How to replenish energy when running a marathon? The role of marathon energy gel

Marathon is a popular sport nowadays. It tests a person's endurance, perseverance, and physical fitness. It has certain requirements for participants, and not everyone can do it! If you are a beginner marathon enthusiast, Encyclopedia Knowledge Network has prepared some common knowledge about the event for you, I hope it will be useful to you.

Contents of this article

1. How to replenish energy when running a marathon

2. The role of marathon energy gel

3. What should you pay attention to when running a marathon?

How to replenish energy for a marathon

1. Fluid rehydration

There will be multiple supply points along the marathon route. You should not miss the opportunity to stop in and refill water at each supply point. Generally speaking, the principle of refilling fluids during the journey is to drink small amounts frequently, no more than 800ml per hour. The most appropriate frequency of refilling fluids is 150ml-200ml every 10-15 minutes. The temperature of the beverage should be between 15-22℃.

2. Nutritious food

Replenishing energy during a marathon is to replenish the body with sugar through various supplements. Generally speaking, 40 grams of sugar per hour is the recommended dose. You can replenish it according to the instructions on the supplements used.

The role of marathon energy gel

The main function of energy gel is to provide the body with easily absorbed sugars during the game, while also replenishing electrolytes.

Even when the muscle glycogen and liver glycogen in our bodies are fully stored, they are not enough to support a faster speed (more than 80% of the maximum heart rate, more than 75% of vo2max) to complete a full marathon. The faster the speed, the more the body tends to use glycogen as energy, so in addition to storing as much glycogen as possible before the game, we should also continue to consume sugar to provide energy to the body during the game. Studies have shown that consuming 30-60 grams of carbohydrates at a concentration of 6-8% per hour during the game can help improve performance, but in fact it is almost impossible for us to drink such a large amount of sports drinks to consume enough sugar during the game, so eating energy gel is a good way to supplement sugar. Unless you plan to (or have to) run a marathon slowly and don't pursue speed, you can use more fat as energy and don't need to supplement sugar.

What to pay attention to when running a marathon

1. You don’t need to do a lot of warm-up before starting a run. You will still be running for 2 to 3 hours, so you don’t need to use up all your energy before you even start.

2. Before running, apply Vaseline on your feet, waist, crotch, clothes and socks to prevent abrasions. Men should remember to apply more Vaseline on their nipples, and girls should remember to wear sports bras.

3. After starting, don't be impulsive and control your speed (newbies who sprint at the start basically cannot complete a full marathon). You participate in a marathon not to compete with professional athletes, but to challenge yourself, so the most important thing is to finish the race smoothly without injury, rather than running around randomly in the heat of the moment.

4. Each water station and toilet is a resting point to replenish water, salt, eat something, spray, and massage your legs.

5. You can take more photos with your mobile phone or portable camera, which will be wonderful memories in the future, but don’t post them on Weibo or Moments while running to show off (after all, you don’t know if you can finish the run, so show off after you finish).