Nutrition Basics for
Marathoners
By Connie Mooney, MS,
RD
Spring
marathon training ’08 is now well underway and the
miles are starting to pile up underneath our shoes.
Hopefully your training has gotten off to a good
start and you are feeling healthy and strong!!
Whether your goal is to simply finish, to break 5
hours, to break 4 hours, or to come in under 3 –
eating well can help get you there! While I can’t
guarantee it will shave those precious minutes (or
hours) off your time – it will help you stay feeling
energized during those long cold runs AND (just as
important) will help you recover for your next run.
Whether or
not you are a first time marathoner or a veteran -
knowing what to eat and when to eat it can be
tricky, especially when it comes to the long
training runs. Take advantage of your long runs to
fine tune your nutrition habits and come up with a
race day plan. You will have two key chances to
practice your race-day plan; the Hopkinton to Boston
and Natick to South Boston runs so be sure to use
those days wisely and practice what you plan to do
on marathon day.
What to Eat?
Carbohydrate rich foods are
without a doubt the best fuel for endurance workouts
(any exercise lasting one hour or more). Our
bodies have a limited ability to store extra
carbohydrate calories and we store those in the form
of glycogen
in our muscles and liver. A person who weighs 150
lbs stores about 500 grams of glycogen (400 in
muscle tissue and about 100 grams in the liver).
That’s about 2000 calories, which, if we had nothing
else to depend on for energy would take us only
about 17 miles which happens to coincide with the
start of the Newton hills (figuring the average 150
lb runner burns about 115 calories per mile).
Fortunately, during exercise, you burn a combination
of carbohydrates AND fat (which – sadly - we have an
UNLIMITED ability to store). During exercise the
liver’s glycogen is used primarily to maintain
normal blood sugar (glucose) levels as the cells of
the brain and central nervous system cannot use
anything BUT glucose for fuel. Muscle glycogen is
used mainly by the exercising muscles. People who
regularly exercise their muscles and refuel them
well before, during and after exercise tend to have
more available glycogen. The harder you run, the
faster you run, and the longer you run the more
glycogen you will burn quicly. So, what do you
eat to maximize your glycogen storage? You guessed
it – carbs!
A good,
basic high carbohydrate diet for runners provides
60-70% of total daily calories in the form of
carbohydrate rich foods:
* Grains in the form of
breads, cereals, pasta or rice. Whole grains
provide
more
nutrients and fiber and are your best choices.
* Starchy vegetables like
potatoes, beans (legumes), peas, corn and squash.
* Fruits (packed with natural
sugar energy, vitamins, and potassium – great
to help
replenish what we lose in sweat!)
* Dairy products
(milk, yogurt, ice cream)
* Sweets (cookies, cakes,
candies). Taste great, add extra calories but
should
not be the biggest part of your diet!!
Don’t
forget about the protein and fat – lean meats, fish,
chicken, nuts and
vegetable
oils (olive, canola, etc..)
How many
calories you need depends on many factors (genetics,
age, healthy/ideal body weight and activity level).
An active 130 pound female at a healthy weight (who
wants to maintain that weight) could need up to 2000
to 2300 calories each day while an active 180 pound
male may need up to 3200 calories each day. Let’s
assume we follow a 60-20-20 breakdown for calories
(60% from carbs, 20% from protein, 20% from fat) -
on a 2000 calorie diet that would translate into 300
grams of carbohydrates daily, 100 grams of protein
daily and abouit 45 grams of fat. At 3000 calories
it would be would be 450 grams of carbs, 150 grams
of protein and about 66 grams of fat.
Not All Carbs are Created
Equal
Carbohydrates come in two basic forms - simple and
complex. Simple carbs are easily digested and
quickly absorbed into our bloodstreams as glucose
and provide a quick energy source - things like
sugar and sweets (candy, jelly beans, GU, Powergel,
soda/tonic) as well as fruits and juices are all
sources of simple carbs. Complex carbs
(slow-burning carbs) are found in starchy foods,
things that come from grains (bread, cereals, pasta
and rice are all examples) or starchy vegetables –
potatoes and legumes (dried beans, lentils, etc).
Complex carbs should form the backbone of your daily
diet – the simple carbs are great for boosting
energy during a long run or race and for a quick
re-fueling of your glycogen stores just after a
run. You may have already heard about the glycemic
index (GI) – it’s a way to measure how quickly
carbohydrate rich foods turn into blood glucose
after you’ve eaten them. Low GI foods tend to be
found among the slow burning carb family and high GI
foods are from the simple or fast burning family.
For more information on the glycemic index and a
searchable database of foods and their GI values,
check out www.glycemicindex.com
What, When and How Much to Eat
for Long Runs and the Marathon
If you are
following a balanced diet with enough calories to
maintain a healthy body weight and you feel well
during your long runs then your glycogen stores are
probably in good shape. Be sure to eat enough slow
burning carbs during the 3-4 days before (and in the
week leading up to the marathon). Definitely try to
have a good carb based meal the night before (no
Atkins Diet meals of salad and steak only). Trying
to load up on carbs the morning of the run if you
haven’t been consistently doing it all week won’t
help. The food you eat the morning of the run will
certainly give you some energy and help keep your
blood glucose up for a while but it won’t be added
to your glycogen stores. Many runners avoid eating
much the morning of the long run or on race day for
fear of developing cramps. If you run at a
comfortable pace, you should still be able to digest
your breakfast. Try a few different breakfasts to
see what works so that you don’t get stuck on just
one thing – what if you can’t have that same thing
on race day?!? It’s hard to pack a hot bowl of
oatmeal in that race bag!! Now is the best time to
experiment and see what foods you can tolerate. The
general rule of thumb is to have 0.5 grams of carb
per pound of body weight about 1-2 hours before your
run. So, if you weigh 150 lbs, you need to have
about 75 grams of carbs during the hour or so before
the run. Some of the larger bagels have that
amount or try a combination of fruit and yogurt (1
banana has 25 grams, an 8 oz fruit yogurt has up to
50). Cereals, pancakes, waffles or whole grain
toast with peanut butter and jam are also good
choices.
