Why Long Runs and Long Rides are important and how to get the most from them

The PDF below is a followup to this earlier article by Dr Keith Livingstone about how to get the most benefit from your training.  Long Runs and Long Rides

To learn more about Dr Keith, the Author of HIT, please go here.

Here is Dr Keith Livingstones book on Lydiards principles.

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About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Astaxanthin - Nature's Anti-Ageing Miracle Food

"Astaxanthin has been referred to as nature's sunscreen, but it does a whole lot more to keep people looking good by promoting beauty and radiant health from the inside out. It improves fine lines and wrinkles, skin elasticity and moisture content while reducing inflammation and cell damage that leads to premature aging. Astaxanthin keeps people feeling good too. Recent research has documented its ability to increase cellular energy, protect against and treat cancer, protect against damage to the brain and nervous system, and halt the progression of complications from diabetes. In fact, astaxanthin may truly be considered a miracle nutrient."
For the full article, please go here.
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Gary comments:
I have been experimenting with Lifestream Astazan since the beginning of the year to obtain some kind of practical handle on the quite amazing claims by manufacturers of products that contain astaxanthin and also by the research that has been published to date. Here is the page that outlines the product atributes of Lifestream Astazan.

The two areas that I have been looking into is its claimed sun protection qualities and improvement in physical endurance and recovery. What I can report is very positive:

Sun Protection Over the late summer months while taking Lifestream Astazan daily, I was definitely able to use less sunscreen while running and cycling without suffering any sunburn. I can also report that my sun damaged skin has continue to improve since 2008 when I shifted my diet away from low fat to one relatively high in essential fatty acids. I feel that the astaxanthin has helped continue that trend to good skin health, despite advacning age.

Endurance and Recovery
Over summer, I competed almost weekly in a 5km running race series. This gave me a testbed against which to assess any dietary changes. What I can report is a definite improvement in performance just one week into daily astaxanthin. What was most surprising was the sense of near instant recovery upon crossing the finish line, depsite sprinting to the finish. This was noted as well during two multisports races in which my brothers and I won the over 40's (We are all over 50yrs old btw), setting course records on both occasions.

Astaxanthin has many health claims, including being beneficial for reducing skin ageing, redusing secondary damage associated with diabetes, reducing inflammation, boosting the inmmune system, fighting cancer, protecting the nervous system, overcoming chronic fatigue and depression and more. If you are seeking a boost in athletic performance or overcoming a chronic health issue, it may be well worth your while experimenting with astaxanthin.

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Lifestream AstaZan Health Benefits

Sun Protection

Lifestream AstaZan™ has the remarkable ability to help limit sunburn and help feed and support the skin in its defences against external damage from ultraviolet radiation (UVR). It is a systemic sunscreen active throughout the body that strengthens the skins natural defence system during exposure to UVR. Chronic sun damage and sunburn - especially in the first couple of decades of life - can result in prematurely dry, wrinkled skin and the possibility of skin disease in later life.

Sunburn can damage skin cells (proteins, lipids or even DNA), increasing our risk of visible skin damage and long term complications. In defence our body utilizes an array of antioxidants to disarm the free radicals. Unfortunately under the severe stress of UVR exposure these antioxidant resources can be rapidly depleted.

Clinical Study

A clinical evaluation¹ of the active component in Lifestream AstaZan™ showed the ability to provide sunscreen protection. The study involved healthy subjects with fair to average skin tones. Each subject was individually exposed to UV light to form a baseline that caused minimal skin reddening. Subjects then consumed the active component in Lifestream AstaZan™ and their skin sensitivity to UV light was re-tested. In conclusion, the active component in Lifestream AstaZan™ significantly increased the amount of ultraviolet light energy required to produce skin reddening, the first stage of sunburn.

How does it work?

