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E: info@beyond-nutrition.co.ukThe Elite Performer's Toolkit
- The Elite Performer's Toolkit brings together psychology, nutrition and fitness, helping individuals and teams to perform at their peak, in and out of the workplace, consistently and under pressure.
Category Archives: Running
The Great Carbohydrate Loading Myth
The Myth: All you need to do is have an enormous bowl of pasta the night before the race. The Background: Firstly, carbohydrate loading is only necessary where exercise lasts longer than about 90-minutes, which clearly includes the marathon distance. The purpose of carbohydrate loading is to promote maximum storage of muscle glycogen, the stored fuel that the muscles use during exercise. ‘The wall’ happens when glycogen stores become depleted, so carbohydrate loading is one of the strategies that will help avoid this undesirable outcome – others include doing plenty of long runs in training to train muscles to use … Continue reading
Posted in Endurance, myths, Running
Tagged carbohydrate, loading, marathon, myth, running
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Mind over Marathon – Sport Psychology Tips for Running 26.2
By Guest blogger Zoe Chamberlain from Beyond Sport Psychology. Effective marathon training requires a dedicated, committed and disciplined approach to a programme lasting several months. During this time sacrifices need to be made, physical fatigue increases and there are likely to be highs and lows throughout the training period. Identifying this from the start will help prepare you for the long road ahead and means you can be better equipped mentally to cope with the reality of marathon training and racing. Here are some training and race day mental strategies to help you achieve your marathon goals: During Training … Continue reading
Posted in Endurance, Psychology, Running
Tagged Endurance, marathon, mental, psychology, running
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Burn 41% More Fat – Possibly
A sports drink that burns 41% more fat sounds amazing, too good to be true, surely? Well, there’s certainly nothing wrong with the science, but as is often the case in the sports supplement domain, the same perhaps cannot be said for the marketing blurb. So here’s what’s probably going on. One study being quoted by a particular company was a double-blind crossover study, which sounds good, and is indeed a robust design. However, the drink in question was a low calorie, sugar-free drink flavoured with sweeteners and this was compared to another commercially available sports drink containing 6.6% carbohydrate. … Continue reading
Nutrition Basics for Runners: Nutrient Timing
Before Training or Racing Try and focus on high carbohydrate foods, such as cereals, dried fruit, bread, bagels, pasta, rice and potatoes. Allow enough time between eating and training so as to avoid feeling nauseous during the session. This time varies from person to person, and depends on the types for food eaten, but 2 to 3 hours is typical, although a small carbohydrate snack such as a banana or carbohydrate gel could be consumed as close as 30 before exercise. Each person is different, so find what works for you. Ideally, the meal prior to exercise will contain 2 … Continue reading
Nutrition Basics for the Endurance Athlete
Are you running on empty? Many runners take up the sport because it is a great way to lose weight. However, if you’re planning a marathon, and are getting into some hard training, it is important to understand your daily calorie requirements and ensure that you are consuming enough calories to meet your extra training needs. There’s nothing that will hurt your training more than insufficient calories (apart from inappropriate calories – but that’s for later). If you use a heart rate monitor, this will often tell you exactly how many calories you’ve burned in any given session. If not, … Continue reading
It’s Been Emotional
On 31st May 2009, at about 12.15pm, I crossed the finish line of the Edinburgh Marathon, my second in five weeks, and third of my short running career. For some reason I felt like crying. I didn’t, but I felt like it. Why did I feel so emotional? I’d crossed the line of a marathon twice before and been fine. Why did I feel that way this time? I’ve contemplated this in the few days that have passed since that moment and I’m still not sure, but what I have realised is that a marathon is an amazing thing. It … Continue reading
