Marathon Training Diet
Nutrition is often an overlooked element of marathon training. To make your long training runs seem much easier, follow a marathon nutrition plan!
This article covers your day in and day out marathon training diet. More specific topics such as race week nutrition, what to eat on marathon race day , what to eat just prior to training, what to eat immediately after training and what to eat pre-race are covered in these marathon training diet strategies.
Your source of energy is the food you eat. Carbohydrates, proteins, fat and fiber are the building blocks of all food. Carbohydrates are tied to energy production, complete proteins are tied to tissue repair and building, fat provides body fuel and fiber is roughage. Most foods will have trace amounts of all these macronutrients, but each is typically rich in one. ALL are needed in your diet.
Carbohydrates and Marathon Training
Your body burns carbohydrates more efficiently than fat or protein. Consider increasing your carbohydrate intake to 60-70% of your daily food intake.
Carbohydrates stored in the body benefit runners much more than other micronutrients. That is because carbohydrates produce more energy per unit of oxygen consumed than fats produce. This means that when your body burns carbohydrates rather than fat or protein, you get more energy for running. Because oxygen often is the limiting factor in long duration events, your body will find it easier to use the energy source that requires the least amount of oxygen per kilocalorie of energy produced. (energy is measured in kilocalories)
Your body produces energy by converting carbohydrates into glucose. Carbohydrates provide 40 to 50 percent of your energy requirement when you are running at a moderate pace. As you start running harder, carbohydrates provide a greater percentage of your energy requirements.Your body has to work hard to break down protein and fat into glucose to provide energy. Therefore your body first burns carbohydrates. The harder you work, the harder it becomes for your body to devote energy for breaking down protein and fat.During a marathon, you had much rather that energy be used for running faster.
Best sources of carbohydrates for your marathon training
A runner’s body size and activity level determines the runner’s carbohydrate needs. For moderate-duration, low-intensity exercise, runners need 5-7 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. By contrast, those participating in long-duration and high-intensity exercise require 7-12 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight.
All carbohydrates are not created equal.
Best sources of carbohydrates in your diet
- Fruit,
- vegetables,
- brown rice,
- enriched whole-grain breads,
- whole grain cereals,
- rolled oats,
- beans,
- legumes, and
- sweet potatoes
(Note: Cheetos, cookies and tortilla chips are not on the list.)
Fat
The next macro-nutrient to be used by the body during exercise is fat.
Fat is not the enemy.Fat that is stored after eating an excess of cheetos is. (Any calories you eat that your body can’t use quickly is turned into fat – no matter what the source of the calories.) For moderate exercise, free fatty acid metabolism accounts for close to 50% of the total energy expended. For events lasting more than an hour, your body may use mostly fats for energy. Whether the runner’s body uses fat for fuel for not depends on the event’s duration and the runner’s condition. Trained athletes use fat for energy more quickly than untrained athletes. (Your long training runs teaches your body to use fat for energy.)
Best sources of fat in your diet
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Nut butter
- Fatty fish
- Fish-oil supplements
- Flaxseed oil
- Safflower oil
- Canola oil
- Sunflower oil
- Corn oil
- Avocados
- Egg yolks
Protein For The Runner’s Diet
After carbohydrates and fats, protein provides energy for the body. Protein also repairs muscle tissue damaged by exercise. Even though marathon training may increase your need for protein, most Americans already eat more than the recommended amounts of protein.
10 to 12 percent of total calories is sufficient protein intake. Most authorities recommend that endurance athletes eat between 1.2-1.4 grams protein for every kilogram of body weight per day. Remember, extra protein is stored as fat.
You probably don’t need extra protein, what you do need is to eat protein from quality sources.
Many runners (especially women) who are trying to lose weight cut calories by cutting out protein. However a better place to cut out calories is your daily bagel. Don’t get me started on my “bagels are empty calories” rant; for now, all I’ll say is protein-rich foods include lean pork and beef, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, tofu, and low-fat dairy products. Be sure to include lean sources of protein in your marathon training diet.
Best sources of protein in your diet
- Lean pork and beef
- Poultry
- Fish
- Eggs
- Low-fat dairy products
- Broccoli
- Beans
- Corn
Fiber
Fiber helps the body stay healthy and may prevent heart disease. Getting enough might be easier than you expect it would be.
Soluble fiber may help prevent heart disease by lowering LDL, or “bad” cholesterol levels. Soluble fiber is found in oats, barley, beans, apples, oranges and other fruits and vegetables. Set a goal to eat 20 to 35 grams of fiber every day. The best way to do this is to consume a wide variety of whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, fruits and vegetables.
Fiber also keeps the bowels “regular”.Eating enough fiber is key to avoiding discomfort on your long training runs. However, fiber should not be eaten as a pre-run food due to it’s water absorbing qualities.
Best sources of fiber in your diet
Include more fiber in your eating plan by adding vegetables to stews and casseroles. Add oats to meatloaf, breads and cookies. Fruit is a great source of fiber. Have fruit as a snack, on cereal and in salads.
The above are guidelines for creating your marathon eating plan. You may want to read up on carbohydrate loading for your marathon race week.