With all the anxiety and nerves that go along with marathon morning, sometimes eating is that last thing on many runners' mind. Oh but what a big mistake. Not eating or eating too little can spell disaster. Even though you may have carb-loaded days before the race and even though you may have attended that pre-race pasta dinner, you'll still need some fresh fuel in the tank come race time.
Leading sports nutritionist Nancy Clark recommends that runners eat about 500 calories of breakfast 1-3 hours before race time. In her book,
Nancy Clark's Food Guide for Marathons, Clark provides several examples of a good 500-calorie pre-marathon breakfast such as
2 oatmeal packets made with (300 calories)1 cup of low-fat milk (100 calories)1 medium banana (100 calories)
I've found that two English muffin halves each spread with a little peanut butter and a little jam or preserves does the trick for me. Some other good pre-run foods I've tried include:
• a bagel with peanut butter and banana slices
• a whole-grain waffle with peanut butter• two graham crackers with peanut butter
• whole-grain cereal with skim milk (FYI: test on a short run; milk doesn't set well with some runners)
• Greek yogurt with fruit• Uncrustables• a sports bar (check the label and make sure it's not loaded with saturated fat)Over the past 10 marathons that I've run, I've learned a few things by trial and error about the pre-marathon breakfast.
1. Make sure your breakfast is high in carbs (i.e., bagels, toast, English
muffins). A little protein is fine such as an egg, yogurt, or peanut butter, but try to stay way from excessively fatty foods. The extra fat may not settle well in your tummy during the race, plus the fat (especially saturated fat) isn't going to provide your muscles much fuel at this stage in the game.
2. Be sure that whatever you eat, it's something that you'd nornmally eat prior to a run. It's a good idea to test out various breakfast foods during your training. This way you get a good idea of which ones provide you the fuel you need as well as which ones may have adverse affects. Never, Never, Never eat something on race day that you've never before eaten prior to a long run.
3. If you're having to travel to a different city for your marathon, be advised that the hotel you're staying at may not have the breakfast foods you need or it may not prepare them the way you're accustomed to. I've found it very helpful to either pack the foods I'll need or purchase them from a local grocery store once I get there. I've also found it very helpful to book a room that has a mini-fridge. This way you can keep your water and sports drinks cold.
4. Be sure to hydrate starting the day before the marathon. No need to over do it, but I've found that sipping on several bottles of water throughout the day is helpful. The morning of the race be sure to drink water with your breakfast. Then drink your last glasses of water or sports drink about 2 hours prior to the start. This will give it plenty of time to pass through your system, giving you time to void any extra before the start. Then drink some more about 5-15 minutes before the start. Just like the food, only drink liquids you normally drink before running. Don't all the sudden decide to try a sports drink before the run, because they're handing them out free.
Running
and pasta are like Bert & Ernie, Yin & Yang, Lavern & Shirley,
Thelma & Louise. That's all well and fine. Pasta is a great source of carbs
for fueling your runs, but did you know that thepotato
is a nutritious source of carbohydrates,
even more than rice or pasta? Yep, this often shunned veggie has gotten a bad
wrap in the whole anti-carb movement. Like many foods, it's how you prepare it
that makes or breaks the nutritional value of the spud. Cover it with butter,
melted cheese, and bacon bits and you've created "food porn." Bake it
and top it with a dollop of Greek yogurt and voilà,
nutritious yumminess! Sport nutritionist Nancy Clark supports the spud
too. She shares that this super veggie
is a great source of Vitamin C (gives
1/2 of your daily needs) and provides the potassium you'd
lose in three hours of sweaty exercise. It's cousin the sweet potato provides
even more health benefits! A standard
potato (like
you'd get with a restaurant meal) contains
around 200 calories. That's about the same as most sports bars. The spud makes
a great pre-and post-run snack as well as a part of a meal. Pre-baked spuds
that are sliced and refrigerated make great snacks before or after a run. In her book, NancyClark's Food Guide for Marathoners, she
gives some great ideas for potato toppers such as low-fat salad dressing;
low-fat sour cream, chopped onion, and low-fat shredded cheddar cheese; cottage
cheese and garlic powder; milk mashed into the potato; plain yogurt (I
like using the Greek yogurt. It's very similar to sour cream);
flavored vinegars; soy sauce; steamed veggies like broccoli; chopped jalapeno
peppers; lentils or lentil soup (I
like topping it with veggie chili or black beans);
applesauce. Worried about the potato
being high on the Glycemic Index? Valid concern, but did you know that when you
pair the spud with certain foods, it actually lowers its GI? Adding healthy
fats to your spud such as olive oil, sour cream or avocados, will lower the GI.
Increasing the acidity by adding vinegar, citrus or salsa lowers the GI of the
spud too. Eating the potato with the skin on increased the fiber slowing
digestion and lowering the GI. Oddly enough, cooking the potato, then cooling
it before you eat it, lowers the GI. So, give the spud a try!!
