Some incredible running going on this weekend! Buffalo Stampede had some amazing accomplishments and so great to see people take on those insane hills and come out on top (pun intended ;) ). I thought I might start off the first of a series of posts on nutrition.
This topic, like many others in running, can be a little controversial so remember this is what I've read, the advice I've received and what works for me, not necessarily the perfect solution and certainly not the only one. I am certainly no nutritionist so I'll be sticking to mostly pre, mid and post race fuelling, not general dietary advice. Tonight I'm going to focus on mid race fuelling, specifically calorie intake basics and fuelling types.
Most companies now agree that 200 calories an hour is a good target when running 2 hours or longer, although many people can process more (up to around 280). For runs under an hour you can go without for training and maybe throw in a gel for events and in between 1 and 2 hours 100 calories an hour seems plenty. Larger builds would ideally use a bit over the 200 for long runs. Some people cannot process a full 200 and may feel sick after 150 and then that is what you have to work with. I do strongly suggest trying different water intakes (particularly if you aren't drinking much at all) and eliminating gastrointestinal issues, which may be as simple as probiotics (not always).
It is very true that you can run on less or even no calories but the evidence seems pretty universal that you will run better on more, which is not overly surprising. One alternative is to become more fat adapted by running on low amounts of calories for training, but even then some elites that use this method will still want 100-200 calories an hour in a race, which is still relatively low at their performance level. I would not recommend this approach without a reasonable amount of experience though as it is hard enough starting out without pushing yourself with reduced fuelling.
There are so many fuelling options out there now which can be broken into 3 main groups: liquid, gels / gelatinous and solid food. I'm a huge fan of liquid as it is cheap, simple and very easy to track when using a clear bottle. I ran an entire miler off nothing but liquid fuelling and never felt hungry. The flavour ranges from super sweet to very salty and everything in between but can get a bit much after a while. I break this up by using a highly concentrated mix and then drinking clean water in between so the taste doesn't hang around. I also find that with a higher concentration I can easily get the calories in regardless of weather then drink water for additional hydration as needed.
For gels and gelatinous (e.g. Clif shot bloks) you are getting very concentrated doses of calories and a little electrolytes in a convenient package and you don't need to constantly worry about them. I do find it better to take half at a time for gels though as it spreads out the intake so you don't spike and crash (more-so if you're using simple sugars) and so it's easier on your stomach. Gels can be a bit expensive but you can use them alongside other fuelling types which works well as they make a great base for your fuelling. Buying them in bulk helps as well of course.
Finally solid food is a great addition to any fuelling, although not as many will use this exclusively as the others, as it is harder to consume while running. The advantages here are flavour (great to pick you up as a treat), can help settle your stomach and most effective at preventing you from feeling hungry. I like to use apricot bars over a long run, only eating a fifth of a bar an hour but look forward to it every time!
I hope some of you find this helpful and feel free to comment and ask questions if you like! Would certainly appreciate any views people would like to offer as well. Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment