>Gate River Run Fuel

>Met up with John Metzgar's running froup at the Riverside Y last night to talk about nutrition for the upcoming Gate River Run 15K. Not sure folks were going to turn out...check out that sky!

But a pretty good crowd considering the threat of rain. We talked about fueling...before, during and after the run.

We always stress 3 Important points ……

  • Find it – try different things - online suggestions at runner’s world, running, sports stores – look at the variety

  • Test it – try it out on a run for gut tolerance

  • Enjoy it - if you don’t like it, don’t eat it

Before the run....waffle or bagel with Peanut Butter, Grahams and Peanut Butter, Cereal, Nuts and raisin mix. If you not sure, avoid milk/dairy, fiber and artificial sweetners since they can cause GI upset.
During the Run....glycogen (stored carbohydrate) will fade after 75 minutes but everyone is different. Don't wait until you are out. Start 30-60 minutes into the run depending on time of day and last meal. Several at the training reported not taking anything during previous River Runs, but for us, we usually start fueling at 6 miles. You can go longer, the better trained you are. Take 100-200 calories of carbohydrate fuel liquid, gel or something to chew (25-50 grams of carbohydrates) per hour = one to 2 sport gels or 16-32 ounces of sports drink per hour.
Faster runners may need more fuel than slower runners. Sports drinks –Gatorade, G2, Crystal Light Hydration packets or make your own - one half cup of orange juice (which contains the electrolyte potassium) and a pinch of salt (sodium) to four cups of water. Like to chew instead? Gummi Bears, dried fruit, Twizzlers, or pretzels for salty folks. Sports bars - Cliff mini, Balance mini, Lara mini - can be too high in fiber and fat for some but will last longer for other; Luna Mini - Vitamin Bs for metabolism and nice omega 3 (not fishy!) Fig Newtons are some of my favs - make a sandwich with 2 with peanut butter in between for a longer lasting effect. Gels – Gu, Hammer Gel, Accelorade, etc- these are for quick energy, burned fast. Can cause some GI distress with some brands so test before the race day.
After the run.... reload within 15-30 minutes for optimal uptake to replace glycogen. A mix of 4:1 carb:protein is best. Example is Bagel w/ peanut butter (can you tell I like Peanut Butter!) Endurox, Accellorade, K20

And we finished up with a fast little 5 miler over the bridges and back. These guys can run. John holds other training programs later in the year for half marathon prep. You can find him listed on http://1stplacesports.com/trainsched.html- Good Luck to everyone on Saturday and enjoy the green monster!

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