Nutrition for Runners: Carbohydrates

The Benefits of Running on Empty

Train on an empty tank to boost your fuel efficiency
By From the editors of Runner’s World runnersworld
 

Running on "E"

The Benefits of Running on Empty // The Benefits of Running on Empty © 101 Degrees West Photography

Image: 101 Degrees West Photography
It's an indisputable fact that to run far and fast, you need to start out fully fueled. But during their prep for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon last fall, elite Canadian runners Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis adopted an unconventional approach: They performed some of their runs on empty tanks. It's the nutritional equivalent of training with a weighted vest; running on fumes forces your body to work harder and teaches it to burn carbs more efficiently when you race with ample reserves.

Video: Running Hydration and Nutrition

Carbohydrates are your body's most readily available fuel source, but only a limited amount can be stored--enough to last for about 90 minutes of intense exercise--mostly in the muscles and liver. Researchers have found that training in a carb-depleted state helps the muscles adapt to burning more fat and boosts your body's capacity for stored carbohydrate by as much as 50 percent. (Search: The best sources of carbs) Whether all this translates to faster race times is unclear, but for Coolsaet and Gillis, the evidence was compelling enough to give it a try. After working with physiologist Trent Stellingwerff, Ph.D., of the Canadian Sport Centre-Pacific, they ran personal bests of 2:10:55 and 2:11:27 in Toronto, and qualified for the Olympic Marathon in London. Here's how to experiment with running on empty.

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