Catch up with Coach M - Edition 39 - Race day Fuel, Train Slow to race Fast.

Welcome back to the blog! 👋

This week’s update is a little less about pace charts and a little more about perspective. After a couple of solid efforts — including a Saturday race and a Fabulous Thursday Half — this past week was intentionally quieter. Think... Fuelling, recovery, routine, and a reset before the next big push. No flashy stats, no heroic sessions — just the kind of week that reminds us: progress isn’t always loud.

Fuel the Fire: Why Race Day Isn’t the Time to Be a Calorie Accountant 🍝🔥

This week’s race report flows perfectly into a topic I’ve been itching to talk about: fuelling properly for race day. Because let me tell you, I was well and truly powered up for this one — and it made all the difference. 💥 RACE REPORTS: Sports SA 10km Rhodes Quality 21Km

See, I’ve been in maintenance mode lately, hovering just slightly above my usual calorie intake, which meant my body was in a happy place. Muscles? Energized. Mood? Stable. Cravings? Minimal. Race morning? Zero panic about what to eat. 🙌

And that brings me to the golden rule of endurance events:

✨ Race Day Is Not the Time to Be a Calorie Saint ✨

This is not the moment to suddenly decide to "eat clean" by nibbling on air and pretending a banana and some zero sugar electrolytes is enough. 🍌 (It’s not. I love bananas, but come on.)

When you’re asking your body to perform — to climb hills, endure distance, and push through discomfort — it needs fuel. And not just any fuel. It needs glycogen. That sweet, sweet stored carbohydrate that powers your muscles through every step, hill, and questionable decision to sprint the last 500m. 🏃‍♀️💨

Glycogen: Your Muscles' Favourite Snack 🧃🍞🍫

Think of glycogen as your body’s race-day gas tank. You don’t go on a road trip with the fuel light blinking, right? (Okay, some of you daredevils do. Stop that. 😆)

Your muscles rely on stored glycogen for energy, especially during those first 60–90 minutes of sustained effort. If you don’t fuel up properly beforehand, you’re basically asking your body to run a half marathon powered by a handful of dreams and a side salad.

How Much Fuel Do You Actually Need? 🧠📊

Here’s a handy rule of thumb that most endurance athletes follow:

👉 You should aim for 200–300 calories per hour during endurance events longer than 90 minutes.

This usually comes from carbohydrates, ideally 30–60 grams per hour. And yes, you can train your gut to handle more — up to 90 grams of carbs per hour — but that takes time and practice (and sometimes a little intestinal negotiation). 💩😅

Sources can include:

Energy gels (around 100–120 cals each)
Chews or blocks
Sports drinks
Real food like bananas, dates, or small rice cakes if your gut plays nice

My Tried-and-Tested Race Fuel Routine 🍠🍌💪

For me personally — with a gut that throws tantrums at the slightest offense — I stick to what I know works. The day before a race, I go slightly heavier on the carbs, but not the usual suspects like pasta and bread. Nope. I’m team Mother Nature carbs: sweet potato, potato, butternut — easy on the tummy, packed with goodness.

On race morning, it’s my tried-and-tested fuel mix: 👉 Cream of rice, 👉 Chia seeds, 👉 Herbalife F1 meal replacement shake, 👉 Herbalife protein drink mix 👉 And yes — a banana 🍌.

This combo is gluten-free, dairy-free, and keeps me comfortably fuelled for up to 2 hours. But food alone isn't enough — I also take in about 1 litre of fluid with breakfast. Hydration is just as critical as calories, especially if you want your gut, muscles, and brain to all show up to the start line. 💧

To round it out, I add a little slow-release caffeine, just enough to wake the system without sending it into overdrive ☕⚡.

About an hour before the race, I top up with another bit of banana and some low-GI sports fuel, just to keep things steady. Then, during the race, I start fuelling early — from kilometre 1 — and stay consistent. I sip on a mix of Herbalife24 CR7 Drive and BCAAs, and throw in a few gummy sweets for fast carbs (whatever’s on the shelf — I’m not picky).

