Part 1: A Runner’s Approach to Carbohydrates
IIFYM, flexible dieting, intermittent fasting and intuitive eating are just a few of the terms regarding food tracking and meal planning that you have probably seen everywhere on social media. It can be overwhelming and confusing if you aren’t sure what any of these terms actually mean. I know. That was me about two years ago. I first became curious about what macros were when I started watching YouTube videos about fitness competitions. I still plan on competing sometime in the near future. I mean, I have a suit already, I might as well use it, right? Anyway, while I was watching these videos, the athletes kept mentioning how they were “hitting their macros” and following a “flexible dieting” approach. But what does that mean? I, being the curious one, went straight to google and typed in “macros.” A bunch of sites popped up right away. But the basic explanation was that macros was short for macronutrients simply known as carbohydrates, protein and fat. On any nutrition label you can find these three macronutrients listed telling you the content of that particular item. So now what?
Carbohydrates are our main fuel and energy source. These are what fill us up and keep us going. As an athlete carbs are extremely important. Carbs fill our glycogen stores and this is what we use to power us through exercise. For example, I as a runner, need to make sure I get in plenty of carbs so I have the energy to run. I also run long distance which makes it even more important. If you run long distances you may have heard of the term “hitting the wall.” This is usually in reference to a marathon (or further) but it doesn’t have to actually be that distance as it is really more of a time related issue. Calories burned versus time expended. In a marathon the wall is usually around mile18-20. At around mile 18 the body has used up all of it’s glycogen stores, which is a fancy way of saying you have run out of fuel to keep your body moving forward (any other Fancy Nancy fans out there). This is also usually around 2ish hour mark. Ever notice how elite marathoners finish in just over 2 hours? I think they might be on to something. At this point in exercising if you don’t take in more carbs for your body to convert into energy you will inevitably bonk. I haven’t run a full marathon yet, but I did complete my first half marathon this past June. I didn’t reach the point of really hitting the wall but I did definitely notice at around mile 11 that I felt like I was barely moving. Looking back I know I should have taken a gel or a goo around mile 6 so that I would have had increased energy to complete my race. I had unfortunately forgotten my gel’s in my running bag that morning. Rookie mistake. I did drink sips of Gatorade at the water stops so that helped but wasn’t quite enough. Gel is a carn and bread is a carb...what else is a carb?
The answer: lots of things. In general, carbs are grains, veggies, fruit and sugar. At first, this was very confusing for me. I had heard of diets where people limit carbohydrates such a bread and rice but are people really limiting fruits and veggies too? In a short word, yes. That may seem drastic but it depends on what you mean by limiting, for how long and what is the end goal. For example, athletes in fitness competitions will limit carbohydrates in their diet in order to lean out for a show. This is done for a very short period of time for a very specific goal. It is not long term and is not sustainable. A distance runner would not find this approach efficient in preparation for a race because although, it may be preferred to have a leaner ideal race weight this is not to be achieved in the same way. In a fitness competition athletes may restrict their overall carbohydrate consumption. A runner trying to lose a few pounds off their race weight would likely find it more efficient to limit overly processed carbohydrates such as white bread and sugary cereal rather than lowering their overall carbohydrate intake by any large amount. How do carbohydrates make up our diet and what will work for a runner?
A common macro nutrient split is 40% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 30% protein. For example if you were to eat 2,000 calories a day this would equal out to 199 grams of carbohydrates, 67 grams of fat and 150 grams of protein. However, a runner would likely have more carbohydrates especially many plant based runners. Therefore, a non-vegan runner might have more of a 60-20-20 ratio and a vegan runner could even be at an 80-10-10 split. I personally find that an 80-10-10 split of my macronutrients is far too carb heavy for my current activity level. I can only go based on my current fitness regime which is between 5-7 workouts a week ranging from strength-training, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), and shorter distance runs averaging around 2-5 miles. I typically run between 2-4 days and have 5 strength/HIIT sessions. I think because I focus a lot on cross-training for a majority of my workouts rather than a high mileage running week that I perform better with a higher fat and protein ratio for my daily intake. Of course this could change with adding in more mileage and less strength sessions. I will have to take it as I go. I think that is partly why I find macro calculations so interesting as it is not only individual to the person but also individual to what goals the person currently has.
It is a delicate balance, especially if you are not at a maintenance level (goal weight) and are instead trying to lose weight. At a maintenance level you are merely trying to maintain your current weight and your macros would be at a constant until something in either your fitness or health changes. However, if you are in a cutting phase with specific weight loss goals, you are not only manipulating your macros to achieve fat loss but to effectively complete your workouts. As a runner, although I am actively trying to lose weight, I would be doing myself a disservice if I were to extremely limit my overall carbohydrates as well my caloric intake to attain fat loss. As I would not be able to effectively or efficiently complete long runs if my body is in too much of a caloric deficit, especially a carbohydrate deficit. Yes, I am aware of people who choose to follow a ketogenic diet, however, in my personal opinion I dont find this diet sustainable for myself as a vegan because I get my protein from carbohydrate sources such as beans, peas or grains. Therefore, what do I do as a vegan runner, who strength trains with a weight loss goal that follows macros (keeps track of the amount of grams per macronutrient I consume per day)? I personally keep my carnohydrates as the biggest portion of my macronutrient split. I have found that 45-50 percent of my daily intake should be carbohydrates for my body to perform at its best. This way I can still efficiently train and work towards my weight loss goal in order reach my ideal race weight for the upcoming fall racing season.
Stay tuned for Part 2 Healthy Fat Sources for a Runner
*Disclaimer- This is my personal opinion of how macronutrients work for me. This does not mean this will work for you.
