Endurance Race Fueling- Is It Really Necessary?
July 14, 2017
By Kristen Ziesmer, MS, RD, CSSD, LD
You’ve probably noticed that everyone and their mom is participating in triathlons, marathons, trail runs, mud runs and tough mudders. You’ve likely competed in one yourself and know others who have as well! There’s a lot of training and preparation that goes into preparing for one of these demanding races. However, the one thing that often gets neglected (and in my opinion is one of the most important things) is a proper nutrition plan.
I’ve met a lot of athletes that have a calendar full of events and races scheduled but have diets that look like they’ve never given a thought to sport nutrition. Heck, this used to be me too! Sadly, a big reason for this is due of the lack of knowledge and misinformation out there. Is this you?? Let me tell you why a sports nutrition plan will be your best friend in preparing for your next event!
Top 5 Reasons to Utilize a Sports Nutrition Plan:
- Injury avoidance– This means sprains, rips, tears, and overuse injuries accomplished through proper recovery from workouts and trainings
- Consistent energy levels– If you’ve ever participated in any sport, you know how easy it is for lack of energy to creep up on you. Not just during trainings but throughout the day. Put the right types and amounts of fuel in your tank and keep fatigue at bay!
- Strong Immune Function– Yup, you heard that right! Intense, continuous exercise takes a toll on your whole body, including your immune system. What’s more, the majority of your immune system is in your gastrointestinal tract! If you’re putting garbage in, you’re going to be getting garbage as a result; meaning decreased performance and illness.
- Keeps you out of the bathroom– A large number of athletes experience GI distress, particularly runners. The reason being is a sensitive stomach and the foods you’re eating! Working with a sports dietitian can help you make necessary dietary changes that will keep you running towards the finish line and away from the bathroom!
- Safety– Many of us have heard of dehydration and hyponatremia (or low blood sodium levels) but how do we avoid it? Both can put people in the hospital, in comas or even cause death. Learning about your body, your sweat rate and electrolyte needs is the only way to avoid this and making hydration plan is part of your well thought-out sports nutrition plan will get your there!
Now that you know how a sports nutrition plan can help, you’ll need to know what needs to be considered and included. These include:
- knowing how much energy (calories), protein, fat and carbs you need and at what points during training (your needs will change based on training load)
- nutrient timing or when to eat what
- fueling during trainings to keep you going
- recovery nutrition or what to eat after training
- hydration plan
- sports supplements
What else you may not realize is that your sports nutrition plan does not start the night before your race with a big pasta dinner! You will only feel bloated and uncomfortable, not well fueled. Your sports nutrition plan actually needs to start at the very least when you start training for your event. I would recommend about 6 months out. Why you ask? Because this gives your body adequate time to be trained to store more nutrients and energy to keep your energy levels up and injuries down throughout the whole process. Just like you train your muscles, you need to train your body, cells and your guy. Lastly, your plan really should start with whole foods first and supplements second. Supplements are just that, a supplement. They are meant to supplement your diet, not be your diet.
A sports nutrition plan is a very individual thing- what’s good for one person may not be good for another. Your best bet is to work with a qualified sports dietitian that has experience in this area. Don’t have a lot of free time? No problem! I have a new program out that can be completed on your terms- whenever and wherever! You still get the benefit of working with a qualified sports dietitian and learn how to create your own customized daily and race day fueling plans, hydration plan and supplement plan!
Check out “Sports Nutrition Basics: Fueling the Endurance Athlete”! Remember, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail!
