Food & Nutrition
So you've trained hard for the race and shopped for the gear. But what food should you pack? And what sort of nutrition or diet should you follow during training and the race itself?
Here's a brief look at what worked for me. Hope it's useful as a reference but, like all things in life, your mileage may vary.
Here's a brief look at what worked for me. Hope it's useful as a reference but, like all things in life, your mileage may vary.
Race Nutrition
Click for reviews on each dish.
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Main meals
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On the road/ snacks/ recovery
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Training/Pre-race Nutrition
Chia Seeds
I love chia seeds. Like a lot runners, I was first properly introduced to them in McDougall's book Born to Run, which features these superfood as an integral part of the Tarahumara tribe's diet. Bought a pack and am now duly hooked - but not so much because of the benefits that they provide for endurance running, but simply because they're so versatile, easy to make, and uncannily addictive!
A quick google will tell you what these famed seeds are. But in a nutshell, here are some eye-popping facts about chia seeds. Pound for pound, they have:
As a quick illustration of the last point, take a look at what happened when I added 300ml of water to just one tablespoon of chia seeds.
Tack on the fact that chia seeds are gluten-free, do not contain trans-fats, are suitable for a vegan diet, have low carbs, and are non genetically-modified, and it becomes really hard to fault this superfood.
Since these seeds are tasteless, you can incorporate them into virtually anything you eat (salads, soups, muffins, smoothies, etc.) But my favourite way of having chia seeds is simply to add water to a cup of chia seeds. Amount of water varies, but just enough to have the seeds form their trademark gelatinous consistency should do. You can also mix in the honey/lime juice at this point. Chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so that the seeds have time to absorb the water.
This site has a lot of nifty recipes and info about this wonderful seed that keeps a whole tribe running for days on end (and at least sustains the rest of us mere mortals on a 30km run).
I didn't bring these on the race but found them useful in day-to-day training.
A quick google will tell you what these famed seeds are. But in a nutshell, here are some eye-popping facts about chia seeds. Pound for pound, they have:
- 6 times the calcium of whole milk
- 8 times the Omega-3 fatty acids of salmon
- 4 times the fibre of flax seeds
- 13 times the amount of antioxidants of blueberries
- the ability to absorb up to 9 times their weight in water
As a quick illustration of the last point, take a look at what happened when I added 300ml of water to just one tablespoon of chia seeds.
Tack on the fact that chia seeds are gluten-free, do not contain trans-fats, are suitable for a vegan diet, have low carbs, and are non genetically-modified, and it becomes really hard to fault this superfood.
Since these seeds are tasteless, you can incorporate them into virtually anything you eat (salads, soups, muffins, smoothies, etc.) But my favourite way of having chia seeds is simply to add water to a cup of chia seeds. Amount of water varies, but just enough to have the seeds form their trademark gelatinous consistency should do. You can also mix in the honey/lime juice at this point. Chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes so that the seeds have time to absorb the water.
This site has a lot of nifty recipes and info about this wonderful seed that keeps a whole tribe running for days on end (and at least sustains the rest of us mere mortals on a 30km run).
I didn't bring these on the race but found them useful in day-to-day training.
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