This is one of those things that is so much more important than I could probably express. I need to state here that I am not a dietician or sports nutritionist. All the ideas expressed here are my own opinion and not intended to cure or diagnose anything. That being said, let's get to the fun. When I first started running, I was overweight. I wasn't necessarily running to lose weight, mostly just because I enjoyed it and I loved the boost my self-esteem received when I accomplished a goal. I bring up these things because I did not have a healthy relationship with food. It took me a long time to get there. I have been from one extreme, food was my go-to--for the good, the bad, or otherwise, to the other, it scared me to eat. Thankfully, some education and a changed perception has brought me to a healthy relationship with food. Right now I see food as the fuel my body requires to do the things I want to do. Good nutrition is necessary if you want to be active and have your body function at its best. I have eaten horribly and had by body scream at me on a run. I have had the opposite result and had amazing runs because I have taken good care of myself. My relationship with food only changed when my perception of food changed.
I want to address nutrition while exercising. If you are going for up to about 60 minutes, nutrition while exercising is probably not necessary. Anything longer than that will probably require nutrition. There are a million things you can take with you. A drink with calories, ie. sports drink, is probably the easiest. You are going to need to hydrate and a drink with calories just kills two birds with one stone. Other things can include gels and blocks, anything really. I have a really hard time with gels. I literally have to give myself a pep talk to get it down and even then I usually gag. The texture is what I struggle with. They are really convenient though and super portable. Blocks really are my favorite nutrition. GU blocks are my favorite brand but Clif and Stingers make a good product too. Blocks are a gummy product similar to fruit snacks. Often, one package is two servings to check the label. Really, anything can be your nutition. I have used candy bars cut up into 100 calorie servings. Chocolate is not a good idea because it melts. PayDay bars or Salted Nut Rolls worked really well though I have eaten so many on training runs that I can no longer eat them so keep that in mind. I discovered pinole after reading "Born to Run," a great read! It's a corn masa dough that can be eaten raw or baked into a cake or cookie. I have run with peanut butter fillled pretzels and trail mix before so the sky really is the limit. Recently, I tried Stingers waffles and I think they are amazing! They are endorsed by Lance Armstrong (say what you want about his etthics, but he is an amazing athlete) so they are great for endurance events.
Nutrition while doing endurance events can be tricky. Staying ahead of the burn is essential if you don't want to tank. You don't want to overeat because your body slows digestion and you'll end up with a lead belly but you have to eat to keep going. Usuallly, you fuel before you go and then re-fuel every 30-60 minutes depending on your fitness level and your size. Usually, the more fit you are and the bigger your size the faster your body burns. Re-fueling too slow makes you sluggish until your body can metabolize your nutrition.
Best of luck as you experiment with nutrition. Thanks for checking in and come back soon!
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