The right diet while running? This is how you feed yourself during competition and training.

The right diet when running...

can be a decisive factor both in training and especially in competition. We explain which sports science recommendations exist and how they can be implemented in practice.

Why should I even eat while running?

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Even at low speed, running is already energetically expensive for our body. We must use large muscle groups and large parts of our musculoskeletal system to dynamically take one step ahead of the other. During this task, our muscle cells consume quite a bit of energy, which they resynthetize via metabolic processes Can. Depending on the intensity, we “burn” two substrates, namely carbohydrates and fats. Even with an extremely low body fat percentage, we could run on our fat reserves for an almost infinite amount of time. Unfortunately, burning free fatty acids often doesn't provide us with the energy we need quickly enough. We are then dependent on extracting more quickly available energy from carbohydrates. Unfortunately Are our carbohydrate stores very limited. With more intensive exercise, we would completely use up our entire carbohydrate store within 90 - 120 minutes. This is also the reason for the “man with the hammer,” the burglary that many runners suffer during their marathon.

To prevent our energy reserves from being drained, we should definitely rely on nutrition while running. In addition to replenishing carbohydrates, it is also important to replenish important electrolytes that our body uses up during intensive sporting activity. Especially when it is hot, we suffer a large loss of sodium through sweating, which must be compensated for by drinking and eating a suitable diet while running.

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Do I have to eat every time I run?

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Nutrition while running is primarily about replenishing carbohydrates. Since the body's own carbohydrate stores are usually sufficient for around 90 minutes even at high intensity, food intake is Not absolutely necessary for shorter running units. But it can't do any harm, especially since the Learn the compatibility of food while running and can't be practiced often enough. Basically, the longer the run, the more important nutrition and carbohydrate intake are.

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What and how much should I eat while running?

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In principle, three general recommendations can be made:

1. On the one hand, you should not eat any solid food while running.

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Even though it might mean a pleasant taste experience for one or the other: Solid food makes life unnecessarily difficult. The solid food must first be dissolved in the stomach and prepared for processing. A process that is often not very easy, especially when running, as our stomach contents are constantly shaken. And even if you manage to break down the solid food, It takes much longer to recycle energy. In order to extract the usable energy from, for example, a banana, our organism would need around 30-45 minutes. And yet a whole banana (100g) contains just 23g carbohydrates. The energy therefore comes with a lot of “packaging” and our body is unnecessarily busy “unpacking” and “separating waste.” You should therefore supply liquid energy. Energy gels are specifically made for this purpose and work. But carbohydrates dissolved in water are also recommended. (But beware: Absolutely refrain from carbonic acid!).

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2. DURING exercise, it's all about carbohydrates. No fats. No protein.

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We should not consume any proteins and certainly no fats during exercise. The situation is different after the load or in extreme competitions lasting several days. But during training sessions and runs of 1.5 to 8 hours, it's all about carbohydrates and electrolytes. Accordingly, you will not find any fats or proteins in the nutritional table in an energy gel or a sports drink.

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3. The longer the run, the more you should eat while running

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The question of “how much” remains. There are guidelines and rules of thumb for this. In general, it can be assumed that the gastrointestinal tract should be able to absorb a maximum of 100-120 g carbohydrates per hour. However, very few can do that and even they had to practice and figure it out for a long time. At least 30 g carbohydrates per hour However, it should be possible for everyone. The longer the run, the more should be consumed.

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What contains how many carbohydrates?

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If you take a closer look at the product range of every sports nutrition manufacturer, you will often find strong parallels. The preparations, which are made for use DURING exercise, mainly contain carbohydrates and some electrolytes (especially sodium). Advanced preparations rely on complex, sophisticated mixing ratios of various carbohydrates in order to maximize the absorption of substances in the intestine and thus make the products more tolerable. You can easily test your way here.

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What is the ideal way to care for myself during a half marathon?

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There are few studies that show that nutrition has a significant effect during a half marathon. In general, you should look at the level at which you want to run the half marathon. If you run a half marathon in less than 90 minutes, food can bring minimal benefits, but the costs/benefits of recording often cancel out. However, at times longer than 90 minutes, the scarcer carbohydrates could become a problem and you should try to add approx. 30 - 60 g of carbohydrates. That's 1-2 gels on the second half of the competition, for example.

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What is the ideal way to care for myself during a marathon?

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Nutrition and the ability to absorb carbohydrates are essential during a marathon. Although it has long been recommended in sports science, even among established athletes, it is very rare to see runners taking multiple energy gels during a marathon. So it's completely safe to recommend that every marathon runner 2-3 gels per hour Should feed? Yes and no. As described above, eating must be trained while running. However, a study has shown that anyone can achieve this. At the end of the study, each study participant was able to 60g carbohydrates per hour during your marathon to record. Completely without stomach problems. On average, they were just under 5% faster than their competitors, who only supplied energy sporadically.

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The study showed that runners who had a scientifically based diet plan were 4.7 percent faster on average than runners who ran with a diet of their choice. The average end time was 3:38:31 in the experimental group compared to 3:49:26 in the control group.

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How much should I drink while running?

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Drinking is primarily for rehydration, i.e. to supply the body with water. It is generally recommended to add approx. 300-750 ml of water per hour, depending on body size and weather conditions. One strategy that is considered effective among marathon runners is to drink a small cup with two large sips four times in one hour. This is usually around 400 to 600 ml (100-150 ml per cup). However, you should definitely try this out beforehand.

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A well-developed strategy for nutrition while running can also combine drinking and energy intake. It is useful to mix a drink that contains approx. 60-90 g of KH in 500-600 ml of water. This means that you are both ideally supplied with energy and rehydrated.

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