To become a successful endurance runner you should view the food you eat as fuel. Feeding your body with the correct type of food at the right time will fuel your muscles to cover the distances required in training. Diet is also essential for effective recovery. Fluid sweated out while running needs to be replaced, and the body's need for essential vitamins and minerals must be met.
Timing
It is important to eat before training whenever possible to provide your muscles with the energy they require to complete the run. Eating before a run will boost your performance as opposed to not eating anything. Muscles run on glycogen, which is stored carbohydrate, so even if you are an early morning trainer you should still try and eat some carbohydrates before your run. This will help you to avoid the risk of "running on empty." Ideally, eat between one and three hours before you run. You should also plan to eat afterward; refueling effectively is essential.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate-rich foods supply the energy needed to fuel the muscles on long runs. When you eat carbohydrates, they are converted to glucose and then stored in the liver and muscle cells as glycogen. When energy is needed by the muscles, it is converted back to glucose and used in the reaction where ATP is converted to ADP, with a net result of energy being released. This then fuels the muscle contractions that you need to run.
To fuel endurance running, slow-burning, complex carbohydrates should be eaten as part of your balanced eating plan. Examples are whole wheat bread, pasta, potatoes and whole-grain foods such as oats. Bananas are also a convenient source of carbohydrate to eat post-training to replace your depleted glycogen stores. Carbohydrate loading is the practice of increasing carbohydrate consumption prior to an endurance race. According to Bruce Fordyce in his book the "Marathon Runner's Handbook," the most effective way to carbohydrate load is to concentrate on increasing the intake of carbohydrate-rich foods in the three days before an endurance race. He suggests that each meal eaten during this period should contain 90 percent carbohydrate with only a small amount of protein and fat consumed.
Fat and Protein
Fat can also provide you with a concentrated form of energy to fuel endurance running, but the kind of fat you eat is an important consideration.Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats come from sources like olives, nuts and sunflower seeds and will be beneficial to your health and should form part of your diet.
Protein is not as important in fueling training, but it is essential for effective recovery. It needs to be eaten to help the muscles recover effectively from the demands placed on them by training. Sources of protein are meat, fish, eggs and milk.
Hydration
Increasing your water consumption during training will help to ensure you stay hydrated. Water is required for glycogen to be stored in the muscles, so drinking more water will be beneficial. Alcohol has a diuretic effect, which means that drinking it will be dehydrating. During long runs and longer races you will need to drink to avoid dehydration.
Minerals
Minerals are essential in muscular function and fluid regulation. Sodium levels need to be maintained so that fluid absorption is not adversely affected. Potassium helps in the storage of glycogen and is also vital in maintaining fluid balance. During training, a sports drink containing sodium and potassium should be consumed to maintain the balance of these minerals.
Iron-rich food sources such as red meat should form part of your diet. Endurance training can deplete this mineral. Iron maintains the ability of the red blood cells to carry oxygen and should be supplemented if your diet is deficient, for example if you are vegetarian.
Calcium is stored in the skeletal system and is required for maintaining bone density. Dietary sources of calcium are cheese, milk and nuts.
Vitamins
A balanced diet which includes fruit, green leafy vegetables, whole-grain cereals, fish and dairy products will adequately provide you with the vitamins you need to train properly. Water-soluble vitamins, such as the B-group vitamins and vitamin C, are excreted via urine and sweat and need to be replaced more often than fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E and K.
References
- "Marathon Runner's Handbook"; Bruce Fordyce; 2003
- "How to Run"; Hugh Jones; 2010
- Nutrition Data: Nutrition Glossary
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