Nutrition for Endurance Athletes

While I was at the Brooks ID camp, I attended a seminar on sports nutrition from Pamela Nisevich at swimbikeruneat. Although a lot of it was material I already knew, I did learn some new tips on how I can improve my nutrition as an athlete. So, without further ado...here is some information from her seminar.

First of all, we all know what we need to do to be healthier. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, no sugar, reduce alcohol.... these are the foundations that all people, regardless of athletic ability, should stick to.

But, as endurance athletes, nutrition is so much more than simply eating to lose weight or improve cholesterol. If you figure out the best way to fuel your body, you can improve recovery time, reduce injuries, and have faster PRs. You can put in as many miles as you want, but if you're feeding your body junk you're going to feel like junk. I know a lot of you out there say "pish-posh, FL, I eat nothing but hot dogs, ice cream, and Newcastle, and I can throw down a sub-3 hour marathon." Okay hot shot, that may be the case, but how much faster do you think you could run if you made some healthy tweaks? Go ahead, I dare you to try it.

So, let's break it down to the basics. We're talking Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fluid needs.

Let's start with carbs. When you're in maintenance mode (base building/off-season) you need 2.3-3.2g of carbs per pound throughout the day. If you're small and light, lean towards the small side of the scale. If you're larger, lean towards the higher side. So, say you're 150 pounds and you decide you want to consume 2.6 g/pound. That means you should aim for 390 grams of carbs per day. For reference, one cup of brown rice has about 46 grams of carbs, 1/2 cup of dry oatmeal (my personal fave) has 28 grams, and one banana has 31 grams of carbs.
If you start to really increase your miles (such as the peak weeks in a training season) you want to increase this level to 3.2-4.5 grams per pound. The right amount of carbs can make the difference between successfully completing a 20 mile training run or puttering out at mile 18 because that little voice in your head told you "enough".

Now, while we're still on carbs, let's talk carbs during training runs and races. If you're doing regular training (such as for a marathon), you need to take in about 30-60 grams of carbs per hour for training lasting 1-2 hours. (Runs under an hour do not need carb intake) One gel typically has about 25 grams of carbs. So guess what, my little running friends? If you're like me, and take in a gel about every 7 miles or so, you're just not getting enough carbs. The best way to get in the target goal is to consume one gel plus sports drink (NOT at the same time or you'll risk GI catastophe), one gel plus a shot blok or two, or one shot blok every 15 minutes. Remember: Gatorade only has 14 grams of carbs per 8oz. In an aid station, you're lucky to choke down 2 oz. Allocate your carbs wisely. Additionally, do not do as Frayed Laces does: I usually take my first gel after mile 7 in a training run or marathon. When you're running, and especially when you're racing, remember the mantra: Early and Often. You need to start getting the carbs in soon during a race. The nutritionist at the seminar suggested as early as 20 minutes in. Personally, my goal is to shoot for 40.

For intense training lasting longer than 2-3 hours (training for an Ironman or ultra, for example) you need to get in about 45-90 grams of carbs per hour. For people doing that kind of training, it can be quite a challenge to get in the required carbs. If this describes you, I suggest you get on the carb-loading bandwagon pronto.

When it comes to selecting which gel to use, scientific studies have shown that a gel containing carbs that have different intestinal transport mechanisms such as fructose and glucose (found many of the major brand gels) give more energy than a single-sugar gel (or something like gummi bears).

For the ultra endurance athletes out there, many studies have shown that a carb/protein blend is beneficial for exercise lasting longer than 4 hours or so. This is certainly true for cycling, and products such as Hammer Perpetuem or a Powerbar can be very good for this, but caution must be used if you plan on running for longer than 4 hours (and I mean distances greater than a marathon). When you run, your body only uses about 5% of the protein that you put into it. Since all your blood goes to your muscles, you don't digest well. Your best bet is to stick to simple carbs such as those found in gels and sports drinks--unless you particularly enjoy puking on pavement.

After a hard workout, the first thing on your mind should always be recovery. Hydrate, hydrate (more on that later), but more importantly: refuel. Within 30 minutes of finishing, you should have consumed about 0.5 grams of carbs per pound along with protein in a 4:1 (carb:protein) ratio. This is non-negotiable, even if you're trying to lose weight. If you don't refuel you will set yourself up for headaches, nausea, and even potential injury. Respect your body and its needs to refuel.

Now, let's switch to protein needs. You need about 0.55-0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight---if you're a carnivore. Hands down the best sources of protein come from animals--chicken, lean beef, eggs, etc. However, if you're a vegetarian, you need more protein than carnivores. This was a surprise to me. I am not a vegetarian, but I eat as such 95% of the time. Vegetarian protein (such as that found in beans, tofu, whole grains, etc) have less amino acids than animal sources. So, if you're a vegetarian, you want to lean towards the high end of the protein range, but you also want to think combination. Many foods that are deficient in one amino acid can be combined with another that is high in another. A great example of this is beans and rice: beans are low in lysine, an essential amino acid, and rice is high in lysine. Not to mention they taste pretty damn good with a few shakes of hot sauce. If you want to learn more, google "vegetarian protein combining". PS: whole eggs are considered to be one of the most complete protein sources. Scared of all that yolk? Just mix one whole egg with two egg whites and enjoy your protein-filled goodness.

Okay class, almost there. Hang in there. Final subject: hydration. Stay hydrated and make sure to hydrate after a run. You really want to avoid more than a 2% weight loss from a run. If you live in a hot environment (like Hawaii) you need to take this stuff seriously. My biggest challenge is in how I rehydrate after a run. For the longest time I would chug water only to be nauseous, have intense migranes, and generally feel like I was dying. My problem? Rapid rehydration. I'm not going to spend too much time on this, because my dear friend the running laminator did a fantastic job covering it here. I really, really encourage all of you to read it. Pretty eye-opening stuff.


Okay guys, that's enough material for today. I hope you learned some things. If not, I hope it reminds you to continue to stay on top of your nutrition--even you, Mr. Hot Dog-Ice Cream-Newcastle man. Go eat your veggies.