There are a lot of questions, myths and misconceptions out there when it comes to nutrition for trail running and understanding the ultra runners diet.
Our Mission at Vert.run
One of our main goals and missions at Vert.run is to demystify the sport of trail running and ultrarunning, and to open the door really wide and show you that you belong here too.
And one of the ways that we do that (in addition to our free training plans, affordable coaching and awesome community) is by making as much information as accessible as we can for you.
In this blog post, we’re going to walk through some FAQs that trail runners of all levels have about nutrition–and even if you’re an experienced veteran ultrarunner, there’s good info in here for you, too.
The format of this article is a transcript of a podcast episode
From our popular trail running podcast “Running Long,” which is hosted by Vert.run coach Francesco Puppi.
Here, Francesco (who lives in Italy) interviews Wilfredo Benitez, the founder of On Pace Wellness–a Portland, Oregon-based nutrition firm that specializes in serving endurance athletes and ultrarunners.
Note: the transcribed version here in this article is a little shorter than the podcast itself. If you want the full conversation (and want to get to know Fran and Will!) give the podcast a listen during your next long run or commute. It’s a great conversation and way to open your mind to new ideas and tips.
Introduction to On Pace Wellness
01:01
Francesco: Welcome! Today we have the chance to talk with Wilfredo Benitez from On Pace Wellness, a company based in Portland, Oregon that is focused on helping people optimize their nutrition to improve health, wellness and performance.
To start, can you tell us a little bit more about your company, On Pace Wellness?
The Origin of On Pace Wellness
01:48
Wilfredo: I started On Pace Wellness about five years ago. It’s primarily a one-on-one nutrition coaching practice. We welcome anyone who is looking to improve their health, achieve their goals, improve how they eat and their nutrition.
I work with many athletes, and the majority are runners. I myself am a runner and entered the world of trail and ultra running about 9-10 years ago after starting out as a road runner.
I enjoy working with runners, and I love helping runners learn how to eat not only to stay healthy but also to become better runners.
Importance of a Balanced Diet for Athletes
03:07
Francesco: Today we are going to focus on the topic of being balanced as athletes with our nutrition and to start, let’s explore the idea of a balanced diet and what that might look like.
Want to take your trail running training to the next level? Discover Vert.run’s popular training plans–for all levels of trail runners.
The Importance of a Balanced Ultra Runners Diet
04:32
Wilfredo: It’s an important and foundational topic for athletes who want to train hard and recover well–a balanced diet is key.
So what does that mean?
A balanced diet for trail runners means a good balance or ratio of the three main macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
What Does a Balanced Diet Mean?
When we look at our plates a simple way to assess whether we are eating a balanced diet is to look at our plates or bowls throughout the day. We don’t want to have one main macronutrient—carbs, fat, or protein—identified on that plate, right?
For example, if we’re looking at our plate, and 75% of it is basically carbs like rice and pastas and potatoes and breads, and not too much else, then maybe we need to focus on getting more fats and proteins on the plate as well.
Personalized Ratios Diet
For trail runners, this ratio of macronutrients is different from just any other person. One thing I do when I work one-on-one with people is personalize this ratio based on their training and other factors.
Adjusting Your Ultra Runners Diet Throughout the Year
That’s another thing I should mention–everyone’s macronutrients might look different and for each person they will fluctuate throughout the year based on your training load or off-season.
Ensuring Carbohydrate Intake in Your Diet
It is important to remember that runners’ bodies love carbohydrates and use them as fuel, so it is important to make sure you’re getting enough without going overboard.
Balancing Fats and Proteins
You’ll want to make sure you’re still getting enough fat and enough proteins, because those are really important nutrients as well. This is the foundation of making sure that our nutrition is healthy, and it’s serving us as athletes.
Want to take your trail running training to the next level? Discover Vert.run’s popular training plans–for all levels of trail runners.
Achieving Balance in Your Runners Diet
08:20
Francesco: To me, the key word is balanced. As long as you’re in balance with your diet, with your training, with your health, and everything that is in your life–as long as it is sustainable, that is going to make you a better person and a better athlete.
Can you specify a bit further about how the ratio of macronutrients (carbs, fats and protein) changes over the different periods of your training?
