href="http://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/low-electrolytes-symptoms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">low electrolyte symptoms</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Sodium is the big one. Salt gets a bad rep, which I’ve </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/is-sodium-good-or-bad-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">debunked before</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400">. But while running a half marathon, you lose significant sodium and fluids through sweat. If you don’t replace both, you’re setting yourself up for tough times.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I speak from experience. Not marathon experience, but comparably sweaty jiu-jitsu training. Before I bumped up my sodium intake to 4–6 grams per day, I felt like an arthritic sloth wrestling limber, nimble chimpanzees. Now that my electrolytes are dialed in, I feel great: like a more competitive, less arthritic sloth.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">I kid. But seriously, that eye-opening experience prompted me to create </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/products/lmnt-recharge-electrolyte-drink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">LMNT</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> with the help of my former coaches. LMNT is just sodium, potassium, magnesium, and a few natural flavors to make your water taste incredible, but it can make a huge difference in how you feel and perform.</span></p><h2><b>Fueling Your Half Marathon</b></h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Nutrition-wise, there are many ways to fuel your efforts. The trick is to test in training and to find out which method works best for your body.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">The hydration game is more straightforward. Just drink to thirst (not beyond it) and consume plenty of electrolytes, especially sodium. Drink </span><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/electrolyte-water-benefits-and-best-sources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span style="font-weight: 400">electrolyte water</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400"> when thirsty.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400">Best of luck with the run!</span></p>