Two weeks ago, we began the essential work of building your personal Fueling Playbook. By now, you should have a running list of potential foods and fluids. This week, we add a critical layer of organization to that playbook. This is more than just making a neat list; this is about creating an operational strategy that will serve you, your pacers, and your crew when you are deep into the race and your decision-making abilities are compromised.

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This is part of a series of posts regarding how we prepare, plan, and train to complete the 100-mile Ultramarathon Umstead 100. Our series for this event: Collecting Laps: one lap at a time to 100. For all the ultrarunning series, here, follow the link. Training for a 100. Alternatively, you can also follow our Podcast so you don’t miss the weekly summary post.

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Think of this exercise as creating the instruction manual for your future, exhausted self. When you stumble into an aid station at mile 75, you won’t have the mental capacity to weigh complex options. You need a simple, tiered system that tells you exactly what to reach for. The work you do now, sitting at your kitchen table, is what ensures success in those critical moments. This is how we move from simply having a list of foods to having a true fueling strategy.

Assessment:

We will categorize every item in your Fueling Playbook into one of four groups. This framework will help you prioritize during training and simplify your choices on race day. As you test items on your runs, you will actively move them between these lists.

A-List (The Pillars): These are your battle-tested, non-negotiable staples. You have used them repeatedly in various conditions. You know how they taste at hour one and hour ten. You know precisely how they affect your system and how quickly they provide energy. These are the foundation of your race plan. For me, items like Maurten gels, Tailwind, soda and plain potato chips live on this list.

B-List (The Rotational Players): These are reliable options that you can use for variety or in a pinch. They settle well, but they might not be your absolute favorites or your go-to for every run. They are perfect for combating palate fatigue. My B-List includes things like shortbread cookies, chicken broth, soup, burger, and certain flavors of GU that I like but don’t necessarily love.

C-List (The Test Kitchen): This list contains everything you’re curious about. These are items you’ve heard other runners rave about, or new products you want to try, or you have tried but not in training runs or other running events. Think quesadillas, bacon, chicken sandwich, or a new brand of sports drink. This is your experimental list, and it comes with one firm rule: test only one C-List item per run to isolate its effects. When the A-List and B-List fail, it is time to try this list.

N-List The Blacklist (The ‘Never Again’, “NO” List): This is just as important as your A-List. Any food or drink that has ever caused you GI distress, a weird energy spike and crash, or was simply impossible to eat while running goes here. This list protects you from repeating past mistakes. Examples for me is a cappuccino flavored GU, any chocolate, peanut or cold coffee.

Planning:

Your homework this week is straightforward but vital. Take out a notebook or open a document and create four distinct sections: A-List, B-List, C-List, and N-List.

Based on your running experience to date, populate these lists. Be brutally honest with yourself. As your long runs increase in the coming weeks and months, this document becomes a living playbook. Your mission is to systematically test items from your C-List, if you can, aiming to promote them to the B-List or even the A-List. Simultaneously, if an A- or B-List item suddenly stops working for you, don’t hesitate to demote it. This is your dynamic plan, designed to be refined and perfected by the time you stand on the starting line at Umstead.

Diabetes Learning Notes:

For a Type 1 athlete, this A/B/C/N framework moves beyond simple organization—it becomes a primary tool for risk management. A poor food choice for us isn’t just inconvenient; it can be dangerous. Your categorization must be filtered through the lens of glycemic impact.

Your Assessment lists have a deeper meaning:

• A-List (The Pillars): To make this list, an item must have a highly predictable glycemic impact. You know exactly how it affects your blood sugar and can anticipate any required insulin adjustments with confidence. These are your safest possible calories for the middle of the night.
• B-List (The Rotational Players): These items might have a slightly less predictable BG impact or require a more complex insulin decision. Perhaps it’s a solid food with fat and protein that has a delayed rise. You can use them, but with heightened awareness.
• C-List (The Test Kitchen): This is your high-risk category. Testing a new food carries the real possibility of an unexpected BG swing. You must test these items with extreme caution: on shorter runs, close to home, with fast-acting carbs at the ready to treat a potential low.
• N-List: This is your safety protocol. Any food that causes an unmanageable BG spike or a plummeting low goes here immediately, no matter how delicious it sounds.

Your Planning task is to build this T1D-specific playbook and understand its role in communicating with your support team. When your crew understands this system, they become an active part of your diabetes management. They will know that offering you a C-List item at mile 80 is a gamble, but that anything from the A-List is a guaranteed safe move. This simple organization empowers your team and protects you when you can’t protect yourself.

This week’s actual numbers:

Week 21	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Plan	Stretches & Rolling	3	5	6	Rest	Rest	26	40
Actual	Stretches	5	Rest	6	Rest	8

Next Week Plan:

Week 20	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
Plan	Stretches & Rolling	5	5	6	Rest	13	16	45