Monday, October 10, 2011

Carbo Loading's Finish Line


When I was doing my nutrition training, over 10 years ago, sports nutrition went something like this: eat carbs and only carbs and before a race whatever that amount of carbs was multiply it by a factor of at least two.  Once I started counseling runners and triathletes and running marathons myself I realized that no diet, especially not one where peak performance was the goal, could revolve around one macronutrient. My sports nutrition clients eat a diet similar to my other clients with the exception theirs may be more finely tuned. You can’t eat a trough of pasta and feel good the next day (sorry if the photo misled you).

So in comes a client last week, she’s training for the New York marathon and very savvy when it comes to training foods. “Did you see the new Runner’s World she asked? I told her I hadn’t. “There’s an article on carbo-loading and a ridiculous photo with a mountain of pasta.” I told her I’d check it out. I was going on a trip in a few days and I always bring a stack of magazines to devour. The next day, the client emailed. She sent me the link to the article, minutes later she sent another email with the message “you didn’t get the lovely pasta shot, so I took a screen shot, attached!” I explained I was saving the article but I was now extremely curious.

Friday, I boarded our early morning flight to New Orleans. I flipped open Runner’s World and found  “Fill ‘Er Up. The article is love letter to the carb, specifically the white carb. It’s as imbalanced as Mount St. Pasta (pictured above). We’re told “most runners know they should eat pasta, rice, potatoes or other high-carb foods before a half or full marathon.” Immediately, I was thinking alone? What about omega 3’s for inflammation? Or vegetables for fluid and antioxidants? They’re clear though “carbs should make up 85 to 95 percent of your prerace meals.” Fruits, though high in carbs, are discouraged with the exception of bananas or peeled apples or pears. We’re warned other fruits may give you trouble. In the same paragraph the nutritionist quoted encourages her clients “to indulge in white bread and skinless while potatoes” since both are easily digested.  I’m reading and getting incensed while airborne. I’m thinking since skinless potatoes and wonder bread break down into sugar, why not make things even easier and crack open the Domino box for dinner?

Carbs are an important part of an athlete’s diet during training and pre-race. Baked potatoes (with the skin), sweet potatoes, brown rice, sushi, quinoa and soba noodles, gluten free pasta and oats are some examples my clients enjoy. They are mostly “brown carbs” or “good” carbs and though some are fibrous, it’s not as though I’m advocating 5-alarm chili. There’s also the question of portion.  In addition to the pasta picture, there’s an equally obscene stack of pancakes, caption “tall order”, and another nutritionist’s concern that we learn about carbohydrates “so you can toe the line fully fueled and ready to go.”  I don’t think most runners or Americans need an introduction to carbohydrates (we’ve met thanks) nor encouragement to mainline them. If pasta’s your prerace preference, that’s fine but some fish or chicken and even salad will not kill you, if you’ve trained with these foods. In fact, they will help.

The author makes the point that as you taper/run less in the days leading up to a race, glycogen (stored carbs) accumulates. To me, “carbo loading” (would someone explain what a “carbo” is?) happens naturally as you store more carbs (in the new millennium we dropped the “o”) when you’re burning fewer. Another good point made is that you don’t need to increase your calories, just the proportion of carbs, leading up to the race. But there’s an adjacent “good eats” sample day suggesting far from good foods such as bagels, sweetened yogurt, Gatorade, cookies, orange juice, Swedish Fish, chocolate milk oh and for some “easy to digest” fiber black beans and salsa. Now this day may put you in a diabetic coma or nauseate you but it will not make you perform better.

Though Runner’s World’s nutrition information can be a little dated, a few pages later there is a great recipe for Sweet Potato Muffins with ginger and whole-wheat flour from Mark Bittman. On page 46, Dr Weil suggests talks about fiber and anti-inflammatory foods. That made me feel a bit better, they had me worried we were back in the 90s for a minute.  Have you trained for any type of race? What is your pre-race meal? What do you do when you read nutrition information that seems off? How do you feel when you eat a boatload of pasta?


30 comments:

  1. I completely agree with you. "Carb" loading makes it sound like you need to binge on carbs before going on a run!
    I used to run cross country and we would have pasta night before a race but we we're also 15 years old with crazy metabolisms.
    If I run now (rare) I don't do anything different. Maybe have a banana before and a smoothie after but nothing out of the ordinary.
    To answer your question from my post -- I don't run much anymore because I took it to the extreme and lost my period due to low body fat. For me walking works just as well to keep me at a healthy weight plus it's relaxing!

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  2. I read the article yesterday and instantly thought how contrary it is to all of the good advice you have given me. For a magazine that bills itself on the cover as the "World's Leading Running Magazine," it is shocking how it could publish an article so far behind the science. It is unfortunate that RW would advocate eating so heavily before a race, particularly given the number of first time marathoners that are going to read this in advance of the NYC marathon in a few weeks. They're going to get to the starting line feeling nervous and heavy. And I wonder if it is going to cause them any "issues" (shall we call it) along the route.

