Question

Omar is a male marathon runner that is training for the Boston marathon. He is currently in the middle of his rigorous training regimen. Omar runs 6 times a week, averaging about 55-60 miles per week. Typically he runs between 1-3 hours. His goal is to run the marathon in under 3 hours but knows that his nutrition is just as important as his training regimen. Omar has been a vegetarian for 3 years and does consume dairy products and eggs. Answer the following questions to make sure that Omar is meeting adequate nutrition needs for during, before and after his marathon.

1. Calculate Omar's recommended daily carbohydrate intake during his training period.
2. Calculate Omar's recommended daily protein intake during his training period.
3. Based off of Omar's recommended daily carbohydrate intake, how many calories would that provide for his total carbohydrate intake? (Thibk of how many kcal/g CHO provides)
4. During Omar's marathon give two examples (food/beverage) of what he can consume to replenish lost glycogen stores?
5. Recommend a specific plan for consuming a proper amount of carbohydrate and protein for his post race meal (makes sure to include a food and a beverage). Take into consideration that Omar is a vegetarian. When should he be consuming this post race meal?

Answer 1

To meet Omar's nutrition needs during, before, and after his marathon, it is important to calculate his recommended daily carbohydrate and protein intake. During his training period, Omar should consume around 350 grams of carbohydrates and 105 grams of protein per day.

Step-by-step explanation:

1. To calculate Omar's recommended daily carbohydrate intake during his training period, we need to determine the grams of carbohydrate he should consume per kilogram of body weight. The recommended range is 3-10 g/kg/day, depending on the intensity of exercise. Let's assume Omar weighs 70 kilograms. If he is training at a moderate intensity, we can use a value of 5 g/kg/day. So, his recommended daily carbohydrate intake would be 5 x 70 = 350 grams per day.

2. To calculate Omar's recommended daily protein intake during his training period, we can use a range of 1.2-2.0 g/kg/day. Let's assume Omar weighs 70 kilograms and is training at a moderate intensity. Using a value of 1.5 g/kg/day, his recommended daily protein intake would be 1.5 x 70 = 105 grams per day.

3. To calculate the calories provided by Omar's total carbohydrate intake, we need to know the number of calories per gram of carbohydrate. Each gram of carbohydrate provides 4 calories. So, if Omar's total carbohydrate intake is 350 grams per day, his total carbohydrate calorie intake would be 350 x 4 = 1400 calories.

4. During Omar's marathon, he can consume foods and beverages that replenish his glycogen stores. Two examples of such options include a banana and a sports drink. Bananas are a good source of carbohydrates, and they also provide potassium, which is an important electrolyte. Sports drinks contain carbohydrates and electrolytes, which can help replace lost glycogen stores and maintain proper hydration.

5. For Omar's post-race meal, a suitable option would be a whole grain pasta dish with vegetables and tomato sauce. This meal would provide carbohydrates from the pasta and vegetables, as well as some protein from the vegetables and potentially some cheese added to the dish. Additionally, a recovery drink like a chocolate milkshake could be consumed. Chocolate milk contains carbohydrates for glycogen replenishment and protein for muscle repair. Omar should aim to consume this post-race meal within 30-60 minutes after finishing the marathon to optimize recovery.