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- From: gontang@electriciti.com (Ozzie Gontang)
- Newsgroups: rec.running,rec.answers,news.answers
- Subject: rec.running FAQ, part 5 of 8
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- Organization: Int'l Assoc of Marathoners (IAM)
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- Reply-To: gontang@electriciti.com (Ozzie Gontang)
- Summary: Information about Running
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- Archive-name: running-faq/part5
- Last-modified: 10 Mar 2003
- Posting-Frequency: 14 days
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- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- BASIC NUTRITION PRIMER
-
- Nutrition in athletics is a very controversial topic. However, for an
- athlete to have confidence that his/her diet is beneficial he/she must
- understand the role each food component plays in the body's overall makeup.
- Conversely, it is important to identify and understand the nutritional
- demands on the physiological processes of the body that occur as a result
- of racing and training so that these needs can be satisfied in the
- athlete's diet.
-
- For the above reasons, a basic nutrition primer should help the athlete
- determine the right ingredients of his/her diet which fit training and
- racing schedules and existing eating habits. The body requires three basic
- components from foods: 1) water; 2) energy; and 3)nutrients.
-
- WATER
-
- Water is essential for life and without a doubt the most important
- component in our diet. Proper hydrations not only allows the body to
- maintain structural and biochemical integrity, but it also prevents
- overheating, through sensible heat loss(perspiration). Many *runners* have
- experienced the affects of acute fluid deficiency on a hot day, better
- known as heat exhaustion. Dehydration can be a long term problem,
- especially at altitude, but this does not seem to be a widespread problem
- among *runners* and is only mentioned here as a reminder (but an important
- one).
-
- ENERGY
-
- Energy is required for metabolic processes, growth and to support physical
- activity. The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences
- has procrastinated in establishing a Recommended Daily Allowance(RDA) for
- energy the reasoning being that such a daily requirement could lead to
- overeating. A moderately active 70kg(155lb) man burns about 2700 kcal/day
- and a moderately active 58kg(128lb) woman burns about 2500 kcal/day.
-
- It is estimated that runners burn XXXX kcal/min or about XXX-XXX kcal/hr
- while *running* (this is obviously dependent on the level of exertion).
- Thus a three hour training *run* can add up to XXXX kcals(the public knows
- these as calories) to the daily energy demand of the *runner*. Nutritional
- studies indicate that there is no significant increase in the vitamin
- requirement of the athlete as a result of this energy expenditure.
-
- In order to meet this extra demand, the *runner* must increase his/her
- intake of food. This may come before, during or after a *run* but most
- likely it will be a combination of all of the above. If for some reason
- extra nutrients are required because of this extra energy demand, they will
- most likely be replenished through the increased food intake. Carbohydrates
- and fats are the body's energy sources and will be discussed shortly.
-
- NUTRIENTS
-
- This is a broad term and refers to vitamins, minerals, proteins,
- carbohydrates, fats, fiber and a host of other substances. The body is a
- very complex product of evolution. It can manufacture many of the resources
- it needs to survive. However, vitamins, minerals and essential amino
- acids(the building blocks of proteins) and fatty acids cannot be
- manufactured, hence they must be supplied in our food to support proper
- health.
-
- Vitamins and Minerals
-
- No explanation needed here except that there are established RDA's for most
- vitamins and minerals and that a well balanced diet, especially when
- supplemented by a daily multivitamin and mineral tablet should meet all the
- requirements of the cyclist.
-
- Proper electrolyte replacement(sodium and potassium salts) should be
- emphasized, especially during and after long, hot rides. Commercially
- available preparations such as Exceed, Body Fuel and Isostar help replenish
- electrolytes lost while *running*.
-
- Proteins
-
- Food proteins are necessary for the synthesis of the body's
- skeletal(muscle, skin, etc.) and biochemical(enzymes, hormones,
- etc.)proteins. Contrary to popular belief, proteins are not a good source
- of energy in fact they produce many toxic substances when they are
- converted to the simple sugars needed for the body's energy demand.
