Week 4 - a bit more about.... Food & Drink

A bit more about... food & drink
Please bear in mind that nutrition is a complex subject. The following is an amalgamation of advice from a variety of sources – including Runners World Magazine and “Running Well” by Sam Murphy & Sarah Connors – but should not replace any advice you’ve had from your GP or a qualified dietitian with regards to your diet.

Running doesn’t tend to fit very well with extreme weight loss diets.
Your body will find it difficult to run on an empty tank! Given that many of us run in order to lose weight, this is an important issue to consider. If you are on a very low calorie or low carbohydrate diet, you may find any physical exercise results in fatigue, susceptibility to illness and injury and poor performance.

Pre Run
Try to eat something 45 minutes before running – ideally carbohydrate based, but aim for a snack rather than a big meal. Cereal bars, toast, porridge or nuts are all good options. It is important to find out what works for you though – for example, my mother-in-law finds that if she eats anything 2 hours before running, she feels nauseous!

Post Run
Refuelling with a snack after running can help your body to recover. Ideally, this should be a mix of carbs and protein (e.g. nuts, soft cheese on crackers) – but again, experiment.

Drinking
How much liquid you use up whilst running will vary from person to person – and will be affected by temperature, intensity of exercise – lots of factors!
Try to drink during the day before you run – don’t down a litre of water just before running.
For the length of time we are out for, you shouldn’t need to drink whilst running – although feel free to do so if you find it helps.
Make sure you rehydrate after running. Water is fine for this – you shouldn’t need an isotonic sports drink.