Kelsey Higginson shares nutrition tips for cross-country runners doing high-mileage summer training. Aim for 400-600g of carbs daily in 50-100g portions, and use high-sodium electrolyte powders like Liquid IV, Element, or Relight to replace sweat losses.
Cross-country athlete, your season's coming up, your mileage is cranking up. Here are 2 things that I would strongly recommend that you're dialed in on. Number one, a lot of freaking carbs, and make it the good kind of carbs. That means most of you will be having at least 400 to 600 grams of carbs every single day, which means you're gonna need about 50 to 100 grams of carbs every single time you eat. Carbohydrates need to be your priority when running because that is a gas that fuels your runs. The second thing is make sure you're dialed in with good electrolyte powder. You are out training in the heat, it's very hot outside, it's the middle of summer, you're sweating a lot. You need to make sure that you're keeping up on your fluids and that you're adding an electrolyte powder every time you run. So a good one would be Liquid IV, Element, Relight. All of those are super high in sodium and that they will replenish the electrolytes that you're losing in your sweat.
