Jogging Journalist: Stepping up to the plate

Community news reporting calls for journalists to step into a community and hear its heartbeat, record the daily struggles and joys of the residents. To take things up a notch, Berea Mail journalist, Danica Hansen has decided to take part in Stella Athletic Club’s Couch to 10km Challenge. Watch her journey unfold in the diary of The Jogging Journalist. Today we bring you the 12th post in the series.

THE training sessions have run their course and the10km race is on it’s way. With just two weeks to go until the Checkstar Verulam Falcons Challenge, this amateur athlete is thinking about nutrition and how to fuel up for race day. (Trust a newly reformed couch potato to have food on the brain).

While coach Dave Beattie has equipped us with excellent training over the last 13 weeks, he referred me to Stella Athletics Club runner and personal trainer, Craig George, for nutrition tips as I step up to the plate.

George is not a dietician, but after he told me about his impressive track record, I was all ears to hear his nutrition tips. Not only is he training for his eighth Comrades Marathons this year, George has run two 100km Skyruns (into the Lesotho mountains!) and completed the Two Oceans Marathon twice. The seasoned runner has also been training athletes for 20 years.

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Here are five nutrition tips to ace it on race day:

Keep it healthy
First and foremost, George advised me to ditch the junk food.

“An athlete can’t eat junk food while training- it’s like building a house with sand,” he said.

Rich food can cause an upset stomach so it’s all about simple dishes and complex carbs for the win.

Carbs
When I hear ‘carbs’ soft white bread and potato chips come to mind, but George explained that complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, jungle oats and whole wheat pasta are the way to go for pre-race fuel.

“Pasta is very good, but it’s important not to over eat as your body has to metabolize the food while you sleep. Don’t make the mistake of over eating- there’s only so much your body can absorb,” he said

Protein and veg
While carbo-loading has become synonymous with marathons, George said runners have to have balance their diet.

“It’s very important that you don’t neglect any food groups. Your body is designed to function with all food groups and incorporating these into your diet helps with recovery. The body especially needs protein for recovery,” he said.

Chicken, tuna, lean steak, eggs, beans and lentils are good sources of protein while vegetable juices or smoothies are a great way to up nutrition.

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Supplements
While George keeps supplement use minimal, he did recommend a few to try.

“Magnesium is an anti cramping agent which can be helpful- not only for race day, but in the weeks leading up to it. Glutamine is important for recovery as it contains amino acids that aid in the recovery of muscle fibers which are constantly being broken down during training. Vitamin C is also good for cell repair and your immune system. Whey protein is another great source of protein and aids with recovery especially after your longer runs,” he said.

Hydration
Drinking enough water is also important ahead of a race. George recommended drinking 2-3 liters a day.

“On race day don’t forget to drink small amounts fairly often in order to keep your body hydrated. It’s also a good idea to limit alcohol consumption, especially the night before the race,” said George.