Carbohydrate loading: how runners boost glycogen stores before a race

Endurance runs, late-night drills, and those long marches in the heat all have one thing in common: energy. For runners, energy isn’t just about waking up with a spring in your step; it’s also about the fuel you’ve stored in your muscles. That fuel is glycogen, and it lives at the crossroads of nutrition and performance. If you’ve ever wondered how athletes save their best push for the final miles, here’s a straight talk about a familiar strategy: carbohydrate loading.

What is carbohydrate loading, and why does it matter?

Let’s start with the basics. Carbohydrate loading is a deliberate plan to increase the amount of carbohydrates you eat in the days leading up to a long, strenuous event. At the same time, you scale back the amount you train. Why both moves? Because carbs are your muscles’ preferred energy source during steady, ongoing effort. The more glycogen you have stored in your muscles, the longer you can hold high speeds, sustain tough rhythms, and push through fatigue before the finish line.

Think of glycogen as a backed-up battery for your legs. When you’re running a race that lasts longer than about 90 minutes, your muscles start to ask for more energy than fat alone can provide. By loading carbohydrates, you give your body a bigger reservoir to draw from when the work gets hard. In practice, this isn’t about stuffing yourself with donuts or pasta until you’re bursting; it’s a measured approach that balances intake with rest and training load.

Why it helps, in plain terms

Glycogen is stored in two places that matter when you’re racing: your muscles and your liver. During a long effort, your muscles burn through glycogen to keep you moving. When stores run low, fatigue creeps in and performance falls off. The goal of carbohydrate loading is to pack those glycogen tanks as full as possible before you start.

A quick analogy: think of your energy reserves like savings in a checking account. During a long run, you’re making withdrawals. If your balance is skimpy, you hit a low point sooner. If you go into the race with a generous balance, you can cover more of the withdrawals without dipping into the reserve account too early. That extra cushion often translates to a steadier pace, better form, and fewer hiccups when the pace demands peak effort.

What it looks like in practice

This isn’t a one-size-fits-all gimmick. It’s a thoughtful plan that blends nutrition with training load. Here’s the kind of approach you’ll see in endurance-focused programs, tweaked for individuals:

• Timing: The build-up happens in the last 3 days before the event. You taper training during this window so your muscles aren’t fatigued from grueling workouts.

• Carbohydrate targets: A common range is roughly 5 to 7 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day in the days right before the event, sometimes rising to 7 to 10 g/kg on the day before. The exact numbers depend on your size, sport, and how your body responds.

• Food choices: Think starches that sit well in your stomach and aren’t stingy on calories. Pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, oats, fruits, dairy, and legumes all play a role. It’s not about loading on junk food; it’s about smart, carb-dense options that don’t trigger GI distress.

• Training taper: You still move and stretch, but you reduce intensity and duration. The goal is to refresh your legs while keeping glycogen stores topped off.

• Hydration and electrolytes: Carbs come with water, especially if you’re increasing intake. You’ll want to stay well hydrated and replace electrolytes as needed, especially in hot weather or longer events where sweat losses are big.

A simple way to picture it: two or three days of higher-carb meals, a lighter training schedule, and a steady hydration plan. If you’re curious, you can track how you feel during workouts in that window. Do you notice your energy feels more buoyant? Do you recover quickly after short efforts? Those cues can help you tailor the approach.

Who should consider this approach?

Carbohydrate loading is most beneficial for events that push past the 90-minute mark. Distance runners, cyclists in longer stages, triathletes, and other endurance athletes often gain the most from this strategy. If your race is shorter and sprints or sharp bursts define your event, the gains are smaller and the equation changes.

That said, there are a few caveats to keep in mind. Some people experience bloating, GI discomfort, or a sense of heaviness with aggressive carb loading. If you’ve had issues like that in the past, you’ll want to adjust the plan and perhaps consult a coach or nutritionist. Also, the benefits come when you blend carbs with consistent training and proper rest—not when you rely on carbs alone as a magic trick.

Common myths, clarified

• Myth: You can “carb crash” after loading. Reality: Carbs give you energy, but you still need to train, eat balanced meals, and recover well. Carbohydrates aren’t a one-shot fix; they work best as part of a broader strategy.

• Myth: All carbs are the same. Reality: It’s not just quantity, but quality and timing. Whole-food carbs and familiar, gentle options tend to work better than heavy, fatty, or highly processed choices for most people.

