A very smart friend of mine, and fellow Moms in motion team leader just shared this article with me. It's such great, straight forward, real information that I just had to share it with all of you. Enjoy!
Top Ten Nutrition Tips for a Spring Half or Full Marathon!Spring will finally be here soon! Are you gearing up for a Spring half or full marathon? Maybe it’s your first, or just one of many and you’re hoping for a PR. If you’ve been preparing for the race by following a training plan, make sure your nutrition plan is on target too. Without a good nutrition plan, the perfect training schedule becomes ineffective. As a Sports Dietitian, I’ve come up with my top ten nutrition tips to help YOU have a successful Spring half or full marathon!
1. Eat a healthy diet to begin with! Choose a mix of healthy carbs; fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, along with lean meats and fish, low-fat soy or dairy products, and “healthy” fats like olive and canola oil, and omega-3 fatty acids in salmon, walnuts, and flax-seed. Include foods with plenty of fiber and go easy on the junk-food, or what I call “wasted-calories”, those foods high in sugar and unhealthy saturated or trans fats.
2. Drink plenty of fluids every day! Sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with hydration, especially after long, hard workouts. A lot of athletes simply do not drink enough during the day. When it’s not quite hot outside yet, it is often overlooked. A good rule of thumb; straw-colored urine.
3. Always practice your nutrition plan prior to your race. Remember at race pace things may not agree with you the same as they do during a social run with friends. Go out for a fast-paced interval or tempo run and try a sports gel, sport beans, or carbohydrate-containing sports drink or practice nutrition in a shorter distance race. You’ll need 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hour, depending on your size. This translates to 120-240 calories or roughly a 16 oz. sports drink and one sports gel or sports bean pack (~200 calories). Find out what nutrition will be available on the course to try before hand to see if you like it and you can tolerate it. Only use what works in training on race day! If you’re a heavy sweater, sodium may be a necessary nutrient for you. Again, practice in training.
4. Choose foods carefully the day or two before a race. No need to carbo load for a half marathon if it will take less than two hours to complete. You’ll have enough glycogen (storage form of glucose) for most of the race. For a marathon or for someone that may take longer in the half, however, carbo-loading is effective and needed! Incorporate plenty of healthy carbs in the day or two before the race, making lunch your larger meal the day before. Watch the fiber content, gas-forming vegetables, or any unusual foods during this time also (may be a recipe for GI distress!).
5. Never, ever, try any new food or beverage on race day! Simply having an apple or regular milk versus your usual soy milk in your morning Chai tea, can cause some GI distress, especially combined with pre-race jitters. If you had to travel to the race, you should plan to bring something from home or plan breakfast the night before. This should be something you have had before morning workouts at home.
6. Have a good breakfast. This should consist of some carbs and a small amount of protein but low in fat for optimal digestion. Some suggestions would include; a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, cereal with fruit and milk, oatmeal with raisins and a yogurt. Typically, you’ll want to consume about 400-600 calories at least, again, depending on your size and what you’re used to. You’ll also want to be well hydrated before the race which would include drinking ~two to three cups of fluid at least two to three hours prior to the race. Coffee is fine if that’s your norm, and may provide added benefits during the race. If you’re not used to eating in the morning, try drinking your calories in the form of juice or a sports drink. Something is always better than nothing.
7. Bring something to eat and drink to the race. If you’ve had to get up early to travel to the race, it may be four hours before race start from the time you got up. An hour or two before your race start, you may want to consume ~100-200 calories to top of your glycogen. Pre-race carbohydrate amount does vary- some individuals are sensitive to glucose fluctuations. Also, drink another cup of water an hour or two before the race. Pre-race nerves can make your mouth dry too. Some races do have food set up prior to the race but don’t take that for granted, bring a nutrition or cereal bar, fruit, jelly sandwich, or sip on a sports drink.
8. Don’t forget to bring your nutrition to the race. If you are using your own nutrition vs. what the race has available set it out the night before along with your race number, shoes, timing chip, etc.
9. Drink enough fluids during the race. Fluids are the most crucial nutrition component during any race. It’s easy to forget to drink when it’s a chilly Spring morning or you’re caught up in the excitement of the race. Drink before you’re thirsty. More than just 2% body water loss can lead to heat illness and fatigue. Old recommendations were to drink ~6- 12 ounces every 15-20 minutes but ACSM now recommends a customized plan considering sweat rate and composition, duration of race, clothing, and environment.
10. Lastly, ensure optimal recovery with food and fluids. When you are finished with your race, your first priority should be hydration and replacement of electrolytes. Even if you think you drank plenty on the course, drink a bottle or two of water or sports drink to ensure hydration and replace lost electrolytes, especially if it’s a warm Spring day. Beer isn’t the best fluid for hydration but I’ve been known to celebrate with Sam or Bud after a race, just make sure you drink water first. It’s best to start consuming food for recovery within 15-30 minutes to replenish glycogen stores (carbohydrate) and to aid in repair of damaged muscle tissue (protein) in a 4:1 ratio. For every 400 calories in carbs, eat 100 calories in protein. Examples include; a 16 oz. glass of chocolate milk, yogurt smoothie, turkey sandwich, or a good mix of carbs and protein at the post-race party. Continue to replenish with food every two hours during the day.
Okay, there you have it; my top ten nutrition tips (and a few bonus tips in there!). If you practice these tips, it’ll be one less thing to worry about on race day, and you’ll be on your way to having a successful Spring half or full marathon. More importantly, have fun and enjoy the race!
Deb Iovoli, MS,RD,CSSD,CDN
Deb is a Sports Dietitian in Rochester N.Y., adjunct at Monroe Community College as well as Rochester Moms in Motion Team Leader. She enjoys helping athletes become successful with food choices, body weight and composition, for optimal health and performance!
