Nutrition plays a huge part in how we feel before, during, and after training sessions as well as your performance and risk of injury. Because of this it’s crucial for female endurance runners to prioritize their nutrition needs.
runners need higher than average total energy (calorie) requirements to support training, so it is vital that they eat a diet full of carbs, fat and proteins to meet those demands. They should aim for 45 calories per kilogram of fat-free mass plus exercise expenditure to promote menstrual health and bone strength.
Carb Loading Before Running
To increase glycogen storage and help increase running performance, women should consume a substantial amount of carbohydrates in the days prior to an half-marathon or marathon race. This will enable them to run longer and train harder.
B-Complex Vitamins B-complex vitamins play an essential role in breaking down carbohydrates and fats for energy during exercise, so they are essential for endurance runners’ performance. Their constituents include Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folate and B12.
Iron is essential for oxygen transport throughout the body and energy production during exercise. Inadequate iron intake may result in decreased performance, exhaustion and extreme coldness.
Research indicates that low calcium intake may contribute to stress fractures in women, so it’s vitally important that they consume adequate quantities of both minerals. Your Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for calcium should be 1,000 milligrams; you can get this amount through dairy foods like milk and yogurt as well as foods like sardines, eggs and leafy green vegetables.