Nutrition

Fuelling during training

For purposes of this article, let us establish that “during training” does not mean during one singular run. Training for an endurance race or event takes many weeks of solid training runs strung together, and it is in these weeks we can create even more fitness gains through proper nutrition, fuelling and recovery. In order to get to the start line feeling fit, fresh and ready to take on race demands, our dietary habits in the lead up and throughout training are incredibly important.

Nutritional Periodization

Nutritional periodization is a nutritional program that changes according to the type and amount of training a runner is engaged in. It is about balancing energy intake and expenditure to reach a ‘sweet spot’ completely unique to you – everyone is different. Every nutritional plan should have the same goal of enhancing adaptations to training, fighting fatigue/preventing injury and for some people, getting “lean” or race ready.

Many recreational runners train weekly distances of 50-100km for fitness and event preparation when training for races throughout the year. Most runners will do a variety of different sessions over the week at various paces.  For example, slow, longer runs or recovery/easy runs help build aerobic endurance. In contrast, intense continuous runs and interval/threshold sessions aim to improve anaerobic capacity and speed. Dietary strategies can positively influence the factors, which would otherwise limit a runner’s performance such as fluid balance, availability of carbohydrate for fuel and lactate accumulation from anaerobic efforts.

How can I find my balance?

An individual’s carbohydrate intake should reflect their daily training load; increasing total carbohydrate and energy intake during high-volume days and decreasing intake when volume and intensity are reduced (e.g. easy, recovery days). Nutrient dense carbohydrate rich foods (such as wholegrain breads, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit, dairy products and legumes) should be prioritised to meet fuel demands, however there may also be a need to include additional carbohydrate rich foods/drinks (e.g. sports drinks, energy gels) specifically around run sessions to improve performance during heavy training loads. Furthermore, consuming a high carbohydrate meal soon after a long and/or hard run will aid rapid muscle glycogen repletion. Including protein rich foods throughout the day assists to build new muscle protein and red blood cells as part of the repair and adaptation process. When thinking or planning your meals – evidence is in favour of putting carbohydrates on your plate first if you have a harder training day. An example of how a light vs. easy day breakfast may differ:

Easy Day: Omelette made with 3 eggs + 40g cheddar cheese + 1 cup spinach + ½ sliced tomato + 1 cup mushrooms served with ¼ avocado and handful of pumpkin seeds

Harder day: Omelette made with 2 eggs + 40g cheddar cheese + 1 cup spinach + ½ sliced tomato + 1 cup mushrooms served with 2 slices of toast + 1 glass of milk or orange juice

Gastrointestinal upset during hard runs is common. Many runners often prefer to run on an empty stomach, with the pre-training food/drink eaten well in advance of the session. If your planned training session is early in the morning, you might consider having a high carbohydrate snack just before bed so as to top up glycogen stores before running in the morning. That way, it will ensure you are well fuelled without having to try cram in food early in the morning. Some great pre-bed snacks are:

  • Yoghurt with fruit
  • 2 slices wholegrain bread/toast with Jam or Honey
  • 1 banana + 1 cup warm milk
  • 5 dried prunes or apricots + ½ cup Greek yoghurt

Low fibre foods or liquid meal supplements before hard training sessions may also help reduce concerns.

Sleep as your Secret Weapon

Sleep is rated as the ‘gold standard’ for recovery for any runner or athlete. In order to recover and prepare for the many training runs yet to be done, sleep should take first priority. Sleep helps restore body tissues, along with the promotion of growth, repair and adaptation of muscle and bones. Here are some nutritional strategies, which may help in getting optimal Z’s to assist in optimal recovery and optimise subsequent training sessions:

  • Fluids: try to limit intake of fluid within 1½ hours of going to bed. Taking in less fluid 90 minutes before going to bed will promotes uninterrupted sleep by fewer trips to the toilet during the night. It is important to rehydrate after a run and throughout the day instead
  • Meals close to bed time: leave 2-3 hours between the last meal eaten prior to going to sleep
  • High-fat foods: it is best to avoid meals high in fat such as creamy pastas, fried foods, or overdoing the pork crackling (hard to resist I know) before going to bed. Fat takes almost 6 hours to digest and can deter from a peaceful sleep
  • Energy restriction: too little food intake can also impair a good sleep. Choose high-fibre and low GI carbohydrates with your last meal to help satiation and stabilise blood sugars before going to bed
  • Foods containing melatonin: melatonin is a hormone that helps regulate sleep cycles. Almonds, walnuts, pineapple, oranges and bananas are rich sources of melatonin. Perhaps try having a handful of almonds and a banana as a go-to dessert?
  • Foods containing tryptophan: tryptophan is an amino acid (type of protein) promotes actually falling into sleep. Nuts and protein from animals (turkey, chicken, fish, eggs) all contain tryptophan and can therefore help get us into a peaceful sleep
  • High carbohydrate snack before bed: consuming a higher-carb snack before bed (fruit, yoghurt, milk, wholegrains) can also assist with sleep. This also is a bonus for recovery by promoting glycogen storage in the muscles so we wake up ready to run!

