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Sep 1

The Real-Life Diet of Diego Estrada, Olympic Long-Distance Runner – GQ Magazine

Diet Comments Off on The Real-Life Diet of Diego Estrada, Olympic Long-Distance Runner – GQ Magazine

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In this series, GQ takes a look at what fit people in different fields eat on a daily basis to perform at their best. Heres a look at the daily diet of a sub 2:10 marathon runner.

No athlete diet is created equal. For Olympian and professional runner Diego Estrada, the key to nutrition is about being happy and not stressing over small details. Sure, he could keep count of every calories, log each time he decided to indulge in a Dennys Grand Slam breakfast, or even limit himself from Mexican food, but he would be miserable while doing so, which would make the high-intensity training sessions he endures that much more difficult. Currently in the final stages of training for the Oct. 8 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, he hopes to set a personal best after having to will himself through 20 miles of last years race on a severely twisted ankle; still managing to be the first American to cross the finish line, finishing eighth overall in 2:13:56. We caught up with Estrada to discuss his goal for this years marathon, training, giving into his cravings and more.

GQ: Youve mentioned your personal goal of finishing the marathon in under 2:10. As of right now, do you feel confident in being able to achieve that mark?

Diego Estrada: I think Im light years ahead of where I was last yearand I thought I was ready last year. Now, the key is to not overdo it. Just kind of cruise it in but make sure Im not too rested. I think that, based on how training is going, I think Im right inline for my goal in trying to [finish] in under 2:10.

Does last years finish disappoint or motivate you?

I think it motivated me because there were some obstacles along the way. I stepped on a water bottle six miles into a 26-mile race, so the fact that I finished [was good]. I wasnt satisfied with the time and I wanted better just because I could have finished sixth. I moved up to sixth with about 200 feet to go, and I couldnt put pressure on my foot anymore.

Its not like youre running the local marathon. I dont know when is the next time Ill be top five in a world major marathon and that was a good opportunity. So it just motivates me to make sure that I can reinforce everything in my body, so that Im ready to go mentally, physically and I can try to accomplish my goal in finishing really high in a world major. Theres the Olympics but this is kind of its own Olympics. Its prestigious. Its a world major marathon and if you can medal in one of these, to me, its almost like medaling in the Olympics.

You train in Flagstaff, Ariz. Im not too certain about the climate but how do you go from preparing there to trying to brace for Chicago when the weather can be at its most unpredictable in October?

Flagstaff is at 7,000 ft. So you have to slow down a bit in training than you would here in Chicago. The weather, I think, is very similar. Its very unpredictable in Flagstaff. It goes from 80 degrees to 50, monsoons and thunderstorms. The weather doesnt bother me. When it comes to Chicago, whether its hot, cold, rainy or whatever, it doesnt really concern me. I prepare by dropping to lower elevation. Ive been waking up around 3 A.M., driving around 4, doing these hard workouts down in a place call Camp Verde, which is 3,000 feet and it feels just like sea level. So Im just making sure that Im able to change pace,s and Im not just putting in the effort, but Im actually running the goal pace in training because its one thing for your lungs to have the capacity to maintain.

Its a different thing when you dont have the neuro system and muscles firing. It feels easyonce youre fitto run four 4:50 miles but once you get past 10:15, it just has to come like second nature, like breathing. You cant be sprinting, forcing or trying to get on your toes. It just has to be natural.

While your diet isnt necessarily the strictest, from college to now being a professional, were there any substantial changes you had to make?

In high school, my mom would cook most of the meals. Im Mexican, so these were healthy meals. When I went to college, we had the dining rooms, which was alright, but the remaining years, you have the freedom, money deposited into your account from scholarships. So you start overdoing it with the McDonalds, KFC, and my diet was nasty. I collapsed my lung in college and I still kept my ways. I started getting injured, and it wasnt until my first year as a professional where I saw that the fitness and requirements are at a different bar. I was training really hard because thats all I had to do but the nutrition wasnt there. My body shut down, my cortisone levels were really high and I would have sweaty palms. Basically, my body was saying no more. Even my testosterone and everything else was just dropping.

From then on, its not like I went to a strict diet. I just dont go get fast food anymore. I do consider Potbellys or Subway to be fast food, but its a healthier option. Its weird because I used to love certain burgers, but now Im disgusted. Not to say anything against them and the taste but its a reminder of what I endured when my body shut down. I dont count calories. I eat when I want to eat, which is small meals throughout the day.

