Carbs and Athletes

Someone asked me the other day about why athletes eat so many carbs. They do this to fuel the body for the intense exercise that they are doing. The carbs for an athlete fuel the muscles and the brain. So the day before a race or the day before we ride 75-80 miles, we have a carbo rich meal so that we would have fuel for the muscles as we peddled our way up and down mountains. Included in these meals are high fiber sugars and starches like fruit, vegetables and whole grains.

During the ride time or race time, the athlete now needs low fiber sugars that can be easily digested. Especially with runners, they need to have things that are quickly and easily digested because the stomach is really jostled around as they run. You'll often see these folks drinking smoothies, sports drinks, sports gels and bars.

The other thing that is really important for athletes is to keep hydrated. Drinking 1-2 hours before the event and then more about 15 minutes before the event helps keep them going. If you run for more than 90 consecutive minutes, you need to refuel the muscles and brain with carbs. Cyclists usually have a rest stop about every 10 miles for refueling with carbs and drinking liquids. Cyclists have the advantage unless they are racing in that they often have water with them in the form of bottles on the bike or a camel pack of water on their back.