Endurance athletes have special nutrition requirements. If you exercise at a high intensity for more than two hours daily, it’s essential to eat and drink appropriately for optimal performance and recovery.

Following a well-balanced diet, you can easily meet your needs for endurance training and racing.

Your diet needs to adjust to meet changing energy and macronutrient demands as you progress through various cycles of training and competition. Once you have an eating plan in place for a particular cycle, keep steady eating habits. By doing so, you can meet your energy needs and give your digestive system time to adapt to a pattern of eating.

Carbohydrates
A diet that includes enough carbohydrates can prevent early fatigue and injury. Carbohydrates in the form of glycogen, is the main nutrient that fuels exercise of a moderate to high intensity. Glycogen stores have a limited supply and get used up quickly between (90 minutes to 2 hours)-- during high-intensity exercise. If not replenished during this time, fatigue sets in.

During Exercise

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that endurance athletes consume between 30-60 grams (100-250 calories) of carbohydrates per hour while exercising, depending on your level of conditioning, your exercise intensity, and your weight.

Protein
Protein is very important; it helps build and repair muscles, aids in fluid balance and promotes immune function. Protein is also used as a minor fuel for endurance exercise and sport. Protein needs of athletes are not stablished, but more experts agree endurance athletes need more protein than non-athletes.

Daily Recommended Intakes of protein for adults (non athletes) are from 50 to 63 g per day, depending of the weight, gender, etc..

Fat
In intense Exercises, fat is not used as a fuel source. Fat provides energy for low- to moderate intensity exercise. But a very low-fat diets are not recommended because they can lead to a shortage of some nutrients and can hurt your performance.
Healthy sources of fat include fatty fish, nuts, nut oils, vegetable oils, spreads made from a vegetable oil base, avocados and olives. Limit your intake of saturated fat Minimize consumption of foods that contain trans fats such as hydrogenated oils.