Following is a suggested guide for using Hornet Juice during your marathon and/or long training runs.

Use Hornet Juice in your training along with your current sports nutrition plan to find out the combination and timing that works best for you.

First up, it is useful to know where you get energy from. Your body has two primary sources of energy – glycogen and fat.

Glycogen is easily burned in a short period of time and serves as a source of stamina in events that require a burst of energy.

The disadvantage with this is the limited amount of glycogen reserves that your body has. Your stores of glycogen are not sufficient to provide energy during exercise of long duration.

Conversely, fat is stored in abundance by the body, although it is generally difficult to convert into energy, requiring large amounts of oxygen to do so.

Hornet Juice works by quickly converting your body fat into a supply of energy during exercise.

Next, it is important that you understand the difference between Hornet Juice and regular sports nutrition products.

Most sports nutrition products function as a fuel. They replace energy that has been lost through exercise by replenishing the body’s glycogen stores. This is principally done by eating and/or drinking high carbohydrate foods, gels, bars and drinks.

Hornet Juice works differently, not as a fuel, but acting as a trigger for the oxidation of fat. Hornet Juice helps your body metabolize its store of fat for energy, thereby preserving your glycogen stores.

Hornet Juice does not replace your existing sports nutrition program, but works to complement it. This means that on a long run you should continue to consume high carbohydrate and electrolyte replacement drink and food, in addition to Hornet Juice. You will find that by combining Hornet Juice with your regular sports nutrition that you will experience a huge boost in your endurance levels.

It is important that you practice your marathon nutrition plan (both pre and during the event) in training so come race-day you are well prepared in order to minimize the risk of any surprises which may impair your performance.

Remember that athletes are all different, so what works well for one runner may not suit you, hence the importance of testing your nutrition plan in training.

We have a lot of information on sports nutrition on our website that you can read by clicking here

Also, for all you need to know about marathon training it is worth checking out the website MarathonPal.com

A few key points:

  • Always be well hydrated: drink, drink and drink some more (but no so much that you upset your stomach).
  • Continue to consume carbohydrates (eg: fruit, energy gels, sports bars etc) to replenish your glycogen stores which become depleted from exercise.
  • Avoid overtraining so you do not get sick and minimize your risk of injury. Also make sure you are well rested before race day.
  • Do plenty of long runs during training. For detailed info on preparing for the long run click here

Obviously there is way more to it than the above points but these tend to be the most important ones.

Here is a suggested nutrition plan for your marathon (which can be the same for your long training runs), which you should try during training to confirm that it works well for you.

Drink plenty of water in the few days before the race so you are well hydrated.

Consume mainly carbohydrates the week before your race. You can read more aboutcarbo loading by clicking here

Get used to going to the toilet at a time that is well before the start of your marathon so this will not be an issue once your race begins.

Have a light meal of carbohydrates for breakfast on race day (enough to top up your glycogen stores, but not too big to give you an upset stomach).

Drink a combination of water, carbohydrate/electrolyte sports drink (the same brand as what is available at the aid stations, which is what you should have been training with) and Hornet Juice before the start (one 15g serving of Hornet Juice 45 minutes before you start).

Many marathoners like to continually sip and eat along the way and therefore race with a Fuel Belt or similar carrier. In your Fuel Belt we suggest a mixture of Hornet Juice and carbohydrate/electrolyte sports drink and carbohydrate gels (which we suggest you take every 20-25 mins). Mix this with a combination of water and sports drink available at the aid stations, which are preferable to run through rather than stop/walk.

For a 3 hour marathon we suggest one serving of Hornet Juice 45 minutes before the start and consume another two servings during the race. Another serving after the race will also really help with your recovery. For every extra one to one and a half hours that you run, you could consume another serving of Hornet Juice mixed with carbs/electrolytes.

Remember that Hornet Juice is not a replacement for your existing sports nutrition during events of long duration, but is a complement to it and should be used in conjunction with normal sports drink and carbohydrates.

If you follow the guidelines above you will go a long way to eliminating any “nutrition risk” from your marathon, so that your marathon performance will come down to training (quality and quantity) and your natural ability.

Remember that these suggestions are offered as a guide only. All athletes are different, therefore you should experiment during training as to the quantity and frequency that maximizes your athletic endurance.

All the best for your training and race-day performance.