If I go to a restaurant, Im most likely going to get a to-go box. Five weeks out, the big thingwhen I ran my first marathon at the Olympic trailsIm normally 135 pounds for my race weight. I dropped down to 120. I was training like an animal. Ive never trained that hard. The training was there but my body had nothing to feed on after 15, 16 miles. You go from glycogen to carbs, and then your body needs fat and there was no body fat there. My body cramped up, I dropped out and I remember going to Chicago last year and it being five weeks out, Coach [Joe Vigil] was on the phone with me every other day making sure I ate enough. So from personal experience with it being five weeks out, I make sure that I overeat. I want to be close to 135 because its hard to keep that weight when youre training so much. I just want to be a little bit fat because I know Im going to need some fat the last six miles.

Whats a typical training day for you?

Lets say its an easy day. Typically, Ill wake up, have a cup of coffee. I cant function without it. Some oatmeal or cereal and then Ill be out the door to run. Ill come back, probably eat a sandwich, banana, or a PowerBar. Ill take a nap, wake up and do the same thing as in the morning. Ill have some coffee, cereal, or oatmeal, go for a run and then later for dinner, Ill have whatever Im craving. Throughout the day, Ill snack on little things. I like pistachios and strawberries. I grew up in Salinas [California], where the agriculture is really big. So I need to have some strawberries.

On a typical workout day, lets say its now when Im dropping down to a lower elevation, I wake up at 3, coffee and then Ill be more specific. Ill have some kind of nutrition bar to make sure my stomach is set; maybe a bagel. Ill make the drive to trainingits like a 50-mile drive. After [training], Ill have a protein shake immediately in my car. Ill probably stop at Dennys and get whatever Im craving because its difficult to eat after a hard session because your stomach doesnt want anything. Ill try to get some breakfast, drive up the mountain, take a nap and then from there, its whatever I can eat.

But I try to up the hydration because Ive made the mistake of thinking Im fine post workout but if the hydration isnt there, it impacts the recovery. The muscles fatigue and youll feel that burn in your muscles longer.

"Towards the end, you need a little bit of caffeine, in my opinion. Not necessarily for the energy boost, but you want your mind to stay sharp. They say that your mind will give up before your body and thats very true in a marathon."

Are there any tweaks or adjustments you make the week of a long run?

I think everyone calls it carbo-loading and they stuff up with carbs. Some of my sessions are so hard; theyre probably as demanding as the marathon itself. I just try to repeat the routine. I dont try to do anything special. Its such a long race and if something goes wrong, say I overload, I might blow up out there. Ive heard stories of people overdoing the carbs and I think Ive found a fine balance where I keep my same diet. It doesnt change that much. Its either Mexican food, pasta, and occasionally some Red Lobster.

Im alone right now. Nobody is with me and Im just training all alone with my dog. Sometimes, Im tired and I just dont want to cook. Thats basically my dietsome seafood, Mexican, and pasta. I keep it the same but the night before, theres got to be some pasta. Its almost like Ill lose my confidence if I dont have some pasta the night before.

Whats your go-tos at Red Lobster?

I usually go with the wood grilled lobster, shrimp, and salmon.

Hydration would seem like the most critical aspect in completing a marathon but what else are you putting into your body throughout 26 miles?

You need calories and carbohydrates. Nowadays, with technology and everything being so advanced, you can drink something that will give you the right amount of energy and carbs, so theres not really much to think about. Every 5K, what Ive been doingwhat I did the first successful one because the first one I did, I just put fluids out there because it was so hotits just been regular fluids. It can be Gatorade or any type of sports drink that your body can handle.

The second stop would be like an energy gel. Every 10K was a gel, but I did make sure to throw in two gels for the last 35K and 40K, which is roughly 23 and 25 miles, just to make sure my body held up. Towards the end, you need a little bit of caffeine, in my opinion. Not necessarily for the energy boost, but you want your mind to stay sharp. They say that your mind will give up before your body and thats very true in a marathon.

As far as recovering after a marathon, are you trying to maintain weight or do you get a couple of weeks to let yourself go?

Its nice if I can put on some pounds and extra weight. Its nice after a marathon, because I can take two to three weeks off and maybe put on five to seven pounds. I think it helps my body. Since high school, some people would see running and look at it as you have to be skinny, but I always think about that human diagram and its all muscular. I always think of that as what you want to be as a distance runner. You want to be muscular and powerful because the lighter you get, the less output you have. If you look at the worlds best athletes, theyre athletically fit. You never see a skinny guy.

Are there any nerves still involved before that starting gun goes off?

I used to get nervous but now I dont. I got to a point, maybe a year or two ago, where I started second guessing myself, questioning why dont I get nervous and do I enjoy it anymore? I think in college, it was all so new to me. Now, I train so hard. My coach is 86-years-old, has a doctorate degree, and hes trained Olympic medalists. If he says Im ready, then Im ready. So, I guess Ive learned to trust the work.

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The Real-Life Diet of Diego Estrada, Olympic Long-Distance Runner - GQ Magazine

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