Discovered (finally) Running Nutrition

Starting around the middle of training week #3, I felt hot

in the morning and tired during the day, and my right jaw

hurt when chewing. (上火 in traditional Chinese medicine,



I believe.) My resting heart rate stayed flat (51 to 53)

and so I was not over-working the body. This year's flu

season passed and alergy was mild. As the symptoms

persisted, even fasting didn't fix the problem and I started

to blame caffeine.


I am not a heavy coffee drinker (about 12oz a day) but

nonetheless went through the 4th week without the beverage.

Withdrawal was worst on the second day. Then, I had three

cups during the weekend after running. They should but

didn't feel refreshing--so my problem was not simply coffee.


The following Mon, I had another cup and afterward felt so

horrible that I had to skip Tue's run.                                                                      

The same day, after much reflection, it finally dawned on me                                                

that I was not drinking enough water. Before every run, I                                                  

would usually have 12oz water but that was often it. I


didn't drink during the 8- or 9-mile weekend runs as I

believed they were not long enough. The problem might not be

as bad had I replenished afterwards. But what I often did

post-run was to read and write or go through Tim's math at

Starbucks while sipping a cup of joe. Coffee makes things


worse as it is diuretic. How could I be so smart!?

So in the past five days, I kept a detailed log of how much

fluid I drink throughout the day. And the results were                                                      

elevated energy levels, receding hotness, and decreasing                                                    

resting heart rate (from low 50s to high 40s, although this is still higher than the previous average of 45).


I also did two "sweat tests" as detailed in a RunnersWorld

article and decided that I needed about 3 to 4oz of water

every mile when the temperature is in the low 50s.

I learnt that I need to have electrolytes, carbs and                                                        

proteins, too, to keep the energy and prevent muscle loss                                                  


and dehydration. So from a nutrition perspective, my first

marathon four years ago looked like a joke: I didn't bring a

bottle and started drinking water at aid stations only after

the first 13 miles!

7grizzly 发表评论于
回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 : Thank you, 暖冬, for reading and your kind advices, all true. This incident has been helpful, just like many other "bad" things. I have started to write down what I drink in addition to what I eat.

There IS such a thing as "over-exercise" and Steve Maxwell first called my attention to it: if your resting heart rate is 5 beats higher than your average, you should take the day off. And I have been observing this rule.

One guy recorded his resting heart rate for one entire year and gained great insights out of the experience. http://www.workingmanfitness.com/2013/01/a-year-of-measuring-morning-pulse/ and I have been doing the same.
暖冬cool夏 发表评论于
I am glad you found the cure to your discomfort. Drinking enough water can rejuvenate your body in many ways. Plus sleep, which is just as important. I agree with what Grace said one time, over-exercise may not be good for the health. If you agree, you should avoid straining yourself but surrender to any signal from your body:)) Of course, I am a layman in this aspect, and I am only speaking off my instinct. Good luck and Take care!
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