When embarking on a long drive or road trip, one typically starts by filling the gas tank. Since fuel is consumed throughout the adventure, you are required to make periodic re-fueling stops to avoid running out of gas. The number and frequency of re-fueling stops is based on your speed, the distanced traveled, traffic congestion, road conditions, etc. And when you finally reach that final destination it is generally a good idea to top off the gas tank in preparation for local travel excursions (or the return trip). A road trip provides a great analogy for the preparation, participation, and recovery from a long distance running event. Simply put, you want to be assured that your fuel tank is full prior to your event, you want to maintain your energy reserves throughout the race to avoid “bonking”, and after the event recovery should be first and foremost on your list of “things to do”. All too often runners don’t follow these simple rules of the road and the consequences can be disastrous. Here, I’ll provide some useful information regarding proper nutrition for before, during and after and training sessions and races. Follow these simple guidelines and expect to see immediate results!

“Fill the Tank” before your event

In the months leading up to your race you trained hard, you watched your diet and maintained the recommended diet composition of 60-70% carbohydrate, 15-20% protein, and fat 10-15% fat. The few days before the race you consumed high carbohydrate, low fat meals and your gas tank is full! You’ve had plenty of sleep throughout the week so you’re well rested for the next day’s event. Race morning arrives and you’re feeling confident and ready to race. Although your well-planned meals have boosted your body’s energy stores, the question still remains: Is the

gas tank full? While you sleep, your body burns blood sugar (glucose) and your brain burns liver glycogen, thereby depleting your energy stores. And you haven’t even begun the race yet! Thus it is necessary to top off your fuel tank on race day. Pre-fueling with proper nutrients and fluids prior to your race will assure that your blood volume and electrolyte levels are optimal. Now you’re ready to head over to the start line.

Conversion Factors

1 gram carbohydrate = 4 calories

1 gram protein = 4 calories

1 gram fat = 9 calories

1 kg = 2.2046 lbs

But perhaps we should first discuss the proper way to “fill the tank” prior to your race? First of all, give yourself plenty of time in the morning. In my opinion, there is no need to increase your stress level by rushing around the morning of a race. Besides, your body needs time to respond to a meal. You can’t just eat a big breakfast, wait 30 minutes, and head out for a run. Not only will you experience painful cramping, but you will also quickly realize that your energy isn’t as high as you thought it would be. The reason? If you eat solid foods for breakfast (which most people do) then make sure to eat two to three hours prior to your event. This gives your body ample time to absorb essential nutrients into the bloodstream. If you prefer to take your breakfast in fluid form, you may only need 1.5 to 2 hours before the race. Fluid meals are easier to process so your body will therefore extract the nutrients a bit faster. There are many ways to construct a beneficial pre-race meal. However, the composition of such a meal should be as follows: consume a total of 1.0- 2.5 grams/kg (body weight) with 60-70% from carbohydrate, 15-20% from protein, and < 10% from fat. The generally accepted ratio of carbohydrates to protein is 4:1. This translates to a prerace meal of approximately 350 calories for a 72.6 kg (160 lb) individual.

It’s important to point out that not all carbohydrates are created equal. The question then becomes, “What kind of carbohydrate should I consume?” Prior to the race you want to consume carbohydrates (Box 2) that have a low glycemic index (GI; See Box 3 and Box 4). Carbohydrates with a low GI will provide an athlete with a more consistent supply of energy as opposed to those with a high GI, which can create energy “peaks and troughs”. Table 1 provides some examples of foods and their associated GI values.

Table 1.

During the Race

Earlier I stressed the importance of re-fueling and hydrating during your race. Now I’ll expand a bit on that. Improper hydration and/or nutrition during an event will almost certainly lead to reduced performance. Even worse is encountering the infamous “wall” 90-120 minutes into your race or at about kilometer 35-38 (mile 21.7-23.6) of a marathon. This can obviously ruin a race and may even prevent you from crossing the finish line. Hitting the wall is the physiological response indicating that your glycogen stores have been depleted and your body instead has to rely on fat and/or protein for energy. Essentially, your body is beginning to cannibalize itself. Unlike glycogen, fat and protein catabolism requires oxygen, i.e., increased flow of oxygen to the muscles. This results in reduced effort and speed, which allows sufficient oxygen to be transported to the muscles. Ultimately this leads to muscle fatigue, cramps, and/or heavy legs and an overall reduction in performance. Many people might read the previous sentences and think, “Great, I can burn more fat and lose more weight if I run on an empty tank, right?” Actually you cannot. Remember this line: Fat burns in a fire of carbohydrates. Learn it, live it, love it.

Although adequate fueling prior to a race is imperative, fueling during the race itself is crucial, especially in longer events. As was stated previously, glycogen is converted to glucose which supplies energy to our bodies. Thus, we must strive to minimize glycogen depletion and keep glucose levels high during the course of a race. To achieve this, carbohydrates must be consumed at regular intervals throughout the race to counter glycogen depletion. The difference, however,

is these are not the same carbohydrates consumed several hours before the race. Before the race you consume low GI carbs but during the race you should consume high GI carbs. Foods with high GI carbs are quickly absorbed into your blood stream and are more readily available for energy. During the race you should consume about 40 gm of carbohydrate per hour. Sports drinks are ideal as they supply both carbohydrate and fluid, and the carbohydrate is absorbed quickly. Moreover, fluids are easier to ingest and process during a race, as I mentioned earlier. Sports gels are also a great source of high GI carbohydrates and electrolytes and may be consumed during an event.

Be careful though and make sure to drink the recommended amount of water with each gel. Failure to do so will lead to dehydration and cramping and a less-than-pleasurable experience.

In my opinion, it is best to consume a gel slowly, a bit at a time, over the course of a mile.

