Energy for Runners | Everything You Need to Know

How often are you running out of energy on your daily jogs? Are you struggling to make any progress in your marathon training? No matter how long you run or how fast you go, your body uses energy to get through the exercise.

When you deplete your stored energy, you might find yourself struggling to finish the run. If you can complete it, you might not have achieved the time you wanted. You could even become injured if the exhaustion is too extreme.

Longer and more intense runs burn up your body’s stored energy much faster. In these cases, you could end up needing more fuel to get through your race or training. Even shorter jogs can lead to exhaustion if your body isn’t used to running.

How can you prevent exhaustion?

The best way to get running energy is through your diet, but it will vary from person to person depending on your fitness level and the intensity of your exercise.

If you want to know more about energy and running, we encourage you to read on. You’ll be able to learn more about:

• The Type of Energy You Need to Run
• How You to Get Energy for Running
• Mid-Running Energy Boost
• Tips for Preventing Fatigue
• Instant Energy for Running
• What Are Gels for Running?
• Powders for Running Glucose

What Type of Energy do Runners Need?

You must understand the different kinds of energy your body uses before we go over the energy supplements you can use for running. More specifically, we’ll cover the various systems that provide you with the power to run.

These systems are named for the energy they provide, such as:

• Aerobic Running Energy
  • This is the energy your body uses to keep going on an endurance run. It primarily comes from breaking down glucose, but the aerobic system can also use fat to create adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy. That is why endurance exercise is excellent for burning fat.
• Anaerobic Running Energy
  • When you run a sprint for up to 90 seconds, your body uses anaerobic energy, which is glucose that is quickly broken down without oxygen. While it provides you with a power burst, it also creates lactic acid as a byproduct. This can increase muscle fatigue.
• ATP-CP Running Energy
  • Your body also uses this energy for sprints, but you only get about five seconds for an energy boost because your muscles have more minor creatine phosphate (CP) stores. Some athletes will add creatine supplements to their diets to increase their muscle stores for a more prolonged burst of energy.

As you can see, there are several fuels your body uses for energy. Glucose is one of the significant examples. It comes from carbohydrates, and it is stored in your muscles as well as your bloodstream.

However, intramuscular fat and creatine can also provide your body with an energy boost. Runner supplements should focus on providing you with these fuels. 

How to Get Energy Before a Run

If you’re wondering how you can maximize your energy boost before a run, you can do several things. As we mentioned, you can consume supplements, or you can naturally get more energy through a balanced diet.

Your pre-run meals should focus on carbohydrates. You should start carb-loading the night before a big race if you want to optimize your glycogen stores. In the morning, you will want to choose a carbohydrate meal that is easy on your stomach.

We recommend that you stick with complex carbohydrates the morning of your run. These nutrients are harder to break down, which means that you’ll get an ongoing supply of fuel over a few hours. If you are a marathon runner, you may still have to supplement this meal with mid-run snacks.

You can also provide your body with more energy before a run by consuming sports drinks or running food gels. We suggest that you use caution with energy drinks, however. An energy drink can be dangerous for those with poor heart health, and it can also make you sick with excessive amounts of sugar or too much caffeine.

Ways to Prevent Fatigue When Running

Even if you eat right, many things can cause you to experience an energy slump before you cross the finish line. While some of them are unavoidable, there are still several things that you can do to help your body for a long-distance run.

We recommend that you implement the following tips into your training schedule:

• Utilize a Gradual Training Plan and Increase Mileage by No More Than 10% per week.
• Skip a Day and Try out Other Exercises to Give Your Body a Break from Running
• Ensure Proper Running Posture Throughout Long Runs
• Try Running at Different Times to See When You Have the Most Energy
• Get 7-9 Hours of Sleep Per Night
• Stay Hydrated While Running Long Distances
• Consume Carbohydrates While Running for Enough Energy

How to Get Energy While Running

If you’re going to be running for longer than an hour, you might need to refuel in the middle of your run. Even if you had an energy boost before a run and did everything to prevent fatigue, it might not be enough. More often than not, you’ll still use up most of your energy before you finish your race.

In situations like this, you might find yourself reaching for a running booster in the middle of your race. Many people carry snacks with them and eat a little bit of them every 30 minutes. What is most important is to consume your calories with the appropriate amount of water to reduce stomach discomfort.

They also offer several energy-boosting products for runners, and often, these can give you instant energy.

How to Get Instant Energy for Running

As we mentioned before, glycogen is your body’s primary fuel source for energy during running exercise. Glycogen comes from carbohydrates, so you must choose your mid-run snacks carefully. You’ll want to choose carbohydrates that are easy to digest and break down if you want to get instant energy. These carbs are known as simple carbohydrates. Complex carbs are better for a slow, steady release of energy.

