Nutrition for a Marathon
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or you’re running your first marathon, it’s vital to prepare yourself nutritionally for the big event. The countdown should begin two to three months before a marathon and will involve making changes to your eating and drinking patterns. With the right preparation you’ll enjoy all of the training and have a lot more fun on the big day.
Eating the Right Food
Depending on how many excess pounds you’re carrying at the start of your training, there is no definitive volume to the amount of food you’ll need to eat. However, the question of what to eat is simpler. Aim for a balanced diet of cereals, lean meat and / or pulses, fruit and vegetables. On days that you train, eat a healthy snack between each meal.
With about five days to go before the race, increase the proportion of carbohydrates – the best sources of which are brown rice, oats, other cereals, starchy vegetables (like potato) and rye or whole-wheat bread. These are all ‘complex carbohydrates’, which provide energy slowly and steadily, in contrast to ‘simple carbohydrates’ like cakes, chocolate and sweets, which cause undesirable peaks and troughs of energy.
On the day before the race and on race day itself, increase the proportion (not amount) of carbohydrates even further. Eating a lot of protein so near a marathon is best avoided as it is relatively hard to digest.
If you’re going to be staying in a hotel the night before the marathon, check ahead that they have something suitable on the menu, and indeed that the restaurant will be open. Since most marathons start early in the morning, you might not have time to use the hotel facilities, so it’s best to refrigerate your own breakfast and eat it in your hotel bedroom.
Fluid Intake
Water is vital for a huge range of different processes so we should all aim to drink around 2 to 3 litres a day, even if we’re not training for a marathon!
On days that you’re training this level can be raised to 3 to 4 litres a day. So buy yourself a sports bottle and get used to having it by your side! It’s also important to drink about 200ml of water or a sports drink 5 minutes before a long-distance run and then about 100 ml every 15 minutes during the run itself. Don’t wait until you become thirsty before taking on fluids – you’ll end up dehydrated, feeling lousy and not enjoying the run!
If you’d like more information about healthy snacks or healthy meals for sports training, then why not order some Nutrichef flapjacks or enjoy the convenience of our healthy meal delivery service.
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or you’re running your first marathon, it’s vital to prepare yourself nutritionally for the big event. The countdown should begin two to three months before a marathon and will involve making changes to your eating and drinking patterns. With the right preparation you’ll enjoy all of the training and have a lot more fun on the big day.Read also:
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