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Sally was frustrated. Her goal was to run a marathon and she had started a sound
training program, emphasizing a gradual mileage increase and plenty of easy days.
At first, all went according to plan. Her strength got noticeably better and her
weekend run gradually got longer. But when her runs extended beyond 90 minutes,
her progress stalled. She felt fine until that magical 90-minute barrier but then,
no matter how hard she pushed, she felt miserable and was reduced to a slow
shuffle. She was devastated. “I must not have any talent for this,” she thought
morosely. “This isn’t any fun.”
Sally did not know about perhaps the most important—and most widely
under-reported—discovery in exercise physiology during the last 15 years: Our
ability to ride or run for long periods of time (over about 90 minutes) is
impacted more by nutrition than by any other factor. That includes inherited
ability, motivation, and, yes, the amount of training we’ve done. Food and drink
are fuel and if our tanks are empty, we won’t go far no matter how big
our engines.
But eating and drinking on the fly isn’t easy. We associate food and fluids with
sitting down at a table with white napkins and soft music, not with flying down
the road astride a bike or pounding along unyielding pavement in the heat. That
doesn’t qualify as fine dining. But getting enough calories and fluids to fuel
your endurance sports workouts is surprisingly easy. It just takes a little
planning. Here’s how:
Prehydrate
Don’t start a ride or run dry. Drink copiously in the hours and days before
your long effort. How much is enough? Two rules: If you aren’t getting up at
least once in the night to urinate, you aren’t drinking enough. Also, your
urine should be pale yellow and plentiful.
Top Off the Glycogen Fuel Tank
Fluids are only part of the story. You also need plenty of carbohydrates because
your body uses carbs to make glycogen, the fuel that powers your muscles. It’s
always a good idea to eat a diet about 65% carbohydrate and only 15–20% each
protein and fat but two days before your long ride or run, cut the amount of
fat to make room for even more carbohydrate. Here’s an example: If you’re
eating chili, partially fill your bowl with rice, then top it off with chili.
The rice provides carbs and the chili packs the flavor. Or eat a half-portion of
meat, chicken or fish and double up on potatoes or pasta.
Drink!
As you ride or run, drink four to six ounces of fluid every 15 minutes. On a
bike, it’s easy—sip from a bottle or a back-mounted hydration system. While
running, strap on a bottle holster that rides along in the small of your back or
carry a bottle in your hand. Don’t rely on aid stations in long events. Practice
drinking on the run—it’s harder than swallowing while cycling—or stop for a
few seconds to get that precious fluid down. Running or cycling, set your
wristwatch timer to beep every 15 minutes and use that as a signal to drink.
Eat!
On the bike, down about 20 grams of carbohydrate every 30 minutes. That’s about
half an energy bar, most of a banana, or a couple of Fig Newtons. Start eating
within 30 minutes of the start, even if you ate a pre-event meal. You’ll need
the fuel by the end. Don’t get behind—food takes a while to assimilate. On
long runs when it’s difficult to eat, try a sports drink containing about 6%
carbohydrate for the necessary fuel. Some runners do fine with a carbo gel
chased with water. Experiment to find out what works for you.
Refuel Immediately After Your Workout
Don’t wait. Research shows that during the first 15 minutes after a workout
your muscles are most receptive to storing glycogen from the carbohydrate
that you eat. So don’t hit the shower, hit the fridge instead and consume
another 80 to 100 grams of carbohydrate. Also include some protein—the proper
ratio is one part protein to four parts carbohydrate—because studies show
that including a moderate amount of protein helps rebuild glycogen stores
faster. A sample post-workout meal that covers all the bases: cereal and a
banana with skim milk.
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