Today I want to discuss the importance of nutrition when it comes to body composition and performance. There are many athletes that need to keep a narrow range of body composition for athletic success. Many individuals working out for performance benefits also have similar importance when it comes to nutrition. There are many nutritional strategies that athletes & individuals can use to keep there ideal body composition without comprising their performance. To find an ideal balance between body composition management, peak performance, and energy balance, they must follow a nutrition plan that matches their food intake to training output.
Being a competitive marathon runner, when it comes to my own nutrition and performance, I am very careful about the timing of my nutrients and the periodization of my nutrients along with the amount of calories I am taking in each day.
This is what my typical week looks like for my own nutrition & training output! 90 Mile Week (This Week for Example) - 2,100-2,500 calories average each day
Monday - Recovery Run - low carb/fasted in the morning pre run - post run - chocolate whey protein shake with a scoop of dextrose & coconut milk - the rest of the day high carb to fuel for my Threshold Run on Tuesday - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat
Tuesday - Threshold Run - 14 miles total with 11 miles at Threshold Pace - Chocolate whey protein shake with dextrose & water pre run (2 hours prior) - workout - post workout - Chocolate whey protein shake with 2 scoops of dextrose (1/2 shake right after workout & 1/2 shake 30 minutes after)
High Carb the rest of the day - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat
Wednesday - Easy Long Run - 12 miles - portioned meals through out the day - fat/protein/carb mix with each meal - still high carb day - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat
Thursday - Speed Run & Easy Run - Split Workout - Morning cliff bar or protein shake 2 hours prior to workout - post workout - Chocolate whey protein shake with 2 scoops of dextrose - mix of protein/fat/carb meals the rest of the day - 250-300 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 50-75 grams of fat
Friday - Easy Long Run 10-12 miles - regular meals through out the day - mix of protein/fats/carbs - low carb, high fat, and protein - 120-150 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 110-150 grams of fat
Saturday - Easy Long Run 10-12 miles - regular meals through out the day - mix of protein/fats/carbs - high/low carbs - since my long run on Sunday is more intense than my easy day runs, I tend to need a little more carbohydrate before these runs to fuel me for the entire workout. 150-200 grams of carbs, 130 grams protein, with under 100 grams of fat
Sunday - Long Run for the Week - 22 miles - Pre workout - protein shake &/or cliff bar (depending on my energy level) - workout - post workout - regular meals through out the day - lower carb - 120-150 grams of carbs, 130 grams of protein, 110-150 grams of fat
Give or take a little bit in some of these areas and this is about the nutrition plan I stick to! If your nutrition plan and training isn't properly put together, many emotional aliments can occur! This includes poor sleep, muscle soreness, appetite & GI disturbance, anxiety, irritability, depression, lowered libido, regular infections, flu-like symptoms, and no motivation to train. Each of these is associated with some type of over reaching or overtraining. Nutrition alone can't prevent this, but it definitely helps your body from reaching that point physically and mentally!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post or email me! Also check out my site - www.runwithmemeghan.com - it has my blog attached to it.
Happy Proper Performance Nutrition & Running :)
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