Get Prepared for the Event
Hydration
As the official sports drink of the adidas Auckland Marathon, Powerade will play an important role in hydrating race competitors on October 30. There are many reasons why a sports drink can be more beneficial than drinking water during exercise. The two main perspectives which differentiate a sports drink from water alone are the additional supply of fuel with the hydration, and the improved absorption of fluid into the body. During the lead up to the adidas Auckland Marathon, we will be providing detailed hydration and nutritional advice via the official event website and these e-newsletters. Stay tuned for more!
Powerade Isotonic
In 2006 Powerade launched the Isotonic formulation of Powerade sports drinks, which are designed to be in balance with your body’s fluids to give you fast hydration and energy when you need it most during exercise.
There are many reasons why a sports drink can be more beneficial than drinking water during exercise. Naturally, the primary goal is to limit dehydration, which is known to reduce exercise capacity and potentially increase body temperature. The two main perspectives which differentiate a sports drink from water alone are the additional supply of fuel with the hydration, and the improved absorption of fluid into the body.
Most sports drinks contain several main ingredients: electrolytes (primarily sodium and potassium), carbohydrates, and water. Carbohydrate is the primary fuel source for muscles which are working at a moderate to high intensity (i.e. at jogging pace or faster). Sodium (or sodium chloride, commonly known as salt) helps the body retain fluid more effectively in the cells and tissues. This is particularly important for individuals with high sweat rates, who are exercising at high intensity in the heat, or for a prolonged period of time.
Powerade Isotonic will be available at all of the adidas Auckland Marathon drinks stations (other than the start line). The formulation will be made using the Lemon Lime powder which can generally be purchased at supermarkets throughout New Zealand.
Guidance from the Dietitian
Tips from a Nutritionist
Mieke Sieuw is a Nutritionist with a Masters in Sports Science/Physical Education and a complementary degree in Biomedical Science from Belgium.
She is employed as a lecturer at Unitec Institute of Technology in Auckland. Her key interests are in sports nutrition, health and food security.
FUEL YOURSELF FOR THE ADIDAS AUCKLAND MARATHON
Nutrition can have a major impact on your performance whether you are a champion or a beginner. Your chances of performing optimally increase dramatically when you set up good nutritional strategies well before your main event. It doesn’t matter if it’s a shorter or longer distance, you still need to fuel yourself appropriately.
The two main elements of good nutrition are hydration and energy. Read on to learn more about it.
Step 1: Get the basics right
Your physical activity is higher compared to non-active individuals, therefore you need to make sure that every day you eat at least:
- 2 servings of fruit
- 3 servings of vegetables
- 6 servings of grains
- 2 servings of milk and milk products
- 2 servings of lean meats
- 6 glasses of water
These are the recommendations from the Ministry of Health. It will ensure that you meet the minimal requirements for vitamins and minerals. You can visit the Ministry of Health or healthyfood web page for more information about servings1.
When you train for long distance running, you also need more energy in a day to be able to sustain your effort. The New Zealand Nutrition Foundation website contains a great tool to manage your meals2. It tells you how much you need from each food group, gives you examples of menus tailored to your nutritional needs and provides other interesting information for great nutrition for physical activity.
Step 2: Fine Tune
The way you distribute these servings in the day is also important.
Firstly, you want to create habits, so try to eat as regularly as possible from one day to another, but also during the day. Remember to always test the food you will have on the big day during your training sessions.
Secondly, you can arrange the timing of food intake around your training sessions to maximize your performance. Snacks rich in carbohydrates are very helpful to achieve this. In distance running, the body relies predominately on glycogen as a source of fuel3, carbohydrates intake assists with this. For example, you can try various gels, candy (i.e. jelly beans), dried or fresh fruit depending on what you decide to use during your race.
The following website shows an example of a balanced menu for a distance runner taking into account the training session as well as key food to have in your fridge and pantry3.
Step 3: Competition day
To be nutritionally ready on the day…
The day before the Marathon (29/10/11)
Because the event is starting quite early (around 6am) it is important to have a good meal the night before that fuels you for the morning of the race.
Dinner the night before
This meal should be balanced. An ideal plate would look like this:
- ½ of the plate from grains
(carbohydrate rich food - pasta/rice/potato/ kumara/bread),
- ¼ of the plate from lean meat
(protein rich food – meat/fish/chicken/eggs/tofu)
- and ¼ plate from vegetables that you digest well.
Don’t forget to drink at least six glasses of water that day during the day and into the evening.
Late night snack
Later in the evening, feel free to eat a carbohydrate-based snack to increase your glycogen stores in the body (i.e. jelly beans, fresh or dried fruit, sports drink, glass of chocolate milk, smoothie with milk or yoghurt).
