HeatWatch - July 27 - 30

Besides refereeing I also do distance running, 15K to marathon. When I was 49 (couple years ago) I started hitting "the wall" and/or getting severe calf cramps around mile 12-15 or on my third 70-90 minute soccer game of the day especially on hot days (90+ degrees), so I went to a sports nutritionist for advice. What I discovered was my hydration level was far too low and my nutrition intake was wrong leading up to the event/weekend. I have followed a pre-marathon guide (below minus the part about hitting The Wall) that was given to me by the nutritionist and it works for both long runs and soccer. My daughter followed a similar guide that was provided to her by her college coach and I will post it in another post. Both guides are similar and work well for a long hot or cold soccer weekend. Monitoring your urine color is an easy way to tell if you are properly hydrated and staying hydrated during a weekend of running.


Nutrition and hydration for races - 12miles to marathon

The week before:
Training needs to be reduced both in intensity and distance. This will allow the body to store more fuel providing you maintain your normal diet. Try to sleep well, relax with a book, film or something that will take your mind off the race. A week of worrying about it will not help one bit. Carbo-load, increase intake to a premium 65 to 70% of total calories, so someone eating 3000 calories daily should be looking to find approximately 2100 calories (525 grams) of them from carbohydrate sources. Maintain an intake of protein with the carbohydrate as this has been shown to increase absorption of glycogen - white and red meat, fish, cereals and pulses are a good source of protein. (Glycogen is the body's store of carbohydrate (and water) - kept in the muscles and liver.) Do not experiment with new foods, or heavily spiced foods before you start.

Fluid intake needs to be at a premium as water is needed for glycogen storage. Avoid alcohol and caffeine drinks as these can have a dehydrating effect on you. You are well hydrated if your urine is clear and you need to go frequently. If the race will be run in hot conditions, consider using a fluid replacement drink during the week to ensure that your electrolytes are balanced before you start. Avoid alcohol and caffeine drinks as these can have a dehydrating effect on you

Race day
Get up at least two hours before the start of the race. Eat a high carbohydrate snack of approximately 300 calories. You may need more or less depending on your metabolism and you should have checked this out on your long training runs. Drink at least one water bottle (750 ml). Avoid of caffeine. The caffeine can also have a diuretic effect which is not helpful at this stage.

During the race
Start drinking water from the first water station. Continue at each one to take a cup and drink a little. If the weather is hot or you are running very hard you will need more. Remember each mouthful is about 25 ml. I suggest taking in 800-1000 ml every hour on a moderate intensity run and inclement weather, so work out how many stations you will go through in an hour and take enough sips per station. If the weather is hot and the pace fast, increase this amount.

Look to take in energy each 30 minutes. If energy drinks are being supplied on the course find out the concentration before-hand. If it is higher than 6 to 8% then take additional water with it to aid absorption. Avoid taking in too much solid food if you are running very hard because it will be very hard to digest and can cause stomach upsets. If you are racing up to 3.5 hours you could use gels/squeezies for energy - plan to take one every 40 minutes before an aid station and take a cup of water with it. Stick religiously to a plan of hydrating and fueling. This is essential to a good race, and you will be wasting all your training if you mess your fluid intake up on race day - guaranteed to make you miserable.

If the run will take you over 3.5 hours and you are running more aerobically then you may be able to tolerate some solid food. Eat once an hour, alternating with a sports drink. You should be looking to consume 200 to 300 calories an hour.

After the race
Re-hydrate. This is a priority and you should immediately start taking in water and a sports drink. I would choose one specifically for post event that also contains carbohydrates. If you are feeling light headed, dizzy, disorientated and/or overheated you are dehydrated and probably glycogen depleted. You will start to feel better once you can ingest some energy, preferably in the form of carbohydrate with a bit of protein. Consider something salty such as a bag of crisps, sports drink or sprinkle a little salt onto a sandwich such as tuna, cheese, peanut butter etc.