• Myth: You should never train during the load period. Reality: A light training rhythm helps muscles stay primed and makes the glycogen storage work more effectively.

How to tailor carbohydrate loading for athletes in a cadet culture

If you’re part of a team that blends physical training with leadership development, you’ve probably got a schedule that shifts around. Cadets often juggle drills, academics, and team tasks. Here’s a practical, no-nonsense way to think about it:

• Plan with your schedule: If you have a heavy training day coming up, you might shorten the taper slightly to keep your legs feeling fresh. If the day before a big event has a lighter load, that’s a natural moment to boost carbs a bit more.

• Simple meal templates: A lunch could be a big bowl of pasta with a lean protein, a side of fruit, and a glass of water. Dinners could feature rice or potatoes with a protein and a veggie. Snacks might include yogurt with fruit, granola bars, or a banana with peanut butter.

• Gentle hydration routine: Sip water throughout the day. If you’re training in heat, add an electrolyte drink to replace what you lose through sweat.

• Listen to your body: If a planned increase in carbs makes you feel bloated or uncomfortable, ease back a little and spread the carbs more evenly across meals.

Real-world reminders

Carbohydrate loading isn’t a mystery tied to a single moment. It’s a rhythm you adopt in the days before a big effort. The idea is simple: give your muscles more of the fuel they crave, then train a touch less to keep that fuel ready to burn when the gun goes off. When done well, it feels like you’ve got a little extra reserve, a safety net, a boost that helps you stay efficient under pressure.

A word about the KC of performance—the human element

Nutrition might seem scientific, even a touch clinical. And to be fair, there’s a lot of physiology behind why carbs matter. Yet what sticks with cadets and athletes alike is the practical feeling: you wake up feeling steady, you push through the middle, and you finish with energy you didn’t know you had left. The science is there, sure, but the experience is what keeps teams coming back for more.

If you’re curious about the science behind it, you’ll encounter terms like glycogen stores, hepatic glycogen, and the energy pathways your muscles draw on during longer efforts. You don’t need to memorize every detail to apply the concept, but a sense of the idea helps you make smarter choices when scheduling meals and workouts. It’s less about memorizing a chart and more about building a reliable routine that supports your goals.

A quick takeaway you can test

• If your event is longer than an hour and a half, consider a modest increase in carbohydrate intake in the 2–3 days before, paired with a lighter training load.

• Choose familiar, easy-to-digest carb sources and spread your intake across meals and snacks.

• Hydrate consistently and pay attention to how your body responds; adjust if you tend toward GI discomfort.

• Remember: this is a strategy that complements training, rest, and overall nutrition, not a stand-alone miracle.

Bringing it back to the bigger picture

LMHS and the NJROTC program emphasize discipline, teamwork, and thoughtful preparation. When you connect those values to something as practical as how you fuel your body, you’re embracing a comprehensive approach to performance. It’s not about chasing a quick fix; it’s about building sustainable habits that support you during long events, demanding drills, and the everyday grind of cadet life.

If you’re exploring topics that commonly appear in resources related to the LMHS NJROTC Academic Team, you’ll notice how nutrition intersects with endurance, recovery, and the cognitive clarity that comes from feeling physically prepared. Carbohydrate loading sits at that intersection: it’s a well-established, scientifically grounded strategy that, when used judiciously, helps you perform at your best when the pace is steady and the miles stack up.

Final thought: tune the approach to your own body

Every athlete’s body responds a little differently to carbohydrates, training loads, and timing. The best plan is the one you test with honesty and adjust with patience. Start small, listen to your gut, and keep a journal of what feels right. Over time, you’ll refine a rhythm that fits your schedule, your event length, and your team’s tempo.

So, if you’re eyeing a longer event and want that extra edge without turning it into a science experiment, carbohydrate loading is a practical, time-tested option. It’s about knowing when to eat, what to eat, and how to train in the days that lead up to the culmination of your hard work. And in a program that blends discipline with courage, that blend of smart eating and deliberate rest might just be the difference between good performance and something you’re really proud of.

If you want to explore more angles on endurance nutrition and how it ties into the rhythm of cadet life, I’m happy to break down other strategies or tailor a simple plan that fits your squad’s schedule. After all, great performance isn’t just about the miles you cover—it’s about the choices you make along the way.