What do you do if you are going to do a long race and don’t like the nutrition that is provided on the course or just want to carry your own? One solution is to use concentrated bottles. When I ran the Paris marathon last year, I used concentrated bottles to pack in 5+ hours of nutrition into 3, 10 oz bottles. I have also had a lot of triathletes use concentrated bottles on the bike or run to allow them to have enough fuel until they get to their special needs bags where they can pick up more concentrated bottles for the second half of their race. This post will describe what concentrated bottles are, how to decide if you want to use them, and how to configure them.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of concentrated bottles I have to mention a caveat: You MUST practice with concentrated bottles before using them in a race! If you don’t know how to use them, or if you haven’t practiced them, they can very easily go wrong leaving you on the side of the road or in a porta-potty with GI distress. Now. . . on to the topic!

What are concentrated bottles? Concentrated bottles allow you to fit a certain amount of nutrition into a smaller container than what is called for on the label. In order to make concentrated bottles, you have to be using a powdered formula.

Are concentrated bottles right for me? They can be if you have time to practice them, have a way to dilute the concentrated bottles (additional water available on the course), you need to carry a lot of nutrition with you, and you have a powdered fuel you like and knows will not cause you GI distress.

How do you setup and use concentrated bottles? Here is an example: We are working with Suzie who is training for a marathon in Europe. She does not like what will be available as on-course nutrition. Suzie does not have anyone supporting her who can hand her bottles of nutrition during the race. She needs to carry all of her nutrition with her. Suzie will be running with a belt that contains 4, 10 oz bottles. She plans on finishing around 5 hours. She has a powdered drink she has used for a long time that has 45 grams of carbohyrdate per 2 scoops. She needs about 45 grams of carbohydrate per hour (2 scoops per hour). Suzie has decided she wants to use concentrated bottles for her race and fit 5 hours of nutrition into 3 bottles, leaving the 4th bottle for water to dilute the concentrated formula.

Based on this information, we know Suzie needs to fit 10 scoops into 3 bottles. I would put 3 scoops into two of the bottles and four scoops into the third. Then, you can top off with water and mix. This can take some practice and may require you to mix the concentrated mix for each bottle in a container other than the bottle then pour it into the bottle. If you do this, you need to be sure the final mixed solution will fit into the bottle.

Once Suzie has the bottles mixed, she can begin practicing with them. This means carrying them on her long runs and determining how much water she needs to take in with each drink from the concentrated bottle. What I have found is that it is two to three sips of water for every sip from the concentrated bottle. This means that you also need to stop at aid stations and re-fill the 4th bottle with water. As concentrated bottles are emptied, you can fill them with water which results in fewer stops at aid stations. During her runs, Suzie also monitors how much she drinks. She knows that to get 45 grams of carbohydrates our of the first two bottles, she needs to drink 2/3 of a bottle. To get 45 grams of the last bottle, she needs to drink half (the last bottle has 4 scoops in it). If she starts with the bottles that have 3 scoops each, she would follow this schedule: Hour 1, she drinks 2/3 of the first bottle. Hour 2, she finishes bottle 1 and drinks 1/3 of the second bottle. Hour 3, she finishes the second bottle. Hour 4, she drinks 1/2 of the third bottle. Hour 5, she finishes the third concentrated bottle. This gives her all the nutrition she needs to finish the race in 3 bottles she can carry with her. If the bottles do not have marks on them indicating 1/3, 1/2, and 2/3, you can mark them using a permanent marker.

You can use this same methodology on a long bike. Just determine how many carbohydrates you need per hour, how many carbohydrates are in your preferred fuel, the size and number of bottles you will carry, and go from there.

Concentrated bottles are a great tool to have available when you need them. Just remember to practice, practice, practice with them to be sure they will work on race day.

Sarah Seppa, my current fabulous intern from the University of Houston Dietetic Internship, wrote this blog about using real food during endurance and ultra-endurance training and racing. Thanks Sarah!