Avoid alcohol until much later after the race so that your body can recover correctly. A long distance race such as marathon is exhausting both physically and mentally and you need to thank your body by giving it what it wants - glycogen (from carbohydrate) and water. Continue to snack throughout the few hours after the race eating about 50g (200 calories) of carbohydrate a time. It can take up to a week or more before you feel right - during this time no heavy training should be undertaken. Everything needs to recover, so a high carbohydrate intake and maintaining good protein levels is a must during recovery.
 
Daughters college soccer nutrition and hydration guide.


Pre-event routine for field sport athletes playing multiple days in a row.

1. Carbo-load, don´t fat-load.
Carbohydrate-rich foods include cereals, fruits, juices, breads, rice, plain baked potatoes and pasta with tomato sauce. Lower carbohydrate choices include donuts, cookies, buttery potatoes, ice cream, cheesy lasagna and pepperoni pizza. These fat-laden foods may taste great and fill your stomach but fat does not get stored as muscle fuel.

2. No last minute hard training.
By resting your muscles and doing very little exercise this pre-event week, your muscles will have the time they need to store the carbohydrates and become fully saturated with glycogen (carbohydrate). You can only fully carbo-load if you stop exercising hard! You can tell if your muscles are well carbo-loaded if you have gained 2 to 4 pounds pre-event. Your muscles store three ounces of water along with each ounce of carbohydrate. (This water will be released during the event and be put to good use.)

3. No last minute dieting.
You can´t fully carbo-load your muscles if you are dieting and restricting your calories. You will have greater stamina and endurance if you are well fueled, as compared to the dieter who may be a few pounds lighter but has muscles that are suboptimally carbo-loaded. Remember: you are supposed to gain (water) weight pre-event!

4. Drink extra fluids.
You can tell if you are drinking enough fluids by monitoring your urine. You should be urinating frequently (every 2 to 4 hours); the urine should be clear colored and significant in volume. Juices are a good fluid choice because they provide not only water and carbohydrates but also nutritional value. Save the sports drinks for during the event.

5. Eat tried-and-true foods.
If you drastically change your food choices (such as carbo-load by eating several extra bananas), you may end up with intestinal distress. Simply eat a comfortable portion of the tried-and-true carbohydrates you´ve enjoyed during training. You need not stuff yourself! If you will be traveling to a faraway event, plan ahead so you can maintain a familiar eating schedule despite a crazy travel schedule.

6. Eat a moderate amount of fiber.
If you stuff yourself with lots of white bread, bagels, crackers, pasta and other foods made with refined white flour, you may end up constipated. Include enough fiber to promote regular bowel movements––but not too much fiber or you´ll have the opposite problem! Moderate amounts of whole wheat bread, bran cereal, fruits and vegetables are generally good choices. (If you are concerned about diarrhea, limit your intake of high fiber foods and instead consume more of the refined breads and pastas.)

7. Eat the morning of the endurance event.
You´ll need this fuel to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Although your muscles are well stocked from the foods you´ve eaten the past few days, your brain gets fuel only from the limited amount of sugar in your blood. When you nervously toss and turn the night before the event, you can deplete your blood sugar and, unless you eat carbs, you will start the event with low blood sugar. Your performance will go downhill from there. Plan to replace the energy lost during the (sleepless) night with a light to moderate breakfast as tolerated. This will help you avoid hitting the wall. Stick with tried-and-true pre-exercise foods: cereal, bagels, toast, fruit, energy bars and/or juice. These carb-based foods invest in fueling the brain, as well as staving off hunger. If a pre-event breakfast will likely upset your system, eat extra food the night before. That is, eat your breakfast at 10:00 pm.

8. Consume carbs during the event.
During endurance exercise, you´ll have greater stamina if you consume not only water, but also some carbohydrates, such as sports drinks, gels, bananas or dried fruit. You should target about 100 to 250 calories/hour after the first hour to avoid hitting the wall (For example, that´s 16 to 32 ounces sports drink/hour.) Some players boost their energy intake by drinking diluted juices or defizzed cola; others suck on hard candies or eat chunks of energy bar, animal crackers and other easily chewed and digested foods along the way. Your muscles welcome this food; it gets digested and used for fuel during the event. And hopefully, you will have experimented during training to learn what settles best...

