DARK MILE CO. — RESOURCE SERIES
Fuel the Work.
A practical fueling guide for runners who train consistently. What to eat, when to eat it, and why it matters. Not a diet plan. Not a weight loss guide. Performance nutrition for athletes who take their training seriously.
01 FOUNDATION
Macronutrients
Three nutrients do the heavy lifting. Understand what each one does and you can make decisions that actually make sense — instead of following trends that contradict each other every year.
Carbohydrates · 5–8g per kg / day
The primary fuel for moderate-to-high intensity running. Stored as glycogen in muscles and liver — the tank that empties during long runs. Inadequate carb intake directly caps your performance ceiling and slows recovery between sessions. Low-carb approaches may work at very easy paces; they don't work for tempo, intervals, or long efforts.
CRITICAL FOR PERFORMANCE
Protein · 1.6–2.0g per kg / day
Rebuilds muscle tissue damaged during training. Drives the adaptation response — you can't build stronger legs without the raw material to do it. Distribute across 3–5 meals (20–40g per serving); muscle protein synthesis responds better to spread intake than a single large dose. Quality matters: leucine-rich sources (whey, eggs, meat, legumes) trigger stronger MPS response.
CRITICAL FOR RECOVERY
Fats · 1.0–1.5g per kg / day
The primary fuel at easy/aerobic intensities. Supports fat-soluble vitamin absorption (A, D, E, K), hormone production, and joint health. Dietary fat enables the fat-burning adaptation that makes your aerobic base efficient. Don't cut it. Prioritize sources high in omega-3s (fatty fish, walnuts, flaxseed) to reduce systemic inflammation from training load.
IMPORTANT — NOT PRIMARY
The most common nutritional error in runners isn't eating the wrong things — it's not eating enough of the right things. Energy deficiency suppresses adaptation, impairs recovery, disrupts hormonal balance, and increases injury risk. If you're consistently fatigued or stalling in training, look at total intake first.
02 WHEN TO EAT
Daily Timing
What you eat and when you eat it are separate variables. Timing nutrition around your runs — particularly hard efforts and long runs — meaningfully improves both performance and recovery.
2–3 HOURS BEFORE · Pre-Run Meal
A carbohydrate-led meal — oats, rice, toast, banana — eaten 2–3 hours before a hard effort tops off muscle glycogen without causing GI distress. Target: 1–3g carbohydrate per kg body weight. Keep fat and fiber moderate. For early morning runs, a small carb snack 30–60 min before is enough for runs under 75 minutes.
DURING RUN · In-Run Fueling (75min+)
Glycogen depletion is gradual. Start fueling before you feel empty, not after. General target: 30–60g of carbohydrate per hour for runs over 75 minutes. Up to 90g/hr for efforts over 2.5 hours. Fluids: 400–800ml per hour, with electrolytes for runs over 60 minutes.
0–30 MINUTES AFTER · Recovery Window
Glycogen synthase activity peaks immediately post-run. Carbohydrates consumed here replenish glycogen significantly faster than the same food two hours later. Pair with 20–40g of protein. Both within 30 minutes. Rehydrate with water and electrolytes.
1–2 HOURS AFTER · Recovery Meal
A complete meal — carbohydrates, protein, vegetables, healthy fat — sustains the recovery process begun in the immediate window. Don't let the post-run supplement replace the post-run meal.
BEFORE BED · Overnight Window
Slow-digesting protein before bed (casein, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt) provides a sustained amino acid supply during the body's primary repair window. 20–40g of casein protein 30–60 minutes before bed measurably improves overnight recovery.
03 FUELING BY EFFORT
Intensity Matrix
Your fuel requirements change dramatically with intensity. Easy runs and hard runs are different metabolic events — what you eat before and during them should reflect that.
Easy Run (Zone 1–2) Light or nothing. Fasted easy runs under 60 min are fine and may support fat adaptation. Nothing needed. Water as needed. Normal next meal. No urgency for recovery nutrition.
Long Run (Zone 2, 75min+) Full carb meal 2–3 hours before. 1–2g CHO/kg. Don't start a long run on empty. 30–60g carbs/hour from 45 min in. Gels, chews, or real food. Immediate: 30–60g carbs + 20–40g protein. The window matters most after long runs.
