But runger is a real phenomenon and it
is a very logical consequence of how a day (especially Sunday, the
staple long-run day) in the life of an endurance runner/ athlete
looks like.
Say you're going on a long Sunday run.
Say a 20-miler. You get up at nine and have some light breakfast rich
in carbs. Preferably complex, whole carbs with different GIs like
porridge topped with some fresh and dried frui with a dash of almond
milk / natural greek yoghurt. But you know how it is – some of us
just don't feel hungry early in the morning and will just grab a
banana and chew it absent-mindedly over the Sunday morning catch-up
with the news.
Then you duly wait for the meal to
settle in your stomach and set out at – say, 10:30 or 11.00. For a
*really slow* endurance, ekhm, jogger like me, the finishing line of
a 20 miler is almost 4 hours away from now.
Let's say I didn't forget and take a
gel or two. At best, I am going to consume 200 kcal between breakfast
(9 a.m.) and the time I come back from my long run (2 p.m. - let's be
optimistic!). In that time, I – at approx.
115 Ibs – will have burned about
2000 kcal.
I come back home and the first thing I
can think about is shower. Then bed. Never the fridge (yet; but it
will hit home in 2-3 hours, and it will hit hard); I forget about
post-run, pre-shower 4:2 carbs:protein snack of course.
So...now it's 4:30 p.m.; I have not
eaten in more than 7 hours and have burned more than my daily calory
intake. The slight feeling of nausea has subsided, I have had a snack
and the a dinner and then...the hell breaks loose. I spend the rest
of the evening on trips to the fridge. The weight loss miracle for me
does not happen. (I actually put on half stone in the run up to my
first marathon);
So, what to do to avoid this scenario?
(And runger can last the next day too!)
- Take enough gels/ gums/ Gatorade to re-fuel on the run. It will do three tricks:- prevent you from 'hitting the wall' (bonking) when your carb tank runs empty;- it can actually make you go faster! A recent study (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/jphysiol.2008.164285/full) found that the cyclists who washed their mouths with glucose solution on the bike had faster times and lower perceived fatigue levels. All thanks to the stimulation of the reward system in the brain...- the sugar oozing in your blood will help you stave off hunger; and if you actually feel nauseous after endurance training, it may be because of your depleted blood sugar levels
- DO EAT A POST-RUN SNACK. Just do it. Do it. Really. Prepare some plant-based chocolate milk & banana smoothie beforehand – boil a little water, add a heaped table spoon of cocoa, a few stevia leaves to sweeten it up without loading on sugar, and a two pinches of salt (that's actually important! And it will be tasty too, don't worry); pour two glasses of natural unsweetened almond/ soymilk (before buying, check the ingredients first) and leave to cool; mix in a blended banana (gives 1-2 servings).
- Take shower and have a proper dinner. This should include a good source of protein (e.g. chicken breast) and complex carbs with lots of fibre (I personally opt for more low-IG sources of carbohydrates, e.g. steamed veggies – green beans, collard greens, spinach – than high-IG foods like rice/ pasta, which spike my blood sugar levels and make me feel drowsy when it drops);
- Don't shun fat – healthy fats (e.g. salmon) make you feel fuller for longer – unlike carbs, which are digested quickly and which can cause you to feel hungry soon after your blood sugar level drops
- Snack healthy – if you have to, prepare a bowl of crunchy veggies (julienned carrots, cucumbers and celery sticks) with some spicy hummus – the capsaicin in chillies ratchets up your metabolism and will make you simply...eat leass.
- Sip on 'sports' water – people often confuse thirst with hunger and overeat when they should be hydrating; but be careful about drinking too much of plain water! This can cause hyponatremia (water poisoning) – a common condition among endurance athletes caused by the loss of minerals with sweat; hence, prepare your own 'sports' drink: mix two pints of still mineral water with 2-3 pinches of salt, a hint (teaspoon is enough) of honey and lemon slices for a low-calorie, 100% natural 'sports' drink; you can go creative with fruit and make different flavours – I personally love my water with lime and blackberries.Hope this helps...Do you have any other life hacks for fighting 'runger'? Please share your tips, I'm curious!
More useful tips can be found here:
http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/2013/07/what-to-eat-before-during-and-after-your-workouts-races/
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz