Thousands of runners recently attended The North Face 100 and 50km races
in the Blue Mountains. Sometimes it is hard not to be amongst the
racing. However, sitting on the other side of the fence whilst the
action gallops past gives a wholesome insight into the nutrition &
hydration strategies of athletes.
Three Classifications of AthletesIn the race, we observed three types of athletes:
1. The Blank Stare RunnerThe scenery of the Blue Mountains is stunning. Jagged tracks clutch to the side of overhanging cliffs. Damp forests hold tumbling waterfalls. However, the Blank Stare Runner will see little of this handsomeness. They also appear not to hear much until they stumble across your wildly clapping hands and goofy grin. They pull a tight smile and march onwards. From close up, they appear to have the ‘lights off’ - the I’m-on-a-mission facade with eyes glazed-over. From afar, there is an element of a plod, a trip, a stumble. One guesses behind it all is a negative mindset.
2. The Weary but Starry Eyed RunnerFifty or one-hundred kilometers is never going to feel easy. There will always be an association with pain and a little suffering. But no matter how physically fatigued, the Weary but Starry Eyed Runner can maintain a smile. Their eyes sparkle with the challenge and even from a distance they easily acknowledge your excited cheers. They mutter a thanks, give a gentle high-five and then scuffle off around the corner.
3. The Prancer and Dancer RunnerThis runner has the ability to make you forget about how much pain everyone else seems to be in. You find yourself pulling out your phone and googling entry dates for the next race. Before you see them, they have seen you. Their iPhone is out and they are happily snapping pictures to capture the memories. They are dancing across the rocks and prancing past the course marshals giving praise and a hearty, ‘thank you’. Their eyes are alight with anticipation. They might be fatigued but they are holding those negative thoughts at bay.
Which type of athlete are you?You may fall somewhere in the middle and may shift from one to another at different points of a race. However, I am sure that looking back at race photos or your race debrief will help you identify with some of the above analogies?
Athlete Classifications: Symptomatic of Your Nutrition & Hydration
Three Classifications of AthletesIn the race, we observed three types of athletes:
1. The Blank Stare RunnerThe scenery of the Blue Mountains is stunning. Jagged tracks clutch to the side of overhanging cliffs. Damp forests hold tumbling waterfalls. However, the Blank Stare Runner will see little of this handsomeness. They also appear not to hear much until they stumble across your wildly clapping hands and goofy grin. They pull a tight smile and march onwards. From close up, they appear to have the ‘lights off’ - the I’m-on-a-mission facade with eyes glazed-over. From afar, there is an element of a plod, a trip, a stumble. One guesses behind it all is a negative mindset.
2. The Weary but Starry Eyed RunnerFifty or one-hundred kilometers is never going to feel easy. There will always be an association with pain and a little suffering. But no matter how physically fatigued, the Weary but Starry Eyed Runner can maintain a smile. Their eyes sparkle with the challenge and even from a distance they easily acknowledge your excited cheers. They mutter a thanks, give a gentle high-five and then scuffle off around the corner.
3. The Prancer and Dancer RunnerThis runner has the ability to make you forget about how much pain everyone else seems to be in. You find yourself pulling out your phone and googling entry dates for the next race. Before you see them, they have seen you. Their iPhone is out and they are happily snapping pictures to capture the memories. They are dancing across the rocks and prancing past the course marshals giving praise and a hearty, ‘thank you’. Their eyes are alight with anticipation. They might be fatigued but they are holding those negative thoughts at bay.
Which type of athlete are you?You may fall somewhere in the middle and may shift from one to another at different points of a race. However, I am sure that looking back at race photos or your race debrief will help you identify with some of the above analogies?
Athlete Classifications: Symptomatic of Your Nutrition & Hydration
- Race fueling is about fueling your brain not your body
Even
for the slimmest athletes, the body has enough adipose tissue (fatty
acids) stored to carry you a very, very long way. In endurance
activities where the intensity is lower, a reasonably trained athlete
should adequately utilize stored fatty acids for locomotive energy.
However, there is one organ in the body that cannot use fatty acids for
energy, and that is the brain.
The brain’s functional tissues is surrounded by the blood brain barrier. This is a physical block to protect the organ from harmful intruders and substances. When fatty acid is transported in the body, it is attached to a protein called albumin. This creates a molecule too large to pass through the barriers of the brain. Thus, the brain’s fuel source is glucose, the simplest molecular form of carbohydrate.
In races, we require the central nervous system and brain input to keep every other tissue of our body functioning. It drives our breathing, our heart, our working limb muscles. With an inadequate supply of glucose to the brain, this system starts to slow and will eventually grind to a complete halt.
