We’ve often talked about the benefits of carbohydrate for runners, cyclists and triathletes, but for many people there’s an underlying concern - does eating all those carbs increase the risk of developing diabetes or heart disease? It’s certainly a common message that’s pushed online in some circles, but is this really the case? In this episode I speak to diabetes researcher and clinical dietitian Dr Nicola Guess from the University of Oxford, who has often been asked this exact question by concerned runners, cyclists and triathletes. We break down what science tells us about the underlying cause of diabetes, how carbohydrate, exercise and body composition fit into the picture, whether high carb diets are a risk factor for chronic disease in their own right, and whether the approach should be different based on the level of training and fitness, age, family history, and existing health conditions.   Podcast Guest: Dr Nicola Guess - University of Oxford and private practice clinical dietitian   Nicola's online presence: Instagram: @dr.nicola.guess Blog/Substack: drguess.substack.com   Diabetes risk calculators mentioned: AUSDRISK Calculator (Australia): https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/risk-calculator/ Diabetes UK: https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start American Diabetes Association Risk Test: https://diabetes.org/diabetes-risk-test   Fuelin: This episode is supported by Fuelin, the world's first training-based nutrition app. It syncs with your training plan (in TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, and TriDot or Run Dot) and creates a personalised nutrition plan, built around your training schedule and tailored to your goals. You’ll see adjustments in your fuelling both within and outside of training sessions, using a traffic light system to adjust your carb intake to fuel appropriately for your needs.  To get 30% off your first month, go to https://www.fuelin.com/ and enter the code FE30 at checkout.   Fueling Endurance eBook: At over 260 pages, the Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask. Covering the first two years of the podcast, the eBook contains additional insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. Every copy sold helps cover the cost of making the podcast.  Purchase directly from https://fuelingendurance.com/ or search Fueling Endurance on Amazon for the Kindle version.

It's the 4th birthday of the podcast! And like each previous year, we’re going to look back and provide a brief summary of every question we’ve answered on the podcast in the past year, from “How do I work out my calorie needs for training?” to “Does pickle juice actually work?”, and “What do I do when my race nutrition plan falls apart?”. So if you’re new to the podcast and don’t have time to go through the whole back catalogue, or you just want a refresher and the key points from the past year's episodes, this is the place for you.   Fuelin: This episode is supported by Fuelin, the world's first training-based nutrition app. It syncs with your training plan (in TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, and TriDot or Run Dot) and creates a personalised nutrition plan, built around your training schedule and tailored to your goals. You’ll see adjustments in your fuelling both within and outside of training sessions, using a traffic light system to adjust your carb intake to fuel appropriately for your needs.  To get 30% off your first month, go to https://www.fuelin.com/ and enter the code FE30 at checkout.   Fueling Endurance eBook: At over 260 pages, the Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask. Covering the first two years of the podcast, the eBook contains additional insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. Every copy sold helps cover the cost of making the podcast.  Purchase directly from https://fuelingendurance.com/ or search Fueling Endurance on Amazon for the Kindle version.

Over the last two episodes we’ve been discussing the ‘high carb trend’ - taking in very large amounts of carbohydrate during exercise. Today we’re looking at this topic through the lens of the road marathon, an event where access to your own nutrition products is limited. In this episode I speak to marathon runner, running coach and co-host of the Inside Running Podcast, Brady Threlfall. Brady’s set a new personal best in the marathon this year, and that race included these higher carb amounts. We get his perspective on how higher carb intakes have made their way into marathon running, how he achieves this in training and on race day, and whether he feels it’s been beneficial for him and the athletes he coaches.   Podcast Guest - Brady Threlfall Instagram: @bradytrell Brady's Podcast - Inside Running Podcast Coaching - Run2PB Coaching   Fuelin: This episode is supported by Fuelin, the world's first training-based nutrition app. It syncs with your training plan (in TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, and TriDot or Run Dot) and creates a personalised nutrition plan, built around your training schedule and tailored to your goals. You’ll see adjustments in your fuelling both within and outside of training sessions, using a traffic light system to adjust your carb intake to fuel appropriately for your needs.  To get 30% off your first month, go to https://www.fuelin.com/ and enter the code FE30 at checkout.   Fueling Endurance eBook: At over 260 pages, the Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask. Covering the first two years of the podcast, the eBook contains additional insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. Every copy sold helps cover the cost of making the podcast.  Purchase directly from https://fuelingendurance.com/ or search Fueling Endurance on Amazon for the Kindle version.

