Your gut is your fuel engine—yet most runners train legs and lungs, not digestion. In a 100 km, 100-mile, or 200 km race, you need to absorb 90 g+ carbs/hour, plus manage electrolytes, fats, proteins, and recovery. Here’s a simple, all-in-one plan to gut-train like a pro.
Daily Gut-Health Foundation
You can’t skip these habits—think of them as your gut’s “base mileage.”
Resistant Starch (RS): Feeds good bacteria
- Start 5 g/day, add 5 g each week up to 20 g/day (raw potato starch, green banana flour) .
Probiotics: Cultivate carb-digesters.
- 10–20 billion CFU/day of multi-strain Bifido + Lacto with breakfast .
Diet Diversity: Rotate fruits, veggies, grains to build a robust microbiome.
What is FODMAP
FODMAP is an acronym that stands for a group of short-chain carbohydrates (sugars and fibers) that some people’s guts find hard to digest. Here’s the breakdown:
- Fermentable
- Oligosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- Monosaccharides
- And
- Polyols
Why “Fermentable”?
When these carbs aren’t fully absorbed in your small intestine, they travel to your large intestine (colon). There, friendly—and sometimes unfriendly—bacteria “eat” them. This process is called fermentation, and it produces gas as a by-product. Too much gas can cause:
- Bloating
- Cramping
- Flatulence
- Diarrhea or constipation
How FODMAPs Cause Trouble
- Water Draw: FODMAPs pull extra water into the intestines, which can speed things up and cause diarrhea.
- Gas Production: Bacteria ferment (digest) FODMAPs, releasing hydrogen, methane, and carbon dioxide gas—leading to bloating and cramps.
Who Needs to Worry?
- Sensitive Stomachs: Runners or anyone with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) often feel worse when they eat high-FODMAP foods.
- During Exercise: A full, gassy gut can lead to cramps, the urge to stop, or an unhappy finish line experience.
Low-FODMAP Days: Choose foods that are easy on your gut—rice, oats, bananas, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, eggs, chicken.
High-FODMAP Sessions: Occasionally practice with high-FODMAP foods (wheat toast, beans, garlic, onions, apples) during training runs so your gut adapts.
FODMAP Cycling: Tolerance Training
- Teach your gut to handle fermentable carbs—without the gas.
- Schedule: 3–4 low, 1–2 high per week.
- Tip: On high-FODMAP long runs, include those foods in your pre-run meal and sip.
Gut-Training Runs: Mimic Race Day
Progressively overload your gut—just like your legs.
Build Up Carbs/Hr:
- Weeks 1–2: 45 g/hr (e.g., 2 gels)
- Weeks 3–4: 60 g/hr (3 gels or gels+chews)
- Weeks 5–6: 75 g/hr (gels + sports drink)
- Weeks 7–8: 90 g/hr (mix gels, chews, drink)
Long-Run Simulation:
- 4–6 h run at goal pace, 90 g carbs/hr, same bottles & pack you’ll use on race day.
SGLT1 Upregulation:
- On 4–6 key long runs, force 90 g/hr for 2–3 h straight. Research shows this boosts your intestine’s carb-pumps by ~15 % .
Electrolytes, Fats & Protein: The Complete Fuel Mix
- Electrolytes: Sodium (500–700 mg/hr), potassium (200 mg/hr), magnesium (50 mg/hr). Sip 150–200 ml every 15 min.
- Fats: Up to 10 g/hr in ultra-long runs—use MCT oil or nut butters in gel form.
- Protein: 5–10 g/hr in runs >6 h—collagen peptides or BCAAs to blunt muscle breakdown.
Example Mix (per hour):
- 60 g carbs (gel + drink)
- 6 g protein (BCAA powder)
- 500 mg sodium + 200 mg potassium (salt tabs)
- 5 g MCT oil
Recovery & Supplements
Post-Run Meal: 1 g carbs + 0.3 g protein per kg bodyweight within 30 min.
Supplements:
- Glutamine: 5 g for gut-lining support.
- Collagen + Vitamin C: 10 g + 500 mg for tendon repair.
- Omega-3: 2 g/day to reduce inflammation.
(RS = Resistant Starch; B = Billion CFU; F = FODMAP)
FAQ
Q1: What is RS (g/d)?
RS is Resistant Starch, a carb that feeds good gut bugs. Measured in grams per day.
Q2: What’s Probiotic (B CFU)?
Probiotics are live bacteria. B CFU means billion colony-forming units—the strength of your supplement.
Q3: What are Low-FODMAP Days?
Days you eat only low-FODMAP foods (rice, oats, bananas, zucchini) to calm gut fermentation.
Q4: What are High-FODMAP Days?
Days you eat FODMAP-rich foods (wheat, beans, garlic, apples) so your gut learns to handle fermentable carbs.
Q5: What is Carb/Hr on Long Run?
How many grams of carbs you eat each hour during your longest training run (e.g., 90 g/hr).
Q6: What are SGLT1 Runs?
Special runs where you force-feed 90 g carbs/hr to upregulate your gut’s glucose pumps.
Q7: What is SGLT1 Upregulation?
Teaching your intestinal cells to make more SGLT1 transporters—the “pumps” that absorb glucose + sodium.
Q8: Low-FODMAP Foods List
✔ Rice, oats, quinoa
✔ Bananas, blueberries
✔ Carrots, cucumber, spinach
✔ Chicken, eggs, firm tofu
Q9: High-FODMAP Foods List
✔ Wheat bread, pasta
✔ Beans, lentils
✔ Garlic, onion, cauliflower
✔ Apples, pears, watermelon
Q10: What’s RPE?
Rating of Perceived Exertion—a 1–10 scale of how hard you feel you’re working.
Q11: Why Mix Fats & Protein?
Fats (MCTs) give stable calories; protein (BCAAs, collagen) stops muscle breakdown and aids repair.
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