Sports nutrition and fueling properly before, during and
after a grueling athletic event is vital to improved performance and to staying
healthy. Endurance athletes are advised
to practice proper pre, during and post race fueling to allow them to endure
the competition. It is recommended by
the AND/ACSM position statement that the athlete consume 1-4 grams of mostly
simple CHO/kgBW 1-4 hours prior to the race.
This allows for the liver energy stores to be topped off after a long
night of sleep, which will translate to longer sustained bouts of faster
running and help to avoid burning mostly fat for fuel (AKA hitting the
wall). Also, 30-60 grams/hour during the
race should be consumed at a solution of ideally 7% for best absorption. This will continue a nice flow of glucose
into the bloodstream to be used for energy so that the stored energy (glycogen)
can be preserved, or if it has been depleted, the glucose from the external
source can be used in place of the stored energy. The 7% solution is the most proven
concentration to be digested readily enough so that it can be used quick and
efficiently and without stomach aches.
Finally, about 25 grams of high quality protein mixed with 1 -1.5g/kgBW
grams of good complex/simple carbohydrates should be consumed within the first 1-2 hours after the
race and again for every 4-6 hours during the day. At this time, your body is filling
it’s energy stores back up as well as synthesizing new enzymes for growth and
repairing the muscle fibers that propelled you forward during the event (ACSM). I kept
these performance nutrition guidelines in mind during my first race of the
summer.
On May 3rd, I competed in a race that challenged
the mind and the body. The beautifully
rugged North Face Bear Mountain footrace took athletes down winding trails and
up and down steep rocky mountainside cliffs towards the finish line 50 miles
away (race course map below). I passed
streams and old ghost towns nestled in the crevice of the Hudson Highlands as I
ran my way around and through many of the surrounding mountains. I ran on rugged terrain that General
Clinton’s troops backpacked through in hopes of victory during the
Revolutionary War. I saw deer and
occasionally the small snake or two, and heard wood peckers in the horizon as I
trusted my winter training.
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| Race Course Map |
For months prior, the training was an intense physical and
mental grind, running 90 – 118 miles per week for several weeks with hills and
long, grinding distance runs that would take me upstate and into New
Jersey. Many days I would run, go to
class, and then run again further than before, attempting to build my bodies
fitness and also form a mental callous in order to attentively focus my way
through the miles. As I trained, I would
mix up the variety of foods that I consumed, always calculating the proper
amounts in each bottle and in my hydration pack. I consistently stuck with specific sports food (Power Bar
perform sports drink, Power Bar gels, and and clif bars) that would have less
fat, and more CHO at the 7% ratio. I
also preferred maltodextrin over other sugars because this mix of simple sugars
is less sweet and more palatable, at least for me. I continually trained my stomach on 60 grams
per hour of CHO with the same foods until I felt comfortable consuming them during
my runs. This is another example of how
consistency in training is very important for the body to learn to adapt.
Because I am competitive, my goal was to earn top ten, but
in reality I didn't know what to expect in my first attempt at 50 miles on trails. I figured that this goal was realistic,
because I have run times approaching 2:40 for the marathon and 54 minutes for
the 10 mile distance, but 50 miles takes a different type of endurance. I kept it simple and just thought of this day
as another day of running, except I got to do it in the most peaceful, awe
inspiring place in the Northeast alongside other athletes with the same
mentality, ambition and excitement that I felt.
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| The Start |
When we had entered the first tunnel for the trail marked
“1777” I was in the lead pack of runners and we were moving at a comfortable
pace, but since this was my first race in the mountains at this distance, I did
not know what to expect and just wanted to run my own race and stay within
myself. That being said, I immediately
began to hydrate and consume my PowerBar Perform sports drink mix as was
planned.
