Run Your Best Marathon

Why Runna:

Here's what I love about Runna: they get that your life doesn't revolve around training. You've got work, family, and a million other things competing for your time.

Their training plans adapt to your reality. Not the other way around.

Whether you're a first-timer who needs structure or an experienced runner chasing a PR, Runna adjusts the plan based on your schedule, current fitness, and where you want to go. No more following some generic 16-week plan that assumes you can run daily at 6 AM.

What really sold me on partnering with them is how they build workouts at the right intensity for practicing your race-day fueling. Because here's the thing—fueling during an easy long run is completely different from fueling when you're pushing tempo pace or hitting race-pace intervals. Runna gives you those race-specific workouts where gut training actually matters. Having a smart training plan is half the battle. The other half? Getting your gut trained.

The Common Fueling Mistake

Every year, thousands of athletes train for months, follow their training plan perfectly, and then completely blow up on race day because they never practiced their fueling strategy.

Your gut needs training. You can't show up on race day and expect your digestive system to process 80-90g of carbs per hour if you've never practiced it during training.

I learned this the hard way years ago. Had a perfect training block, felt strong, went into race day with a new fueling strategy I'd never tested. Mile 18 hit, and my stomach completely revolted. I ended up walking the last 8 miles. Total disaster.

That's when I realized gut training isn't optional—it's just as important as your long runs.

What Gut Training Actually Means

Your digestive system is way more adaptable than you think. When you consistently practice fueling during your training runs, your gut upregulates the transporters that move carbs from your stomach into your bloodstream.

This is why some athletes can handle 120g of carbs per hour while others struggle with 60g. It's not genetics—it's training.

Start small during your long runs. Maybe just 30-40g of carbs per hour at first. Then gradually increase both the amount and the complexity of what you're taking in over the course of your training block.

Your body will adapt. I've seen it happen with thousands of athletes.

The Two-Transporter System

Here's something most athletes don't know: your body has two separate pathways for absorbing carbs during exercise.

If you're only using gels with a single carb source, you're maxing out at about 60g per hour. But when you combine different types of carbs—like using a high-carb drink mix with gels—you can potentially get up to 90-100g per hour through your system.

This is why I'm always pushing high-carb drink mixes as your foundation. Something like Maurten Drink Mix 320 (80g of carbs) or Victus During (40g of carbs) gives you a steady stream of fuel, then you add gels on top to hit your target hourly intake. Way more effective than just pounding gels every 20 minutes.

Your Marathon Fueling Timeline

3 Months Out: Start practicing with small amounts of easily digestible carbs on your long runs. A single gel or some high-carb drink. See how your stomach responds.

2 Months Out: Begin testing different products and amounts. This is your experimentation phase. Try Maurten, try SiS Beta Fuel, try Precision Fuel. Figure out what your gut likes.

1 Month Out: Lock in your exact race day protocol. At this point, you should know exactly what you're using, how much, and when. Practice it on at least two long runs at race pace.

2 Weeks Out: No more experiments. Only use the products you've been training with. Your taper should include dress rehearsals where you practice your exact fueling plan.

Where Runna Comes In

This is what got me excited about partnering with them. Now that your fueling is dialed in, Runna creates personalized training plans that adapt to your schedule and goals. Whether you're running your first marathon or chasing a PR, their coaching takes the guesswork out of when to practice your fueling strategies.

They've built long runs and workouts at the right intensity where you can practice taking in carbs under race-like stress. Because let's be honest—fueling during an easy 10-miler is completely different from fueling when you're pushing tempo pace.

Here's The Deal

Try Runna free for two weeks with code THEFEED. Get the training plan dialed in, then use our products to practice your race day fueling strategy.

Start with a high-carb drink mix as your foundation—I'd recommend Maurten Drink 320 or Victus During depending on your carb needs per hour. Then add gels strategically to hit your target intake.

Practice this during every long run. Your gut will adapt, your confidence will grow, and race day becomes execution instead of experimentation.

Download Runna and use code THEFEED for your free trial.

Your marathon goals are waiting. Let's make sure you've got both the training and the fueling dialed in.