Nutrition For Marathon Runners

The correct nutritional strategies before, during and after the event

Presented by Lana Fayed Arayssi

Clinical Dietitian/Ms NutritionA.U.B

Owner & Manager of

The correct nutritional strategies before, during and after competition

will help you achieve the ultimate goal:

Your best possible marathon performance

Why do you need a nutritional plan for marathon training?

•To ensure you are meeting your body’s increased nutrient requirements which depend on your training volumes, frequency and intensity.

• Good nutrition will help you maximize your training and your competition performance.

How do you put it all together to plan what you will eat and drink for training?

•Start with three main meals, morning and afternoon snack – these meals should meet baseline nutritional requirements.

• To meet your increased energy needs you may need to increase your carbohydrate foods.•Check that you are eating enough protein, iron and calcium containing foods.

•Make sure you are meeting your basic fluid needs as well as increased fluid needs when training.

What are the nutrients a marathon runner needs and what do they do?

Carbohydrate superior source of energy for muscles

During hard exercise, they are depleted at a rate of 3-4 grams per minute. If this is sustained for 2 hours or more, a very large fraction of the total body carbohydrate stores will be exhausted and if not checked will result in reduced performance ( Bonking).

Even when the body starts to use fat as an energy source in endurance exercise carbohydrate must still be present.

Fibers Helps keep bowels regular and can help reduce blood

cholesterol. Marathon runners may need to decrease fibers pre-

competition to prevent gut problems.

• Protein Essential in the growth and repair of all body tissues, including

muscle and bone; hormone and enzyme production; optimal immune function. Protein is also a minor source of energy.

• Fat Provides the most concentrated and largest source of energy. Fat provides most of the energy for daily activity. Required for normal growth and healthy skin, production of certain hormones, structural component of body cells, supply of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.

• Water Prevents dehydration, helps cool the body and acts as a transport

medium. Stored in the body in limited amounts.

Vitamin B complex Vitamin C Vitamin E Involved in carbohydrate, Enhances iron absorption, acts as An antioxidant that helps protein and fat metabolism. antioxidant (antioxidants‘mop up’ prevent cell damage caused B12 and folate are required free radicals, preventing cell, by free radicals. Free radicals increases energy production damage) for red blood cell are substances that cause cell is necessary for the synthesis damage. As a result of

greater of collagen for the formation oxygen uptake athletes have of connective tissue and bone Higher levels of free radicals. antioxidants ‘mop up’ free radicals, preventing cell damage

Iron Calcium ZincRequired for the formation of Required to build and maintain Essential for normal

growth,hemoglobin and mayoglobin, strong bones and teeth, essential reproduction, immune systemthe oxygen-carrying components for muscle function, blood clotting function and energyof red blood cells and muscle and nerve transmission production in muscle cellscells respectively. Required for energy reactions to take place

Minerals

Why do you need carbohydrate? •Carbohydrate is the superior energy source for marathon runners.

•Consuming carbohydrate during exercise will provide blood glucose as an energy source.

•Carbohydrate foods after exercise will maximize recovery

•We need: 7-10g per kg of body weight per day

•Planning when to eat usually involves being practical and using main meals and snacks

The most important is breakfast. why?

Because it is the time of the day where you can eat the most amount of carbohydrate to fuel your body. Eat carbohydrates with a lower glycemic index

Example of BreakfastNatural Yoghurt/ Fruit Fruit Juice & Smoothies Wholemeal Toast Low Sugar Cereals

• How much you eat will also depend upon how long the training session is going to be. If you are planning on a long training run make sure you have at least 200g of carbohydrate in your pre-exercise meal. If you are going for a half hour run you will be fine with a light snack. For example, a piece of fruit or a slice of toast.

• Training is a good chance to experiment with different foods at different times to determine what suits you.

In the past athletes have worried about eating before exercise because it was thought that blood glucose went up and then came down lower than resting levels, reducing performance. Recent research has shown that this does not usually impair performance. In fact, eating before training or competition has a positive effect

on performance.

Before Training • To maximize your glycogen stores it is important to eat at least 200g of carbohydrate

in the four hour period before you train. For example, if you are training at 11am you could have breakfast at 7am and a mid-morning snack at about 9am to provide 200g of carbohydrate. • You need to be practical when planning your pre-training meals. For example if you are planning on a marathon training run at 6am you may not feel like eating much. Have a high carbohydrate meal the night before and aim for a minimum of 50g carbohydrate before early morning training. For example, you could have a smoothie or a banana and a glass of fruit juice.

During Training •When training for over an hour and a half you should plan to consume some fluids and carbohydrate.

Hence the importance of your pre and post-exercise carbohydrate intake. •When practicing aim to consume 0.5 – 1 gram of carbohydrate per minute, or 30 – 60 grams of carbohydrate each hour to maintain adequate blood glucose. •For example, 500ml of sports drink with 7% carbohydrate will provide 35g of carbohydrate . This is enough to maintain your blood glucose levels. Sports drinks and foods with a moderate to high glycemic index will provide glucose quickly to blood for muscles and the brain to use as energy.

