All too often we see runners who have committed themselves fully to training for a marathon struggle when it comes to nutrition. They do their strength training, their easy runs, pace runs, include adequate rest periods, but when it comes to race day, the part of their body that let them down? Their gut. Its a muscle like any other and we need to train it just as we train our head, heart, lungs, legs and feet.
In the journey of marathon training, runners often focus on building endurance and improving pace. However, an often-overlooked aspect is the importance of gut training through a well-structured nutrition plan. Training your gut is just as crucial as training your legs. Our digestive system plays a pivotal role in energy absorption and nutrient delivery, which are essential for sustaining long-distance runs. By acclimating your gut to the types of foods and fluids you’ll consume during a marathon, you can enhance your body’s ability to process nutrients efficiently, thereby reducing the risk of gastrointestinal distress on race day.
Gut training involves gradually introducing specific foods and beverages into your diet, allowing your digestive system to adapt over time. This process helps runners identify the best nutrition strategies that work for them individually – can you use those gels or are you better with chewing foods — minimising discomfort and maximising energy availability. By practicing your nutrition plan during training, you can ensure that your body is prepared to handle the demands of marathon day, while ensuring energy is delivered effectively to your muscle hard at work.
Macronutrients — carbohydrates, proteins, and fats — are the building blocks of a runner’s diet. Each plays an essential role in fuelling endurance activities like marathon running. Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for high-intensity exercise, providing the glucose needed to sustain long efforts. In the run up and the during the marathon, you should prioritise refine carbs as these are easy digestible. During the rest of the time you should focus on incorporating complex carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into your diet to give your gut and your body that fibre that will improve your gut health and strengthen your overall health.
Protein, on the other hand, is crucial for muscle repair and recovery. Including adequate protein in your diet helps maintain muscle mass and supports repair processes after long runs. Lean meats, dairy, legumes, and plant-based proteins are excellent choices to include in your meal planning.
Lastly, healthy fats are an important energy source for longer, lower-intensity efforts and help with nutrient absorption and hormone production. Foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil can provide the necessary fats to support your training. Balancing these macronutrients in your nutrition plan ensures you have the energy and strength needed to perform at your best.
Proper hydration is a cornerstone of marathon training, impacting both performance and recovery. Dehydration can lead to reduced endurance, increased fatigue, and impaired thermoregulation (your body’s ability to balance heat generation with heat loss), all of which can significantly affect your running performance. Developing a hydration strategy that suits your individual needs is vital.
Start by understanding your sweat rate, which varies from person to person. This can be determined by weighing yourself before and after a training run to see how much fluid you lose. Aim to replace fluid losses by drinking water or sports drinks containing electrolytes, which help replenish sodium and potassium lost through sweat.
It’s also important to hydrate consistently throughout your training and on resting day too, not just on long runs. For most of the time, water is enough. Rehydration tablets are mainly useful when exercising for long session (more than 1 hour) or when the sweat loss is high. Remember, overhydration is equally risky, leading to a condition known as hyponatremia – it is rare but not uncommon, especially after intense and prolong effort under warm condition. Therefore, striking the right balance is key to maintaining optimal hydration levels.
Timing and composition of meals play a crucial role in optimising performance and recovery in marathon training. Consuming a meal rich in carbohydrates and proteins about 3 – 4 hours before a long run ensures that your body has the energy reserves needed for sustained activity. A pre-run snack, such as a banana or a small energy bar (without protein), can provide an additional energy boost closer to your workout.
In the 3 days leading up to the event, carb loading is important to maximise glycogen stores, choosing easy to digest food (limiting high fibre, high fat and high protein), avoiding alcohol and focusing on good hydration.
Post-run nutrition is equally important. Consuming a balanced meal within 30 – 60 minutes after running helps replenish glycogen stores and aids muscle recovery. A combination of carbohydrates and proteins, such as a smoothie with fruits and yogurt or a turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread, can be effective post-run meals.
Additionally, consider the importance of meal composition throughout the day to support overall energy levels and recovery. Including a variety of nutrient-dense foods ensures that you’re meeting your body’s demands and enhancing your performance during training — that is plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, good amount of protein and health fats.
Marathon training typically consists of different phases—preparation, building, peak, taper, race and recovery—each with unique nutritional needs. During the building phase, focus on developing a solid nutritional foundation, incorporating a balanced diet rich in macronutrients and micronutrients to support overall health and endurance — again, plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, good amount of protein and health fats.
As you enter the peak training phase, your caloric needs will likely increase due to the higher mileage and intensity of workouts. Prioritise carbohydrate intake to maintain energy levels, and ensure adequate protein consumption to support muscle repair.
During the tapering phase, reduce caloric intake slightly as your mileage decreases, but maintain a focus on simple carbohydrates to keep glycogen stores full. This phase is crucial to ensure your body is well-rested and fuelled come race day.
Despite best efforts, runners can encounter common nutritional pitfalls that hinder performance. One such mistake is neglecting to practice race-day nutrition during training. Testing new foods or supplements on race day can lead to gastrointestinal issues, so it’s essential to practice with your chosen nutrition strategy well in advance.
Another pitfall is relying too heavily on processed energy products like gels and chews without balancing them with whole foods. While these products are convenient, they should complement, not replace, a balanced diet. Having a wide range of options makes eating usually more tolerable and easier on the gut. So try to practice eating a variety of snack like jelly baby, fig rolls, banana, flapjack, gels, etc. Some may feel like a bit more hard work to eat up but long run, your body will thank you.
Finally, inadequate recovery nutrition can impede progress. Failing to consume enough calories or the right balance of nutrients post-run can slow recovery and increase injury risk. Prioritise a well-rounded diet and listen to your body’s hunger cues to avoid these common pitfalls and support your marathon training journey effectively.
If you’re not sure where to start, or need additional guidance, speaking to a registered nutritionist can help you navigate this tricky part of your training.
In conclusion, a well-structured nutrition plan is a vital component of marathon training. By training your gut, understanding macronutrient roles, strategising hydration, and avoiding common pitfalls, you can enhance your performance and achieve your marathon goals.
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