As part of the this year’s Run/Walk with the Rhinos build up, we have been asking the Leeds Rhinos first team staff for their advice on how to prepare for the Asda Foundation Leeds 10k this July.
Leeds Rhinos Nutritionist and PHD Debbie Smith has provided a nutrition plan to support our Run/Walk with the Rhinos team before, during and after this year’s race.
Debbie starts by explaining the importance of proper nutrition for taking on a 10k race…
Fuelling your body to meet the demands of running a 10k and the training leading up to it can be difficult, particularly as those running a 10K do so for many different reasons – whether this is the run you’ve been focused on and have been training for all year, or using it as a measure in the build up towards a larger race goal. In any case, what you eat can greatly affect your performance, and should therefore be considered around training and not just race day. To keep you on the go, prevent illness and make the most of your training sessions, it is important to keep your energy levels topped up with the right foods.
So how much energy do we need?
A general rule of thumb suggests that we expend 1kcal per kilo of body weight for every kilometre run. For example a 65kg individual running 10km would expect to use about 650kcal. You can apply this general guideline to your daily training too. It’s not actually a huge amount, and these extra calories can easily be consumed in one meal. But is it as simple as eating one extra meal per day?
For starters … it is important to start your training session topped up with carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main fuel used during running and are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Consuming carbohydrate rich snacks prior to going out on a run will increase your glucose availability and spare muscle glycogen – which means you can train for longer. The closer to the training session you get, try to consume snacks with a lower fibre and fat content to maximise gastric emptying, so that food doesn't sit heavy in your stomach. Don't forget to start well hydrated since dehydration can affect both physical and mental performance. For example 30-60 minutes pre-training session try one of these snacks (approximate nutrition content provided):
- Small banana – 30g carbohydrates / 120kcal
- 2 slices of malt loaf – 30g carbohydrates / 150kcal
- 28g popcorn – 18g carbohydrates / 135kcal
- Small fruit smoothie – 30g carbohydrate / 130kcal
The main event … The key priority here is fluid availability. Providing you have fuelled appropriately before training, your body should have enough fuel to last 90 minutes without additional carbohydrates such as those found in sports drinks and energy gels – just plain water or squash is adequate. However, sports drinks or gels can be useful to replace electrolytes lost in sweat or to fuel your training when at a very high intensity or when training more than once per day.
And to finish … recovery! What you eat immediately following training can greatly affect your next run. Recovery nutrition is particularly important for those who train twice a day, or for long periods of time. The key nutrients for optimal recovery include:
- Fluid loss from sweat must be replaced.
- Carbohydrate stores need to be replenished
- Protein has been shown to promote recovery further when consumed with a carbohydrate rich snack.
Do keep recovery snacks lower in fat, since fat can slow down your digestion rate, and therefore slows down the vital nutrients getting to our muscles at this important time. For example 30-60 minutes post-training session try one of these snacks (approximate nutrition content provided):
- 500ml milkshake (low fat) – 20g of protein and 50g of carbohydrate / 350kcal
- Bagel with lean meat – 20g of protein and 50g of carbohydrate / 300 kcal
- Pasta with lean meat and tomato based sauce (250g) – 20g of protein and 50g of carbohydrate / 340 kcal
- Granola with 150g strained yogurt – 15g of protein and 40g of carbohydrate / 300 kcal
Therefore with pre and post training snacks it is unlikely that you will require an extra meal every day that you train. However if your body weight starts to decrease, consume small healthy snacks between meals such as a handful of nuts, carrots and hummus or yogurt with berries to help maintain energy balance.
A few days before the race many athletes find it beneficial to carb load. This loads up the muscles with additional glycogen, which we already know is the main fuel used while running. It is only beneficial if you taper your training towards the race and do not use up the extra carbohydrates you have just loaded your muscles with!
Jamie Peacock likes to carb load before a big game and shared one of his favourite evening meals with us.
“When I’m carb loading I like to make my own pizza, using ciabatta bread with tomato paste, mozzarella, peppers, spinach and chicken. It’s quick and easy to make, and by using lean meat and a cheese that is lower in fat it doesn’t sit heavy on my stomach. The rest of my family love it too”
On the day, with a 9:30am start you should have time to eat a carbohydrate rich breakfast such as porridge, Weetabix or beans on toast a couple of hours before. And don’t forget to keep well hydrated. Many people benefit from a caffeine hit about an hour before the race. Just one cup of instant coffee provides approximately 80mg of caffeine (the amount generally available in supplements) or a filter coffee contains up to 160mg. If you are a habitual drinker you may want to wean yourself off the teas and coffees in the lead up to your race to feel the full benefit of caffeine on the day.
And remember… don’t try something new on race day! Follow the nutrition strategies you have practiced during training.
It's not too late to sing up for Run/Walk with the Rhinos 2015 so If you would like to take part in this year's event, register your interest with Jessica.Bowman@leedsrugby.com
If you would like to support the Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Jane's Appeal you can make a personal donation to the Run/Walk with the Rhinos fundraising page at the link below:
https://mydonate.bt.com/events/rwwtr15/218128