Am I the only one who still has flashbacks from the fat-free and low-carb eras? Recently, I was putting together a Running Nutrition Strategy Guide for a client training for a 50K, and as I entered her calorie and macro recommendations, I had a moment. Because even though I know what it takes to fuel a body for endurance training, recommending that many carbs can still feel a little daunting. That’s how deep those old food rules run.

I have a friend named Matt who is an incredible ultra runner. And when I say ultra runner, I mean the long ultra distances — 200 and 250 miles. Over the years, I’ve heard him drop plenty of little nuggets of ultra wisdom, but one has stuck with me more than the rest: “In ultras, the answer is almost always food.”

Picture it: It’s Saturday afternoon. You knocked out your long run that morning, and you're feeling pretty good about yourself… but also ravenously hungry. You’re confused because you did have an energy gel during your run. Yet here you are, opening the pantry every five minutes like you’re hoping the snack fairy has finally shown up at your house. You keep telling yourself to “be good,” and then eventually you cave — grazing from pantry to fridge, beating yourself up with e