1Modern sports nutrition has evolved far beyond the old advice of simply eating plenty of pasta.
2Researchers now understand that timing meals around training sessions can significantly influence adaptation and recovery.
3Consuming protein within a few hours after exercise provides the building blocks muscles need to repair.
4Endurance athletes must also replace the glycogen stores that long and demanding sessions steadily deplete from their muscles.
5Hydration strategies should differ between individuals, since sweat rates and salt losses vary enormously from one person to another.
6Some competitors weigh themselves before and after training to calculate exactly how much fluid they lost.
7Supplements are a crowded market, yet only a handful of products have solid scientific support.
8Creatine and caffeine remain among the few substances consistently shown to enhance performance in properly controlled scientific studies.
9Athletes should always remember that no supplement can ever compensate for a poor diet or inadequate sleep.
10The best nutrition plan is individual, sustainable, and built around ordinary foods rather than expensive powders.
11Ultimately, consistency over many months and years matters far more than any single meal before a race.