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Caryn Zinn
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 For most of you who have attempted the "Off-road series" you will know that these runs are nothing like your standard "running event". On these runs, the challenging terrain can mean that the "often-taken-for-granted" drink station may not in fact feature on the course, leaving you to fend for yourself, nutritionally.
If you were to be one of the unlucky ones to succumb to injury while slipping in the mud or twisting an ankle on uneven surfaces, or even getting lost, it may take a bit of time for help to arrive. What this means is that you need to take control, nutritionally, of your race, otherwise you may find yourself being very tired, hungry and possibly dehydrated. Now we're not talking about strapping on the gourmet banquet, but rather just enough fluid / food to last the distance and some extra convenient bits and pieces in case you don't actually make the distance!!
A camelback or fluid belt is the way to go to cover your fluid needs. Per hour of intense exercise, you need to drink approximately 750ml of fluid. So if you plan on taking 2 hours to complete an event, make sure you have enough to cover these two hours, and perhaps even a little bit extra. 1.75-2 litres should cover you. If you are not accustomed to drinking while running, then practice this in your training sessions. |
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The other aspect of your nutritional preparation includes carbohydrate, then main exercise fuel of muscles. The concept is quite straightforward: If you run out of carbohydrate during an event (which can occur in a hard 45 minute run) then you simply run out of energy.
For someone who is trying to optimize performance or to simply have a good, comfortable run, carrying your own carbohydrate is essential. For each hour of exercise you should consume, along with your fluid (should your fluid of choice be water):
- 1 powerbar
- OR 1-2 gels
- OR squeezies
- OR A muesli bar and a few jelly snakes (These do cause sticky pocket problems in the heat)
To make it even simpler you can fill up your camelback / fuel belt with a sportsdrink such as leppin, and you would have covered both your fluid and carbohydrate needs at the same time.
It is wise to throw in a couple more goodies in addition to what will cover you for the duration of the race, just in case!! Camelbaks are great as they have lots of pockets to stick bars / gels and the mini moro bars in. While you don't need extra protein or fat alongside carbohydrate during the run, the extra calories (energy) will certainly come in handy if you face the unexpected and take a lot longer to finish than originally planned.
So take this tip from an 'off-road-running sports dietitian': GET ORGANISED!!! Train your nutrition to find out what works for you. Experiment with gels / gus / bars / drinks in your training sessions and on the event day, don't always rely on what's provided .. it may all be gone by the time you get there. Bring your own and be prepared! . Remember. it's no walk in the park! |
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