It is believed that Astaxanthin complements and participates in the body’s own antioxidant defence system and thereby helps to prevent skin damage. Scientists believe Lifestream AstaZan™ works by helping to preserve and enhance the protective effects of substances such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, beta carotene, superoxide dismutase and catalase at the skins structure. These effects (in combination or separately) may reduce the acute inflammation reaction of the skin and tissue just below the skin that follows excessive exposure to UV radiation, which leads to sunburn and damage.

Warning: This product is not a sunscreen or sunburn protectant and does not have a sunburn factor. Do not use this product without adequate sun protection such as sunscreen, clothing protection etc.

Reference:

1. Clinical Evaluation the potential of an Antioxidant Supplement to alter Photobiological Responsiveness in Humans, Consumer Product Testing Co. Fairfield New Jersey. S01 – 0244. April 2001.

POTENT ANTIOXIDANT

Lifestream AstaZan™ has very powerful antioxidant benefits.

The active extract in Lifestream AstaZan™ (astaxanthin), is a natural red component of a fresh-water plant like Spirulina, but offers much stronger antioxidant activity against free radicals, pollutants and damaging substances. Astaxanthin is similar to beta-carotene but a slight difference in structure results in a radical difference in biological activity. Lifestream AstaZan™ is stronger than natural antioxidants like beta-carotene and up to 100 times stronger than Vitamin E as an antioxidant1.

The unique structural aspects allow it to pass the "blood brain barrier", meaning it can deliver antioxidant activity benefits not only through the blood stream to the cells of the skin, muscles and organs but also directly to the brain, eyes and nervous system. Lifestream AstaZan™ is active throughout the entire body - a far-reaching and potent antioxidant that also helps recycle other antioxidants like Vitamin E, beta carotene, lycopene and glutathione – switching them back “on” and prolonging their functional life.

Research

At the institute for Bio-organic Research, Osaka, Japan, a prominent researcher and his team found that the antioxidant activities of astaxanthin were approximately 10 times stronger than other carotenoids (those studied included beta carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin). Even more impressive, astaxanthin was rated as being100 times more powerful than Vitamin E 1. In other tests astaxanthin was rated as being up to 1000 times more powerful in terms of protecting lipid peroxidation than Vitamin E2 .

Is it a natural antioxidant?

Yes. The active component in Lifestream AstaZan™ has been produced naturally for many thousands of years and is very different from the synthetic variety.

Lifestream AstaZan™ provides esterified astaxanthin, which means it is more stable. Lifestream AstaZan™ is specifically formulated to provide other lipid soluble components and this formulation maximises absorption and health benefits.

Just ONE Lifestream AstaZan™ capsule provides the recommended daily dose of astaxanthin, which is equivalent to 800g of Atlantic salmon!

Reference:

1-2 Miki, Wiataru. Biological functions and activities of animal carotenoids. Pure & Applied Chem., Vol 63, No1, pp 141-146, 1991. Printed in Great Britain, 1991 IUPAC. Tso, M.O.M., and T.-T. Lam. 1996. Method of retarding and ameliorating central nervous system and eye damage. U.S. Patent #5527533.

HELPS RECOVERY TIME AFTER EXERCISE

In both trained athletes and those exercising for general fitness and/or long term health benefits, there is always concern about muscle recovery after exercise.

Lifestream AstaZan™ will help recovery time after exercise and will assist with recovery time by taking nutrition and special rare plant pigments to the muscles and joints where they are needed most.

How it does work?

The active component in Lifestream AstaZan™ appears to assist muscle function by reducing free radical damage during heavy exercise, thus allowing muscles to use more oxygen efficiently and recover quickly. During strenuous exercise free radicals can cause skeletal damage, muscle damage and lipid peroxidation as well as contributing to the loss of calcium within cells after strenuous exercise. Current research recommends the use of dietary antioxidants to assist the process and help with muscle recovery.

The superb physical feats of salmon

Perhaps the most vigorous feat in the animal world is the instinctive migration up raging rivers by salmon. Salmon accumulate the astaxanthin (the active component in Lifestream AstaZan™), in their muscles in preparation for this huge and very taxing journey which can cover thousands of miles. Mother Nature chose astaxanthin to protect their bodies from oxidative stress during this extremely traumatic and aerobic migratory event.