    This year I switched my pre-long run meal from a bagel to Greek yogurt. It is easier to digest and I haven't noticed any difference in my performance.

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  3. I remember taking a sports nutrition class back in college, and there was a lot of talk about "carbo loading." And yes, it was a long time ago... :)

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  4. I have not trained for a major race yet but I always cringe when I read about runners carb-loading. I feel so gross whenever I eat large quantities of pasta. I feel sluggish and go into a total food coma. I doubt I'll be at my A-game at a race the following day.

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  5. Let me tell you what I know from experience: I.cannot.eat.and.run.

    There isn't a food that works nor are there enough hours prior to the event that works. A sensitive tummy has its own rules.

    I will spend this week (I race again Sunday) eating well. I'll put a stop to the fruit on Thursday, though. I saw the article and was surprised. Can't imagine how it got printed and I feel for the folks who take the advice.

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  6. The carb-loading thing is as confusing to me as when health magazines encourage people to drink chocolate milk as a gym-recovery mechanism. I don't know...isn't it full of sugar? How can that be healthy?

    Anyway, I'm not much a pasta person anymore. I used to be able to eat piles of it but a couple of bits and I'm done with it now. I'd much rather eat rice with tomato sauce on it - as gross as that may sound.

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  7. Kind of scary that kind of " heavy on the white carbs" info is in Runners World! Longest races I ever did in my prime running days were Half-Marathons. I too could eat very little before the race (nerves I guess), but I would have a banana, piece of plain toast and coffee. The night before, maybe some pasta, but nothing crazy. These days if I do a longer workout, I'll go for some carbs and protein afterwards, and I also like tart cherry juice. It really does seem to help decrease post workout muscle pain!

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  8. EA- it would have been refreshing to hear of something as interesting as cherry juice (I'm a fan for recovery too). Ameena, you nailed it, why do something unhealthy as you do something as "healthy" as train for an endurance race. Contradictions abound.

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  9. I completely agree with you about carb loading. If I were to carb load it would be for a long, endurance type event like a half marathon. And it wouldn't consist of me gorging on just a plate of white carbs the night before, it would be a combination of brown carbs several days leading up to the event. My husband, though I tell him this all the time, doesn't care. He just wants a big plate of pasta and bread before any of his Army PT tests and I think it has to be more mental than anything. Also, as competitive swimmers, we both grew up with Friday night pasta nights before for a swim meet so I also think it may be habit that he chooses to eat this way before an event.

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  10. Maria you raise a great point and that's "habit". I advocate sticking with the food you've trained with. When we see clients we start experimenting with enough time to find the best combination of foods. For most, it's some combination of carbs/protein and vegetables. I find many new marathoners make the mistake the more is better and that can backfire even with the right food. Quantity and quality are important for performance.

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  11. I find too many runners try to use marathon training as a means to lose weight. What often happens, sadly, is several pounds of weight gain, I think perhaps due to a combination of carb-load misunderstandings and mis-calculated dreams of massive calorie expenditure. "I'll just run it off tomorrow". Right. I myself stick to what I trained with, as you mentioned above.

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  12. Agreed regarding weight and running. I think the all white carbs all the time is a sure way to gain weight while marathon training.

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  13. Agreed any sort of carbo loading particularly white carbs makes me feel lazy and want to go to sleep. I generally stick to fruit, can't eat much before a run. I'm annoyed that runners world would have such an old school article like this, it's just any unspecific health mag.

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  14. I eat oatmeal with a little agave, milk, and chia seeds before a long run. Then again, I eat this for breakfast almost every day. If I'm doing a particularly long run or race, I'll add a bit more into the mix - maybe a banana or a few whole grain crackers with a little almond butter. And coffee - always. During a long run, I swear by Honey Stinger gels. They're the only gels that actually taste good (much less don't make me gag). Lauren, would you consider doing a post on what runners should be eating - before, during and after a long run? I know I could use some help!

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  15. Beth, sounds as though you have a good routine. The "anti-gag" foods are always key. And you said something I agree with- you eat what you usually eat...if you're diet has fiber and whole grains and fruit in it, eating it isn't a shock on race day. Yes, some people cannot tolerate as much fiber but steering clear of any nutrients makes no sense.

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  16. When training for my half,for the most part, I ate the same way...healthy foods that is. I did drink gatorade or shot bloks during long runs and the race, but my pb and banana on whole wheat toast was my favorite pre-run breakfast.

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  17. Kristen the during race options are hard and limited I too consume gatorade simply because I don't like a fuel belt. It's just crazy that you train so hard and then consume junk (we all do). Great pre-run bfast.

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  18. The night before a long run or race I will always have carbs with lean protein. I ensure the food is also very bland. The last thing I need is spicy food on a run. For breakfast I will have half of a bagel or two pieces of toast with nut butter. This is just what I've found works for my body!

