November Nutrition: How Endurance Athletes Can Have Fun With Food This Autumn

1. Seasonal Foods Are Built for Athletes

This time of year, greengrocers and supermarkets markets are full of foods that are naturally great endurance fuel:

• Sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, squash

• Leeks, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts

• Apples, pears, cranberries

These bring slow-release carbohydrates, fibre, electrolytes like potassium and magnesium, and antioxidants that support recovery and immunity.

Nature makes it incredibly convenient: the foods that show up this time of year are the same nutrients endurance athletes need for training and recovery. Easy ideas include:

• Roasted root vegetables with olive oil and salt

• Oat bowls & porridge topped with seasonal fruit

• Pumpkin or sweet-potato pancakes

• Jacket potato with beans or tuna

• Hearty soups and stews you can batch-cook for training days

Seasonal eating isn’t just sustainable—it’s practical fuel for winter training.

2. Your Body Wants to Store More Energy in Winter

Shorter days, colder temperatures, and hard sessions in cold conditions result in an increased metabolic effort to maintain body temperature means your body naturally asks for a bit more energy.

By allowing your body to store more energy can actually be useful to endurance athletes:

• Better glycogen reserves giving you energy for long sessions

• Extra insulation for training outside

• Stronger immune support - vitamin D is fat-soluble, your body relies on body fat to absorb and store it

• More resilience for increased training loads later in the season

Think of it as laying the foundation for winter mileage and preparation for next season.

3. November Is the Perfect Time to Experiment With Real-Food Fuelling

If you only fuel with gels, chews, and sports carb drinks, you limit your options. Training months, away from racing, are the perfect time to practise real-food strategies such as:

• Boiled, salted baby potatoes

• Jam or nut-butter tortillas or piadinas

• Banana bread, flapjack bites, or mini muffins

• Rice cakes

• A banana, pumpkin or apple purée pouch

If you don’t experiment now, when will you? Your gut adapts to what you train with, and many athletes find real food keeps them satisfied for longer, reduces stomach issues, and makes long training days feel like less of a chore—and more of an adventure.

4. Food is More Than Fuel—It’s Community

November is full of cosy evenings, Sunday roasts, bonfire-night treats, and the start of festive meals with family and friends. That’s not something to “manage”—it’s part of a healthy, joyful relationship with food.

Athletes thrive when nutrition supports both the body and the mind. Enjoying food socially doesn’t undo training; in many ways, it makes training sustainable.

Say yes to the roast potatoes.
Have pudding.
Share food and memories.

A strong athlete isn’t just physically fuelled— they’re mentally fuelled too.

5. Your November Nutrition Checklist

✅ Try one new seasonal ingredient per week
✅ Practise two to three real-food fuelling options on long runs or rides
✅ Allow for a bit more energy intake as the weather gets colder
✅ Enjoy meals with friends or family without guilt
✅ Ask: how does this food make me feel—not just what are it's macros?

Food isn’t just about performance—it’s about identity, comfort, culture, and connection.

So… Have Some Fun

November doesn’t have to be a grey, soggy trudge through early winter. It can be a month of creativity, warmth, new routines, and delicious food that supports your training—not restricts it.

As an endurance athlete, you don’t just need to fuel.
You need comfort, energy, motivation, and community.

And November happens to be very, very good at all of those.