-
- Americans traditionally eat enough proteins to satisfy their body's
- requirement. All indications are that increased levels of exercise do not
- cause a significant increase in the body's daily protein requirement which
- has been estimated to be 0.8gm protein/kg body weight.
-
- Carbohydrates
-
- Carbohydrates are divided into two groups, simple and complex, and serve as
- one of the body's two main sources of energy.
-
- Simple carbohydrates are better known as sugars, examples being fructose,
- glucose(also called dextrose), sucrose(table sugar) and lactose(milk
- sugar).
-
- The complex carbohydrates include starches and pectins which are
- multi-linked chains of glucose. Breads and pastas are rich sources of
- complex carbohydrates.
-
- The brain requires glucose for proper functioning which necessitates a
- carbohydrate source. The simple sugars are quite easily broken down to help
- satisfy energy and brain demands and for this reason they are an ideal food
- during racing and training. The complex sugars require a substantially
- longer time for breakdown into their glucose sub units and are more suited
- before and after riding to help meet the body's energy requirements.
-
- Fats
-
- Fats represent the body's other major energy source. Fats are twice as
- dense in calories as carbohydrates(9 kcal/gm vs 4 kcal/gm) but they are
- more slowly retrieved from their storage units(triglycerides) than
- carbohydrates(glycogen). Recent studies indicate that caffeine may help
- speed up the retrieval of fats which would be of benefit on long rides.
-
- Fats are either saturated or unsaturated and most nutritional experts agree
- that unsaturated, plant-based varieties are healthier. Animal fats are
- saturated(and may contain cholesterol), while plant based fats such as corn
- and soybean oils are unsaturated. Unsaturated fats are necessary to supply
- essential fatty acids and should be included in the diet to represent about
- 25% of the total caloric intake. Most of this amount we don't really
- realize we ingest, so it is not necessary to heap on the margarine as a
- balanced diet provides adequate amounts.
-
- WHAT THE BODY NEEDS
-
- Now that we have somewhat of an understanding of the role each food
- component plays in the body's processes let's relate the nutritional
- demands that occur during *running* in an attempt to develop an adequate
- diet. Basically our bodies need to function in three separate areas which
- require somewhat different nutritional considerations. These areas are: 1)
- building; 2) recovery; and 3) performance.
-
- Building
-
- Building refers to increasing the body's ability to perform physiological
- processes, one example being the gearing up of enzyme systems necessary for
- protein synthesis, which results in an increase in muscle mass, oxygen
- transport, etc. These systems require amino acids, the building blocks of
- proteins. Hence, it is important to eat a diet that contains quality
- proteins (expressed as a balance of the essential amino acid sub units
- present)fish, red meat, milk and eggs being excellent sources.
-
- As always, the RDA's for vitamins and minerals must also be met but, as
- with the protein requirement, they are satisfied in a well balanced diet.
-
- Recovery
-
- This phase may overlap the building process and the nutritional
- requirements are complimentary. Training and racing depletes the body of
- its energy reserves as well as loss of electrolytes through sweat.
- Replacing the energy reserves is accomplished through an increased intake
- of complex carbohydrates(60-70% of total calories) and to a lesser extent
- fat(25%). Replenishing lost electrolytes is easily accomplished through the
- use of the commercial preparations already mentioned.
-
- Performance
-
- Because the performance phase(which includes both training *runs* and
- racing)spans at most 5-7 hours whereas the building and recovery phases are
- ongoing processes, its requirements are totally different from the other
- two. Good nutrition is a long term proposition meaning the effects of a
- vitamin or mineral deficiency take weeks to manifest themselves. This is
- evidenced by the fact that it took many months for scurvy to show in
- sailors on a vitamin C deficient diet. What this means is that during the
- performance phase, the primary concern is energy replacement (fighting off
- the dreaded "bonk") while the vitamin and mineral demands can be
- overlooked.
-
- Simple sugars such a sucrose, glucose and fructose are the quickest sources
- of energy and in moderate quantities of about 100gm/hr(too much can delay
- fluid absorption in the stomach) are helpful in providing fuel for the body
- and the brain. Proteins and fats are not recommended because of their slow
- and energy intensive digestion mechanism.