The day of the Marathon (30/10/2011)
Morning - breakfast or pre-race meal
There is no point in sacrificing sleep in order to eat and digest a full meal but a small carbohydrate-based snack can be eaten 1 to 2 hours before competing to top up the body’s energy stores4. This light meal should be low in fibre, contain carbohydrate rich food and only small amounts of proteins and fat to decrease the risk of gastrointestinal problems during the event5. For example, you could have a sandwich with jam or honey, a smoothie with milk or yoghurt and a small amount of oats, pancakes with syrup or even muffins with jam.
Don’t forget to hydrate yourself also with water or juice. Aim for 300-600ml of fluid with the pre-race meal and then 300-450ml in the 15-20 minutes before the event5.
During the race
If you run for less than an hour, water is the only drink you need while you race. You can add some carbohydrates if you feel like it but it won’t make a difference in your performance if you’re well hydrated and nourished before your race.
If you run for more than an hour, getting enough fluids and energy are the key elements to achieve optimal performance. Sport drinks, candy, dried fruit and gels are convenient to use while running.
The amount of carbohydrate should be ingested at a rate of about 30-60g/h6. The greatest rates of carbohydrate delivery are achieved with a mixture of sugars (i.e. glucose, sucrose, fructose, maltodextrine)7.
The amount and rate of fluid replacement depends upon the individuals sweating
rate, exercise duration, and opportunities to drink7. As a general rule, the fluid intake and rate of ingestion needs to be comfortable and practical5.
A way to combine both requirements of energy and fluids intake is to drink fluids that are cool, tasty and contain carbohydrate. Suitable sport drinks contain 4-8% carbohydrate and some electrolytes.
Take care not to overdrink, as this can lead to a condition called ‘hyponatremia’ where the body’s salts are diluted4. This is a situation you want to avoid during training and competition.
If you run for more than three hours, on top of getting enough fluids and energy, the intake of sodium starts to matter. Drinks with 450 to 920 mg sodium/litre are better for optimal absorption and to prevent hyponatremia6.
A possible starting point suggested for marathon runners (who are well hydrated at the start) is they drink at a rate that’s comfortable from 400-800ml per hour, with the higher rates for faster, heavier individuals competing in warm environments and the lower rates for the slower, lighter persons competing in cooler environments8.
After the race
After exercise, the goal is to fully replace energy, fluid and electrolyte deficit.
If recovery time and opportunities permit, consumption of normal meals and snacks with a sufficient volume of plain water will restore hydration (provided the food contains sufficient sodium to replace sweat losses). When possible, fluids should be consumed over time (and with sufficient electrolytes) rather than being ingested in large amounts to maximize fluid retention7.
In Summary…..
1. Get the basics right
Eat from the five food groups each day: at least two servings of fruit, three servings of vegetables, six servings of grains, two servings of milk and milk products, two servings of lean meats .
Make sure you drink at least 6-8 glasses of fluid each day; moderate your intake of caffeine-laden beverages and alcohol.
2. Fine tune
Eat regularly throughout the day. Regular meals ensure you get all the nutrients you need during the day. Organise snacks around your training sessions when possible.
Plan your main event. This is very important if you don’t want surprises on event day. Try out the food and drinks you’ll have at the event during training sessions. Bring your food with you if necessary.
3. On competition day
Have a light carbohydrate-based meal and hydrate yourself well before the event. Make sure that what you eat or drink is low in fibre, and contains only small amounts of proteins and fat.
Chose the right strategy for energy and fluid replacement during the race depending on how long you race and your personal experience with food during training.
Drink and eat normally after your race to restore the energy and fluids you lost during the race.
Enjoy the race …
Bibliography and headings of interest
- What does a "serving" look like? 2006; Available from: http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/tools/downloads/what-does-a-serving-look-like/Serving-size.pdf.
- E mark meal planner. 2011; Available from: http://www.emark.co.nz/meal-planner.
- Distance running and walking - eating for your sport. 2009; Available from: http://media.nestle.com.au/nestle/corporate/v2/fact_sheets/ DISTANCERUNNINGWALKINGweb.pdf.
- Hirsh, C. Fuelling Fitness for Your Sport – Distance Running. 2008 [cited 2004; Available from: http://www.sportsdietitians.com.au/resources/upload/file/Distance running.pdf.
- Burke, L. and V. Deakin, Clinical sports nutrition. 4th ed. ed. 2010: New York : McGraw-Hill Medical ; London : McGraw-Hill distributor 715.
- Coyle, E.F., Fluid and fuel intake during exercise. Journal of Sports Sciences, 2004(22): p. 39-55.
- American College of Sports, M., et al., American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2007. 39(2): p. 377-90.
- Montain, S.J., S.N. Cheuvront, and M.N. Sawka, Exercise associated hyponatraemia: quantitative analysis to understand the aetiology. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2006. 40(2): p. 98-105.