Water

The fourth and final primary nutrient is water. Although water does not provide any energy (or calories), the body requires large amounts of it in order to function properly.

The major function of water for distance runners is the regulation of the core temperature of the body. As warm-blooded animals, our bodies must remain around the same temperature at all times. If our core temperature rises or falls too much, significant damage can occur.

During running, the working muscles produce large amounts of heat which must be dissipated or the core temperature will rise dangerously high. To dissipate this heat, our bodies perspire, using large amounts of water.

Your goal as a distance runner should be to consistently hydrate yourself during both warm and cold weather so that you never become thirsty. By the time your thirst mechanism is activated, your body is already suffering from dehydration - hurting your performance and putting you at risk. You don’t have to drown yourself in liquids but just make hydration a regular part of your day.

It also appears that since most of the body’s chemical reactions occur in an aqueous environment, adequate water intake (but not too much) is essential for maximum performance.

Runner's Nutrition Calculator

The foundation of proper nutrition is obtaining the proper amount of calories (your daily caloric intake) as well as the correct proportions of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in your diet each day.

Researchers have developed several precise formulas that you can use to determine the specific amount of calories that your body requires as well as the proper proportions of each nutrient that you need.1

Incorporating these formulas, The Runner's Nutrition Calculator allows you to determine (1) the specific amount of calories that your body requires at rest (called your resting metabolic daily caloric need) and to maintain your current weight and training level (called the calories you burn each day), (3) the specific amounts of each of the primary nutrients needed each day (called your daily primary nutrient requirement) and (4) the amount of each sub-type of carbohydrate and fat needed daily (called your daily primary nutrient sub-type breakdown) and (5) the target daily caloric intake to achieve any weight loss goals you may have.

The Calculator yields accurate and individualized results because it’s based on your individual age, sex, height, weight, percent body fat and training level. Using your results, you will be able to closely monitor your diet to ensure that you are following the recommendations of exercise scientists and nutritionists. And, using our partner, Nutrax.com, you have a handy online resource for tracking and analyzing your diet.

Click HERE to launch the Runner's Nutrition Calculator. Simply input your information in each section then hit Calculate. The results are displayed in the area below the input area.

Reviewing Your Overall Dietary Analysis

Now that you have calculated your specific daily nutritional goals, you can perform your own dietary analysis to see how well your current diet compares to the recommendations set forth by exercise scientists and nutritionists.

Using this analysis, you will be able to change specific aspects of your diet (such as increasing the amount of complex carbohydrates or decreasing the amount of saturated fat) to improve your overall health and fitness, giving yourself the greatest chance at distance running success.

The first step in performing your analysis is to keep a thorough food record of all the food items eaten for three, five, or seven days. This record should include at least one normal weekday and one normal weekend day of meals.

The food record should include the following information on each food item: (1) the number of calories, (2) the amount of grams from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and (3) the amount of grams from simple and complex carbohydrates as well as saturated, poly-unsaturated, and mono-unsaturated fats.

From this record, you can calculate a daily average for each of these values. After completing your food record, tally up the total calories as well as the calories (or grams) from carbohydrates, fats and protein (include the relative sub-types). You can then compare this with your results from the calculator. Nutrax.com makes this all a lot easier as you can better track and monitor your dietary intake using their advanced nutritional software.

Summary

One of the most important factors in achieving top performance is consistently optimal nutrition. With an understanding of how the general nutritional guidelines should be adjusted for competitive distance runners, you can ensure that you are getting both the proper amounts and proportions of calories and primary nutrients.

Using the Runner's Nutritional Calculator and information in this article, you can determine your specific nutritional needs based on your age, sex, height, and weight. This information can be used to maximize your nutrition and gradually elevate your training and racing to a new level.

References:

1 Roza, A. M., et al., “The Harris Benedict Equation Reevaluated: Resting Energy Requirements and the Body Cell Mass,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1984, 40, July, pp. 168-182.

2 Howley, E.T., et al., Health/Fitness Instructors Handbook, Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, 1990, pp. 137-140.

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