In the last episode we investigated the ‘high carb trend’ - taking in very large amounts of carbohydrate (>100g/hr) during exercise.  In this episode we speak to Aussie pro cyclist Jack Haig to get an athlete's perspective. Jack’s professional career to date spans both sides of this high carb trend with almost perfectly symmetry, and so he has a great insight on how this approach took hold in the pro peloton, how it’s changed the sport, and how he achieves such high intakes from a practical perspective.   Podcast Guest: Jack Haig - Bahrain Victorious Pro Cycling Team Jack's Podcast - The Rest Day with Jack Haig (Escape Collective) Instagram: @jack_haig   Rice Krispies bar recipes mentioned: A range of recipes for Rice Krispies bars and other on-the-bike goodies from Pock-It Fuel (Lizzie Holden & Nick Shultz) - Instagram: @pockitfuel   Fuelin: This episode is supported by Fuelin, the world's first training-based nutrition app. It syncs with your training plan (in TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, and TriDot or Run Dot) and creates a personalised nutrition plan, built around your training schedule and tailored to your goals. You’ll see adjustments in your fuelling both within and outside of training sessions, using a traffic light system to adjust your carb intake to fuel appropriately for your needs.  To get 30% off your first month, go to https://www.fuelin.com/ and enter the code FE30 at checkout.   Fueling Endurance eBook: At over 260 pages, the Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask. Covering the first two years of the podcast, the eBook contains additional insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. Every copy sold helps cover the cost of making the podcast.  Purchase directly from https://fuelingendurance.com/ or search Fueling Endurance on Amazon for the Kindle version.

Aitor Viribay, Lead of Human Science at Ineos Grenadiers Pro Cycling Team, dives deep into the high-carb trend in endurance sports. He explains the science behind consuming over 100g of carbs per hour and challenges traditional nutritional guidelines. Aitor discusses when these high carb intakes are beneficial versus unnecessary, and he highlights the importance of personalized nutrition for athletes. The conversation also touches on how social media and innovative products are reshaping carbohydrate strategies in endurance training.

In the final episode of this T -12 podcast series, we catch up with our guest athlete Brad, just over 2 weeks after racing the Chicago Marathon. We find out how the race went for him, as well as how our planned strategies for accommodation, carb loading, and everything he’d worked on in the 12 weeks prior to race day turned out. We review what worked well in hindsight, what didn’t, Brad’s key learnings, and what he’d do differently next time. Back for its second season, T-12 is a brand new, unique podcast series that follows an athlete's journey as they prepare for race day. Over the final 12 weeks before the big event, we look at all aspects of race nutrition, from organising accomdation and race foods, to gut training and hydration, to eating during the taper and the day before the race. A big thanks to Aid Station who have come on board to provide Brad with sports nutrition products to try in training, to assist with his race nutrition planning. And you can get 10% off your Aid Station order by clicking this link https://www.aidstation.com.au/discount/FUEL10 or use the code FUEL10 at checkout* *T&Cs apply. Limit one use of code per customer.