Tempo / Intervals (Zone 3–4) Carb-led meal 2–3 hrs before + small snack 30 min out. 1–3g CHO/kg. Carb mouth-rinse or 20–30g/hour. Hard efforts limit GI absorption — frequent small amounts. Carbs + protein ASAP. Hard efforts deplete glycogen and damage muscle more.
Race (Max effort) Full race-day protocol. Tested in training — never for the first time on race morning. Pre-agreed fueling plan. Execute it. Gut issues in races come from deviating from practice. Celebrate. Then eat. Carbs first, protein shortly after. Hydrate aggressively.
The most common mid-run mistake: waiting too long to start fueling on long runs. You feel fine at mile 6. You feel terrible at mile 16. Start consuming carbs at 45 minutes and stay ahead of depletion.
04 RACE DAY PROTOCOL
Execute the Plan
Race day nutrition is not the time to experiment. Everything in this section should be tested in training. The runners who bonk at mile 18 usually had a plan — they just didn't practice it enough to execute it under pressure.
NIGHT BEFORE · Carb Load
For races over 90 min: 8–12g CHO/kg in the 24–36 hours prior. Familiar foods only. High fiber and fat = race-morning GI issues.
3–4 HOURS OUT · Pre-Race Meal
1–4g CHO/kg. Oats, toast, banana, rice. Low fiber, low fat. Well-tested. Enough protein to prevent hunger; not enough to slow digestion.
30–60 MIN OUT · Top-Off Snack
15–30g fast carbs. Gel, banana, sports drink. Raises blood glucose before the gun. Test this approach in training first.
10 MIN OUT · Caffeine
3–6mg/kg. Caffeine peaks in the blood 45–90 min post-ingestion. Time it to your race start, not your warmup.
MILES 3–5 · First Fuel
For races over 60–75 min: take the first gel at approximately 30–45 min. Before you feel the need.
EVERY 30–45 MIN · In-Race Fueling
30–90g CHO/hour depending on race length. Electrolytes alongside fluids. Execute the plan.
FINISH LINE · Recovery Starts Now
Carbs and protein within 30 min. Hydrate with electrolytes. Sleep. You've earned it.
05 WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T
Supplements
The supplement industry generates billions by selling runners things they don't need. Below is what the evidence actually supports — and what it doesn't.
Evidence-Backed
• Caffeine — 3–6mg/kg, 45–90 min pre-race. Among the most consistently supported ergogenic aids in endurance sport. Reduces perceived effort, improves time-to-exhaustion.
• Creatine — 3–5g/day. Benefits high-intensity efforts. Also supports recovery and cognitive function during heavy training blocks.
• Magnesium — 200–400mg/day (glycinate or malate), before bed. Depleted by sweat. Supports muscle function, nerve transmission, and sleep quality.
• Omega-3 Fatty Acids — 2–3g EPA+DHA/day. Reduce exercise-induced inflammation, support joint health and sleep quality.
• Vitamin D — 1,000–4,000 IU/day based on blood levels. Deficiency is widespread. Directly impacts bone density, immune function, muscle performance.
• Protein Powder — A convenient way to hit daily protein targets. Whey post-run; casein pre-bed.
• Electrolytes — Sodium, potassium, magnesium. Not optional for high-volume athletes. Priority: sodium leads.
Overrated or Unsupported
• BCAAs — Redundant if you're already eating adequate protein. Whole protein sources contain BCAAs plus all other essential amino acids.
• Detox / Cleanse Products — Your liver and kidneys handle detoxification. No supplement improves this. Zero evidence base.
• Collagen for Joint Health — Theoretically plausible, evidence is weak and inconsistent. Whole protein provides the same amino acids.
• 'Fat Burner' Products — Usually caffeine with proprietary blend marketing. The caffeine works. The rest doesn't.
• Antioxidant Megadosing — High-dose supplements may blunt training adaptations. Food-based antioxidants are fine; megadoses are not.
• Proprietary Blends — If a brand won't tell you the dose of each ingredient, assume the dose is too low to matter. Walk away.
Dark Mile principle: every ingredient in our formulas is there because the evidence supports it — at the dose that actually does something.
DARK MILE CO.
Built in the Dark. · darkmileco.com