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Nutrition tips for runners can be broad enough to include all types of runners from the casual runner to the marathon runner. That’s because good nutrition is universal. However, some nutritional information or specific food or eating suggestions are just for the marathon runner to help him or her overcome the fatigue that can occur near the end of the race, when the glycogen stored in the muscles become depleted. Good training that includes pacing helps, but you also need good nutrition to have your body in peak condition.

Body fat slows you down.

You wouldn’t normally think of a marathon runner as having excess body fat, but statistics show that even one extra pound of body fat can cause the runner to add a minute to their times. That means distance runner need to shed the dead weight and be in the low range of acceptable body fat. Eating healthy meals and carefully monitoring your diet will help achieve the distance and time you desire.

Sports drinks may impede your body’s adaptation to muscle glycogen depletion.

Sports drinks have a place in marathon training, just not at every session. Long tough runs lasting longer than two hours require the benefits of the drink, but shorter, less strenuous ones may not. In fact, one recommendation is to drink them only every other workout if the training session is more than an hour but less than two hours and not necessary at all for vigorous runs under an hour or easy runs up to 90 minutes. Having a sports drink available all the time doesn’t allow your body to adapt and become more effective at burning fat. Muscle glycogen depletion is necessary for that to happen.

Add fat loading before a race in addition to carbo loading.

A high fat, low carbohydrate diet isn’t good for training, but high fat before the pre-race carbo loading can be beneficial. Two weeks before a race, start a diet that provides 65 percent of the calories from fat for ten days, then switch to a high carbohydrate diet for the remaining three days before the race. This short-term high fat diet can help your body improve the fat burning ability and the carbo loading improves the muscle glycogen reserves. This type of diet was tested by Vicki Lambert on the endurance of long distance cyclists and found it improved their performance dramatically compared to a traditional diet followed by carbo loading. Make sure the fat you choose is healthy fat from avocados, salmon, nuts, cheese and eggs for example.

• Try beet juice instead of water when you train. You might find it’s an excellent drink to keep you hydrated and improve your performance. Studies show that drinking a half liter a few hours before the marathon helps.
• Stay hydrated but don’t force yourself to drink a specific amount. Drinking as you become thirsty is the best method.
• Try switching out foods to seek healthier choices. Consider kefir instead of yogurt for a probiotic choice or matcha instead of green tea. Teff is a great gluten free alternative.
• Steer clear of sugars, alcohol and avoid making any dietary changes the day of the race. That’s not the time to experiment with new ideas.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior

One of the most often asked questions is whether drinking water can cause cramps when running. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no. First, you have to consider the type of cramps, legs or stomach and next consider all the circumstances surrounding the cramps. You need to be well hydrated, particularly if you’re running on a hot day. Dehydration is the runner’s enemy. You don’t have to be a runner, or any type of athlete for that to be true.

When you drink water makes a difference.

You need to hydrate well before you start running. While some places recommend you don’t drink the water right before running, but do it two hours before, it’s a myth. It won’t cause side stitches if you’re warm-up properly. In fact, not drinking adequate amounts of water is far more dangerous and can lead to dehydration or heat stroke. You also need to drink fluids while running and after running.

Don’t guzzle.

One of the biggest causes of stomach cramps for runners is gulping large amounts of water while they run. Sipping frequently is the best choice. Because you’ll be running in a variety of different temperatures, speeds and humidity levels, obeying your thirst is important. The faster you run, the more fluid you need. The amount varies between six to eight ounces every twenty minutes and four to six ounces every 20 minutes. Mouth dryness and thirst should alert you to sip water. Drinking too much at once will cause stomach cramps.

Dehydration, rather than drinking too much water could be the culprit of those leg cramps.

You’re running hard and worry about cramping up because of too much water when you run, so you wait until you can’t take it any longer and take a few sips of water. Suddenly you feel leg cramps. The water must be the culprit, right? That’s not true. You may have waited too long to hydrate and are suffering the consequences, over worked your muscles or lack calcium or other minerals. Lack of water, not drinking water causes cramps.

• If you’re working out over 90 minutes, a sports drink with electrolytes helps.
• Be prepared for a run by having water easily accessible. You can carry it in your hand if necessary, but there are inexpensive fluid carriers too.
• If you’re drinking a sports drink, keep the carbohydrate percentage lower than 10 percent. Any higher and it can promote stomach cramps.
• Make sure you consider your environment. If your weather is hot, it just makes more sense that you’ll need to hydrate more frequently than you would in cold weather.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior

You can be faster, but you need to focus first on your overall fitness level and how efficiently you use your muscles. While most runners don’t look like body builder, they’re muscle machines too. In fact, of the over 600 muscles in the body, a runner will use almost all of them. So, overall fitness is important, particularly if you want to do your best in a race or become a top contender. Working out with a personal trainer not only improves your overall fitness, it can help you run faster and more efficiently, while training all your muscles to work together.