Energy products for runners are typically made with quick-digesting sugars so that you can get the glycogen into your blood as fast as possible. Your body will then use your blood glucose to power through your race. As this energy depletes, you’ll need to continue to consume more of the carbs for more energy boosts. We’ll get more into the different types of energy products that athletes use for running energy.

You have plenty of options if you prefer to stick with more natural energy sources. You’ll want to look for snacks that are easy to eat while running but still provide you with a high dose of sugar. Fruits are a great source of simple carbohydrates, so we recommend that you try bananas, grapes, or dried fruits for mid-run snacks.

Popular Energy Boosters for Running

While natural options can help, they don’t pack quite the punch that you would get from running energy products. For that reason, they aren’t quite as popular. Energy powders and energy bars are typically among the more popular products for boosting energy.

These products are designed to be easy to consume on the go, and they provide you with a condensed serving of sugar. The formulas are made for easy digestion so that you can quickly benefit from the energy. For that reason, many runners prefer to carry these products with them on their long runs.

The energy snacks can come in several different forms, so you can choose which one you prefer. Some of the more popular options are energy bars, which are similar to granola bars. They also offer energy chews that look like jelly beans.

Runners who want to combine hydration and energy often prefer a sports drink or electrolyte drink. These products provide you with plenty of sugar, and some even have caffeine for an added energy boost.

FAQ About Glucose Gel Packs for Runners

If you’ve never heard of running nutrition gels until now, you probably have a lot of questions. How do you consume them? What do they taste like?

The world of sports nutrition is constantly changing, and if you’re new to it, you’ll find many products you’ve never heard of. You shouldn’t let that stop you from trying them, however. We encourage you to read on if you would like to learn more about what an energy gel is and how it works.

We’ll also provide you with some more answers to frequently asked questions so that you can be armed with more information. By the time you finish reading, you’ll be able to choose the best energy source for your routine.

Energy Tablets for Running

If you don’t like the idea of eating a sticky gel while you run, you’re not alone. Plenty of other people prefer to get their carbohydrates in different forms. If you still want to get the same effect in a much more convenient form, we suggest that you look into energy tablets or powders.

Running with these little tablets is much easier because of their size, but you will need to make sure you dissolve them in water. Fortunately, most of the energy tablets and powders available today are easy to mix on the go.

Best Energy Boost for Running

Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of getting running energy through powders? If so, we invite you to look at our products. At Tailwind Nutrition, we have worked hard to provide our customers with a product that has the convenience and nutritional benefits of a gel without the mess.

Our Endurance Fuel electrolyte powders are specially designed to deliver a solid dose of carbohydrates so that you can power through your next marathon or half marathon pace during your race.

Want to know the best part?

Each serving comes with 25 grams of carbohydrates in the form of dextrose and sucrose. These sugars match the sugars your body was designed to absorb. As a result, they enter your bloodstream much faster than other carbohydrates. Not only does that mean you’ll boost energy, but it also means that you won’t have to worry about any digestive issues.

Those aren’t the only reasons that endurance runners love our products. Athletes continue to choose our powders because the products also provide them with:

• Electrolytes
  • Our products are about more than just providing your body with energy. We also pack our mixes full of electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These electrolytes help your body function, and they also expedite the absorption of water and carbs.
• Hydration
  • All of our powders must be mixed with water, but the pre-measured servings are conveniently packaged to fit into a 20-24oz water bottle. That makes it easy to mix on the go, and it ensures that you stay hydrated throughout your race.
• Flavor
  • Some of those gels can be hard to stomach. The intense sweetness can often make you feel sick, and you might have trouble getting it all down. Fortunately, our products are light and refreshing with natural flavors, so you can enjoy them.

Summary

We know that was a lot of information to process, but we hope that you now have a better understanding of energy for runners and how to best maintain it.

Whether you’re trying to prepare for your first race, or you want to achieve a PR for your next one, you should be better equipped to fuel your body since we covered:

• The Types of Energy Systems Your Body Uses While Running
• Where Your Get Energy for Races
• How to Boost Your Energy Mid-Run
• How to Prevent Runner’s Fatigue
• Instant Energy Boost Products
• Questions About Running Gels
• The Best Running Powders for Energy

If you are ready to try one of our energy powders, we recommend that you order a few flavors of our Endurance Fuel today. You can order them in single servings to see which you like best, and when you find one you love, you can purchase one of our bulk packs with up to 50 servings.

We also offer several different bundle options for you to try. You can stick with our Endurance Fuel bundle, or you can check out our Starter Kit. It pairs the endurance products with a few of our Recovery Mixes to create the ideal training nutrition combo.