Ware
Joggers 10k Training Programme
Runners Dietary
Requirements
As
your fitness improves, and you start to run further and faster, your body
adapts to become more efficient at using food to repair and recover from
exercise. Therefore it’s important that you start to consider your di=
et
to ensure you are able to maximise your performance.
Contrary
to popular opinion you probably won’t need to make dramatic changes to
what you eat if you already have a good balanced diet. It is also unlikely =
that
you will need to increase the number of calories you consume (in fact if you
want to lose weight you need to maintain an average of 2000 calories per da=
y), but
you will benefit from changing your eating patterns.
Carbohydrate
is an absolutely essential for runners, it provide the glycogen which fuels
your muscles. Most people who train for a marathon have about 3hrs, or 18 m=
iles
worth of glycogen stored in their muscles, so when you hear of runners
“hitting the wall” what that actually means is that they have u=
sed
up all their glycogen stores. This is why you see marathon runners drinking
Lucozade or eating bananas on their way round the course – they are
trying to replenish their glycogen stores.
Newer
runners often struggle to eat before running, either because it makes them =
feel
sick or because they suffer from stitch. Often the last lot of fuel their b=
ody
received was some 5-6 hours before they run, consequently their glycogen st=
ores
become depleted quite quickly, they become tired and their legs feel really=
heavy.
If this is your problem try eating low fat food in the 3-4 hours before you
run, and ensure you warm up properly before increasing the pace or attempti=
ng a
hill session
In
order to get the most out of your training session as a newer runner you ne=
ed regular
intakes of food. This teaches your body to use its glycogen stores effectiv=
ely;
as a runner your mantra should be little and often. Try eating a small amou=
nt of
food every 3½ - 4 hours, for example:
·
Breakfast
(07.00) Cereal/porridge with banana
·
Mid morning
(10.30) Apple or cereal bar
·
Lunch (12.=
30)
·
Mid aftern=
oon (16.00)
piece of fruit or handful of dried fruit and nuts
·
Early even=
ing
(18.00 if running at 19.45 that evening) crumpet or small slice of Malt loa=
f,
or banana
·
After runn=
ing
– small piece of grilled chicken or fish, brown rice and salad.
You
burn about 100kcals for every mile you run, but as the intensity increases =
(eg taking
part in a coached hill or speed session) so does the number of calories bur=
nt
– up to 10kcals per minute per mile. You will also continue to burn k=
cals
after running, which is why it is essential you eat and drink after a run. =
Try
and eat foods that contain both carbs and protein - the protein will help
repair your muscles. Runners need about 75-100grams of protein per day.
Carbohydrate
can be sub-divided into two simple groups - starches and sugars. As a runner
you need to focus on carbs that contain starch (low GI) rather than sugar. =
You
should aim for 60% of your total daily food consumption to be carbohydrate.=
Don’t
fall into the trap of assuming you need to eat loads of pasta or increase t=
he
size of your portions just because you run. Brown rice, beans, wholegrain b=
read
and jacket potatoes are excellent alternatives to pasta and often have a lo=
wer
GI index.
By
far the biggest problem new runners experience is feeling light-headed or d=
izzy
after a run. Generally this is simply because they haven’t drunk enou=
gh
water. Dehydration causes fatigue and slows down your ability to digest foo=
d.
Try and aim for at least 8 glasses of water a day and more as the weather
improves.
Finally,
running may not actually help you lose weight as muscle weighs more than fa=
t,
but it will help you tone up. The best way to test this is to find a skirt =
or
pair of trousers which are a bit tight now and then try them on again after=
a
couple of months of regular (3 sessions a week) running, coupled with a good
balanced diet, and see the difference.&nbs=
p;