Exercise recovery studies and results

In a double blind placebo controlled study on¹ fitness and strength and endurance, physiological test parameters were monitored. There was a significant difference in the group consuming Astaxanthin. The marked improvement in strength and endurance could not be explained by simple lactic acid tolerance or increase in muscle mass since this did not occur.

At the University of Memphis a double blind, placebo controlled study² measured the effects of Astaxanthin on volunteers during the 48 hours following intense exercise. In this case leg lifting was measured as an indication of the ability of Astaxanthin to help recovery time after strenuous exercise. The Astaxanthin supplemented group did not experience the muscular fatigue after the strenuous exercise, as compared to the placebo group.

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High fat diets are beneficial for endurance performance

"I have just found a study of runners and performance on high fat diets.

http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/19/3/345
A Perspective on Fat Intake in Athletes David R. Pendergast, EdD, FACN, John J. Leddy, MD and Jaya T. Venkatraman, PhD

Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 19, No. 3, 345-350 (2000)

I'm really excited to see that the slow twitch muscle people (I mean people with higher percentage of slow twitch to fast) did really well on diets from 32-55% fat as far as their performance goes. The more I have been thinking about this whole carbo loading nonsense, the less sense it makes to me, even as the running community continues to advocate it along with a very low fat diet. So I'm going to keep a food journal as well as a training one as I prepare for my first half marathon race this autumn eating high fat (by that I mean highest percentage of daily calories from coming from fat). We shall see.

"Exercise training is generally associated with an increase in maximal aerobic power and endurance [3]. It is also generally agreed that the maximal potential for aerobic power and endurance is set genetically [3]. Any examination of the effects of dietary fat intake has to be considered in light of potential training effects. In studies of 25 male and female middle-aged endurance runners, with a long history of running, Vo2max did not significantly improve while running 40 to 50 miles per week for six months [44].

This same group of runners, when put on a high-fat diet, had a 3% to 8% increase in Vo2max (not significant) without a significant change in the peak heart rate observed in the max Vo2 test [47]. In a study on young elite endurance runners, a high-fat diet compared with a low-fat diet significantly increased Vo2max 8% to 12%, without a significant increase in the peak heart rate during the Vo2max test [35]. It should be noted that the diets in these two studies [35,43] were not randomized and cardiac output was not measured, so further work in this area is needed. Future work may also focus on the role of body fat distribution and the percentage of slow twitch oxidative muscle fibers in determining fat oxidation and endurance performance.

"Muscle fiber composition is important, as the potential for increased fat oxidation applies to slow twitch oxidative fiber metabolism. Thus, the higher the percentage of these fibers, the greater the potential benefits from the high-fat diet. It has recently been shown that experienced male runners (n=6, age=35±5 years), training 35 to 65 miles per week, consuming high dietary fat for one month (42%) had significantly increased in the volume density of total lipid in the muscle, without significant changes in the volume density of total mitochondria or total body weight and percent body fat [48].

