Fuel for the marathon?

If you’re running the London marathon on Sunday or any marathon this year, a big question will be “what do I eat on race day?”

This can be a hard question to answer and it all depends on a number of training factors.

My first piece of advice would be, not to try anything new on race day.  What have you been eating pre, during and post training runs? What foods have made you feel energised and light on your feet?  What foods have made you feel heavy and sluggish? By now you should have a good idea what foods work for you.

With all of my endurance athletes I encourage them to train on a low-carb diet. I’m not a big fan of the old school carb loading idea.  Eating mountains of pasta and high-carb breakfasts is not supported by the current research.  I encourage my endurance athletes to eat a low-carb diet and focus on high quality fat and proteins. This trains the body to burn more fat as a fuel source.

Professor Timothy Noakes running coach and author of “The Lore of Running” has completed over 70 marathon and ultra marathons recently told endurance athletes to “tear up the chapter on nutrition.”  Research has come a long way since the carb-loading days of old and the value of training on a low-carb diet can be very beneficial.  The human body can only store a small amount of energy as glucose/glycogen (carbohydrates), but even the leanest of athletes can has an abundance of energy stored as body fat.

So, with that in mind, my top tips for the 48hours before the marathon:

1.  Stay hydrated – aim to drink 3-5L of water in the 48hr before the marathon.  If you enter the race well hydrated you should not need to drink a lot during the race.  Avoid alcohol in the 48hr window.  Coconut water is a good option as it contains electrolytes that can help hydration levels.

2. Good quality fats – nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, olive oil, coconut palm are all good sources of fats that also boost energy levels and make us feel full.  Unlike most carbohydrates, fats will make you feel full but will not make you feel heavy, or cause digestive issue.  Nobody wants to crap themselves in the bog day.

3.  Good quality organic protein – line caught fish (salmon or mackerel are a good choice), and grass feed meats are an excellent source of protein and high in omega 3 fatty acids. EPA and DHA that come in fish oil, can make you stronger and leaner for optimal endurance and strength performances. Fish oil reduces inflammation, accelerates recovery, enhances cognition and mood, and may convey other benefits as well.

Protein (amino acids) are the natural building blocks of our muscles and help cell turnover, recovery, growth and repair. All good stuff for the endurance junkie.

4. Race fuel – train low and race high!  Even though I don’t recommend loads of gels during training, I do get my athletes to practice fuelling. When going long athletes will need to top up the glucose stores with easily digestible carbohydrates. After eating protein and fats for breakfast I recommend saving your first gel until 60 minutes into the race.  At this point you should have a plan to eat a gel every 15-20 minutes.  My personal preference is actually baby food (ellas kitchen).

5. Sleep – the race day nerves (especially for the first time runner) can sometimes make it hard to sleep.  Plan a relaxing evening in, a warm shower, and an early night.  A well rested athlete is ALWAYS going to perform better.  Eating some turkey (contains tryptophan) can help you sleep.  A small amount of sugar (some 70%+ dark chocolate) can help to increase serotonin levels to help you relax and sleep well.

Be smart about your final 48hr before the event.  The race is won and lost in the preparation.   All those month of training come down to the last week of preparing yourself for the event.  The training is done, you are not going to get any fitter.  Rest, hydration and fuel (food) are the key factors in the final few days. Get is right and you will enjoy the day, get it wrong…good luck!