Jannine Myers
The Okinawa Marathon is just one week away, and you should all be in a reduced phase of training by now and ready to start carbo-loading in a few days. I realize many of you know what it means to load up on carbohydrates during the preceding days of a marathon, but some of our ladies are running their very first marathon and are relying on friends and other runners to coach them through all the various aspects of marathon training (I know I did!). Also, some of you may think that carbohydrate-loading involves eating a large pasta meal the night before the race, but ideally your last dinner meal should not be a heavy one.
The following article, by Dimity McDowell, was published on RunnersWorld in November 2011, and it provides an easy-to-read explanation of why runners need to carbo-load before an endurance event, and how to do it. Please keep an open mind however - just as there are different schools of thought on everything from shoe preferences, to fueling recommendations, to maximum long run distances and tapering schedules, so too are there different schools of thought on how best to carbo-load.
Fill 'Er Up
By Dimity McDowell - published on RunnersWorld.com Nov 2011
Carbo-loading can help you race without hitting the wall—as long as you do it right.
Most runners know they should eat pasta, rice, potatoes, or other high-carb foods before a half or full marathon. After all, carbs are a great source of energy, and you need a lot of energy to cover 13.1 or 26.2 miles. But many runners are far less clear on how many carbohydrates they should eat and when to start loading up. "When I go to marathon expos," says Monique Ryan, R.D., author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes, "I'm amazed how many people haven't carbo-loaded properly. Runners train so hard and then arrive with a huge handicap." Here's what every runner needs to know about carbohydrates, so you can toe the line fully fueled and ready to go.
CARB SCIENCE
When you eat a bowl of spaghetti, most of the carbs are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver. Glycogen is your body's most easily accessible form of energy, but it's not the only source, says Ryan. During a half or full marathon you burn both glycogen and fat. But the latter is not as efficient, which means your body has to work harder to convert it into fuel.
When you run out of glycogen during a race you hit "the wall." Your body has to slow down as it turns fat into energy. Benjamin Rapoport, a 2:55 marathoner, is intimately acquainted with the wall. The Harvard M.D. student (who has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from MIT) hit the wall so hard at the 2005 New York City Marathon he decided to study how to avoid it in the future (his research was published in PLoS Computational Biology in October 2010). "Proper carbo-loading—or filling your muscles to the brim with glycogen—won't make you faster, but it will allow you to run your best and, if you race smartly, avoid the wall," he says.
CHOOSE WISELY
Which carbs should you load up on? "I'm very utilitarian," says Rapoport. "I eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." But runners don't need to be so restrictive. Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, and juice are all easy-to-digest options. Many fruits are high in carbs but are also high in fiber—and too much can cause stomach trouble midrace. "Bananas are a low-fiber choice," says sports nutritionist Ilana Katz, R.D. "And you can peel apples, peaches, and pears to reduce their fiber content." She also gives her clients permission to indulge in white bread and baked potatoes without the skin since both are easily digested.
Which carbs should you load up on? "I'm very utilitarian," says Rapoport. "I eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." But runners don't need to be so restrictive. Tortillas, oatmeal, bread, pancakes, waffles, bagels, yogurt, and juice are all easy-to-digest options. Many fruits are high in carbs but are also high in fiber—and too much can cause stomach trouble midrace. "Bananas are a low-fiber choice," says sports nutritionist Ilana Katz, R.D. "And you can peel apples, peaches, and pears to reduce their fiber content." She also gives her clients permission to indulge in white bread and baked potatoes without the skin since both are easily digested.
Ryan suggests steering clear of high-fat foods—like creamy sauces, cheese, butter, and oils—as well as too much protein. Both nutrients fill you up faster than carbs and take longer to digest, she says. Pick jam—not butter—for your toast, tomato sauce in lieu of alfredo sauce on your pasta, and frozen yogurt instead of ice cream for dessert.
HOW MUCH?
You can't completely fill your muscles with glycogen from just one meal, "which is why you should start carbo-loading two or three days before your race," says Ryan. Since you're running very few miles, the glycogen will accumulate in your muscles. At this point, 85 to 95 percent of your calories should come from carbs, says Katz. Ryan recommends eating about four grams of carbs for every pound of body weight (for a 150 pound runner that's 600 grams—or 2,400 calories—of carbs per day). During his research, Rapoport developed an even more precise formula, which runners can access at endurancecalculator.com, that factors in variables including age, resting heart rate, VO2 max, and predicted finishing time. It's important to keep in mind that you're most likely not eating many more calories per day than you were during the thick of your training—it's just that more of those calories are coming from carbs.
