Marathon and Half-Marathon by Marnie Caron, Sport Medicine Council of British Columbia Page A
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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
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
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