We’ve often talked about periodised nutrition on this podcast, adjusting the carbs you eat across the week based on your training schedule. But in the down periods, how do you achieve this without being ravenously hungry? And on the flipside, when you do need to load up for a big training session, sometimes it's hard to do this without feeling uncomfortably full and bloated. In this episode we discuss some of the key strategies to managing hunger and satiety through the ups and downs of a periodised nutrition approach. How to get those carbs in when you don’t feel like eating more, and how to increase the feeling of fullness you get from lower carb, lower calorie meals. By applying these principles you can help to even out the hunger and fullness across the training cycle, even when the carbs and calories are going up and down with training.   Fuelin: This episode is supported by Fuelin, the world's first training-based nutrition app. It syncs with your training plan (in TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, and TriDot or Run Dot) and creates a personalised nutrition plan, built around your training schedule and tailored to your goals. You’ll see adjustments in your fuelling both within and outside of training sessions, using a traffic light system to adjust your carb intake to fuel appropriately for your needs.  To get 30% off your first month, go to https://www.fuelin.com/ and enter the code FE30 at checkout.   Fueling Endurance eBook: At over 260 pages, the Fueling Endurance eBook contains answers to 49 of the most common nutrition questions that runners, cyclists and triathletes ask. Covering the first two years of the podcast, the eBook contains additional insights, tips, and quotes from experts and athletes. Every copy sold helps cover the cost of making the podcast.  Purchase directly from https://fuelingendurance.com/ or search Fueling Endurance on Amazon for the Kindle version.

Brad's now into the taper for the Chicago Marathon. Here we discuss the nutrition aspect to this, the flight from Melbourne to Chicago and coping with jetlag, last minute nutrition logistics, and what to do if things do go south mid-race. If you're racing Chicago or Melbourne Marathons or another event in October or November you can follow along and apply the same principles to your own race nutrition preparations. Back for its second season, T-12 is a brand new, unique podcast series that follows an athlete's journey as they prepare for race day. Over the final 12 weeks before the big event, we'll look at all aspects of race nutrition, from organising accomdation and race foods, to gut training and hydration, to eating during the taper and the day before the race. A big thanks to Aid Station who have come on board to provide Brad with sports nutrition products to try in training, to assist with his race nutrition planning. And you can get 10% off your Aid Station order by clicking this link https://www.aidstation.com.au/discount/FUEL10 or use the code FUEL10 at checkout* *T&Cs apply. Limit one use of code per customer.

Brad has done a couple of attempts at a full nutrition dress rehearsal for the Chicago Marathon. We review how it went, finalise his race nutrition plan, discuss some travel logistics and important considerations for his nutrition, and come up with a Plan B for race day. If you're racing Chicago or Melbourne Marathons or another event in October or November you can follow along and apply the same principles to your own race nutrition preparations. Back for its second season, T-12 is a brand new, unique podcast series that follows an athlete's journey as they prepare for race day. Over the final 12 weeks before the big event, we'll look at all aspects of race nutrition, from organising accomdation and race foods, to gut training and hydration, to eating during the taper and the day before the race. A big thanks to Aid Station who have come on board to provide Brad with sports nutrition products to try in training, to assist with his race nutrition planning. And you can get 10% off your Aid Station order by clicking this link https://www.aidstation.com.au/discount/FUEL10 or use the code FUEL10 at checkout* *T&Cs apply. Limit one use of code per customer.

Brad has just completed an all-important test of his fluid tolerance, to see how far he's come. We also plan his upcoming nutrition dress rehearsal for Chicago. If you're racing Chicago or Melbourne Marathons or another event in October or November you can follow along and apply the same principles to your own race nutrition preparations. Back for its second season, T-12 is a brand new, unique podcast series that follows an athlete's journey as they prepare for race day. Over the final 12 weeks before the big event, we'll look at all aspects of race nutrition, from organising accomdation and race foods, to gut training and hydration, to eating during the taper and the day before the race. A big thanks to Aid Station who have come on board to provide Brad with sports nutrition products to try in training, to assist with his race nutrition planning. And you can get 10% off your Aid Station order by clicking this link https://www.aidstation.com.au/discount/FUEL10 or use the code FUEL10 at checkout* *T&Cs apply. Limit one use of code per customer.