Hello Runner,
Welcome back to your weekly moment of endurance nutrition!
Happy Weekend!
Are you all right? I hope so!
My week started with the 10k race on Sunday! It was my first road race in Europe and I loved it! The energy was incredible, and I was happy that I managed to lower my time in the 10k.
The next day I felt my foot a bit, so I didn't train again until Tuesday.
My PMS has come on strong this month, so I'm taking it easy this week.
Apart from that, I worked hard, especially on my side hustle, which I'll tell you about soon!
After the 10k race on Sunday, I received a few messages asking me if I'd prepared (fueled) the day before and if I'd done anything special!
Although I'm not an elite athlete - and I'm a long way from it - yes, I did prepare, and it was ESSENTIAL to do a good race and not have GI issues.
I usually say this to everyone:
You don't need to be a super-star runner to be worthy of fueling well!!!
We all have to start somewhere, and no matter what level of runner you are, it's worth putting the effort into improving your nutrition.
How you fuel doesn't just impact your athletic performance. It impacts your health, your daily energy, your mood, your sleep, etc.
Fueling better from within creates your best self on the outside!!
Each runner is unique, and what works for so-and-so won't always work for you. But I think it's interesting to see another runner's strategy, as it might work for you (especially if you suffer from GI issues).
Here's my fueling strategy that worked very well and made me run 10k without GI discomfort.
MY FUELING STRATEGY
The day before (Saturday)
I reduced the amount of fibre I usually eat, because I have a more sensitive stomach and am more susceptible to GI issues.
Reduce the size of my salads
I ate fewer vegetables
I slightly increased the amount of carbs in every meal*. It's a very slight increase, nothing like carb-loading.
Decreased the amount of fat at dinner
Maintained the amount of protein in all meals
Reinforced hydration
My dinner was a plate of pasta bolognese.
* I have always eaten a lot of carbs in my diet and feel great. In the past, I tried low-carb and ketogenic diets and felt constantly cold and weak. Some people adapt well to these diets, but I am not one of them. I prefer to continue eating a good amount of carbohydrates every day so that my health and performance do not decline.
Race day
I ate a small ciabatta bread with red fruit jam as soon as I woke up - 6.30 a.m.
I drank ~400ml of water until 7.30 am
The race started at 8.30 am.
I ran without a heavy stomach and didn't have any problems.
As I did 10k in less than an hour, I didn't need to supplement (gels) during the run.
30 minutes after the race, I took electrolytes (heavy salty sweater here and it was pretty humid), ate a small meal containing carbs + protein, and had my much-loved espresso.
→ If you're sensitive to caffeine, like me, I suggest drinking coffee after the race to avoid having to run to the loo halfway through.
Wishing you a great weekend and week ahead!
Here’s to health and good runs⚡️
Ana Paula Alonso