So, you’ve finished your workout and head to the grocery store. You waltz down the beverage aisle wondering if you should pick up that Gatorade or Powerade that’s on sale for your next workout. Chances are, if your usual cardiovascular workout is less than an hour long, you probably do not need that sports drink.

However, if you are an endurance athlete (triathlete, marathoner) or if you typically work out for over an hour, then read on.

Endurance Nutrition

In order to make it through that long-distance run or ride, it really is important to keep your body fueled throughout the trip. I found this out last year while training for the Marine Corps Marathon; there were times when I was not well-fueled, and my body and my workout suffered. I was sluggish, and being tired and out of energy caused me to run poorly and injure myself. So, the proper fuel really IS important!

During an endurance workout, you need to eat or drink about 30 - 60 grams of carbs every hour of your workout. If you’re a slim woman, you need less carbs. If you’re a larger man, you’ll need more carbs. You also want foods that have minimal amount of protein and fat so that the carbs are digested more quickly.

How do you know what the appropriate amount of carbs are? See the “total carbohydrate” on the food label. You can also see my article about Pre-Workout Nutrition to learn more about carbs. So, say you’re expecting to be working out for 3 hours. For every 30 minutes, you should consume about 15 grams of carbohydrates. Make sense?

Workout Eating Options

1. Sports drinks: Gatorade, Powerade. These drinks have about 50 calories per 8 ounces and 15 grams of carbs. When you sweat, you lose sodium and potassium. These drinks contain these electrolytes, so they might be a good fuel source on those hot summer days. However, you may find they’re not as “quenching” as they say, and may make you feel thirstier due to the sweetness.

2. Carb “shots” or gels: One example is “GU” energy gel. I used these during the marathon. They come in flavors such as vanilla bean, chocolate, berry, and espresso. The ones I used contained caffeine, which got me through the race but contributed to my frequent need for bathroom breaks.

Clif also has gels and “shot bloks” and they come in a lot of cool flavors (did you ever think you could consume a pina colada while you were running?). I’ve tried the “shot bloks” and thought they tasted like jello.

I have also tried Jelly Belly Sport Beans, which I liked the most. Both kinds of gels, the sport beans, and the “bloks” contain 100 calories and 25 grams of carbs per serving. With these gels and shots, it is important to drink water with them or you might experience “GI upset”.

Definitely sample a variety of them before you race–you don’t want to try anything new on race day!!!

3. Granola bars and/or energy bars: For shorter runs (60 – 90 minutes), I suggest granola bars (Nature Valley, Quaker for example). One bar has approximately 100 calories and 17 grams of carbohydrates (and minimal fat and protein).

For longer runs (3+ hours, marathons), choose energy bars (Clif bars, Power bars, Balance bars). Even though these are higher in fat and protein, they are good meal replacements if you are going to be exercising for several hours (think a long, vigorous bike ride or a long training run).

4. WATER!! Drink water with the energy bar, the granola bar, the carb shots, or they may cause GI distress. To know how much water you need during a run, weigh yourself before and after the run. If you weigh 0.5 lb less than when you started running, and you drank 8 ounces of water during your run, then you need to 16 ounces next time you run that amount (8 ounces for the ½ pound you lost plus the 8 ounces you consumed to put you back at your pre-run weight and avoid dehydration). Make sense?

5. Fruit: Orange slices and dried fruit (which is easy to carry along with you on a run).

6. Candy: Hard candy, peppermint patties, and Junior Mints are candies that are high in carbs that could give you the energy you need. However, they won’t replace the sodium and potassium that you’ve lost through sweat.

As well, remember that thirst sometimes masks itself as hunger. So before you reach for those granola bars or energy gels, make sure you know if it’s carbs you need or fluids!

Have a great and healthy workout!