An Ironman triathlon takes a long time to complete, 11 to 16 hours for most athletes, give or take.  100-mile races take even longer, over 24 hours in most cases.  These athletes are burning calories at a extreme rate, and there is really no way to replace all the calories burned during the event, but nutrition is needed along the way to help fuel the athlete as they go the distance.  Endurance athletes are familiar with consuming supplements throughout their races such as sports drinks, gels, bars, and other engineered products, designed to deliver specific amounts of nutrients in a form that is easy to consume on the go.  But as endurance events get longer, over 5-6 hours, some athletes begin to look for something different.

Here in lies the problem.  When running, swimming, or cycling, your nervous system is in sympathetic or “fight and flight” mode.  Your blood vessels leading to your limbs are dilated, carrying nutrients and oxygen to your hard working muscles.  When you eat, your nervous system switches modes, to parasympathetic or “rest and digest”.  Blood rushes to your stomach and intestines to help you process the food that you have just eaten.  When you eat and exercise at the same time it is very difficult to digest food because your nervous system doesn’t know what to do, thus resulting in stomach cramps and other symptoms of gastrointestinal distress.  The key is to find foods that satisfy your hunger but digest easily so you can utilize the food for energy as soon as possible, avoiding an upset stomach.

Foods that are easiest to digest are carbohydrates.  As luck would have it, carbs are the preferred source of energy for your muscles.  By talking to athletes and reading a few discussion forums, it was unanimously clear that these quick digesting carbohydrates are the foods that endurance athletes competing in endurance and ultra-endurance distance events prefer.  Here are a few ideas:

• Potatoes or Yams
• Bananas and other lower fiber fruit
• Pretzels
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Crackers
• Dates and other dried fruit
• Rice Balls
• Cookies

Switching up flavors is also important.  Athletes often report “flavor fatigue” or the feeling of nausea at the very thought of having one sip or bite of the food or drink they brought with them.  One way to avoid flavor fatigue is to use foods that have a variety of different flavors: sweet, salty, savory, and sour.  That being said, it is important to be practice with the foods you plan to race with. You should also be cautious of the food provided at the aid stations in longer races.  Your gut needs training to consume food on the go, and you need to know which foods work for you and which foods don’t.  Only grab foods from the aid stations if you know they are tried and true.

So you have satisfied your hunger, but do real foods work as well as engineered foods for endurance?  A recent research study done at Louisiana State University comparing raisins to sport jellybeans in prolonged cycling, suggest that they do.  The study found that when equal caloric values of raisins and sport jellybeans were consumed in two different trials, there were no significant differences in endurance performance for time, power, blood glucose levels, or rate of perceived exertion.  In addition, the athletes preferred the raisins, as measured on a hedonic scale.  This is cool news!  More research is definitely needed comparing the use of real foods and supplements during intense activity.

If you are considering an Ironman or an ultra marathon, consider working real food into your race nutrition plan.  It will prevent you from getting hungry, experiencing “flavor fatigue” and might just add a little more enjoyment to your competition.

When I started training for my first marathon in 2000, I was running with Theresa (who has become my closest friend over the many miles we’ve shared). We started talking about why we run. When she asked me my reason for running, I told her it was because I am blessed to be healthy and to have two arms and two legs that allow me to. Since that time, whenever I get down or lose my motivation, I think of all those who cannot run or participate in sports due to being physically challenged.

I was in San Diego last week. On Saturday, I ran 8 miles along the water. As I ran enjoying the view and the cool weather, I came upon two athletes out for a ride using handcycles. They were sponsored by the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). This reminded me that I had neglected something. . .When I ran the Paris Marathon last year, I raised money for CAF. I chose CAF because. . . I am blessed to be healthy and to have two arms and two legs that allow me to – and others have the desire but are not so physically blessed.

CAF’s mission is to “provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. CAF believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.” They provide legs for amputees so they can run. Racing wheelchairs for others. And, handcycles for those who need them. Seeing those two cyclists reminded me of my commitment to CAF.

I am training for the New York Marathon in November and the Goofy Challenge at Disneyworld in January (the half marathon on Staurday, and the full marathon on Sunday).  As I train for NY and the Goofy, I committed to CAF to raise money for them again.

