Your Marathon fuelling strategy starts HERE!

If you are running a marathon this spring, chances are you have already started training for it; but have you thought about how to fuel both your training as well as the big day?

Here I want to give you a simple, straight forward guide on how to fuel yourself for running, recovery and endurance.

A solid nutritional strategy for tackling marathon training is crucial for success, an under fuelled body means less progress, increased injury risk and a low chance of finishing strong.

I say strong with the knowledge that one persons strong may vary vasty to the next. You might be striving for a PB, chasing that sub 3.30 or you might just want to cross that finish line walking tall; each is admirable and each is still worthy of a decent nutrition plan.

Let’s start with the what and the why; what happens when we don’t fuel optimally?

1. Reduced endurance

2. Reduced speed

3. Risk of injury

4. GI distress

5. Mental fatigue (‘giving up’ quicker)

Often it can be hugely confusing to know what to consume when you are running let alone what to consume when you are NOT running. But both are imperative in equal parts.

So where to start?

Let us look at the big picture, fuelling for individual training sessions is one thing but how our diet looks overall is how we can set up for success over a prolonged period of time.

Key focus areas should include:

1. Optimal protein intake (somewhere between 1.4-1.7g of protein per kg of bodyweight)

2. Optimal carbohydrate intake from a variety of sources

3. Overall calorie intake (now is not the time to strive for a calorie deficit)

4. Increased miconutrient intake to support immune function

The last point is maybe the least discussed area when you might be researching marathon nutrition strategies but it may potentially be the most important. When we partake in endurance training especially if it is new to us, we are at risk of potential immune suppression and nutrient deficiencies due to the increased training demands and induced fatigue. Ensuring we are eating a diet rich in healthy fats, fruits and veggies as well as potentially supplementing with specific vitamins and minerals is incredibly important.

And when we run?

When we perform any training modality for longer than 60-90 minutes, the general rule of thumb is that we will need to consume some kind of intra session fuel in order to sustain performance and energy levels.

For a marathon or any run longer than 60 minutes, the focus is, hopefully obvious to you; carbohydrates. The quick energy releasing kind (gels, sweeties etc). This is to ensure blood glucose levels are maintained, avoiding hypoglycaemia as well as ensuring our muscles have access to easily available energy.

So what might a pre run meal/snack look like?

1. Ideally high carbohydrate, moderate to low protein and low fat. This will ensure sustained energy as well as limited GI distress. 

2. 1g of carbohydrate per kg of bodyweight 1 hour pre training

3. For intra session fuel; consume 30-60g of fast digesting carbohydrates per hour. This number will vary depending on size and speed of individual.

A bagel with jam and a small amount of nut butter is an ideal pre run meal

How about how to REFUEL?

The aim of your post training meal is to prevent further muscle breakdown, help to optimise muscle and liver glycogen stores, and ultimately promote adaptations to training

Again carbohydrates are key here and we want to replenish glycogen stores ideally within the first 60 minutes post exercise. Aim for 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight.

Second to this would be protein. Aim for 20-25g of protein in this meal.

A good example of a post training run meal would be a protein smoothie, a protein filled sandwich, Pasta with chicken or tuna or rice and beans.

The specifics of optimal nutrition for a marathon will vary from person to person; alongside their personal goals but regardless of this the quicker you nail down how best to fuel yourself the better your training journey will be.