Sports nutrition for runners: Q & A with Rebecca Scritchfield

Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, LD, is an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist.

Rebecca Scritchfield, MA, RD, LD, is an ACSM Certified Health Fitness Specialist. She’s also part-time faculty in Sports Nutrition at George Washington University. Check out her Web site here.

Scritchfield took a few minutes to talk with the DC Running Examiner about sports nutrition, which she says is one of the most overlooked parts of training for runners. She also says it's a part of training that can greatly boost the health benefits we already enjoy, letting us recover quickly from hard runs and get more out of each workout.

Q: What’s the single most important thing for runners to know about sports nutrition?

A: If I had to pick one thing, it would have to be hydration. If you don’t nail down hydration, you could get in serious trouble with heatstroke and heat illness.

People wait until they’re thirsty to drink while they’re exercising, and that’s not a good rule of thumb. If you’re exercising for an hour or less, plain water every 15 to 20 minutes should be enough to make sure you’re replacing the water your body is losing through sweat. If you’re running outside on a particularly hot day, you’ll need to drink more.

I encourage people exercising for more than an hour to drink a sports beverage for some quick carbs and electrolytes.

Especially after longer runs, you want to pay attention to your urine volume and frequency. If you’ve rehydrated after a long run and don’t have to go to the bathroom after half an hour, you may still need more water, even if you don’t feel particularly thirsty. After any length of exercise, it’s a good idea to top off the workout with some water.

Q: What should runners eat before they run, and when?

A: In general, you want to have a carb-based meal about two or three hours before a run. If you’re running in the evening after work, you might eat a mini-meal to keep you well-fueled. That way, you’re not hungry before you start, and you don’t get hungry while you’re on the run.

On the convenient side, you could have a low-fat sports bar that has high carbs and a moderate amount of protein, like a Clif or Power bar. You could also have half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a bowl of oatmeal. You could even make a parfait with low-fat yogurt, a little fresh fruit and some cereal.

Q: When do runners need to think about refueling after a run? Is it only long runs, or might it be helpful for shorter efforts, too?

A: It’s most important after longer runs, and it’s especially important for people who are training for something like a half-marathon or a marathon who need to make sure they fully recover so they’re well-fueled for their next training session. For example, for someone who jogs five miles, three times per week, their next meal should be enough to refuel.

Endurance athletes training pretty much every day need to start thinking about recovery fuel. It’s a good idea to have some simple carbs, which are most quickly absorbed, right after a workout. Watermelon is great, because it’s not only mostly water, but it provides those simple carbs. It’s also a good idea to have a little protein in your recovery snack – something like low-fat chocolate milk and fruit would do the trick.

Q: What’s your favorite pre-race breakfast?

A: Come race day, you should know what you want to eat for breakfast, because it’s the same thing you’ve been eating during training. Some good choices that tend to sit well are a bagel with a little peanut butter, or a couple packets of oatmeal with some fruit.

Dairy, or anything high in protein or high in fat, might not sit well during a race.

Q: How about the night before a big race?

The most ideal time to fuel for a distance race is two days before. Most people make the mistake of having one big pasta dinner the night before. Really, you want to start eating your low-fat, high-carb meals with a little bit of protein two days out.

So two nights before, you might have spaghetti with marinara and a few meatballs, a veggie stir fry with lots of rice or a thick-crust pizza.

In reality is, the best plan is to have sports nutrition built into your training plan, so you’re really continuing to practice what you’re already doing on training days. By race day, it should be a no-brainer.