There was an article that stated the best time to replenish energy after a hard workout was within the first two hours. The article suggested that most of the food should be carbohydrate with a smaller portion of protein added. I tried to recall what type of food I ate after a hard workout. I have hard workouts in both weight lifting and running. I recalled one hard lifting weight workout and being offered a steak supper afterwards. I had no appetite for any food and even the steak supper didn’t appeal to me. An hour later after a shower and changing clothes my attitude about eating had changed and I was starving for a good meal. After a 20 mile run training for a marathon my first thought was to find a soft place to lay down and rest. After an hour long nap the need to eat some food became a primary focus. The difference between a workout with weights and a long run was after a run the main food has carbohydrates versus a steak after a weight workout. As I look back on those hard workout days and the need to recover some energy, any food was a good choice whether it was the steak or a pasta supper.
The article made me think about the refreshments organizers provide for runners after a 5k or 10K race. Some big races and marathons go all out providing food for the runners. Having been responsible for providing food for runners after races is a learning on the job sort of thing. The choice of providing a nice refreshment table of food versus a couple of cookies and some Gatorade was often the first decision to make. The decision after a few races is that if you provide some good choices and enough food to feed a hungry runner who didn’t eat breakfast the chances are they will come back next year to your race. If the runner gets a few cookies for refreshments there is a good possibility that they get an impression of the race as a cheap one and will not return for your race next year.
