The Runs On A Run: Nutrition For Runners

Runners, and in particular marathoners, must keep properly fueled and hydrated throughout the day for peak performance. But what happens if during your hard runs you can't keep the nutrients in your stomach long enough for it to be digested and efficiently used; i.e. you either have to spew or you get the runs? Both are very pleasant experiences.

I started to have this problem during my monster month of training for my first marathon (monster month = weekly mileage of 60+ miles). I just couldn't keep the food in my stomach. Even though I was eating like crazy, I lost 20 pounds in a month. People were asking me if I had an eating disorder. I was mortified: "Really guys, come with me during the day and see how much I'm eating; I really can't pack in anymore...I just can't seem to get control of my stomach during the speed workouts or after those 17-20 mile runs." I remember being in that last mile of my run and panic-stricken: "Oh my God, I don't know if I'm going to make it!" I always did make it just in time, but not without cursing, scrambling up the stairs, and pleading with God.

What was going on?

Since I didn't want to lose anymore weight or be accused of eating disorders (which is ridiculous if you know me), I knew that I had to get into research mode and figure out what the heck I was doing wrong. After much reading and talking with my doctor friends, I realized I was making rookie mistakes in my view of nutrition and how I should be properly fueling myself during the day.

NUMBER ONE THING TO REMEMBER. Etch this in your brain:
If I'm not running, I'm recovering.
If I'm not running, I'm recovering.
If I'm not running, I'm recovering.

For the serious runner, these are the only two states that matter. The period of time from the second you finish a run to the moment you start a run is your recovery time. Recovery does not just happen in the 30 minutes proceeding a run. And getting ready for the next run does not just happen 30 minutes before a workout

Rookie mistake #1: "Oh yeah, I've got to take that run soon, let me toss back a bit of water and a power bar" = what NOT to do).
Solution #1: Recovery is an all day/night process. Every meal and snack is geared towards your recovery and preparation for the next workout.

Rookie mistake #2: Only eating/drinking when you feel hungry or thirsty (this applies during and after the run). If you are feeling hungry, you are NOT fueling properly. Your brain sends out signals to make you have the sensation of hunger AFTER it realizes that you are low on nutrients.
Solution #2: Schedule 5 mini-meals during the day/evening. www.runnersworld.com has many great suggestions for these mini-meals. The key here is to be balanced and to not fully satiate yourself with food at any one time during the day. Read: you never feel hungry, but you never feel stuffed either.

Rookie mistake #3: Carbo loading pre-workout. Carbo loading, i.e. eating tons of pasta, is a phenomenon of the past and can contribute to the GI problems I mentioned above. Pasta is great and should definitely be incorporated into any runners diet, however, to load up on pasta before a hard workout is not only ineffective, it can give you gas and diarrhea. The reason is because if you have too many carbs in your system, they will sit in your stomach, unused and just be excreted. If you have a lot of undigested, complex carbs sitting in your stomach by the time the workout comes along, you will in the very least get very gassy.
Solution #3: Eat balanced. Check out www.runnersworld.com for meal plans and new recipes. On day with hard workout, avoid foods that take a long time to digest--i.e. complex carbs, fats, greasy foods in general. Hold off on that pizza til tomorrow! I also am careful about what I eat after the hard run, i.e. for dinner. I find that my stomach stays in sensitive mode for the hours following a run. I stay away from watery fruits (berries), acidic foods (orange juice, tomatoes), and I go easy on the cheese and milk. Definitely drink non-water beverages lightly, especially juice. Drinking lots of juice post-run is a sure way to get sick. I wait to have that burger until the following day. Post-run, I can always handle a bowl of multi-grain pasta, olive oil, garlic salt, chicken breast, and broccoli or peppers. Rice is good too!

Rookie mistake #4: Guzzling Gatorade or water post-workout. If you're feeling extremely thirsty by the time you reach the end of your run, this means that you did not hydrate properly before and during your run. Hydration is an all day and night requirement. Even if you down a liter of water before you go to sleep at night, it has already been used up by morning. Again, you want to avoid drinking large quantities of anything at one time. Drinking more than your body needs at any particular time will just lead to its excretion in the best case scenario. Over drinking is one of the common causes of diarrhea post-run.
Solution #4: Find out for yourself the amount of water per hour you can drink and feel comfortable--again, you never want to feel thirsty or overly satiated. Obviously, if you have to gulp down tons of liquid at any time, you are not drinking enough.

