Fueling Endurance - Nutrition for Runners, Cyclists & Triathletes

Dentist and ultrarunner Julie Savage joins us to discuss a topic that many of us may prefer not to think about. Julie explains whether sports drinks and gels themselves have a unique role in dental erosion and decay, whether exercise itself is the problem, and most importantly, what runners, cyclists and triathletes can do to protect their smiles.

We're joined this week by elite trail and mountain runner Blake Hose. Blake shares his experience with blood testing, what he's tested for and the feedback and value he's got from having bloods, and his thoughts on regular versus ad hoc testing.

Medical doctor and Sports Medicine Registrar Alice McNamara is back on the podcast. We discuss what blood tests can tell an athlete and their support team, what tests are related to nutrition for runners, cyclists & triathletes, and if athletes should get regular bloods for screening, or only when there’s a suspected issue.

Ultrarunner Martijn Doekes joins us to discuss his recent experience completing Alan's 5 hour sodium replacement study. We go through the results and how to interpret these, to determine the amount of sodium that needs replacing during exercise. 

Alan discusses his recently published research that uses existing equations to estimate the sodium replacement needs of athletes during exercise. We cover why sodium might be important to replace during exercise, what we're trying to achieve with sodium replacement, the factors that determine if deliberate sodium replacement is important or not, and how much we then need.

Aussie cyclist Neil van der Ploeg joins us again to share his experience with metabolic flexibility. We discuss the changes he made to improve his metabolic flexibility, why he did it, and how it worked out. 

Jeff Rothschild (Auckland University of Technology) joins us to discuss what metabolic flexibility means, when is it important, and his research which looked at what actually influences how our bodies use fat or carbs during exercise. A fascinating conversation with some common myths busted!

Elite cyclist turned triathlete Ben Hill joins us again, this time to discuss an issue he's struggled with most of his career. We discuss what Ben's done in the past to try and prevent or relieve his cramping, how his cramping changed from his recent transition from cycling to triathlon, and apply the questionnaire we discussed last week with Prof. Kevin Miller (Ep 45A) to try and identify Ben's specific cramping risk factors.

Prof. Kevin Miller (Texas State University) joins us to discuss one of the most common issues faced by endurance athletes. We cover what we know about cramping and why it’s so difficult to figure out the cause, the role nutrition does or doesn’t play in cramping prevention and management, and finding a strategy moving forward to help you reduce your risk of cramping.

Ironman World Champion in 2019 (60-65 yr age group), multisport master athlete Mary Mitchell joins us to share her experience over the decades of training and racing. We discuss how age has impacted her training and racing and her approach to nutrition, as well as the benefits that come with so much experience and years of accumulated training in the body.