After Training

•Glycogen stores will be replaced most efficiently if you have approximately 1 gram of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight within the first 30-60 minutes. •This should be followed up with a high-carbohydrate meal and regular carbohydrate meals and snacks for the rest of the day. For example, a 75kg man needs to eat 75g of carbohydrate in the first 30-60 minutes after his marathon training session. A smoothie made with 400ml of trim milk, a medium banana and 200ml of fruit-flavored yoghurt, as well as a handful of raisins will provide 75g of carbohydrate. He can follow this up with a high carbohydrate meal and snacks.

•Although high glycemic foods will supply glucose to the blood and muscles quickly, it is the total amount of carbohydrate that has the greatest effect on recovery

Pre-Competition Nutrition

Carbohydrate loading•The goal of carbohydrate loading is to superload muscles with glycogen

•When competing for over 90 minutes normal glycogen stores will not be enough to maintain exercise. Carbohydrate loading is a method of increasing stored glycogen by 200-300%, thereby allowing the athlete to delay fatigue and maintain high intensity exercise for longer.

•Carbohydrate loading is of no benefit for sports of short duration, and is undesirable in sports with strict weight criteria.• However, it is a must for marathon runners.

How do you carbohydrate load?

•Think of carbohydrate loading as an exaggeration of your normal high-carbohydrate training diet.

•In the final three to four days before your marathon, taper exercise while increasing carbohydrate intake to 9-10 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight.

•The idea is to increase carbohydrate intake without actually increasing total energy intake.

•The easiest way to increase you carbohydrate intake is by replacing most of the fat in your diet with carbohydrate.

•You can also use carbohydrate supplements to increase your carbohydrate intake.

• If you are competing regularly you will find you carbohydrate load to varying degrees depending on how important the competition is.

Drink plenty of fluids; your body needs water to store with the extra carbohydrate.

Expect to gain some weight due to the extra water stores.

•In your training diet use nutrient-rich carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread, cereals, fruits and vegetables (e.g.: potato, kumara). When you are carbohydrate loading

• you can also use carbohydrates that are not as nutrient dense and therefore not as bulky, to help you reach you carbohydrate target. For example, sports drinks, fruit juiceSweetened soft drinks, canned fruit with added sugar, sugars, jam and honey.

•Make the most of the carbohydrate in your meal. For example, instead of having lasagna, which has only a small amount of pasta, cook a large serve of pasta with a tomato based sauce.

•Many junk foods are not good carbohydrate loading foods as they usually contain more hidden fat than carbohydrate, for example, potato chips, cakes and biscuits.

•Plan your pre-competition meal and fluids. The goal of your pre-competition meal is to top up liver and muscle glycogen stores and blood glucose, ensure optimal hydration, prevent stomach upsets and prevent hunger.

•Try carbohydrate loading in training

Strategies to reduce stomach and gut

upsets (gastrointestinal upsets)•Reduce your fiber intake by choosing lower-fiber cereals like cornflakes, rice bubbles, white rice, pasta, bread and soft fruits with no skin.

•Reduce fat in the pre-competition meal. For example, have toast and jam with no butter, use low-fat milk and do not choose to have a fried meal for breakfast.

•Try liquid meals. They empty quickly from the stomach, and maybe useful for athletes who compete early in the morning or who find it difficult to eat solid meals before competition . Make the liquid meal with water or trim milk.

•Ensure that hydration is adequate.

•Make sure you have tested out your pre-competition meal in training.

Pre-Competition meal ideas

•White toast and low-fat spreads/spaghetti/corn/banana.•Cereal with trim milk and/or yoghurt and/or fresh canned fruit.•Muffins or crumpets with jam/honey.•Low-fat pancakes with fruit.•Creamed rice and fruit.•Oatmeal with trim milk.•Pasta with a tomato-based sauce.•Risotto.•Baked potato with corn/spaghetti/tomato-based sauce.•Sandwiches/rolls with spreads/banana.•Fruit salad and yoghurt.•Liquid meals.

Strategies to meet your competition nutrition goals•Plan to meet fluid needs

•Start drinking early in competition and continue drinking at regular intervals during the event. •When exercise intensity and time are high, plan to consume 1 g of carbohydrate per minute or 30-60 g per hour.

•Use carbohydrate-containing sports drinks or moderate to high glycemic index foods. For example, a litre of 7% sports drink will provide 70 g carbohydrate, a banana will provide 20 g carbohydrate, a cereal bar will provide 20 g carbohydrate.