You can't completely fill your muscles with glycogen from just one meal, "which is why you should start carbo-loading two or three days before your race," says Ryan. Since you're running very few miles, the glycogen will accumulate in your muscles. At this point, 85 to 95 percent of your calories should come from carbs, says Katz. Ryan recommends eating about four grams of carbs for every pound of body weight (for a 150 pound runner that's 600 grams—or 2,400 calories—of carbs per day). During his research, Rapoport developed an even more precise formula, which runners can access at endurancecalculator.com, that factors in variables including age, resting heart rate, VO2 max, and predicted finishing time. It's important to keep in mind that you're most likely not eating many more calories per day than you were during the thick of your training—it's just that more of those calories are coming from carbs.
EAT better: Even if you carbo-load properly, you still need to take in midrace fuel (such as sports drinks, gels, chews, and candy) to keep your energy level high.
Good Eats
A day of carbo-loading for a 150-pound runner
A day of carbo-loading for a 150-pound runner
BREAKFAST
1 bagel with 2 tablespoons strawberry jam (71 g)
1 medium banana (27 g)
8 ounces fruit yogurt (41 g)
8 ounces orange juice (26 g)
1 bagel with 2 tablespoons strawberry jam (71 g)
1 medium banana (27 g)
8 ounces fruit yogurt (41 g)
8 ounces orange juice (26 g)
MORNING SNACK
2 Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey
Granola Bars (29 g)
8 ounces Gatorade (14 g)
2 Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey
Granola Bars (29 g)
8 ounces Gatorade (14 g)
LUNCH
1 large baked potato with 1/4 cup salsa (69 g)
1 sourdough roll (40 g)
8 ounces chocolate milk (26 g)
1 large oatmeal cookie (56 g)
1 large baked potato with 1/4 cup salsa (69 g)
1 sourdough roll (40 g)
8 ounces chocolate milk (26 g)
1 large oatmeal cookie (56 g)
AFTERNOON SNACK
1 Clif Bar (42 g)
8 ounces Gatorade (14 g)
1 Clif Bar (42 g)
8 ounces Gatorade (14 g)
DINNER
1 chicken burrito with rice, corn salsa, and black beans (105 g)
1 2-ounce bag Swedish Fish (51 g)
1 chicken burrito with rice, corn salsa, and black beans (105 g)
1 2-ounce bag Swedish Fish (51 g)
CARB TOTAL 611 g
Perfect Timing
What to do before race day to ensure your tank is full
What to do before race day to ensure your tank is full
6 WEEKS BEFORE: Practice loading
Two or three days prior to your longest run, start eating more carbs and less fat and protein. "You'll get a sense of what foods agree and disagree with your stomach," says Katz.
Two or three days prior to your longest run, start eating more carbs and less fat and protein. "You'll get a sense of what foods agree and disagree with your stomach," says Katz.
1 WEEK BEFORE: Make a plan
"A plan is especially important if you're traveling to a race," says Ryan. Pack plenty of snacks, like sports bars, pretzels, and crackers. Check menus online and make restaurant reservations.
"A plan is especially important if you're traveling to a race," says Ryan. Pack plenty of snacks, like sports bars, pretzels, and crackers. Check menus online and make restaurant reservations.
2 OR 3 DAYS BEFORE: Switch to carbs
From now through your race, 85 to 95 percent of your diet should be carbs. Eat after taper runs. "That is when muscles are primed to store glycogen," says Rapoport.
From now through your race, 85 to 95 percent of your diet should be carbs. Eat after taper runs. "That is when muscles are primed to store glycogen," says Rapoport.
NIGHT BEFORE: Don't stuff yourself
Dinner should be relatively small but carb-heavy. Eat on the early side so you have lots of time to digest.
"You want to wake up race day hungry—not full from the night before," says Ryan.
Dinner should be relatively small but carb-heavy. Eat on the early side so you have lots of time to digest.
"You want to wake up race day hungry—not full from the night before," says Ryan.
RACE MORNING: Have breakfast
Three hours before the start, eat 150 grams of carbs, like a bagel and yogurt or sports drink and oatmeal, says Ryan. Early race? "Get up at 3 a.m., eat, and go back to bed," she says.
Three hours before the start, eat 150 grams of carbs, like a bagel and yogurt or sports drink and oatmeal, says Ryan. Early race? "Get up at 3 a.m., eat, and go back to bed," she says.
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