#7 Nutrition By Keith Macintosh To Support Tusk Team London Marathon Runners 2017

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1 Previously: Strength & Mobility This one: Nutrition Next: The Long Run #7 Nutrition Hopefully you re getting into a bit of regular training now, you re managing your time and your body reasonably well, and getting a bit of running done. And if that is the case, you re maybe feeling tired occasionally, perhaps eating more than before, or generally wondering how to keep yourself fuelled and full of the right kind of energy to keep going. So, it might be useful to touch on a few points about nutrition though I ve split this into two sections. This first one will talk a little about nutrition in general, and separately there will be something that on fuelling and drinking on race day. As you ll probably expect, there ll be a broad message on both that it s individual, that there s no magic answer, and you should keep everything simple. Maybe I should just copy and paste that for every one of these but anyway, here we go. You are what you eat (and drink) You re spending time trying to improve yourself and your body, and increase your fitness. But there s little point doing all that work if you re not then giving your body what it needs to adapt and adjust you are, literally, what you eat. So, given how much effort is going into the fitness side of things, try to put at least a little effort into thinking how you fuel yourself. I m not a nutritionist, so if you want particular recipes (or have any individual requirements) then you should speak to a specialist, or perhaps your GP. But as for the previous topics, I ll try to cover some basic principles, and also encourage you to rely on common sense and personal preference, rather than expensive products based on vague science. Page 1 of 6

2 Basics carbs, fat, protein First, some basics. In extremely crude terms, you could think of food and drink in three groups: Carbohydrate ( carbs ) fast-working energy from sugars, potatoes, pasta, grains etc. Fat slow access energy, from oils, cheese, meat and fish Protein for repair, from nuts, dairy, some vegetables and pulses, meat This is just a very simple way of thinking about it, but that s probably enough for now. Which food groups do you need? For fast intervals, you ll draw upon carbohydrate as a fuel. For easy runs and longer efforts, you should aim to burn fat for as long as possible (although some carbs will be needed too, and they ll make a larger contribution as you get tired). And for recovery, you need protein. So you need all three of these basic food groups and in any case, it s rare for any food just to contain a single one. Food as fuel For energy and exercise, you clearly need to fuel your body. Quick-release fuel (processed or sugar-rich foods) will give a short spike (but then possibly a dip). That might be fine for a sprint, but that s not the event for which you re training. So ideally look for slow-release fuel for example, wholegrain rice or grains, pasta, cereals, or potatoes. Typically, you d eat a reasonable amount of such foods across most meals, but if you ve got a particularly heavy session coming up, try to get this type of food on board at least two hours beforehand. (But remember that what you eat, your body has to process so a huge meal before a training session may be a risk unless you know you ve got toilet facilities nearby.) Fats are needed too, but most people already have enough fat in their bodies to be able to fuel at least one marathon without needing any additional input. So just because you re going to be burning fat, most people wouldn t recommend deliberately consuming significantly higher levels of it. Page 2 of 6

3 Recovery and the Magic Hour Every time you run, every hard session you put yourself though, you re causing damage to your body. To adapt and recover (and therefore get fitter), your body needs to repair and rebuild itself. And that means protein. There s what some people call a magic hour after a session, when you should try to get some recovery food on board. Ideally something with a decent amount of protein, but also some carbs to restore your energy levels. Carb loading People in marathon training use more energy than those who aren t. So surely they should eat lots of carbohydrates, as the most easily accessible (and fastest-working) fuel? Massive bowls of pasta, huge quantities of potatoes, lots of cake? Well there s a useful example if you look at how Kenyan runners do things. They ve been dominant in distance running over the last decade, and there s a small town called Iten on the lip of the Rift Valley, where many of them live and train. I was there a few years ago, and saw how they fuel themselves rice and beans, ugali (maize porridge) with sukuma wiki (spinach or kale). And lots of sweet tea. It s a simple diet, quite repetitive, essentially vegetarian (although they do eat meat occasionally). It contains a lot of starch and carbs, but importantly, it s all made from basic ingredients rather than coming out of a packet. It seems to work for them. So in very broad terms, a diet that contains a fair amount of non-processed carbs does have a lot to offer. That doesn t mean eating only carbs. That doesn t mean that every type of carbohydrate is equally beneficial. It doesn t mean endless pasta. But it does mean you re providing the fuel that your body needs. [There are alternative views. For example, some people recommend a high-fat, lowcarb ( paleo ) option. My non-expert view is that while it s definitely worth people cutting down processed carbs (white bread and white sugar), the paleo approach is not supported by much evidence. Of course, it s a very personal thing, so if you re tempted to try it, then do so for a week, and see if it gives you what you want.] Page 3 of 6

