This is a great topic because when people are training for things like running, sometimes the nutrition can take a backseat to the physical side of it. This can have a extremely negative effect on our body when attempting a 1/2 or full marathon. Unfortunately, I know from experience. I trained for the OKC Memorial Marathon in 2010. I was so consumed by running and thinking that as long as I run run run, i'll be able finish. By doing this, I didn't pay attention to 2 important aspects of training. One of those was nutrition (the other was resistance training). This ignorant way of training lead me to a complete physical collapse at mile 20. I was so dehydrated (from not drinking enough water on a daily basis) and so weak (from not eating correctly throughout training) that my legs and body gave out on me to the point that walking took everything in my being. Pretty much this is how I looked at mile 20.... but worse.
Even though it was extremely painful and lets be honest, humiliating as far as someone who majored in nutrition and exercise... I am thankful for that experience because it taught me the value of nutrition and appreciate it a lot more not just as far as running, but in everyday life. I focused on the mistakes I made with nutrition and resistance training and completed the 2011 OKC Memorial Marathon..... in the RAIN, HAIL, WIND, 35 DEGREE WEATHER!
i'm in the red!
When running there are several factors that come into play for success and nutrition is one of them! For this post, we'll focus on TRAINING for looooong distances like the 1/2 and full marathons since several people are starting to get into longer distances training for upcoming races. As far as nutrition while actually running a 1/2 or full.... that's a whole other beast, but a topic I can handle if people want info!
Anyway...
For a person training to run long distances, 3 of the biggest nutritional factors are: Water,Carbs, Protein. First i'll break these three things down and then go into the importance of timing for the three!
Water
Water is the life force of the body and is one of the most important things you can give your body while running. Water regulates your internal body temperature while you run which will keep you alert and warm if its cold outside and cool when its warm outside! It is also good for keeping your joints healthy and moving smoothly and it keeps your muscles hydrated. Dehydration while running long distances can cause a host of problems like cramping of muscles, weakness (physical and mental), nausea, etc. Making water your primary liquid consumption will help improve your running experience!
Protein
Protein is made up of Amino Acids. There are several Amino Acids and each of them have their own job in the body. One of protein's job as a whole is take care of your muscles. When you run long distances, your muscles break down and suffer tears and damage on a micro level. What protein does is go into the muscles and repair that damage and improve muscle strength.
The daily requirement for protein calls for at least .8g of protein per kg of weight. Since most people weigh in pounds (lbs), you have to convert your weight to kilograms by taking your weight in pounds and dividing it by 2.2! so if you take that number and multiply it by .8, it'll give you your MINIMUM requirement for protein per day!
What about people who are training to run long distances??
When you are running 1-4 miles, .8g/kg/day of protein should be enough as long as you are hitting that requirement. However, when you start getting into higher milage (4-10 miles for 1/2 marathon and 6-20 miles for full marathon), even though fat and carbs are your main source of fuel, there is some protein breakdown that occurs in your body and that protein NEEDS to be replaced. For men, increasing protein intake to .8-1.4g/kg/day should cover that amount lost (increase intake steadily as you increase milage). Studies have shown that women don't lose protein as much as men, so with that said, increasing a woman's intake to .8-1.2g/kg/d should be enough.
Another rule for you who like to count calories, making protein 15% of your daily caloric intake should be enough!
Carbohydrates
That myth that carbs are bad and to lose weight all carbs should be cut out..... i'm sorry and excuse my language... that is total shit. Carbs actually make up over 50% OF A HEALTHY PERSON'S CALORIC INTAKE. And if you are training to run long distances like a 1/2 or full marathon, you might as well get excited because your percentage could be a little higher.
Are there such things as "good carbs" and "bad carbs".... absolutely!
Carbs are the main energy source for your body. So if you meet someone and they say "well I cut out carbs to lose weight... but I don't understand how I cant make it through the day".... they can't function correctly because they most likely do not have an efficient amount of carbs. A runners main source of energy expended while running is carbs. The key to carbs (for everyone and runners) is to consume "good carbs" like those found in fruits, veggies, and whole grains verses "bad carbs" such as starchy breads, white rices, and foods high in bad fats such as fast food and processed foods.
The Beauty of Timing
How all of this ties together is the key to making the long run days efficient and successful! We talked about water, protein, and carbs and how they are important when training for long distance running, but getting the timing right is the key!
Before the run.....
It is NOT good to eat less than 1- 1 1/2 hours before you run. It isn't enough time to let your food digest into your body and it can cause cramping, nausea and a bunch of other problems. If you can eat before your run 2-2 /12 hours is enough time to let your food settle. Having something from the whole grain family is a good source of carbs and adding a little peanut butter (1-2tbs) along with it can give your muscles and body the energy it needs to move efficiently. As you increase your milage and time running, what you eat before as far as complex carbs in grains and a little protein doesn't change a lot, but during the run (over 2 hours running), its smart to incorporate carbs into your run (via gels, chews, etc.). The main thing is once you find a meal that you can eat before and it works for you....STICK WITH IT! Before my long runs I usually went with 1 or 2 pieces of whole grain toast with a tablespoon of peanut butter on each piece and as I got into my 10 or more mile runs, I added 1/2 or a whole Gala Apple.
After the run.......
After your run it is so important to replace the precious nutrients that your body has lost! Eating complex carbs like fresh fruits (blueberries, blackberries, apples, etc) keep your energy levels up so you don't crash after your run and incorporating protein right afterwards such as Whey protein (shakes) and egg whites with veggies give your body the protein needed to refuel your muscles! Water right afterwards is important because it helps flush the lactic acid out of your muscles that cause that soreness that is no fun!
In conclusion.......
The nutritional aspect of training for long distance runs is just as important as the running part and usually doesn't get as much attention. I by no means am a running expert, I can just go off my personal experiences and what I learned along the way. There are some good sources for more information about nutrition and running by people who are professional runners and researchers. I put links below to the places I visited when needing more information and I STRONGLY encourage taking full advantage of these resources!
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/nutrition/eating-and-training-how-to-time-it-right/250.html this is an article from Runner's World and gives good examples for before fun meals based on if you run in the morning, lunch or evening!
http://www.livestrong.com/article/419729-a-runners-guide-to-eating/ This article is from Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong website and offers eating advice while running!
I hope you enjoyed!
Eat Healthy, Live Happy
Lindsay
I read somewhere that drinking chocolate milk after a workout was good for your muscles and would actually help the body burn more calories. Is there any truth to this at all?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have found that drinking a banana oatmeal smoothie works well in the mornings before a run when I am not hungry enough for real food. Banana, Greek yogurt, cooked oatmeal, and almonds. Yum.