-
- Short, *runs* or races of up to one hour in length usually require no
- special nutritional considerations provided the body's short term energy
- stores (glycogen) are not depleted which may be the case during *long*
- events.
-
- Because psychological as well as physiological factors determine
- performance most *runners* tend to eat and drink whatever makes them feel
- "good" during a *run*. This is all right as long as energy considerations
- are being met and the stomach is not overloaded trying to digest any fatty
- or protein containing foods. If the vitamin and mineral requirements are
- being satisfied during the building and recovery phases no additional
- intake during the performance phase is necessary.
-
- IMPLICATIONS
-
- Basically, what all this means is that good nutrition for the *runner* is
- not hard to come by once we understand our body's nutrient and energy
- requirements. If a balanced diet meets the RDA's for protein, vitamins and
- minerals as well as carbohydrate and fat intake for energy then everything
- should be OK nutritionally. It should be remembered that the problems
- associated with nutrient deficiencies take a long time to occur. Because of
- this it is not necessary to eat "right" at every meal which explains why
- weekend racing junkets can be quite successful on a diet of tortilla chips
- and soft drinks. However, bear in mind that over time, the body's
- nutritional demands must be satisfied. To play it safe many *runners* take
- a daily multivitamin and mineral supplement tablet which has no adverse
- affects and something I personally recommend. Mega vitamin doses(levels
- five times or more of the RDA) have not been proven to be beneficial and
- may cause some toxicity problems.
-
- GREY NUTRITION
-
- "Good" nutrition is not black and white. As we have seen, the body's
- requirements are different depending on the phase it is in. While the
- building and recovery phases occur somewhat simultaneously the performance
- phase stands by itself. For this reason, some foods are beneficial during
- one phase but not during another. A good example is the much maligned
- twinkie. In the performance phase it is a very quick source of energy and
- quite helpful. However, during the building phase it is not necessary and
- could be converted to unwanted fat stores. To complicate matters, the
- twinkie may help replenish energy stores during the recovery phase however,
- complex carbohydrates are probably more beneficial. So, "one man's meat may
- be another man's poison."
-
- NUTRIENT DENSITY
-
- This term refers to the quantity of nutrients in a food for its
- accompanying caloric(energy) value. A twinkie contains much energy but few
- vitamins and minerals so has a low nutrient density. Liver, on the other
- hand, has a moderate amount of calories but is rich in vitamins and
- minerals and is considered a high nutrient density food.
-
- Basically, one must meet his/her nutrient requirements within the
- constraints of his/her energy demands. Persons with a low daily activity
- level have a low energy demand and in order to maintain their body weight
- must eat high nutrient density foods. As already mentioned, a *runner* has
- an increased energy demand but no significant increase in nutrient
- requirements. Because of this he/she can eat foods with a lower nutrient
- density than the average person. This means that a *runner* can be less
- choosy about the foods that are eaten provided he/she realizes his/her
- specific nutrient and energy requirements that must be met.
-
- BALANCED DIET
-
- Now, the definition of that nebulous phrase, "a balanced diet". Taking into
- consideration all of the above, a diet emphasizing fruits and vegetables
- (fresh if possible), whole grain breads, pasta, cereals, milk, eggs, fish
- and red meat(if so desired) will satisfy long term nutritional demands.
- These foods need to be combined in such a way that during the building and
- recovery phase, about 60-70% of the total calories are coming from
- carbohydrate sources, 25% from fats and the remainder(about 15%) from
- proteins.
-
- It is not necessary to get 100% of the RDA for all vitamins and minerals at
- every meal. It may be helpful to determine which nutritional requirements
- you wish to satisfy at each meal. Personally, I use breakfast to satisfy
- part of my energy requirement by eating toast and cereal. During lunch I
- meet some of the energy, protein and to a lesser extent vitamin and mineral
- requirements with such foods as yogurt, fruit, and peanut butter and jelly
- sandwiches. Dinner is a big meal satisfying energy, protein, vitamin and
- mineral requirements with salads, vegetables, pasta, meat and milk. Between
- meal snacking is useful to help meet the body's energy requirement.
