I think this is my real food issue with running a marathon, and it is not necessarily about food I eat right before like I thought, even though that is of major importance. Later I want to ramble on more about what I should eat before I exercise. I don’t like to be hungry (that is very mental with me). And my body doesn’t like it either, my tummy growls. I can get a headache or be shakily and definitely my outlook on the whole situation is grumpy. So in my quest for info this insight comes from Galloway’s Women’s Complete Guide to Running. Blood Sugar Level (BSL) needs to be at a moderate level to feel stable, energized and motivated. These three things are the very key to me. “Just as eating throughout the day maintains metabolism, the steady infusion of balanced nutrients all day long will maintain stable blood sugar.”
It good for me to understand this critical part of running long. BSL. That is one of my jobs during the race. I needed to understand that I am doing more that keeping my tummy from growling. I am keeping my BSL stable. Along with also hydrating. I need to remember that I need to remember I have a monitoring job while running. And this is one job I can’t do later, there is a fine line that I don’t want to cross. There is a lot of stress on the body for a run like this.
I have been practicing determining how soon I need to start fueling. Right now Cyndie and I have been fueling every half hour. So far, so good. Mostly I have been using products like Clif Shot Bloks and GU. And drinking water with Prolytes in it. I have learned to sip water (so it doesn’t slosh around in my tummy), during the week I mostly just drink the whole bottle down.
Galloway does discuss that the BSL is good for everyday too, no missing runs because of lack of motivation to go. I do not want to put myself on the BSL roller coaster. This is hard on the body and can cause over-eating and dreaded FAT. Snacks with too many calories of simple carbohydrates don’t work. Eating every 2-3 hours is best, eat to maintain an even BSL all day long.
I have been practicing determining how soon I need to start fueling. Right now Cyndie and I have been fueling every half hour. So far, so good. Mostly I have been using products like Clif Shot Bloks and GU. And drinking water with Prolytes in it. I have learned to sip water (so it doesn’t slosh around in my tummy), during the week I mostly just drink the whole bottle down.
Galloway does discuss that the BSL is good for everyday too, no missing runs because of lack of motivation to go. I do not want to put myself on the BSL roller coaster. This is hard on the body and can cause over-eating and dreaded FAT. Snacks with too many calories of simple carbohydrates don’t work. Eating every 2-3 hours is best, eat to maintain an even BSL all day long.
So anyway, bottom line, BSL is critical to finishing the marathon. Now I know the why of this critical part of the run - I won’t let my body down.
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