The better way to carb load – Grief with TSA

 In Nutrition

Carb Loading

Remember back in high school how the sports teams would always get together the night before a big game to carb load? Carb loading of those days consisted of large bowls of spaghetti, baked potatoes, and dressing-coated salad. Today, the spaghetti feed has largely gone away for elite athletes—being replaced instead by carbohydrate powders, such as Carbo-Pro, which provide pure complex carbs in a powder form. The result? None of the heavy feeling that comes after eating bowls upon bowls of spaghetti and all of the energy and endurance carbohydrates convert for us.

I am not a nutritionist and therefore, make no claims about how Carbo-Pro will improve your running (at this juncture, I am compelled to state that you should always check with your doctor before changing your fitness regime or supplements), but according to Carbo-Pro’s website, carbopro.com, for an endurance race/athlete:

Carbo Pro RegularCarbo ProCarbo-Pro allows endurance athletes to adjust CARBs intake based on training or competition distance. A 150 lb. athlete needs at least 300 calories per hour of activity at 2 calories per hour, per lb. of body weight. One scoop of Carbo-Pro provides 100 calories of energy. The 60 cc scoop (inside container) holds approx. 0.9 ounce (25 g) of the product. One scoop provides approx. 100 calories. One serving size which is 2 scoops (1.8 oz./ 50 g) provides approx. 200 calories. One serving (2 scoops/ 1.8 oz./ 50 g) represents theoretically as much carbohydrate content as 200 g (about 1/2 lb.) of cooked pasta; or as much as 430 g (about 1 lb.) of potatoes.

I personally use Carbo-Pro before any big race (and: I am not paid to make this statement!). For example, I’m running the Tahoe Tough Mudder on Saturday June 11th at the Northstar Resort. So, I’ll start carbo-loading Thursday or Friday—just to make sure my body is adequately fueled. There’s nothing worse than running what I feel is going to be a great race then come to find out that I’ve used up all my body’s fuel around mile 5, 6, 7, or 8.

Since Carbo-Pro comes in those big jugs, I’ll parcel out portions in baggies that I keep on me and dump in my water bottle throughout the day. Note: when traveling via plane, these baggies have been known to cause many a TSA agent grief.
white powder

Recent Posts