What's the solution? You want to avoid hitting the wall, but you don't want to exceed needs. Many endurance athletes are over-consuming when it comes to fueling during an event. Consider gradually adopting a more conservative fueling approach of 10 to 30 grams per hour (40 to 120 calories per hour) and see how you feel. It just may be that you can cut calories, minimize GI issues and elevate performance all at the same time.
Avoid Fueling with Junk
Be selective with what you choose to consume during training/racing. Not all sports products are created equal. In addition, many athletes are trying more natural products, or using real food to fuel for their training/racing. It's up to you to read ingredients and truly be comfortable with what you're putting in your body.More: 5 Whole Food Alternatives to Sports Products
The Takeaway
Fueling strategies for marathon training, along with other endurance sports, are constantly evolving. Athletes are challenging themselves to rely less on dietary fuel sources and more on internal body stores. With this change comes improved metabolic efficiency: the ability to go longer with improved performance much of the time.Just be sure to ease into these changes, as they're not something that should be altered overnight.
More: How to Fuel for a Marathon
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