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Fuel & Hydration Q+A: Nick Morgan
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Hi Nick
My problems start after the race, have run a 15 miler, race was fine drank a couple of cups of water after and kept being sick for the next couple of hours, so decided on the next race - 30K just small sips of water after race, but still had same result of being sick, I always have to stop to drink on a race, but keep well hydrated with water and gels. Also any advice on what to take to avoid calf cramp near the end of a race?
Sue: recovery
ok so recovery is very importat for 3 reasons: replace the carbs burnt, take in protein to help the muscle srecover and fluid to replace that lost as sweat.
Guidelines: 1 g of carbohydate er kg bodyweight, i.e. 50-100g ASAP
10-20 g of good quality protein - animal products (chicken, fish) or whey protein if in a product
Fluid - drink according to the amount of qweight lost. If you don't do that then I would say drink slightly more in recovery and monitor urine colour over the hours after training and drink according to minimising a yellow bright colour!
Whether protein actually reduce muscle soreness is not something i can really say yes or no too, but anecdotal feeling - like what you say - are widespread and the theory of consuming prtein specifically in recovery is high
If your strategy is to take carbohydrate and protein in the form of a drink then this will help to rehydrate you. Therefore many like this one stop shop for macronutrients and fluid. If you take in food then of course you'll need additional forms of fluid.
Good luck on sunday!
My marathon training includes two 8-mile runs to work a week. I do these first thing in the morning with no food or water (there's no way I could make myself get up any earlier to eat before I run!). What's an ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner after these runs - I often feel tired in the afternoons?
And is there an advantage in running these shorter runs in a fasted state - to prepare for that feeling towards the end of the marathon?
red69 -
1. sickness after the race: It is very difficult for me to say why you are sick. It could be the exertion of the event itself due to the intensity you ran or temperatures. My advise is to look back at what you actually did on these two occasions and note any differences there are from prior occasions. This would give me more detail to understand better. When you do the longer training runs do you have the same problems?
bombat
the problem with running in the morning is exactly what you describe. I find that I need to settle my stomach before i run and you can do this, providing some energy, without risking an upset stomach. Fluids are the best way to do this - orange juice or sports drinks being two easy options. If you don't consume anything then you are running after an overnight fast so this places the emphasis on the night before meal. If this is ok you could run find without anything in the morning assuming it wasn't a massive run or really intense run.
If you don't eat then breakfast is really important to aid recovery and also allow you do get on with the rest of your day. Porridge, cereals and toast are excellent options. Support with fruit juice for fluid but also additional carbohydrate. Protein will come from the milk but also eggs if you wanted that option.
Lunch/dinner - follow normal guidelines
Hi Nick
Interesting stuff.
A few hours after doing long runs I get blinding headaches. If I manage to drink alot of water then they are not as bad but will still be there. If I dont have much time to get water down me then it makes for an unpleasant afternoon.
Is drinking as much water as possible the key? Or is there other things to try.
beckyw - stomach bug
Firstly, go back into trainin slowly and not at the point where you got ill. In terms of food, then you have two key concerns - total energy intake and the composition of carbohydrate within this amount. Ensure you have 3 strong meals throughout the day and when you run really work hard on the periods before, during and after the sessions to give you all the help you can get. Food choices would therefore include key carbohydrates: pasta, rice, noodles and pots. Also fruit and vegetable are a great source of vits and mins. This helps to support a balanced diet and immune system
fatface!!!Hey
no worries mate - bars coming your way
Hi Nick - this is more of a marathon training question than an actual marathon question.
Do you think it is better to do all your long training runs using your marathon fuel strategy (on the basis that you are getting your body for the actual event by training in similar conditions) or to do a few runs like this to get the strategy right and then do the rest on short rations in an effort to boost your bodies fat burning? By short rations I mean using the same products but less often.
