Every athlete wants to be the best on their team, diet and exercise are the key parts in doing so. Many runners believe they have adequate eating habits to be able to perform at their peak every day. Athletes think they stay hydrated and get the correct amount of rest needed to feel energized for their next workout. But, the reality is around 70% of runners are falling short on energy needs. According to Dr. Pamela Hinton from Training and Conditoning.com, This means these people in the 70% are more at risk for illness or injury. The main source of these illnesses and injuries lead down to one person only, which is yourself.
Most runners, and athletes in general believe their diet is not important. But, to be a valuable athlete a person must be willing to provide the body what it deserves to keep them going. According to high school cross country head coach, Denise Rush, “A well-balanced diet is the easiest description. I push protein and carbs real protein like chicken, beef, fish, and carbs like rice, oatmeal, pasta, potatoes, bananas, not chicken nuggets and mac and cheese.” In other words, Coach Rush is saying that as a coach she encourages her runners to get plenty of protein and carbs. Carbohydrates help to keep the energy in your body ready for when it is needed. If the body is not consuming enough carbohydrates it will slowly start to shut down while exercising. Of course other food groups like fruits and vegetables are important as well, a runner should have fun with food and should not always be worried about their diet. They are allowed to have sweet treats like everyone else. (Rush)
A common misconception about being healthy and having a good diet is that a person should only eat healthy foods and take many different supplements a day, which is not entirely true. According to the National Library of Medicine, it may not seem like a high percentage, 15-35% of runners are anemic. Anemia is caused when the body is not producing enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. Symptoms of anemia people may notice are extreme tiredness, weakness, and shortness of breath. Some advice from a former collegiate and present head high school track and field coach, Megan Mannering, shares her ideas, “Blood work can help tell an athlete with their doctor what might be lacking in their diet. A common supplement for female runners is iron if their ferritin levels are low.” Mannering suggests no one is ever positive about what their body is lacking, so it is smart to have some simple tests done.
Staying hydrated is undoubtedly one of the most important factors of being a runner, yet so many runners are dehydrated. Some people who are dehydrated claim they do not like the taste of water, so they can not drink it. Luckily for them, there are many ways to make water more bearable such as, adding flavor or electrolyte packets or squeezing fresh lemon or lime juice. Coach Rush shared more information about staying hydrated, “Drink at least half your body weight in ounces a day (example = 100 point runner needs at least 50 ounces of water).” She also mentions how important it is for everyone to take water with them everywhere they go. People are more likely to drink the water when they have it with them.
When runners do not take care of their bodies properly, there are severe consequences. They can become ill and injured much more easily. This could potentially lead to longer recovery time or to the athlete never fully recovering. Megan Mannering says, “Sleep is the number one recovery tool for athletes. There are lots of gimmicks and tricks out there, but nothing tops a good night of sleep.” To elaborate, sleeping is a very essential part of a runner’s schedule. A runner should be getting eight or more hours of sleep a night. Getting the correct amount of sleep is challenging, especially for a teenager who also works and has homework most nights of the week, but once they start to increase their hours of sleep, athletes will start to notice big differences. Coach Rush also mentioned once a runner starts getting eight to nine hours of sleep every night, an athlete could end up dropping up to 30 seconds off of a 5k race time.
Ultimately, the logistics of being a runner is not so simple. Athletes have to constantly make sure they are nurturing their bodies correctly, hydrating properly, and getting the adequate amount of sleep needed to perform their very best. Once they get that pattern down, it is smooth sailing from there. Their performance rates go up, they feel better mentally and physically, and they are more motivated than ever.
