Women of Strength Fitness and Lifestyle Training Blog: Food Is Fuel

This week we've reached the mid way point of our training, and as the kilometers have been adding up, you are becoming running machines! To keep your machine running smoothly, you need to feed it the foods that are most efficient and effective at fueling for performance.

So, what to eat? When to eat? How much to eat?
When it comes to running, you need to fuel up before, during and after your runs. Of course, the longer the run, the more fuel you will need. And since you are running and your blood flow will be directed to your muscles and away from your stomach and digestive organs, you need to eat and digest before running. You also need to eat after your run to replenish your fuel stores and provide your body with nutrients to repair and rebuild what you have broken down.

My suggestion is to eat at least 1hr to 90mins before your run. This way you can digest your food so it isn't sitting like a giant lump in your gut throughout your run. What about running first thing in the morning? Get up early. Seriously, it is that important. If you can't stomach much in the morning, you can have a snack at about 8pm that contains some carbohydrate, protein and fat (think a piece of fruit with nuts or some c

ottage cheese with tomato and avocado). Even that won't be enough to fully fuel you for a longer run though, and you need to get up a bit earlier so that you can have a small breakfast. A slice of toast with almond butter and a banana, a small yogurt with granola, or an apple with a couple of slices of cheese are all reasonable options. I eat a serving of oatmeal with berries and almonds plus a latte. I always get up at least an hour before I have to run and more often than not I am up 90mins so that I can digest before we begin.

Whatever you eat, you will want to take note of how it works (or doesn't work) for you. Come race day you don't want to be experimenting with anything new or unknown. Eat what you know works for you pre long run, and be sure you give yourself enough time to digest before the race.
The last thing you want is to do all this training and then spend half of the race in the porta potty!

During the run you will need to take in some calories as well. During your long training runs you should be experimenting with different options to find out what works best for you. The gels, gummies and beans I have provided are all good options, but you may also want to try real foods like dates or raisins, bananas, or trail mix. Whatever you choose, you want to make sure it provides you with about 100 calories per hour and is something you can tolerate when your stomach might be unsettled. It also needs to be easy to carry and eat, and something that gives you energy without a super sugar rush and crash effect. Commercial gels, beans and gummies generally contain a slower acting and longer lasting sugar like maltodextrin. They also generally contain some electrolytes like sodium and potassium (which you lose through sweat) and sometimes additives like caffeine to give you a boost. Most often these products do not contain much protein or fat since it takes your body longer to digest these macronutrients and they may cause more stomach upset if ingested during high intensity activity.

If I am running a shorter race and plan to push the intensity to my upper limits, I definitely stick to simple carbohydrates as fuel sources. I need all the blood in my muscles and respiratory system as opposed to my stomach. On the other hand, if I am doing a long ultra distance race I will be running at a much easier pace and for a lot longer so I would likely have some nuts, fruit, or even a small sandwich since I can digest that kind of food and would tire of the sweet stuff pretty quickly.

Whatever you choose, take it in small bits, followed by water, and practice, practice, practice before race day.

Drinking is also essential during your runs. For runs an hour or less, water is probably fine. If it is especially hot or humid (we wish!) you can add some electrolytes to your water in the form of a commercial product like Nuun or just add a pinch of sea salt to your water bottle. Race aid stations usually provide a product like Gatorade so if you want to use what will be provided on course, find out what they'll be using and then practice with it during your training runs.

Ok, so you've gotten up early, had a solid pre run breakfast and made it through the training with your gels and Sharkies. Now you can relax, have a coffee and carry on in your day, right?
Well, not quite yet.

There is a window of opportunity post run to refuel and how you feel during your next training run will have a lot to do with what you decide to do with this window. This article from Runner's World online offers this tip:

When you run longer than an hour, you need to focus on refueling—and fast. "There's a 30-minute window where the body is very receptive to getting carbs back into the muscles," says Shulman. To know your carb needs, divide your weight in half. If you weigh 140 pounds, you need 70 grams (280 calories) of simple carbs within 30 minutes. Try energy bars or sports drinks because they're quickly absorbed. Getting some protein, too, will kick-start muscle repair. Within an hour of that snack, eat a full meal, ideally in a 4:1 carbs-to-protein ratio. According to a 2006 study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, eating carbs and protein together increases glycogen levels more than eating just carbs. Try a bean burrito or pasta with meat sauce to give your body the nutrients it needs, says Shulman.

One of the easiest things to take in is a cup of chocolate milk or a cup of soy milk. Both contain the right 4:1 balance of carbs to protien, are easy to ingest even if you aren't feeling hungry, and are relatively easy to obtain.

There. Now you can put your feet up (with ice on any sore bits) and relax. Just be sure you get up and move and stretch frequently or you might become 'stuck' to the couch :)