So tonight’s talk, inside this evening’s Warren’s Zoom clinic is my take on nutrition..before, during and after…..

I’d like to say that on a nutrition I know nothing, and if I had a bigger group in this Zoom clinic I’d have brought in an actual nutritionist friend, but for this…well, I’ve listened to 20 years of nutrition talks, some frantastic, some just the Canada Food Guide. Ann, well, almost 30 years of running, marathons, triathlons, you name it, I’ve done it…I do know what works for me..and having done all of the above with friends, I’ve seen (is that the right word?) what can happen when something really doesn’t work.

The first thing you learn is that what works for one race or training session, doesn’t work for all them…..par-boiled potatoes on a long bike ride? Sure, but during a run, nah….

Do you always need to drink gallons of this?

I learned that the hard way…hydration, yes good and important..yes, even the elites marathoners have their magic potions….and one time they never even drank anything during that 26.2 miles….but the amount we were once told, and sometimes still are told we need, we don’t….you don’t want to run dry, but you also you don’t want your gut to slosh around like the bladder in a hydration pack…and you want that GI not to need to head for that tree or porta potty every two steps!

My talk tonight is for beginners, or those just on a journey to their first 5K…so nutrition and hydration, my advise is pretty simple….eat and drink.

One thing that has changed, and that I’ve changed, is never run on empty.

Sure if you’ve been eating and drinking well up until the night before that training run or race, you should be fine…but after that sleep, those 8 hours…you are running on empty (that’s why it’s called break-FAST!)….you don’t need enough unless your off to take on a full on Ironman, then eat everything….but something..

Me it’s usually half a banana, some water and I’m good. I have resorted to a gel, but that never works….most gels are designed to give your head a bit of a sugar rush (watermellon sugar hi?) but that’s it. it’s not a nice refreshing snack, you’d be better off with a bit of a Snickers bar…

I used to always run on empty…..do spin classes on nothing…but that energy dives, and also that running on empty just messes up that gut, and the hormones go nuts…this is where females have to really watch that food challenge…..

You just can’t/shouldn’t diet/run/exercise and expect things to turn out well…..there is that hormone; cortisol…it’s designed to make you reatine, well, fat….not muscle fat, but gut fat….it usually kicks in during a famine….you don’t need much for that top up..

I’m going to use me as an example….hydration was something I always think about..I carry water or an electrolyte always..I just keep in mind, I may not need it, but if I do, it’s good to have it there..(you can’t drink a river!)

But, a friend/coach/physio told me straight up, for anything under two hours, you’re good to go. You don’t need as much as you think. Before.

This issue is never the distance..it’s time. Again back to the gold old days of Frank Shorter and Bill Rogers….at that time, say before the first NYC Marathon, no one took much longer than 3 hours to run a marathon, no one ran that wasn’t a real good runner…4 hours would be unheard of…so that changed things…

But, for a 5K….how long is that going to take? I’m going to guess less than 2 hours right? So, a glass of H20 before…sure, again, how about a half of a peanut butter and banana sandwich, and then just go..if there is an aid station on course, and you feel like a sip, sure, but 99.9% of the time, unless you’re running through Death Valley, keep going….

When you’re done…..replace anything you’ve lost…….if it’s an event or a race, 1 of everything they have at the snack and hydration table (yes, at one point the Hash House Harriers used to have small cups of beer!)…but get that nutrition and hydration in…fat, protein, carbs….choc milk is always perfect….nope, don’t be Joey, but yeah..

Then about 30 minutes afterwards, more or less….a good, honest sit down meal…..good food (you know what I mean, real, food) real food….make it social with running friends…an event.

I’m aiming this as those heading for that 5K, their first…..a lot of this is pretty adaptable to further races…and depends on you!

Some people can run on a full hamburger, some barf on a banana….I once ran through the Canadian Rockies at night on a tuna fish sandwich, another time on a bowl of tomato soup..both worked out well….that’s why you practise…

I’m not going to talk healthy versus unhealthy…it’d be like telling someone not to smoke, we all already know….McDonald’s is not health food, an apple would be better ( and not get me going on honey crisp!)…..a burger at a gressy spoon with home made fries isn’t going to kill you, but is it the road to good health? Probably better than something from Wendy’s, definitely, but seriously how long does it take to put together a good homemade stir fry and brown rice?

Wow…using this blog fort his works me think out that talk…..it’s like reading a road map to see where I’m going to go next……

w