By: Malén Gudbrandsgard, Nutrition advisor, MatPrat

Whether you've signed up for 3km or a marathon, it's important to train to eat.
Did you know that you can train your digestion in the same way you train a muscle?

Practice eating
In endurance competition lasting longer than 1 hour, the glycogen stores will - that is
your carbohydrate stores are depleted. As a result of empty glycogen stores, the speed will
yours go down significantly. This will affect your performance and the actual feeling of the race.

Get the "good feeling"
By getting quick energy in the form of fast carbohydrates, which add fuel to
the muscles, the feeling of running will improve. So in the same way that you train to run
faster and faster through interval training, the body can be trained to absorb more
nutrition during activity - only you train for it!

Sign up for this year's running adventure here! 

When and how, some rules to remember!

The body needs time to get used to absorbing nutrients through activity. That is why
important to start training well in advance of a race - not just the last week. With 4 weeks
again for the Oslo Marathon, it is an absolutely excellent time to start this training
stomach/intestinal tract! Previously, it was believed that 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour was
maximum the body was able to take in nutrients through activity.

Recent research shows that the body can take in twice as much, i.e. 120 grams
carbohydrates per hour - with the right training! In recent years, carbohydrates have gained a
undeserved bad reputation. We need carbohydrates, and the research says this too
that carbohydrates that come from our raw materials are one of the healthiest things you can eat. IN
plus it's perfect running food! Carbohydrates are the body's main source of
energy, and what is more appropriate then than carbohydrates when you need extra
energy during a race?

- Fast carbohydrates can be: homemade energy bar or energy balls, bread with tempting
cold cuts, homemade biscuits, banana, raisins or other fruit and berries.
- Start small and gradually increase with each training session.
- Practice eating both at intervals and on long trips. During the interval sessions, you can eat a little in between
the dragons, while in the long term you can, for example, take a bite of the homemade bar or a little
berries every 20 minutes.
- Eat small bites along the way.
- Make a plan for what and how you will implement it.
- What you practice, you become good at.

In this way, you will be stronger and better prepared for autumn running adventures. - And you
avoids the feeling of "running out" during the race. It is individual how often you want
to eat during a running session. Feel your body and find what suits you. And remember –
having something extra nice with you on a trip can be a great motivation in itself to
complete the session. You are rewarded both by the feeling of mastery, dopamine that is released
by being physically active and the joy of treating yourself to something extra good.

3 recipes for training food that you can make yourself: 

Recipe for banana, orange and raspberry smoothie can be found here

Recipe for müslibar can be found here!

And click here for fruit and nut balls!