Nutrition for Runners - Part One

Introduction

In the early 60’s New Zealand’s famous athletic coach Arthur Lydiard came to conclude that his way of life automatically governed his eating habits. He learnt that “nature assists the person who exercises vigorously in the right way by subconsciously dictating his diet…an athlete will eat what’s good for him and leave alone what isn’t because their systems have become naturally choosy” The main things are to avoid processed fatty foods, look into the basic food groups and their properties, watch consumer habits, hydration and keep minerals in check.

The Basic Food Groups and Their Functions

Carbohydrates – provide energy, balancing simple and complex carbohydrates controls sustained energy release Fruit and Vegetables – High in fibre, iron, carbohydrates, potassium, vitamins A and C Proteins – repair and maintain muscles and cells Dairy – calcium, B vitamins, protein Fats – Contains fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K

The Salt of Life

In sweating the body mainly loses sodium, magnesium and zinc. By drinking saline, electrolyte-sports drinks or eating more salt restores sodium levels. However I recommend Himalayan or sea salt, which doesn’t contain anti-caking agent, the very thing that prevents it from being soluble. Try to keep in mind when running that in one hour the body loses two litres of fluids, so drink before, during and after exercising. Loss of magnesium manifests in muscle soreness and trouble sleeping at night, while zinc deficiency shows on the finger nails as white marks. If either of these are apparent, supplements can be beneficial.

Eat Little, Eat often

By eating a large meal the heart has to work just as hard as doing a hard training session. It has to supply litres of blood to the strained digestive organs, exhausting really. In Run For Your Life by Garth Gilmour, he takes a lesson – and a warning – from the birds. “They eat little and often and it’s worth noting that scientists have found they rarely suffer from arterial disease, unless their kept in captivity. When their caged they’re subjected to the evils of modern life – over eating and inactivity – and the outcome is an increasing frequency of arterial disease.” Scary how offices can do that too really.

"Run and become. We run, we become. We run in the outer world, we become in the inner world. We run to succeed, we become to proceed." Sri Chinmoy