Ahhh there really is nothing like the fall and cross country season. The air slowly begins to become crisp and the reminiscent smell, I don’t think I can even describe that earthy smell! Don’t get me wrong I love track, however, cross country is definitely a lot more fun especially if you enjoy running trails and sprinting on grass. Our cross country team officially begins practices next Monday and we are finishing up our evening camp tomorrow night. I recently returned from the prestigious Eastern States Cross Country Camp where I was a counselor, as well as a speaker for a round robin of sessions. I was thoroughly impressed with this classic camp! It was amazingly well organized for the 230 campers, which was mostly due to returning counselors from year after year after year! Many of these counselors were Millersville University alumni and many had attended the camp as campers years ago! I was one of the very few new counselors of the 40 on staff. In general, we would run in the morning and then again later in the evening. The hot afternoon was filled with 6 different sessions ranging from race prep/visualization, yoga, swimming, plyometrics, weight training, and finally my session on sports nutrition. I also did this nutrition lesson last night at our Marion Center Cross Country camp. Here’s a brief fill-in or re-cap for those of you who attended regarding my nutrition session…
To keep things interesting we started our session off with a Fact OR Myth activity and discussed the statements as we went through the lesson. Here are some of the topics and key points we discussed:
· The Importance of Nutrition- WHAT and WHEN you eat can most definitely either impair or improve your performance!
· Energy- We obtain energy from the foods we eat. The ONLY nutrients that can provide us with fuel are carbohydrates, protein and fat. It’s important to understand what our body actually burns for fuel. To know this answer we have to look at the Intensity/Type of exercise and the Duration of the exercise. If we are engaged in explosive anaerobic exercise, such as a sprint, our body will primarily depend on burning carbohydrate for fuel. If we are doing slow, long aerobic exercise, such as running slowly for a long time, our body will burn carbohydrate, but will also be burning fat. Depending on the workout that day, cross country runners will typically be burning both carbohydrates and fat.
· Carbohydrates- We discussed what foods are rich in carbohydrates (Grains, Fruits, Vegetables and Dairy products). We also discussed what carbohydrates are eventually broken down into, Glucose and what can happen to this blood sugar… how Glucose can be stored as Glycogen in our muscles and liver. Which as cross country runners, we can tap into this Glycogen (stored form of Carbohydrate) during a tough workout that may be intense or during a race.
· Fat- “Athletes should follow a fat-free diet.” MYTH!! We discussed the importance of fat in the diet AND since fat is energy dense, providing us with more energy than carbohydrates or protein; it’s a great nutrient to include to help us obtain the high amount of calories many of us runners need!
· Protein- “If you eat a lot of protein, you will build a lot of muscle.” MYTH! We discussed what it takes to gain muscle mass= resistance training and higher amount of calories coming from all nutrients (fat and carbohydrates), not just protein. What does protein do for us? Protein helps with muscle tissue repair, which is so important after an intense workout or downhill running. Protein also helps build NEW muscle and is important for growing teenagers!
· Hydration- We discussed the signs of dehydration and how dehydration can impair performance. How can we monitor our hydration? We discussed examining urine color, keeping track of how much fluid you’re consuming and weighing yourself before and after workouts and then replacing what you have lost.
· Sports Drinks- We discussed what activities are recommended for sports drink consumption. Activities lasting longer than 60 minutes (water is typically sufficient for activities <60 min), activity in hot/humid conditions, during intense workouts (interval workout), and finally as a post-workout drink.
· Pre-Competition/Workout Nutrition- Carbohydrates (crackers, pretzels, cereal, bread, etc.) are the best foods to consume prior to a workout/race, since they digest quicker than protein and fat.
· TAKE HOME MESSAGE FROM CAMP: Cross country runners do NOT need to “carb load” or go overboard on pasta the night before a race! X-C runners simply need to top-off their glycogen stores and so a meal that looks like the USDA’s MyPlate would be sufficient. I always tell my runners if you are still hungry later have a bed time snack, such as a small bowl of cereal, or crackers and cheese. Keep in mind, this MyPlate image is what your plate should look like every meal, especially as runners who need to follow a high carbohydrate diet.
· Post-Competition/Workout Nutrition- “Eating a snack/meal rich in carbohydrate after exercise will help you recover faster and refuel your muscles.” FACT! There is a special timeframe or “window” period to consume a carbohydrate rich snack, which is about 30 minutes after working out. During this time your muscles are better able to “take-up” glucose and store it as glycogen, which has been depleted after a workout. You will have much more energy going into practices and races that are later in the week if you are conscientious about eating something right after a workout! If the snack also has some protein, such as chocolate milk, yogurt, or a smoothie that’s even better to help your muscles repair!
After the lesson athletes broke up into groups and went over cross country/nutrition scenarios and answered questions.
Nutrition can be one of the simplest factors that you can control and change to help your performance! I was really proud of our cross country athletes this week; they all showed up to camp with a water bottle and carbohydrate snack (granola bar, banana, and cereal)!!
Good luck to all runners and coaches during this upcoming cross country season!
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