We soon began to make our way through the Doodletown
Reservoir, which is an old abandoned village in the middle of the southern end
of Bear Mountain. Already it was
extremely muddy and wet, and trudging uphill would soon be a battle of strength
and skill. From the Start line to the first
checkpoint called “Anthony Wayne” all the runners around me were feeling good,
and by overhearing the conversations, I began to find out that many of the top
guys in this race lived and trained in Quebec City. As soon as we made it to “Anthony Wayne,” the
sun was beginning to peer over the horizon and the headlamps were clicked
off. Now it was time to see how long I
could hang with them. I would soon find
out that this was not your typical cross country race.
We progressed as a pack of about 8 men up the road to the
next trail head that began our first rocky, technical ascent upwards. I continued to monitor my intake and had
consumed about half of my bottle, or 38 grams of carbohydrates. As I took my next sip at about mile 8, the
pack descended upon a rock wall heading straight down leading to the next piece
of the trail. This was where I lost the
lead pack and realized this was a completely different ballgame. As the top guys bounded down the wall, I
slowly and strategically planned my next step so as not to bust my leg this
early in the race.
I finally made my way
down the wall and knew that it was time to run my own race, since I was still
learning. I continued on to the next
checkpoint called “Silvermine” which was located next to one of the large lakes
on the course. As I progressed, the new
challenge was finding my way through the dense, wet rocky craighills while I
was alone, but at least I was able to enjoy a beautiful view of Lake Silvermine
to my right to inspire me for the long road ahead.
I soon met a fellow athlete from Quebec named Eric who helped
to pull me through the most confusing parts of the race through checkpoints 3
and 4, called “Arden Valley” and “Skannatatti.”
It was a huge help to have him there so that 2 sets of eyes could scour
the forest for the next orange ribbon that marked the course. At this point my bottle was finished and I
consumed my first two gels (250 grams of carbs in about 3.5 hours) which gave
me a much needed boost until I arrived at “Camp Lanowa” at around mile 22. This
section comprised of a large loop that went south and then veered back up to
the camp site again. I took advantage of
restocking myself with more water and electrolyte solution and some Clif bars,
as now it was time to constantly focus on my intake and trust my intuition and
knowledge on how much I should be consuming.
Thankfully, I had trained through the winter with many of the same
things I was putting into my body for fuel, so that I knew how my stomach would
react.
I progressed on to one of the wettest spots of the race around the “Camp Lanowa” loop which took the racers around Breakneck Pond and Breakneck Mountain. I ran alongside another racer named Olin, who is a fellow student at Columbia studying at SIPA. It was good to find someone who I could chat with about the race thus far to take my mind off of the fact that it was going to start getting a bit tougher as we progressed past the marathon distance and into the more technical portions heading back north. Since there were heavy rains during the days prior to the race, there were several spots during this woody loop that had to be completed by trudging/running through water up to our knees. After the wettest spots, I consumed 1 gel and a mini Clif bar and consciously kept taking sips of my calorie and electrolyte solution in my bottle. After one more climb up a gravel road, we made it back to the “Camp Lanowa” checkpoint at mile 27.9 for a few swigs of water and a high five or two from some of the spectators at the station. From this point on, we were heading back north towards the Hudson.
I progressed on to one of the wettest spots of the race around the “Camp Lanowa” loop which took the racers around Breakneck Pond and Breakneck Mountain. I ran alongside another racer named Olin, who is a fellow student at Columbia studying at SIPA. It was good to find someone who I could chat with about the race thus far to take my mind off of the fact that it was going to start getting a bit tougher as we progressed past the marathon distance and into the more technical portions heading back north. Since there were heavy rains during the days prior to the race, there were several spots during this woody loop that had to be completed by trudging/running through water up to our knees. After the wettest spots, I consumed 1 gel and a mini Clif bar and consciously kept taking sips of my calorie and electrolyte solution in my bottle. After one more climb up a gravel road, we made it back to the “Camp Lanowa” checkpoint at mile 27.9 for a few swigs of water and a high five or two from some of the spectators at the station. From this point on, we were heading back north towards the Hudson.