Many athletes consume low calorie and low fat diets as a mechanism to reduce both fat intake and body weight [23,28]. Low caloric and/or fat intake diets may result in low levels of intramuscular fat stores that compromise performance."
Deanna
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Gary Moller comments:
While this is a controversial topic, I believe the fat free message that is currently the mantra of so many experts is a recipe for ill health. I was once in favour of the low fat diet, as all sports nutritionists seemed to be and most still are.
The drive to consume processed carbohydrates is now commercially driven by the food industry that makes billions worldwide through the sale of cheap carbohydrate foods and drinks derived from sources such as corn syrup that is then dollied up and on-sold at many times its actual cost. Low fat dairy is great for the dairy industry which strips the goodness out of the milk - sells us the milk water (while calling it milk) and then selling us the goodness as super-priced super foods (whey, creatine, colostrum etc) or as fortified milk water, such as Anlene. I would prefer real milk thanks - but where can you get it nowadays? Have public health officials have been seduced by industry propaganda and have they now adopted this fat-free mantra as their own, closing the shutters to good sense in the process?
While I do not have a problem with anybody making a profit, I do worry that athletes and the health conscious are being led down the wrong path. My take is this: Research that validates the benefits of carbohydrate-soaked diets is hardly ever short of funding as well as the publicity of their findings. Research that is to the contrary may have funding difficulties and any findings are likely to be buried, never to be published in the mass media including the sport magasines. We see similar patterns with chocolate and coffee. Of drugs for conditions like high blood pressure we hear little about the alternatives.
The study referred to in this article may be one of these that are buried. As young athletes, growing up in the late 1960's and early 1970's, we all trained the Lydiard Way, even if we did not realise it. The bread and butter part of the week was the weekend when we typically ran a short race like a lung-burning 3 mile cross-country and then ran a steady 2-3 hours through the Tokoroa bush on the Sunday morning on little more than a slice of toast with honey. Then we ravenously devoured the Sunday Roast!
Lydiard trained athletes were dominant back then and now I understand why. It has a lot to do with training the body to make best use of its fat reserves while conserving precious muscle glycogen which is needed for that withering home straight sprint. The intense racing on the Saturday depleted our muscle glycogen which takes 2-3 days to fully restore. Then we ran steady state less than a dozen hours later for a couple of hours or three, relying almost entirely on our fat reserves. We then packed in a rich supply of fat, protein and carbohydrate in the form of the Sunday roast and pudding. Do this for 12 weeks on the trot, Lydiard style, and you not only produce an athlete with the most completely developed aerobic setup; but also one with the most efficient fat metabolism. Lydiard always said that his athletes go faster as they work their way through the heats and semis, saving their best for the finals, while the opposition get progressively slower.
What Lydiard observed may be explained in part by the Lydiard trained athlete naturally conserving his or her muscle glycogen during competition. Without ample glycogen, the ability to run at pace, or to sprint is seriously compromised. Although Peter Snell was never the fastest sprinter in the fields, he consistently displayed the most withering finish. So did athletes like the Great miler - John Walker.
Nowadays, I have gone back to what I used to do: I run and cycle in training without food, ingesting plain water only. I have been doing this for the last couple of years. While it took three to four months for my body to adapt, it has been well worth the trouble. I am back to running and riding at my best which has been wonderful because I should be slowing with age. Instead, I am back to getting faster and doing this on less training than ever. While I have been doing several other things to keep the body ticking over properly, the fat/carbo thing is a most important part of the good health mix.
When doing intense competition that lasts more than about two hours, such as an extended mountain bike race, I might use a sugary electrolyte replacement like Balance Restore (wwwGaryMoller.com); but most certainly not during lower-intensity training and recreational rides. The sugar shot is reserved for the high intensity, extended races. It works and it fits with this JACN study.
If you are doing relatively low intensity exercise that goes on for hours, such as a long hike, you are probably better served having a traditional farmer's breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs, sausages and baked beans on toast - plus a plate or two of porridge and a couple of cups of tea than having just a feed of nutritionally devoid pasta or bread and then relying on a sports drink to get you through.
As the JACN study indicates, performance is very much to do with calories consumed and there is no better source of calories than fat! When I worked on the farms of Putaruru, the day began at 4am milking the cows, followed by a big feed at 8am and then we worked steadily through the day doing hard labour before milking again at 3pm. That big breakfast is what got us through the day. More Calories In = More Calories Out.
Fat is essential for health and performance for more reasons than just plain calories: fat in the diet is essential for the supply and absorption of the fat soluble vitamins - E, D, A and K. Even if you supplement with vitamins, you still need fat to be healthy. Fat in the form of cholesterol provides the building blocks for the construction of hormones, like testosterone which men and women need to be strong and virile (A good reason for avoiding impotence-inducing statins). Cholesterol makes your cells robust and water proof.
Of course, there are fats and there are fats and one should be emphasising the consumption of healthy fats - but that is another article. In the meantime, avoid any kind of fat that is processed, like the hydrogenated ones that you find in the cheap cooking oils, margarines and cookies.

