Need some nutrition advice for a wee runner

[PartyCannon]

Little PartyCannon just started running Cross Country for her school. She runs an average of 3 miles at practice, and races are 1 mile.

As I am not a runner, and am currently only walking to Mordor, I have no idea about what nutrition she needs before going out and exerting energy.

- What should she eat before practice? Does what she eat before a race differ?

- What should be have after running? We have some coconut water "juice" boxes, but she's not fond of those. I read somewhere that a banana and water are good for after a workout- true?

- She is fond of green smoothies- which I usually make with frozen mixed fruit, carrots, spinach, juice, and water. Sometimes I put Spirulein in it, depending on what she asks for. Basically what I make is like this: http://www.workoutrecoverydrink.com/recipe.html

Am I on the right track? I am really concerned about her eating before practice and races, so any help in that area would be great!

xposted in Running

[Raincloak]

well, let me lead off by saying, you're probably overthinking matters. The kid's going to run 1-3 miles, that's no biggie. She'll figure out by trial and error what works for her. If she loses steam halfway through a run, she'll know she needs to eat something pre-workout. If she gets a stomachache during the workout, she'll know she needs to eat earlier, eat less, or eat something else. But meanwhile, here are some tips to get you started:

pre-workout: You want something starchy-carby, but not crashy-sugary. It should be something easy to digest, low in fiber and not too much protein. Bananas or sweet potatoes are good. Lightly sweetened yogurt or a small soft sandwich are also possibilities. Granola bars are used by some, but not ideal (too much fiber and sugar). Do NOT eat a protein bar, protein is for after the workout (it's too hard to digest during). Eat your pre-workout snack at least 30 to 45 minutes before the workout. You don't want a full stomach when you're running, so the aim should be to just take the edge off your hunger. Some people even prefer to work out on an empty stomach. If you must eat something chewy, make sure to actually chew it before swallowing.

I see no major difference between eating for practice and eating for race, since her practices and races are both quite short and pretty similar. You might need to vary your pre-workout munch if, for example, you were a grown-up athlete doing sprints one day, a 7-mile run the next day. But for this? Nah, don't worry about it.

during workout: Plain water is fine. Add lemon squeeze or mint leaf if you insist on taste enhancement. No Gatorade or other sports drinks, too sugary. The virtue of coconut water is it provides electrolyte-balanced hydration. But unless she's working hard for more than an hour, she doesn't need electrolytes during the workout (she'll get them the next time she eats). Get a cheap steel or plastic bottle from WalGeneraMart and let her put stickers on it so it doesn't look like anybody else's bottle.

postworkout: For a workout that short, she probably doesn't need any "recovery" drink, but since she's a growing kid, you could give her a little chocolate milk as a treat for working hard (easy on the chocolate, more on the milk). This should be after she has cooled down and stretched, at least 15-20 minutes after the workout is over; drinking it too soon could lead to digestive upset. If you don't want her to have the sugar, then an extra glass of milk with dinner, or a protein-filled sandwich after practice, should be enough. The whole point of a recovery drink is to feed protein (the milk) to the growing muscles, with carbs (the sugar) to help with uptake. But your girl is probably not breaking/building enough muscle to make this really important.

Of course, you should make sure she has shoes that fit, quality socks, and other (ahem) garments as required. I hope she enjoys running! Be sure to go to all her races and embarass her mightily by taking photos, jumping, waving and screaming.

[MuayTyson]

Raincloak nailed it. May I add that too often people think they have to have a sports or recovery drink and they just end up adding needless calories. I am assuming the wee cannon is a teen or preteen so she can probably deal with the extra calories but many times it is just not needed. Downing copious amounts of Gatorade pre and post race, Goo piri race and then a few bannanas post race is a receipe for weight gain.

[flourless]

I'll chime in with a "yup".

My kid (she's 8) does martial arts with me twice a week for 45 minutes. She eats dinner around 4:30, class is at 6:15. When we started, she needed a banana afterwards, but after a couple weeks, she didn't need that anymore.

Then on Fridays we do open-mat, which is a longer group practice (almost 3 hours total). After about an hour and a half, she takes a break and has a snack. Her snack is about a quarter packet of M&M's, or a third/half cup of apple juice. Then she has about the same on the way home, so about 50-60 calories each time. Friday's practice starts earlier (at 4:45), so she's usually running off a small post-school snack instead of a proper dinner. 15 minutes to walk home and clean up, then there's dinner for post-workout recovery protein. I suspect that has she gets accustomed to longer workouts on Fridays, her need for a snack during them will fade again, followed by her need for a snack on the way home.

[PartyCannon]

Thanks, y'all!!

She can't drink milk, as she is allergic to casein, and HATES non-dairy milk... so that's why I turned to the recovery drink. I guess I can always just mix a bit of Spirutein with some water and call it a day?

Here's her race from 2 weeks ago- 1-mile fun run in 11:11. On Saturday she did her mile in 10:45! w00h00!!

http://youtu.be/DjQduNK0d_Y

[Kinder]

My 12 year old plays soccer, she generally doesn't eat much right before, just whatever we had for the previous meal (breakfast or lunch). She has fruit mid-game and I make her a protein shake after the game just because she loves them. The protein I use is all natural with no artificial sugar, but it's a whey protein, so obviously not good for milk allergies.

[Raincloak]

Thanks, y'all!!

She can't drink milk, as she is allergic to casein, and HATES non-dairy milk... so that's why I turned to the recovery drink. I guess I can always just mix a bit of Spirutein with some water and call it a day?

Here's her race from 2 weeks ago- 1-mile fun run in 11:11. On Saturday she did her mile in 10:45! w00h00!!

http://youtu.be/DjQduNK0d_Y

Not all nondairy "milks" are equal. Soy milk isn't very tasty, but rice milk, almond milk and coconut milk are not too bad. Also, chocolate flavoring makes anything go down smoother. If you're still hoping to make it work, try those. Otherwise don't fret, plenty of other proteins in the world.

[Kinder]

My daughter LOVES Silk's chocolate almond milk, speaking of. She likes coconut milk too, but not big on regular milk.

[PartyCannon]

We've tried them all, she dislikes them. If it's faux-dairy, she's against it and doesn't want it. Except for So Delicious Coconut Milk ice cream in vanilla. But that's a special treat because Mama PartyCannon isn't rollin in dough.

Thanks for your help, y'all!