Crash course in carb-loading

By Shridhar Selvaraj

You need a lot of energy to cover marathon distances, and carbo-loading can help you race without hitting the wall.

Most runners know they should eat pasta, rice, potatoes or other high-carb foods before a half or full marathon. But many runners are far less clear on how many carbohydrates they should eat and when to start loading up.

Here’s what every runner needs to know about carbohydrates, so you can toe the line fully fuelled and ready to go.

Carbohydrate loading, commonly referred to as carb-loading or carbo-loading, is a strategy used by endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, to maximize the storage of glycogen (or energy) in the muscles. Carbohydrate loading is generally recommended for endurance events lasting longer than 90 minutes.

THE BASICS

Carbs are stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver. Glycogen is your body’s most easily accessible form of energy, but it’s not the only source, the second choice being fat. When you run out of glycogen during a race you hit “the wall”. Your body has to slow down as it turns fat into energy.

During a half or full marathon you burn both glycogen and fat. But the latter is not as efficient, which means your body has to work harder to convert it into fuel.

Proper carbo-loading – or filling your muscles to the brim with glycogen – won’t make you faster, but it will allow you to run your best and, if you race smartly, avoid the wall.

WHAT TO EAT?

When carbo-loading, you want to consume about three to five grams carbohydrates per pound of body weight. (This comes to a diet with about 60% of calories from carbohydrates). Divide your target grams of carbohydrates into three parts of the day (breakfast + snack; lunch + snack; dinner + snack).

Choose foods to hit your target! You can find carbohydrate info on food labels and www.fitday.com.

Steer clear of high-fat foods like creamy sauces, cheese, butter, and oils, as well as too much protein. Both nutrients fill you up faster than carbs and take longer to digest. Pick jam – not butter – for your toast, tomato sauce in lieu of alfredo sauce on your pasta, and frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream for dessert.

HOW MUCH TO EAT?

You should start carbo-loading two or three days before your race – at this point, 85 to 95 percent of your calories should come from carbs. Keep in mind that you’re most likely not eating many more calories per day than you were during the thick of your training – it’s just that a greater percentage of those calories are coming from carbs.

POINTS TO NOTE

- If you step on the scale while you’re carbo-loading, be prepared to see a number that’s at least four pounds more than your usual weight. The extra pounds mean you get a gold star for carbo-loading properly.

- With every gram of stored carbohydrate, you store an extra three grams of water, which means your body will be hydrated and fuelled as you start the race, ensuring you cross the finish feeling strong.

- When carbo-loading, you want to consume about three to five grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. (This comes to a diet with about 60% of calories from carbohydrates).

- For an even more precise formula runners can access endurancecalculator.com, which factors in variables including age, resting heart rate, VO2 max and predicted finishing time. Its very cool!