I had the wonderful opportunity to do a guest post for the gorgeous Meloncauliflower while she’s away in paradise with her boyfriend! If you have any questions about carb loading feel free to email me or drop a comment! I’ll hopefully have Bo post our favorite pasta recipe later today.
Happy Memorial Day weekend! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend with lots of sunshine, summer excitement, outdoor activity, and oh yes a beer or two! 🙂 If you haven’t been to our blog, A Healthier, Happier Bear, my fiance and I focus on our work towards living a happier, healthier life together in New York City! Since next weekend many of our favorite ladies in the blog world will be running half marathons and marathons, I thought I would do a quick post on the ins and outs of carb loading.
What is Carb Loading? Carb loading can be defined as the act of consuming large amounts of carbohydrates to increase glycogen storage in your body to provide extra energy during a physically demanding exercise, such as a marathon.
When should I start Carb Loading? In the case of a marathon, carb loading is a must during the week of the marathon, particularly in the final three days before race day. Our bodies have the capability of storing large amounts of glycogen which is converted from consumed carbohydrates. By consuming more and exercising less (your taper period), your body is able to store more glycogen. In the case of a half marathon, it is normally recommended that your carb load the day before the marathon.
So I can eat bowls and bowls of pasta right? No, the most beneficial carbohydrate is complex carbohydrate. Complex carbohydrates are the most beneficial for your body and include such foods as potatoes, yams, beans, peas, wheat bread, bananas, macaroni, spaghetti, cereal, raisins, apples, bagels, syrup, brown rice, corn, carrots, and root vegetables. Mix a variety of carbs into your diet to create a nice balance. Make sure you don’t experiment with foods during the week before the marathon or half marathon. The last thing you want is stomach problems! For example, during carb loading you may have a more carb laden day by having a bagel and banana for breakfast, apple for snack, homemade brown rice with vegetables and tofu for lunch, and then include starchy vegetables such as corn/peas/yams with your dinner. Be sure that you carb load not FAT LOAD!
Should I avoid protein the day before the race? NO!! Your body needs a great deal of protein on a daily bais and therefore you should eat a samll amount of low-fat protein at each meal. Some great proteins include eggs, yogurt, turkey, beans, and lentils. Once again, ensure that you don’t experiment with your protein choices.
Will carbo-loading make me fat? It is normal to gain 1-3 lbs the week of carb loading for a marathon and .5-1 lbs when carb loading for a half but this is due in part to the taper week. But don’t panic! This weight gain is good; it reflects water weight and indicates you have done a good job of fueling your muscles. For every ounce of carb stored in your body, you store almost three ounces water. Should I eat the most carbs at lunch before the race or dinner? New York City Marathon Queen Grete Waitz once said she never ate a very big meal the night before a marathon, as it usually would give her trouble the next day. Depending on how sensitive your stomach is, this may be a great idea. You can always enjoy a large pasta lunch and this will then give the food plenty of time to move through the system. Bo and I normally have a pasta dinner the night before and having a more carb focused lunch than normal. But, we never deviate from our standard pre-race dinner of fresh pasta, a light homemade tomato sauce, and a protein. We once made the bad decision of trying italian sausage the night before the Philadelphia Half Marathon. Needless to say it made for a difficult race because we were searching for portapotties! Remember that you’re always better off eating a little bit much than too little the day before! Don’t overstuff yourself though! You can also experiment throughout your training by introducing different carb meals in before long runs.
How much water do I need? Be sure to drink more water than normal. You should also abstain from too much wine and alchohol as they will keep you from being at peak performance level. You want to get to the point where you are using the bathroom every 2-4 hours but make sure it doesn’t become clear. You don’t want to overhydrate because your body can only absorb so much fluid.
