An ultramarathon is, according to "Runner's World," any distance run beyond the traditional 26.2-mile marathon. Rather than focusing on the pace or length, ultramarathoners focus on endurance with long but slower paced days of running. Interspersed are periods of rest that generally last 48 hours. Ultramarathoning is not for the feint of heart. Instead of setting your training to prepare your body for a single day of pushing the limits, you have to prepare for maintaining a pace that is just below your limit. Diet, including vitamins, minerals and herbs can help you prepare your body to be as efficient as possible in using food as fuel.
Iron
Iron is one of the most abundant metals both in the earth and in your body. According to the National Institutes of Health, iron is responsible for the transport of oxygen throughout your body. This oxygen is particularly important to keep your muscles from cramping, which can impair your ability to run for long periods. Iron is found in a wide variety of foods, most notably meat, which contains heme iron. Heme iron is the type responsible for hemoglobin production, and is better absorbed by your body than non-heme iron, and is only found in animal foods.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant in your body, neutralizing the effects of free radicals, which can damage cells. Sports Nutritionist Sunny Blende explains in "UltraRunning" magazine website that most supplements are unnecessary for ultrarunners, especially in amounts greater than 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Despite this admission, Blende explains that ultramarathon runners may derive benefit from taking 400 IU of vitamin E daily. Vitamin E, according to the National Institutes of Health, is a natural immune system booster that may facilitate faster recovery between runs.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is known for its ability to decrease the duration of colds. This water soluble vitamin has also been found to decrease the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections in ultramarathon runners. A 1993 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that upper respiratory tract infections that are commonly experienced by ultramarathon runners decreased significantly with the administration of vitamin C supplements. This effect may be attributed to vitamin C's immune-boosting ability, which the researchers suggest enhanced the resistance of the runners in the wake of strenuous activity.
Green Tea
Like vitamins C and E, green tea acts as an antioxidant in the body, helping to decrease the damage to cells that can occur when pushing your body to its endurance limits. Practitioners of natural medicine, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, prescribed green tea as a stimulant to hasten wound healing and to improve cardiovascular health. Green tea may help ultramarathoners by providing a small energy boost, thanks to the small amount of caffeine that occurs naturally in the beverage.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Green Tea
- UltraRunning; A Refresher Nutrition Course for Ultrarunners; Sunny Blende, MS; 2011
- Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University: Vitamin C
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Vitamin C Supplementation Reduces the Incidence of Postrace Symptoms of Upper-Respiratory-Tract Infection in Ultramarathon Runners; E. M. Peters, et al.; 1993
- National Institutes of Health: Iron
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