By Dr. Irfan Shaikh
Are you interested in running a marathon and more importantly hitting the finish line? Participating in a marathon can be a great rewarding experience but you need to do a little more than just signing up for it. Running a marathon distance requires significant dedication to prepare for the big day. Having a healthy marathon-oriented training diet in the preceding weeks is one of the major factors to be considered when planning to participate.
From the foods to focus on to the best approach for race day nutrition, I share everything you need to know about preparing to run 42 kms.
Ensuring A Healthy Diet to Support Your Training
Increasing physical activity without properly fueling the body can result in muscle loss, an increased risk of illness, stress, and poor sleep. To avoid this, the first step during training should be to ensure that your body gets enough calories.
If you’re doing moderate levels of intense training — for example, training two to three hours per day, five to six days a week — the calories required to support the activity may approach 40–70 kcals/kg/day (2000–7000 kcals/day for a 50–100 kg person)i. To meet those elevated caloric needs, you will likely want to eat three meals and multiple snacks each day.
Another factor is to ensure a good ‘balance’ in your diet, especially in its composition. Even though junk food makes it easy to meet your calorie goals, it’s better to choose nutrient-dense foods over a diet of soda and donuts. Include enough whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats to meet your calorie goals.
The Link Between Training and Diet
Once you are determined to run the marathon, you’ll be needing a training plan for running and besides this, you would want to have a solid nutrition plan.
Nutrition is an extremely important component of the preparation phase and can influence the physiological adaptations to training. Firstly, moderating carbohydrate (CHO) intake with the intensity of training can help optimize endurance adaptations. Secondly, meeting the daily protein requirements is essential to take care of muscle wear and tear. Thirdly, adequate hydration to avoid carry-over effects that may reduce performance in subsequent sessions.
You should also remember to keep your calorie needs in mind. If you won’t be running more than two hours a day, you won’t need to increase your calorie intake that much. The important thing is to listen to your body. If you’re hungry, you should eat. If you feel sluggish during a run, try to figure out why.
Next, you need to create a meal plan around your training schedule. Meals should be balanced and include whole grains, protein, fat, fruits, and vegetables. Meal timing matters as well! You should eat a full meal about three to four hours before your run. It is advisable to consume a small snack of carbohydrates and protein before your workout. After your run, eat a meal high in protein and carbohydrates within 45 minutes to help muscles recover.
An All-Day Intake Plan for Maximizing Nutrition
Here’s a sample marathon training diet plan that can help you reach your goals.
- Breakfast: Eggs, whole wheat toast, half an avocado, and a whole banana
- Morning snack: Apple with peanut butter
- Lunch: Quinoa bowl with black beans, chicken, assorted vegetables, salsa, and cheese
- Pre-run snack: Greek yogurt with berries, and low-fat granola
- Post-run dinner: Salmon, brown rice, broccoli with butter
- Bedtime snack: Milk, whole-grain cereal, and berries
If you follow a vegetarian diet, you can include yogurt, flax seeds, cottage cheese, lentils, legumes, soy milk, avocadoes, sweet corn, beans, green peas, oats, and nuts in your meal plan to make sure you are meeting your body’s protein needs.
You can also opt for nutritional supplements like Ensure HMB as part of your healthy lifestyle program – to help close any gaps and ensure complete nutrient intake. This can help support bone & muscle strength to help you stay strong & active as you prepare for the marathon. It is also important to speak to your doctor before you make any drastic changes to your diet and routine in order to ensure smooth sailing.
Optimizing Nutrition on D Day
On the big day, you’ll be spending most of the hours on your feet doing the same continuous activity and this can put up significant strain on your body. To avoid this, maximize your performance and have an easy training period. Figuring out proper nutrition on race day is the crucial final step in preparing your marathon training plan.
Choosing the wrong foods or trying to mix up your routine can negatively impact your performance. To avoid this, make a race-day plan ahead of time. Try packing everything you need a few days before, so you don’t forget anything important. Lastly, focus on hydration, fast-acting carbs, and getting enough calories to support running 42 kms all at once.
Following a solid nutrition plan while training and on race day will help make training easier — allowing you to achieve all your marathon goals this year as well as in the future.
(The author is a Head, Medical & Scientific Affairs at Abbott’s Nutrition business. The article is for informational purposes only. Please consult medical experts and health professionals before starting any therapy, medication and/or remedy. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
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