The Runner’s Lifestyle

I. Nutrition and Hydration – Five Simple Rules

Rule 1. Keep it Natural

Superior health is the foundation for fitness and athletic performance. Eating for health should therefore be the primary objective of your diet as an athlete. The majority of foods you eat should be as natural and minimally processed as possible. As a general rule, the shorter the list of ingredients in a food product, the better. Refined sugar, fried foods and processed oils should have the smallest place in your diet.

Balance is also important. No single food has all the nutrients you need for optimal health, so it's important to eat a variety of different food types every day. Use these guidelines to ensure your diet has adequate balance.

Food / Recommended servings per day / What's a serving?
Fruits and vegetables / 7 to 9; strive for one serving more of veggies than fruit. / 1/2 cup veggies
1 cup leafy veggies
1 apple, banana, orange, etc.
1/2 cup berries
Grains / 6 to 8; make most, if not all, of them whole grains. / 1 slice bread
1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta
1 cup breakfast cereal
Legumes (lentils, soybeans, chickpeas, kidney beans, etc.), nuts, seeds / 4 to 5; limit nuts to 1 to 2 servings. / 1/2 cup cooked legumes
1/3 cup nuts
Dairy / 3; opt for those low in saturated fats. / 1 cup milk or yogurt
1 1/2 ounces cheese
Lean meats, poultry, eggs / 1 to 2 / 3 ounces cooked
Fish / 3 to 6 per week / 3 ounces cooked

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, mypyramid.gov

Rule 2. Eat Frequently

Athletes in all sports benefit from developing a lean body composition, where muscle is preserved or added and excess fat stores are whittled away. Frequent eating (four to six meals and snacks per day) is a dietary pattern that's proven to assist athletes in getting leaner, independent of total calories consumed or macronutrient breakdown.

When you divide your daily calories into more meals, you're less likely to consume more calories than you need to supply your body's immediate energy needs. As a result, fewer excess calories are stored as body fat. Here's a sample six-times-a-day eating schedule: A good goal is to try to have eaten more calories than you have burned until the last two or three hours of the day.

7 a.m. Breakfast (do not skip breakfast, and make sure to include protein -eggs, dairy, meat)
10 a.m. Healthy snack (fruit, nuts, low-fat yogurt, etc.) – (activity period in my room - 204)
12 a.m. Lunch
3 p.m. Healthy snack (perhaps a quick granola bar before practice)
6 p.m. Dinner
8 p.m. Healthy snack

Rule 3. Hydrate

When you work out, you sweat; and when you sweat, you lose body fluid that must be replaced. Failure to fully rehydrate between workouts will compromise your recovery and your performance in subsequent workouts. Drinking during a prolonged workout or race (lasting an hour or more), especially in the heat, will help you delay fatigue and reduce the risk of heat illness.

Athletes should drink approximately one gallon of water per day. This water is best taken in small servings scattered throughout the day. The exact amount of water that each individual needs will vary based on body weight, the temperature, and the intensity/duration of the workout. A good rule of thumb is to drink enough throughout the day to keep your urine pale yellow to clear in color.

Rule 4. Eat for Recovery

When you finish a workout, many of your muscle fibers are damaged from exertion, your muscle fuel stores are low, and you're at least slightly dehydrated. Nutrition is required to rebuild and refuel your muscles and rehydrate your body. Specifically, you need protein for tissue repair, carbohydrate to restock your muscles with fuel, and water to rehydrate.

The sooner you supply your body with these nutrients, the better. In the first hour after exercise, the muscles in particular are able to use nutrients for recovery much more effectively than at any other time. A study from Vanderbilt University found that the leg muscles were able to rebuild and refuel nearly three times faster when a carbohydrate-protein supplement was consumed immediately after a one-hour stationary bike ride than when the same supplement was consumed three hours after the same workout.

Food/drink containing carbs, protein and plain water are as effective as any expensive supplement. Strive for a 4-1 ratio of carbs to protein. Chocolate Milk is a cheap and convenient post-workout recovery drink with a 4-1 ratio.

Rule 5. Avoid Common Deficiencies

These deficiencies have negative consequences not only for athletic performance but also for general health. Fortunately, they're all easily avoided with a balanced diet. An easy way to cover the basics is a multivitamin and omega 3 fish oil pills (with parental consent).

It is important to avoid smoking, drinking, and all illegal drugs. In addition to being against our team rules and school policies they hurt your performance can lead to vitamin deficiencies and dehydration.

