Question

Tara is a long-distance runner. Her body weight is 65 kilograms. She recently realized that when she doesn’t eat appropriate amounts of carbohydrates while training, she becomes fatigued much more quickly. She is unsure of how to plan her meals around her workout. Focusing on meeting her carbohydrate requirements and using the guidelines in the chapter, plan both a pre-workout meal and a snack following her two-hour workout. Why would a registered dietitian advise an endurance athlete such as a marathon runner not to follow a low-carbohydrate diet during training?

Answer 1

Long-distance running, particularly marathons and half-marathons, is becoming more popular than ever, which means you may find yourself faced with more and more clients coming to you for help to improve their running performance, including how to nutritionally support their efforts. When it comes to long-distance running, nutrition is a big consideration for health and success, whether your client’s program is simply moving from a more casual weekly routine to extended times and distances or training for a first marathon. A meal plan that is designed to help clients fuel up on the best foods in the right macronutrient combinations can help ensure optimal performance and health, while also helping them achieve their performance-related goals.

General Nutrition to Support Long-distance Running

In general, as distance and running time increase, so do calorie and carbohydrate needs. A higher-carbohydrate diet helps maintain essential glycogen stores within the muscles, the primary energy source used during exercise. For those regularly completing extended runs or strenuous exercise, as well as those training for a long-distance event such as a marathon, a diet comprised of 55 to 65 percent carbohydrates is recommended to maintain optimal glycogen stores. Carbohydrates can be found in a wide variety of foods such as whole grains and fruits.

Carbohydrates aren’t the only consideration for high-mileage clients. These individuals should also be following a meal plan rich in fruits and vegetables, which contain antioxidants, vitamins and minerals to combat increased free radicals and the risk of mineral deficiencies. As with any ongoing and demanding fitness program, adequate hydration is essential each and every day as well as throughout a long-distance run.

Pre-workout Nutrition for Long-distance Running

Prior to a run, an extra boost of carbohydrates is a must for sustained energy. As with other more strenuous workouts, a pre-workout meal higher in carbohydrates that also includes protein and some fat should be eaten a few hours prior to a long distance run.

Good options for a pre-workout meal include:

• Hardboiled eggs and wheat toast
• Peanut butter and banana with whole-grain crackers
• Whole-grain bagel with tomato and low-fat cheese
• Grilled chicken and wheat pasta

Keep in mind that higher-fiber foods such as fruit and grains may not be the best choices in the hour or two before a long run, as they may cause some gastrointestinal discomfort. Those that can’t tolerate food before a long-distance run or race should opt for an easily digestible source of carbs such as a banana, energy gel or sports drink.

Post-workout Nutrition for Long-distance Running

Once the long-distance run is finished, proper nutrition is critical to begin rebuilding energy stores for the next run. Immediately following a long-distance run, clients should grab a sports drink, orange juice or similar drink to start rehydrating and replenishing, and then focus on a post-workout meal. Like pre-workout meals, a post-long distance run meal should consist of a moderate to high amount of carbohydrates paired with protein (the recommended ratio is approximately 3:1). This mix of carbohydrates and protein has been shown to be ideal for replenishing glycogen stores in preparation for the next training session. Some research suggests that focusing on complex carbohydrates in the 48 hours after a particularly strenuous run or race, like a marathon, may be most beneficial for building those glycogen stores. In addition, runners should be sure to gradually hydrate throughout the day.

No matter what your client’s training program or goals, nutrition is a must to help support success. Guiding your clients with an effective meal planfor long-distance running, rich in carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals, can make all the difference, not only in helping them reach their goals but also in their satisfaction with the program itself

1. Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are undoubtedly the most important component in a long distance athlete’s diet.

In fact you’ve often heard long distance athletes referring to “carbo-lading” before a marathon or ultra-marathon. In essence, they are saying they want to load their body with a huge amount of carbohydrates.

Why?

A high intake of carbohydrates saturates your muscles with glycogen. Glycogen is the storage form of carbohydrates that fuels endurance (in excess of 2hrs in length) exercise.

In your daily diet, you should be consuming over 55% – 60% of carbohydrates. When you carbo-load, 2 to 3 days before an endurance event, this percentage increases to about 60 – 70%.

2. Fats

It sounds a bit ironic that fats should make a substantial part of your diet.

I mean, who wants extra fat and weight when running?

But the reality is this – fat should form approximately 20 – 25% of your diet. What you want in your diet is good fats. Yes – good fats!

It’s the bad fats that cause chaos on your waistline and makes you grow horizontally. But, that’s a topic for another day.

For now, I want to focus on the reasons why you need good fats in your body.

In an article titled “Why You Need Fats”, an article published on AskDrSears, the following are listed as the reasons why good fats are important:

• Fats provide energy
• Fats build healthy cells
• Fats build brains
• Fats help the body use vitamins
• Fats make hormones
• Fats provide healthier skin
• Fat forms a protective cushion for your organs

From the above benefits, it’s quite clear that good fats are of great use to anyone – whether you are a long distance athlete or not.

Avoiding fats completely in your diet is a myth.

3. Proteins

For a novice runner, preparing for a half marathon can get intense. For a regular and more experienced long distance runner, preparing for a marathon or ultra-marathon requires intense training.

As a result, that training programme breaks down a lot of muscle tissue, especially when you take into account cross-training that entails regular gym strength training.

To ensure that all muscles function properly and recover adequately, you need protein. Proteins are also good because they help balance your weight. Long distance running results in an incredible amount of weight loss. Personally, I hate looking skeletal. To counter-act this, I consume a high amount of proteins.

In your daily diet, you should be consuming between 15 – 20% of proteins.

4. Electrolytes

Electrolytes are ionic solutions (salts) that come in the form of minerals. They include sodium, potassium, calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium, chloride, hydrogen phosphate and hydrogen carbonate.

They are responsible for keeping the body properly hydrated so the muscles and nerves can function efficiently.

To understand this function, it’s important to understand that your body is pre-dominantly water. As a result, when you exercise, you lose a lot of these minerals and precious fluids through sweating. Through your intake of water and fluids with electrolytes, you are able to hydrate quicker because water follows electrolytes.

In addition, electrolytes reduce the amount of water lost when you urinate. This then allows fluids in your body to be absorbed back into the muscles, tissue and nerves.