Eating for a marathon
Eating for a marathon
For thousands of people April will be a landmark of taking a sightseeing trip around London of 26 miles 385 yards. Of course this means the London Marathon! An event that is enjoyed by elite athletes, club athletes, recreational runners and fun runners alike.
Training for such an event is taken seriously by all competing regardless of the individual goal. Training can involve anything from 30 miles a week for beginner runners up to 140-160 miles per week for top international runners. In general a formulae for working out success is an American theory that a ‘distance runners collapse point’ is three times their average daily mileage (taken over seven days) for two months preceding the event. (Temple 1990). I.e. an average of 4 miles per day = a comfortable run of 12 miles in a race, running the rest of the distance becomes a much harder physical challenge. Using the same formulae a potential novice marathon runner would be advised to build up gradually to an average of at least 9 miles per day to successfully complete the 26 miles 385 yards. (Remember that this is an average of seven days so some runs will be longer or shorter).
There isn’t a rigid formula for a training programme and every individual’s training programme will be different, suiting his or her individual needs, lifestyle, fitness level and experience. The training programme however for a distance runner to be fit and able to run the race at their best will need an increase in calories during the hard training period. The increase can be in excess of 4000 calories per day.
Many thousands of dos and don’ts have been published over the years but one piece of advice has sustained the test of time. Carbohydrate!!!!!. The fatigue during prolonged exercise is associated with a depletion of muscle glycogen (stores of carbohydrate) and insufficient muscle stores will hinder performance both for the race itself and quality training. (Parkin et al., 1997).
During training and leading up to the event it is a top priority that a consistent energy status is established through increased muscle stores of glycogen, hydration, and replenishment particularly as each training session will use up the stores quickly and need fast replenishment. An habitual high carbohydrate diet with 60-70% (525-650g of carbohydrate per day) of your calories coming from foods such as bread, cereal, grains, pasta, vegetables and fruit will increase stores of muscle glycogen. (Hawley et. Al. 1997)
The 1st priority is to fuel the carbohydrate stores prior to training, the 2nd priority is to hydrate fully, the 3rd priority is to sustain both muscle glycogen stores and hydration through the longer distance training and the race and the 4th priority is to replenish optimally after training.
Fuelling priorities
Day to day eating
Eat breakfast including carbohydrate, protein, fruit and vegetables i.e. cereal, milk, fruit juice, dried fruit, toast/bagel
mid morning snack – carbohydrate i.e. cereal bar, flapjack, banana sandwich
lunch including protein, carbohydrate, fruit and vegetables
i.e. baked potato, tuna fish, cheese, fruit salad
vegetable and fish risotto
pasta salad with vegetables, chicken etc.
mid afternoon snack – carbohydrate i.e. fruit/dried fruit, cereal bar, yoghurt
dinner including protein, carbohydrates, vegetables i.e. meat or fish or grains, potato or pasta or rice with bread, 3-4 variations of vegetables
a before bed carbohydrate snack. i.e. a bowl of cereal, yoghurt, toast with honey
Any of the snacks can be eaten as pre or post workout snacks.
Hydration
Drink water with all meals and snacks
Carry a water bottle constantly
For two hours prior to a training session drink 2-3 (8 oz cups)
15 minutes before the session 1-2 (8 oz cups)
Drink sips of water throughout the training session (½ an 8 oz cup every 15 minutes)
Re-hydrate immediately after training and thereafter until urine is clear (if any body weight lost drink 2 litres of water to 1 kg body weight lost)
(Remember that the most efficient time for restoring muscle glycogen is immediately and within 2 hours of the training session and 3 grams of water is needed to repack 1 gram of glycogen – so drinking plenty of water during this window is important.)
During training or the race
Follow the hydration guidelines above
Consume 25-30 grams of carbohydrate per hour after the 1st hour of training or the race. (no more that 6-8% glucose in a fluid mix, non carbonated or a fruit juice diluted 1:1, drinks that are tepid in temperature)
Replenishment
Follow the hydration guidelines above
Eat a high glycaemic carbohydrate food or a meal replacement drink, within 15 – 30 minutes of finishing i.e. fruit, vegetables, yoghurt, bagels, cereals, and milk (or any of the snacks above)
The most important window for refuelling is immediately after training or the race and continuing for 2-4 hours after.