Nutrient / Consequences of not getting enough / How to get what you need
B vitamins (particularly B-12) / Reduced athletic performance / Eat three servings of meat, fish and/or eggs daily. Vegetarians: Take a daily vitamin B-complex supplement.
Calcium / Increased susceptibility to bone strains and stress fractures / Eat three servings of low-fat/non-fat dairy foods daily.
Iron / Fatigue, anemia / Make iron-rich foods such as tuna and chicken spinach a regular part of your diet.
Omega-3 fatty acids / May compromise recovery / Supplement a balanced diet with omega-3-rich fish oil, flax oil and walnuts,

II. Rest and Recovery

Good sleep habits are crucial to the success of the training plan. Adequate sleep (8-10 hours per day) is essential to permit regeneration. Also, adequate sleep, especially in the hours before midnight is necessary to allow recovery from exercise. (USATF Track & Field Coaching Education Manual 27)

III. Stretching and Strength Training

Stretching before and after your workout will increase your flexibility and decrease your risk of injury. Stretching, especially after your run will allow you to recover at a faster rate and decrease muscle stiffness/soreness.

Weight Training will strengthen your muscles, tendons, and ligaments which greatly decreases your risk of injury.

Our “core routine” will strengthen your “core” muscles (abdominals, lower back, oblique and hips) which will allow you to keep good form even when you begin to tire during a race. Your “core” is literally the driving force behind your stride.

IV. Proper Shoes

The most critical piece of equipment for a runner is a good pair of running shoes. We strongly recommend Big River Running because the experts at the store will ensure that the pair of shoes you purchase fit your needs as a runner. They will actually watch you run in the shoes to make sure it fits properly and allows you to run with correct form. For more information on Big River Running, please visit the website at www.bigriverrunning.com

Big River - West County
14059 Manchester Road, Manchester, MO 63011
636.394.5500 / Big River - South City
5352 Devonshire, St. Louis, MO 63109
314.832.2400 / Big River - O'Fallon
2548 Hwy K, O'Fallon, MO 63368
636.379.3888

Store Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10am - 8pm, Sat. 10am - 6pm, Sun. 12pm - 5pm

How to Eat Before a Race

(by: Andrew reiner)

In a 5K race, you can reach a goal, whether you're a beginning runner looking to find a fun atmosphere, a novice runner looking to test your skills or a veteran runner looking to set a personal best. However, when race day approaches, you should start preparing at the dinner table, hours before you lace up your running shoes. Eating the right food at the right time on race day could make the difference between struggling to reach the finish line and running your best.

Pre-Race Meals

A healthy, balanced meal should be enough to fuel an athlete for a 5K race, but knowing what, when and how much to eat before a race are all equally important factors. That's why a runner should plan his meal schedule alongside his race schedule. If the race starts three or four hours after a regular meal time, go ahead and enjoy a full meal of between 600 and 800 calories, including between 50 and 60 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent protein and 20 percent fruits and vegetables.

Pre-Race Meals in a Pinch

If you're hungry before a race but you can't budget the necessary three to four hours between a meal and the race to digest the meal, you can still consume the necessary food for peak performance. With two hours left before a race, trim your meal to between 300 and 600 calories, which could come from a sandwich, oatmeal, fruit or yogurt. Make sure to include one or two glasses of water or sports drink with your meal, but stay away from foods high in fats, oils and refined sugars.

Pre-Race Snacks

Even if a race is scheduled to start at a time inconvenient for a pre-race meal, you can still feel fresh and energized as you head to the starting line by nibbling on a pre-race snack. An hour to 90 minutes before the race, eat a snack of 100 to 200 calories from easily digestible food sources, such as a piece of fruit, a serving of nuts, a granola bar, or a bagel of piece of bread with peanut butter. Energy bars can also make a good pre-race snack, but look for energy bars high in carbs and save protein bars for after the race.
While some foods have their calorie content printed prominently on a label or wrapper, some pre-race snacks will not. When in doubt, measure a snack of 100 to 200 calories by imagining a serving the size of the palm of your hand.

Don't Overdo It!

The pre-race tradition known as carb-loading, where an athlete loads up on carbohydrates with a dinner of pastas or breads the night before a race, is a worthwhile part of marathon running, but it is quite unnecessary for a shorter race like a 5K. The average runner in a 5K race will finish in less than 30 minutes, which will not require the body to dip into reserves of energy stored as glycogen or fat. An athlete can prepare for a 5K race simply by sticking to a balanced, everyday diet

·  ACSM Fit Society Page; Preventing the "Low-Fuel Light" in Endurance Exercise; Andrea Hacker Thompson

·  Mayo Clinic; Eating and exercise: 5 tips to maximize your workouts

·  "Stack"; Interview with Kara Goucher; Sarah Gearhart; March 2009

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/462219-how-many-calories-to-eat-before-a-5k-race/#ixzz1xtExQPJ2