Marathon Nutrition

My friend Suzanne emailed me the other day and inquired about my marathon nutrition and if I had any resources or advice. So besides what works for me to share i decided to do a search for some more concrete advice!

What works for me:
Balanced diet, 60% carbs, 25% protein,15% fat
Lots of water - as much as possible! Choke it down at least your 32 oz a day... it is now my favorite drink (Pellegrino also counts as water!)
SEE my story of my hospital visit after Boston! Don't want to do that again.
Black coffee - I try to count it as water

Eat carbs more in the morning and lunch, save the protein for dinner with veggies.
I eat cereal for breakfast, toast sandwich of some kind for lunch and protein with veggies for dinner.
Minimize alcohol - white wine is my new favorite (try to keep to only a few nights a week)

Lot's of rest!

Here are the other resources that I found on the internet:
Talks about getting enough carbs....
This talks about during the run ...
A simpler piece - 70/20/10 ratio promoted

A great blog for triathlete and marathon training - good nutrition stuff here
This one is probably my favorite but it is geared toward women
And I really liked this comentary:
Presently, there is an abundance of endurance performance nutrition products on the market.  We can choose from thousands of drinks, gels, energy bars, etc…  It can all get a bit confusing.  The current problem is not that there aren’t enough nutritional options available, but that there are too many. 
 
Each body has a certain amount of calories it can absorb when exercising at marathon intensities.  The highly adapted gut might be able to consume 250 calories an hour, while the inexperienced stomach absorbs around 200 cal/hour.  Any food not absorbed will either just sit in your upset stomach, or pass through your intestines in the form of waste.  Unwanted calories might lead to time spent in the “port-a-johns” late in the marathon.  I dedicate the remainder of this column to understanding the nutrition demands during a marathon.
 
Tools to help you determine your Marathon Nutrition Plan
 
·        Learn your sweat rate:  Your goal is to drink the perfect amount of fluid, resulting in neither weight loss nor weight gain.  In the heat you sweat and drink more. If it is cooler, you sweat and drink less.  To determine sweat rate, just weigh in before a workout and weigh out after a workout.  Then, account for fluid consumed during the workout and add this into the total weight loss.  Let’s do the math for a hypothetical 60-minute run in the heat.
 
Determining weight loss:
Pre-workout weight                  158 lbs
Post-workout weight                154lbs
Total weight loss                        4lbs
    
 Determining sweat loss:
Weight loss                               4lbs
Fluid drank during workout       2lbs or 32oz (most sport bottles hold 20oz)
                        Total weight loss in sweat          6lbs
 
Knowing your sweat rate under different climate and intensity situations will establish how many calories you can consume through fluid intake.
 
·        Drink only sports beverages:  The combination of carbohydrates and electrolytes in a sports beverage has been proven to enhance endurance performance.  Water alone will dilute the blood sugar and electrolyte concentration in the blood, and can lead to cramping, a sloshy stomach, low blood sugar, and eventually hyponatremia, a potentially health-threatening condition marked by poor electrolyte and fluid balance.  Practice using sports beverages in training.
 
·        Determine calorie content in sports beverages:  A typical sports beverage has 50 calories per 8oz serving.  You usually get about 4oz of fluid (25 calories) when handed a cup at the aid station during a marathon.  How much you should drink at each aid station depends on your sweat rate.
 
·        Ensure adequate caloric intake:  Marathoners burn anywhere from 600-1000 calories an hour, depending on pace and efficiency.  A typical runner has about 2500 calories of stored carbohydrates to use for maintaining marathon pace.  This would get a runner through 2.5 to 3.5 hours of running if drinking only water.  If a runner consumed around 25 calories (4oz of fluid) at every aid station he/she would consume anywhere from 150 to 250 calories in an hour depending on their pace.  After 3 hours of running, 150 calories an hour would give an extra 450 calories of available carbohydrates to help maintain pace through the end of the race. 
 
