Balancing Nutrition Is Important Part Of Half Marathon Training

DENVER (CBS4) Runners need to pay attention to what they eat to make sure they're fueling their bodies properly. CBS4 has four staff members training for the Transamerica Rock 'n' Roll Denver Half Marathon. Recently, Karen Morfitt, Britt Moreno, Mark Haas, and Kelly Werthmann got a chance to meet with a nutritionist to get some healthy eating advice.

"We're going to make Apple Cinnamon Almond Butter Energy Bites," said Amanda Turner, sports dietitian and owner of Active Fueling LLC.

LINK:Active Fueling LLC

Energy bites are a balance between protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and a little added sugar for good measure. At 100 calories a piece, Turner says they're perfect to fuel a long run. While Team CBS4 chopped and measured the ingredients, they talked to Turner about how they should be tweaking their eating habits.

"What do you eat the night before a race?" Moreno asked Turner.

"That's a great question. So the night before a race, you do want a higher carbohydrate meal, but people often misconstrue that with eat a lot of food. And you don't want to eat a lot of food because that creates more in your digestive system for when you're running the next day," Turner explained.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Apple Cinnamon Almond Butter Energy Bites Recipe

Turner talked about eating a well-balanced diet of whole foods.

"Your plate should be a quarter protein. You should have a third to a half carbohydrates, and about a quarter to a half with vegetables on it, so that would be the ideal plate," Turner said.

Turner talked about how runners can train their bodies to function better with the proper balance of food.

"Does anyone feel like they need a nap after their long runs?" she asked the group.

"Or during," Werthmann quipped.

"Yeah, so your energy levels should stay much more stable when you're fueling your body more appropriately," Turner said.

While the treats turned out more like an energy crumble, Turner said that making a snack, like Energy Bites, is an easy way to save money and control calories.

"It just helps you control what's in it. While there are similar products at like Costco, they have a lot more added sugar," Turner told CBS4.

In addition to eating healthy, Turner stressed staying hydrated as key to making it to the finish line of endurance sport.