I’ve decided to start running cross country/ distance. Nothing big, 1-5 miles at different meets. But I am not in shape right now. I need some help with diet and a good exercise regimen.
Diet -
Breakfast: I need something filling. I usually don’t eat breakfast, when I do its usually a bacon, egg, and cheese on a bagel sandwich. Any specific things I should eat (carbs, protein)?
Lunch: I usually just drink a juice or Gatorade for lunch. Again, any specifics?
Dinner: I used to eat lots of red meat (before the mad cow), now its a lot of fish and seafood, rice, noodle soups. Anything I should consentrate on eating?
In Between: I eat a lot of pizza, Wendy’s, Burger King, McDonalds. Everything super-sized. Lots of soda, at least 20 oz at every meal. Chinese Food. Lots of junk food. Chocolate. No candies, they’re bad for you.
Exercise -
Its very basic. One day a 6-10 mile course, the other sprinting till I’m dizzy. Weights once a week.
IANAMR, but can answer your questions about slow-twitch muscles. Running uses slow-twitch. Karate uses fast-twitch. I run 3-6 miles a day (6 most days, because, well, I’ve conditioned myself that I can’t watch anime without running and I just have to see the next episode…) without a problem.
Then I signed up for karate. I got OUT OF BREATH. Just doing these sissy kicks, and I’m not kicking fast or hard or anything. My God. I actually got OUT OF BREATH. When’s the last time that happened?
Answer: Running uses slow-twitch muscles. Karate uses fast-twitch muscles. If you’re a distance runner most likley you’ve never worked out those fast-twitch muscles at all. Also fast-twitch muscles don’t grow, which is why you don’t see many buff karate people.
So they’re 2 sets of seemingly unrelated muscles, slow twitch for endurance and fast-twitch for explosive strength/speed. All the muscles you use in distance running are slow-twitch.
Yeah. Dont do any of the above. Seriously. If you’re a highly active athlete, eating these things wont hurt you, but the certainly wont help either. These things are not fuel or recovery items. (Says the bicycle racer as he drinks his beer after a hard race this afternoon… :rolleyes: )
I’m really not much of a runner but a bicycle racer, and there is some food advice I could give you, but really, it’s personal. Eat well, but eat what you like, complex carbs, stuff that will give you long lasting energy without the blood sugar spikes. Anything more specific than that would be misguided advice.
If you’re running distance/cross-country, this is what you want. Your genetic makeup in this regard will basically define your ultimate potential as an endurance athlete or as a sprinter. At an amateur level though, I wouldn’t worry about it, you will adapt to perform better at those activities that you train for.
I don’t know enough about nutrition and running performance, but I’ll second the info already been given. I’ve read that eating potatoes and complex carbs provide for more energy which eventually (or indirectly) translates to better workouts. The last marathon I trained for I ate a lot of garbage food (fast food, etc., stuff with little nutritional value and a lot of fat). I still ran a good time, but I didn’t feel "good’ doing it. The idea to marathon training is to keep up your level of energy over a long period of time, at least at the amateur level (you can concentrate on speed workouts once you run a marathon without long breaks). With that in mind, you want to avoid foods that will cause the blood sugar spikes already mentioned. like having too much sugar or simple carbs. You want to eat stuff that will give you long sustaining energy, so plenty of fruits and vegetables. There are plenty of carb bars and GU (better than that Power Gel crap) to eat during the run, but I don’t suggest making it a part of your daily diet. You also want to eat more often in the day, and don’t skip breakfast. I’ve been told that if you’re going to eat unhealthy in any part of the day, breakfast should be your worst meal. Drink a lot of water because you’re going to need to keep hydrated. Also, work out more than once a week. Strengthbuilding will help you in any sport.