Marathon Taper Nutrition

You’ve been working hard for months, getting up early to train in the dark, in the cold and wind and snow.  The big day is almost here! Make sure that you keep your focus as you finish up your season of training with the week leading up to it: the taper.

FOUNDATION:

The foundation of any runner’s diet, at any time of training, should be healthy and balanced: lean proteins, whole grains, unsaturated fats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables. A base of carbohydrates (from grains, vegetables, fruit, and dairy) should be complemented with protein and fat.

WEEK PRIOR:

Decrease intensity and duration of activity. Increase proportion of carbohydrates 3 days prior; increase even more for the last 4 days. Keep mealtimes consistent and don’t try new foods. Hydrate!

DAY BEFORE:

Don’t overeat samples at the Expo; ask to take one to try later. Stick with familiar foods that you have been successful at eating the day before a long run. These should be foods that are easy on your stomach. Attempt regular meal and snack times, and remember to hydrate. Try to get some sleep.

MORNING OF:

Keep in mind timing of waiting for the start. You may have several hours of waiting and may or may not be provided with snacks and drinks while you wait. Does that work with your race-day nutrition plan? If not, bring your own.

Upcoming Event: Taper Nutrition at True Runner

Wondering what to eat in the week leading up to a marathon? Come to True Runner in Chestnut Hill, MA on Friday, April 11th at 6pm to hear Katrina speak about taper nutrition. Have questions prior to the event? Leave them in the comments and they'll be answered that night!

94 Years Old and Still Running... on Carbohydrates

If you're a runner or endurance athlete or have ever read up on sports nutrition, you are likely aware of how important carbohydrates are. They give you energy to "go the distance" and are the main source of fuel for an active lifestyle. People have even made a science of carbohydrate "loading," finding ways to pack as much carbohydrate into their body's stores before a big endurance event. I've been reading a lot about sports nutrition lately, in part because I've started a small private practice counseling athletes and also because it's a fascinating topic.

In reading the newly published 5th edition of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook, she really drives home the focus on carbohydrates for athletes and how your body (and possibly performance) will suffer if you focus too much on protein or go gluten-free for no medical reason without replacing it with enough non-gluten carbohydrates.

It's no secret that carbohydrates get a bad rap in general, but if you're an athlete the cold hard truth is that you need them and they will help you if you use them right. As Nancy emphasizes, carbs don't cause you to gain weight; extra calories, especially from fat, and not enough physical activity cause you to gain weight.

I was reading an inspirational story in Parade magazine recently about Olga Kotelko, a 94 year-old track star. She's broken all sorts of records and is still going strong. Obviously they asked her about her diet, and this is part of how they reported on it:

"She is no stranger to carbs, often having toast in the morning (perhaps topped with cheese and honey) and bread again in her lunchtime sandwich."

I could be adding emphasize in the wrong places here, but when I read that I could just picture some readers across the country thinking to themselves "BREAD?! TWICE a day?!" The way that it is phrased, that she is not a stranger to carbs, seems to imply that eating bread twice a day is excessive. In reality, active people need a whole bunch of carbohydrates in order to fuel themselves properly (the amount depends on the athlete's weight and the intensity of the activity) and no one should ever be a stranger to carbs. Has your relationship with carbohydrates taken a turn for the worse? Consider making 2014 the year you mend that bond - you'll be amazed by what carbohydrates can do for you!

Talking Nutrition with Triathletes

Healthy food for hungry triathletes!

Last night I gave my first of (hopefully) many talks about nutrition to athletes. It helped that the athletes in question were members of my triathlon team and helped even more that I had the support of Nicole Cormier, RD of Delicious Living Nutrition in case there were any questions that I couldn't answer! Back in my former life as an editor, I hired Nicole to work on several nutrition books, which she's still doing. It's great to be working with her in a different capacity now.

The talk was at the bike shop that sponsors my team, Wheelworks in Belmont and about 17 teammates came out for the "Everyday Nutrition for Triathletes" talk. I brought lots of fresh fruit and veggies along with hummus, greek yogurt mixed with dill, and two healthy dishes, recipes below. We talked through daily calorie needs based on the Harris Benedict Equation, daily protein and carbohydrate needs, and talked a bit about pre- and post-race nutrition and hydration. I think it went really well and people were really receptive. It's always great to get little reminders of why you've made life changes like this - I love talking to people (especially athletes) about healthy eating, and look forward to continuing to do it for a long time!

