Recharging at a distance: what to eat during the race?

Very often, in the pre-start cluster, you can hear runners talking about who took what with them on the distance. All kinds of gels, bars and even friends with a jar of sweet lemonade closer to the finish line - all means are good in the process. Of course, 5 or 10 km can easily be done dry without recharging on the way. But what if your goal is a half marathon or a marathon? We figure out what types of snacks exist and which of them we recommend you take with you.

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Why is long-distance nutrition important?

• It's no secret that during a long run, the loss of fluid in the body is continuous. In a marathon, fluid loss can be up to 5 liters. Such loss of moisture is critical for the body, they lead to a sharp decrease in performance and inevitable fatigue.

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• When running with sweat, the human body loses a huge amount of salt. These are mainly sodium, potassium and magnesium salts. Sodium is involved in the regulation of fluid metabolism in the body.

Conclusion: It will be extremely difficult for an inexperienced runner to run a half marathon (and even more so a marathon) only on the reserves of his body.

Distance

• All researchers agree that in addition to ordinary water, at a long distance, you need to use special sports drinks - isotonic drinks containing carbohydrates and electrolytes. They are the ones that most effectively replenish the loss of fluid in the body.
• Poorly chewed food, especially coarse food, can injure the esophagus. Keep this in mind when choosing an energy bar or fruit for your snack. Snacking exclusively at food points is not suitable for professionals who run at very high speeds and, as a result, do not have time to chew their food on the run.

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What can I bring with me?

• Isotonic. Electrolyte solutions are an ideal remedy for emergency recovery after intense physical exertion. They provide replenishment not only for fluid loss, but also carbohydrates and minerals.

• Energy Gel. A synthetic glucose derivative made from chemicals to maintain energy in ultra-long racinglong distances. The world's first energy gel was developed in the mid 80's by Dr. Tim Noakes, a physiologist based in Cape Town, and Bruce Fordis. For easier overcoming of the marathon, and, more importantly, for longer distances: ultramarathons of 50-100 km, ultra-trails, 12-hour and daily running, an energy gel was developed. The gels contain caffeine, taurine, sugar, extracts of vitamins C, E and fructose. Plus fixers and flavor enhancers (eg banana, apple). It tastes like a very sweet dense jelly-like liquid. When consumed, it is recommended to drink plenty of water.

It's important: to train your body using gels during training. If consumed for the first time, without accustoming the body to them, they can cause nausea, vomiting and withdrawal from the race.

• Energy Bar. These are some of the most widely available nutritional supplements for runners and triathletes as a sports nutritional supplement. Our stomach needs food as close to normal as possible in order to function well. Of the entire spectrum of sports nutrition, bars are closest to normal food.

In a nutshell - if not gels and bars from a specialty store, then what?

If you are going to run your first half marathon, we recommend drinking water at each point (2-3 small sips) and taking two halves of a banana with you for the distance.

At the finish

After you cross the finish line, remember to recover ... Within an hour after the end of intense exertion, you can drink restorative isotonic drinks (yes, the very ones that helped us store energy at a distance) containing amino acids. This will optimize the post-exercise energy recovery process.

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Remember that half marathon and marathon are amazingly ambitious goals. Get ready and minimize your risks at a distance, choose the right food, consult with professionals and then,