How to Fuel Long Training Sessions: The Complete Guide

Fuelling a long training session well is a skill as trainable as swimming, cycling, or running. Get it right and you’ll finish sessions strong with energy to spare; get it wrong and you’ll bonk, underperform, and spend the rest of the day feeling wrecked. Here’s a complete guide to fuelling sessions lasting 90 minutes or more.

Before: Pre-Session Nutrition

Your pre-session meal should be eaten 2-3 hours before you start. Focus on carbohydrates for energy with moderate protein and minimal fat and fibre — both slow digestion and can cause GI issues during hard efforts. Good options include porridge with banana, a bagel with peanut butter and jam, or toast with honey.

If you’re training within 60 minutes of waking, a smaller snack works — a banana or energy bar, consumed 30-45 minutes before starting. Avoid high-fibre cereals, large portions, or anything unfamiliar before key sessions.

During: Fuelling on the Go

For sessions longer than 75 minutes, you need to replace carbohydrates during the effort. The general guideline is 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour for moderate intensity, rising to 60-90g per hour for race-pace efforts. Isotonic sports drinks, gels, chews, or real-food options like rice cakes and bananas all work — the best choice is whatever you can comfortably consume while exercising at your target intensity.

• Cycling sessions: Easier to eat solids — energy bars, rice cakes, or bananas work well alongside a sports drink in your bottle.
• Running sessions: Stick to liquids and gels for minimal GI disruption. Practise taking gels at race pace to prepare for race day.
• Brick sessions: Practise your race-day nutrition strategy during brick sessions — this is where you dial in what works for your stomach.

Hydration: Don’t Wait Until Thirsty

Aim to drink 400-800ml per hour depending on heat and sweat rate. A sports drink with electrolytes is better than plain water for sessions over 90 minutes, as sodium and other electrolytes are lost through sweat and need replacing. Pre-weigh yourself before and after a long session to estimate sweat rate — each kilogram of body weight lost is roughly 1 litre of fluid deficit.

After: Recovery Window

The 30-60 minutes after a long session is the most important recovery window. Aim for a meal or shake containing 20-25g of protein and 60-80g of carbohydrates within 30 minutes of finishing. This replenishes glycogen stores and kickstarts muscle repair. A recovery smoothie, chocolate milk, or a chicken and rice meal all fit the bill. Don’t skip this window — consistent recovery nutrition is what allows you to train hard again in 24-48 hours.