Southwestern Protein Fiesta

1 bag Trader Joe’s frozen Fire-Roasted Corn, defrosted

1 bag frozen edamame, defrosted

1 can black beans (no-salt added), rinsed

1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped

1 container fresh salsa

 

Mix all ingredients together and bring cold to a potluck or BBQ, serve warm over rice or quinoa for dinner, roll it in a whole-wheat tortilla for lunch, throw it over salad, or put in your morning eggs!

Whole-Grain Mediterranean Toss

½ cucumber, diced

½ container cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can garbanzo beans (no-salt added), rinsed

1 package low-fat feta cheese

3-4 cups cooked whole grain (quinoa, brown rice, whole-wheat orzo, or barley)

¼ cup fresh basil, chopped

Balsamic vinegar, pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve hot inside steamed halved peppers, cold at a picnic, or as a side with grilled chicken!

Fantastic Farmer's Market Finds

It drives me crazy that my local farmer's market doesn't open until mid-June. But then when it does open, I walk through turning up my nose at things labeled "green-house grown." I want fresh and local, and I want it now! Which means I have to be patient. Luckily I was able to bring home some pretty good finds yesterday and while I've been considering what to do with them, I thought of some handy tips for shopping at a farmer's market.

• Try new things. If you aren't sure what something is, it's OK to ask the purveyor how it is generally used or what dishes it might complement. My best suggestion for trying a new vegetable is to first saute in olive oil with a little bit of salt and pepper; that way you'll get a sense of the true flavor before tossing it in with other veggies and seasonings. You'll be able to figure out yourself what it would pair well with!
• Bring cash and ask for weights. I'm not great at eyeballing what a pound of squash might look like, so it can be tricky to know how much to ask for when items are sold by weight. Yesterday I only had $3 left by the time I reached the final booth and the pattypan squash were $2/lb so I asked the woman for $3 worth. I ended up with a whole lot more squash than I actually wanted! But that's OK because it's delicious and I can share with friends. But I probably would've been better off asking how much a couple of small squash would cost to begin with.
• It's in season if there is a lot of it. A few years ago I was so excited that a stand had eggplant for just $1 each. Then the next summer I had a recipe in mind and went to the farmer's market all ready to purchase them only to find that I was several months too early for eggplant at such a cheap price. In the beginning of the season you're likely to find lots of lettuce and other leafy greens; tomatoes and other more colorful vegetables come a bit later.

Pattypan squash from the farmer's market

If you're looking for motivation to try a new fruit or vegetable, try doing an internet search for the health benefits. For example, I just got the newsletter from SCAN, the Sports, Cardiovascular, and Wellness Nutrition subgroup of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. In it, I learned about the aerobic exercise performance enhancing qualities of beets, rhubarb, and arugula. One study showed that eating 7-8 beets 3 hours prior to performance can improve performance in addition to improving circulation! Another study showed that consuming tart cherries made for faster muscle recovery. So if you're looking for performance benefits or just looking for something delicious, head to your local farmer's market and get cooking.

A Sneak Peek at the Copenhagen Marathon Expo

Today I had the opportunity to explore the Copenhagen Marathon Expo! The race is tomorrow and while I won't be here to watch the 12,000 or so runners, I didn't want to miss my chance to see the expo since I've spent quite a bit of time at marathon expos in the states. I was mostly curious about the sports nutrition products that are being marketed in Europe and got some great photos and information from vendors, as well as several samples to bring back home to try. However, that information requires some additional research. Time (as well as internet access) is precious at the moment so I'll just post one photo and the promise of a post regarding European sports nutrition, to come. If you're curious about my trip to Denmark, with most of my time spent eating and drinking rather than being active, check out Mother and Daughter Spiser.

In Danish, "Pace Setter" translates to "Fart Holder"

Back in the Saddle Again

I've been having a tough time convincing myself to get out on my bike recently. It's been pretty chilly and wet and I've had odd pockets of time where other potential riding buddies were not available. I struck out on my own for a quick 12 mile ride and then waited for my triathlon team's annual training weekend in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

If you think it's a good idea to start the season with one short ride and then a long, extremely hilly ride, think again! While it did show a fair amount of optimism on my part, Saturday's 66 mile ride reminded me of several things which all boil down to the same lesson: the best way to get something done without feeling ill affects is to ease into it. That lesson manifested itself in two places. The first, as you might expect, was that my legs and my sit bones were super sore the next day and I biked slower than I would have liked during the ride. The second was with my nutrition. As you might imagine, I tend to think of myself as a person who listens to her body and has a pretty good idea of what to put into it and when. However, it had been longer than I'd like to admit since I had gone on a ride of that distance and length and elevation gain. So after eating a breakfast of oatmeal and fruit, during the entire six hours that we were out on our bikes, I ate a Clif bar and a Luna protein bar. Some people, in the same circumstances, would have been fine. But I was out of practice with what my body needs under those circumstances and ended up not feeling as good as I might have if I'd brought along some whole foods (banana, nuts, crackers) or had stopped for a small meal in addition to the bars that I ate. I just didn't put the right amount of the right things into my body.

