Fuel & Training Tips

On a recent “Ask Me Anything” on Instagram, we received numerous questions on how to fuel for training. Lauren MacLeod, MUIR content editor and mountain sports dietitian, dives deeper into the answers. Runners have their own unique nutrition needs. In this article we’ll cut through the noise, debunk nutrition myths, and get specific about what you can do to enhance training, increase energy, and optimize recovery when you’re out on the trails.

Are you sick of using over sweetened, over-engineered energy products to fuel your workouts, race, and adventures? Maybe you’re thinking that fueling with candy might not be helping you feel as good as possible on your adventures. Perhaps you’re just looking to incorporate your clean eating habits in your training nutrition. When you transition to using real foods on your training runs, races, and adventures, not only do you not have to compromise the enjoyment of the run or your performance, but over time you should be able to run longer and stronger on real foods.  Check out the 7 benefits of running on real foods, and the 6 tips to be aware of to make your transition as smooth as possible.

The key to successful--even blissful--long runs starts with your stomach. Just like your muscles and mind, your stomach needs training, too. Most running troubles arise not from physical issues, but G.I. issues, which often can be remedied by just tinkering with your process. If you’re thinking about running longer or you’re new to running, follow this guide to train your stomach easily into handling food while you run so you can go farther feeling better. 

Whether you’re transitioning to real foods, just starting to eat on your runs, or are looking for new foods to mix up your current run nutrition, these 21 foods provide lots of energy and nutrients without upsetting your G.I. system.

To your body, exercise is a stressor and your metabolism, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and beyond all respond. Depending on the intensity, your nervous system switches to “fight-or-flight” mode. This switch triggers a cascade of stress hormones (like cortisol), signaling an increase in heart rate, blood flow, alertness, and focus. But once the workout is complete, we must signal to the body that it is time to repair. This is where nutrition comes in. 

In this video, MUIR Energy's Georgia Danielson shows you how to pack your running vest for max efficiency for a 4 hour long run.

It’s been a long couple of months for everyone, and to think anyone has cruised through this uprising of the COVID era is blasphemy. But we at MUIR have decided, enough is enough (of couch time) and it’s time to get back to training. Whether it’s a personal goal to get back to fighting shape or you have a race on the calendar with fingers crossed race day becomes a reality, getting back on track with your training regimen is going to prove vital to your mental and physical health.

Looking for an edge when it comes to running ultras? Start eating on your training runs. You would never start an ultra without first training with your gear or working on your fitness for months. Yet, many runners overlook the nutrition aspect of an ultra. When running long distances, your body needs fuel.

Gearing up for a run, race, or adventure is never quite as easy as it should be. What’s the weather going to do? Wher...