-
- CONCLUSION
-
- All this jiberish may not seem to be telling you anything you couldn't
- figure out for yourself. The point is that "good" nutrition is not hard to
- achieve once one understands the reasons behind his/her dietary habits.
- Such habits can easily be modified to accommodate the nutritional demands
- of *running* without placing any strict demands on one's lifestyle.
-
- ------------------------ Powerbars (John McClintic johnm@hammer.TEK.COM)
-
- I submit "power bar" recipe originated by Bill Paterson from Portland Oregon.
-
- The odd ingredient in the bar, paraffin, is widely used in chocolate
- manufacture to improve smoothness and flowability, raise the melting point,
- and retard deterioration of texture and flavor. Butter can be used instead,
- but a butter-chocolate mixture doesn't cover as thinly or smoothly.
-
- POWER BARS
- ----------
-
- 1 cup regular rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sesame seed
- 1 1/2 cups dried apricots, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups raisins 1 cup
- shredded unsweetened dry coconut
- 1 cup blanched almonds, chopped
- 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
- 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
- 2 teaspoons butter or margarine
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups chunk-style peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
- 1 package (12 oz.) or 2 cups semisweet chocolate
- baking chips
- 4 ounces paraffin or 3/4 cup (3/4 lb.) butter or
- margarine
-
- Spread oats in a 10- by 15-inch baking pan. Bake in a 300 degree oven until
- oats are toasted, about 25 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
-
- Meanwhile, place sesame seed in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium
- heat. Shake often or stir until seeds are golden, about 7 minutes.
-
- Pour into a large bowl. Add apricots, raisins, coconut, almonds, dry milk,
- and wheat germ; mix well. Mix hot oats into dried fruit mixture.
-
- Butter the hot backing pan; set aside.
-
- In the frying pan, combine corn syrup and sugar; bring to a rolling boil
- over medium high heat and quickly stir in the peanut butter, orange
- extract, and orange peel.
-
- At once, pour over the oatmeal mixture and mix well. Quickly spread in
- buttered pan an press into an even layer. Then cover and chill until firm,
- at least 4 hours or until next day.
-
- Cut into bars about 1 1/4 by 2 1/2 inches.
-
- Combine chocolate chips and paraffin in to top of a double boiler. Place
- over simmering water until melted; stir often. Turn heat to low.
-
- Using tongs, dip 1 bar at a time into chocolate, hold over pan until it
- stops dripping (with paraffin, the coating firms very quickly), then place
- on wire racks set above waxed paper.
-
- When firm and cool (bars with butter in the chocolate coating may need to
- be chilled), serve bars, or wrap individually in foil. Store in the
- refrigerator up to 4 weeks; freeze to store longer. Makes about 4 dozen
- bars, about 1 ounce each.
-
- Per piece: 188 cal.; 4.4 g protein; 29 g carbo.; 9.8 g fat; 0.6 mg chol.;
- 40 mg sodium.
-
- =============================================================
-
- Orienteering (Matt Mahoney mvm@epg.harris.com) updated
-
- Orienteering is called the "thinking sport" because it involves two skills
- -- running and map reading. The object is to run to a series of markers in
- the woods, along any route you want. The hard part is finding the markers
- with the aid of a map and a compass.
-
- There are 6 courses to choose from, called White, Yellow, Orange, Green,
- Red and Blue. This has nothing to do with the colors of the markers (which
- are orange and white and look like lanterns hanging from trees). It has to
- do with level of difficulty, like belts in karate. The white course is the
- easiest, about a mile, with the markers clearly visible from roads or
- trails. Blue is the hardest, about 4-5 miles, and involves mostly
- cross-country running with emphasis on successful navigation using terrain
- features. Each marker has a 2-letter code (to distinguish it from markers
- on other trails) which you match up with a code sheet that you carry with
- your map. There, you stamp your card in the appropriate numbered spot. Each
- stamp produced a distinct pattern of holes in the card.