Advice sought about diet, vitamins and sports drinks for the 100km Oxfam Trail Walker

Hi Gary,
My name is "G" ..... I am competing in an event next year in April. The oxfam 100km trailwalker. I am planning to run it in a reasonable time.
Currently I can run over 30km with no hassles and averaging 60-70 km a week. This morning I tried mixing up my training by doing some stair work in the bush, it felt great. I got the idea from your advance training schedule off the oxfam website, training basics.
I wanted to ask some questions about Diet, Multi Vitamins and training sports drinks.
Firstly my diet is ok but not fantastic. I am currently eating 1/2 cup of rolled oats with half a banana and yoghurt with raisins sprinkled on top for Breakfast every day.
For lunch it is a mixture of either left over dinner (White Rice veges sometimes meat.)
Dinner generally always some dark green vege and carrots with either meat or beans or lentils etc.
Water intake is good, early in the morning after I get up I am consuming about 2 glasses before my morning training session. I normally take one glass of Leppin sports drink 5-10 minutes before I go out to exercise any time between 5.30am and 7am and 1 glass when I get back (20 grams per 250 mls of water).
Bowel movements good, normally go straight away after I get up in the morning, sometimes twice.
Just started drinking Keifer which is soured milk to help with good bacteria in the stomach. My wife has been using the keifer grains for 2 years.
I have a wheat intolerance and I find it I have too much Wheat and Dairy my eczema plays up.
I am taking two Omega 3 capsules at night and two evening primrose caps. I'm also taking a Calcium supplement (Coral C) for bone blood and nerve health and a Multi Vitamin called CAA (distributed by Health house). I have found the evening primrose to make a difference in my skin.
I have a friend who is in Usana Health sciences who has just given me 2 containers (1 is Multi Minerals and the other is Anti Oxidants) What would your advice be with taking Usana as oppose to CAA or any other Multi on the market. Usana have high claims that their product is made to Pharmaceutical standard.
I would like to eat a diet that is not through the roof money wise but still provides the essentials I need to train at a high level week in week out. Any suggestions?
I'm also using Leppin Sports Drink (Enduro Booster) which has helped incredibly with my performance and recovery. Any suggestions about changing this or staying on it?
Also if you have any suggestions on training guides. I have looked at the one on oxfam and still need a bit more guidance. I am keen to build more strength in the coming months and enjoy the challenge of a varied training schedule.
Thanks for your time
Regards
"G"
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Gary Moller responds:
Your diet appears to be basically, quite good; but even the best can always be a little better!

For my opinion on multi-level marketing schemes, including those that sell vitamins, please read my articles here. To continue to train as well as you are, I would do more to boost the general nutrient intake of your diet. This should include rich sources of minerals and antioxidants and more quality protein after a training session. You can get these through my recipe for the Super Smoothie, the beef bone broth and the home made muesli. You can find all of these by going to the Recipes pages of this website and by doing keyword searches for terms like "Super Smoothie". While some supplementation may be beneficial, you should be able to get most of your requirements from your meals that are enriched with nutrients. How you manage this is explained in the dozens of articles about nutrition on this site.

If you are developing eczema when eating wheat products and if you are also finding that the condition is improved by taking Omega 3 products, it is possible that you do not have a wheat intolerance. You may, instead, have a chronic Omega 3 to Omega 6 imbalance. Many processed foods, including those with wheat, such as crackers and bread, are made with oils that are high in Omega 6. You may find that wheat products are fine if they are home made using oils like olive oil and fats like pure New Zealand butter. I recommend that you explore this possibility and include a course of supplementing with Waihi Bush Flax Boost. Flax Boost is designed for people with a chronic Omega 3 to Omega 6 imbalance. Use Flax boost daily for as long as is necessary to bring about a lasting improvement in your skin, then switch to Waihi Bush Flax Balance or Flax Original. Apply the flax oil twice daily to the affected areas of skin as a moisturiser. These oils, including fish oil and evening primrose oil, are available from http://www.myotec.co.nz/

I am not that keen on the sports drinks. Having a dentist and a dental therapist in the family, I am regularly reminded of the enormous damage sweet drinks are doing to teeth. Sports drinks are as bad as any when it comes to tooth decay and gum disease. In my opinion, fresh water is always best when running and you can get your running calories from natural sources derived from a basic diet that is highly nutritious.

