Are you Carbohydrate loading properly?

With the Toronto ScotiaBank Marathon approaching this Sunday (of which I will be running) many people are scrambling last minute to figure out a nutritional plan (At least that’s my impression because many people seem to flood my inbox with questions).  I’m sorry to say this, but it may too late and not worth doing at this point.  There are multiple reasons why, so let’s take a look. 
 
First off, let’s take a look at what carbohydrate loading actually is.  Carbohydrate/ Carb loading is a method to manipulate and increase your muscle glycogen stores to provide you with additional energy to complete an endurance-sporting event. The problem is that most people resort to a large pasta dinner the night before the race, likely for the first time ever.  The problem is that this ineffective and if you’re trying this for the first time can lead to race day disaster (Never try anything new for races – You’ll never know how your body will respond for the first time).  The other problem is that one large plate of pasta simply isn’t enough carbohydrate to be effective.  Carb loading is an extremely complicated thing to do.  There are multiple stages of a carb load, multiple recommendations in terms of grams of carbohydrate per hour, total carbohydrates consumed and even the type of carbohydrate will make a huge difference. 

There are multiple phases of an effective carbohydrate loading plan, a moderate loading phase and big loading phase. At this point aside from providing grams of carbohydrates to be consumed within 5-hour blocks to provide constant supplies of carbohydrates, training needs to be reduced.  For many people reduction in training simply isn’t an option, luckily there are other methods to effectively carbohydrate load the day before an event for an athlete that refuses to stop training!  Additionally, you may not know how your body responds to carb loading because you'll be heavier, the additional glycogen in your muscles also attracts water to the muscles.  Often times runners can complain of feeling too stiff after a carb load because their muscles are swollen, which is another reason why you should not do this for the first time before a race! 
 
Unfortunately for many of you reading this, that means that this year’s marathon may not have the nutritional plan to fuel the best race of your life, but the good news is you now can begin to understand how complicated carbohydrate loading is.  It’s definitely more complicated than a large pasta dinner the night before.  So if you’re planning on running the marathon next year then this might be a good sign to work with a Sports Dietitian to establish a nutrition plan for the marathon.  But in the meantime, here are some general rules of thumb when eating the few days before a marathon that can actually help you run better then that large pasta dinner:
 

1. Eat enough protein
   1. Just because you’re focusing on carbohydrates doesn’t mean you can avoid the protein.  Your muscles still need protein and more importantly it will help provide a slower release of carbohydrates over time to allow the muscles to take them in at a steady rate.
2. Avoid fat
   1. Fat can make you sluggish, even when consumed a few days before hand.  So if you are carbohydrate loading, remember to reduce the amount of fat with your carbs (eg. Choose pasta with a Marinara sauce over an Alfredo sauce, skip the butter with bread, etc.)
3. Choose lower fibre foods
   1. Foods that are too high in fibre can prevent you from reaching the carbohydrate targets by causing you to feel full too fast and can cause bowel issues prior to the race.  For those of you uncomfortable having white rice or pasta alone, try doing a 50/50 mix of white pasta with whole wheat pasta
4. Drink plenty of fluids and ensure proper hydration the day before the event
   1. Your hydration status the days before the run are extremely important.  Drink more water and pay attention to the colour of your urine.  If it resembles Apple Juice (clear and yellow) more than Apple cider (Thick and concentrated/ cloudy) then you’re well hydrated!
5. Have a good pre-event meal
   1. This is your last chance to get some extra carbohydrates in before the race, but be careful not to eat too much other wise you’ll still be digesting during the run and won’t be able to run properly. Like I said before, never try anything new before a race.

Hopefully this shines some light on how complicated carb loading actually is and gives you some helpful information.  There are many complicated things to consider, so trying it for the first time before a big run is definitely not recommended.  If this is your first marathon, don’t change anything to your plan.  This will better ensure that you finish with fewer complications and if there are complications they shouldn’t be new issues, they should be predictable and therefore manageable.  If you want to have the best run of your life then it would be worthwhile to work with a Sports Dietitian early on in your training in order to ensure the best race of your life!
 
Good luck to everyone this Sunday! Like I said, I’ll be running the Marathon as well, so if you see Spiderman running alongside you, say hi, because that’s what I’ll be wearing! 





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Benjamin Sit, RD, Sports Dietitian, PTS
President of Evolved Sport and Nutrition
Complete Lifestyle Management

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