Page 12 - Nov_13

T
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endurance

athletes share
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et
their secrets to p
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to
o
fueling to Go the C

distance

By Kristin Fletcher

THE HIGH SCHOOL cross-country “Burning fat for fuel is a goal,”
runners David Herr coaches can get away Evans said. “The issue is that when the

with pre-race fueling on hot dogs and ta- body runs out of glycogen (AKA carbs)
cos. Herr tries to keep them from doing it also stops burning fat for fuel.”
weird things like that, he said, but their When glycogen levels dip danger-
youthful stomachs tend not to rebel too ously low, the body must rely primarily

strongly during their 5K races.
on fat, and that is when athletes bonk,
“They have to be reminded to drink hit the wall, blow up, as Herr put it. The
water and eat lunch,” he said.
legs become heavy and weak, and muscle
Herr has to give his fueling much coordination declines. The mental side
more thought. A 2:40 marathoner and effects—the brain relies on glycogen to

the course record holder at the Mount function—include loss of motivation,
Pisgah 50K trail race (3:40.11), Herr said confusion, and even hallucinations.
even he does not have it all figured out.
Pushing past that point can be fatal.
“Every race can be different,” he “I’ve had races where I had to drop

said. “I can still blow up.”
out or should’ve dropped out,” Herr
There are general nutritional rules said. “The big thing is to fuel early; don’t
endurance athletes follow to perform wait until it’s too late. Often times it gets
their best over the long haul. Hydration is to a point where you don’t want to take Donna Smyth, who finished the 2013 Pisgah David Herr, pictured winning the half-mara-
Mountain Trail Race in 5:51:14
thon in Jaffrey, New Hampshire this year.
crucial. Muscles need enough glycogen— anything.”
glucose the body stores for later use—to Many marathons, century rides,
continue to work. Athletes experiment on and ultras provide food at water stops,
long training rides or runs to figure out and Herr will have a sandwich or salty
what they need and when, and then make soup over the course of a 50-mile race.

the necessary adjustments on race day He said he has a hard time digesting the
based on the weather and how they feel.
gels, so limits his intake of those.
Donna Smyth of Vernon knows the Like Smyth, he has trained him-
advice well enough to teach it. She has self to carry a handheld water bottle for

given lectures on the subject to master his trail runs, but goes without during
level cross-country skiers and teaches in a road marathon, grabbing water or a
the physical education program at Keene sports drink as he flies through aid sta-
State College. Through her work and her tions.
colleagues at Keene, the 10-time veteran
“It basically goes all over me,” he
of the Pisgah 50K has devised her own said. “On trail races and stuff, often
system for managing her nutrition.
times I’ll stop. It’s a little different atmo-
For Smyth, real food does not work. sphere.”
Fred Ross, founder of New Hampshire's Pisgah Trail Race.
What does? Hammer gel (a brand of con- “It basically goes all over me,” he
Medicine recommends two hours prior (to Health Nutrition in Williston. “When
centrated carbohydrates) 15 minutes pri- said. “On trail races and stuff, often
or to an event, then fueling with it and the times I’ll stop. It’s a little different atmo- an event) drinking 16 ounces; 20 minutes blood is flowing to working muscles the
energy drink Accelerade during events, sphere.”
prior drinking 8–12 ounces, and during digestive system shuts down and anything
along with water at the aid stations.
For all their fueling differences, drinking 13–23 ounces per hour depend- in the GI tract looks for a way out ... and
ing on body size, heat and humidity.”
fast! By focusing on keeping food simple
Her individual choices stand in con- Herr and Smyth like to start the day of a
trast to those even within her own family. big race with similar breakfasts: peanut Smyth has also found taking S! and easy to digest in the day and meal
Smyth’s husband, Fred Ross, who started butter on a bagel.
Caps, an electrolyte supplement, help her leading up to an event this discomfort can
the Pisgah Mountain Trail Race in 1985 Add fruit and yogurt for Herr, avoid muscle cramps.
be prevented.
and runs it every year, prefers GU and Ga- a cup and a half of coffee for Smyth. That kind of precise knowledge is “Many of our athletes use ginger

torade, and her daughter, Morgan Smyth, Whatever works.
hard won. It comes after much trial-and- chews or crystallized ginger before or
fueled herself on Powerade and flat Coke error, in which punishment for mistakes during an event,” she continued. “Ginger
during her cross-country skiing career.
is severe intestinal or mental distress or a is great for easing digestive distress.”
“All runners have to find out what combination of both.
Building up the miles during training for
Kristin Fletcher is a former sports editor for “Many athletes experience diges- endurance events also helps the body use
liquid and what kind of food [they] can the St. Albans Messenger and Barre-Montpe-
tolerate in large amounts,” Donna Smyth lier Times Argus, tive distress in long endurance events,” its fuel—both carbohydrates and fat—
said. “The American College of Sports
and now works in commu- said Kimberly Evans, co-owner of Whole
more efficiently.
nications for Re-Bop Records.

12 vtsPorts.com
November 2013