In order to run long and hard day after day, you need calories - heaps of them. The more you eat, the faster and longer you can run in training and in racing. If you find that you must take a sweet drink to get through a long training run, this may be an indication that your diet just does not supply enough recovery calories between training sessions. Sources of calories must include plenty of healthy fats and oils. A fat-free diet is unhealthy. If the labels says "99% fat-free", avoid it as if it was toxic waste. Drink full fat unhomogenised and preferably raw milk and not the fat-reduced milk. Eat organic eggs from chickens that are having a happy outdoors lifestyle. Got the idea?

For further training guidance, go to the E-Publications pages of this website and read the E-Books about Training for a Marathon, Train to Win and Training for Endurance Mountain Bike Races. You will also find E-Pubs about nutrition that are well worth reading.

Here are articles by Gary Moller about endurance training

Here are articles on this website by Gary Moller about endurance training for events like the Oxfam Trailwalker 24 hour Charity Walk or Run. This newsfeeder updates every time Gary writes a new article. To keep up to date click on the subscription tab at the bottom of this newsfeeder page.

For additional information about health, fitness, nutrition and medical matters, try doing a Google Search using the key words "gary moller" + "key words". For example: "gary moller calf muscle cramp", or "gary moller pronating feet". Alternatively, you can use the search boxes to the right of this article using key words.

If your query has not been answered, you may write to me here (fees may apply in some cases)

Nutrition Advice for Endurance Athletes

Nutrition Advice for Athetes

The following advice is gleaned from various presentations I have made on athletic conditioning.

• Let's start with what some “experts” recommend: “Here are some examples of foods that make good pre-competition meals:”
• White toast with margarine, honey and banana
• Muffins or crumpets with jam and margarine
• Creamed rice and tinned fruit in syrup
• Pancakes with yogurt and tinned fruit in syrup
• Pancakes, sugar or maple syrup and tinned fruit
• Spaghetti on white toast, with margarine
  Low-fibre cereal e.g. rice bubbles with milk and tinned fruit
• For those people who tend to be nervous before an event, a liquid meal replacement may be better tolerated than solid food.

In my opinion, these are very unhealthy guidelines that will do nothing to enhance the performance of the athlete on the day and may, over the long term, cause serious health problems including gum disease, tooth loss, digestive disorders, arthritis, dementia, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. A diet that is saturated with refined flour and sugars along with accompanying preservatives, colourings, trans-fatty acids and the rest do no good at all.

Energy sources during exercise

For all practical purposes, there are just two energy sources during exercise:

Fats – unlimited supply
Carbohydrates (CHO) – about 1.5 hours

As exercise intensity increases, so does the proportion of carbohydrate used - Intense exercise rapidly depletes these limited CHO stores

Signs of CHO depletion

• Fatigue
• Aching, heavy legs
• Difficulty changing gear
• Yawning, lack of concentration
• Bad temper
• Hypothermia
  

Conserve CHO stores by

• Training fat usage
• Replenishing CHO as you go
• Low intensity, steady-state pacing
  

General dietary recommendations for athletes

• Reduce intake of processed carbohydrates, including honey and sugar
• Reduce intake of processed grains, especially white flour
• Reduce potato consumption
• Reduce intake of highly processed foods
• Reduce intake of hard animal fats
• Reduce intake of carbonated drinks
• Reduce fruit juice consumption
  Reduce or eliminate reliance on caffeine drinks
• Eat more leafy greens and coloured veges
• Choose whole grain foods
• Eat more nuts
• Consume more quality oils
  Eat fish 2-3 times per week
• Eat marmite/vegemite daily
• Eat more raw fruit including berries

