So, I've decided to push myself a little more than usual. This was inspired by a recent 5k I ran at Disney World. The week before, I made sure I could run the 3.2 miles on the treadmill, and that was about the extent to my running the past few months. While at Disney for the race, we learned about a 10 mile run that will be at Hollywood Studios this October, and we decided we would plan to run this. If we can achieve that, we will plan on a half marathon next spring.
This seems like a lot to me- I don't think I've ever run more than 4 miles at one time, so 10 seems like a lot. I think this will be a good challenge though, so I have been making the decision to get on the treadmill more often at the gym. Yesterday I ran 4 miles in 39 minutes on the treadmill, which was a pretty big accomplishment for me since usually I will not do more than 3. It wasn't easy, but afterward I felt awesome! I think that post-workout feeling is what will get me through my running challenge.
Over the next couple of days I will be searching for a running plan that works best for me, and when I find a good one I will put a new post about it.
Nutrition Tips related to running
- Stay hydrated. Water is the best thing to drink before, during and after a run
- When it comes to sports drinks like Powerade, unless you will be working out or running for more than an hour, you really don't need these drinks. After an hour they can be beneficial to replace electrolytes. The reason you don't need them for moderate short exercise is because our body stores energy in the form of glycogen in our muscles, and we pull out that stored glycogen (glucose, or sugar) for energy. It takes a good amount of energy to deplete this amount
- It is a good idea to eat a healthy snack about an hour before hand. A banana is a good example, or a source of complex carbohydrate like whole grain bread is another idea
- When it comes to carb loading, unless you are running a half or full marathon, there is usually no need for this (but it does depend on the situation). The purpose of carb loading is to build up that stored glycogen in your muscles, but there is only so much you can store. Once you have reached that storage point, the carbs will be stored as fat
- Protein is important for muscle and tissue repair post run. The longer you run, the more repair work there will be for your muscles
- It's not a good idea to eat a high fat meal right before a run!
- Trying to have an overall healthy diet, including healthy monounsaturated fats and whole grain complex carbohydrates, can benefit you when running/training for a run. Depending on the amount of exercise, you will have increased calorie needs. Make sure not to fill these increased needs with "empty calories"- foods that are not very good for you nutrition-wise that consist of a lot of fat or sugar and little fiber or other nutrients
- Take a multivitamin. Vitamins and minerals play an important factor in your running performance because these nutrients play many vital roles in the body. If you are a long distance runner, you may have increased needs, so make sure to take your multivitamin and eat a balanced diet
There are several other sports related nutrition tips out there, but this is just a list that will get you started, especially if you are just getting into running, and not necessarily planning on running full marathons.
Another thing to remember is that, when you begin exercising more, you will gain muscle mass. Since muscle weighs more than fat, you may not lose weight, at least not a first. I've talked to several people who become discouraged from this, and wonder why they should even work out if they aren't going to be losing weight. Remember, it's more about how you look than what you weigh. You may be able to trim off inches and reduce your clothing size by gaining muscle mass. Basically, you will look better!
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