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| Not Fuel for running? |
When it comes to fueling for an event everyone has their own take on the deal. When I was a rookie, and I feel that I still am in many regards, I ate pasta the night before a long run or event. Then I read articles that said two nights before eat carbs. So I did that. On a whim once I tried brown rice a Thursday before a long run and it worked great. A few months later read an other article that said you need some protein too. So I started adding chicken to rice and it worked great again. Once I even ate chicken wings and fries the night before and had no trouble at all. So that got me thinking, do I need to eat anything specific at all? And thus begins my eat whatever the heck I want phase. I think that phase is about to die. With increased mileage my body needs more specific nutrients.
Before I head out for a run sometimes I eat and others I don't. On long run or race day I would eat an apple fritter from the local bakery. Other things I eat before are toast or bagels with peanut or almond butter. I love to eat cereal everyday but before running I enjoy Kashi or Wheaties. I had the chance to spread the word for Wheaties how effective their product is for endurance athletes. The slow lasting energy Wheaties provides on the long run is perfect. I had some 20 boxes to eat over the course of a few months. And Wheaties sure is a great way to fuel before a run.
There are some products that I love to use in my running. I have loved Gatorade from day one. My wife buys the powder to mix and I just throw it in my handheld on long runs. I have tried the chews during a run and they are okay, great taste, but I didn't feel they were very effective. I do not like the pre run drink they have. Gatorade Prime is like a jello that didn't set. The Recovery Gatorade is okay, it has an off after taste but is very effective in adding recovery. I love Cliff bars. I use them on long runs or eat them after as part of recovery. When needed I will eat their Builders Bars. They have 20g of protein in each bar as opposed to 9g in a regular Cliff bar. I used to eat Cliff shots a chew to eat mid run, but I found them too cumbersome to use. I have used Cliff shots, their gel product, but when it gets warm out my body doesn't process them while running and I get bad side cramps. I switched to Hammer gel's and have had no trouble with them. Hammer also makes a drink product and I have only ever tried the strawberry vanilla flavor and it is NASTY! CytoMax is another product I tried because it was going to be on course at an event I was running. I found that it tasted like really Gatorade but was thicker in consistency like a thin syrup, very sugary tasting. I try to listen to my body and give it what it wants when I am running. Sometimes it is good old fashion water that will do the trick! But many times it is hard if said thing is not available. So in my long runs I train with products to see if it will work on race day or not. The only draw back to that is if it does work I will need to find a way to take it with me on the course.
This adventure to run 50 miles will take many turns and trials with tribulation to complete. I never thought it would take my diet along for the ride. Here is to many miles and better eating, new products and hopefully weight loss...till next run!