09:26
Wilfredo: Your nutrition should be changing just as your training changes.
In the beginning, or maybe your base building phase where you’re building your foundational strength, you’re building your aerobic capacity, you might be working up to higher mileage but probably lower intensity.
Lower Intensity and Higher Volume
With the lower intensity and higher volume, your nutrition is still going to be emphasizing carbohydrates, but there will be a little bit more fat in the diet. That is because during longer and lower intensity efforts, the body is burning and can tolerate fats a lot better, and it can use fats as energy a lot better.
In that next phase, we usually see more intensity in the training progression. Your running volume might stay the same, but you are kicking up the number of workouts and intensity, and your heart rate is climbing much more.
Then, in this phase, the body uses carbohydrates much more easily and often for fuel than proteins or fats. You’ll want to increase the amount of carbohydrates you consume to match that intensity and replenish the carbohydrates you used in your efforts.
Meal Timing and Macronutrient Ratios
12:44
Francesco: Do these ratios of macronutrients need to be the same at every meal? Or, for example, would you eat more proteins for dinner and more carbs for lunch? Does it change throughout the day, or does it not matter?
13:15
Wilfredo: This is a great question with a complex answer.
It shouldn’t really matter as long as you’re getting all of that nutrition in, throughout the day. If you’re decently balancing all your meals then you should be okay, I don’t think you need to be that extreme to track exact ratios for every meal.
That being said, we also don’t want to be too extreme on the other side of the spectrum, right where you’re only getting one macronutrient at each meal.
A Balanced Diet
What I like to see is some degree of balance throughout the day without getting too caught up in the details and making sure everything is perfect. When you eat in a balanced way, your body digests food better, and your energy and blood sugar will be more stabilized.
Want to take your trail running training to the next level? Discover Vert.run’s popular training plans–for all levels of trail runners.
15:22
Francesco: How important is the quality of the food that we eat?
17:06
Wilfredo: This is a great question.
Sometimes you’ll hear people say, “A calorie is not a calorie.” And what that is saying is the source of the calories you eat really matters.
We have different sources of carbohydrates, for example, from fruits, different carbohydrate sources, such as grains, and the body metabolizes these nutrients differently.
Processed Foods vs. Whole Foods?
What comes to mind when I think about this question is processed food vs. whole foods. Thinking about how processed the food you eat is is a very simple way to differentiate between quality nutrition and poor quality nutrition.
With processed food, we see high calorie options but not nutrient dense, which is not what we want to focus on eating. We want to see high nutrient density foods.
These are foods that we know are whole foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, to some extent pastas and breads.
The more processed the food, the more energy it takes from the body to process it. In general, what we see is the more and more processed foods in people’s bodies and in people’s diets, the more tired their body is, the more it takes for the body to break down those foods.
Tips for Planning a Balanced and Nutritious Diet
20:49
Francesco: Can you give us some tips and general rules to plan our meals so that they are balanced, nutritious, and high quality?
21:29
Wilfredo: I will say a general rule of thumb, for people who are wanting to eat a more balanced diet, is to increase your fiber intake.
If you are increasing your fiber, you are only doing so by making sure that you’re eating higher quality foods that are rich in fiber and generally these are whole, healthier foods.
By eating more whole foods that are rich in fiber, you have less room for the process, sugary foods that throw your nutrition out of balance.
Using an App to Optimize Your Nutrition Plan
Another good tip is to use an app or simply take photos of your meals to see what you are eating regularly and try to focus on getting that good mix of all your macronutrients–carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
Want to take your trail running training to the next level? Discover Vert.run’s popular training plans–for all levels of trail runners.
26:36
Francesco: Thank you. This is really helpful in remembering to keep it simple and balanced.
Positive Mindset
28:28
Wilfredo: One last quick tip I would add is to remember to keep a positive mental state around nutrition and instead of focusing on the things you should cut out or eat less of, focus on the good things you can add like more healthy, nutritious food to fuel your lifestyle as an athlete.
29:44
Francesco: Absolutely. I think having a healthy relationship with food is so important to focus on because it is way more sustainable. Food is deeply tied to emotions, traditions, and culture which is something that is really important.
Until next time, happy trails!