Sports Nutritionist Nancy Clark, MS, RD
 
Thank you for posting this. I have a bit of an endurance background too. (A few iron-distance races. But it's been a few years. And a few pounds:(
I hear lots of parents during the break between games suggest that their kid needs to eat protein. About the only protein I would suggest is peanut butter or cheese. I'd avoid any type of dead animal if possible. You don't want to mess up your stomach and protein can cause "Runners Trots". Once you are done for the day - Protein is what you want for recovery. But not what you want if you are planning to exert yourself again that same day.
I've often wondered about caffeine for a boost for a teenage soccer player. Not a coke, redbull or 5 hour energy. Not a frappacino or cup of coffee. But maybe a GU Roctane gel with caffeine in it. Either before the game or at halftime (or maybe both) A 90 minute game in heat can cause some dehydration, but if properly hydrated before, I don't see a little caffeine being dangerous.
 
timbuck said:
I've often wondered about caffeine for a boost for a teenage soccer player. Not a coke, redbull or 5 hour energy. Not a frappacino or cup of coffee. But maybe a GU Roctane gel with caffeine in it. Either before the game or at halftime (or maybe both) A 90 minute game in heat can cause some dehydration, but if properly hydrated before, I don't see a little caffeine being dangerous.
Click to expand...

The issue with caffeine is that everyone has a different threshold in their reaction to caffeine, both to even get any response (you have to reach a certain level) and then when it becomes too much (producing anxiety or lack of concentration). Since there's no test for it, it takes some experimentation to find the sweet spot, and it's not just a weight or age thing....a lot of it is dependent on brain chemistry. Some people need a cup of coffee to get any reaction at all....for some a cup of coffee could produce anxiety.
 
I am not really a coffee drinker mainly because of the nasty mud coffee that was on Navy ships in the 90's, so I rarely have anything that contains caffeine. A 12oz cup of coffee makes me feel like I am on meth and gets me very irritable, so I definitely want to avoid coffee before refereeing. The strange thing is that drinking 12oz of black tea which has a good bit of caffeine does not effect me like coffee does. I do, and have had since I was a kid, have reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that can be brought on by high levels of exercise or stress. Because of this I, on the advice of my doctor, take a GU energy gel mandarin flavor before each game. Each GU gel pack has 20mg caffeine, 55mg sodium and 35 mg potassium. I also use these during long runs and take one every 4-5 miles with water. The level of caffeine is low so I don't notice it and the sodium and potassium helps keep the electrolyte levels up and prevent muscle cramps.
 
Surfref said:
I am not really a coffee drinker mainly because of the nasty mud coffee that was on Navy ships in the 90's, so I rarely have anything that contains caffeine. A 12oz cup of coffee makes me feel like I am on meth and gets me very irritable, so I definitely want to avoid coffee before refereeing. The strange thing is that drinking 12oz of black tea which has a good bit of caffeine does not effect me like coffee does. I do, and have had since I was a kid, have reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that can be brought on by high levels of exercise or stress. Because of this I, on the advice of my doctor, take a GU energy gel mandarin flavor before each game. Each GU gel pack has 20mg caffeine, 55mg sodium and 35 mg potassium. I also use these during long runs and take one every 4-5 miles with water. The level of caffeine is low so I don't notice it and the sodium and potassium helps keep the electrolyte levels up and prevent muscle cramps.
Click to expand...
I’m hypoglycemic as well. I have to eat routinely throughout the day. Small meals. I use Stingers prior and during games when I play.
 
Surfref said:
Besides refereeing I also do distance running, 15K to marathon. When I was 49 (couple years ago) I started hitting "the wall" and/or getting severe calf cramps around mile 12-15 or on my third 70-90 minute soccer game of the day especially on hot days (90+ degrees), so I went to a sports nutritionist for advice. What I discovered was my hydration level was far too low and my nutrition intake was wrong leading up to the event/weekend. I have followed a pre-marathon guide (below minus the part about hitting The Wall) that was given to me by the nutritionist and it works for both long runs and soccer. My daughter followed a similar guide that was provided to her by her college coach and I will post it in another post. Both guides are similar and work well for a long hot or cold soccer weekend. Monitoring your urine color is an easy way to tell if you are properly hydrated and staying hydrated during a weekend of running.


