Fresh vegetables and fruits are plentiful on RAGBRAI. You just have to look past the pies!
Carb it up: get ready for RAGBRAI
By Joy Schiller, M.S., CHES, director of wellness, Des Moines University
Your eating plan should closely relate to your mileage. If you’re riding, running or training longer than 90 minutes at a time, you’ll need extra energy, water, iron and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates break down in the body and become glucose, the body’s favorite energy source. There are two major types of carbohydrates: simple and complex.
Simple carbohydrates are also known as sugars. Examples of simple carbohydrates include fructose (found in fruit and corn syrup), lactose (from milk) and sucrose (table sugar). Honey is also a sugar. Simple sugars, except those from milk and fruit, should account for no more than 10 percent of daily calories. It is recommended these sugars be limited because they provide calories but very few other nutrients.
Complex carbohydrates are long chains of simple carbohydrates which break down more slowly to provide the body with an abundance of glucose for energy. Rich sources of complex carbohydrates include breads, cereals, grains, crackers, pasta, beans, legumes, rice and starchy vegetables.
During any endurance event or training, keep your carbohydrate intake high, about 55-70 percent of your daily calories. Every cell in the body can use glucose to fuel its work. Glucose that isn’t immediately used is stored as glycogen, the primary fuel source for working muscles. The higher the intensity of exercise, the more dependent your muscles are on glycogen. When glycogen levels drop too low, you’ll feel tired and be more injury-prone.
As you increase your workout or event time, decrease fat in your diet and replace with complex carbs. More than 8 grams of carbohydrates are needed per kilogram of body weight each day for the RAGBRAI rider, or any endurance athlete training more than 60-90 minutes at a time.
Also, if your carbohydrate content is low, glycogen won’t be fully restored during the following day. That means the next day or two you will be increasingly fatigued because of even lower glycogen levels. If this cycle continues, chronic fatigue will be felt. When you “hit the wall,” it’s probably due to low glycogen levels.