Next piece of the adventure was onwards towards “Tiorati,”
through more rock, mud and creeks, with a rare but welcome climb up a paved
road with another athlete from New Jersey who was struggling with stomach
cramps. He eventually fell back as
cyclists went by cheering us on until I made a sharp turn upwards, alone, and
into the next trail that ended at “Owl Lake” which was checkpoint #8 at mile
37.5. I knew I only had about 2.5 miles
to go to get the big clearing at “Anthony Wayne” and hear some loud cheering to
boost my morale, as at this point I was going through my first big low point. I knew that carbohydrate intake can help
boost your mood, and since I needed some more calories, I consumed another gel
and a mini Clif bar and took a few swigs of water as I continued to run along,
finally making it to Anthony Wayne and taking a couple minutes to let the
calories digest while receiving a few pointers from the aid station crew. Additionally, I also began to consume some hot
chicken broth which provided a warm soothing umami taste along with salt and a
bit of protein. Before I left “Anthony
Wayne,” I filled my bottle full of ¾ Clif Bar electrolyte drink and ¼ water
solution which would give me about 60 grams/hour of carbohydrate and around 240
calories. I would continue to ask for
this solution at each checkpoint until the end.
With my bottle full and my muscles ready, I skipped on past “Anthony
Wayne” and the cheering supporters up through the parking lot and past the
campground back into the woods, knowing little about the experiences I would
soon have!
Now it was time to really climb! The ridges loomed ahead, and I had to use not
only my feet, but my hands to get up those monsters. As I was creeping out of my low point and
feeling strong again, I was also creeping back into the denser more rocky
portions of the course. However, I was
beginning to maintain a more consistent running pace. At this point I was about 17th
place, but was completely ok with that.
I began to remind myself that this was unlike any race I had ever
experienced, and wanted to just finish strong and run my own race. I took a couple large sips of
calorie/electrolyte drink before I began to head straight up at an intense
incline that was not at all conducive to running, so I put my hands on my knees
and trudged up with an iron will. As
soon as I had traversed straight up the side of this part of the mountain for about
300 yards or so, the grassy dirt and mud began to disappear and the large
boulders began to take their place. I
soon realized it was time to begin climbing with hands and feet to get to the
top of the rocky ridge. After the climb,
as I boosted myself to the top, I stood up, looked around and realized the next
portion of the course was along a series of these massive glacial like boulders
that formed a gray rocky path, like a natural running track paving the way and leading
me into the distance. I took a moment to
look around, and could see nothing but blue sky, mountains, and even a bit of
the river ahead. I was on top of the
world! I enjoyed this magnificent view
for a bit as I began to run along these smooth rocky ridges on the top of the
Hudson Highlands until I made it to the intense, quad burning descent back down
to the swamp below.
The descent was the complete opposite of what I had just
experienced. The rocks transformed into
grass and soft dirt and the grasses, craggly roots and old trees soon began to
appear again. I did everything I could
not to tumble head over heels down the side of this piece of the mountain with
my throbbing legs, but quickly made my way down into the swampy ravine below;
ready to get muddy yet again.
Finally, I made it the “Queensboro” checkpoint at mile 44.6. Before I left this small tent in the middle
of the woods, I consumed a couple cooked russet potato squares with some salt
and refilled my bottle once again. From
here until the last checkpoint, I did not do much running because I just didn't
know how I could. The trail ahead was a
descent that was jumbled with tree roots and thousands of pointy rocks that
were not easily stepped on without losing balance. To add to this, there was a stream of water
going downhill as well that made it slippery and forced my momentum
forward. I scrambled downhill this time,
carefully stepping so as not to slip at this point in the race. After about a mile and a half of this, I
began to pick up a jog at around mile 46 at the last really steep uphill of the
course. I continually was sipping on my sports
drink to get calories and ate another gel pack as I ascended, and was quickly passed
by a couple of the 50 mile racers whom caught me by surprise, one of which was
the athlete who fell back because of stomach cramps as we approached
“Tiorati.” He must have pulled through
his low point and gained some new inspiration, which inspired me as well, so
much that I began to run once again and made it to the last checkpoint called “1777,”
which is nestled in a ravine along the same path that those tough, rugged
soldiers from the revolutionary war had trudged along back in the 18th
century. All this inspiration and the
fact that I knew the finish line was a just over 2 miles ahead gave me a new
hope to finish this race under 9 hours!
