what to drink and eat before a marathon
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The time has come! The marathon is upon y'all. You've put in all the work, merely information technology's of import to have a nutrition plan for the calendar week leading upward to the race. This will non only provide the perfect complement to your taper, but it volition besides go yous to the starting line ready to run your all-time. Hither'due south what to eat the calendar week of a marathon.
5 to vii days Out: Ease Up on Mileage
During most weeks of marathon training, your muscles never have a chance to fully reload with glycogen. Runners and other endurance athletes simply need to back off on training for a few days, and the musculus enzymes responsible for restocking glycogen will gradually begin to shop more carbohydrate, helping build upwardly your energy reserves for race day. Make sure you lot're consuming at least 3 grams of carbohydrate per pound of trunk weight during this time menses to meet your needs, and infinite that carb intake out throughout the 24-hour interval. For example, a 130-pound runner would need to consume around 390 grams of carbs while a 180-pound runner would aim for 540 grams of carbs. And seriously, don't run besides much. The taper exists for a reason. We know information technology's hard to relax prerace, merely doing so will prepare your body up with the proper fuel stores for success.
For reference, 400 grams of carbs might look like: 1 cup of oatmeal loaded upwardly with ane cup of strawberries, one cup of milk or soy milk, and two tablespoons of slivered almonds for breakfast. For lunch, 3 soft flour tortilla tacos with filling of your choice plus 1 cup of rice and beans on the side. A snack could be an apple tree plus thirty small crackers with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter for dipping and a glass of milk or soy milk, and for dinner: i loving cup of pasta topped with your favorite sauce, with a side of garlic bread.
3 to iv Days Out: Up the Carbs
Boosting carbohydrate intake to three.5 to four grams of carbohydrate for every pound of torso weight will further increase your glycogen stores. That's 455 to 520 grams of carbs for a 130-pound runner and 630 to 720 grams of carbs for a 180-pound runner. That said—and this is important—that doesn't mean loading up on calories with carb-rich foods on elevation of what you already eat; it means taking in the same amount of calories but getting a larger percentage of those calories from carbohydrates. The primal is to back off on fat and protein to help balance your calorie intake and avert gaining weight. Be aware that for every ane gram of carbohydrate stored in the body (as glycogen), there is approximately 2 to three grams of water retained, so you may see your weight pitter-patter upwardly a trivial, but this is normal water weight. It'southward only temporary and nothing to worry about.
ii to 3 Days Out: Cut Out Majority
Limiting high-fiber foods such as bran cereals, whole grains, and large amounts of fibrous vegetables for the final few days prior to a race has multiple benefits. Research from the Australian Institute of Sport shows that eating a lower fiber diet can assist lighten the weight of cloth in the intestines. This may help y'all avert the need for an urgent midrace pit terminate that would otherwise add time to your race.
2 to four Hours Out: Eat!
A prerace meal supplies extra carbs to meridian off glycogen stores, peculiarly in the liver, which will assist steady blood sugar levels during the race. Aim for 0.5 to 1 gram for every pound of body weight (nigh 65 to 130 grams for a 130-pound runner or 90 to 180 grams for a 180-pound runner)—but only swallow the higher range if you lot have iv full hours to digest. Dorsum off on fats and keep poly peptide to about 15 grams or fewer—both nutrients take longer to digest. A study from the University of Minnesota plant that for novice marathoners, eating a high-carb prerace meal was an important predictor of finishing times: Runners who ate ample carbs ran faster than those who skimped.
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Midrace: Fuel Upward Co-ordinate to Programme
In the weeks leading upwards to the marathon, you should have been testing different fueling strategies to detect what works for yous. During the race, put your grooming to piece of work: Fuel up with at least xxx to 60 grams—and up to 90 or 100 grams if your gut tolerated information technology during training and you're planning to race difficult—of easily-digestible carbs per hour (spread it out, such as every mile or every 15 minutes or so). Fluid intake should also become according to training, keeping the temperature in heed: sweat losses will exist less in cooler weather. Studies show mild dehydration (one to two pct loss of body weight) will not hamper operation, so avert over consuming fluids, which might but slosh around in your stomach. If yous feel yourself starting to fade during the second one-half of the race (and who doesn't?), try a hit of caffeine (30 to 50 milligrams) from an energy gel, chew, or drink. Studies show this pocket-size corporeality helps boost alacrity and may provide a second current of air.
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Source: https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a20785351/what-to-eat-the-week-of-a-marathon/