Marathon Training Nutrition

When you are training for a marathon there are some important nutrition requirements that you should be aware of.

Firstly, we all know that we are what we eat. This is all the more important when training for a marathon because your body will be demanding the right minerals and nutrients due to the physical exertion it is going through. This is the reason that you should have a well balanced diet during your marathon preparation and avoid eating junk food because it will not provide your body with the nutritional value it requires.

The energy you have to perform during your training sessions and during the race comes primarily from the glycogen stores in your muscles and blood system. The more glycogen you have stored, the better you will perform. Glycogen can be thought of as being similar to your endurance levels.

There are two ways to influence the amount of glycogen stored in your system. The first is to train more. The more you exert your body, the more efficiently glycogen is stored in your body. Therefore to increase the amount of stored glycogen is to train more.

The second way to influence the amount of glycogen stored in your body is to increase the amount of carbohydrates in your system. Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. Glucose is a type of sugar. Glucose is then broken down further into glycogen. It is this glycogen that is then stored in your muscles and blood system and is released whenever your body requires energy.

This is not to say that your entire diet should consist of carbohydrates. This would only make you sick. Your body requires a balanced diet to perform at it’s best. For this reason, you could try having a diet during your training preparation that consists of say 25% proteins, 25% fats and say 50% carbohydrates. Of course, this will depend on your nutritional requirements and you should consult a medical practitioner before substantially changing your diet.

When looking at incorporating carbohydrates into your diet, you should know that there are two different types of carbohydrates. The first carbohydrates are simple carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are released rapidly from your muscles and blood system when your body requires energy. These are not of much value when training for and competing in a marathon because of their rapid release time. Simple carbohydrates are found in foods such as sugar, honey, jam, sweets and fruit. They act to give your body a temporary energy boost.

The second type of carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are stored in your muscles and blood stream and are released slowly over a period of time during physical exertion. It is this long-term release of energy which is ideal for running a marathon. Complex carbohydrates are found in foods such as pasta, rice, beans, vegetables, bread, legumes and potatoes. The more complex carbohydrates you ‘stuff’ into your system, the more long term energy will be available to you during your training sessions and during your race.

In the week prior to your marathon there is another process called carbohydrate loading. Carbohydrate loading is increasing the percentage of complex carbohydrates in your diet for a period of time. This in turn aims to stuff more glycogen into your system that can then be released as energy when your body requires it during the race. Typically, your diet should consist of approximately 70% complex carbohydrates during the final 3-4 days before your marathon to be effective.

As you can see, there is a lot of value to be obtained from following a marathon training diet and nutrition plan. Not only can you improve your performance on race day by carbohydrate loading before your race but you can also increase your endurance levels in the lead up to your marathon by having a nutrition plan that contains a large percentage of complex carbohydrates.

Marathon Hydration | Marathon Glycogen Levels | Marathon Sleep

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