Marathon and Half-Marathon (13 page)

The following would constitute an average serving: a slice (20 grams) of bread, a cup (250 milliliters) of cereal, a banana, a potato,
³
/4 cup of cooked beans, 2 eggs or 3 ounces (90 grams) of cooked meat, which is about the same size as a pack of playing cards.

1 serving of grains

³
/4 cup oatmeal

1 cup shredded wheat

1 slice high-fiber bread

¹
/2 cup cooked brown rice

1 serving of fruits and veggies

1 cup raw spinach

1 cup cooked broccoli

1 cup baby carrots

1 pear

1 cup berries

Meat and alternatives

5 oz. cooked salmon

3 oz. cooked chicken

1
¹
/2 cups lentil soup

3
¹
/2 oz. tofu

³
/4 cup black beans

Milk or soy

1 cup fat-free milk

1 cup low-fat soy beverage

³
/4 cup low-fat yogurt

2 oz. reduced-fat cheese

What about Fluids?

When it comes to distance runners, water is just as important as food. Vancouver sport dietitian Dallas Parsons suggests, “Dehydration is a leading cause of early onset fatigue. All athletes need to drink enough fluids to replace sweat losses and to maintain optimal fluid balance.”

You lose water all the time through perspiration, respiration, and excretion. When you exercise, your body heats up, and in turn you sweat more.

How much water is enough?

Recently, overhydration has become an issue of concern. However, it’s still safe to say that the majority of people don’t drink enough water, especially when there is the added demand of marathon or half-marathon training programs.

Experts recommend that sedentary folks take in 6 to 8 glasses of fluids each day. As the intensity and duration of your exercise increase, so do your fluid requirements. It’s also important to factor in the temperature around you and the clothing or equipment you’re wearing. A couple of hours before your run, try to drink 2 glasses of water, and drink another glass 15 minutes before heading out the door. Distance runners need to stay hydrated on their long runs by taking in water every 30 minutes while running and then drinking 2 to 3 glasses within 10 to 20 minutes after ending the run. Remember, these are just guidelines; a good way to know if you are properly hydrated after intense exercise is to weigh yourself before and after. Weight loss during exercise represents water loss you did not replace during your run.

Daily hydration strategies from dietitian Dallas Parsons

• Watch TV with a glass of water beside you, and take a sip during commercials.

• Keep a water bottle or tall glass of water at your desk.

• Stash a full water bottle in the car and in your workout bag.

• Drink a small glass of water before or with meals.

• Ask for water along with alcoholic or caffeinated drinks you order.

• Start your day with a glass of cool water.

• Order sparkling water with a squeeze of lemon at business lunches.

People new to distance running may experience leg cramps. This could be the result of dehydration, low serum sodium levels (low salt in the blood), or the training as muscles adapt to longer distances. Try to stay hydrated, and make sure you’re getting enough salt in your diet.

It takes time for your body to adjust to taking in fluids before and during a training session. Don’t leave this part of your planning to the last minute. Make sure you drink before your training sessions, and remember to stay hydrated during your long runs by carrying a water bottle with you.

Sport drinks

There are many different kinds of sport drinks on the market. Check the back of the bottle for a list of ingredients. Many replace electrolytes such as salt and potas- sium; others provide carbohydrates that are needed for distance runners. And some drinks will replace both electrolytes and carbohydrates. You should consider using a sport drink during your longer runs—they often provide the boost of energy your body needs in the later stages of a 2- or 3-hour workout.

Some marathoners prefer to carry their own water bottle, which is usually a bottle fastened to a waist belt. It might take some time to become accustomed to the feel of a water bottle carrier, so plan ahead and wear it on some of your training runs.

Signs of overhydration

• Dizziness

• Headache

• Confusion

• Fainting

• Fatigue

• Weakness

• Cramping

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Bloating and puffiness in the face and fingers

• Loss of consciousness

• Fluid in the lungs

• Seizures

• Coma

• In severe cases, death

What about overhydration?

One of the problems with the growing number of athletes who are taking a run/walk approach to the marathon is the increasing rate of hyponatremia, or overhydration. As University of British Columbia sport medicine physician Dr. Jack Taunton points out, “The big concern that we are starting to see in marathoners who are walking large portions of the event is overhydration. Basically, these folks are walking through the aid stations, ingesting too much water, and end up with hyponatremia. It can be and has been fatal.”