I would encourage you to think about why you run, ride, swim, or participate in your favorite sport. Find the blessing in it. And, if you would like to help me help CAF, you can make a donation here. Any amount helps those who want to be physically active but need help to do so.

I run because. . . .I can.

Have a great weekend!

P.S. If you want to learn more about CAF and its mission, here is a great YouTube video about Challenged Athletes Foundation.

The triathlon and running season is heating up here in Houston and around the country. If you are competing or doing races of any significant length this year, you need to plan how you will fuel your body during the event. What you do depends on the length of the event. For a 5K you may carry nothing or just a bottle of water. For a longer race, however, you may need to think about what your body needs and how you are going to get it.

Different athletes have different likes and dislikes when it comes to sports foods. Some like to go all liquid, some like to make their own fruit leather with chia seeds to use. Whatever you decide to do, I would encourage you to Keep It Simple!

When I ran the Paris marathon last year, one of my client’s friends showed up with probably a dozen baggies pinned to her waist. Each baggie had different things in them (gummy bears, gum drops, jelly beans, etc.) and was used at different parts of the race. I kjnow of triathletes who have two drinks, a couple of types of gels, and blocks they use during their race. That is WAY to much for my brain to think about during a race. 

In longer distance races, keeping it simple makes your race day much simpler. You have less things to pack and locate on race morning. And, you have less things to think about during the race.

For most of us, there seems to be a point in the race where we cannot think very well. Keeping it simple means fewer things that you have to think about executing during the race. If you have one sports drink and one other type of fuel (blocks or gels), and you know that every 10 minutes you take a drink of sports drink and every hour you take a gel, that is a lot easier to think about while racing than having to remember every 10 minutes drink from bottle one, every 20 minutes take a gel, every 30 minutes take a drink from bottle 2, etc. Which fueling strategy would you want to follow?

Remember when planning your race nutrition to find a couple of fuels you like and plan to keep it simple!

It is heating up out there – both the weather and racing!  When planning your race nutrition and hydration, it is important to keep these two items separate.

The first item is fuel. When you plan your race nutrition, there is a certain number of calories or grams of carbohydrates per hour that you aim for. This is usually 60 grams of carbohydrates (or 240 calories) or .45 grams of carbohydrate for every pound of body weight. You have to try this out and see what works for you and your GI tract.

The second item is hydration. To get an idea of how much fluid you need per hour, you can conduct a sweat trial. This gives you an idea of the fluid ounces of water you need per hour to stay hydrated.

When you train and race, these items are often combined in the form of liquid nutrition or sports drinks. However, it is important to remember that these are really two separate things. Although you do get liquid calories in sports drinks and you also get water, you may not want to consume all of your water with calories. Here is an example:

Joe needs 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour for his race nutrition and 40 oz of water. He plans on racing for an hour and has three water bottles each of which holds 24 oz (a total of 72 oz). In order to make both his nutrition and hydration work, he could mix 30 grams of carbohydrates from a powdered sports drink in each of two sports bottles. After adding the powdered sports drink, he adds 18 oz of water (what the bottle will hold in water after putting in the powdered sports drink). He fills the third bottle with water.  This gives him his 60 grams of carbohydrates (3o grams of carbohydrates per bottle) and a total of 60 oz of water (18+18+24).

The other reason for thinking of nutrition and fluid separately is to be able to scale your hyrdation based on the condiditons. If you are racing on a cooler day, you may need less water. On a hotter day, you may need more water. Joe knows that no matter what he needs to drink those two bottles of sports drink to get his nutrition, and he can drink more or less water based on the temperature and humidity.

As you plan your training and race nutrition and  hydration, remember that although they often seem to be the same, they really are separate things that you have to think about executing based on what you need for carbohydrates and fluid.

We are entering the training season for a lot of endurance and ultra-endurance events. A couple of key ways athletes can improve their performance is to get their pre- and post-race nutrition nailed down. Knowing what you are going to eat in the couple of days before and immediately after a race can help reduce your stress levels going into the race and keep you GI tract happy.