During the
run, you should try to take in an additional 0.5
grams of carb per pound of body weight EVERY hour.
Our 150 pound runner would need to take in 75 grams
every hour. With our water stops on average every 3
to 3.5 miles (or about 30 minutes apart at a 10-
minute/mile pace) that’s an easy thing to do. Take
advantage of the L Street water stops which offer a
smorgasbord of carb choices: Gatorade has 14 grams
per 8 ounce cup, Fig Newtons have 11 grams per
cookie, jelly beans have about 35 grams in a large
handful. Energy gels are also a great choice during
long runs and especially during races as they are
easy to carry and consume while on the move (25 – 28
grams of carbs per pack). PowerGel and GU are both
popular and come in many flavors. Be aware that
many have caffeine which can cause GI upset in some
people so be sure to experiment before the big
day!!
One last
thing, try not to skimp on the salt in your diet
especially the day or two before the long runs!!
While you don’t need to turn your food white by
adding salt from the shaker (most of us get plenty
of sodium without it) don’t go overboard on the low
sodium end of the spectrum. Especially if you are a
salty sweater – ask Sarge, she’ll tell ya!! We lose
a lot through our sweat, even in the colder temps so
stay hydrated and enjoy those pretzels and potato
chips now and again!
After the
run it’s time to focus on RECOVERY. Resting and
refueling your hard working muscles is the best part
of marathon training! Try to have a carb rich
snack, drink or small meal as soon as possible after
the run, preferably within 30-60 minutes to help
replenish your muscle glycogen stores. Don’t skip
the bananas, they are loaded w/carbs and potassium.
Include some high quality protein to help provide
essential amino acids for muscle repair. On a
15-18 mile run, you will have burned about 1500 -
1800 calories so enjoy your afternoon and eat guilt
free!
Hope this
helps you out, there is so much more!!!
For Further
Reading:
On The Web – check out
www.nancyclarkrd.com,
Nancy Clark’s excellent website on Sports Nutrition,
she has links to other good sources as well. Or try
the Runner’s World website,
www.runnersworld.com,
which also has some good nutrition articles
available. Click on the nutrition link from the
home page.
Any
questions or concerns about your diet, you can
e-mail me (connie_mooney@msn.com) or post your
questions on the forum.
And, last
but not least, I’m including a few of my favorite
pre and post run recipes (the pancake one goes back
out to my friend Lauren Reid as she is a big fan of
the pancakes!!)
Heartbreak
Hill Cakes
(guaranteed to get you to the top) – loaded with
slow burning carbs from the whole wheat flour and
oats, these make a great pre-run breakfast. Make a
batch the day before and pop a couple in the
microwave as you decide what to wear for your run!!
Dry
ingredients –
1 ¼ cups
whole-wheat flour
1 cup
rolled oats (regular or quick)
¼ cup wheat
germ
2
Tablespoons sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts
4 teaspoons
baking powder
1
Tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon
baking soda
cinnamon,
cloves and nutmeg (about 1/8 teaspoon each)
Wet
ingredients –
1 cup
lowfat milk
½ cup
yogurt (plain or vanilla flavored)
2 eggs
1
Tablespoon oil
1 cup of
mashed banana or applesauce (or a combo of each
totaling 1 cup)
1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
-
In a
medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
-
In a
second bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt,
eggs and oil. Stir
in the
mashed banana/applesauce and vanilla extract.
-
On a
hot, lightly greased griddle, use about 3
tablespoons of batter
for each
pancake (or less if you like smaller pancakes).
Flip them just
once so
they end up golden brown on each side.
I love to
top them with yogurt and applesauce.
After your
run re-load your glycogen stores with a
Super
Smoothie
– (makes 2 good size servings)
1
cup calcium fortified orange juice
1
large banana
1
cup fruit-flavored or vanilla low-fat yogurt
5-6 large frozen strawberries
-
Mix it all up in a blender and enjoy!
(1 serving
provides about 210 calories, 45 grams of carbs, 5
grams of protein, 1.5 grams of fat, 770 mg of
Potassium and provides 25% of your daily calcium
requirement and more than 100% of your daily vitamin
C requirement).
Tuscan Bean
Soup (quick and easy, lots of fiber, vitamins,
minerals including potassium, low fat and plenty of
sodium and fluid from the
broth):
-1 cup baby
carrots, coarsely chopped
-1 small
onion, chopped
-1 clove
garlic, chopped
-1 small
zucchini, diced
-3
tablespoons olive oil
-2 15 oz
cans or one 32 ounce can cannellini (small white)
beans
-2 14 ounce
cans of chicken broth
-3
teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
-5 oz baby
Spinach
In a medium
to large soup pot, cook the onion, garlic, carrots
and zucchini over medium heat until almost done ~ 5
minutes. Add the beans, broth and Italian
seasoning. Slightly mash the beans with a potato
masher to help thicken the soup. Simmer for about
10 more minutes until the vegetables are just
cooked. Add the spinach and cook until it just
wilts. Serve w/crusty bread!