Inevitable cliched nutrition/hydration entry - with a twist

Someone at work sent me a few links to some websites that give advice on diet for active people.

You know the type - they usually have some kind of "top ten tips to smash your PB", neatly condensed into a convenient couple of lines, with headings like "muscles are fuel tanks - fill them properly".

By some freakish coincidence these websites happen to be selling exactly the thing you need to "smash your PB!"

Pow!

Whack!

Kersplat!

These really p**s me off.

I know there is a lot of science involved in sports nutrition, but I think it's usually best explained by people who don't work for companies selling nutrition aids.

Or am I being closed-minded?

Some of them are so obviously plugging particular pruducts, and spouting pseudo-scientific bollocks that it'd be quite easy to imagine someone new to running, already terrified they've got to run 26.2 miles, getting so frightened they empty their wallets/purses to avoid the near-certainty of death that awaits them as they cross the start line.

Here's a tip from your uncle Phil - running a marathon is unpleasant, hard, painful and possibly the stupidest thing you will ever do. Worry about that!

Yes, people do occasionally die running them, but just because you didn't buy another super-electrolyte-carb-based-whey-protein-glucose-shake-with added fois gras doesn't mean your thighs will collapse in on themselves like a dying star, sucking you through the resulting black hole torn through spacetime.

So, here's my general rule of thumb guide to diet and nutrition:*

• Eat lots of carbs - pasta, rice etc. But for the love of God/Allah/Vishnu/flying spaghetti monster learn to cook a few different recipes or you'll find yourself visualising many different ways to shove a plate down Uncle Ben's throat**.
• Keep your fluids up during the day - if you're thirsty, have a drink. Apparently, water's pretty good to stop you dehydrating.
• Energy drinks etc. are good if you're running for more than an hour (which I think I'm safe in assuming most people reading this will be***) - but get used to them first as they can do weird things to your guts. Trust me.
• Jelly babies are your friend when you're running - I found biting their smug little faces off helped me keep going.
• find what works for you - that's what training's for. I'm a 29 year old 5'7'', 11 stone northerner with love of my sofa, my bed, and not aching. What I do probably won't work for an 18-year old 6'4'' lass from Kenya who's spent her entire life running 15 mile fartleks for a giggle.
  

I feel a bit better for getting that off my chest.

You may now carry on with your day, or feel free to add your own thoughts below.

* This should not be mistaken for good advice - you get that from people who aren't writing a pissy blogpost because they just got riled by some crap on a website I don't even want to justify by linking to.
** I got up to 37.
*** Apologies to my audience of those with wheels for feet and jet propulsion units for a head - you'll have to Google around for advice.