Supplementing
By following a healthy diet as outlined, a moderate approach to supplementation is all that is required to maintain optimum health and physical performance. There is no need to go overboard with supplementation. There is good evidence for adding the following extras to your healthy diet, if you feel so inclined:

Glucosamine and chondroitin powder - This will help protect your joints during periods of high wear and tear.Buy the powder – not the pills - these are over-priced and supply insufficient ingredients to be effective
Omega 3 oil - Such as flaxseed, olive and fish oil has a long list of health benefits that grows by the day and proving essential for athletes. During periods of low exposure to the sun such as during winter, or when confined indoors, such as when in hospital, have additional vitamin D in the form of 1-2 teaspoons of cod liver oil per day (Cod liver oil is a rich source of vitamin D).
Multi Vitamins - Principally the water soluble ones including vitamin E, vitamin C and all of the B group
Multi mineral - Chelated minerals are generally the most readily absorbed. Our soils and the foods that are grown in them are insufficient to meet daily needs of minerals, especially for athletes. An athletes needs more, the most important being magnesium and calcium.

Supplementation is recommended for those in heavy training or when recovering from ill health and I also recommend a daily nutrient-packed Super Smoothie.

Nutrition during endurance training sessions (longer than 2 hours)

• Learn to consume fluid sufficient to match fluid losses - Not too much and not too little. (1 Kg weight loss measured immediately after exercise = 1 liter of water).
• Train your system to use body fat during training by exercising once a week for longer than 1.5 hours without consuming any CHO and by having a diet that is low in refined CHO.
• Practice eating on the run 1x/wk and during morning sessions so that your stomach gets used to the sensation, if your competition demands eating and drinking on the run.
• Experiment with a cut down Super Smoothie. Keep it cool and out of the sun. Better still - make it up as you go.
• During a very long session, try stopping partway, have a few sandwiches, if you need to then continue on.

Example: Auckland to Wellington non-stop road race (Early 1970’s)
There was a direct relationship between competitors’ placings and daily calorie consumption. The lowest and most inconsistent calorie consumers did not finish or came well behind. It was won by Max Telford. Max consumed up to 14,000 calories/day. Max’s primary source of calories was Sustagen liquid meals which is similar to the Super Smoothie but not quite as good!

Nutrition during endurance competition (longer than 2 hours)
Note: You should have practiced this many times in training to ensure you can get through competition without suffering digestive upsets.

• The harder and more violent the exercise, the less fluids and solids it is possible to consume without digestive distress.
• Experiment with formulations and concentrations in training to settle on what works for you.
• Last three days prior to competition may include some extra carbohydrates, but remains essentially your healthy diet.
• Do not eat any heavy foods within 3 hours of running
  Have a Super Smoothie and/or sandwiches >1 hr before competition and another cut down Super Smoothie 15 minutes before starting. Cut down Super Smoothie every 1hr of running.
• Go easy while stomach contents settle – especially if running on a downhill
  ½ hr rest with food & liquid every 3 hrs – But don’t get cold and seize up!
  

If you hit the “wall”:

• Get extra carbohydrates on board
• Glucose drink
• Super Smoothie
• Hot, sweet cup of tea
• Rest ½ hour and/or do an extended period of power walking or other less strenuous exercise while energy levels are restored
• Check that you are not dehydrated/over hydrated?
• Are there signs of hypothermia/hyperthermia (Refer to my E-Book on Hypothermia and Sport)?
• Are you going too hard and depleting glycogen stores too fast?

My Blog and E-Publications have heaps of additional and detailed information about nutrition for sports and general health. Search for them (include the archives) and have a good read. The E-Book, Training for a Marathon by Lorraine Moller and me is probably the best start. If your question remains unanswered, then you will just have to send me an email and I will do the best I can to assist.