An interview with Christie Johnson, Melbourne Marathon

The Melbourne Marathon kicks off on Sunday, 13 October. The country’s largest marathon event, thousands of lyrca-clad runners will converge on the streets of the city and finish the 42.195km race on the manicured grass of MCG, to a cheering mob. Milk Bar was lucky enough to catch up with Christie Johnson, a dietician for Science in Sport and asked her nine questions that could help improve your running abilities.

You’re a dietician for Science in Sport. Could you tell our readers a little bit about what you do? What type of clients do you work with?

I’m a dietitian at SportsDietitian.com and consult to Science In Sport as a dietitian ambassador. SportsDietitian.com is an online sports nutrition platform for athletes, by athletes, who happen to be dieticians. So I get to work with amazing people from all over Australia and the world. I mostly work with endurance athletes: from weekend warriors to age groupers to ultra-man athletes; and in particular marathon runners and triathletes, as I’m also an age-group Australian triathlete and run marathons. So, I can understand all aspects of the sport to provide evidence-based and trialled information. I love working with athletes because you get to go on a journey with them to optimise their nutrition for their performance and life.

What are some myths about diet and/or dieting that you would like to debunk?

Most fad diets aren’t a way of eating for life. They’re created to reach short-term results, which often aren’t sustainable. Generally, if they involve cutting out food groups or nutrients, they’re not sustainable and won’t support long term health. Any “diet” for weight loss requires an energy deficit … so if you’re trying to lose weight, eat a balanced diet, and a little less than you need (to be in an energy deficit), and it will work for most people.

The Melbourne Marathon is coming up in October. What is your advice for beginner runners looking to tackle their first marathon?

My advice for first-time marathoners is to enjoy it and don’t put any pressure on yourself! And to also not try anything new on event day! Practice your nutrition in training first to make sure it’s right for you, and allow time for your body to adjust. Fuelling early and regularly is key – don’t wait until you have no energy left or a thirsty, because it’s generally too late then (aim for some carbohydrates, about 30g-40g every 45–60 minutes and fluids at least every 2–3 aid stations)

Now, food and drink: in your opinion, what are some ideal meals that one should eat the night before the big race?

Often there’s a perception to carbo load the night before an event. But, if you can carbohydrate load a few days out and then drop the volume down the day before, it gives your gut time to rest so you don’t feel heavy and sluggish event morning. So, I always like to have a smaller or normal size meal the night before with lower fibre carbohydrates and a little protein. My favourites are: tomato-based pasta; white rice and chicken with a sweet and sour or sweet chilli sauce; potato, a handful of meat and salad; or even a simple sandwich, or cereal (which is good if you’re a little nervous!)

Any food or drink in the morning? What are your thoughts?

Like most of my runners, you should eat some carbohydrates the morning of [the event], so they can top up their energy stores. It doesn’t have to be a big meal, especially if you’ve carbohydrate loaded well. For example, some jam on toast, a banana, rice cakes and fruit juice, or a sports drink and some fruit or easily digestible muesli bar (like a rice-puff based one or fruit twist). Sip on fluids to feel comfortable. Again, if you’ve hydrated well over the few days before, you won’t need to drink a whole bottle before you start. Practising this before a long training run is a must too! But, if you haven’t practised eating before, you’re better off starting to refuel earlier in the run than eating [the] morning [of the race] when you’re nervous, and then feeling sick.

Most people crave something substantial after a very long run. Are there particular foods that we should avoid after a run?

Interestingly, studies have found that for every hour of endurance exercise the rate at which our food travels from our stomach to our large intestine to be absorbed and digested is delayed by about 30 minutes. So if you’re running for 4 or 5 hours, it could take an extra 2 to 2.5 hours for your food to digest well – meaning you could feel quite full easily So, I always suggest not having a huge meal straight after, but eating a balanced meal. If you can eat a meal with protein, carbohydrates, some salt and drink fluids within an hour of finishing that will help. For example, eggs on toast, a breakfast burger or hamburger, a simple pasta or rice dish, or a yoghurt and muesli with a milky drink. Then eat again in the next few hours. I’d suggest staying away from fatty foods, deep fried foods or large meals because they will take longer to digest and might leave you feeling a little uncomfortable. If you’re wanting to celebrate with a few drinks, by all means do – running a marathon is definitely something to celebrate! But, if you’re getting back to training soon, are injured or get injured easily, or want to do right by your body, wait a few hours to refuel and rehydrate first before popping the champagne or having a few cold beers.

What is your perfect morning smoothie?

My favourite morning smoothie is my Breaky-on the go Smoothie (original, hey!): half a frozen banana, raspberries, a spoonful of rolled oats, chia seeds, a spoonful of almonds, milk and sometimes a few sultanas…plus ice if your banana isn’t frozen.

Do you have any training tips for those looking to run a half-marathon or a full?

My two main training tips are:

1. Match your eating with your training. Eat more on bigger days and bigger km’s weeks, and less on recovery days. This will help fuel and repair your body, reducing the risk of injury and energy deficit. What you eat around training is really important to support your running and your health.
2. Practice, practice, practice your nutrition. Most runners start off fearing nutrition during their runs because they’re worried it’s going to cause stomach upsets or uncomfortableness. But, you can train your gut to tolerate food and fluids, so don’t be afraid and start practising. It’s okay to have a bad training session because of nutrition… at least it won’t happen in the event.

Are there any particular supplements or vitamins that a seasoned runner should look to take?

If you’re eating the right foods and enough food, and don’t have any nutrient deficiencies, you generally don’t need to be taking vitamins or supplements. But, if you do have a nutrient deficiency (like iron deficiency anemia, which a lot of runners suffer) or have a low immune system, I’d recommend considering supplements to help boost your levels. However, this is always individualised. I like to look at our diets as a cake. You need to have a stable base before you can top it with additionals (like the icing and sprinkles). A good balanced healthy diet is our base; vitamins and sports foods are our icing; and sport supplements are the sprinkles. You need to get training and your nutrition right before you can explore sports supplements.

The Melbourne Marathon is an event for runners of all fitness levels and abilities. For more information, visit their website here.

Melbourne Marathon
Sunday, 13 October 2019
melbournemarathon.com.au