ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: ridecamp-d Digest V97 #279

Re: ridecamp-d Digest V97 #279

Beth Glace (lb@nismat.org)
Tue, 29 Apr 1997 14:23:59 +0000

>
>
> It s time for the Boston Marathon, and one thing you can be certain of is that no American will win it. It may seem odd that the foreign runners who have dominated this event for the past 20 years ra>
> A lackluster performance in an endurance race is caused by the over-production of insulin. Excess insulin will decrease blood sugar levels, which leads to mental confusion (or (bonking/). Excess insu>
> And how do you increase insulin levels? Eat a big pasta meal the night before the race, a big carbohydrate meal (like pancakes) prior to the race, and drink lots of Gatorade (expensive sugar water) d>
> What about all the runners publications that tout high-carbohydrate diets? Frankly, I am still waiting for just one study detailing more than seven days in duration to show that eating a high-carboh>
> Maybe it s a perverse conspiracy by the Kenyan runners to make sure they continue to dominate the Boston Marathon. Or maybe it is simply great marketing by food executives who never have to leave the>
> It s an American tragedy.
>
> Where did this quote come from?! Give us one scientific study
which shows that insulin production the night before impairs
exercise the next day and I'll show you 50 that don't. Having worked
with elite Kenyans and Moroccans marathoners I can tell you that a]
they do eat more protein and fat during TRAINING than most American
athletes, at least while they're in this relatively rich country. By
that I mean maybe 30 -35% fat. At home they tell me its a different
story. 2] If they are elite, they better show up at the prerace
dinner. Elite athletes are invited to these events and typically
part of their responsibility to eat with the "common" runners the
night before. To say that the east and north Africans dominate
endurance running because of not eating pasta the night before is
just a gross oversimplification and totally minimizes the
contribution of genetics, hard training and high motivation in these
athletes.
Beth Glace, M.S.
Sports Nutritionist
lb@nismat.org

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