Hi all! Sorry for the radio silence - life and work got in the way. :P Hope you've all been enjoying your training and nailing your goals. Ultra Trail Australia coming up in two weeks (formerly The North Face) in the Blue Mountains, NSW. I'll be there for the 100km along with a strong contingent from a Victoria. Looks to be an awesome run with great scenery and some massive elevation - over 4000m for the 100km with a lot of steps. Hope to see some of you there! So for this post I thought I'd follow on with the nutrition thread and cover the other elements of mid run nutrition as well as some recovery pointers. Again, this isn't comprehensive but should make a great starting point for beginners and something to try in your own "experiment of one".
The most important intake while running is obviously your water. Not enough water is usually the immediate response as to why, but it goes beyond just that. Dehydration is obviously going to affect your running and eventually stop you outright but it will also prevent you from digesting your calorie intake (however you take them) to the point where your body will decide to purge what it can't deal with. Excess water just sounds uncomfortable and requiring frequent toilet stops but is actually the most dangerous problem a runner can face. When combined with other issues (including use of anti inflammatories and insufficient electrolytes) it can cause your body's sodium to become so diluted that it can even result in organ failure and death. This is why, despite a lot of marketing hype, it is always better to drink to thirst. While there are good guides for water intake (such as 300-500ml an hour), this varies so much depending on conditions that it is better to experiment and find out what feels right for you. Start with 300ml an hour (500 in the heat) and see how that feels. You don't want to slosh, but you don't want to find your mouth dry at any point. Generally this is fairly instinctive but running can make you forget to even think about those signs.
Another aspect that comes up a lot, but can be much further removed in terms of importance, is electrolyte intake. The general argument is that you lose electrolytes, so you need to replace them. Some research agrees but more and more points towards your body already having enough stores that the loss is not an issue (especially in a western diet). I still take in a basic amount, but haven't really experienced problems when not using them (that's just my experience and your own may vary). The other argument is that it helps with camping. This is a fairly well embedded idea but is based off older research. More recent research has indicated that while the salty taste has a near immediate neurological effect on cramping, that's from the taste response, not actually ingesting it. The true cause of cramps is still relatively unproven from what I've read thus far but points more towards moving beyond your range and capacity for a long duration. In my experience I have found that anyone with good flexibility seems to very rarely cramp (if at all).
The last point I'd like to touch on is protein. This is a particularly touchy one for many runners for three main reasons I've seen: don't want to bulk up, don't like the taste or idea and worried about stomach issues mid race. Let's start with some of what's going on while you run. When you start your run, you have stored energy as glycogen which can last up to an hour. It is very easy for your body to consume. Along with that your fat stores can fuel you, but at a slower rate (which can be improved but is still not quick). Over long duration and harder work outs you become catabolic. A good definition I found is: A catabolic state is a condition that is mainly caused by excessive training coupled with a lack of adequate nutrition, especially protein. It results in numerous undesirable side effects in the body, such as extreme fatigue, joint and muscle pain, and sleeplessness. So you need to fuel adequately to delay it, but also take in protein to minimise it. There is some evidence to such protein taken while running will help for which I use a BCAA powder which I feel helps me recover faster and stronger. However there is definitive evidence that you need to consume protein after a hard work out in order to recover appropriately, particularly soon after finishing. Even if you consume a good diet with a good amount of protein, it's the availability post run that matters. You might say "but I'm not trying to build muscle" but unless you're not that interested in getting stronger and faster, then you're slowing down your recovery, and thus your improvement, significantly.
I hope some of this helps you in your training. Remember this is what I've found works for me, as well as many others I've come across. There will always be exceptions and often there are alternatives, but I highly recommend you try some of these approaches. Keep in mind though that many things done right won't be as much about what you notice, but what you don't i.e. Fatigue, soreness, bonking. Would love to hear all your own experiences on these and your thoughts on what helped you. After UTA I'm looking to get stuck into some other ideas I've had for In2Trails including some basic technique sessions. Enjoy your running!
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