Nutrition and hydration for races - 12miles to marathon

The week before:
Training needs to be reduced both in intensity and distance. This will allow the body to store more fuel providing you maintain your normal diet. Try to sleep well, relax with a book, film or something that will take your mind off the race. A week of worrying about it will not help one bit. Carbo-load, increase intake to a premium 65 to 70% of total calories, so someone eating 3000 calories daily should be looking to find approximately 2100 calories (525 grams) of them from carbohydrate sources. Maintain an intake of protein with the carbohydrate as this has been shown to increase absorption of glycogen - white and red meat, fish, cereals and pulses are a good source of protein. (Glycogen is the body's store of carbohydrate (and water) - kept in the muscles and liver.) Do not experiment with new foods, or heavily spiced foods before you start.

Fluid intake needs to be at a premium as water is needed for glycogen storage. Avoid alcohol and caffeine drinks as these can have a dehydrating effect on you. You are well hydrated if your urine is clear and you need to go frequently. If the race will be run in hot conditions, consider using a fluid replacement drink during the week to ensure that your electrolytes are balanced before you start. Avoid alcohol and caffeine drinks as these can have a dehydrating effect on you

Race day
Get up at least two hours before the start of the race. Eat a high carbohydrate snack of approximately 300 calories. You may need more or less depending on your metabolism and you should have checked this out on your long training runs. Drink at least one water bottle (750 ml). Avoid of caffeine. The caffeine can also have a diuretic effect which is not helpful at this stage.

During the race
Start drinking water from the first water station. Continue at each one to take a cup and drink a little. If the weather is hot or you are running very hard you will need more. Remember each mouthful is about 25 ml. I suggest taking in 800-1000 ml every hour on a moderate intensity run and inclement weather, so work out how many stations you will go through in an hour and take enough sips per station. If the weather is hot and the pace fast, increase this amount.

Look to take in energy each 30 minutes. If energy drinks are being supplied on the course find out the concentration before-hand. If it is higher than 6 to 8% then take additional water with it to aid absorption. Avoid taking in too much solid food if you are running very hard because it will be very hard to digest and can cause stomach upsets. If you are racing up to 3.5 hours you could use gels/squeezies for energy - plan to take one every 40 minutes before an aid station and take a cup of water with it. Stick religiously to a plan of hydrating and fueling. This is essential to a good race, and you will be wasting all your training if you mess your fluid intake up on race day - guaranteed to make you miserable.

If the run will take you over 3.5 hours and you are running more aerobically then you may be able to tolerate some solid food. Eat once an hour, alternating with a sports drink. You should be looking to consume 200 to 300 calories an hour.

After the race
Re-hydrate. This is a priority and you should immediately start taking in water and a sports drink. I would choose one specifically for post event that also contains carbohydrates. If you are feeling light headed, dizzy, disorientated and/or overheated you are dehydrated and probably glycogen depleted. You will start to feel better once you can ingest some energy, preferably in the form of carbohydrate with a bit of protein. Consider something salty such as a bag of crisps, sports drink or sprinkle a little salt onto a sandwich such as tuna, cheese, peanut butter etc.

Avoid alcohol until much later after the race so that your body can recover correctly. A long distance race such as marathon is exhausting both physically and mentally and you need to thank your body by giving it what it wants - glycogen (from carbohydrate) and water. Continue to snack throughout the few hours after the race eating about 50g (200 calories) of carbohydrate a time. It can take up to a week or more before you feel right - during this time no heavy training should be undertaken. Everything needs to recover, so a high carbohydrate intake and maintaining good protein levels is a must during recovery.
Click to expand...
Sounds like were about the same age and ironically I've been going through similar cramping on a few of my longer rides. I'm going back to my tried and true Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition. Best product I ever used to ride/race in the heat.

I used to try to explain to parents that hydration and "carb loading" starts the week of, not the day of.

Good post..
 
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