How to Run Faster Using Fatigue Nutrition

An interesting topic of discussion lately has been how to run faster using nutrition. A more accurate way of describing nutrition to run faster is fatigue nutrition. To perform at your best the body must have proper fuel. Anything less than optimal fueling will lessen your chances of obtaining you true speed potential. Your speed potential is not sprint speed, but rather the top speed that you can maintain for a given race distance.

To run faster using fatigue nutrition three components must be followed. The four components are training, attitude, rest, and nutrition. Each plays a vital role for speed to be gained and maintained. Forgetting to use all three together will lessen your performance.

A much misunderstood fact about running fast is that proper training for distance runners is not sprinting. For people who run the sprint events this type of training may work. For distance runners an often neglected method is running slow to become fast. The famous line you have to “run fast to run fast” is in my opinion the reason for a large percentage of running injuries.

When runners build up their endurance first with longer slow distance runs. The body not only becomes more efficient but also less injury prone. As your shape improves and you start adding different types of speed training dramatic increases in speed will result.

When your maximum speed potential is found, attitude becomes the second critical component. The winner of any sporting event is the athlete who wants it the most. Runners will not stay in top shape for very long unless they are willing to train. A major reason why athletes come and go so frequently at local running events is because of their attitude.

How do you improve attitude with fatigue nutrition? As the body becomes more and more tired the brain will receive less nourishment and your mood will deteriorate. By fueling before, during and after workouts these blue moods can be lessened dramatically.

Fatigue nutrition can also be described as rest. When the body is not given adequate rest performance will suffer. Rest is like food for the body. Without adequate rest and fuel the body will reach a point where it will not function. Have you ever eaten a good pre workout meal after an exhausting day and then try to have a good run?

An interesting experiment to try is to eat a diet that is a perfect balance of vitamins and minerals but only sleep 2 or 3 hours a night for a week. What do you think will happen?

By eating a diet rich in non processed foods, training properly and getting adequate rest you will reach your top speed potential. I can’t promise that you will be the next gold medalist or world record holder. You can become the best that you can be. And that is all that really matters.