Running with Swee
Apart from having sufficient rest to give 100% during training sessions, you need to make sure that your body is also fully ‘fuelled'. The most common scenarios are that individuals will skip their breakfast when heading out for a morning run or their last meal for the day is around noon before their evening or night training session.
After a night's sleep, your body would have been without food and drink for an average of 6 to 8 hours. Similarly, lunch would have been about 6 to 7 hours before your evening or night training session. Hence, it is important to ensure that your energy consumption and fluid intake are adequate before any training. It will definitely make a difference to the quality of your training session and the amount of effort you will be able to give.
Before Training
Have a light snack about 1 to 2 hours before your training sessions. The choice of food to consume is up to you as it depends on how quickly you are able to digest what you eat. So a little trial and error may be required. Common food choices are sandwiches, bananas, cereal bars, energy bars or gels. Always keep a bottle of water and/or isotonic drink within reach to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. Remember that thirst is a poor and delayed indicator of your body's hydration status. During the 2-hour period prior to training, try to consume about 500ml to 1 litre of fluids.
During Training
It is often difficult to eat during training sessions. However, if you are going for a long continuous run, do bring along energy gels to help you refuel throughout the run. Also keep a bottle of isotonic drink at hand to keep you hydrated throughout your training session or try to stop along your running route for some fluid. It is ideal to consume at least 100-150ml of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes of exercise.
After Training
Refuel your body within two hours after training. This two-hour window period is when your body is best able to effectively replenish the energy lost. Have a nutritionally well-balanced meal after training, even if it is after an evening or night training session. Re-hydrating yourself is also crucial as you need to replace your sweat loss. Consume about 1-1.5 liters of fluid for every kilogram of weight lost through sweat or about 150% of sweat loss.
Point to Note: Even if you are planning on a weight loss program, do make sure that you consume a nutritionally well-balanced meal before and after training as your body needs carbohydrates to burn fats. Placing your body system in starvation mode will not help you enhance your ability to burn fats as "fats burn in the flames of carbohydrates". If you are exercise and eating sensibly you will loose the excess weight.
Running with you ~ Swee
"Knowledge without application results in separation!" ~ The Universal Mind
"Incorrect knowledge is based upon the perception of the form and not upon the State of Being! ~ Patanjali
Dr Tan Swee Kheng is a Kinesiologist and movement specialist. She obtained her Doctorate of Philosophy in Kinesiology from Michigan State University, USA. Currently, Dr Tan conducts an exclusive running program just for women – The First Stride, designed to demystify training processes to help women achieve their running potentials. Recently, adidas has partnered with Dr Tan to offer free running sessions to women via the adidas Women's Run initiative.
Today, Dr Tan still maintains her competitiveness in sporting events such as marathons, biathlons, and triathlons. She has run several local and overseas marathons including the 2002 Boston Marathon in Massachusetts, USA, and has taken part in several local biathlons and triathlons. Dr Tan is also a one-time Ironman finisher.
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