Nutrition is essential to your running performance. Let's face it, nothing runs quite right without the correct fuel. The food you put into your body is what it will be forced to use as the energy source for all activity, growth, and repair. Put garbage in, and you'll be made of garbage. Put in the correct fuel, and you will run like an efficient machine (and live a longer more satisfying life, which is what is really important of course!)
Here are some links to websites and articles to help you make the best nutritional choices:
http://running.about.com/od/nutritionandhydration/a/runnersdiet.htm
http://www.runner.com/nutrition.htm
http://www.runnergirl.com/nutrition.shtml
Some items to avoid:
Stay away from the new 'energy' drinks like Rockstar, Red Bull, Monster, etc. They are loaded with massive amounts of caffeine (plus other stimulants) and can be dangerous to your health. When we are not running we want our hearts to recover from the workout. Can your heart really recover when it is racing out of control due to caffeine? I think not.
Check it out for yourself here:
http://walking.about.com/od/fluids/a/caffeineenergy.htm
http://www.abc3340.com/news/stories/0708/536125.html
