You Are What You Eat
Making nutrition work for you
We?ve all had it happen ? that terrible four-letter
word that spells trouble
and in some cases the premature and unsatisfying
end of an event. It?s the
bonk. But you don?t have to let it beat you, Racelab
coach Bettina Warnholtz
told a group of athletes at a free nutrition clinic held
in September at
Triple Sports.
?The questions are always: What food? How much
food? And when?? she said.
?Nutrition during training and racing will depend on
many different needs.?
How fast and far training and racing sessions last
determine the bulk of
nutrition and hydration needs. It helps to think of
each as individual
components that should be prepared for and planned
on before going out the
door.
For example, Warnholtz said, the body will feast on a
small supply of stored
glycogen during fast sessions such as tempo runs,
5Ks, sprint triathlons or
short time trials. Longer, slower efforts steer the
body to fat for a more
sustained energy.
Replacing calories in short distance events (those
lasting one hour or less)
likely will not be required. An energy gel or perhaps a
sports drink with
electrolytes should be more than enough to do the
trick, she said.
In longer distance efforts, of course, maintaining
energy needs becomes more
complicated. The body needs calories to continue
pushing forward, but eating
800-calorie Big Macs is not necessarily the answer.
Whether it?s gels,
drinks or bars, find out what works best for yourself.
There is not just one
answer.
Warnholtz added that energy should be consumed
with the right mix of
carbohydrates and protein.
Look for a 4-8 percent carbohydrate concentration in
energy drinks, she
said, and reserve protein intake for longer distance
efforts to avoid
stomach upheaval.
?It?s very important that you read labels,? she
said. ?I really suggest that
with nutrition the more you read, the more you know,
the better choices you
will make.?