Fuel

I fueled up my gas-guzzling 4 wheel drive SUV today for the highest rate I have ever paid for gasoline, $4.00/gallon. But as I got in my car, I was smirking to myself. Because I know that I can run on much cheaper-- bananas are still less than a dollar a pound.

But I do have to approach the subject of fueling up our bodies today. It's been coming up again and again lately. Many of us North Dakotans are hitting our final build up weeks before tapering down for the Fargo Marathon. My current running schedule puts me at 20 this weekend, and I have loaded my fridge with tons of salads, apples, oranges, and whole wheat bread as I spend this week slowly building carbs to load up my glycogen stores, and guage them being completely depleted again by the end of 20 miles.

good carbs

I have to monitor my nutrition closely-- knowing what to eat, and when to eat it, means all the difference between getting in a good, long training run, or suffering and hitting the bathroom every 5 miles.

But as we talk to other crazy running chicks, many of them have some misconceptions when it comes to running nutrition.

The number one misconception is that you need lots of carbs for running. Well, while this is true for endurance runners, the truth is that if you are running for less than 75-90 minutes, you should be able to rely on your body's own glycogen stores. So if you are training for the half marathon and running 5-6-7 miles right now, you probably don't need a big pasta dinner... and toast.... and gu gels.

Another misconception we see is these people with a ton of Gu gels on their belts. OMG, do not be that guy. The ones who show up to the half marathon with 8 Gu gel packs.

too much gu. OMG, you are going to be pooping so much before the end of the race. Good luck with that.

For every hour (past the original hour) you probably only need another 100-150 carbohydrate rich calories. (Of course, everyone is different. As Runner's World magazine points out, a Hummer needs more fuel than a MiniCooper. You need to experiment to see what is right for you.) Some of that is going to come from your electrolyte drink (Gatorade or Powerade) and you shouldn't be discounting that. Whether you take in a gel, chomps, or even some Skittles, you only need a little at a time, and certainly not a whole serving every 30 minutes.

Too much food, too many carbs, and you're not going to get more energy. You're going to have a heavy stomach, gas, bloating, and food product churning in your digestive tract and you're going to waste valuable time in the porta-potties or nursing a side-ache. More likely, in the porta-potties.

On the other hand, I was once in a Triathalon with a girl who was running the whole event (over 2 hours) without any fuel on hand. She had eaten breakfast hours ago and was headed into the swim/bike/run with nothing.... She had been in a training program and no one had addressed proper fueling with her or their group. Since then, she has started long distance running and, after a little experimentation, discovered what to use and when to use simple sugars to keep her energy up.

You've trained way too long and way to hard to finish like this! Fuel properly!

Your body can only hold so many stores of glycogen. Once that is gone, you will experience cramping, dizziness, random crazy thoughts (because your brain needs glucose. If you don't believe me, try doing long division after 3 hours of running!). So you need to introduce simplex carbs-- the kind that are easy for your body to break down into sugars and use up- before you hit that point. While for many of us, it's around the 90 minute mark, you may experience it at 75 minutes or at 2 hours. Still, it's important to get some carbs in before you hit that point, so your body has time to convert and use it, and you don't experience a yo-yo effect of tired, reenergized, tired, reenergized.

Refueling- ok, yes, I like to eat pancakes when I'm done with a long run in order to refuel. But let's be honest. We all know that we don't really need to pig out after an hour long run, or even a three hour run. Even burning 1800 calories during a 20 mile run can easily be recooperated in a healthy way-- including the fuel taken in during the run, a little post-run recovery with carbohydrates and protein (half of a bagel and a tall glass of skim chocolate milk), and a healthy, if not slightly larger, meal will provide plenty of refuelling nutrition without going overboard. But for most of your training runs-- 60 minutes of exercise is NOT an excuse to load up on big pasta dinners.

For more information on proper nutrition for running and fuel for endurance, please seek out articles from well known, responsible sources, such as Runner's World or Competitor. Visit with repeat marathoners, many of whom will tell you that less is more effective. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to experiment before race day, to see what works with your stomach and what gives you energy versus what gives you gas. (Yes, I have talked about poop and gas a lot today. I am sorry but it's part of running, and an important consideration when considering your fuel options.)

Properly fueling up for race day will keep you light while giving you plenty of energy to cross that finish line, AND walk to the nearest Denny's for pancakes.... ask me how I know! *wink*

Happy Running! ~Jen