Whether you are an experienced marathoner or a beginner, getting your nutrition right for the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon can be very tricky. With a huge selection of products available for runners, how can you be sure you’re making the right choice? Sports gels, bars, chews and drinks are generally mass-produced and often include ingredients with weird sounding names that can be impossible to pronounce. Not to mention the effect these products can have on your system and your running result.
The key elements needed to successfully fuel a run include hydration (fluid), electrolytes (4 key minerals to replace what you are losing) and carbohydrate (energy) intake. These are all vitally important but how can we consume all of these sufficiently while moving to keep our body moving?
The easiest way to consume all these elements is to drink a pre-mixed endurance fuel like Fixx Nutrition Fuel X. With the right blend of electrolytes and the right quantity and type of carbohydrates, this liquid endurance fuel will also keep you energised and well hydrated. Fuel X is a powder that mixes easily with water and can be sipped from an aid station cup, drink bottle, soft flask or hydration vest during your run.
How to use Fuel X Endurance Fuel in the Village Roadshow Theme Parks Gold Coast Marathon and ASICS Half Marathon
The day before the marathon or half marathon
Add one scoop of your favourite Fuel X flavour to 500-700ml chilled water and sip during the day and if you can repeat even better. There are huge benefits to pre hydrating as well as pre-loading carbohydrates which will impact how your body feels on race day.
The morning of the marathon or half marathon
Add one scoop to 250-500ml water and sip over the hour before the start of the run.
Start line
Just before the start gun goes off, drink one all natural, small batch Fixx Cold Brew Energy 50ml shot! With an amazing 150mg naturally occurring caffeine, the equivalent of a double espresso this shot will get you focused and energised for a strong start. This is your pre-run coffee! Enjoy! Being Cold Brewed this product is low in acidity and will mean you will not necessarily need to visit the toilet.
During the run
Drink 1-2 cups of pre-mixed endurance fuel as provided at the Refreshment Stations which are located at 5.5km, 10km, 15.5km, 20km, 25.5km, 30.5km, 35.5km, 40.5km on the full marathon course.
At the 25-30km mark, consume an all-natural double espresso Fixx Cold Brew Energy Shot! Small enough to carry in your pocket or running belt, the caffeine will help you to re-focus and the carbohydrates will energise you to get you to the finish line.
After the run
Drink 1-2 cups Fuel X in the Recovery Area after you have finished your race, grab a piece of fruit & water, stretch, relax & enjoy the glory!
Things to watch out for:
- Waiting until it is too late. Get your nutrition in as early as you can to avoid the dreaded wall. Drinking at least one drink bottle of Fuel X the day before and hydrating the hour before an event will set your body up well. Continue to drink Fuel X and water from the aid stations (refreshment and water stations) to ensure your body is getting the required carbohydrates and electrolytes.
- Practice using your race nutrition during training. Using Fuel X on your long runs will help you get more out of your training and will indirectly help with your recovery too. The best way to use an endurance fuel while training is to carry a hand-held soft flask or wear a hydration vest. Your local running store sell these and will advise you on suitable options.
- Get familiar with Aid Stations. Research well ahead of time exactly what brand and products are being offered and at what km marks and practice using them during training runs.
- Avoid the dreaded GUT BOMB. Another good reason to practice using the event nutrition before race day to ensure your stomach can handle them without any adverse reaction. The great thing about Fixx products is that they only contain simple carbohydrates which are easily digested and very gut-friendly unlike many other brands on the market.
- Manage muscle cramps. No one knows exactly what causes these, we think a lack of hydration, minerals or lactic acid build up all could contribute to muscle cramping, but cramping can strike marathon runners unexpectedly despite their best training efforts. Consuming premium nutrition like Fuel X & Fuel X PRO will go to some lengths to help you with this but the fastest way to get rid of a muscle cramp mid-race is to drink a CrampFix Shot. Cramps will disappear within seconds.
- Naturally occurring caffeine is best. Produced from plants rather than acid, many nutrition companies use synthetic caffeine which is not good for your body, natural caffeine offers a more sustainable and cleaner boost of energy like that in the Fixx Cold Brew Shots which by the way taste amazing!
This all may seem somewhat overwhelming but if you do your homework as early as you can and get familiar with the premium, all natural product range of Fixx Nutrition you’ll be all set for an awesome running experience.
Important TIP: Try out Fuel X endurance fuel – it is a combination of the most important parts of nutrition – hydration, electrolytes and carbohydrates and might just be the easiest way to fuel your run.
All the Fixx Nutrition products are manufactured in their own food production facility in Burleigh Heads, Queensland. If you need any help with choosing the right products for you feel free to contact them via the website or social pages.