Nutrition and diet for runners

Nutrition and diet for runners can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. I have listed four simple nutrition tips that will help to make you healthier, fitter and a faster runner at whatever distance you choose to run.

1. Drink more water
At the risk of stating the obvious, water is the most important nutrient you need. It makes up between 50 and 60 per cent of your bodyweight. You should drink regularly throughout the day. Drink a pint of water (or a sports drink) an hour before you run, and half a pint for every 30 minutes of running. On days when you run you should drink around five litres during the day, twice as much as is necessary on rest days.

It is important to stay hydrated. A simple way to check that you are hydrated is to take the pee test. Your urine should be a pale straw colour (except for first thing in the morning). If your urine is a dark yellow colour then you are dehydrated. If your urine is brown colour then you are severely dehydrated. Often you can be dehydrated and not realise it at the time.
2. Pre-race meal
Don’t do anything different to your normal routine here. For example, don’t overeat late the night before as this will make sleep harder to come by. Also, don’t think of that final plate of pasta on the eve of the race as your last meal. Your body will use up some of that food energy overnight, so make sure you have breakfast. Make sure that you cut right down on fat and protein in favour of carbohydrates.
3. Drink while you’re running
It’s a good idea to learn to drink on the run. Drinking on the run is an import technique and one you will need to practice prior to your race. Most organised races such as 10Ks and longer will generally have drinks stations to replace lost fluids. But unless you know the course or know someone who has run the course before don’t just rely on these drink stations. I once ran in a 20 mile road race and the drink stations ran out of water. I ended the race badly dehydrated.

Before you start the race, find out whether the drinks stations are providing water, or carbohydrate drinks as well. If you plan to use a carbohydrate drink, be sure that you’ve tested it in practice runs. If it’s new it could play havoc with your stomach. As you approach a water station look right; most runners prefer to veer left to collect their drink, so the other side is often less crowded. Grab the cup with one hand and instantly cover the cup with the other if you plan to drink it as you run. It is much better to take regular sips rather than big gulps. Don’t be afraid to stop and walk; a few seconds spent drinking properly will easily pay off in terms of performance.

Research has shown that the body can store enough glycogen in the muscles for around two to two and a half hours continuous exercise. So unless you turn out to be an elite athlete you are going to need to replace these stores during the race. Carbo drinks will help with this. You can also try carbo gels, jelly beans, or glucose tablets. Once again it’s vital to try these in training first as there are many different types. Some taste better than others so experiment.
4. Diet and recovery
Immediately after a race or a hard run it’s important to refuel your body with high-carbohydrate food or drink. The first four hours after strenuous exercise is a crucial time for taking on new glycogen to replace what you’ve lost while working hard. Aim to keep stocking up every 15 minutes or so rather than gorging on one meal, because this maintains higher blood glucose and insulin concentrations, which in turn makes greater absorption into the muscles possible. Research suggests that your recovery food should be 3:1 carbohydrate to protein.

For more running and nutrition advice and tips visit my blog Running and Fundraising