How to Fuel Endurance Training Without Bonking (A Simple Guide)

I recently had two athletes finish their first 70.3.

They both checked the same boxes:

But when we sat down for race debriefs, the same pattern showed up.

Solid swim. Great bike. A grind of a run.

That’s not a fitness problem. That’s a fueling problem.

A big part of the problem is the fuel itself. Most endurance options are more processed than athletes realize.

→ Why most endurance fuels are over-processed

And it shows up in training long before race day.

When I ask first-time endurance athletes what they want most, the answer is almost always the same:

“I want to finish strong.”

Everything below is built around that goal.

Not just surviving workouts. Not just gutting through races.

But finishing sessions and events with something left.

Here’s the most important fueling principle in endurance training:

Fueling earlier in the workout determines how the end feels.

Especially on the bike.

If fueling falls apart early, the run always pays for it later.

Athletes often hope something new will magically save them on race day.

The result is almost always the same:

The fix is simple:

Use the same fuel in training that you’ll use on race day.

Practice it until it’s automatic.

“I’ll just have a few gels” isn’t a plan.

Most gels are ~100 calories. Chews are ~150.

To hit necessary fueling targets, athletes would need:

That’s too much math and too much upkeep while working hard.

The better approach is to cover most calories with one consistent fuel, then supplement if needed.

This one sneaks up on people.

Low (or zero calorie) electrolyte drinks taste good, but they take up bottle space without doing much to support sustained effort.

Hydration without calories works for short sessions.

Longer training requires both.

Rather than overthinking nutrition, I teach athletes to fuel by workout length.

The goal here isn’t max calories. It’s building fueling consistency.

A clean baseline:

For many Tribal athletes, that looks like:

This supports:

If you want the exact sodium ranges and why they matter, I break that down here:

→ How much sodium endurance athletes actually need

Once sessions extend past an hour, fueling needs to stay consistent.

A practical target:

This keeps blood sugar steady and prevents the late-session fade that makes workouts feel harder than they should.

Here’s an underrated check:

How do you feel 2–4 hours after the session?

After a long workout, ask:

Training should challenge you, but it shouldn’t wreck the rest of your day.

If recovery consistently feels rough, fueling likely needs adjustment.

Short workouts can hide bad fuel choices.

Long workouts expose them.

As training volume increases:

That’s why I gravitated toward maple syrup paired with sodium.

It’s easy to digest, easy to dose, and easy to repeat.

Not as a hack.
As a system that works when training stacks up.

Fueling isn’t about rules.

It’s about practice.

When fueling is consistent:

You stop wondering if you’re “cut out” for endurance.

If you want a clean endurance fuel built around real carbohydrates and the sodium athletes actually need, you can learn more here:

→ Get Maple Boost

Related Guides

→ Why most endurance fuels are over-processed
→ How much sodium endurance athletes actually need
→ How to fuel endurance training without bonking