No gimmicks. No gut drama. Just a solid, repeatable routine that works for me — and lets me focus on enjoying the run. Pro tip: Don’t wait until you're starving or bonking to eat. Start fuelling early and consistently — around 20-30 minutes into your race — and keep that flow steady. 🕒💪

What I Did Differently (and Why It Worked) ✅

In the days leading up to the race, I wasn’t shy with my calories. I stuck to my maintenance-plus plan — nothing crazy, but enough to top off the tank. Think steady carbs, moderate protein, and a few delicious extras because, well, life. 🥯🍝🥗

On race morning? No skipping breakfast. No fasting experiments. I had my go-to pre-run fuel — easily digestible, comforting, and familiar. The kind of food your stomach says, “Hey, I know you. Let’s do this.” 😎

During the race? I fuelled on schedule. Not because I was hungry, but because I respect Future Me too much to let her crash into the wall at 15K.

Runner’s Takeaway: Calories Are Not the Enemy on Race Day 🛑🚫❌

Let’s stop treating food like it’s a reward or a guilt trip. On race day, food is fuel. It’s strategy. It’s the thing that lets you show up, push hard, and finish proud.

So please, for the love of all things post-run pancakes 🥞 — eat the carbs.

Trust your training. Trust your body. And fuel it like the glorious machine that it is. 🚀

Train Slow to Race Fast 🐢➡️🏁

Why Building an Aerobic Base is the Secret Sauce to Speed

Let’s talk about one of the least flashy but most effective training principles in endurance sports:

Train slow to race fast.

Sounds weird, right? Like saying “eat cake to get abs.” But stay with me — it works. 🧠🏃‍♀️

In our Strava-obsessed world, there’s pressure to make every run look like a race. “If I’m not gasping at the end, did it even count?” YES. Yes, it did — especially if you’re building your aerobic base.

🫀 What is the Aerobic Base, Anyway?

Your aerobic base is basically your engine — the foundation of your endurance. It’s what allows you to run longer, recover faster, and go further with less effort. It’s built during those long, slow, and steady runs where you're not chasing pace, but training your heart, lungs, and muscles to work efficiently.

When you're running at an easy, conversational pace (the kind where you could recite your grocery list out loud without wheezing), you're improving your body's ability to:

✅ Burn fat as fuel ✅ Deliver oxygen to working muscles ✅ Build capillaries and mitochondria (tiny energy factories in your cells) ✅ Recover faster between harder sessions

Translation: You’re turning your body into an endurance machine. And yes — it feels boring, un natural and just down right horrible sometimes. But boring builds beasts. 💪

🚫 What Happens When You Skip the Base?

When runners skip the base-building phase and go straight into speed work, they often hit a wall (sometimes literally). Without a solid aerobic engine, your body tires faster, you risk injury, and your performance plateaus. Think of it like trying to run a marathon in a Ferrari with no fuel tank. It’s fast... for about 5K. Then it’s toast. 🔥

🧱 Base Before Brilliance

Speed work is the icing — but base work is the cake. Without it, you're just chewing on dry frosting and wondering why things aren’t coming together. 🍰And the reality is MOST runners don't need a lot of speed work if they do the base correctly and use hill runs wisely

And here’s where I get personal:

👉 I’ve been consistently strength training 2–3 times per week, and running according to a structured plan, for 45 straight weeks. Not flashy. Not always exciting. But consistent. And I can feel the difference — stronger strides, better recovery, and yes, faster races. All without burning out or blowing up.

🧠 So, Trust the Process:

Zone 2 runs are your best friend (even when your ego wants to sprint).
Patience builds performance.
Consistency beats chaos.

Your aerobic base is like compound interest — it doesn’t look exciting in the beginning, but give it time, and it pays you big on race day. 🏁

So keep showing up. Go slow when the plan says slow. Lift those weights. Take those easy runs seriously.

Because when the time comes to race fast — you’ll have the base to back it up. AND Like me just do it without even realising you can! 🐢➡️🚀

That’s a Wrap for This Week 👟🧘‍♀️

This week’s training log? Honestly — nothing flashy, and that’s exactly how it was meant to be.

After two solid efforts — a challenging Saturday run and that unforgettable race on Thursday — this past week was more of a recovery block. Easy runs, a bit more rest, and just listening to the body. Because rest isn’t a break from the plan — it is the plan. 🧠💤

I won’t dive too deep into the numbers or sessions because truthfully, it was a textbook "tick-over" week. And that’s okay. Not every week needs to be fireworks and new records. The quiet weeks are where your body absorbs all the hard work — and gets ready for the next push. 💪

That said, things are about to shift again:🎯 A brand new training block kicks off this week as we start building toward some big goals for July and August. The excitement is building, the calendar is filling, and the motivation is definitely back in full swing.

So stay tuned — because we’re shifting gears and ramping up with purpose.