·        Consider energy gel supplementation: On colder days when sweat rate is lower, an athlete does not drink as much sports beverage.  In this case, supplementation with energy gels might be necessary.  A typical gel has 90-100 calories.  These gels can upset a stomach, so make sure you practice and learn your tolerance.  I suggest taking only half a gel at a time, and aim for consuming one whole gel in an hour.  This amount of gel, along with a sports beverage, will keep your calories topped off.  On hotter days, an athlete is often better off sticking to a sports beverage alone and skipping the energy gels.
 
·        Eat well on race morning:  A good breakfast would be 400-800 kcal of oatmeal or your favorite healthy cereal made with water or soymilk, with protein powder mixed in, about 2-2.5 hrs before the start.  Stay away from lactose-based milk, as it may not digest completely.  Drink about 12-16 oz of a highly concentrated carbohydrate sports drink (15% carbs) during the 90 minutes before the race, and another 8oz of normally concentrated sports drink (6-7% carbs) within 30 minutes of race start.  This formula will top off energy, electrolytes, and hydration stores.
 
·        Eat well the night before:  The typical noodle or rice dinner with a protein source like chicken or tofu will work really well.  The goal is to top of carbohydrate stores, consume a balance of protein and fat to help settle the stomach, slow down digestion, and provide muscle recovery during and after the race.
 
Marathon nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated. By taking a few simple steps, you can increase your chances of success in your next big race!

"Rao's Coffee"

Simple pleasures - Coffee. Is it a vice or a necessity in life? I say the latter.... for the pleasure it brings. I love the smell of coffee, the taste... black, hot, steaming GOOD coffee -

I consider myself a coffee snob, I love it black.. another thing that Steve & I had in common, right away (feeling CONNECTED) - and as hot as possible. And a cup of good freshly roasted coffee is pure pleasure. I used to drink Peets - home delivered, which is just fabulous, but here in Amherst, Steve has turned me (and us) on to a regular delivery of RAO's coffee. The best coffee around, and it truly rivals Peets. Locally roasted beans, this buzz of a coffee shop has wooden floors, little cafe tables, inside and on the curb outside in the summer. The college kids play music, cook fresh baked goods for the case in the front, and everything is so tasty. It is located on Kellog Street - one of those side street short cuts, but it is right down the alley off the main drag where the Cook Brothers run the family Optical Shoppe (Tom & Jim).

Come to Amherst, busy college town, quaint New England village and enjoy some RAO's coffee sometime soon!

About the photo - I love the alley shot of Rao's sign, the trash can, parking meter and the post with all the flyers publishing the local events going on in town - so college town-like it gives a true feeling of being here, in the little busy town, home of 5 colleges in the area. Waiting for the snow to melts when the outside will soon bustle with tables and people for the spring!

Side note: I am a Starbucks addict... new question of the month .... what is your favorite coffee at Starbucks... see above right nav. We have a great partnership with Starbucks with NCTP and I love to support them too! : )

See Carla's page for one of my fave Starbucks coffee shots!

"A Cut Above"

My lucky day - I "won" the silent auction to benefit Schuyler's pre-K in Wilmot (about 3 years ago now...) with certificates to Amber's salon. A pedicure and a haircut - Jessica was able to use the haircut and then I visited for the pedicure. Amber has branched out on her own in her mid twenties with a beautiful shop - separate from her home with all the acoutemants that you would need in a salon and spa. I loved my pedicure - BEST EVER! My haircut? Well the testimonial is that I have so much respect for her skill as a stylist and her ability to chose the right cut for me (and anyone for that matter...) that I cannot go to anyone else (even though from where I am in Western MA it takes 2 1/2 hours to get there) - I waited almost 8 months for this last cut, and it is worth the drive and the time to spend and have the cut to make me feel really good! She has recently been a guest stylist at a salon in Boston (I will find out where) and is doing hair shows for her line of products that she reps and teaches about. She is a little on the shy side, so this is all a great endeavor for her and I must say as a friend, I am very proud of her! But bottom line - I love how she styles my hair, takes the time to curl, gel and make it just right! Take a look!

