In Belfast and beyond, if you’re out and about you’ll see runners everywhere. The city is buzzing. Runners of all ages and abilities are out pounding the pavement, parks and towpaths, while dialling in their nutrition to recover from the miles. Training kicked off for many runners as early as January for the big 26.2 — and prep for the Belfast Marathon in full swing.
Carbs, Marathons and the Mind?
At this stage in their preparations, most of May’s entrants will be gradually upping up mileage to build a solid base of fitness before focusing on endurance and mental toughness before eventually phasing over to peaking and tapering as the big day approaches.
Recovering properly is a critical part of this, with most runners paying particular attention to their intake and timing of carbs.
Doing so ensures they can perform, adapt and recover as they build mileage for the big day.
Even the most novice runner is familiar with this process of glycogen supercompensation — but there’s a less obvious benefit. What’s fascinating is that this carb-loading strategy isn’t just about refuelling muscles.
Breaking Down Glycogen
Simply put, glycogen is stored carbohydrate that breaks down into glucose — the primary fuel for your body during intense exercise — and your working muscles when they need a quick source of energy.
When you push yourself hard, those glycogen reserves get depleted. With proper nutrition, however, they’re replenished above normal levels for a few days — a process known as glycogen supercompensation.
Though the brain stores much less glycogen than muscles, it undergoes a similar replenishment. In effect, every time you refuel after a workout, you’re not just preparing your muscles for recovery — you’re also giving your brain the extra fuel it needs to function at its best.
Creatine: Brain Fuel?
Alongside timing and dosing your carbs correctly, creatine is another potent form of supplementation to boost energy for both body and brain. Creatine helps regenerate ATP — the cell’s primary energy currency — ensuring that your muscles have power, and your brain has the fuel too.
Research suggests that creatine supplementation can enhance cognitive performance, particularly during tasks that require rapid thinking and focus.
When combined with proper carb loading, creatine not only provides an additional metabolic boost that supports both muscle recovery and mental clarity studies have shown it’s has even been proven help alleviate depressive symptoms.
Brain Fuel(s) - Plural
For years, lactate was dismissed as nothing more than a byproduct of strenuous exercise — a signal of fatigue and muscle burn. Far from being mere waste, lactate is actively shuttled through the bloodstream to various tissues in what’s known as the lactate shuttle.
This process allows lactate to be converted back into energy, especially by the heart and the brain. Recent studies have shown that lactate serves as a valuable alternative fuel source, providing energy during and after intense activity.
In practical terms, this means that when you push your body hard, lactate accumulates not to hinder you, but to support recovery and performance.
In the brain, lactate can be used as energy, potentially enhancing cognitive function and contributing to mental clarity.
By efficiently using lactate as fuel, your body ensures that even when glycogen levels drop, a backup source of energy is available to keep you going. This integrated energy system underscores how every component — from glycogen to lactate and creatine — plays a crucial role in fuelling both your muscles and your mind.
Becoming Fat Adapted
While glycogen, creatine and lactate are essential for quick bursts of energy, fat plays a crucial role as a long-term fuel source.
Regular exercise trains your body to become more efficient at oxidising fat — essential for endurance events like marathons, where, as glycogen stores deplete, fat takes over as the primary energy source.
This enhanced fat metabolism not only sustains you over long distances but also helps maintain lean body mass and regulate insulin sensitivity.
In practical terms, a well-adapted body can more effectively tap into its fat reserves, ensuring a steady, efficient energy supply that supports both physical performance and cognitive function.
Together with optimised carbohydrate handling, this shift toward increased fat oxidation creates a balanced metabolic engine, keeping you fuelled and resilient, both on the roads and in your daily life.
Protecting the Asset as We Age
As we age, our brain’s ability to utilise energy can decline — a phenomenon some researchers refer to as type 3 diabetes which has been linked to reduced cognitive function and may even contribute to neurodegenerative conditions.
While we can’t change our genetics in this regard, we can influence our environment through healthy habits.
Regular exercise, good nutrition, quality sleep and even perhaps supplementation with things like creatine — each play a role in replenishing brain energy stores and promoting metabolic health — are consistently linked to better cognitive function as we age.
Nature’s Reset Button
Exercise stimulates your metabolism and lays the conditions for refuelling your body and brain’s energy stores. However, sleep is the elephant in the room in any conversation about recovery.
We all know a good night’s sleep is restorative, but when you exercise, both your muscles and your brain work hard, depleting their energy stores.
Just as proper nutrition refuels your muscles, deep sleep helps replenish its own glycogen reserves — so you wake up feeling fresher and more resilient with topped-up reserves of willpower.
Moving Forward
Whether you’re logging miles for the marathon or adding kilos under the bar, when paired with good recovery habits every step or rep is an investment in your long-term health, performance and wellbeing in mind and body.