The brain’s functional tissues is surrounded by the blood brain barrier. This is a physical block to protect the organ from harmful intruders and substances. When fatty acid is transported in the body, it is attached to a protein called albumin. This creates a molecule too large to pass through the barriers of the brain. Thus, the brain’s fuel source is glucose, the simplest molecular form of carbohydrate.
In races, we require the central nervous system and brain input to keep every other tissue of our body functioning. It drives our breathing, our heart, our working limb muscles. With an inadequate supply of glucose to the brain, this system starts to slow and will eventually grind to a complete halt.
- Feed your brain glucose
If
the brain holds everything together, then we must ensure that it
receives an adequate supply of energy in the form of glucose. It is
true that we can utilize stored muscle and liver glycogen for conversion
into glucose and energy, but these stores are dramatically limited.
Therefore, a fueling strategy for endurance race day must included
simple forms of glucose, the best of which is a maltodextrin (pure
glucose) gel.
- Glucose absorption requires sodium
The
absorption of glucose across cellular membranes requires a transporter
protein that sits lodged in the cellular membranes. The functioning of
this glucose transporter is often spared as the digestive tract starts
to slow (the functioning of the digestive system will be overridden by
the blood flow demands of the working muscles). That is, the body will
prioritize the functioning of this glucose transporter over the
digestion of fats, proteins and more complex carbohydrates, such as
fructose.
- Sweating causes a loss of sodium
Sweating
causes large losses of sodium, especially over prolonged periods of
time such as during endurance races. The amount of sodium varies from
person to person and day-to-day, but can be in the vicinity of
1500-2000mg per 1L of sweat. No other electrolyte loss comes anywhere
near the losses of sodium. This is because most other electrolytes,
such as magnesium, are found within body cells. That is, sodium is an
extracellular molecule floating freely in the bloodstream so it incurs
the largest electrolyte losses during exercise.
- Failing to replace sodium disrupts glucose absorption
If
you fail to replace the sodium you are loosing, chances are you will
not be absorbing the glucose you are trying to ingest. Without sodium
present, the functioning of the transporter proteins slow. Therefore,
the cellular membranes of the digestive tract, working muscles and
mitochondria (power houses where energy is produced) become impermeable
to glucose.
- Low sodium and glucose intake affect the brain and central nervous system
If
you are trying to rehydrate during races on water alone, you will
likely be disrupting the body’s ability to absorb nutrition. Further
more, if you are using a sports drink or electrolyte with inadequate
sodium to meet your losses, you may also be disrupting your nutrition
intake. Begin to become aware of your sweat losses both in volume and
in the salt crusting that can appear on your clothes if you are a
heavier sodium sweater. This can be a great guide to judging your
losses.
You Athlete Classification Explained
You Athlete Classification Explained
- The Blank Stare Runner
Your
central nervous system is seriously affected. In essence, you have
become similar to a diabetic with low blood glucose levels. Whatever
you are drinking and eating is inadequate to supply sodium and glucose
to the transporter pumps in your cellular membranes and thus, energy to
your brain. Try to learn to listen to your central nervous system.
Negative thought processes, clumsy feet, feeling cold, dizziness,
vertigo, numb feet or hands, or even nausea can all be symptomatic of
low glucose levels in the brain. If you observe someone like this or
their eyes have a glazed-over appearance, feed them instant glucose
along with a higher sodium concentration electrolyte. If they are
nauseous, you can rinse their mouth with glucose as the oral mucosa has a
direct glucose absorption pathway to the brain. If this helps, you can
then start to slowly feed them glucose via gels, chemist jelly beans
and glucose tablets.
- The Weary but Starry Eyed Runner
Your
nutrition and training strategies are strong but likely the quantities
need adjusting. Sparkling eyes and alertness suggest that the central
nervous system is coping. The physical weariness can be a symptom of
further training required, or it may also be that you need to increase
the quantity of glucose and electrolyte replacement. You should also be
paying close attention to changes in your central nervous system as the
race progresses. If negative thoughts, anxiety, clumsiness or any of
the other symptoms above settle in, make sure you increase your glucose
and sodium intake. This is especially true if you start to experience
cramping.
- The Prancer and Dancer Runner
You
are nailing it! To run like this, your central nervous system must be
functioning fully and you are alert enough to absorb your surroundings.
Further to this, it appears that your training has prepared you
optimally for the challenge you have embarked upon. However, keep an
eye on climatic changes throughout the race as increases in temperature,
humidity or wind will alter your evaporative sweat losses. Monitor
your thoughts and alertness, with any small changes requiring a top-up
of energy.
Source : FindyourFeet.com