My hospital visit in Kansas City

(Picture: Judy and I in the emergency room in Kansas City)

I arrived in Kansas City to attend the RFL Nationwide All Staff Meeting on Tuesday 4/17 having dinner and some wine with collegues and then waking for my usual "on the road" run with Judy (about 5 miles) in the morning. After networking with ice breakers with the group, I left to go the bathroom and my urine is dark red. I realize it isn't "that time of the month".... So I am sitting in the back of the room with my Illinois friends and collegues and write a note to Judy - "There is blood in my urine, I think there is something wrong with me...." - with a worried look I almost start to cry... I don't normally get sick, so this was really odd for me. Judy tells Michelle, Michelle leads me out of the room with a big hug and says "let's call your doctor" - - I call my OBGYN (my absolute favorite doctor in the world, and talk to the nurse, who I also love that entire office). She gives me all the scenarios that may be causing the blood, including everything from dehydration to kidney problems. She tells me to go to the ER or a clinic in the area to do the tests needed. I call my Primary Care Doc and then Judy and I get in a cab to drive 3 miles up the street to the hospital.

The friendly greeting at the window was a welcoming beginning. They all were so happy and wanted to help. I really liked this place (that is a lot coming from someone who HATES hospitals). He took my vitals and gave me forms and had me wait. Then this very nice male nurse came and got me, and I brought Judy into Rm 10 with me. He had me change into my johnny and Judy & I laughed while I made a comment about my "granny underwear" and how your mother tells you to always be prepared with clean respectable underwear in case you end up in the hospital (oh well - so much for the pink ensemble I had chosen that morning). : )

So he stuck me with the IV and started to replace the fluids I had lost from the week of diarhea and the marathon... he stuck me again in the largest vein in my arm (which there were a LOT to chose from...) and took blood for tests. We waited and were visited by a female blonde doc and then Dr. Gaddis (sp) to give me an update on the tests and options of illness... dehydration, kidney issues and breakdown and more... He mentioned I may be admitted for a few days, which freaked me out a little... and I mentioned how I really needed to get out of there to go back to the meeting to present that afternoon and catch my 5 PM flight to Denver to go ski the back country. They all laughed ... Judy was impressed that my new doctor friend kept coming in to talk about us as I reminiced about my marathon and he shared his competition history as well. Very funny indeed.

After blood tests, IV, kidney ultrasound and spilling my ice water on my bed 2 times, 3 hours later they let us go with my extreme dehydration diagnosis... Thank you to my dear friend Judy, who hates hospitals as much as I do - for being there for me!

My knee - 6 months post op update

...tough not to get depressed in the rehab process, so know that it will be ok and you will be able to do it again. My rehab has been slow, so the doctor thinks, but my friend who is a nurse and a pro athlete says I am ahead, so who knows..... I am riding, finally 2 weeks ago I did the loop around Lake Sunapee (26 miles) and I did the Prouty this past weekend. I feel great. I was walking pretty quick too and try to run/walk for the last 2 months, but it still is pretty weak, stiff and feels "odd", so I take it easy. The longest I have run is 2 miles - all on dirt road. My doctor would rather I don't run, so I know I am pushing the envelope there, but it is my passion the past few years (running marathons and all...). Oh well. Riding the bike has been great lately, the hills around here are hard and I have a tough time staying in the saddle, so I stand up quite a bit on the hills.... I am getting addicted to it and actually have ridden 5 days in a row (including 25 at the Prouty - took me 1 hour 20 minutes to do the 25!! - felt like I could do 50!!). So, that is good! Whew! It has been SO long being laid up and stiff. The doc said he will fit me to a brace in the fall and I will ski next year. I think now (almost at 6 mos post op) I am not walking with a limp unless I have been at my desk all day and didn't stretch. Between the miscarriage and not being able to exercise, I put on a little weight, but am getting back down there and feeling good! It is great to have friends that motivate me to ride and care about me every day....
Happy now that summer is here and the new deck keeps calling me! Back to work now...

--
Nancy