Nutritional Information
The USADA True Sport Nutrition Guide is an EXCELLENT resource for athlete nutrition and hydration.
There are also ideas for race-day nutrition, including when/what to eat at different time intervals before your event (1hr, 2-3 hrs, 4+, etc).
Download the ebook by clicking on the image.
Hydration Chart
Although there are numerous studies on the topic, there is no "one-size-fits-all" recommendation for hydration for runners. Good hydration habits, like carrying a bottle of water with you throughout the day and hydrating well after exercise are important.
Proper hydration not only improves performance, but is helps prevent heat illnesses.
You can use the urine-color chart below to check your individual hydration and adjust your hydration accordingly.
Iron
Iron deficiency (low ferritin levels) and iron deficiency anemia (low ferritin & low hemoglobin) are a major nutritional/health concerns for runners as endurance performance hinges on how well we move oxygen to muscles. Iron is the primary component of hemoglobin (red blood cells) which transports oxygen to muscles. Runners are at an increased risk of iron deficiency or even anemia due to several factors, including, but not limited to:
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the act of running (foot strike hemolysis)
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female menstruation
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sweat
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bodily waste
A recent study showed that 40% of US girls are iron deficient. Anecdotally (see Dr. Jack Daniels email), each gram low in hemoglobin (Hgb) is about 40s in a 5k. If you're training hard and trying to do everything right, you don't want to lose 40s in a 5k because your diet is low in iron.
Iron deficiency is easy to spot as coaches because we see daily workouts, race results and can look at things like historical heart rate on Garmin Clipboard to show how hard your body is working at different paces. However, by the time we catch it and refer you to a medical professional, it's too late, and there typically isn't enough time to salvage your season.
General signs that you should get your iron tested:
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general lethargy and fatigue
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shortness of breath during routine tasks like walking up the stairs
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negative mood
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difficulty concentrating in school
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reduced work capacity, ie. you might have noticed your training times are slower than expected or just be finding it harder than normal to train
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poor adaptation to training
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slower than expected race times based on the amount of training you're doing
For that reason, it's good practice (especially for females, as they are at a higher risk due to menstruation) to have your bloodwork done at periodic intervals like the off-season for XC and Track. A CBC (complete blood count) and Ferritin test can be ordered by a medical practitioner, sports dietician or through companies like LabCorp. Athlete-specific companies like Athlete Blood Test have doctors, sports nutritionists and sports dietitians that can read your test results and determine appropriate nutritional interventions.
Additional Iron information:
National Institute of Health Iron Fact Sheet for Consumers
Iron Deficiency in Females w/ Dr. Adam Tenforde
IRON FOR HS RUNNERS
Amy Stephens is a registered dietitian, certified specialist in sports nutrition, blogger, runner and food coach. She has over 20 years experience working with amateur and high-performing Olympic level athletes to achieve their sports performance goals using the latest science-backed approaches.
Currently, Amy serves as team dietitian for Empire Elite Track Club, a high level group of athletes focused on making the US Olympic team. She coaches elite athletes on nutrition for optimal performance and recovery to maximize their personal success. She has traveled with her team to the Olympic trials in Eugene, OR as well as many other qualifying meets. There, Amy learned first-hand how to fuel high performing athletes for competition.
Here is a useful screenshot from Amy Stephenson's presentation that cuts right to the chase on target iron levels for endurance athletes.
We have had several athletes send their CBC and Ferritin tests to Athlete Blood Test and receive valuable guidance from the doctors and registered dieticians at ABT. The analysis usually runs ~$100 which is a steal.
The reason I provide all of this information is that low iron is extremely common in high school runners, adds ~10-20 per Mile to your races times, and most importantly, you can't just "guess" and start taking iron supplements, which can be dangerous, you need to TEST.
SLEEP
The best, cheapest and easiest form of recovery is a couch for napping and a bed for sleeping.
If you're serious about improvement, you'll make sleep a priority.
7-9 hrs is good.
General Running Safety
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Carry a phone or smart watch
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Don't run alone
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Be aware of your surroundings (dogs, snakes, cars, creepers)
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Run facing traffic (on the left-hand side of the road)