Food and drink for marathon training

Food and drink for marathon training
Preparation for a marathon is as much about getting your diet right as it is your physical training. Fuelling your body correctly will go a long way in developing your running progress, but what are the best foods to eat to support your marathon training? Well, here's our guide to planning your diet to get the most out of your marathon run.

As marathon race day gets closer you will be increasing your training levels as well as thinking about how to prepare nutritionally for the marathon event.

The answer to success is to prepare physically and mentally on the day of the event. You will have been training in the weeks leading up to the marathon, and ideally you will have followed high carbohydrate diet to re-fuel your body. This will also have maximised your carbohydrate levels - those all important muscle and liver glycogen stores.

Throughout the course of the marathon, glycogen stores will be used as the body has a limited supply of carbohydrate. This is why it is essential to make sure these levels are topped up to their maximum to boost your endurance during the race. As the event progresses your body will start to use these stores and to make sure you do not run low or 'hit the wall' it is essential take on extra carbohydrate to top up your blood glucose levels. This additional carbohydrate can be in the form of sports drinks, gels, sports bars or food. How you choose to top up is entirely up to you but what is important is that you practice during your training to find out what works best for you.

Nutritional preparation for the race
You need to make sure your diet is a balanced one which means high in carbohydrate, low in fat and includes foods from all the food groups, this will maintain a good supply of all nutrients. It is essential that you eat breakfast, but if you can't face a meal, a fruit smoothie drink is a good alternative. Having breakfast will ensure you are not running or training on empty.

Eating after a training run
The best advice is to eat within two hours after a training session, this is when the body stores carbohydrate most efficiently. Be warned, if you do not refuel correctly and regularly, this will cause depletion of your carbohydrate stores and therefore will make training more difficult.

Should I carbo-load before the run?
Recently the strategy of carbohydrate loading has been modified and training is reduced or tapered down around seven days before the race. However it is necessary to continue with a high carbohydrate training diet which equates to eating 5-6g of carbohydrate per kg of your body weight. Three days before the race your carbohydrate intake should then increase to 8-10g per kg of body weight.

Pre-race breakfast ideas

• Cereal with milk (skimmed), fruit, toast and juice

• Muffins or crumpets with fruit, yogurt

• Rolls or sandwiches with low fat filling, yogurt, and fruit

• Fruit smoothies or fruit yogurts

Race day

Pre-race meal
On the day of the race have a light meal, you'll need to allow three to four hours for it to digest. If you are nervous and can't manage food have a liquid meal such as a fruit smoothie, or fruit yogurt drink. The best pre-marathon meal should contain about 200-300g of carbohydrate and be low in fibre; this will help to avoid any stomach upsets. Remember, it's essential to practice your pre-marathon breakfast whilst you are training to find out what works best for you.

In the hour before the race have a snack, or drink. This will give you an extra boost of energy and help to delay fatigue. The best pre-race snacks are dried fruits, low-fat fruit yogurt, cereal or energy bar, a jam sandwich or a sports drink. Hydration is fundamental too; you need to drink 400-600mls of fluid two hours before the race. This will allow you to hydrate and also find time to go to the toilet! Then ideally you should drink 200-250mls of fluid 15-20 minutes before the race starts.

During the race
Throughout the race you will need add to your carbohydrate levels. After 30 minutes into the race, you should be aiming for about 30-60g carbohydrate per hour and this should be done at regular intervals. The best foods to eat during the race include energy bars, gels, bananas, dried fruit-bars or alternatively an isotonic sports drink.

Hydration should be forefront in your mind, don't wait to become thirsty and start to replace fluids early into the race. Take sips regularly; taking small amounts frequently will avoid gastric upset. Make sure you start replacing fluids within the first 30 minutes into the race, then aim for 150-350 mls of fluid every 15-20 minutes. If you have used them during your training an
isotonic sports drink is a good way to refuel and rehydrate. Again, make sure you start practicing drinking during your training to get used to what your body likes; this will help reduce stomach upsets during the race.

Carbohydrate during the race...

• 800ml sports drink

• One energy gel

• Two cereal bars

• 60g jelly beans, wine gums or jelly babies

• One jam sandwich

• Two pieces of fruit

• Two handfuls of dried fruit

After the race...
Well the first thing to do is celebrate and enjoy your achievement! However, after the marathon when spirits are high, it is easy to neglect recovery. You must eat within one hour of finishing ensuring your body has the fuel to begin recovery.

The best advice is to have a carbohydrate snack but try to include some protein; fruit yogurt and sandwich, banana and yogurt drink, sandwich and tinned rice pudding are good examples of post- race snacks. Alternatively try a recovery bar and recovery sports drink. Make sure you are prepared too - it's easy to forget your recovery food and drink.

As for hydration you need to start replacing any lost fluids and you need to drink water until your urine appears pale in colour. Also eat a high carbohydrate meal after the marathon and continue to eat carbohydrate-rich meals seven days after the event to ensure you to replenish your carbohydrate stores.