Poor race-day results are most commonly influenced by muscle fatigue, dehydration and overheating. What are some of the causes of these conditions and how can you avoid them? Muscle fatigue is caused by muscle damage, which we feel as muscle soreness. To make muscle they first must be damaged, allowed to heal/recover, and then damaged again, etc. However, this information is of very little consequence if we are in the middle of a race and fatigue sets in.

During the race we want to minimize damage to our muscles and promote peak performance throughout the event. Thus, recognizing what we can do to reduce the likelihood of muscle fatigue is crucial. Symptoms and causes of muscle fatigue includes: dehydration, increase in body temperature, low blood sugar, low muscle and liver glycogen, and mental fatigue.

Dehydration is likely the most common affliction known to befall every athlete, no matter their ability. When someone becomes dehydrated, there is a reduction in the body’s blood volume. Blood is of course responsible for transporting oxygen, nutrients and glucose, throughout your body and it also helps to monitor and regulate body temperature. Therefore, it seems apparent that a drop in blood volume can have major consequences in a race. During the early stages of

dehydration your body’s cooling process speeds up causing an increase in heart rate. Sweat cools the skin surface which then helps to cool the blood. But with a reduction in blood volume, the entire body’s cooling system is compromised. This will obviously lead to overheating, which I will discuss shortly. To circumvent dehydration, drink fluids containing electrolytes (Gatorade®, Powerade®, etc) at least every 15 minutes throughout the race. It is important to drink the prescribed mixture of electrolyte drinks as they are formulated to replenish what is lost during exercise. Diluting the solution may lead to an imbalance of electrolytes in your body. As a side note, drinking too many dilute fluids during intense exercise can have equally dangerous implications.

Hyponatremia is essentially the opposite of dehydration, and happens when the body is overly hydrated but contains too few electrolytes. Just like dehydration, this condition can lead to extreme fatigue, coma and even death. As I mentioned earlier, overheating can be caused by dehydration. However, body temperature is also a function of other factors including air temperature, humidity, and acclimation to the local climate to name a few. As races are scheduled independent of weather conditions, avoiding periods of high temperatures and humidity can’t always be accomplished. Thus, to counter overheating during a race one must remain hydrated and wear appropriate clothing for the environmental conditions.

Moisture wicking clothing is a must as it pulls moisture off the skin (not through it mind you) and keeps the body cool. This is also important in cold weather where it is important to stay as dry as possible.

Long distance events can be extremely fatiguing to the average athlete. To reduce the likelihood of fatigue you should do the following:

• Maintain blood volume (remain hydrated) and electrolyte levels by consuming sports fluid drinks at least every 15 minutes. Do not use thirst as an indicator of when to consume fluids; by the time your body tells you it’s thirsty it is too late

• Maintain blood glucose levels and reduce the rate of muscle glycogen depletion by adequately pre-fueling prior to the race and consuming high GI carbohydrates during the race

• Minimize muscle break down and fatigue (minimize using protein as an energy reserve) by maintaining glucose levels and minimizing glycogen depletion

• Limit mental fatigue (see article this issue). Following the above general guidelines will help you maintain the highest energy output for the length of your race. It is essential that fluids and carbohydrate intake commence prior to the onset of fatigue.

Post-Race Fueling

Thus far I have mentioned just a few of the reasons for fueling before and during a race and/or training session. Proper fueling at these times will help you to a better finish no matter the distance of your race. One more thing to consider in your quest for faster splits is post-race nutrition. Although I stressed the importance of minimizing muscle damage, some damage is unavoidable. Therefore, your post race nutrition plan must account for this. After a long race it is necessary to restore your depleted reserves. Of course you want to regain homeostasis (the stable condition within your body). You also want to decrease the time it takes your muscles to recover from the damage they sustained in the race. Protein is especially important in post-race recovery. An athlete should consume the same 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein (preferably whey protein) after a workout (any workout, really). You may recall that this is the same ratio recommended for pre-race fueling. The great thing about post race nutrition is that it can come in any form, solid or liquid so the choice is up to you. BUT, the time frame for post-race recovery is especially important. You must act fast if you want to reap the benefits. Your window of opportunity is only about 15-45 min minutes after the race. After that, your body will go into “starvation mode” and will experience a rapid drop-off inability to replenish the body. If you miss the window of opportunity your body is then unable to boost muscle glycogen levels, immune function will be impaired, muscles will breakdown further, metabolism will slow and fat catabolism (burning) will slow! That said, do yourself a favor and get in the food line early!

Besides, you’ve got to be hungry after a race, right? Also following the race you should replenish fluid loss at 150% beyond your actual weight loss. To do this you should weigh yourself before and after the race; the difference should then be multiplied by 1.5 to determine the quantity of fluid to consume. For example, if you lose 1 pound during exercise (equals 16 ounces) then you need to consume 24 ounces of fluid to make up the deficit.

Obviously there is a lot of important information out there regarding proper fueling for training and racing. I have only covered a small portion of that information and kept it fairly basic.

The simple guidelines I have provided will not unlock the secrets of the universe but I can guarantee that by following them, you will see marked improvements in your training and racing. So find out what your favorite training/racing fuel is, and stick with it… at least, for a while.

Remember, anyone can go out there and train hard. You can do the same, but do so with more knowledge than the average athlete. Train wisely.

To learn more about  “Race Day Nutrition,” “Muscle Fatigue,” or “Going Mental” (these full articles can be read by purchasing VOL. 23-10 of Running Research News) and many more running related topics, simply click-on the Back Issues link, and select the volume and issues number, from the drop-down menu. A subscription to RUNNING RESEARCH NEWS is another way to receive valuable information about running.