Nutrition for the Long Run

I’m sure that you’ve heard about it - Glycemic Index (GI). It’s typically an a term that diabetics would be familiar with, but probably a term that distance runners should also be familiar with.

Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale that rates carbohydrate-rich food by how much they raise blood glucose levels. Have I lost you yet? In simple terms, foods that have a high GI ranking will raise your blood sugar levels quickly, whereas a low GI will raise your blood sugar levels slowly. In runners terms, if your blood sugar levels rise quickly, you will have alot of energy for a short period of time and then it’s gone.

For a long run, you need your energy to last so it’s optimal for your blood sugar levels to raise slowly which in turn will provide your body with the fuel that it needs to complete the run.

By choosing low to medium GI foods (the lower the better), you also lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes plus control your appetite. Here are some examples of low GI foods:

• Breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran
• Breads with wholegrains, stone-ground flour, sour dough
• Fruit and vegetables
• Basmati or Doongara rice
• Pasta, noodles, quinoa
• Salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing

Typically, the longer you cook your food the higher the GI, so try your pasta “a la dente”. Try experiement with substituting out some of the high GI foods that you eat with lower GI food during your marathon training so that there will be no surprises on marathon day.

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