What to eat? When to eat? How much to eat? Common dilemmas for any athlete when trying to get the most out of their training and competition. In my opinion, there is
no better test for sports nutrition than in an ultra marathon race. Yes, most
athletes from recreational, club level to elite will recognise the importance
of their diet and how this effects their performance. However, there is still
the thought amongst some that, as long as you are putting the miles in, you can
"eat what you like".
Nutrition won't make an average athlete elite but has the ability to
make an elite athlete average
I think there is a lot of
truth in this, and that's why now, Sports Dietitians are becoming widely
recognised as a crucial part of the athlete team.
When elite athletes are
looking for that extra 1% on race day, nutrition is essential. However, for
many runners just wanting to complete their first 10k, 1/2 marathon or
marathon, it can be viewed as less important and they become completely focused
on the physical training. It's true that many will manage to get round the
distance without paying too much attention to how they've fuelled their race.
Could they have been faster? Often the blame for slowing towards the end will
be placed on not enough training, but actually did they run out of energy?
My specific interest in
fuelling ultra marathon running (races over 26.2miles) stemmed from the fact
that for this length of race, whatever level of runner you are, you simply
cannot "get away" with neglecting what you eat. When running for
anything from 6-7 hours to multiple days, you will not reach the finish line
without adequate energy. In addition, the macro and micronutrient composition
becomes more important, along with the mode of delivery (liquid, solid, gels).
While a few energy gels might be enough to see you through a marathon,
"taste fatigue" becomes a huge issue when athletes try to use the
same product over the course of a 24 hour (or longer) race. The body starts to
reject the food/ drink and suddenly you find yourself unable to absorb any food
whatsoever - this is a big cause of the dreaded DNF. Practice really is
essential, as what works for someone is highly unlikely to work just as well
for someone else. This is where consulting a Sports Dietitian can help, giving
advice and strategies specific to you.
I have been helping an
experienced ultra runner and fellow Kilbarchan AAC member John Kynaston with
his nutritional preparation for ultra marathon races a few years now and find
it useful to assess post race:
Overall energy/ carbohydrate intake which was consumed
He recently completed the
Hardmoors 55 mile race in 10 hours 10 mins and in 32nd position (blog: http://johnkynaston.com/2014/03/23/hardmoors-55-race-report-2/). This was 20 mins ahead of his pre race
goal and reported post race to have taken in the following:
- 1 slice of fruit bread with jam
- half a small tub of mashed sweet potato and cheese
- 1 cliff bar
- 1 Greek style yoghurt
- 1050ml of flat coke
- 2.5l of Matrix Energy Drink
This works out as ~ 2170 calories and 460g CHO to fuel 10 hours of
running - is this enough?
One of the common mistakes athletes can make is trying to match
intake with energy expenditure. While runners will be burning in excess of 600
calories/ hour, the body can only absorb ~ 250 per hour. Trying to consume 600
calories while running is likely to impair performance and cause
gastrointestinal distress.
Current research suggests an optimal intake of ~ 250 calories and
30-60g CHO to be ingested per hour of running to maximise performance and
prevent glycogen depletion. It's important to start fuelling within the first
hour as it's much easier to top up glycogen levels rather than waiting until
they are depleted.
Looking at the intake above, he ingested 217 calories and 46g CHO
per hour which is almost exactly as the guidelines suggest. The majority of
this was in liquid form and from sweet foods, but he did feel that energy
levels were sustained right to the finish of the race. For a longer race, the
addition of protein will become increasingly important and including savoury
options to prevent the "taste fatigue" mentioned earlier. While many
other factors come into play on race day, I'm sure it was no coincidence that a
great race performance was coupled with a nutrition strategy in line with
recommendations!
So I would encourage any athletes, whatever level, to give your
nutrition an extra bit of consideration when planning your training programme.
When you get it right, it definitely has the ability to enhance performance!
Cara :)
