By Christopher Hunt
For most runners, especially cross country runners, the summer is a time for preparation. High mileage, more strengthening, simply more work to be ready for the upcoming season. But sometimes runners forget about recovery.
Recovery doesn’t just mean taking a rest day or icing your legs after a work out.
Coaches talk about the “little things” when it comes to recovery but some of those little things, like eating right, make a big difference.
“It’s all about preventing the system from breaking down,” said Lisa Dorfman, R.D., the director of Sports Medicine and Nutrition at the University of Miami and the author of a new book, “Performance for Football: How Diet Can Provide the Competitive Edge.
An interview with Dorfman, known as The Running Nutritionist, produced some helpful and simple tips on how to eat yourself to a faster time:
- When you eat is almost just as important as what you eat. Athletes should refuel within 30 minutes of any workout session. Now that doesn’t mean that as soon as the run is over that you need to head straight to the local deli or jet home for a bowl of pasta. It means to be prepared. Bring a granola bar or an energy bar to practice. “It’s almost like you have to go out of your way to have food or beverages readily available,” Dorfman says.
- “If you can’t see it, don’t eat it,” she says. Stay away from food that is heavily breaded, like fried chicken. Go for foods with colors in them and if you’re not into vegetables try adding some lettuce to your sandwich or a salad to your meal. Whole grains, nuts, soy, fish, anything that is rich with Omega 3 sources can help guard against inflammation.
- Snacking: It’s not just for late nights. Runners typically binge-eat after workouts or runs. You may not be hungry as soon as the run is over but an hour later you want to eat everything that’s not nailed down. “It’s one way to get all your calories but it’s not the best,” Dorfman says.
A fruit smoothie, yogurt with fruit, a healthy cereal, raisins or an orange are examples of some quick post-exercise snacks. But breaking down your large meals into smaller snacks throughout the day is a good way to achieve your optimal calorie intake without completely cleaning out the refrigerator in one sitting. Bananas, celery with peanut butter, cereal with milk and crackers are also good examples of healthy ways to snack.
- Plan against the bellyache. One of the worst things about summer base training is double sessions. Even if your morning run hasn’t wiped you out before your afternoon session, putting the wrong foods in your system might leave you with an unwanted rumbling in your tummy during your second workout. If you have a second workout for the day it’s not the best time to have stir-fry or a burrito for lunch. Basically stay away from anything heavy, spicy or creamy so steer clear of the New England clam chowder and things of that sort. Try “cooler” foods; things that aren’t processed or high in fat. Not all calories are good.
- The Catch with Carbs. When talking about food carbohydrates come up a lot with runners, hence the ever-popular pasta dinner the night before race day. But we must remember that all carbs aren’t good carbs. Complex carbs, like pasta, rice, breads (preferably whole wheat) and veggies work themselves more slowly into your system so it’s better for your pre-workout/pre-race routine. Simple carbs like fruits, dried fruits, sports bar and drinks, chocolate milk and yogurt get into the muscles more quickly. Simple carbs are more like to be sweet. So yes, candy, ice cream and cookies contain carbohydrates but don’t quite count as recovery foods. Sorry.