Many do not give it importance and it is one of the fundamental pillars of running. If you want to improve, good nutrition is paramount. Just like training and rest, eating the right foods at the right times will make your performance even better.
Whether it’s 5 km, 10 km, 21 km, marathon or trail running, a good diet will help you achieve better times and, more importantly, to enjoy your training and races . Many people have a poor diet, and perhaps they are not aware of it. This makes them go to train or compete with the body in poor condition.
“The ideal is to have a full ‘glycogen tank’, as we call it, and that will give you much more resistance, you will avoid injuries, you will get so tired during a workout and, fundamentally, it will greatly favor your recovery, apart from improving the times”, explains to 메이저사이트 the nutrition graduate Ariel Picard (MN 8346), a sports specialist. Each body is a world, so it is recommended to visit a nutritionist to prepare a custom diet.
“The key is to differentiate five eating moments in the life of a runner. Your general diet, a good load of carbohydrates days before the race, the meal before, during and the meals that will recover you”, describes Picard.
TN Running | Realistic goals to be able to run better
Pre-competition breakfast
There is a question –among many others– that many runners ask themselves before a race: What to eat for breakfast? “Toast with honey, plus a banana and a coffee, is an excellent pre-competition option,” says the nutritionist.
That is to say that it is not good to experiment just before a race . If you’ve never had this for breakfast, try it before a workout to find out how your body reacts. Always, and if possible, two hours before the activity . To give time to digestion.
A good option for breakfast before running: toast with honey, plus a banana and a coffee. (Photo: Shutter stock)
Intense workouts
Just as training for a 10K is not the same as training for a marathon, neither is eating. The intake varies according to its volume. If what is coming is an intense time, of many kilometers: “The intake of pasta, rice, vegetables, legumes, cereals and fruits, among others, are key to obtaining energy .”
On the other hand, and when asked about nuts , Picard explains: “They have a lot of fat, and it gets confused, because as much as it is good fat, it can complicate your digestion . Most people want to consume it before training, before running. So you are with the food in your belly, as if it were yogurt or meat, and you may have digestive problems in the middle. Like, it is like everything, some consume them before and they run spectacularly, without complications, but in general, from the theory, nuts are not ideal .”
TN Running | Holidays of everything but sport: everyone runs on the Atlantic coast
Recovery
It is not about finishing a competition for which you prepared yourself for months both physically and nutritionally, so that once it is over you break all good habits and eat badly . The post competition is of the utmost importance.
For the recovery of muscle mass, in addition to a good rest and regenerative training, the graduate recommends eating legumes, chicken, fish, eggs, lean meats and lean cheeses , among others.
TN Running | Ten questions for every amateur runner
“When food is not enough, there are supplements such as protein, vitamins, minerals, creative and maltodextrin that can compensate for any nutritional deficiency,” explains Picard. Recovery does not mean just stretching, to recover muscle mass you have to eat the right foods.
Improve, with awareness and advice
As long as one wants and is willing to listen to professionals, both sports and health, and strictly follow their recommendations , times can be improved. You can increase the distances and try different terrains, and enjoy yourself in between.
If you see that something is wrong, change your way of training; if you do it autonomously, something will always be missing. Just as our recommendation is to have a teacher to guide you, the same goes for nutrition. Consulting with a nutritionist is an investment for your health , and your performance. And since each organism is a different world, the ideal would be to receive a diet tailored to each runner.
