Running - Nutrition is a Main Ingredient

               If it was possible to take a pill to prevent hunger but still have essential nutrients, I would be taking that pill every day. I don’t enjoy food like some people do. Frankly, I feel like eating takes way too much time that could be spent doing something fun. However, over the course of half marathon training I have quickly realized nutrition is an essential ingredient in the recipe of running.

               Although I still do not enjoy eating as some people do, I value how much eating the right foods can do for you. For me, eating is done to keep myself on track for a good run. Olympic Marathoner Jeff Galloway agrees with my thoughts about eating in his book entitled “Marathon” by saying “The point of eating is to acquire the essential nutrients with a steady metabolism boost so that you can maintain a motivational level of blood sugar to do all of life’s activities” (Galloway 140). I think it is necessary to apply this concept to your life. The point of eating is to fill your body with helpful nutrients, not to fill your body with candy and carbonation. Applying this concept to my life was definitely not my biggest challenge simply because food is not something I care much about.  Don’t get me wrong though, I do love some good fries.

               Moving on to something slightly more challenging about nutrition which is timing of meals and size of meals. I would say that most of us are used to eating 3 meals a day and snacking throughout the day. However, this isn’t the best for digestive systems and metabolism rates. Galloway writes “It’s better to eat seven to nine small meals a day rather than two or three bigger ones. Try to make each meal consist mostly of complex carbohydrates balanced with some protein and a little fat” (Galloway 141). With school, following Galloway’s words is a little bit of a challenge since eating isn’t allowed in most classes. However, eating the right food is something that anyone can work on doing while also keeping in mind to graze throughout the day instead of devour a meal at the end of the day.

               Long distance runners eat and drink some things you may find very weird. This is what I thought until I was on mile 9 and still had 4.1 to go. After having a shot of Gu my opinion on Gu packets quickly changed. Gu is a brand that makes, well, Gu. It’s a hard thing to describe because it sounds quite strange. Gu is a pudding-like consistency and comes in many different flavors. On the package it is given the name of Energy Gel. It contains amino acids, sodium, and some flavors contain caffeine. They are meant to be opened up and poured down like some children eat Nerds. Gu packets help bring up your energy level in a quick manner. Energy gels should not be taken on short runs because they are unnecessary and also should not be taken too early during a long run because energy levels will plummet back down at the end of the run.

What are some foods or drinks that you consume that may not be the most beneficial to you? Would you consider taking them out of your diet to see how you can benefit from better foods?