You’ve managed your long run – but what now? Water and salad, or all the cake you can eat? Nutritionist Emma Barraclough gives the low down on the sensible way to recover
After a long run, you will have depleted the majority of your stored carbohydrate, ie your muscle and liver glycogen. This happens even if you do manage to keep up the generally accepted recommendation of an intake of 60g of carbohydrate each hour, as you simply cannot match energy expenditure with calorie intake during your run. So it is really important post-run to eat carbs, especially for those with a high glycemic index. Carbs initiate an insulin response, which in turn lowers your blood-sugar level by driving carbohydrate back into the muscles, where it is stored again as glycogen.
Fast-release protein is also needed by the body. If you do not fuel adequately with carbohydrate during your long run, your body can actually start to break down your lean muscle mass to convert the protein into energy. Taking in protein after exercise helps to prevent this. It also supports the repair of any damage to muscle tissue that has occurred due to the training load.
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