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  19. I chose Thai food as my "carb load" because we were away from home and decided to order take-out. I got rice, veggies and chicken in an oyster sauce. It would have been better with brown rice but I dealt with the white (its been so long since I had white rice). I didn't have any problems with it :)

    I find pasta makes me bloated on the best of days and I couldn't even imagine eating a lot of it and then running the next day! My pre-race morning meal was oatmeal, chia seeds, blueberries and maple syrup. During my training I would bring honey on my long runs because I don't like the taste of gels or chews, but at the half-marathon I didn't want to carry anything so I had a course-provided gel about half-way through. My honey is better by far but I couldn't be picky :)

    Post-race? I may have splurged a bit on the junk but believe me I lived to regret it :)

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  20. Your thai food sounds way better than pasta and if your stomach said ok, then that's the key.I hear you about carrying things during a race, glad it worked and congrats again.

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  21. I read that article and cringed. Totally full of CARBO-crap!

    If I were to train for a race and needed added energy I would add more carbs to my existing diet only as needed. i.e, if I found myself always hungry or getting headaches or running out of steam, I would look at my pre-training meals and make tweaks.

    NONE of those tweaks would include WHITE anything! NO! How can we be in 2011 and encourage white bread or white pasta? Seriously. How?

    What about chia seeds? Didn't the Aztecs eat those before wandering around for days on end. Didn't it give them stamina? And it has lots of good stuff in it! What about smoothies balanced with maca and berries and protein powder? What about gluten-free oatmeal with pumpkin? What about HEALTHY carbs?

    Whoever gave that article the green light should be reprimanded. For being an idiot.

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  22. It may be that we need to add carbs above what we feel we need for marathons and long races; however, I don't understand the encouragement to avoid all nutrients in order to do this. Chia, mentioned a few times, is a great pre run food. This article would have to believe their fat and fiber content is undesirable and to go for candy instead.

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  23. I somehow just deleted my comment, so hopefully I can remember what I said!

    I too was shocked by the recommendations from RW. I was surprised by their recommendations despite the fact that I am not an RD. It just seemed like an out dated article that was recommending we eat crap before a marathon.

    I love Chia seeds before a long run!

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  24. In the name of carbs and "easy digestion" there's an horrible day of food, suggestion to eat white bread and no nod to better ways to fuel up or use food to improve performance.

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  25. I'm late to this because I had just read the RW article that morning and was...incensed. It doesn't help that only a few pages before there was an article called "Weird Eats" (pg 18 if you are interested) with a subtitle "Midrace fuel stops worth slowing down for". While I can see how pickle juice might work mid-marathon, I just can't believe that a Philly Cheesesteak (Pat's or Gino's) is a good idea at mile 5 of the Philly Marathon.

    Regarding the "carb-up" article - it's asinine and apparently, RW had to cut back on staff because obviously, no one bothered to do any fact checking. No quinoa? No polenta? No chia? No beans? God forbid we consume any fiber pre-race. Or at any other time in our diets either.

    Even more amusing, RW ran similar articles in 2008 - http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--12845-0,00.html and again in 2010, except this time pasta carbonara makes the list as a "good pre-race meal" http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/nutrition/60-second-guide-carb-loading/3961.html

    Yes, pasta carbonara, made with pancetta, butter and egg (some people throw cream and parmesan cheese into the mix) makes an EXCELLENT pre-race dinner. I mean, can you imagine the disaster that would occur if one were to eat quinoa and fish? Or beans with greens?

    Apparently, RW's knowledge base around sports nutrition and food science hasn't changed over the last few years. Scary.

    But there is hope - there are other people who agree with Foodtrainers' philosophy:
    LiveStrong.com gives much better advice in a post they did in August http://www.livestrong.com/article/211337-good-carbs-for-runners/

    And Well And Good NYC comes out and just says - you don't need to carbo-load http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2011/10/05/true-or-false-marathoners-can-eat-whatever-they-want/

    I have no doubt that we will see similar reactions in RW's letters to the editor in the next issue.

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  26. Ha, great comment Jen. Love the research. Foodtrainers gives better advice on the topic, I'll tell you that much. I will check our your other links and I think we should all tell RW what we think and expect from them. I emailed them and added a link to this post, no response yet.

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  27. Many of those commenting have mentioned running half marathons. I can run a half without changing my diet at all. The difference between 13 miles and 26 miles are not even comparable and all comments should be disregarded. Storing carbs is important for mile 20 thru 26 when your body has depleted most of it's sources for energy. This article is not talking about making a lifestyle change. We all know that this type of eating is not healthy Long term. As far as feeling lethargic on race day...no way. Your adrenaline won' allow it.

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  28. I will grab a Runner's World for my flight next week so I can read your letter to them! Just curious, were the "nutritionists" quoted in this article RDs?

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  29. Why you don't try a low carb diet! its an awesome option for you!

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