Hyponatremia is a shortage of sodium in the blood. This state occurs when runners sweat excessively, lose too much salt, and drink excessive amounts of water, which then dilutes the blood’s sodium content even more.

Why has overhydration become such a concern?

“There is an obsession that people have in this current society with drinking fluids and being concerned about dehydration. Everyone seems to have a water bottle on their desk or with them at all times,” says Dr. Taunton. He finds at least part of the reason for our concerns in sport medicine, and in the American College of Sport Medicine guidelines, which became increasingly aggressive in terms of encouraging people to drink more and more fluids. Now we’re starting to see marathon organizers taking two and three aid stations out of the races in order to reduce the risk of people taking in too much fluid.

For beginning runners, hyponatremia is a significant concern, but it’s not a problem for the very fast. When elite runners are running fast, their gastrointestinal systems’ absorption rate is impaired. This means “it is virtually impossible for those finishing a marathon in under 3 hours to take in too much water,” says Dr. Taunton. However, when people are moving at a shuffle pace, they haven’t shunted the blood supply away from the gut to the exercising muscle. Your body still has the capability of absorbing a great percentage of the water you drink, so you end up increasing your total blood volume and diluting your sodium sources. This is when you run into problems. This is why it’s essential for beginners to play close attention to their fluid intake and remember to alternate water with electrolyte solutions along the way.

To avoid overhydration, consume an average of 4 to 8 oz. (120 to 240 milliliters) of sport drink every 15 to 30 minutes during your race. You may want to increase your salt intake slightly 2 or 3 days before the race; sprinkle a little salt on your food once or twice a day, hydrate with a sport drink the day before, and enjoy cereals and breads as part of your carbohydrate-loading plan.

Getting Your Nutrients

Vitamins and minerals

Regardless of whether you’re a vegan, eat organic food regularly, or knock back a sirloin every few days, your cells are looking for some key nutrients to do their job. The human body uses carbohydrates, protein, and fat from food to fuel itself, and in order for the metabolic processes to work properly, it requires vitamins and minerals. Here are a few tips on vitamins from Parsons:

• You will need fewer vitamin and mineral supplements if you have a balanced diet and take in an adequate amount of calories.

• Milk, egg yolks, and vegetables are a good source of vitamin A.

• Many fruits and vegetables provide vitamins B and C.

• Meat, whole grains, leafy vegetables, soybeans, poultry, and fish offer B vitamins.

• Vitamin D is found in egg yolks, fish oils, canned sardines, fortified milk, and soy-milk products.

• Wheat germ, sunflower oil, and whole grain cereals have vitamin E.

• Vitamin K is found in vegetables, especially in green, leafy ones.

• Calcium is found in dairy products, fortified soy products, fortified orange juice, almonds, and oranges.

• Meat and alternatives, enriched cereals, clams, and lentils offer iron.

Runners need carbohydrates

If you’re a distance runner, you need a fair amount of carbohydrates in your diet. Different from proteins and fat, carbohydrates are quick and easy to break down and offer an almost immediate source of fuel. Extra glucose can also be stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen, the main source of fuel for muscle movement. Human beings have a low capacity for storing glycogen, which is why you need to replace it daily.

The Glycemic Index (GI) was originally developed for people with diabetes; it classifies carbohydrate-containing foods by how much they raise blood sugar levels compared with a standard food. A food with a high GI raises blood sugar levels more quickly than a moderate or low glycemic food. Eating foods with a low GI may help to provide lasting energy for long runs and control your appetite.

The main difficulty with using the GI is that the index value remains true only if the food is eaten in isolation, but this is not practical, because food is mostly eaten in mixed meals. Dietitians say this doesn’t mean the GI has no value, just that it is a complex approach. What is most important is that, as a runner, you choose quality food sources of carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables to fuel your body.

Allow time to digest food. Approximate digestion times: 1–2 hours for carbohydrates, 2–4 hours for protein, 4–6 hours for fats.

Protein

Dallas Parsons encourages runners to include protein in their diets: “Although carbohydrates are the main staple of a runner’s diet, protein is also very important for the growth, maintenance, and repair of muscles and other tissues.” Protein is needed for the formation of hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to working muscles and provides support for the immune system. Protein also slows digestion and increases people’s satisfaction levels after finishing meals. The best choices for protein sources include lean red meats, fish and seafood, poultry, beans and lentils, tofu, eggs, and low-fat dairy or soy products. Aim to include one of these foods in each main meal.

Aim to choose these sources of carbohydrates most often