Last Updated on January 22, 2022 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS
Palate Fatigue is a term commonly heard in the food – and especially wine – industry. But food and wine connoisseurs aren’t the only ones who need to worry about palate fatigue: it’s a problem in the ultrarunning world, too.
In the food and wine world, palate fatigue refers to the inability to distinguish one food or drink from another. Though I argue that this could be an entertaining practice to bring to ultrarunning. “Ohhh I prefer the AwesomeSauce Spring Energy to the Hammer Apple Cinnamon gel. The later is a bit too earthy, with notes of bitterness, and I prefer a lighter bodied, tart finish.” (I made all of that up. I have no idea how to rate wine)
Palate fatigue, specifically in ultrarunners, is the loss of desire to eat a particular food or drink, and typically occurs when you eat the same thing over and over. Which, of course, is a common occurrence in an ultramarathon, where the eating seemingly never stops.
While this may seem like a trivial ailment to outsiders, palate fatigue can send off a chain reaction of negative effects that could potentially ruin an ultrarunner’s race.
Why Does Palate Fatigue Happen?
In typical Heather fashion, I prepared to dive into the science behind palate fatigue, to understand exactly what is going on, from a physiological and perhaps even psychological level.
But…I came up practically empty handed.
In a number of both wine, bourbon, and coffee tasting websites, a commonly referred to explanation was the theory that your brain, not the sensory receptors on your tongue, becomes fatigued with similar sensory information. But in these instances, those experiencing palate fatigue are typically tasting numerous different – but similar – drinks or foods in a more rapid succession (like tasting wine).
In the world of ultrarunning, palate fatigue may look slightly different. It may stem from:
- Drinking or eating the same thing (particularly, with the same consistency, like a carbohydrate drink or gel) repeatedly over the course of many hours
- Nausea, therefore causing palate fatigue by association (when you get an upset stomach, you typically try to avoid the last thing you ate before getting an upset stomach)
- Physical fatigue. As in, you’re simply too tired to even think about the energy it takes to put food in your mouth, chew, and swallow.
Whether the aversion to these foods and drinks over time is purely psychological, or if there is an actual physical response happening within our taste buds is uncertain. But what we do know is that palate fatigue in ultrarunning is real…and it can ruin your race.
What Are The Negatives of Palate Fatigue During an Ultramarathon?
Ultramarathon distances require runners to continuously eat, in order to try and meet the energy demands of the race. Truthfully, it’s virtual impossible for an ultrarunner to replace all of the calories they burn during an ultramarathon. In fact, studies show that energy deficits greater than 1,000 calories a day have been measured in ultrarunners (Costa et al., 2013; McCubbin et al., 2016.)
So what happens when suddenly palate fatigue hits, and you want absolutely nothing to do with the calorie sources you’ve been consuming all along?
Well, if you’re smart and prepared – you reach for something else. But unfortunately, the more common reaction is to simply stop eating.
This sometimes has to do with the fact that palate fatigue is accompanied by nausea. Other times, it’s because an ultrarunner is simply so incredibly exhausted, their brain cannot seem to comprehend that there is a difference between the food they no longer want, and something entirely different.
From here it’s a snowball effect into what amounts as “a bad day of ultrarunning”. Low blood sugar. Confusion. Probably some tears. Likely an upset stomach. And sometimes…a DNF.
No one wants a DNF.
How Can Ultrarunners Avoid Palate Fatigue?
The best way to avoid palate fatigue is to learn how to vary your nutrition sources greatly during your ultramarathon. If you are constantly switching up your calorie sources throughout the race, you are less likely to get sick off one thing in particular.
So how do you find a variety of food sources that work for you? With plenty of practice.
Find a Variety of Foods Your Body Tolerates
During any training run over an hour, and especially during your long runs, practice fueling with a variety of foods.
Those coming from a more traditional running or marathon background are likely familiar with using engineered, endurance specific products. These gels, chews, drinks, etc. have been created with runners in mind, to help get carbohydrates into your blood stream quickly and efficiently, with little chewing and no slowing down.
