| It’s
the week between Christmas and the new year when treats
and leftovers are everywhere. Yet everywhere we turn,
it seems, there are new ways to cancel out what was consumed
over the holidays. Whether you’re training for your
next race, exploring new trails with friends, or making
time for rest this season–remember that running
is a celebration for what your body can do, not a punishment
for eating treats. Burning off treats (or trying to) is
unnecessary, and may be unhealthy in the long run. Run
to burn is a recipe for burnout. Here are some friendly
fuelling reminders for trail and road runners alike:
1. Food is fuel
Food is fuel, and not something to be shamed.
As trail runners, we know this. We know what it feels
like to run for hours when we neglected to fuel properly
beforehand. We also know how it feels when we are hours
into a trail adventure and did not pack enough calories.
And we know that it is almost impossible to train hard
the following day when we don’t recover. In order
to fuel, train, and recover successfully, we need to put
gas in the tank. Consider the holidays an opportunity
to fuel and replenish the calories your body needs.
2. Being hard on yourself
will not make you a better trail runner
As runners, we can be hard on ourselves.
Having negative thoughts toward certain types of foods
will not help us develop positive self-talk, which benefit
our performance. Running is a privilege, not a punishment
for eating or not eating certain types of food. There
is no shame in indulging once in a while, especially over
the holidays. Life is short. If running makes you happy,
great. If eating extra treats during the holidays is your
thing too, that is awesome.
3. Treats are like gels
The carbohydrate content in many of our
holiday treats is not far off what is inside the fancy
packaged fuel you take on the trail. One gel has 100 to
120 calories with 33 to 40 g of carbohydrates made from
maltodextrin, fructose, and sodium. Maltodextrin and fructose
can overload the small intestine. For some runners, gels
are tough on the gut as the body tries to dilute the concentration
of carbohydrates. These runners may want to consider a
homemade shortbread cookie, which can have 135 calories
with 16 g of carbs and 53 mg of sodium. This holiday season,
skip the maltodextrin and fructose. Holiday parties can
be equivalent to pre-adventure dinners, aid stations,
and recovery lunches. And just as you forgive yourself
for eating the wrong foods at an aid station during a
race, you can also be kind to yourself if you overindulge
during the holidays.
4. You need the calories
Humans need calories to survive (even living
a sedentary lifestyle). Runners need calories to keep
doing what they love. If you want to run and run well,
you need calories. For many runners, additional calories
sometimes can help them run faster over time. If you want
to run fast for many years, you better be eating enough.
As athletes, that cookie (or two) can help us in the long
run. Just be mindful and avoid refined sugar throughout
the year.
According to Dr. Stacy Sims, author of
Roar: how to match your food and fitness to your female
physiology for optimal performance, a low-carbohydrate
diet compromises the ability for your body to maintain
high intensity or prolonged periods of exercise. It also
puts your body under exorbitant amounts of stress. The
holidays are stressful enough–eat the cookie.
5. The alternative isn’t better
The alternative of not eating enough can
be the bigger problem. We ought to be concerned about
adequate caloric intake, versus labeling of foods and
buying into the idea that we need to run off our fuel.
Our bodies need fuel, and the mindset of burning it off
can be counterproductive for the avid runner.
Limiting calories is not only unsustainable
for athletes, it is dangerous mentally and physically.
Labeling food as good, bad, or something to run off can
trigger disordered thoughts about food. A 2014 89K Comrades
Marathon study supported that a third of female racers
had disordered eating thoughts and behaviours. Although
this is not a female-specific issue, it is important to
note the link between endurance running and the prevalence
of disordered eating.
Holiday treats aren’t bad, but limiting
calories can be. Once body weight drops too quickly for
an athlete, it can increase stress and the likelihood
for injury. Avoiding the cookie during the holidays (and
onward) can also jeopardize your performance.
If you did overindulge over the holidays,
here is what you can do:
Thank your body for telling you that it
was hungry. Food is fuel, and trail runners, like all
runners, need to eat. Eat to run, versus run to eat. Run
because you love it, not to burn off delicious goodness.
For the sake of your running, preventing injury, and enjoying
the holidays with limited stress, eat the cookie. No resolution
required.
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