5pints
water/fluid is important. But when you sweat you lose more than just fluid, specifically sodium. Therefore you need to address this issue with sports drinks being the best option. Two key points spring to mind:
1. ensure you drink according to waht you lose - so not too little which many find cause headaches, but also not TOO much. You shouldn't be gaining weight during an event
2. timing: little and often throughout the evnt, and actually make a note of checking your urine colour before the race as if you start in a bad place - which lots of people do - then this could make it worse!
Re: Running on empty
There is an article in this months 220 magazine to do with this and the benifits of 'training low, racing high' as they put it. I haven't read it yet so can't tell you what it says.
red 69
it sounds as though you are vomiting after extreme exertion - whether it long runs or really short fast ones. People do vomit under such stress so i don't think your a freak. Waiting for a few mins after the race is certainly one option. Quick recovery is importnt if you are going to train the next day, but i would imagine you won't be so you do have time on your side here.
Furthermore, when you do take in something go small and sipps for example and just let your body adapt to the food or fluid. It is also normal to have a low appetite after. We did a study at the great north run last year and people do lose appetite afer endurance events. I know i do also.
Nick - just wanted to pop in and say hello
(Beware of Fatface's energy bar addiction. He'll be knocking on your door in the middle of the night, come May, looking for another fix
)
There has been quite a lot of discussion on the threads recently about the losing weight vs having enough energy to run conundrum. How can you best balance the energy requirements of your training, without over-doing them and either gaining weight or stopping losing it?
>> There is an article in this months 220 magazine to do with this and the benifits of 'training low, racing high' as they put it. I haven't read it yet so can't tell you what it says.
Yes, thats what made me think. I've been training on empty like this for ages and then going up to full fuel for races but my marathon training partner takes the opposite view. As you can imagine this leads to some animated discussions!
richardR
your question requires a really long answer! i'll stop short of the science here, but I would practice what you are going to do a few times so there is no stone unturned. This will also allow you to refine it should you feel there is a need.
I agree that you don't need to do this all the time, i.e. every long run, but the science behind promoting fat burning isn't quite that simple. However, your suggestions makes sense assuming you find the strategy that works for you
On this point:
If you train on low carbohydrate there is some thought that this could enhance your ability on race day by increasing the stress on the body during training. As yet this is NOT well accepted and also from a practical applicatioon point of view without the energy you can't traingfor the duration or at the intensity you desire to attain the times you want. Furthermore, low carbohydrate increases your susceptibility to infection.
We have funded a number of studies in this train low compete hgh area and I would say that we should be more concerned with promoting the use of carbohydrate and gettit in the body than trying to use fat as a fuel source
Hi Nick,
I'm a new runner with hardly any knowledge on nutrition before a race. I have a 5k coming up, and have been told to drink Lucozde caffeine drink an hour before the race to give me the kick when I start. What should I drink while running such a short race that will probably take me 30 minutes?
Thanks,
energy balance:
without making it sound too simple it is about the energy taken in vs the energy expended. You can lose weight and still train effectively but I would advise of no more than a 500 kcal deficit per day. If this is your aim then you MUST ensure you have excellent strategies before during and after, i.e:
start with good levels, i.e. consume carbohydrtae within 1-2 hours of the session
consume carbohydrate during, and certainly ~50g in the period after. this way you ensure energy for the training to maximise adaptations, but you restrict energy intake in your main meals
Sorry everyone, but I have to sign off now. Thanks hugely for all your questions it is great to see everyone getting underneath the importance of nutrition.
I hope this was of help - for further information check out the super6 forums where Chris and Matt are providing on-going advice. Also, check out www.lucozade.com/flm fr further advice on nutrition.
Also: get behind our super6 - they are awesome
I'll be back again on April 3rd for another live forum
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer questions here Nick! Lots of useful advice for everyone preparing for a marathon in the next few months.
Nick will be back again at the beginning of April to answer more fuel and hydration questions, but in the meantime, keep an eye out for news of our next live Q+A too. We'll be welcoming Steve Smythe - one of our ucozade Sport Super Six mentors onto the forum to answer all your training questions.
Thanks again Nick - and good luck to everyone with their marathon preparations,
Catherine RW