Pre-Race

Pre-race fueling includes the couple of days before the race. Start now trying out foods to find what works for you before your workouts. This becomes more important as the workouts become longer. Planning your pre-workout/pre-race nutrition helps in a couple of ways. First, you find out ahead of time what your body likes. If you are traveling to your race and will not have access to a kitchen, find out the local restaurants and try to duplicate similar foods at home. Second, when you find something that works, it becomes one less thing that you have to think about – “what am I going to eat the days before the race?”

When testing out your pre-workout/pre-race meals, remember to eat, tweak, and repeat. After you have eaten that meal note how you feel after eating it and after your workout. Some find it helpful to keep a log so they know what they did – just like a training log. If your body was not happy with that meal, you did not have a good performance, or think you can perform better, tweak the meal and repeat the process.

Post-Race

Practicing your post-workout/post-race fueling is also important. Research has shown that having a recovery meal within 30 minutes of finishing your workout helps prepare you for your next workout. (Note: this is important if your workout is 60 to 90 minutes or longer or you are working out again the same or next day). Having a recovery meal immediately after your race will help you feel better that day and in the days following.

Think about what your race site is like. How soon can you get to your recovery meal (remember if you are doing a triathlon, you can’t get in until the last bike is in). Or, will you have a support crew who can keep your recovery meal for you? Does it need refrigeration and if so is it available?

Start trying different recovery meals and find one that works for you. You can use low-fat chocolate milk or any of the commercially available recovery drinks. I prefer liquids because they are quickly absorbed and most athletes prefer that to something solid immediately after working out. Again, eat that recovery meal, see how you feel, tweak, and repeat.

Summary

There is not a magic pre- or post-workout or race meal. You have to find what works for you and your body. That is why this is a process of. . . eat, tweak, and repeat!

A lot of my triathlon and running friends are starting training or hitting their peak training amounts for upcoming races.  When people start increasing their training, they seem to hit a point when they are hungry all the time.  Having been there, I can identify.  It is like there is this little voice in your stomach going “feed me, feed me, feed me” constantly.  They need to eat A LOT of food.  Their need to eat A LOT of food can cause problems with spouses and significant others.  This means you need to really talk about your food.  Even if you are not training, but trying to watch your weight, you still need to talk with others who share your household about food.

For example, we have Bill who is training for an Ironman triathlon.  He needs 5,000 calories a day.  His wife Sue is maintaining her weight and needs about 1,800 calories a day.  Bill offers to make dinner one night.  He makes pasta with meat sauce, a salad, and a side of steamed broccoli.  All is good – right?  Right.  Until, Bill portions out the servings.  Not thinking that his wife does not need the same number of calories he needs, he puts equal servings on both plates.  This happens a few nights a week for a few weeks.  Sue notices her clothes are getting a little tight.  Sue steps on the scale.  Sue is not happy with what she sees and starts to figure out what is going on.

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence.  When I work with athletes on meal plan, I warn them (if they do not live alone) “Your spouse/significant other CANNOT eat the same amount as you.”  Both the athlete and other person have to be very cognizant of what and how much they are eating.

Another food issue among couples is what to eat.  If you and your partner do not like the same foods all the time, it is OK to make two lunches or two dinners.  Each person is responsible for their own food.  John, my husband, and I do this frequently.  That way, we still eat dinner together and are both happy with what we are eating.  But, your partner does not know how to cook?  Why not take a cooking class or two together?

John is starting to ramp up his training for his Ironman.  He needs more food than I do.  Whenever food goes on a plate or in a bowl we either serve ourselves or confirm with the other how much he/she wants.  This keeps us both happy and our waistlines where we want them.  We talk about food a lot, baby. . . . .

After thinking I was done with marathons, I decided to sign up for the Paris Marathon. Its a business trip. . .really it is. I have a client, Tom Coyne, who is writing a book about running his first marathon. He and a group of friends chose the Paris Marathon. He hired me, through a running coach I work with, to help him with his nutrition. I’m going with Tom and his group to Paris to help with any pre- and post-race nutrition issues they may have. And, I thought, “Why not run the marathon while I’m there? When will I have an excuse to run the Paris Marathon again?” And, I found myself back in marathon-training-land.