Rookie mistake #5: Drinking Gatorade or water and nothing else post-workout. In order to speed recovery of the muscles, protect against sickness, and to get ready for that next run, you need to replenish the nutrients that were lost within 30 minutes of the workout. The worst thing you can do is just replace the water or the carbs. Flooding your body with too much water or too many carbs without sodium, protein, or carbs will lead to diarrhea--it could also lead to cramping of your muscles as well.
Solution#5: Make the trip to GNC. Buy a recovery drink (it comes as a powder and you add water). ****Amy, I am not asking you to buy a protein drink like that disgusting one that Edward has, this is different and imperative that you invest in this!!! Check out the label. You want a drink that has a three to one ratio of carbs to protein. It will also have some form of sodium in it as well. Some have Vitamin C and Calcium/Vitamin D, but these are not as important. Bananas are always great--never had a problem eating those post workout. Stay away from juices and watery fruits (i.e. berries). Be careful of oranges, these are a traditional post-sport snack, but the acidity can be brutal on your stressed-out stomach.

Rookie mistake #6: Not drinking or eating during a run. When I first started the training, I drank some water during the run, but never ate anything--with my sensitive digestive system, I certainly wasn't going to upset it further with food. Much to my surprise, I learned that not replenishing your nutrients during a run can also lead to cramps/gas and diarrhea. Again, it's all about balance. If you just put water in your system, but not protein, carbs, or sodium, the pH balance in your stomach is altered, you body tries to adapt, and in this process you get diarrhea. Have I mentioned yet that diarrhea in this scenario is caused by having too much water and (mostly likely) low sodium levels in your stomach--your body reacts to this state by excreting watery poo. That unfortunately also gets rid of that power bar that was trying to be digested as well...
Solution #6: They're FUEL BREAKS, not water breaks! It's probably no surprise that you should be drinking water during a run. During my long (15+ miles) runs, I like to make a stop at CVS along the way and slowly drink some Gatorade, in addition to stopping at the water fountains along the bike path. This translates into taking fuel breaks twice an hour (more if it's hot out). If you have a sensitive GI system like me, you are going to have to experiment a lot with different combo's of drink and food. Unlike during a meal, during a run you want to snack on simple carbs. I often find that power bars are too hard to digest--I cannot handle digesting any bars that have protein or too much fat in them. Again, if you prefer the classic power bar, make sure that it has a high carb to fat ratio (read, you don't want a meal replacement bar that has tons of fat in it--hard to digest and really not helpful during a run anyway. We need quick fuel = carbs. Plus, if you are looking to lose weight, this will counteract that goal). I like the Cliff Shot Blocs--they very easily dissolve and are digested. Also, I sometimes bring along pieces of hard candy--like the butterscotch or peppermint candies. These give you just a little extra boost (NB: I'm not a candy person at all, but to avoid getting sick during the run, I've had to try all sorts of different things). For longer runs, I always bring one or two power bar gels. Again, if you have a sensitive stomach, suck these SLOWLY. I take one during the first 10 miles, and then another in the second ten miles along with sips of Gatorade. Remember, these gels don't replace water--you still need to hydrate. Diarrhea can also be caused by the reverse of the above scenario--too much sodium/carbs and not enough water. The mechanism is different for this case (since with the above situation, you would think that you'd get constipated, but it's a different response system, but believe you me the consequences are the same).

In Sum:
If you do have problems with the GI tract, the best thing that I've learned is that whatever you are eating or drinking, do it SLOWLY. Do not overwhelm your system. Do not wait until you feel thirsty or hungry.

Also, be careful what you eat during the day. If I know I have a super hard workout that evening, I avoid cookies, any kind of greasy food, and certain vegetables--even these can be hard to digest. I love chocolate chip cookies, but even one cookie can cause me problems during a run--keep that in mind when you are picking out what to eat on a given day. Stick to plain foods. Eat balanced.

NB: I am not a nutritionist, so if I've said anything incorrectly, feel free to correct me. This is just what I've learned to survive the hard workouts and it works for me.

Say again three times to yourself:
If I'm not running, I'm recovering.
If I'm not running, I'm recovering.
If I'm not running, I'm recovering.