•When using a sports drink choose one you have tested in training. A sports drink with 4-8% (ie: 40-80 g/l or 4-8 g/100ml) carbohydrate and 500-700 mg/l (20-30 mmol) sodium is recommended. Drink it at regular intervals during your marathon.

•Examples of moderate to high glycemic index foods that can be used include ripe bananas, sandwiches with jam, honey or banana, jelly beans, cereal bars.

•Sports bars can also provide a convenient form of carbohydrate. Experiment with these in training..

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Nutrition for after your event•The goals are to restore fluid and electrolyte balance, replenish depleted glycogen stores, provide nutrients to help repair muscle damage.

•Following your event, it is essential to ensure fast recovery so you body is prepared for your next training session.

•Make your recovery food and fluid your first priority after your event.

•Typically, it’s is high glycemic carbohydrates that will make good recovery foods.

.•No matter how well you followed your fluid plan during your event, you will probably have some degree of dehydration. It is essential to replace lost fluids.

•Start drinking as soon as you have finished your event, and continue to drink until your urine is clear and you body weight is back to pre-race weight. You need to drink 1.5 times the amount of body weight you have lost to replace fluid losses from exercise and from urination.

•Replacing sodium losses will ensure maximum fluid retention. You can replace sodium losses by drinking a sports drink or eating a post-recovery meal or snack with salt as a component, or added.

•Sports drinks provide optimal rehydration as the sodium content rebalances body fluid, and helps your body retain the consumed fluid.

•Drink cool fluids that you enjoy.

•Avoid drinks containing caffeine and alcohol after competing.

Strategies to restore your fluid and electrolyte balance

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Strategies to replace used glycogen stores

•For the first two hours after your event, blood is still rushing to your muscles. Muscle cells are still receptive to taking up glucose and enzymes are receptive to converting glucose to glycogen. This is the best time to maximize your recovery by eating moderate to high glycemic index foods and using sports drinks. These products will provide glucose to the blood and muscles quickly.• If you wait until after two hours to consume carbohydrate, your recovery will be slowed down.

•In the 24 hours after your event aim to consume 7-10 g carbohydrate per kg of body weight from carbohydrates.

•Approach this goal by eating 1 g carbohydrate per kg of body weight as soon after exercise as possible, then have a high-carbohydrate meal in the next two hours, and normal meals and snacks for the rest of the day.•If a main meal is not available, have carbohydrate snacks (at least 50 g every two hours) until you can have your next main meal.•Sports drinks can provide carbohydrate as part of the glycogen resynthesis strategy.

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Strategies to help the repair of muscle

damage•Muscle damage can occur due to body contact or eccentric exercise (that is, the type of exercise that makes you sore the next day).

•The damage to muscle fibres means they cannot store glycogen as well. If you have had a hard race (which is the marathon case) or have bruising and muscle damage (that is, soreness), pay special attention to meeting your recovery carbohydrate needs to help muscle recovery.

•Do not expect optimal endurance performance until soreness is gone, as muscle glycogen will not be totally replaced.

• Avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours. Alcohol causes more blood to flow to the injured area, increasing swelling and bleeding that will slow recovery and make the injury worse.

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Hints for the post-event diet•Recovery will be just as rapid if the carbohydrate is consumed in a few meals or many snacks, as long as you meet your total carbohydrate needs.

•Moderate to high glycemic index foods may promote greater glycogen storage than low glycemic index foods.

•Carbohydrates can be consumed as solids, fluids or a combination of both.•Including small amounts of protein in the recovery meal can help increase the rate of muscle glycogen storage.

•Glucose and sucrose provide faster muscle recovery than fructose, the sugar found in most fruit and fruit products. Fructose does enhance liver glycogen storage, but only very slowly replaces muscle glycogen. It can form part of the recovery meal, but should not be the only source of carbohydrate. •Choose foods that you like!

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Main points about your competition diet

•Carbohydrate loading involves tapering exercise and increasing carbohydrate intake in the three to four days before your marathon to “superload” muscles with glycogen.

•Pre-event nutrition is vital to ensure glycogen stores are topped up, hydration is optimal and stomach upsets and hunger are prevented. Eat at least 200 g of familiar foods in the four hours before competing and drink enough fluid to be comfortable.

•During your endurance event consume 30-60 g carbohydrate per hour and aim to replace fluid losses. Begin eating and drinking early in your event.

•Post-event nutrition restores fluid and electrolyte balance, and replenishes depleted glycogen stores, reducing recovery time.•Recovery of the muscle and liver glycogen stores after exercise will normally require 24-48 hours for complete recovery.

•In the first half to one hour after your event you should eat 1 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight, eat some protein and begin drinking fluids. Within the next two hours you should aim to have a high-carbohydrate meal and follow this with regular meals and snacks and drinks for the rest of the day.

Msaytbeh, bachir Joumblat str.Fayed’s bldg 2nd flr.t.f :03/709668 01/311321ww.lowcal-thedietclinic.com