-
- Orienteering now has its very own news group, rec.sport.orienteering. The
- BAOC newsletter is run by Wyatt Riley out of Stanford (wriley@leland.
- stanford.edu). Subscription requests should be sent to:
- Majordomo@lists.stanford.edu
- with the following line in the text:
- subscribe baoc your name e.g. subscribe baoc Bill Clinton
- BAOC home pg:http://www-leland.stanford.edu/group/orienteer/baoc.html.
- ============================================================= Predicting
- times (10k-marathon) (Tim Tarmstro@metz.une.oz.au)
-
- In `Training Distance Runners' Coe and Martin come up with three sets of
- formulas for determining equivalent race performances over several
- distances when the performance for one distance is known. They have three
- tables to counter problems of athlete specificity.
-
- For long distance specialists (i.e 10k/15km) : Marathon = 4.76Y : 10k = Y
- : 5k = 0.48Y
- : 3k = 0.28Y
- : 1.5k = 0.13Y
-
- For 3k/5k runners : 10k = 2.1Y
- : 5k = Y
- : 3k = 0.58Y
- : 1.5k = 0.27Y
- : 800m = 0.13Y
- : 400m = 0.06Y
-
-
- For `real' middle distance: 5k = 3.63Y
- : 3k = 2.15Y
- : 1.5k = Y
- : 800m = 0.48Y
- : 400m = 0.22Y
-
- =============================================================
-
- Running Clubs & Organizations (John Berkery berkery@crdgw2.crd.ge.com)
-
- ARFA - American Running and Fitness Association 9310 Old Georgetown Rd
- Bathesda MD 20814
- 301-897-0917
-
- ARRA - Association of Road Racing Athletes (professionals) 807 Paulsen Bldg
- Spokane WA 99201
- 509-838-8784
-
- Clydesdale Runners Association (heavyweights) 1809 Gold Mine Rd
- Brookville Md 20833
- 310-774-2493
-
- NWAA - National Wheel Chair Athletic Association 3617 Betty Dr, suite S
- Colorado Springs CO 80907
- 719-597-8330
-
- RRCA - Road Runners Clubs of America
- 629 S. Washington St
- Alexandria VA 22314
- 703-768-0545
-
- Special Olympics (handicapped)
- 1350 New York Ave, NW, suite 500
- Washington DC 20005
- 202-628-3630
-
- TAC - The Athletics Congress of the USA (IAAF member) 1 Hoosier Dome, suite 140
- Indianapolis IN 46225
- 317-261-0500
-
- USABA - U.S. Association for Blind Athletes 33 N. Institute St
- Brown Hall, suite 015
- Colorado Springs CO 80903
- 719-630-0422
-
- USCAA - U.S. Corporate Athletics Association (company teams)
- 401 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611-4267
- (312) 644-6610, fax (312) 527-6658
- WWW site - http://www.geocities.com/Coloseum/1297/uscahome.html
-
- BACAA - Bay Area Corporate Athletics Assn.
- northern California affiliate of the USCAA
- Brian Schonfeld, Sun Microsystems, (415) 786-7801, brian_schonfeld@corp.sun.com
- Mal Murphy, Rocje Bioscience, (415) 960-5583, mal_murphy@roche.com
- WWW site - http://members.aol.com/annmbou/bacahome.htlm
-
-
- USCPAA - U.S. Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association 34518 Warren Rd, suite 264
- Westland MI 48185
- 313-425-8961
-
- USOC - U.S. Olympic Committee
- 1750 E. Boulder St
- Colorado Springs CO 80909-5760
- 719-632-5551
-
- Achilles Track Club (handicapped)
- c/o New York RRC
- 9 East 89th St
- New York NY 10128
- 212-860-4455
-
- Other running organizations
- Many road runners clubs are not affiliated with RRCA. Information about
- these independent clubs may be found at local sporting goods stores or at
- athletic shoe stores. Local YMCA/YWCA organizations may also be able to
- supply a contact address or phone number.
-