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Fueling the Machine

I've been on a real nutrition kick lately. I mean, not like actually eating well (yet), but more learning about how to properly fuel the body for athletic performance. Consider it the precursor to better eating habits.

For most of my running career I haven't been too concerned with nutrition. And, quite frankly, for 5k and 10k performance it's not really that important. Your body can run a decent 5k off of cookies and candy. As I've been getting into marathon training, however, I'm starting to realize that everyday nutrition is much more important to your performance. Like I've told some of my friends who've also gotten into marathons, you can gut out a quality 10k, but you can't fake a marathon. Even though I'm not running a marathon in the near future, I'm certainly doing marathon training...hence the nutrition kick.

So what's the difference between a 5-10k and a marathon? Without getting too scientific and complicated, it's actually pretty simple: with marathoning, you're almost constantly in a state of energy depletion. If you're training right, the workouts are long enough and intense enough that you're regularly depleting your glycogen stores (glycogen being the muscle's main energy source). With 5-10k training, even if you're running high mileage, the workouts themselves generally aren't long enough to risk glycogen depletion. The training is at a much higher intensity, but for a much shorter duration...so it's easier to replace what you lose.

Now, when talking about marathon nutrition, there are two main categories. The first all the energy bars, gels, GUs, gummies, and liquids engineered to get you through race day (and, on some occasions, training day). This is not the nutrition I'm writing about. While important, I feel all of these things are way overhyped and overrated. If you're relying on these products to get you through your race or even a training session, then you aren't training properly. They can be a useful tool to aid performance, but not a crutch to replace effort. Of course, that's is all a subject for another post.

The nutrition I'm writing about is of the second category, which often gets overshadowed by the first type: what are you putting in your body on a daily basis? What is the best way to keep your glycogen stores up while also getting in the necessary proteins, fats (yes, fats), and vitamins and minerals? Even though I hate machine analogies (the body is way more sophisticated and complex than any machine), think of this nutrition like fueling your car: sure, you could put just about anything in there and it would run, but if you really care about it then you want something that'll keep the engine clean while also maximizing fuel efficiency. The same goes for what you put in your body.

I still have a lot to learn, and I am nowhere near perfecting any solid recipes, but here are a couple essential principles to keep in mind for proper athletic nutrition:

1. Eat immediately after your workout. I don't know enough to go into a specific nutritional breakdown, but the general rules are pretty well-known: eat at least a small something with a 4:1 carb-protein ratio within 30 minutes of working out, then eat a major meal to round out energy replacement within 2 hours. This is when your body is the most broken down but the most responsive to rebuilding stronger, faster, better than it was before. This is something I really struggle with, mostly because I have trouble forcing food down after a hard effort...which is why chocolate milk is my favorite post-run go-to. That's it...not something super fancy and specially formulated; just chocolate milk. Which leads into #2...

2. Keep it simple, stupid. Look at the ingredient list: if it has a bunch of word you can't pronounce, then it's most likely unnecessary. Find something with real food ingredients whose names you recognize and can actually picture. Don't overthink it: if you're eating something simple, then your body can more efficiently process the nutrients; if it's something complicated, then your body is going to have more trouble processing it, which can lead to the dreaded 'poop gut', as we used to call it in college.

3. Make it yourself. This one really piggybacks off of the previous one, but it's worth stating. If you make it yourself, you know exactly what's going into it...and what's going into it is exactly what you put into it and nothing more. No excess ingredients, no preservatives, no chemicals, no Red 4; just simple ingredients. Whenever possible, use real food, too...not something processed and packaged, because who knows what's in it.

4. Sugar is not bad for you. Sugar is actually really good for you. If you're sitting on your ass all day, like most of America, then yes, excess sugar will be converted to fat which bad for you. But if you're an athlete training at a high level, then sugar is a good thing: it becomes the primary source of energy for your muscles. Of course, the same aforementioned principles apply: keep it simple and avoid processed foods. Say yes to granulated brown sugar; no to high fructose corn syrup. Oh, and one other thing: when you find yourself craving sugar (because, at some point in your training you will), the indulge that craving! That's you body's way of telling you what nutrients it needs.

So this certainly isn't an exhaustive list, but it's a good start to developing a solid base of nutrition knowledge. It's really important to stick to the basics and avoid getting caught up in any fad diets, be they Atkins or Paleo or Gluten-free or what have you. Proper athletic nutrition does not follow fads.

As I learn more, I'm certainly going to be experimenting with some meals and snacks and things like that. Who know, maybe I'll even post some hipster food photos...you never know.

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