Now it was time to finish this 50 mile adventure! I took a few more swigs of sports drink and
began to run at what felt like a good 7:30 pace back through that same
Doodletown reservoir that I had run in the dark that very morning with the lead
pack. I continued on another slight
uphill, maintaining a good pace and feeling strong both mentally and
physically. I bounded a few more rocks,
splashed through a few more creeks, and slopped in a bit more mud as I exited
the tunnel that I had entered a little over 8 hours ago. As I entered that tunnel, I felt strong
because I had planned my nutrition strategy and understood the way that the
athlete’s body uses the calories for fuel.
I used that fuel to progress onto the grassy clearing towards a nice
view of the finish line and a roar of people watching all the racers finish
their final yards of this 50 mile trek through the mountains. I felt strong, and I finished stronger! I finished my first very technical 50 mile
mountain race in 8 hours and 50 minutes in 22nd place out of a
strong field of 111 endurance athletes.
Soon after the finish, I met up with a good friend of mine
and my parents in that same little village site constructed at the base of the
mountain where that morning I had warmed myself by the fireside with all the
other athletes, nervous and excited as to what was to come. I knew that I needed to refuel to help to
repair my torn body, so I grabbed a meal consisting of both simple and complex
carbs, protein and some fat to restock my energy to start the recovery process. This meal consisted of a sausage on a whole
wheat bun, a cup of pasta salad with Italian dressing and an oatmeal cookie. I met back up with some of the gentleman who
I had endured this challenge with, and became instant friends as we recapped our
races and some of the challenges and successes along the way.
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| Taking a sigh of relief! |
Since food is the fuel our bodies run on for energy,
nutrition was one of the most, if not the most important aspect of the day to
successfully finish strong. As was the
case with the training, I similarly had to fuel my body with the right foods
before, during, and then after the event.
Before an endurance event such as this, I knew that I had to be strict
about fueling my body correctly. I
needed mostly simple carbohydrates, with very little fat or protein about 2
hours before. The simple carbohydrates would be able to be digested quickly and
in my muscles ready for action by the time I began my race. I did just that with a good breakfast of
cereal, skim milk and a banana with some water.
During the race, I was aiming to consume easily utilized simple sugars
for fuel in the range of the guidelines for longer endurance events, which is around
40-90 grams per hour. After the race, I
wanted to get in a meal within 30 minutes to an hour of finishing that
consisted of good simple and complex carbs, good quality protein (about 25
grams or so), and some healthy fats to replace everything that I had lost and
help to repair my broken down body. Foods
as fuel is extremely important for all athletes, so set high goals and achieve
them with the right fuel to power you through!
Finally, a special thanks to my family and friends who supported me then and everyday throughout all my pursuits! I love you guys! Cant wait to see what's in the horizon!
"Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something....You got a dream, protect it. You want something, GO GET IT, PERIOD."
-Will Smith, "Pursuit of Happyness"
Finally, a special thanks to my family and friends who supported me then and everyday throughout all my pursuits! I love you guys! Cant wait to see what's in the horizon!
"Don't ever let someone tell you that you can't do something....You got a dream, protect it. You want something, GO GET IT, PERIOD."
-Will Smith, "Pursuit of Happyness"
Rodriguez N.R.,
Mountain 50 Mile Race seems quite thrilling and heart taking one. You are the rider, so i can understand your feelings. You are fully boost up and charged for the race. Good luck
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