Teach your body to achieve the maximum oxygen uptake.

VO2max or maximum oxygen uptake is that amount of oxygen your body can use in one minute. The more oxygen you can intake, the faster you can run. However, that’s only part of the picture. How fast you’re running when you hit your maximum is important. Running or doing interval training at your maximum potential increases that maximum, just as lifting a weight that’s at your maximum limit increases that limit and your strength.

Doing drills can help you run more efficiently.

Drills, such as hops, Russian kicks and skips can do so much to help your muscles work together efficiently. It’s more than just running, it’s training the communication from the brain to the legs and back to the brain. Drills also strengthen and train more than the muscles, they aid the joints in building strength to improve your speed. They also help you become more coordinated and agile. Many of the drills used to improve a runner’s speed are also great warm-ups to use before a race.

Proper form can save energy.

Everything counts when it comes to endurance and speed, especially your form. If your hands are swinging across your body, you’re wasting valuable energy you could be using to win the race. A huge benefit of having a coach or trainer is that you have an observer who can spot many of the wasted movements and help you improve your form.

Don’t forget to warm up to the max before training hard or racing. Roll out before a race, just like you would after one to maximize your warm-up.

Check your footwear frequently and don’t skimp when it comes to shoes. Having adequate foot support is important, particularly if you’re running on concrete. Most sneakers will give you 300 to 500 miles of use.

Alternate your pace to build endurance and speed. Fartleks, alternating between jogs and sprints, help you boost both endurance and speed.

Work on core muscles for overall fitness and strength.

• Start slowly and pick up the pace the more your body becomes acclimated to the hot weather. Going at top speed on the first super hot day will only get you in trouble.
• Know when your body is signaling you to quit. Sometimes, you have to work through the misery, but not if it’s super hot and you’re risking your health. Know when to call it a day or train less vigorously.
• Don’t coffee up before you run. Caffeinated drinks act like diuretics and increase your urine output. That can lead to dehydration quickly.
• Know the signs of heat illness. If you’re cramping, have a headache, feel dizzy or disoriented you need to get out of the heat immediately. Know all the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior

When the summer sun is blazing down on the earth, many people think they have to give up running until it cools down, but that could be weeks. These summer running tips will keep you safely training and enjoying your run. You still have to take precautions and insure you follow extra steps to keep you safe and healthy, but the sun doesn’t have to be your enemy and running in the summer can become one of your favorite types of exercise.

The time of day you run is important.

Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun. That saying actually came from the time when England was colonizing India. The local people knew enough to go inside after ten in the morning until early afternoon, but the English, used to their cloudier and cooler climate, remained in full dress uniform outside in the sun. If you’re running in the summer, make it when the sun ISN’T at its highest. Run in the morning before ten or in the late afternoon after four when it’s cooler if morning isn’t possible.

Hydrate….hydrate….hydrate!

Water is your best friend in the summer, whether you’re a runner or not. The more you sweat, the more chance you have of dehydrating. If it’s windy, you may not even notice the perspiration, but feel cool and comfortable. Eight ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes is one estimate of the amount of water you need. Some estimates go as low as eight ounces every hour. Drink frequently, even if you don’t feel thirsty.

Dress appropriately.

You may want to wear a hat in the summer to shade your eyes or protect your skin from UV rays, but you’re better off wearing sunblock and sunglasses. Heat is lost through the top of the head. That’s why hats are so important in the winter. The reverse is true in the summer. You want to release as much heat as possible. When choosing running wear, choose loose, light-colored clothing that’s preferably made from newer sports synthetics.

• Start slowly and pick up the pace the more your body becomes acclimated to the hot weather. Going at top speed on the first super hot day will only get you in trouble.
• Know when your body is signaling you to quit. Sometimes, you have to work through the misery, but not if it’s super hot and you’re risking your health. Know when to call it a day or train less vigorously.
• Don’t coffee up before you run. Caffeinated drinks act like diuretics and increase your urine output. That can lead to dehydration quickly.
• Know the signs of heat illness. If you’re cramping, have a headache, feel dizzy or disoriented you need to get out of the heat immediately. Know all the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

For more information, contact us today at The Running Warrior