Many factors can influence sporting performance: training, quality of sleep, climatic conditions or even effort management, and… nutrition. So much so that “digestive disorders are among the main causes of reduced performance, or even abandonment, in endurance sports,” says Marie Chavanes, nutritionist for the sports nutrition brand, Nutripure. This is why, a few days before setting foot on the starting line of the Paris marathon, this Sunday, April 12, 20 Minutes shares essential tips to avoid running out of energy.
What is the carbohydrate recharge before races?
You wouldn’t imagine driving for more than 3 or 4 hours without having enough gas; ideally, on that day you would fill up. Well, in endurance, it’s the same! Food is the athlete’s fuel. For long and demanding efforts like the Ironman or the marathon, “the body risks lacking energy if energy intake is insufficient or poorly adapted”.
Carbohydrate replenishment is therefore necessary since it allows you to “refuel” by increasing the body’s energy reserves. “These reserves are stored in the form of glycogen (sugar) in the muscles and in the liver, and constitute an essential source of energy during long and sustained efforts (in parallel with lipids, depending on the level of intensity),” explains the nutritionist.
How to recharge your carbohydrate correctly?
Concretely, carbohydrate reloading consists of increasing the proportion of carbohydrates in the diet in the days preceding the competition, “generally over a period of 48 to 72 hours”, assures Marie Chavanes. “The objective is to maximize glycogen reserves before the start in order to optimize energy availability and delay the onset of fatigue on race day,” explains the nutritionist.
In practice, this strategy results in a greater consumption of foods rich in carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, sweet potatoes, bread, compotes, rice pudding, honey or even bananas. At the same time, “it is essential to ensure sufficient hydration, because the storage of glycogen is accompanied by water retention: to store 1 gram of glycogen, the body mobilizes approximately 2.7 grams of water,” emphasizes Marie Chavanes.
For example, “increasing the starchy foods on the plate by a third is not bad,” advises sports dietician Nouchka Simic in a post on her social networks. The latter recommends in particular favoring sweeter desserts, such as rice pudding.
We might be tempted to eat whatever we want. But be careful: the goal is not to eat more calories, but more carbohydrates. Carbohydrate loading is not a cheat meal! Certain foods should be avoided in order to limit digestive discomfort and problems. The sports dietician cites, for example, fats, even if they are healthy, because they are more difficult to digest, as well as fiber, which is also slow to digest. Choose foods that you know and are used to.
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