But ultramarathons are definitely a different world. Here, the combination of an overall slower pace, combined with many, many more hours on your feet, means that more often than not, athletes reach for “real” food.
My suggestion is to find multiple combinations of both engineered endurance fuel and “real food” sources that work for you
Endurance Fuel Suggestions
- Carbohydrate gels, such as:
- SIS Gels
- Spring Energy
- GU
- MUIR Energy
- Chews
- GuChomps
- Honey Stinger Chews
- Clif Bloks
- Skratch Lab Chews
- Carbohydrate Drinks
- Tailwind
- Roctane Fuel
- Skratch Labs
- Heed by Hammer
- Stropwafels
- Bars
- PRObar
- Clif Bar
- Powerbar (does anyone still eat those?)
Non Endurance Specific Suggestions
Your options in this category are only limited to your imagination…and I suppose, what you can carry or access during a race. I know runners who roll sushi and pack it into their hydration pockets. Just a few weeks ago, I helped a friend stuff four McDonald’s cheeseburgers into his hydration pack during a 100 miler (hi, Dave!).
The following are just a handful of suggestions. Be as creative as you want…and as your gastrointestinal system will allow.
- Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
- Roasted/baked/boiled potatoes
- pretzels
- potato chips
- applesauce or baby food pouches
- pizza slices (even cold, they taste amazing later in the run!)
- peanut butter & flour tortilla roll-ups
- cup of soup
- homemade energy balls / bars
- Cookies (Fig Newtons, etc.)
Vary Your Nutrition From the Start
Do not wait until later in your ultramarathon, when palate fatigue begins to set in, to start varying your nutrition sources. Start from the beginning.
While you certainly want to make sure your caloric (and carbohydrate) intake remains consistent from the start, try varying your food sources on every interval. For example, if I’m trying to hit 250 calories and 60 grams of carbs per hour, my nutrition might look like this:
- First fueling interval: 1 SIS gel, a half of a medium potato worth of baked wedges, applesauce pouch
- Second fueling interval: 1/2 of a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, 2-3 honey stinger chews
- Third fueling interval: a GU stroopwafel, and 1 scoop of Tailwind in my water
You get the idea. (And bonus points if you read interval #2 and thought “lies, Heather would NEVER eat a half a peanut butter sandwich!” You are correct. Peanut Butter is gross, and that is the hill I will die on. Sorry, my loyal readers. I know that’s blasphemy in the ultra world.)
Consider Liquid Foods During Later Stages
Have you ever been too tired to even chew? Ultrarunners have.
Picture this: it’s the later stages of your race. You are utterly exhausted from having run all day…and all night…and maybe even into the next morning. And while one single food in particular isn’t necessarily turning you away from fueling, it’s more the actual thought of chewing alone that no longer seems appealing. So what do you do?
According to Julie Shobe, Registered Dietician and the brains behind the instagram account Ultra.Runner.Nutrition, liquid calories may help towards the later stages of an ultramarathon.
“Often late in the race is when people struggle with eating for various reasons so switching to liquid foods like a recovery drink or protein shake (with carbs) or a smoothie can be very helpful.”
Again, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. Sure you could have your crew whip up a Hammer Perpetuum smoothie. OR you could just grab something pre-made, like an Ensure or Boost. Heck, during the last 8+ miles of one of my 100 milers, when I told a friend I didn’t want to eat anymore, he handed me about 2-3 ounces of Coca Cola and told me to keep moving. It wasn’t much…but it was enough to get me to the finish line.
Palate Fatigue – Final Thoughts.
Remember, the best way to fight off palate fatigue is to find PLENTY of sources of both calories and carbs that your body can tolerate. That way, you’ll be able to consume a variety of foods, both in flavor and consistency, throughout your race.
Need more info on how to determine your fueling needs during an ultramarathon? Visit the post Fueling for an Ultramarathon: A Complete Guide to Race Day Nutrition
Heather Hart is an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), UESCA certified Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA certified Running Coach, co-founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and creator of this site, Relentless Forward Commotion. She is a mom of two teen boys, and has been running and racing distances of 5K to 100+ miles for over a decade. Heather has been writing and encouraging others to find a love for fitness and movement since 2009.
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