Marathon Eating

Competitive athletes are bound to the efficient function of their bodies, any well-balanced diet should focus on the consumption of more complex carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, rice, cereals. Fruits, vegetables, and the general consumption of more calories, on training days, is a winning strategy. Excess protein, sugar, and any saturated fats are a topic of avoidance, and processed foods should also be swept aside. The most helpful dietary decision an athlete can make is to refrain from the simple sugars that over-inflate blood sugar levels and stick to complex carbohydrates.

Diet

Five to ten hours of exercise per week demands that the ideal diet contain 60 to70 percent carbohydrates, 20 to 25 percent fat and 10 to15 percent protein. At least 70 percent of calories should come from carbohydrates if an athlete logs more than 10 hours of endurance activity. Bran, vitamins, calcium, iron and potassium should be included in meals aside from carbohydrates.

Before training/race

For shorter events, do not eat at all or have a very light breakfast at least 3 hours before the race, mainly to ease feelings of hunger. For events longer than a half marathon, a light and easy to digestible breakfast should be eaten, mainly to delay the draining of glycogen stores. Again, meals should be eaten approximately three hours before the race in order to avoid unnecessary fatigue. It is also recommended to add a gel 10 to 20 minutes before a long race. Athletes each have individual and situation-specific needs. Therefore, the right combination of when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat is a rare find and should be held close. When in doubt, just drink, but do not eat.

During training/race

For events longer than two hours, the runner will have to eat carbohydrate rich food during the race. The recommend amount is 200 to 300 calories per hour after 1and a half hours into the race. An athlete should come equipped with his own food or consume energy replacement bars and gels, which are offered at most aid stations.

After the race

A proper post race diet will minimize injury and illness and allow the runner to return to normal training and racing routine sooner. A long race will deplete glycogen stores. Plenty of carbohydrates should be eaten in order to recover them afterward. When eating an hour after a long competition, exercised muscles are twice as receptive to glycogen replacement, which means that they can quickly replenish lost energy reserves and better prepare for the next run. Make sure more proteins are consumed with every post race meal (around 30 percent of all total calories) to promote the rebuilding of muscle tissue. Eating fatty foods is not recommended, despite the fact that fat has been burned as a fuel during the race. Fat supplies are plentiful in the body and usually do not need any outside assistance with replenishment.

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