Looking good despite not feeling great after biking 66 miles in the White Mountains of New Hampshire (my Co-Membership Director Bernadette is pictured here with me on the right)

I should add that I still had a ridiculously fun time on that ride - I got to know five of my teammates really well (while the other 35 teammates were off climbing other mountains at other distances) and saw some beautiful scenery. But if I had put in a couple more rides ahead of time, I would've had a better idea what to expect from my body that day. I think this lesson applies to a lot of aspects of eating and working out; want to stop being a vegetarian? If you start by one day eating a bacon cheeseburger, you'll probably make yourself sick. Want to run a 10K? If you start by running that distance you'll probably do yourself more harm than good in your training process (and could injure yourself early on). So, try new things, but give yourself time to adapt and let your body learn to love eating healthy and being active.

Would You Rather...

There was a multisport expo this past weekend in Boston. It's the third year that I've gone and I always come away from it feeling very inspired; to train more, sign up for races, eat healthier. This time was no exception!

On Saturday morning I went to a seminar put on by a local triathlon coach and he talked about questions that he is asked the most frequently. Of course a lot of people ask about the best food to eat before, during, and after a race because we all know how important nutrition is to performance. He had a great way of phrasing the importance of the post-workout meal. He said: "Think about it, would you rather rebuild your muscles with a twinkie or with salmon?" When you consider the 'you are what you eat' aspect of life, it should help inspire you to put healthier things in your body. Food is constantly rebuilding in your body, so make smart choices about what those building blocks are made out of.

Great Run! Now What Should I Eat?

To some people the answer to that question may be: whatever is in the house! But you’ve probably heard somewhere – whether in an article, from a coach, a product advertisement, or just via word of mouth – that you should consume protein after your workout. Most athletes I know accept this as a general rule, but why how much do you really need, and what foods will give you the protein you need, but keep the calories low?

How Much is Right for Me?

According to livestrong.com, The Journal of Nutrition recommends 0.2 to 0.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight when you’re done with your workout. Let’s break that down so it’s a bit easier to understand:

120 lbs = 11-22g

130 lbs = 12-24g

140 lbs = 13-26g

150 lbs = 14-27g

160 lbs = 15-29g

170 lbs = 15-31g

180 lbs = 16-33g

190 lbs = 17-34g

200 lbs = 18-36g

210 lbs = 19-38g

220 lbs = 20-40g

230 lbs = 21-42g

240 lbs = 22-43g

How Much Protein is In…

So how are you going to get in this protein? Part of what you eat will undoubtedly depend on the time of day. Here are some common foods with their grams of protein so that you can decide for yourself what’s right for you when you get done with your workout:

Breakfast Foods:

Egg, large: 6 grams of protein

Milk, one cup: 8 grams of protein

Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons: 8 grams of protein

English muffin: 6 grams of protein

Lunch/Dinner Foods:

Chicken breast, 3.5 oz: 30 grams of protein

Tuna, 6 oz can: 40 grams of protein

Tofu, ½ cup: 20 grams of protein

Beans, ½ cup: 7-10 grams of protein

Snacks:

Almonds, ¼ cup: 8 grams of protein

Clif® Builder Bar: 20 grams of protein

Clif® Shot Roks: 20 grams of protein

Luna® Protein: 12 grams of protein

Special K® Protein Shake: 10 grams of protein

Muscle Milk® Ready-to-Drink: 25 grams of protein

Run in the morning? Try an English muffin with two poached eggs (and don’t forget to throw on some tomato or avocado slices to make it extra delicious and nutritious). Swim during your lunch break? Try a pita sandwich with grilled chicken breast, hummus, cucumber, and sprouts. Hit the gym after work? A Luna® Protein bar or Clif® Builder Bar will help rebuild your muscles if dinner won’t be ready for longer than an hour. More of a nighttime athlete? A half a cup of tart frozen yogurt (available at various places around Boston such as Berryline, Chill, and Red Mango or in your local grocery store) is low in calories and packs 9 grams of protein – top it with some sliced almonds and fruit and you’re good to go!