I made it out bright dark and early Saturday morning and I decided not to run before the pre-run talk.
I had that 10 miler in the back of my mind and that’s where it stayed. In the back and it didn’t come out at all. I went to the pre-run talk and people had already gathered to hear all the yumminess regarding nutrition.
Personally I feel nutrition is the most important components of training. Alongside the physical and mental work, nutrition can really make or break a run. I mean, if you eat the wrong thing, or eat too much or too little, it can seriously affect you. Honestly, I feel like I still don’t have it all figured out, because what’s worked with me in the past doesn’t work with me now. For instance, I used to tolerate gels during the run and now I can’t stand them. I think it’s mostly a texture thing and I haven’t found a flavor that doesn’t make me want to immediately upchuck it.
The most important thing to take away from the nutrition talk is this: Everybody is different!! What works for one person may not work for another. Learn what works for you and try everything under the sun to figure out what you can and cannot tolerate during your run.
Here’s my breakdown of nutrition:
Carbo loading: Runners are like cars and cars need gas as fuel to run. Carbohydrates are the fuel for runners. In other words, carbohydrates are to runners, what gas is to cars. Fuel! The body can store about 2000 calories of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen so through carbohydrate loading, you basically want to top off your tank.
About 2 to 3 days before the long run, start to consume more carbohydrates. This doesn’t mean to eat more food. This means to consume a higher percentage of carbohydrates in relation to proteins and fats, so have a couple extra pieces of fruit, but skip the protein bar. This is especially important during the much longer mileage but not so much during a shorter run. And be sure not to overdo the carbo loading or else you’ll end up weighing 10 lbs more on race day than you did during training so mostly carbs are good, but all carbs are not so good.
The Night Before the Run: Carbohydrates are preferred but what’s more important is that it isn’t a heavy meal rich in protein and fat. You want something that will be easily digestible. You don’t want to wake up in the morning still trying to digest whatever you ate the night before. Have some carbohydrates with some protein and a little fat. Just be sure to keep it simple, light, and tasty.
Pasta is a good option but many people don’t care to eat it. Sometimes it can weigh people down. Fettucini Alfredo is probably not the best choice but maybe it actually works for someone. Spicy foods, fried foods and dairy are not highly recommended either. I might have a little pasta with marinara and a mixed green salad but I may just go for something light like a veggie sandwich. I should probably choose something and stick with it for the duration of training.
The Morning of the Run:
Eating something easily digestible about 1 to 2 hours is recommended. However, some people may need more time to relax and eat something, especially if you tend to eat a lot more, maybe give yourself 2 to 3 hours. One of the speakers mentioned how he eats a bagel, yogurt, banana, and Red Bull about 1 to 2 hours before the long run. That works for him. By the sound of the gasps and chatter that spread like a wild fire after he mentioned the Red Bull, most people wouldn’t even think about drinking it before a long run. Of course now that he mentioned it, maybe they’ll try it. I won’t be one of them. Never had a Red Bull and don’t really care to try it.
During the shorter runs I usually eat something small about 2 hours before the run, usually 1 to 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter. I like the Laura Scudders No-Stir Smooth Peanut Butter. For much longer runs, I tend to go with 1 to 2 packets of Quaker Oats Instant Original Oatmeal with a little raw sugar about 2 to 3 hours before the run. I find this to be easiest for digestion.
Some people like to drink coffee before runs because it gives them a little added boost of energy. If you’re not a regular coffee drinker, suddenly drinking it before a run can have adverse effects so ease into it and drink it a couple of hours before the run.
It’s important to note that shortly after eating, blood sugar levels slightly drop, and then increase. Be sure to give plenty of time to eating so you don’t increase the chances of crashing shortly after beginning your run. Nobody wants to bonk before getting to mile 1. Also, be sure to give yourself plenty of time to use the restroom because nobody wants to have to run to the toilet 10 minutes into the run for an emergency pit stop. Although, I suppose that could count as a little speed work. 😉
During the Run:
This is going to be a huge trial and error experiment. What’s important here are sugar and electrolytes. Electrolytes need to be replaced via sports drinks like Gatorade, Accelerade, Cytomax, etc., or salty foods like pretzels and Goldfish crackers.
Water is ALWAYS important and that goes without saying. Before, during, and after the run. Water, water, water!!
During the run sugar needs to be used to keep up that energy since we’re depleting those glycogen stores fast. Items such as hard candy (lollipops, Jolly Ranchers), soft candy (Gummi Bears, jelly beans), cookies, crackers, honey, and dried fruit are often eaten. Most popular items are probably things like gels, Clif Shot Bloks, and bars. Some people like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Now is the time to experiment to see what works and what doesn’t.
This is one area where I still don’t have it figured out. As I mentioned above what worked for me in the past doesn’t really work for me now so I’m going to have to do a little trial and error work here myself. Either way, some form of sugar and endurance sports drink should start to be consumed about 15 to 30 minutes into the run and taken at probably those intervals. It takes time to figure out what works though. Running is always an experiment!
After the Run:
This is the best part. It’s what runners look forward to because it may turn into a full-on food fest extravaganza! But hold up! After the run, you want to start replenishing those glycogen stores because you burned them up pounding out those miles. Start to eat something very easily digestible like a banana or other piece of fruit within an hour of finishing. Then within 2 hours be sure to eat a solid meal with carbohydrates, protein, and a little fat.
Personally, after a long run and especially after a half or full marathon, my stomach isn’t really in the mood to eat. It takes me a while to settle down but I do tend to go for a little banana or orange slices within the hour, definitely not immediately though. And then a few hours later, I will eat my meal.
Nutrition is an important issue to address while training and during the race, but once you find something that works, stick with it (at least until it doesn’t anymore). And I can’t stress this enough: the week of the race, do not try anything new!!! I’m highlighting that one. No new foods the day before, the night before, the morning of, or during the race. That is how important nutrition is. It can really make, or break, a great run and a successful race.
After the talk, I made it out to my group in time for another pre-run pic with Wanda.
We’ve got 6 miles to cover today.
Here’s how the mile splits turned out:
Mile 1 – 12:01
Mile 2 – 11:54
Mile 3 – 11:37
Mile 4 – 11:17
Mile 5 – 11:35
Mile 6 – 11:42
Not too shabby. And I had energy to spare for our LA Leggers picnic later in the day! All that food talk made me hungry. 🙂