Marathon training has reminded me of a lot of the things that those I work with deal with. One of my reasons for training was to see how my training and racing has changed since I became a Dietitian. It has changed, and I continue to learn. I’d forgotten what it was like to experience the dreaded “sloshy stomach” on a run. I’ve had to tinker with my fueling. I’m working on using concentrated bottles since I won’t have a supporter to hand me fuel along the course (John, my husband, will also be running). Fueling for Paris is a bit different because the water stations are every 5K, not every 1 to 2 miles like in the US.

This week, however, I was reminded about the importance of a recovery meal. I ran 10 miles Monday morning. I thought, “this will be an easy 10, easy recovery.” The run was good. I pushed it. It was warmer than it has been in a while. I got home and discovered I was out of my recovery drink. DUOH! I thought, “It will be fine. No big deal.” Was I ever wrong. I was more sore and fatigued than I’d been after my 15 mile run. I was still sore Thursday, and am still feeling it today.

When you workout for 60 to 90 minutes or longer, it is important to have a recovery meal. Personally, I find liquid easier to tolerate than solid after a workout, but either will do. The key is to find a mix of protein and carbohydrates that works for you. For me, I need about 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrates for every 1 gram of protein. If you drink chocolate milk, it is perfect! Chocolate soy milk can work, too.

The second key is to have your recovery meal within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. If I’m using a mix, I have it mixed and in the refrigerator so I can grab it as soon as I get home. During this 30 minute period, your muscles will suck up the carbohydrates and protein like sponges. This means your muscles will re-build up the glycogen (storage form of sugar) that they like to use for energy when you are working out. Wait longer than 30 to 45 minutes, and your muscles don’t absorb the carbohydrates and protein as quickly meaning it takes you longer to recover.

This week reminded me about the importance of having that recovery meal. I knew it, but now I KNOW it. So, next time you are planning a longer workout, be sure to have your recovery meal and see if you notice a difference in how you feel.

Did anyone else step on the scale last week and get a reality check?  I know I did.  However, I also know that if I’m on the scale January 1st or 2nd, that is not a “good” checkpoint.  Over the years, I’ve gotten to know that my body is really good at retaining water.  If on New Years I had a couple of, um, beverages and some salty food, I can be up as much as four pounds due to water.  It takes a few days to get things back to normal.  So, if I step on that scale and the number is higher than I expected I check it for a few days to see what is really going on.

However, if the number stays higher than I’d like for a week or so, then I start looking at making some changes to my intake and activity.  I’ll look for places to cut a couple of hundred calories (typically 200 – 500) through out the day.  However, there is one place I will NEVER cut calories.  What’s this “magic” place?  My recovery eating.

Typically if you work out for 60 to 90 minutes or longer, you need to think about a recovery meal.  When you workout for 60 to 90 minutes or longer, your body depletes the glycogen stores in the muscles and liver.  The result . . . fatigue.  If you have a recovery meal, you’ll be ready to face the rest of the day and ready for that next workout.  The recovery meal can also help if you find yourself hungry all day after a workout – even if it is less than 60 minutes.

Here are some guidelines for the recovery meal:

• Consume it within 30 minutes of finishing your workout.  Your muscles are like sponges during this time and will suck up the carbohydrates and protein you consume.
• Eat/drink something that has 3 to 4 grams of carbohydrates for every one gram of protein.  This has been shown to optimize the uptake of both carbohydrates and protein by the muscles.
• Have it ready so you don’t have to think about it.  If you have to think about it, you might not have it.
• Try different things to see what works for you.  I have two favorite recovery drinks, but there are a lot out there.  Try a few (many have sample packets) to see which you like best.

Why don’t I cut calories from my recovery meal?  Because, I know I don’t feel as good the rest of the day, and because my next workout will suffer.  Neither of those are things I’m willing to compromise for a couple of hundred calories.  I’d rather get the calorie reduction from other places and have a great day and great next workout.

So, if you’re working out (and getting faster in the off season like all my Endurance Nation buddies), be sure to get in that recovery meal.  If you’re trying to lose some weight, look for other places to cut calories – for example use smaller portion sizes.  For more ideas, you can check out my newsletter archive.

Here’s hoping you have a happy and healthy 2009!