4 Seven words The American food writer Michael Pollan has a short mantra for describing what people should ideally eat (whether they re in marathon training or not) 1, and if you re looking for some basic advice that s more right than wrong, it s quite a good way of thinking about things: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. What he means by this is: Eat food rather than something that s been processed to resemble food, what Pollan calls edible food-like substances. Make things from original ingredients, or at least make sure you can recognise what s on the label. Not too much as with your running and your mileage, think about quality rather than just quantity. Mostly plants even though you ll be doing your body damage and needing to repair it, that doesn t mean there s any reason to eat significantly more meat than you already do, in the belief that you need extra protein. Indeed, many elite runners are virtually vegetarian such as the vegan ultra-runner Scott Jurek, and those speedy Kenyans. 2 DIY and keep it simple Probably the biggest lesson here is simply to avoid processed foods where you can. If you re not a cook, learn a few simple recipes. They don t have to be complicated, they don t have to take long, and they don t have to be anything that wouldn t also be suitable for your friends and family a marathon runner s diet doesn t need to be anything very different from anyone else s. 1 His book Food Rules expands on this, with other guidelines such as If it s a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don t and Don t eat breakfast cereals that change the colour of your milk. And an important final rule, Break the rules once in a while. 2 See Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek (2013). I ve also been vegetarian as long as I can remember, it doesn t seem to have done me any harm. Page 4 of 6

5 Some simple five-minute ideas: Jacket potato with cheese and baked beans Porridge with raisins, honey, ginger, or whatever you want to throw in there Wholegrain pasta with broccoli and tomato Cheese on toast Omelette with onions and herbs, or a bit of salad Banana milkshake (or chocolate milk the recovery drink which took the Brownlee brothers to triathlon success) This is hardly a full list of what you should eat I m just trying to make the point that fast food can still be good food. Iron and other supplements As with so many areas of training, there are people who make this complicated (and companies who try to make money from products that claim to improve your performance). But realistically, a supplement won t make you faster, and a particular juice or smoothie won t transform your body. If you re eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, you won t really need any further supplements. You could consider a daily multivitamin, perhaps, but that s psychological as much as physiological. 3 However, there is one supplement that is worth considering iron tablets, especially for women. High-mileage training can potentially damage red blood cells (they can be harmed when feet pound repeatedly on hard surfaces). And even without this, some women can be prone to anaemia or related symptoms, especially during their monthly period. So one supplement that is fairly commonly suggested is for women to take iron tablets as a preventative measure. The iron is absorbed more easily if it s accompanied by vitamin C, so a tablet with a glass of orange juice would be fine as a regular daily routine. But do speak to a GP if you want some specific and individual advice on this, I m not an expert. 3 Page 5 of 6

6 Reality bites As with your training plan and any expectations about your marathon time, make sure you re being realistic. There s absolutely no need to cut out everything you enjoy, there s no need to eat anything particularly special just because you re training more than before. Many of us cook and eat with family and will want to share meals with them that s fine, and important. Many people don t have the time or skills to create a masterpiece. And many might not have easy or affordable access to special ingredients. So just focus on slow-release carbs, good quality protein, and ingredients you can recognise (and which are cheap), rather than so-called superfoods or expensive concoctions. And if you find you re getting in tune with your body, you ll find you start to know what you need, because that s what your body s asking for. If you fancy some cheese, it s possibly because your body needs fat and protein. If you fancy some chips, it could be carbohydrates and salt. So listen to your body, learn what works for you, and don t take it too seriously. To adapt something from one of my favourite books 4, perhaps what people should do is to enjoy everything in moderation (including moderation itself). Marathon training does of course place an increased load on the body, and it s important to provide appropriate fuels and the right materials for repair. But as long as a sensible balance is included, there s no need for anything extreme either in terms of the things you include, or the things you give up. The usual three points to finish: You re placing demands on your body, so give it what it needs Focus on slow-release carbs (for fuel) and high-quality protein (for recovery) But don t think you need to eat or drink anything unusual choose real foods that you enjoy, made from real ingredients that you can recognise 4 Lost Horizon by James Hilton (1933) a tale of Shangri-La, a harmonious land in the mountains of Asia. This was the inhabitants recipe for living an exceptionally long and active life. Page 6 of 6