Article by Milly Clark, Olympic Marathoner | Sports Dietitian

Nutrition for Runners

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Author: Milly Clark

It is often easy to reflect back over a disappointing run or race and blame everything from lack of sleep, to the weather to bad shoes. Furthermore, the abundance of gels, bars, powders and tablets available to the public can make things even more confusing. Nutrition is often overlooked as playing a huge role in our sporting performance. Without the right nutrition, it can be very hard to elicit the physical adaptations we stimulate by training. Well-planned eating practices or strategies can help runners train hard, stay healthy and injury-free, and compete at their best.

The Distance Runners’ Diet

Skeletal muscle responds remarkably to mechanical load (running) and nutrient availability. Basically, this means we can build upon our strength and fitness simply through the foods we decide to eat on a daily basis. It is important to keep in mind that as runners, we are doing something that goes above and beyond what the human body is designed to do, therefore our eating habits should reflect this. The diet of a distance runner should ideally be comprised of the following:

  1. Quality carbohydrates – such as fruit, starchy vegetables, dairy products and whole grains
  2. A moderate amount of protein – meat, poultry, fish, beans/legumes, dairy products
  3. A variety of healthy fats – oily fish, olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds
  4. Micronutrients such as iron, calcium, sodium and magnesium
  5. Fluids and Electrolytes
Carbohydrates

Current research indicates carbohydrates offer a significant advantage over fat or protein for energy when it comes to higher intensity exercise. For endurance runners or athletes, daily carbohydrate intake should reflect and match training load. This means increasing total carbohydrate intake on high volume or high intensity training days and lower intake on a rest day or low intensity day. Planning your carbohydrate intake around training sessions will also help recovery and assist with physiological adaptations from training.

Protein

Protein is perhaps the most highly marketed supplement available to athletes – but how important is it for distance runners? Together with carbohydrates, protein works to assist with muscle repair and remodelling – but beyond that, protein is not the nutrient we rely on for a PB. Think of protein as building a house. The basic framework of that house is the foundations for putting up the walls, roof and later furnishings. We need protein for stability and to ensure nothing falls apart. The only times we use protein for energy is when carbohydrate or fat stores are low – something we don’t want to do because essentially it means we are eating our own muscles to use for energy! Including protein rich foods throughout the day will rebuild muscles and red blood cells as part of the repair and adaptation process.

Protein intake, like carbohydrate intake is highly individual. Those who are more muscular require more protein to maintain their lean muscle mass. Daily intake will still be higher than the normal person, but certainly not as high as you may think. It is important to get the balance between carbohydrate and protein intake right so that you can train hard, and recover well ready for the next day.

Micronutrients

IRON: the carrier of oxygen around your body. This is arguably the most important micronutrient for runners, and one that we lose the most of during training.  Iron stores can be depleted from periods of rapid growth (teens), training at high altitude or heat, menstrual loss, injury, and even foot strike on the ground. Low iron can impair muscle function and limit our work capacity. Runners need up to 70% more iron than the average individual. Iron comes from a variety of foods, but sometimes is not absorbed well, which means a supplement could be a good idea just to be safe. Great food sources include red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, prunes, and nuts. Females require more than double the amount that males do – so it is a good idea to check with a sports dietitian or consider a blood test every 6 months to ensure your iron status is within a healthy range.

CALCIUM: is especially important for growth, muscle and nerve contractions and the repair of bone tissue. A common overuse injury for runners are stress fractures, and the more you run, the higher the risk. A general rule of thumb to makes things easier: if its white, there’s calcium in there! There is calcium found in other fruits and vegetables, but the richest sources are those coloured white. Some great examples are: dairy products, white or baked beans, chickpeas, tofu, cashews, chia seeds, almonds, broccoli and spinach.

Vegetarian and Vegan Diets

All of us can benefit from eating more natural plant-based foods, however, distance runners who follow a vegetarian or vegan style of eating need to carefully structure their nutrition to best promote training adaptations and recover optimally for peak performance. If you have, or are considering adapting a vegetarian approach, it’s important to realise that your protein needs cannot be met simply by eating tofu occasionally or throwing some chick peas into the odd salad.

Fear not, it is absolutely possible to be an excelling vegetarian athlete. However, focusing on coupling the right foods at the right time remains vital. For example, low fat dairy and eggs are great exercise recovery options due to their high biological protein value. Plant based foods such as legumes, lentils, rice, cereals, and nuts contribute substantial amounts of protein to the overall diet as well as being wonderful carbohydrate sources. Some vegetarians and vegans in particular may need to consider supplements such as iron or B12, as these micronutrients are found mostly in animal products. Nonetheless, this is where your sports dietitian can be called upon to take away the guess work and ensure adequate daily intake.

About the Author

Milly Clark is a Tasmanian-born long-distance runner – she qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics (marathon) where she placed 18th. Milly is a qualified sports dietician and now works at Physiotas where she’s available for consultation (in person, or via Skype). You can also view the Physiotas Facebook page HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

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