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Carbohydrates, stored in the body as glycogen, are the secret to running fast for long periods of time. Cabohydrates are a much more efficient source of fuel compared to protein and fat. Here are just a few pointers about the "runner's fuel", carbohydrates.

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates, which basically means sugar, are what you could call "bad carbohydrates". It is true that eating sugar gives you a quick energy boost. However, that boost also wears off in time, and actually swings back the other way to give you a blood sugar low. This low results in a feeling of decreased energy. Foods such as cookies, cakes, candy, and drinks such as soda pop all contain simple carbohydrates. They are essentially empty foods because they contain no vitamins or minerals, but are high in calories. I'm not saying that you should cut out all simple carbohydrates from your diet, just be aware of them.

Complex Carbohydrates

Complex Carbohydrates are what we runners should include in great quantities in our diet. Foods such as pasta, cereal, bread, and vegetables are all high in complex carbohydrates. Complex combohydrates take longer to convert to glucose compared to simple carbohydrates, which means that they are a much more steady energy supply. They'll give us energy without dropping out in a short time like sugar does.

Carbo-loading

You've probably heard of "carbo-loading" before a big race. What this means is eating a lot of food that is high in complex carbohydrates the night before a big race. I personally eat a lot of carbos anyway, but before a big meet I might up my intake a little. Carbohydrates probably don't help me a lot in 5k races, since running 3.1 miles really doesn't drain the glycogen stores that much. However, carbo-loading the night before a race helps me mentally because at the start of the race I feel like I have plenty of fuel. Therefore, I recommend carbo-loading for the high school runner.

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