Food

I think that a lot of runners forget that one of the most important components to running a good race is proper nutrition. This isn’t limited to during a race, because you’ve got to have a proper foundation before the race. There are a few simple things that I have done to get myself in better race form:

1) Better quality food in means better quality energy out.

2) Eat plenty of foods that are high in protein and have a decent amount of carbohydrates.

3) All fruits and vegetables are good. Typically the brighter the color the more beneficial the vegetable or fruit is.

4) On race day you should ignore carb loading; eat something before the race (I like wheat toast with peanut butter) at least three hours before; don’t sacrifice sleep to eat the meal (your muscles will be good to go if you eat a high quality meal before an early morning meal. Just eat 100-200 calories five to 10 minutes prior to the start of the race — if you must).

This weekend was the ultracentric 24 hour run in Grapevine, Texas. Last year I had a difficult time with the 6 hour run. It was the lengthiest amount of time I had ever attempted, and I had a healing stress fracture in my right foot.

This year I felt a lot better about the run. I’ve run three 50Ks this year and I’m continually getting faster while they are getting easier. I also have a sort of lofty opinion of my ability to handle myself on courses.

No mistake about it: I failed.

I went out there with sufficient training to run this thing, but I didn’t prepare for the aspects that really matter. In shorter races it doesn’t matter as much if you start a little fast, if you don’t pace right, if you don’t think about food, and if you ignore the weather.

I typically run with the attitude that I will keep drinking some fluids, get some food in my body, and read some advice that works for others. It almost always works.

This weekend I learned that if I’m going to run some races like 50 milers, 100Ks, and 100 mile races, I really have to respect my own body a little more. Every runner is different and has to think about what works for them and tinker with things. I tried what worked for others and it blew up in my face.

I think that the mistakes came in hydration, food, and pacing. I read someone who said that if you just drink Nuun you will be ok. I think it might have worked but I got tempted by other drinks at the aid stations. I ended up mixing a lot of water, Heed, Cytomax, and Coke at various times. Bad idea.

It was also hot out there. There was little tree cover and the sun was beating down at about 80-82 degrees during the heat of the day. I was smart enough to weigh myself before the race. I weighted myself about ever hour. By hour seven, I had lost almost 7 pounds. Seven. I knew that I had to pull myself from the race.

I also messed up with food. I read that I should just eat whole wheat bread with honey on it. I had it in my tent and tried to do that but it hurt too much to bend down and get the stuff made. I was there alone with nobody crewing me, so I had to do it all myself if I wanted it. I started to eat all kinds of crap at the aid stations: bits of hamburgers, mac and cheese, pretzels, and m&ms are at the top of my mind. There was no method behind those choices. I don’t know what compelled me to try to mix all that food in an already alarmed stomach.

Finally, I messed up with pacing. I know how my body runs. I do best when I run strong at the beginning and then walk/run as my body calls for it. I listened to people who said you should always run 5 and walk one. I tried that and it wore me out more than if I had just run it.

Anyhow, with the body weight loss, I decided that I had to stop for my own health. I wish that I could have stayed out there and walked it or walked with a little running, but I had to finally respect my body after all the disrespect I gave it. I stopped participating at hour 8.

It was a great race put together by a really good group. I’m not sure if I’ll be back because I’m not sure my body is alright with running on pavement on a two mile course for 24 hours. If it were on a trail, I would be a lot happier with the idea.

At least I can say that some good lessons were learned.

I guess that drinking a pedialyte-type drink has become more popular outside of endurance sports. Athletes I know who run ultras have been doing it for years after long races. I typically make my own rather than buying the stuff at the store. It’s easy enough to do and a lot cheaper.

Here is what you need to mix together:

• 8 level teaspoons of sugar
• 1 level teaspoon of table salt
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1 liter of water

Don’t use artificial sweeteners or fructose (fruit sugar) in the place of regular sugar as it won’t provide sufficient energy.

I believe that when I was a child my mother would often scold me by saying that I would regret whatever bad thing I did later. Today, I ate a late lunch and then had a couple cupcakes which were being sold in some charity drive. I must admit that it made my stomach really happy at the time. It even gave 50 cents to charity! Later, unfortunately, it came back to haunt me as my stomach regretted it during my 7 mile run.

I made a bad mistake, but I think the mistake might have been running because those cupcakes were fantastic!

That’s Fit has a post about running with the proper nutrition. Both on longer runs and before the runs, I think it’s very important for any runner to get the proper nutrition. For me, one of my favorite things to eat before running is a banana. I will usually eat one as a snack during the day or the night before a long run. I’m also a fan of carbs and will eat a lot of bread and tortillas throughout the week.

During a run I like to eat a little bit of sugar such as a cookie or two. I also think it’s good to get some pretzels in me so that I have the salt from them. If it is really a long race, I will also stop and have some soup.

After long runs, I will usually have something like Recoverite or Endurox to help repair my muscles and speed up the recovery time. I also keep a jar of salted peanuts in my car to eat whenever I want a little pick me up. They fuel my protein, good fats, and salt to help with recovery.

How about you? What do you eat?